PROVIDENCE — When a new bishop takes the reins of a diocese, knowledge becomes the best tool for evangelization in his belt. After a year spent discovering the diocese and learning about the parishes therein, Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, C.Ss.R. is prepared to take this expertise to the streets, almost literally. On Friday, June 5, he released “Three Pathways, One Mission: An Invitation to Renewal,” his blueprint for a Catholic renaissance within the Diocese of Providence.
On June 15, roughly 50 members of the diocese completed online training to promote renewal at the parish assemblies taking place in the late summer and fall at the bishop’s request. These men and women, according to Edward Trendowski, Director of the Office of Faith Formation, were identified by their priests as notable members of the community who will coordinate the assembly processes in their own parishes.
“A parish assembly will be a gathering of parishioners who will come together to pray and respond to a series of questions,” he explained. “The goal is to determine how we can respond to where the Holy Spirit is leading our parishes in an effort to grow in the way we continue the mission of Jesus Christ here in the diocese.”
Parish assemblies will be open to all, and some of the questions that will be addressed involve what the faithful feel they need from the Church and what parishes are doing well or what can be done better. Marriage and Family Life Consultant Julie Bradley spoke to Rhode Island Catholic regarding these upcoming assemblies.
“It’s exciting to be doing something new like this across the diocese. Everyone will have a chance to participate and provide input, whether it be in-person or via an online or paper survey,” she stated.
“The assembly is not the time or place to try and convince anyone about anything, or to produce a plan of any kind,” Bradley clarified. “This is just a method of capturing what is happening in the local Church – what each person is experiencing and desires right now.”
This information will help Bishop Lewandowski to prioritize the pastoral needs of the diocese.
Two participants shared highlights of their experience in the session. Bill Murphy is one of three parish coordinators from Sacred Heart Church in East Providence. He spoke highly of the organizational process, from diocese down to the parish level.
“The meeting was very informative and provided a great blueprint for planning and executing our local parish assemblies. I feel very confident that we received the guidance we need to have fruitful conversations in our local parishes about how to best create the future we want to see.”
He stated that the coming parish assemblies are “a new and exciting opportunity for all Catholics in the diocese to share our views about how we can strengthen our parish and diocesan communities to make our living faith more vibrant” and commended Bishop Lewandowski on his efforts to engage the Catholic community in Rhode Island by giving them the opportunity to share their views about how to “make our living faith more vibrant.”
Representing St. Rose and Clement Parish in Warwick is the director of religious education, Christine Reilly. She credited the various speakers from around the diocese and professors from Providence College with increasing her knowledge of such subjects as Trinitarian theology, Mariology, Salvation History, sacraments and more.
“For anyone looking to deepen their knowledge of our Catholic faith and be a more effective evangelist, this is the course for you.”
Additionally, the course helped connect her with like-minded Catholics seeking a greater understanding of the faith.
Reilly believed the training would greatly aid her in furthering the mission of the Church. “After taking this course, I was better equipped to evangelize and answer questions or defend misconceptions about our Catholic faith.”
The livestreamed training was recorded and will be available to view through the Secretariat for Evangelization website.
