In this special edition of The Broken Bay News, we are closing the 25th anniversary yearof the Diocese with a celebration of some of the wonderful things going on in our Diocese every day.
What you will see in these pages is just a taste of the good works that abound in Broken Bay.
The “Going Forward Together: Pastoral Care for Evangelisation 2006-2010” document outlined the Vision and Pastoral Directions for the Diocese of Broken Bay.They centred around seven key elements to assist us in moving forward. They asked us to:
· Proclaim the Good news of Jesus in our words and actions
· Respond personally to God’s unique love for each of us
· Live with each other in the love of Jesus
· Celebrate and share our Catholic faith and life experience
· Educate our people in our Catholic story and beliefs and their implications for our lives
· Serve each other, the community and all creation in justice and love
· Seek unity with our fellow Christians and meaningful dialogue with people of all faiths.
Importantly, the Mission Statement concluded with the following statement from Bishop David:
“Our pastoral directions call for action. I ask parishes, agencies and other groups to develop local plans in line with these directions, and to share the richness of your enthusiasm so that your light may shine on others in Broken Bay.”
The Synod process that we have been journeying through this year reminds us that to be disciples of Jesus Christ is to constantly move forward together. We are a pilgrim people. God calls us ever onwards. If our pastoral directions are to take life, they will only do so through our actions, both individual and collective.
“It is easy to focus only on the bad news we hear or on the many challenges we face. But as I move around the Diocese I am constantly struck by the faith, the commitment and the energy of so many of our people, working to build up the Kingdom of God here in our own neighbourhood,” Bishop David says.
“It is my hope that in these pages you will see a sampling of this Good News of the Broken Bay Diocese and that you will see, as I do, that even as we look forward together, we can also give thanks to our God of love for the many practical ways in which we are already responding to the ‘call for action’ outlined in the Diocesan Vision.”