“I’m pumped. I’m so pumped.”
Young leader, Patrick Bouchahine isn’t holding back. The parish ambassador from St Michael’s, Belfield, has watched his community grow “massively” over just a few months, and he has big hopes for what is still to come.
“RCIA lessons are booming,” he said. “I’ll be expecting a massive event in 2028. So I’m really excited.”
He wasn’t the only one. When more than 60 parish ambassadors from across the Archdiocese of Sydney gathered at St Martha’s, Leichhardt, on 15 September, the room was buzzing.
“Sydney is ready,” said ambassador from All Saints parish, Liverpool, Simon Lavaesa. “Are you ready? I’m ready. More than ready.”
Gina Fattal, from All Saints, Liverpool, put it just as plainly: “The time is now.”
Equipping the people on the ground
Organised by the Parish Renewal Team within the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation (SCE), this was the fourth gathering for parish leaders this year.
Each one is part of a deliberate plan to equip and energise ambassadors with the resources, training and formation they need to build a culture of Eucharistic revival in their parishes before Sydney hosts the International Eucharistic Congress, Eucharist28. SCE Director Daniel Ang said the ambassadors’ role goes to the heart of the archdiocese’s preparations.
“It’s important that every parish is involved, and that there are laypeople and priests on the ground who are charged with the responsibility of bringing that revival alive in our parishes,” he said.
“It all starts with learning. This is just the beginning of gathering some of the most important people in our parishes together to start that journey towards ’28.”
Ang said the energy in the room reflected what is happening in parishes across Sydney.
“People are excited about the Eucharistic revival to come and Pope Leo’s visit, but they’re also passionate about their own parishes,” he said.
“If the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation can support that by equipping them, then I think we would have done our job.”
Supporting our priests
For Tania Rimac, Mission Leader with the SCE’s Parish Renewal Team, the ambassadors are there first and foremost to support parish priests.
“Our parish priests are the leaders of our parishes, and of the International Eucharistic Congress in their communities, but we know they have so much on their plate already,” she said.
“Our parish ambassadors will be able to support our parish priests and parish communities. They will help communicate different initiatives and also help raise up other leaders to lead these initiatives as well.”
In her keynote, Rimac offered practical advice on how best to offer this support, communicate congress information, activate other leaders and foster participation, hospitality, formation, and evangelisation. Rimac said the work sits within the SCE’s wider mission.
“We are always trying to support our parishes to be the joyful, evangelising communities they’re called to be,” she said.
“The church exists in order to evangelise, and all of the work that we do tries to help our parish leaders and lay faithful grow in their own missionary discipleship, so they can be the Body of Christ in the world today.”
From information to action
For the ambassadors, the evening was about taking what they learned home.
“We come here, get the information, and then go back to our parish and get these people all excited and moving,” Fattal said.
One of the many young adult leaders in attendance, Christian Mejillano, already knows where he wants to start: Eucharistic adoration.
“We have it every morning, but we don’t have many people turning up. So I want to highlight the importance of it,” he said.
“We need to understand that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, and I’m excited to show how important that is going to be for Eucharist28.”
Lorenzo Schiavello, from Ryde-Gladesville Parish, said the mission belongs to everyone, not just those with titles.
“Some of us are privileged to be in these roles, but I think as long as we all say yes to whatever he’s got in mind, things will happen,” he said. “The Lord calls everyone. He calls everyone who is listening.”
Bouchahine said he saw himself as the one who could get his parish connected.
“I can be that person who communicates, puts forward an idea, puts forward a process, so we can all grow closer,” he said. “That’s something I can do for our parish.”
With two years to go, Sydney’s parish ambassadors are ready to take the Eucharistic revival from the meeting room into the pews.
To learn more about Eucharist28 and how your parish can take part, visit eucharist28.org.
