In a gathering of faith and community, 500 Catholics packed the Liverpool Catholic Club for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney’s second Parish Renewal Conference, united in their quest to deepen their connection with the Holy Spirit.
With discussions, workshops, and inspiring testimonies, the conference aimed to equip participants gathered from across all dioceses in Sydney and New South Wales and even as far as New Zealand with the tools necessary to transform their parishes into vibrant hubs of faith and service.
“For such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) was the theme of the day and it was this theme Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP used in his welcome, to challenge those in attendance to “rise to the occasion” in renewing their parishes.
“Creating communities of the faithful requires concerted effort by all, if parishes are to be powerhouses of evangelisation,” he said.
But he saw great hope in the numbers in attendance and in “the new evangelisation” in Sydney—the throngs attending the recent Walk with Christ procession, the new youthful faithful ready to lead renewal, the rising tide of faithful ethnic communities and the “oversubscribed” events of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, as they enacted the Go Make Disciples mission plan.
“If God is on our side, who is against us?” the archbishop asked.
He noted that with more than two million lives in the archdiocese, there existed “two million potential saints.” He challenged parishes “to identify these new saints,” and that today’s conference will help “workshop these opportunities.”
“We need new heroes and saints for such a time as this. Cometh the hour, cometh the disciple,” he said.
Special guest speaker from New Zealand, Bishop John Adams, then addressed the packed auditorium, winning the audience over with his signature wisdom and humour, joking that he was a self-confessed “golfing addict” who did Catholicism in “his spare time.”
Bishop Adams led his parish through the devastation of the Christchurch New Zealand earthquakes. And while he spoke of his pride in his parish, as photos of his church reduced to rubble played on the big screen, he also spoke of the following seven years which saw his parish descend into a “dull pessimism,” his flock “masquerading in their faith.”
He had practical advice for attendees based on his own successful renewal experience of fostering an atmosphere of spiritual growth and community engagement.
He laid out how he was able to inspire a faithful fusion of clergy and laity, of vison and mission, to work together to foster a culture change in his parish.
It started with creating 20-strong parish “project teams” that met weekly to begin the process of parish renewal.
He created “leadership pipelines” to identify leaders of the parish and instigated a program where parents whose kids were preparing to receive the sacraments were also encouraged to complete the Alpha program.
Deeper conversions occurred in a re-engaged parish that “became truly Catholic.” Baptism grew from 30 to 90 and RCIA groups began to flourish.
“The work of parish renewal involves the dedication to labour toward those things we pray for. As Bishop Adams so eloquently shared, we all have a part to play in fostering a welcoming and compelling environment in which Christ’s love is personally encountered,” said Daniel Ang, Director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation.
“It is a joy to share in this growing movement of disciples for Christ in such a time as this, and in such an Archdiocese as this, where evangelisation is not simply a prospect but becoming a priority for so many,” he said.
Amada Briones, who serves in three parishes across the inner west, said “it will be good to incorporate all the things Bishop John mentioned to open the doors and to try to explore other ways people can come to church.”
The conference also featured a Mass dedicated to Saint Dominic lead by Bishop Richard Umbers who, in his homily, reminded the audience of the need to be missionaries.
“We are evangelisers. That is why you are here. This is what is needed for the church,” he said.
Further wisdoms and practical advice were shared in the workshops held throughout the day, led by Bishop John, who was able to drill down on the science behind energising parishes and initiating renewal.
Other workshops featured Laura Neeson on utilising social media, Sr Anastasia Reeves OP and Helen Wagner from the Parish Renewal team, Milad Khalil from the Sydney Catholic Youth team on engaging youth, as well as Hazel Lim from the Life Marriage Family team from the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation.
Married couple, Paul and Loredana Festa from St Thomas More’s Brighton Le-Sands, said they are both going back to their parish armed with specific keys towards divine renovation and culture change.
“There is a real culture change,” said Loredana. “a little bit of revolution in our faith to reach out our young people and older people to bring Christ to absolutely everyone. As people, not projects. And I learned that today.”
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for us all to come together and renew our faith. This is going to put us in good step toward evangelisation,” said Paul.
Eighteen-year-old Julia Farla from Sutherland said it was encouraging to see so many young people in attendance.
“We are the future of the church and its we who need to lead renewal in our churches, to experience the Eucharist and the joy of Mass,” she said.
“It’s daunting, but it is also especially important and after today, I am more confident today to be what my parish needs me to be.”
Most Reverend, Bishop Richard Umbers thought it was an enriching day for all involved.
“This is something that’s been building up over the course of a few years,” he said.
“Today people were very raw and real about sharing what they believe and that’s what is missionary. There’s a solidarity in that, in the mission. We’re all in it and today has been a real sharing of faith.”