Preparing for mission – May 10, 2009

Preparing parishes for mission – June 7, 2009
December 18, 2014
SIT embarks on its mission – May 3, 2009
December 18, 2014

Preparing for mission – May 10, 2009


Preparing for mission – May 10, 2009 PDF Print E-mail
Be it resolved that every parish and ecclesial community appoint a Synod Implementation Team. – Resolution #2 adopted by Synod 2009.

This can be regarded as the most important resolution of the Synod, if for no other reason than it encompasses the entire archdiocese and its success depends on every member of the Roman Catholic Church in Trinidad and Tobago.

To guarantee its success, the Archdiocesan Synod Implementation Team (SIT) has planned a series of vicariate meetings to ensure that the parish implementation teams are prepared and ready for mission.

The first of these meetings will take place on May 16 and will involve all parishes in the Central vicariate and on May 23 it will be the turn of the Southern vicariate to meet with the members of the SIT. Dates for the remaining vicariate meetings will be announced later.

All members of the Parish Implementation Teams, which by now should have been selected and ready to carry out the Synod mandate, are expected to attend these vicariate meetings, bearing in mind that the role of the parish implementation team is to ensure the Synod mandate is successfully implemented; to co-ordinate the ministry of the parish and to find the best ways to organise the parish for mission.

Parish teams should consist of six to nine persons, with each gender being represented by at least a third of the team. All teams must include one young adult and where possible should include persons with project management skills and also individuals with public relations and communications skills.

In instances where parishes have multiple communities, the team should comprise members from each community or a full team in the main community supported by mini teams (three persons) from each of the other communities.

Agenda of the vicariate meetings will include an introduction to the Synod mandate; mission of the Church; the three pastoral priorities; the role of the parish teams as well as the role of the parish pastoral council.

The three pastoral priorities are – The New Evangelisation, which will deal with evangelisation, family life, youth and Catholic education; Revitalising Catholic Culture and Identity, which will handle catechetics, liturgy and stewardship; and Regenerating the moral and spiritual values of our society dealing with issues of social justice and communications.

The mission of the Archdiocese as articulated at the Synod reads: “We are the People of God in Trinidad and Tobago, building the civilisation of love through the three pastoral priorities.

In this first year of implementation – Easter 2009 to December 2009 – the parish work plan is built around the theme – The Vocation to be Catholic – and the purpose is to prepare the parish, its people, groups, ministries, administration and structure to align with, embrace and live the mission.

To accomplish this goal requires two specific sets of actions that are inter-related:
*1) Facilitate all Catholics to rediscover the vocation to be Catholic so that the practice of the faith and parish involvement will lead to a deeper discipleship; and
*2) To realign the structures of the parish to implement the threefold mission of the Synod
In Year 2, which runs from December 8, 2009 to December 7, 2010, the theme of the Pastoral Priority the New Evangelisation is Christian Family. Become What you are. Year 3 (December 8, 2010 to December 7, 2011) will deal with the Pastoral Priority –Catholic Culture and Identity with its theme – My Church, My Parish, My Family.

Theme of Pastoral Priority #3 – Moral and Spiritual Values – will be dealt with between December 8, 2011 and December 7, 2012, with its theme Trinidad and Tobago, a Community of Families.

Last Updated on Thursday, 26 November 2009 13:46