Shared Values Unite Our Communities

As our children receive First Communion these early weeks of May, we realize that the central things that bring us together as parish communities are our Catholic faith and shared values (and of course, our geographical location). Some of these values include hope, love, respect, mercy, empathy, etc. I believe that the more we focus on the values that unite and strengthen us, the stronger our communities will be.

The Local Pastoral Plan that we have been working on contains more than just the top priorities I have already shared with you. The first sections help us to focus on a common purpose, vision and values. After much discussion and consultation with the Collaborative Pastoral Council, our Plan Writing Team came to a consensus that the four values our collaborative should focus on are love, compassion, welcoming, and boldness. These were chosen because they are Christian values that in several ways are already part of our parishes' strengths, and they will help us to take the next steps forward as Catholic communities of disciples. Here is how they are expressed in our present draft of our local plan.

Love –We strive to treat all people as God’s children with love and respect.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples...” John 13:34-35

Compassion – We strive to be kind to everyone we encounter and share compassion and empathy to help bring people closer to God and the church.  
"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." Peter 3:8

Welcoming – We aspire to welcome others and bring God’s gifts of love, joy and peace to all people.
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Matthew 10:40

Boldness – We trust God and strive to take bold steps with great enthusiasm to grow and share our faith as disciples of the Lord Jesus.
" That speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel." Ephesians 6:19

Please take some time to think and pray about these values. How do we already live these values in each of our parishes? What are some practical actions that you could do to live these values, in church and in your daily lives? In the coming months we'll talk more about some ways we can live these together, further uniting and strengthening our parishes.