Diocese of/de Pembroke

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for the New Evangelization and Office for Strategic Planning recently presented their vision for parish renewal. This vision, shared in a presentation titled Parish Life in an Apostolic Age, is built around the concept of the “missionary disciple.”

A missionary disciple is defined by Jesus’ call in Mark 1:17: “Follow Me…and I will make you fishers of men,” emphasizing both the “disciple” aspect of following Christ and the “missionary” aspect of evangelizing.

The presentation utilized The Evangelical Catholic’s “Baseball Diamond” model, which delineates stages of spiritual development.

• Pre-evangelization: Building trust and relationships.
• Missionary Proclamation (Kerygma): Announcing the Gospel and inviting a response to Jesus. This leads individuals to become “Believers.”
• Initiatory Catechesis: Providing accompaniment in the early stages of discipleship, helping believers become “Disciples.” This is the “Build” phase.
• Perfective Catechesis: Focusing on the fullness of faith and moral life, moving disciples towards becoming “Missionary Disciples.” This is part of the “Equip” phase.
• Equipping Disciples for Mission: Developing the mindset, skills, and habits for mission.
• Sending Out Missionary Disciples: The final “Send” phase, where disciples are sent to “win, build, equip, and send” others.

The presentation contrasts the “Christendom” model with the current “Apostolic Age.” In Christendom, Christian culture naturally led people to the parish, which then received them. In today’s Apostolic Age, secular culture often draws people away from the parish. Therefore, the parish must actively go out to meet people and introduce them to Jesus. The challenge lies in the current situation where an Apostolic Age reality often meets a Christendom mindset.

To change parish culture towards this missionary outlook, various resources and programs are suggested, such as the Genesis Mission, Evangelical Catholic’s ReachMore, ChristLife’s Sharing Christ, and FOCUS Foundations for Discipleship, among others. These programs aim to support different stages, from pre-evangelization (e.g., Ablaze Kerygma Retreats) and missionary proclamation (e.g., ChristLife’s Discovering Christ) to initiatory catechesis (e.g., FOCUS Bible Studies) and equipping disciples (e.g., Schools of Missionary Discipleship).

The presentation highlights practical differences between a maintenance-focused (“Christendom”) approach and a mission-focused (“Apostolic Age”) approach in common parish scenarios:

• Parent Talks for Sacramental Preparation: Instead of parents merely signing in and listening to logistical information before leaving , a missionary approach involves catechists greeting parents, a social time with refreshments, a Lectio Divina on Jesus’ love, and a talk aimed at building the parents’ relationship with God, before discussing logistics.
• Parish CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) Program: A CYO basketball team might currently have a coach whose Mass attendance is uncertain, with most participating families also not attending Mass, and the only Catholic element being a pre-game Hail Mary. An apostolic approach would seek to integrate faith more deeply.
• Parish Baptisms: A common scenario involves telling unregistered couples they must register before any arrangements can be made, then scheduling the baptism, after which the family is often not seen again. A missionary approach would focus on building a relationship and accompanying the family.

A key strategy presented is “Planting Missionary Hubs.” Missionary Hubs are dynamic parish-based centers of evangelization, where missionary disciples accompany the unengaged and underserved; they offer spaces to encounter Jesus, grow in faith, and be sent on mission—all while supporting and enriching the life of the local Church.

The goal is to establish at least ten per county (50+) over the next decade, located at parishes or other sites. These hubs aim to reach out to non-participating Catholics and non-Catholics, ignite a spirit of missionary discipleship, create a supportive missionary network across the Archdiocese, and animate communities, especially in underserved areas. 

These hubs are intended to grow, not replace, existing parish structures. Missionary-formed teams will be added to parish or ministry staff to focus exclusively on evangelization, reaching the “83%” (presumably those not regularly attending) while supporting the “17%” (presumably active parishioners), and fostering outreach beyond parish boundaries. Current parishes will continue their ministries.

“Hub Life” is envisioned as a place where people can connect with Jesus (through the Eucharist, Confession, works of mercy, education, small groups, pastoral counseling, retreats, and spiritual direction), land in the Church (for sacraments, as seekers, when relocating, or during life transitions, within a missionary-oriented community offering support and accompaniment), and take off on mission (discerning vocations, serving the poor, and being formed as missionary disciples). To support this, an average parish team (currently 3-5 staff plus clergy) might be augmented with a Missionary Hub Director, two full-time Missionaries, a Communications Manager, and a Volunteer/Service Coordinator.

Addressing the reality of fewer priests, the presentation emphasizes that the call to missionary discipleship belongs to everyone. It is hoped this outreach will also encourage more vocations. In situations with insufficient priest pastors, Parish Life Directors (deacons, consecrated men or women, or lay individuals) might manage operations under the Bishop’s guidance, with retired and senior priests assisting with sacraments without administrative duties.

Regarding the relationship between non-hub parishes and hubs, the pastor of the non-hub parish will determine the nature of this relationship. Programs will continue at individual parishes, with the caveat that in apostolic times, mediocrity will not suffice, and all programs must strive for excellence to survive. Pastors are encouraged to dialogue with their leadership teams to discern how to best utilize hub resources for their parish and community. Non-hub parishes are encouraged to refer to the strategies for changing parish culture previously mentioned.

The presentation concludes with a list of upcoming workshops and courses, such as the Genesis Mission workshop and “Go Make Disciples” courses.