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Pursuing Renewal with St. Francis Xavier

5/26/2025

3 Comments

 
Picture
I’ve always been a bit of a dreamer. Since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by books like “Set All Afire” by Louis de Wohl.  If you haven’t read it, this novel, which tells the story of St. Francis Xavier’s missionary journeys, is a page-turner and will set your heart on fire, too. St. Francis traversed much of Asia, through storms at sea, jungles on foot, risking life and limb to spread the Gospel of Christ. And he succeeded. Sometimes it's hard to connect the dots, but the Renewal Plans being created by your parishes are contributing to this very same mission of saving souls. 

Keep an eye out as the Parish Renewal Team in most parishes is sharing a draft of their Renewal Plan with you at any time.  You won’t be asked to sail the ocean or dodge poisonous snakes (so far as I know). Still, the plan will be filled with action items to help your parish create more missionary disciples, strengthen family life and foster an urgent sense of mission by becoming a Church of encounter and witness.  Just like in Asia in the time of St. Francis Xavier, so many souls in our families and communities are aching for the healing love of Christ, and our Lord is asking us to help Him reach them. If we pursue our Renewal Plans with vigour, they will bear fruit and change lives, and we will know the joy of helping this to happen.

As you review the draft Renewal Plan for your parish, think and pray about the action items you see and give feedback to your Renewal Team. Do they meet the needs of the parish? Do they go far enough? A key to a good plan is to have action items that you can count on to have an impact. One way to evaluate an action item is to ask, "What concrete result will this action achieve?” If you have no way of determining whether the action has been accomplished, that means it's too vague and risks not making a real impact. For example, if an action item states simply, “Be a parish that prays”, it is too vague. However, if it includes main steps similar to “Each lector commits to spend 30 minutes weekly in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament”, it has become specific, causing a concrete action and therefore result to occur.  Similarly, “Be a more welcoming parish” is too broad if left at that. However, if it is replaced by, or has as a main step “Establish a greeter/usher ministry”, it has become something actionable, concrete. You will know if you did it or not. If our parish plans are filled with action items that accomplish objectives and are measurable, we will see our parish take great strides. 

​The same goes for our own personal renewal. Big change starts with small, concrete steps—like committing to a daily prayer time or inviting someone back to church. Vague goals won’t get us far, but specific actions done with love transform our lives!
​
When St. Francis Xavier arrived in India, he did so with a specific actionable plan.  First in Goa, and then beyond. And if we were to put it in one of our Renewal Plans, it would look like this:

====

Action Item: Evangelize Goa

Main Steps:
  1. Walk through the streets ringing a bell to attract the children’s attention;
  2. Teach the children catechism;
  3. The children will bring their parents, catechize them and baptize the entire families;
  4. Train local catechists and encourage local vocations; and
  5. Move to the next village.

Responsible Person:  Francis Xavier

​====

​​As our parishes finalize their Renewal Plans, let us ask the good Lord to give each of us the same love for souls as St. Francis Xavier!

Written by Ryan Schmidt, Director of Pastoral Renewal, Diocese of Calgary.
Painting: André Reinoso, St Francis Preaching in Goa, 1619, oil on canvas, 96 × 162 cm, Museu de São Roque/Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Lisbon.
3 Comments
Peter Thompson
5/26/2025 03:30:09 pm

Thanks for the reflection on St Francis Xavier.
One village in Kenya we went around with a loud speaker on a truck inviting people to the parish Mission! it worked.
My wife Madeleine and I served with Sion Catholic community for evangelization in England 1992/93. Parish missions with two weeks of door to door visits and evangelization followed by a week of preached Mission. Primarily a lay team. I hope and trust that there will be a clear call to conversion and proclamation of the Kerygma. Many parish programs fail because deeper conversion has not taken place. Have been striving to encourage parish council to read EVENGELII NUNTIANDI Evangelization in the modern world. Pope St. Paul VI. A profound call to the Church's mission. ( The Church exists to evangelize it is her very identity)
Blessings and prayer for His plan to unfold.
Peter Thompson

Reply
Veronica Rochford
5/27/2025 12:19:54 am

After printing Ryan Schmidt's article, I noticed that major parts are missing in the print version. Can this be corrected? Thank you for
investigating the problem.

Reply
Aurore McClleary link
5/27/2025 12:10:16 pm

Build on the life giving actions that are already there.
Many parishioners may need healing by access to those who are qualified in this field … or to help us all to be able to participate in this.

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