• Families of Parishes are for the benefit of lay faithful.

• o    We are the Body of Christ.
  o    We are meant to worship as community.
  o    We need the Sacraments to sanctify and build up the Body of Christ and to give worship to God. CCC 1122
  o    If there are not enough priests to minister to each individual parish, the grace of the sacraments will not be available to us.
  o    We need to come together as one Body.
  o    Come and meet the other parishes in your family, learn about their unique characteristics. Participate in discussions with other members of your family.

• Hear stories from lay persons in dioceses that have already participated in such a transition.

• o    We learn through the experiences of others.

• Begin the chapter of journeying in faith with many other Catholics in your community.

• o    You may see them every day but have never met.

• This is what being a joyful missionary disciple is about.

• o    Be a witness to your faith
  o    Having encounters with Christ, through encounter with others.
  o    Grow on our journey of faith through new experiences, discovering and sharing our gifts and talents to accompany others on their journey of faith.
  o    Bear witness to your faith. We can all share our lives of faith, love for others, kindness, kindness, compassionateness, and more.

“The engagement of every lay person, according to their gifts and state in life, is essential for the mission of the Church to be fulfilled.”    Unleash the Gospel Marker 5.1: The Laity. 

Family of Parishes Third Family Gathering – Witness 

The Witness stage is directed to others in word and deed to attract them to the faith and help them to encounter Jesus Christ. It is characterized by being intentional about encouraging and empowering individuals and families to be outward focused and to be bearers of the Gospel in their homes, neighborhoods, and places of work. Marker 9.3 of Unleash the Gospel says:

“To live fully as a disciple is to make disciples. All we need is this conviction: ‘Knowing Jesus is the best gift that any person can receive; that we have encountered him in the best thing that has happened in our lives, and making him known by our word and deeds is our joy.’”

This gathering will nurture and encourage the Family of Parishes to celebrate together, to pray together, and to discern and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit in order to bring the message of the Kerygma to our communities through our experiences and mutual collaboration. It is an opportunity to give witness to our faith and the plan of God that has brought us together to bring others to Christ within and beyond our Family’s geographical boundaries.