In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis offered a vision that became a founding tenet to Proclaim’s mission:
“27. I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.”
Today we see that COVID-19 has been the impulse that has changed everything. While our programs and public masses have been cancelled or postponed, the mission remains. Pope Francis continues in Evangelii Gaudium:
“28. The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community. While certainly not the only institution which evangelizes, if the parish proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptivity, it continues to be “the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters”. This presumes that it really is in contact with the homes and the lives of its people, and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a chosen few. The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers. It is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach.”
We are invited to continue the mission through missionary creativity, self-renewal, and constant adaptivity.Every aspect of our lives has been impacted by this pandemic and we invite you to stay safe and pray for our world.
The Archdiocese continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Vancouver and we invite you subscribe for updates and to visit the Archdiocesan COVID-19 webpage for more information.
