As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, it is clear that this will be a Lent like no other. A Lent where the faithful cannot meet together and cannot receive Christ’s body and blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. It’s a Lent where our emphasis on ‘real presence’ is being challenged as we discover how to transition temporarily from ‘real presence’ to ‘digital presence.’ It is essential at this time to recognise that though our buildings are closed, the Church is not! The Church of course is not a building. As such, it is not a time to shut down, it’s a time to reconfigure. The mission of Christ to make disciples of all nations remains our focus, but our strategies for achieving this mission must change! Now is the time for the Church to break new ground in reaching out to parishioners and beyond to ensure that those in our communities continue to encounter Jesus, feel loved, connected, cared for, and listened to in a time of social distancing and isolation. God’s word through Moses to Israel many centuries ago remains relevant for us today:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the Lord our God goes with us; he will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut 31:6).

Evangelisation Brisbane is here to work with you, encourage you and support you as you reconfigure your ministry to an online platform, so feel free to call or email our office to discuss how we can be of service to you. We are also in the process of developing online resources to support you and your parishioners at this time, and we’ll be in touch as these resources become available.

May the God of peace calm our anxiety, heal our world and by his perfect love, drive out fear.

In Christ,

Dcn Peter Pellicaan
Executive Director – Evangelisation Brisbane

Initiatives for Parishes and Communities during COVID-19 (Download PDF) – five strategies that parishes and communities can do during isolation

Prayers/Resources during COVID-19 – some simple prayers and scripture references to use during times of Pandemic

The Church’s Social Mission during the Covid-19 Pandemic – a starting point providing information to enable support for those affected by the pandemic and the restrictions put in place

About

Evangelisation Brisbane is committed to build on the gifts, wisdom and experience that already exist in parishes and communities; to help them grow deeper in living the Gospel through everyday mission, formation and evangelisation; and to support, resource and dialogue with parishes, deaneries and communities in the areas of:

• Parish renewal
• Parish/Deanery Pastoral Councils
• The Sacraments of Initiation for children and young people
• The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
• Youth evangelisation including support for youth ministry leaders, World Youth Day, connecting young people to parish and/or youth initiatives and forming the next generation of leaders in the Church.
• Tertiary Chaplaincy, particularly at University of Queensland (UQ) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
• Peace and Justice
• Ecumenism and Inter-religious relations
• Multicultural Pastoral Care
• Catholic spirituality of children and their families
• Prayer & spirituality
• Parish leadership development
• Special projects such as the Year of Youth, Proclaim 2018 and the 2020 Plenary Council.

To support the wider community through the Church bodies of:

• The Catholic Justice & Peace Commission (CJPC)
• The Council for Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Relations (CEIR)
• Multicultural Pastoral Care (CMPC)

To support the wider community by providing a modern space for prayer, reflection and spirituality through:

• Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre

‘The Church which “goes forth” is a community of missionary disciples
who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice.’
(Pope Francis – The Joy of the Gospel #24)