The Year of Faith

The Holy Father in Rome, yesterday opened the Synod of Bishops on the 'New Evangelisation'.  Specifically this refers to the evangelisation of those already baptised.  To many of us the phrase 'bringing back the lost' has resonance here.

So what is it that SSIM is proposing to its members for this upcoming Year of Faith which begins on October 11th and will run until the Feast of Christ the King 2013?



Our apostolate as members and friends of SSIM involves visits to places of former Catholic worship and so for us, bringing back former Catholic worshippers to the practice of the Faith is very closely linked to what we do. We would propose three very practical things for this Year of Faith:

1) Read the Apostolic Letter of His Holiness, Porta fidei.  In this way we can conform our thinking in this area to that of the universal church as articulated by its Chief Pastor.

2) Actively participate in diocesan and parish activities to deepen our understanding of the faith.  In many churches these will include studying the documents of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Revisiting these authoritative texts, prayerfully and under the guidance of our pastors will help us understand how we in our own generation, must interpret and hand on the faith in conformity to the continuos apostolic tradition.

3) Organise a visit to a former Catholic place of worship nearby.  Ideally this will be a place associated with a local saint or important event in the history of the local Catholic Church.  Invite someone you know, a friend or family member to join you, someone who no longer practices their faith.   In this way we can re-introduce people gently to their Catholic heritage and open up discussion about our shared patrimony.  A pic-nic or pub lunch thrown in for good measure will do no harm and may well do a lot of good!