Thomas Griffin (9/19/20)
A Roadmap Towards Parish Conversion – Ascension Press (9/18/20)
Excerpt: Parishes are meant to be “centres conducive to an encounter with Christ” (3) which leads others to view the Church, not strictly as an institution or body of spiritual governance, but a location where God is truly and evidently moving and present. The parish is the house for God and the home for pilgrims on their journey. The original Greek word for parish would have imbued the term “sojourners” and would have been intimately connected with the pilgrim nature of discipleship.
This is the place where followers of Christ meet him in a profound manner through the sacraments he instituted as well as the location for his community, his ekklesia or “in-gathering” of humanity, to find sustenance and rest in each other’s arms.
“It is visibly characterized then, as a place of worship, a sign of the permanent presence of the Risen Lord in the midst of his People” (7). In order to accomplish this divine task and in the light of the digital age “it is thus necessary to find new forms of accompaniment and closeness” (14) in order “to embrace the Holy Spirit’s invitation to begin the process of ‘renewing’ the face of the Church” (10).
Thomas Griffin teaches Apologetics in the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island and lives with his wife. He received a master’s degree in theology and is currently a master’s candidate in philosophy. He writes for several Catholic media outlets.
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