Stewardship Update 2015 Diocese of Bridgetown Synod First Anniversary Progress Reports
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WORD • EUCHARIST • SERVICE STEWARDSHIP UPDATE 2015 DIOCESE OF BRIDGETOWN SYNOD FIRST ANNIVERSARY PROGRESS REPORTS DIOCESE CORE VALUES, MISSION & VISION 3 BISHOP’S MESSAGE 4 PROGRESS REPORTS: MISSION TEAM 6 VISION TEAM 12 DIOCESAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION TEAM (DCET) 15 COMMUNICATION 17 THE HUB 20 STEWARDSHIP FINANCIAL UPDATE 22 PHOTO GALLERY 23 Page 2 CORE VALUES Prayer- ForgIveness-GratItuDe-HospItalIty MISSION ‘To lead all people to unIty, encounter and partIcIpatIon in ChrIst.’ VISION ‘By 2019 the Roman CatholIc Church in BarbaDos wIll be a recognIsed leaDer in integral development, formIng mature dIscIples who buIld strong ChrIstIan famIlIes and vIbrant communItIes in the servIce of ChrIstIan UnIty, the Common Good and the KIngDom of God’. STEWARDSHIP UPDATE 2015 UPDATE STEWARDSHIP Page 3 BISHOP’S MESSAGE The Most Rev. Dr. Charles Jason Gordon Bishop of Bridgetown Dear brothers and sisters, Through thIs vIsIon we have maDe Integral Four years Is In realIty, a very short tIme for Development the currency of the church. It Is an InDIvIDual or an organIsatIon. What we the Development of all people, every person and accomplIshed together DurIng the last four every DImensIon of the human person. We all years Is amazIng. We have artIculated prIorItIes must become the best versIon of ourselves. Pope for the Church In BrIDgetown -- remember Paul VI says thIs Is the vocatIon of the Church. your three wIshes? CommunIon, StewarDshIp, ThIs is how God calls us. Youth, LIturgy and EvangelIzatIon were the Our bIggest accomplIshment Is our Synod. The prIorItIes you wanted In November 2011. These two Days of robust conversatIon about the future are the prIorItIes that we have been workIng on of the church by 346 Delegates leaDIng to 34 ever sInce. resolutIons. The closIng evenIng wIth mass In We spent two years wIth the prIests and pastoral the hallows was a defnite highlight. agents meeting every month to fnd new ways to SInce Synod, we establIshed a MIssIon Team lead the church in thIs dIrectIon. lead by GlenDa MeDforD, a VIsIon Team lead by DurIng thIs tIme we artIculated a mIssIon for the Msgr. Harcourt and May HInDs, a FInance Team Church: ‘To lead all people to UnIty, Encounter led by Robert KIrby and a CommunIcatIons and PartIcIpatIon in ChrIst.’ Team led by MIckey Armstrong. These four teams are DepenDent on one another and work We also artIculated core values that we wIll hold together to ensure we become the better church as vItal to our behavIour: Prayer, ForgIveness, that we all said we want to be. The restructurIng GratItuDe and HospItalIty. of the church has begun and soon parIshes wIll We artIculated a vIsIon: ‘By 2019 the Roman have pastoral plans to guIDe them over the next CatholIc Church In BarbaDos wIll be a four years. recognIsed leaDer In Integral Development, For the youth we have changed the confrmation formIng mature DIscIples who buIld strong programme to better reach these Important ChrIstIan famIlIes and vIbrant communItIes In members of our church. We have engaged the servIce of ChrIstIan UnIty, the Common young aDults at varIous levels of the church. Good and the KIngDom of God.’ Page 4 We have strengthened CAINCO and thIs year came to me. “I want you to brIng Good News to was a bumper year wIth a strong focus on the the poor”. I Do not yet know exactly what God Development of partIcIpants. We have Invested wants but I know that I am not yet where God heavIly In our youth and young aDults as the wants me to be for the poor and those on the future leaDers of our church. margIns of socIety and the church. I also know Let us keep In our prayers our semInarIans that we are not yet the better church that God KIrt Prospere, OmarIs Valmond and Carl wants us to be. PhIlaDelphIa. Also the Deacons In trainIng: The burnIng questIon for the next four years Is: George Waithe, Stephen Foster, MIchael How Do we become Good News to the poor? Gonsalves, Stephen Joseph, Gregory Fergusson ThIs Is the challenge before us. One that I ask and FabIan AlexanDer. each of you to pray Deeply about. It must be In We remain commItted to the mInIstry of the our prIorItIes, our actIons and In the church we poor. In aDDItIon to the servIces provIDed by St. become. In the language of the church thIs Is VIncent De Paul and the Care MInIstrIes In the about authentIc development. varIous parIshes, we began The HUB – People I thank each of you for your support and prayers HelpIng People. over the next four years. I specIally thank the There are 6-10 people a week that walk lay leaDers, prIests, relIgIous, lay ecclesIal Into The HUB. Many have been helped to communIty and my VIcar General for the start a new busIness or pursue some form of support In thIs journey. But the journey has just sustainable lIvelIhood. Through The HUB and starteD. Let us contInue to work together to Its InternatIonal partner, Food For The Poor, buIld a better church! we have Donated around BDS$6,000,000 to the Queen ElIzabeth HospItal In meDIcal supplIes, WIth GratItuDe meDIcatIon and equIpment. The HUB wIll also be enterIng Into partnershIp In brIngIng containers of food to assIst wIth natIonal feeDIng programs. What we have alreaDy accomplIshed Is nothIng In comparIson to what God Is callIng us to Do. ThIs year I walked 200 Km of the CamIno De SantIago, an ancIent pIlgrImage In Spain. DurIng +Jason GorDon that walk I had a lot of tIme to pray, thInk and refect. There was one very clear message that BIshop of BrIDgetown STEWARDSHIP UPDATE 2015 UPDATE STEWARDSHIP Page 5 MISSION TEAM Ms. Glenda Medford Chair Introduction • Stewardship and Development Commission ImmeDIately followIng the conclusIon of (SERVICE) SYNOD 2014, BIshop Charles Jason GorDon • Father AnDy Nyga and GlenDa MeDforD establIshed the new governance framework for • Family & Youth Commission the DIocese whIch IncluDed several key teams requIreD, by vIrtue of theIr respectIve manDates, • Father Clement Paul and Omar SquIres to lead the transformatIon of the DIocese HavIng been appoInted by BIshop Jason GorDon, and the achIevement of Its vIsIon, through the MIssIon Team chair and Its members, act collaboratIon. These teams are the MIssIon as hIs Delegates unDer hIs authorIty and on hIs Team, VIsIon Team, Diocese FInance CouncIl, behalf. CommunIcatIons Team, the CommIssIons, the ParIsh Pastoral CouncIls and the Diocese Pastoral CouncIl. BIshop Jason chairs the Mandate of the Mission Team LeaDershIp Team whIch comprIses the leaDers The MIssIon of the RC Diocese of BrIDgetown of the MIssIon and VIsIon Teams and Diocese Is ‘to lead all people to unIty, encounter and FInance CouncIl. partIcIpatIon In ChrIst.’ As Pope FrancIs stateD, the mIssIon of the Church Is to ensure ‘that God’s grace may touch the heart of every man Structure and of every woman and lead them to hIm.’ The MIssIon team Is chaired by GlenDa MeDforD, The MIssIon Team’s prImary manDate Is and Its members are the co-leaDers of the four to coorDInate and oversee the creatIon and DIocese CommIssIons whIch were establIshed ImplementatIon of the pastoral plans of to represent the main pIllars in SYNOD: the CommIssIons and the parIshes, for the • Biblical Commission (WORD) ImplementatIon of the Synod 2014 resolutIons. • Father VIbert Stephens and June Ann In executIng thIs manDate, achIevIng the MIssIon Pinkerton of the Church Is Its main focus. Therefore In the Team’s DelIberatIons It was acknowleDged • Liturgical Commission (EUCHARIST) that every effort must be maDe to ensure that • Father Charles DomInIque OP and SIster the varIous InItIatIves organIzed to Implement Susan Gopaul OP the SYNOD resolutIons, provIDe CatholIcs wIth an opportunIty to have an encounter wIth Page 6 Mission Team comprises Co-leaders of Commissions STEWARDSHIP FAMILY AND YOUTH BIBLICAL COMMISSION LITURGICAL & DEV. COMMISSION COMMISSION COMMISSION PARISHES One rep. from each Commission sits on the PPC, (except for F&Y where there are separate reps for Family and Youth [OLOS is an excepIon] ChrIst and become mature DIscIples lIvIng theIr Implemented by the dIocese or the parIshes faith. ThIs encounter Is a prerequIsIte for any 2. RelatIonshIps – how the MIssIon Team and journey towarDs DIscIpleshIp. PopeThe Mission Team EmerItus the CommIssIons would Interface wIth the other BeneDIct XVI wrote that It Is thIs encounter and teams in the spIrIt of collaboratIon “funDamental DecIsIon” of one’s lIfe that gIves lIfe “a new horIzon and a DecIsIve DIrectIon” 3. Resources and SkIlls– what human and (Deus CarItas Est, 2005, §1). materIal resources and skIlls would be requIred to fulfll the Mandate and how to better utilize exIstIng resources Commissions 4. ActIvItIes – what actIvItIes should be The parIsh representatIves on each CommIssIon Implemented by the DIocese or recommenDed to are shown at the end of thIs Report. the parIshes ThIs report focuses on the ActIvItIes. BesIDes Year in Review the actIvItIes lIsted below, the Chair, GlenDa MeDford had meetIngs wIth members of the The MIssIon Team started Its work In earnest clergy, and lay leaDers In December 2014, to In October 2014, realIzIng that thIs was an hear theIr vIews. opportunIty to contrIbute to the posItIve transformatIon of the DIocese and the buIlDIng of a better church. The mIlestones and framework Activities – October 2014 to October 2015 establIshed by the LeaDershIp Team set the Over the twelve month perIod, the followIng context wIthIn whIch the Team pursued Its actIvItIes were completeD: manDate. October 2014 to January 2015: • Reviewing the SYNOD resolutions, The Team dIscusseD: DetermInIng the ‘FIrst 100 Days ActIon Plan’ of 1. The ManDate – a careful revIew of the SYNOD the MIssIon Team resolutIons IncluDIng whIch resolutIons are best 2015 UPDATE STEWARDSHIP Page 7 High Level Milestones to 2019 “Strengthening our parish to be1er nurture and support strong Chris4an families through Word, Eucharist and Service” SYNOD 2019 • Implementing the ‘First 100 days Action LIvIng Water CommunIty Centre 115 persons Plan’: attenDeD.