Parish Missions - Background.Céilí Community is a community that emerged from the teachings and recommendations of Vatican II., especially those calling for what became known as the “new evangelisation.” That expression does not mean a new or different Gospel but rather the same joyful Gospel proclaimed with renewed vigour. Pope St. John Paul II popularised the term in his address to the Latin American Bishops at Haiti in May 1983 when he said, “Look to the future with commitment to a New Evangelisation, one that is new in its ardour, new in its methods, and new in its expression”
Our parish missions cover all parts of the parish including visits to schools, private dwellings, nursing homes and other places where parishioners are to be found. These missions are an integral and important element of our work throughout the whole of Ireland. Each member of our community undergoes formation and training on the various documents on evangelisation since Vatican II, the latest being Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) promulgated by Pope Francis in November 2013. In the planning process for parish missions, it helps if the parish planning team has knowledge of the main principles of this inspiring document so that our mission team and the parish planning team can proceed with joy, love, unity and fruitfulness. The following short extract from Evangelii Gaudium gives a flavour of what the Church has to say in relation to the parish
(Ch. 5, paras. 27 – 30) Pope Francis calls for “An ecclesial renewal which cannot be deferred”
Paragraphs 27 and 28 Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) Pope Francis 2013.
HOW DO WE DO IT?
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PRAY COMMUNICATE PLAN
BUILD THE TEAM
SEND THEM OUT WITH JOY TO SHARE
THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST
WITH THE WHOLE PARISH.