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Catholic Life Publication of the Diocese of Sale
Exploring the African drum beat - Page 6
ISSUE 172
CatholicCare Gippsland arrives - Pages 8-9
May 2013
Bishop’s Pastoral Letter - Pages 11-14
New focus on family life THE family will be the key focus of a five year pastoral plan for the Diocese of Sale which is outlined in the Pentecost pastoral letter of Bishop of Sale, Christopher Prowse. The pastoral letter draws on the experiences and examples of the Holy Family. Entitled A Permanent Nazareth: Family Life in the Mission of the Church, it is the third Pentecost pastoral letter released by Bishop Prowse. He said the first area of priority was the transmission of Catholic faith in these challenging times and the second was to support family life which was “fragile.” These two priorities could be drawn together by the diocese having a clearer focus on families in the evangelising mission of the Church. Bishop Prowse looks at the Holy Family and families in the missionary tradition of the Catholic Church. “Sometimes when we examine the biblical/ theological ideal ... and then look at the reality of so many families today, we can become discouraged. “Family life in Australia has become a kind of patchwork of various human arrangements offering all sorts of hopes, joys and sufferings. “Without denying that many families seem to be in a healthy and happy state, many are in great pain and suffering tremendously.” He said that in setting a five year pastoral plan, the vision was to ponder deeply on family life - its origins, its joys and sorrows. God’s plan for family life was its interface with parish/school life and its evangelising role in society.
Bishop Prowse said the pastoral plan was titled Family Evangelisation and each year there would be distinct focus which he would enlarge on in Advent pastoral letters. The first focus would be Year of Family Prayer, followed in 2014-15 by a Year of Marriage and Family Life, 2015-16 by a Year of Nurturing FamilySchool Relations, 2016-17 by a Year of Nurturing Family-
Parish/school Relations and finally in 2017-18 by a Year of Nurturing Family/Parish/ School in the World Today. In November this year, the bishop will publish his pastoral letter in Catholic Life to set the scene for the following 12 months. The letter will have parish and family resources attached to assist with practical applications of the Year of Family Prayer
and to help promote discussion and involvement. Bishop Prowse said all parishes, schools, families and Church groups were being asked to give the yearly focus a major pastoral priority. It might not necessarily mean that there would be a need to do more, but instead it might mean that there needed to be greater focus on family evangelisation as part of normal activities.
The full text of Bishop Prowse’s pastoral letter A Permanent Nazareth: Family Life in the Mission of the Church is a four-page lift-out in this issue of Catholic Life. There is also a summary section and questions to help promote discussion within parishes, groups and families. People are asked to consider keeping the pastoral letter aside for later reference.
Smoking allowed at this school camp
IT takes teamwork to keep the campfire going, stop the fire from smoking too much and then cooking a batch of delicious popcorn but Mub, Todd, Thomas and Tyler from St Michael’s Primary School, Traralgon, seem to be winning during their important teamwork camp on the Gippsland Lakes near Paynesville. See full story page 3.
Please respond to our May appeal A donation to the Bishop’s Family Foundation will aid needy families in the Diocese of Sale by funding much needed counselling and other programs. Send tax deductible donations to: Bishop’s Family Foundation, PO Box 1410, Warragul 3820 Phone 5622 6600 for more information