By: Fr. John Jasica

PREPARING FOR OUR SEPTEMBER GATHERINGS

Everyone from our family of parishes is invited to attend our September gatherings.  Part One takes place on Sunday September 15th while Part Two takes place on Sunday September 22nd.  These two meetings will focus on two different questions.  Both meeting agendas are described at the end of this article.  I encourage everyone that plans to attend to prayerfully reflect on the question for each session and what thoughts you will want to bring forward.

OUR FACILITATOR—LINDA STAUDT

The facilitator for our “CONVERSATIONS IN THE SPIRIT” gatherings is Linda Staudt, retired Director of Education for the London District Catholic School Board and a Canadian lay delegate for the Synod of Bishops in Rome.  She was in Rome last year for the first part of the synod and is returning to Rome this October for the continuation of the synod.  She is one of seven lay people from North America appointed to the synod with voting privileges.  Linda knows first-hand how to lead us through a process of listening to one another and the Holy Spirit as we move forward.

I am extremely thankful to Linda for accepting the invitation to walk with us through this process.  She is faithful, dedicated and has an abundance of experience that will help us journey forward on our mission to form disciples who reach out to all.

LINDA SHARES HER EXPERIENCE

Linda will be modelling our two meetings September 15th and 22nd on her experience in Rome last October.  We have included an article Linda wrote describing her experience in Rome and how listening to each other in prayerful reflection allows us also to embrace the voice of the Holy Spirit who is guiding us to where God wants us to go—not the way we want to go.  Linda has also shared a graphic describing the process we will use for our meetings so that we can truly move forward together guided by the Spirit.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE MEETINGS?

The meeting agendas appear at the end of this article and have been in the bulletin for a few weeks to help everyone prepare for the gatherings.  Of course, we as a family of parishes have been discerning and planning for our future for the last three years with various meetings, sharing sessions and feedback forms.

I recommend that you read over the previous two bulletin articles (August 18 & August 25) that describes our journey and refers to documents we have published over the last few years.  These are very helpful to put things into context as we move forward.  You can also go to our IGNITE THE MISSION page on our website that has all the pertinent documents and bulletin articles over the last three years.

Our gatherings will be a chance for all of us as a family of parishes, to move forward in light of closing St. Agnes Parish as we continue to shift from maintenance to mission.  We are adapting to embrace the spirit of the first Apostles reaching out and bringing the faith to the people of Chatham in new and creative ways.  We want to support and strengthen one another bringing forward in our journey the spirit, gifts and legacy of St. Agnes Parish.  We know that we will need to continue to adapt and change when necessary in the years ahead so that we can continue to be missionaries bringing the love and presence of Christ to the world.

The actual process for the meetings will centre on table reflections.  Each person will have a set amount of time to share their thoughts on the question being discussed while others at the table listen.  Then, each person at the table will share what they have heard from others that they found significant.  Quiet reflection time will also be included.  Each table will have a “table recorder” that will submit a summary of the discussions at each table.  These will all be gathered and compiled into a summary of the meeting.  (More information next week….)

A CONVERSATION IN THE SPIRIT—MEETING #1

Sunday September 15, 2024 — 2:00 to 4:00 PM

St. Agnes Parish Hall

Agenda: Where are we right now as a family?

What is our plan moving forward?

What have we heard that is important?

Conversation in the Spirit Process

Key Question for Prayerful Conversation:

What do we need to embrace, preserve and bring forward from the St. Agnes Parish community?

A CONVERSATION IN THE SPIRIT—MEETING #2

Sunday September 22, 2024 — 2:00 to 4:00 PM

St. Agnes Parish Hall

Agenda: Share feedback from September 15th

Supporting the Transition

Next Steps

Key Question for Prayerful Conversation:

Currently—what stands out for you as a priority: where do we dedicate our efforts and resources moving forward?