In June this year Bishop Christopher Prowse wrote a Pastoral Letter called “Finding Home in Jesus”. While the letter is centred on the local church, it is most interesting in the questions it raises for discussion. Developing pastoral awareness and raising consciousness around evangelisation in parishes can be done through appreciative enquiry.

This emphasises the values and dreams a community shares, and develops respect and trust by honouring each person’s contribution and vision. Of course this can be difficult in our polarised church but it revolves around the questions of what we value together and how we can develop those values in practical strategies. It is sometimes referred to as “growing the good”.

The questions at the end of the Pastoral Letter may be useful as parishes look for ways to grow the good. Here are some of the suggested questions:

• When have you felt most strongly that you were sent out as a missionary to the world?
• What are you most grateful for about Journeying Together?
• What “goals and methods” do you see as important means of achieving “a detailed focus for the years ahead”?
• What “formation and enrichment of the people involved” are required to achieve and sustain these goals?
• What differences do you think “the Catholic presence” makes to the area you live in?
• Where do you see the Church being “most attentive to the needs of the poor and suffering”?
• Think about someone whom you believe to be a Spirit-filled person. How does their life show this?
• Think of someone you know who has had a conversion experience, or is seeking God in new and deeper ways. What do you think led to this change?

For more information, visit: www.sale.catholic.org.au