A month on since the Launch of Hope in the Future

Saturday 4th November 2017

On the Feast of St Francis of Assisi the Diocese launched – Hope for the Future.

Since then you may have heard this phrase being used around your parish or you may have seen images of the San Damiano Cross appearing in your parish and wondered what it is all about.

At the launch Bishop John explained: ‘Pope Francis wants each and every one of us, no matter who we are, our age, our skills, our experiences; he wants each and every one of us to be Missionary Disciples. Missionary Disciples in Mission Parishes. ‘

Hope in the Future aims to help provide each parish with the support, encouragement and resources to achieve this. It is an invitation to every parish in the Diocese to recognise and develop their missionary identity and their call to evangelise. It builds on the theme of Hope which is key to the catechesis of Pope Francis. You can read more about the programme here.

The launch evening was a great success. Clergy and parish representatives from across the Diocese gathered together to celebrate and all who attended left feeling enthusiastic for the task ahead.

Every parish was presented with a San Damaino Cross to display and a resource pack to get their parish started on the process.

It is important that we recognise as Bishop John states that ‘Our parishes are so different, suburban, urban, rural parishes. Some of them are ancient, so of them are very new. And each in its own context has its work to do. We need to identify what that work is and respond in our own parish mission.’ The resources produced are aimed for every parish to be itself and find its own way of developing its mission.

The next stage is down to you. To enable us to achieve all we can, it is crucial that all members of the Church are involved. Have you considered joining your parish team?

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