Parish Renewal

About Parish Ministry Fellowship Night

Parish Ministry Fellowship Night is the name of an innovative pastoral initiative that we introduced in May 2023, to cultivate a renewed sense of Parish Mission in the parish community at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Church.  To achieve this renewed sense of Parish Mission, our Parish Pastoral Council (a.k.a. the Parish Council) is leading a series of Parish Ministry Fellowship gatherings that look into the present-day concerns of our community as well as the hopes and aspirations of our upcoming generation of parishioners.  

The next Parish Ministry Fellowship Night will be held on Friday 25 August 2023, 7pm-9pm in the Parish Hall, specifically for our parish volunteers who are involved in liturgical ministries and related groups.  This will be our second Parish Ministry Fellowship Night after the inaugural gathering on 19 May, which was attended by the various leaders and influencers of our parish community groups.  If you have attended the inaugural gathering and you are also involved in a liturgical ministry or group at our parish, then we would also like you to attend this event as part of our parish renewal journey. 

Parish Renewal is not just a one-time event.  It is a journey and process that leads us to encounter Christ, like in the Gospel story of the Walk to Emmaus, when Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road (Luke 24:13-35).  Parish Renewal begins by learning how to shift from a habit of maintaining routines and obligations, to renewing our passion for mission in Christ.  And in order to rekindle our passion for mission in Christ, we are encouraging fresh conversations about pastoral leadership and succession planning. And creating more collaborations between our parish ministry groups – which is our goal.  

Who We Are today as a Parish, is not the same as Who We Were as a Community before the CoVID19 Global Pandemic.  It is time for a re-think and meaningful reflection about what has changed, and what matters most to us now and going forward. So let us hope and pray together for our transformation into a mission-focused community.  In the Emmaus story, Luke’s Gospel tells us that as Jesus blessed and broke the bread, the disciples’ eyes were opened wide and they recognised Him.  They said, “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Lk 24:32).  Even though it was already night time, the two disciples got up and hurried back to Jerusalem so that they could tell the other disciples the Good News!

Do you feel your heart burning right now?  Take part in our Parish Ministry Fellowship Night and help light up our #QoAParishConversation.