Pastor's Letter -- February 7, 2021

We are going to look more deeply into each priority of the pastoral plan. Today I want to focus on our third priority, “ Accompaniment: Growing Together.”

Why “accompaniment?" This pastoral priority (which is also a core value) is something that Pope Francis has stressed since his first days in the role of universal shepherd of the church. He models it beautifully himself, and his teaching in Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), especially paragraphs 169-173, gives us a helpful and convincing picture.

Pope Francis is right to stress this practice that was also clearly important to Our Lord. Jesus Christ was accused of “eating with tax collectors and sinners,” for example his time with Zacchaeus or Matthew. On the other hand, he also conversed with a Roman centurion when he sought him ought. Moreover, he did not separate himself from the pharisees who wished to converse with him, including Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimithea (also a member of the Sanhedrin). He also wanted his disciples to practice this. The 12 were invited for a specific mission, but the first three years of that mission were primarily about one thing: to be with Jesus (Mk. 3:14), as any disciple would entrust themselves to their rabbi-teacher. Being with Jesus also meant they were with each other - all the time. The same goes for how we are to live.

Another reason: we know that the faith is lost when we don’t have community. If Christianity is something you get from someone else (like a cold), then you need those others to help you, especially when times get tougher. Accompaniment creates an environment where people can feel loved and valued.

I surmise that every Christian community feels that they can increase in their interconnectedness. We have evidence of the need in our parish. From the Disciple Maker Index survey, we know that less than half of parishioners feel close to another parishioner: most responded against the phrase “I have a close friend in the parish.”

Finally, we know that small groups are essential to the success of Christian life. Our lives are transformed when we share the journey with others. The book “Rebuilt,” published by Ave Maria Press, dedicates an entire chapter to how essential this is for setting parishes on fire with life and with mission. Probably many of you can think of experiences in your life where a small group format was transformative. For me, I think of my parents’ small Christian community (one of many in my childhood parish), and of my parish youth group which eventually led to a small group of men supporting each other in faith. This is accompaniment in its most powerful form!

If we could foster this in our parish, then our parishioners will know that they are loved and valued, by God and by each other. This is a beautiful ideal to pursue!

St. Thérèse, you who loved and valued everyone, even the most difficult sisters in the convent, pray for us!