‘You will be my witnesses‘ – A Vision for Our Diocesan Catholic Schools
‘I have come that they may have life and have it to the full’ (John 10:10)
You Will Be My Witnesses is about reaching in and reaching out. It is about ‘reaching in’ to Catholics to fan into a flame the smouldering wicks, and ‘reaching out’ to the world around, religiously adrift and unchurched, and those who have fallen away. It’s about engaging everyone in the Lord’s saving mission and making room for them to contribute their own charisms, gifts and talents. It’s about becoming outward facing servants, servant-parishes and servant-schools that welcome the stranger and care for the poor, the lonely and those on the margins. It’s about respecting and nurturing God’s creation and living more simply. It’s about connecting with young people and finding ways to help them encounter the Person of Christ. It’s about prudent stewardship that means not spending all the available time, money and energy on buildings, plant and property, but directing resources more intentionally towards the mission.
You Will Be My Witnesses is a Ten Year Mission Plan for the Diocese of Portsmouth. It is a plan for the renewal of every aspect of Christian life and an invitation to join in a renewed missionary effort to bring the Gospel to everyone around, especially the poor and needy. It is based on three principles:
- Putting Christ at the Centre: becoming a more Christ-centred Church, with deep personal/communal, spiritual renewal and love for the faith;
- Mission and Outreach: becoming a truly missionary, outward-looking Church on mission to all (proclamation) and in service/charity of the poor and needy;
- Being wise and prudent stewards of resources (human, financial, estates), that is, making choices that will leave a sustainable legacy for future generations.
You will be My Witnesses is a plan that opens up a new and exciting vision for the Diocese. What is said here about schools, therefore, should be read in conjunction with the main document, especially with the Bishop’s Foreword ‘We have a Plan.’
A copy of the document can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the following link:
