Brisbane Archdiocese will join the rest of the Church across Australia in observing the start of a ‘Year of Grace’ on Sunday May 27.
The launch is pointedly occurring on the Feast of Pentecost, commonly acclaimed as the date of the ‘birth’ of the church.
On this day the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus’ apostles and gave them the courage and ‘gift of tongues’ with which to evangelise the world.
Running from Pentecost 2012 until November 2013, the initiative invokes a simple guiding principle to ‘start afresh from Christ’.
The Bishops of Australia hope to encourage everyone to join them on this spiritual journey, asking God for a new and deep wave of grace to forge the future so that the Church in Australia will be transformed by the power of Christ’s resurrection in people’s lives.
Brisbane’s own recently installed Archbishop Mark Coleridge will celebrate a 10am Mass at the Cathedral of St Stephen, breaking open the ‘Year of Grace’ as a central part of his first ever Pastoral Letter to the Archdiocese.
Archbishop Coleridge is well placed to address the subject as he is one of four Bishops serving on the ‘Year of Grace’ working party.
In his pastoral letter Archbishop Coleridge has likened the Year of Grace to a time of retreat for the whole Church in Australia.
“It’s a time to refocus on what really matters, a time to rediscover the heart of the Christian life,” he said.
“To help us do that, many things are planned in the Archdiocese, and I urge everyone to enter joyfully and generously into all that is planned.
“We need to become a more missionary Church, and the energy for that can come only from a deeper encounter with Jesus crucified and risen, whose face we will contemplate anew through the Year of Grace.”
A set of national and local “Year of Grace” websites have been built, replete with all the necessary documents, resources and liturgies to facilitate parish involvement.
Each local faith community is encouraged to create opportunities to ‘contemplate the face of Christ’.
Resources can be found at:www.bne.catholic.net.au/yearofgrace (local) orwww.yearofgrace.org.au (national) where communities can gather tips or ideas about planning for the Year of Grace for individuals or groups.
Released by the Catholic Communications Office
May 24, 2012