The ‘great commission’ given by Jesus as He ascended to the Father was: to “go out and preach the Good News” to all nations, that is, to evangelise;

• to “baptise them” in God’s name, that is, to sacramentalise;
• to “teach them to do all I have commanded you”, that is, to catechise; and
• to “remember I am with you always”, that is to memorialise His presence amongst us.

Though the recent popes have called us to ‘a new evangelisation’, that mission is as old as Christianity itself. It belongs to every generation to ‘go make disciples’.

What’s new about it is our enthusiasm, our audiences and our approaches.

After several years of consulting and listening, researching and discerning through Parish 2020, we are ready at last to launch our Archdiocesan mission plan, Go Make Disciples.

It focuses on: what we can all do about evangelisation, bringing others to encounter Christ and His friendship;

• what we can all do about leadership, influencing people toward building God’s Kingdom;
• what we can all do about community, building and belonging to a communion of saints and saints-in-the-making;
• what we can all do about formation, enabling growth in faith, understanding and holiness; and
• what we can all do about worship, those precious encounters with God’s mercy in the sacraments, devotions and prayer.

Please have a look at our Mission Plan in print or on our website, and pray and reflect on the part you might play.

The Church in Sydney needs your gifts and generosity if we are to renew our parishes, revitalise our mission, and be the Church God is calling us to be in the 2020s and beyond.

After this strange year of pandemic, it is the shot in the arm we all need.

And so with Christ Jesus Our Lord, with the apostles and popes, I charge you all today and every day: Go make disciples!