Evangelii Gaudium The Joy of the Gospel

A JOY EVER NEW Shout aloud and sing for joy! Isaiah 12.6 Rejoice! Luke 1.28 My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour Luke 1.47 …. so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete John 15:11

All are called to Evangelise 120. In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization

Deepening our enthusiasm 8. For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others? 10. … an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm … ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervour, who have first received the joy of Christ.”  

SHARE THE JOY 14. Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, they should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but “by attraction”.

A CHURCH WHICH IS POOR AND FOR THE POOR 198. I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us. … we need to let ourselves be evangelised by them.

No more ‘managed decline’ 15. … we “cannot passively and calmly wait in our church buildings”; we need to move “from a pastoral ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly missionary pastoral ministry”. 25. “Mere administration” can no longer be enough. Throughout the world, let us be “permanently in a state of mission”.

‘Smelling like THE sheep’ 24. Evangelizers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice. An evangelizing community is also supportive, standing by people at every step of the way, no matter how difficult or lengthy this may prove to be.

‘Dirty and bruised’ 49.  I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security …

Being bold and creative 33. Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way”. I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities. 41. At the same time, today’s vast and rapid cultural changes demand that we constantly seek ways of expressing unchanging truths in a language which brings out their abiding newness.

TEACH CRITICAL THINKING 64. … we need to provide an education which teaches critical thinking and encourages the development of mature moral values.

BE EXPLICIT ABOUT JESUS 110. “… there can be no true evangelization without the explicit proclamation of Jesus as Lord”.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Our focus on mission A three-year lens to focus our way of being and doing Not a new ‘project’, rather a mindset and a disposition that enables mission to be the heartbeat of all our endeavours ‘God’s mission: the Joy of the Gospel’

CONTEXT Catholic School Improvement – mission focussed learning Broken Bay story – awaiting new Bishop Leuven Catholic Identity Project Mission Accreditation Policy & Formation Pope Francis Leading Learning Strategic Plan – improved engagement with Mission Catholic Discipleship Royal Commission Emphasis on Scripture- Lectio Divina Leadership Sustainability Mission SIP Goals & Targets

Mission is the heartbeat of all our endeavours: Calling us as disciples of Jesus to proclaim the joy of the Gospel Calling us to provide mission-focused student learning

Our focus on mission Goal: to enhance the ability of all participants to lead in the area of Mission 2014 – laying the foundations with leaders 22 January 2015 System focus day on Mission for school leadership teams 2015 – building staff mission capabilities 2016 – students and parents

In each conversation the following threads would be addressed but given varying emphasis depending on the audience and stage of our journey: celebrate ‘communio’ (relationships) encounter Scripture (Word of God) commit to prayer (faith) lead liturgy (worship) engage ‘missio’ (reaching out)