Walking together

Welcome to Proclaim, a regular newsletter to help keep parish leadership teams informed and inspired as they proclaim and live out the joy of the Gospel. 

Recently, as we celebrated 175 years since the Diocese of Melbourne was first established, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli observed that our Archdiocese has always been something much richer and more essential than a mere institution. We remain, he observed, a ‘domestic Church’, located in the homes, families, parishes and communities where we have gathered together to encourage each other and to share and pass down the faith. We are ‘a family of families’. In this issue, we explore some of the ways that we are called, as God’s family, to support and accompany each other, in all our variety and distinctiveness, on the great adventure of discipleship, walking with each other in hope and love.

We are especially pleased to announce the launch of Journeying Together—our new online sacraments of initiation resource, designed to help parents accompany their children on the exciting journey of faith formation. And last week, on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday, we were reminded of the call to walk closely with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters, and were thrilled to congratulate Sherry Balcombe, Coordinator of Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Victoria, who was presented with the 2022 NATSICC Service to the Community Award. We also hear about how two groups of parishes—in Melbourne’s north and in greater Geelong—have been taking the way of the Gospel together, joining forces to pilot the Alpha process in their communities. We are also introduced to the Take the Way of the Gospel Reference and Advisory Group that has been brought together to help implement this important strategy in parishes throughout the Archdiocese.

As we continue our journey as the people of God in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, let’s keep walking side by side—supporting and encouraging each other—so that we might continue to pass down the life-changing message of God’s love that has been so faithfully passed down to us over 175 years.