Advertisement The Margaret Beaufort Institute of TheologyThe Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology Would you like to advertise on ICN? Click to learn more.

Manchester: Imagining Church of the Future

  • Kathy Bamber

'Together on the road' - 150 delegates from 20 dioceses travelled to Manchester on Saturday for the seventh annual ACTA conference. Committed as we are to fostering 'free and frank communication' in 'a climate of trust and respect,' we were encouraged by the guest speaker, Diarmuid O'Murchu, in his talk: 'Imagine the Church of the Future'.

The Vicar General, of the diocese, Canon Michael Cooke VG, representing Bishop John Arnold, the Bishop of Salford, was a welcome guest to the gathering.

The clear instruction to ' Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness - and all these things will be added unto you', was sung with gusto, before we were invited by the liturgy team from Lancaster to stand and rest awhile- in silent contemplation of the moment when Jesus ' saw the lepers' in Sunday's gospel reading.

And then to imagine that gaze of unconditional love turned on us. And to respond...

It was a powerful, spiritually charged moment which focused us - maybe 'grounded' ('earthed') us, for what was to follow in Diarmuid's 3 presentations throughout the day.

As a precondition for imagining the church of the future we were asked: 'what is our identity as a Christian people?'

There were three explicit challenges:

- Could we 'revisit' what we mean by 'the Kingdom of God' ? As the 'Companionship of Empowerment' perhaps?

- Could we discern how the proclamation of the revisited 'Kingdom of God' could act as a catalyst for an 'empowering community'.

- Finally, could we re-vision the sacraments as empowering rituals?

In imagining the church of the future, we were led back to the bigger picture of 'deep time' in the story of the cosmos; to first century Palestine and the Aramaic word for kingship: 'Malkuta', with its definition, 'governing by empowering others to govern'; to Pope Pius X11's 1943 encyclical calling for new translations of the Bible from earlier sources; through the Second Vatican Council, and on to Pope Francis' 'Laudato Si '.

It was a breathtaking journey, and one in which we were assured that, as a Christian community, we are part of a transforming process in which new networks, however small, can make manifest God's compassionate justice to the world. Above all, we were reminded that 'we need to name and celebrate goodness wherever it's happening'.

Throughout the day, indeed, we were reminded that we were loved unconditionally by God and our task was to love unconditionally challenged in our role as 'adult co- disciples', engaged in communal discernment; inspired to be 'earth- centred' and not merely 'human- focused'.

At the closing liturgy we were enjoined, in the words of Jesus to the Samaritan leper who returned to give thanks - to 'stand up and go on our way'.

And so we went on our way, empowered by the inspirational, hope- filled words of Diarmuid O'Murchu; the companionship of our fellow co- disciples; charged with re-telling the good news to all we meet.

Or, in the words of the forthcoming Liverpool Synod 2020, charged with the task of 'becoming the church we are called to be'.


LINK

ACTA - www.acalltoaction.org.uk/



Adverts

Ooberfuse

We offer publicity space for Catholic groups/organisations. See our advertising page if you would like more information.

We Need Your Support

ICN aims to provide speedy and accurate news coverage of all subjects of interest to Catholics and the wider Christian community. As our audience increases - so do our costs. We need your help to continue this work.

You can support our journalism by advertising with us or donating to ICN.

Mobile Menu Toggle Icon