Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • October 15, 2021 8 Missio Nostra From page 3 Some of the biggest changes underway come in the approach toward sacramental preparation programs and the Rite of Christian Initiation, or RCIA, the main pro- cess by which adults come into the Catholic Church. Deacon Richard Smith, Director of Evangelization for the Diocese of Biloxi, said he and others stress the importance of using the word “process” when talking about Missio Nostra and programs such as RCIA because it reflects something ongoing and transforma- tive, rather than a scheduled event with a specific beginning and ending. Deacon Smith said under Missio Nostra , everyone in RCIA will have their own faith formation plan and each will be connected with an individual discipleship leader or a small faith support group to help guide them through the process, and then help them with their con- tinued growth after they enter the Church. “With RCIA in the past, often once Holy Saturday comes, it’s like those who come into the Church get thrown to the wolves,” Deacon Smith said. “We expect them to learn all they need to know about the Church in five or six months, and their sponsor is usually only there through Holy Saturday. Under this new approach, they’ll have someone -- an individual or a small group -- to continue to walk with them. Just knowing that someone will be there to listen to them and to answer questions will be a great help.” Small faith support groups will also help new Catholics to feel more of a connection to others in the Church, and teach them how to talk about their faith with others. “We really want to develop them into a position where they are walking with the word of God in a group, so that when they do receive sacraments of ini- tiation they already have a good relationship with peo- ple in the church,” Bishop Kihneman said. “They need to learn what their faith story is and how to share that with others. We want them to be part of a group that enables them to become disciple makers going for- ward.” Students and staff in diocesan Catholic schools are also “taking Missio Nostra to heart,” according to Rhonda Parkinson Clark, Superintendent of Education for the Diocese of Biloxi. She said the goal is to inte- grate the mission into every facet of life at schools, from the classrooms to campus activities, and to deepen the faith of both students and their families so they can, in turn, go on to promote discipleship in their parishes and communities. Clark said Missio Nostra calls for Catholic schools to form stronger bonds between students, teachers, families and parishes in order to promote discipleship. Each student in Catholic schools will have an individu- al faith formation plan that will include academic goals as well as faith formation goals, and students and par- ents will meet during the school year with their pastor or other representatives from their parish to assess how they are meeting the goals. “The faith formation plans will follow the students throughout their time in our schools and help strength- en the bonds between the parishes, schools and fami- lies,” Clark said. “New ministries within the schools are naturally forming that are rooted in small groups, Bible studies and discipleship opportunities. Our stu- dents, faculty and families are studying Missio Nostra , asking questions and we are already seeing the fruits of it. You can feel the excitement of what is to come as you walk around the campuses.” Although Missio Nostra is still in the initial stages in the Diocese of Biloxi, its ideas about the importance of active discipleship in the future of the Church are already getting attention from Catholic leaders. The pastoral guide recently received acclaim from Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio. While Missio Nostra applies to the life of the Church in southern Mississippi, he said the ideas in it deserve to be “studied with great care” and offer important per- spectives on how to promote discipleship in today’s world. “We need to break out of confining boundaries that limit us from the strength to be gained by partnership between parishes and families, and parishes, schools and families,” Christophe wrote. “Mutual support and shared vision will enable the Church to continue grow- ing as the Body of Christ permeating all dimensions of life and society.” - equip families to accompany other families on their discipleship journey - give pre-teens and teenagers a personal encounter with Jesus - teach pre-teens and teenagers how to pray - recognize and teach that youth and young adults can and do experience Jesus’ call to discipleship - have Catholic schools and religious education programs that facilitate a personal encounter with Jesus - have sacramental preparation programs that open young hearts to God’s grace and his call to personal discipleship - minister effectively to college-age Catholics, single young adults, young married couples, and young families - open Church structures to the insights of young adults - use social media to nourish young adults Prayer for the Synod: We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name. With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it. We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions. Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right. All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen. SEE SPANISH TRANSLATION, PAGE 6 Synod From page 1 BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis said he intends to declare as a doctor of the church St. Irenaeus of Lyon, the second-century theologian known for his defense of orthodoxy amid the rise of gnostic sects. During a meeting Oct. 7 with members of the St. Irenaeus Joint Orthodox-Catholic Working Group, the pope praised the group's efforts in creating a space for dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox Christians, much like their namesake. "Your patron, St. Irenaeus of Lyon –- whom I will soon declare a doctor of the church with the title, 'doctor unitatis' ('doctor of unity') -- came from the East, exercised his episcopal ministry in the West, and was a great spiritual and theological bridge between Eastern and Western Christians," he said. According to its website, the purpose of the St. Irenaeus Joint Orthodox-Catholic Working Group is "to investigate the profound differences in mentality, ways of thinking and of doing theology which are related to current problems in Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, to understand their character, and to try to see how both traditions can enrich each other without losing their own identity." St. Irenaeus, the group's website said, "is revered as a patristic father in both the Eastern and Western churches" and "thus represents an example of the spiritual connection between the churches in East and West, which the working group seeks to promote through its discussions." Pope to name St. Irenaeus of Lyon a doctor of the church