|
|
A Year of Grace
Logo
Dates to Remember
Contemplate the Year of Grace
A Year of Grace |
The Australian Catholic Bishops are inviting the whole Catholic Church in Australia to refocus their lives on Jesus Christ, both in their prayer and their daily activities.
How might we do this? As part of their response, the Bishop's sought to recall the Apostolic Letter of Blessed Pope John Paul II Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Beginning of the New Millennium) and take up the Pope's challenge to the whole church to "contemplate the face of Christ", (NMI 16) and to "start afresh from Christ" (NMI 29). The Bishops' have proposed that the period Pentecost 2012 to Pentecost 2013 be dedicated A Year of Grace.
Each diocese has been invited to appoint a Diocesan Coordinator to assist in the developing, shaping and implementing of A Year of Grace, nationally as well as in their own region. Bishop Brian Finnigan has appointed Mary Schwartz (Liturgy Office) the coordinator for the Toowoomba Diocese. Fr Peter Brock OAM has been appointed by the ACBC as Project Officer.
This weekend (19 November) Archbishop Philip Wilson, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has written to announce the forthcoming Year of Grace - Starting Afresh from Christ. "We invite you to join us in the journey of prayer". Read the Pastoral Letter.
How do the Year of Grace and the Year of Faith Relate? |
|
While planned independently of each other (the Year of Grace is an initiative of the Australian Catholic Bishops in response to local issues, while the Year of Faith announced by Pope Benedict is a call to the universal Church) both have as their goal a renewal of faith in Jesus Christ. The Year of Grace invites us into a spiritual journey of encountering Christ afresh in our lives through prayer, reflecting on the Scriptures, celebrating liturgies, repenting of our failures and listening to the voice of the Spirit. |
The Year of Faith calls us into a deep renewal of our faith through retracing the history of our faith, studying the Catechism, praying the Creed and seeking to be an active witness of what we believe.
These two impulses of the Holy Spirit complement each other and provide opportunities for us to discover and nurture the gifts of ‘grace’ and ‘faith’ at work in our lives.
(Source: National Planning Team, Year of Grace. Used with permission)