TRANSFORMING PARISHES 2021
Transforming Parishes 2021: "Arise & Walk with Me" is organized by Alpha Catholic Context, Asia Pacific in partnership with the Office for the Promotion of the New Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Manila, Philippines. It will be a space where people from all ages gather to listen and walk with one another in an experience of Encounter, Communion and Mission.
Arise (Encounter) - To stand again. To dream again. To be alive again after suffering a great deal from dark experiences in the pandemic. To support one another in having an 'Encounter' of God and enabling each other to see the light amidst the darkness we are in.
Walk (Communion) - Inspired by the Gospel of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), the component of journey and accompaniment which the Church needs is highlighted to assure us that we are not alone on our journey. 'Communion' helps to strengthen our 'Encounters' as we walk with one another in communion, building relationships and community.
With Me (Mission) - Jesus is walking with us, and we are called to be Christ-bearers to others as we walk and journey with them. The Church has a mission to take care of all of us, but the priest and religious cannot do it alone. We, as lay faithful, youths, and seniors, have the mission to partake with Church, to deepen our relationship with God, and to share Him with others. We are called to be a Missionary Disciple of Christ. Join us as we discover how in this new normal!
TP21 will be a predominantly Catholic-specific conference aimed at engaging guests with hopes that each start to actively consider Alpha as a tool for Mission & Evangelization in their respective parishes and organizations.
SPEAKERS
TP 2021 PROGRAM
12:30pm Room Opens
1:00pm Welcoming
1:10pm Worship
1:20pm Body Prayer
1:30pm Keynote: Arise & Walk with Me
2:00pm Coffee Talk: Q&A with Cardinal Tagle
2:35pm Breakout: Encounter - Communion - Mission
Room 1 - Alpha in Catholic Context, #TheChurchonMission
Room 2 - Sacred Space
Room 3 - Arise Youth Jam
Room 4 - Listening Hearts
3:05pm Integration
3:15pm Feedback
3:20pm Announcements & Preparation for Mass
3:30pm Eucharistic Celebration (Live Streamed) & Commissioning
BREAKOUT ROOMS
Breakout 1 : #TheChurchonMission
Considering the challenges of today's world, what does mission look like in the new normal? How do we still help people encounter Jesus amidst an ongoing pandemic? Join us as we listen and learn from a fellow youth and young priest who not just survived but thrived in changing circumstances. In this room, guests will discover the concept of a journeying church which guides and accompanies her people on their journey in life and walk in faith.
This session will also provide an opportunity to discover Alpha as a tool for evangelization, mission, and parish renewal.
Breakout 2 : SACRED SPACE
Pope Francis exclaims "each young person's heart should be considered "holy ground". Let us take off our shoes, and walk with the youth to a sacred space where there is an intimate communion with God.
In this room, we will be co-creating a space wherever you are, and setting aside whatever you are doing in order to gift ourselves a quiet moment to breathe, relax, and meet God in prayer. Every guest who will enter the sacred space will be asked to bring their heart's desire and experience a moment of peace and surrender.
Breakout 3 : Arise Youth Jam
Like the two disciples of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), after conversing with and encountering Jesus, they arose and set back to Jerusalem for a mission of sharing the good news to others. This Youth Jam is a space for guests to converse with Jesus through praise and worship songs. Come being expectant to fill your hearts with the Holy Spirit that animates and will empower each to set forth in mission.
God pours down His grace and love to us. He gives us the Holy Spirit to empower us and partake in the mission of evangelization. "May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes 5:23)
Breakout 4 : LISTENING HEARTS
In the Emmaus story, Jesus appears to the two disciples to listen to their story. Jesus' gift to the traveling disciples of a "LISTENING HEART" is a fruit of His prayer and paschal suffering. Because of this, the disciples found themselves in Jesus' company, in a mutual home and in a safe sanctuary.
This session will be a listening haven for us to share our sacred stories and encounter the listening heart of Jesus. Listening Hearts is about the encounter in Christ's Spirit of our mutual forsakenness while being sustained in Love.(1 Thes 5:23)
About ALPHA
Alpha is a parish tool for evangelisation where everyone is welcome. Alpha provides an opportunity for each to explore life's big questions together in an open, informal environment.
Each session on Alpha has three key ingredients: hospitality, talk and discussion. Alpha generally runs over 11 weeks and is designed to equip your parish in its mission to help people encounter Jesus.
About OPNE
The Office for the Promotion of the New Evangelization (OPNE) of the Archdiocese of Manila, Philippines assists the Catholic Church in Manila at all levels in understanding the socio, political, economic, cultural, interfaith, social ecological and spiritual (SPECIES) dimensions of religion in the changing contemporary context.
The team at OPNE assists the Archbishop and the Archdiocese of Manila in providing directions for the Church in contemporary times. Together, they provide, gather and research new approaches towards evangelization in different contexts and ministries. In addition, OPNE also animates the local, particular and regional churches through events and programs towards the new expressions of evangelization.
BACKGROUND
Transforming Parishes (TP) kickstarted in June 2019 with the end goal of motivating clergy and laity from the Catholic Church to bring their parishes from maintenance to mission. TP was first held in Kuala Lumpur as part of the Alpha Regional Gathering for Asia Pacific. That year, Alpha Catholic Context (ACC) hosted Fr James Mallon as keynote speaker and welcomed about 250 Catholic clergy and laity from across the region. Sessions and conversations were based on why parishes needed to move from maintenance to mission, with Fr Mallon, leading guestsinto discussions that stemmed from his book, Divine Renovation : Bringing your parish from Maintenance to Mission.
In 2020, the pandemic caused ACC to reconsider how to engage parishes to rethink how we, the church needed to be in the new normal. In response to the signs of the times, TP transitioned into an online conference, our first ever! As speakers, we had Daniel Ang, from the Sydney Centre for Evangelization, Fr Rob Galea, a young priest with a heart and passion to see others come to encounter the love of Jesus Christ and find a home in His church, and the team from Divine Renovation all exploring the topic of #TheChurchonMission. The conference was attended by 733 delegates from 33 countries and the feedback was encouraging.
By creating a platform where the faithful could gather in a space of love, friendship, fellowship and radical hospitality, ideas and thoughts were shared, and learnings were taken away. Following its success for 2 years in contributing towards the mission and vision of Alpha, Transforming Parishes is back in 2021!
This year, Alpha Catholic Context (ACC) together with the Office for the Promotion of New Evangelization (OPNE), Philippines, is partnering to bring a space and opportunity for youths and adults alike to connect, listen, learn and share. TP21 will be a predominantly Catholic-specific online conference aimed at engaging guests with hopes that each start to actively consider Alpha as a tool for Mission & Evangelization in their respective parishes and organizations!