Young Adults are invited to participate in a 2012 Lenten journey entitled Chocolate for Lent, a six-part film discussion based on the movie Chocolat, with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. It will begin on Monday, February 20th with a potluck at the Diocesan Centre (452 Amirault Street), and will continue on each Monday evening throughout Lent, finishing on March 26th. Each session will last approximately one hour.

Published by Pauline Books and Media, Chocolate for Lent is described as "a unique approach to the season that creates the space for deeper insights into self-discipline, self-giving, conversion, acceptance, and maturing in Christ."

Please register by contacting Trevor Droesbeck at 857-9531 ext 289 or trevord.diocese@gmail.com.

2012 Confirmation Candidates Gather With Bishop at the Cathedral

On Tuesday, January 17th, confirmation candidates from the English sector of the diocese met with Bishop André Richard, c.s.c., at Assumption Cathedral for activity and prayer. This annual gathering gives young people an opportunity to meet with the bishop, tour the cathedral and meet other confirmation candidates from the diocese.

PARISH VITALITY PROJECT LAUNCHED

The Parish Vitality project is now well under way. The aim of the project which will unfold during the coming year, is help parishes measure the pastoral life of their Christian community. This project will give the parish the opportunity to identify their priorities, to prepare a pastoral plan and to determine their formation needs.

To view the workbook, click here.

Information meetings are presently being held with members of the Pastoral Ministry Teams in each unit. Following these meetings, the PMT’s will meet with the members of the Local Pastoral Councils in their unit to implement the project. Local Pastoral Councils then become coordinators of this project in their respective parishes.

Each member of the Local Pastoral Council will receive a copy of the workbook to be used in their reflection on all the aspects of the pastoral life of their community.

The workbook is made up of 6 sections : an introduction, a section on the sectors of the mission, one on engagement, one on pastoral planning, parish statistics, and finally a conclusion.

For example, the section on the sectors of the mission is divided into sub-sections representing each of the sectors. For each sector, a series of questions is suggested to incite a reflection and a grid is provided to determine where the parish life sits on that sector.

It should take about 7 meetings scheduled from January through November to complete the process. After a first meeting dealing with housekeeping questions, members of the Local Pastoral Council will meet to brainstorm on sections or parts of sections. Their conclusions will then be noted in their report. At the end of the process, this report will be forwarded to their Pastoral Ministry Team with a copy also sent to the Diocesan Pastoral Ministry Team at the end of November, 2012.

Before beginning its work, the Local Pastoral Council may choose to increase the number of parishioners that will participate in the process or to consult lay persons on specific points. In the absence of a Local Pastoral Council, the project can be entrusted to another group. Councils will name a chair and a secretary who will prepare the reports following each meeting.

Members of the PMT and the DPMT will be available as resource persons throughout the process.

The project is an initiative of the Diocesan Pastoral Ministry Team in response to a number of requests from both moderators and laity.

Diocesan Newsletter: November Edition Now Available

The November Edition of Pastoral Action is available by clicking here. Deadline for the next edition of the Diocesan newsletter is noon Friday, February 3rd, 2012. All material - stories and pictures - should be sent bye-mail to action.diocesemoncton@gmail.com or by regular mail to Pastoral Action, 452 Amirault St., Dieppe, N.B. E1A1G3 Past editions of the newsletter are available on this web site by visiting Services/Communications/Pastoral Action.

Support for 'Occupy Wall Street' Movement

The Justice and Soldarity team for the Archdiocese of Moncton supports the efforts of the Occupy Wall Street movement and its different manifestations throughout the World, as well as in Canada and New Brunswick.

The diocesan team whose mission is the promotion of social justice and solidarity, works towards finding solutions and the promoting social justice for victims of injustices.

« Here in Canada, the inequalities in wealth and the disparities in standards of living are well documented, » according to the diocesan coordinator of the group, Gladys LeBlanc. « The inequalities between the rich and the poor are rising rapidly. The rich are becoming wealthier while the middle class is decreasing and the poor are getting poorer. Poverty increased by 12% during this period. »

Mrs. LeBlanc quotes the general director of the Institut du Nouveau Monde, Mr. Michel Venne, who says that « Over the past 15 years, the income gap between rich and poor has grown faster in Canada than in the United States. In Canada, the richest fifth of its population accounts for 40% of total revenues and the poorest fifth, only 7%. This growth in income inequality is not unique to Canada, according to the Conference Board of Canada. It has been observed in 71% of the world population. »

In view of this situation, Mrs. LeBlanc adds : « We believe that many social problems can be corrected with a functional and representative democracy. We feel that we have everything to gain in a non violent, open and democratic dialogue. There is no reason for all these social inequalities in a country as rich as Canada. »

Since its creation on September 17, 2011, the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to more than 85 countries in over 5 continents.

These demonstrators have raised their voices against social inequalities, climatic change, short term employment, the influence of companies on governments and political parties. They are outraged by the fact that 40 % of the American wealth is held by 1 % of Americans. The demonstrators claim to represent the 99% of those who are sick and tired of trying to make both ends meet and also of the 99% of the population that is deprived of a functional and representative democracy.

For more information, click on banner.

Cathedral: Diocesan Consultations Ends

   Unanimity, diversity and divergence. These three words summarize the main points brought up during the Diocesan consultation on the future of the Cathedral.
    This consultation gave the faithful of each deanery (region) of the Diocese the chance to express themselves on this question. Sessions were held in Richibucto on September 12, in Shediac on September 26, in Moncton, Francophone sector, on October 3rd, and on October 5th, for the Anglophone sector. A special meeting was held on Sunday, September 11th, for the parishioners of the Cathedral.
    More than 300 faithful took part in this consultation. Out of this number, more than 150 were present at the session held at the Cathedral for the Moncton Francophone deanery.
    The purpose of this consultation was to allow the faithful to offer suggestions on the future of this building that needs repairs in the order of 7 to 8 million dollars. An additional sum of 3 million dollars is needed to set up a trust fund to maintain the building thereafter.
    Unanimity. The faithful agree on one point: something has to be done to save the Cathedral. Some say that a financial campaign should stress the heritage nature of the building.
   «If I were asked to contribute to a building used for worship, I wouldn’t give a penny. But if I were asked to contribute for a heritage building, I would be ready to do so,» according to one of the participants.
    Unanimity. A large number of faithful said that the fragile and difficult financial situation of their own parishes has priority over the needs of the Cathedral.
    Unanimity. The majority maintain that we have too many churches for our needs and that we need to consider closing some.
    Diversity: Archbishop André Richard, c.s.c., explained that we need building to gather, but not necessarily the Cathedral. He added that our first responsibility is to fulfill the mission of the Church, and not the protection of the heritage. Earlier, he had explained the architectural, artistic and heritage riches of the building that he could not believe that it would eventually be torn down.
    It was suggested that a Diocesan committee be mandated to determine the (heritage) criteria needed to evaluate a building and then to prepare an inventory. One participant suggested that the Cathedral be made into a sort of St. Joseph’s Oratory to make it financially viable. Another suggested renting out the basement to get revenues.
    Divergence. How can we find the funds needed to repair and maintain the building thereafter ? There were many suggestions: launching a financial campaign aimed at the Acadian population wherever they are, set up a 50/50 lottery, insert special enveloppes in the parish offering boxes, use the funds collected in the 2005-2010 campaign…
     Some questioned the conclusions of BNP Strategies on the feasibility of a financial campaign. This company suggested not going ahead with a campaign at this time since it would not reach its objective. It also suggested a rationalization of buildings in the Diocese.
    Participants from the anglophone deanery suggested that the Cathedral, as Mother Church, should offer masses in English to this community. They also recommended setting up a committee to promote the Cathedral in the parishes.
    It was mentioned that the question of the repairs needed to the Cathedral had been dragging on for the last two years and that it was time to make a decision. In Richibucto, retired judge Guy Richard, asked the Diocese to put a stop to the consultations and to make whatever decisions are necessary.
    Among the different points that came up most often were the sense of belonging to one’s parish, the emotive attachment one has to his or her parish, the heritage element as well as the survival and financial situation of the one’s parish.
   Parishioners from the Cathedral mentioned the negative effect the closure of the basement had had on the life of their community.
   In Shediac, the discussion centered on the financial situation of the parishes that feel unable to help another parish financially which, in this case, is the Cathedral.
   A report on this consultation will be sent to the Diocesan Economic Affairs Commission who will submit its recommendations to the archbishop.

DIOCESAN COUPLE NAMED COORDINATORS

A diocesan couple, Louis-Marcel and Andréa Daigle, were recently named national coordinators for District 2, the francophone sector, for Vivre et Aimer (World Wide Marriage Encounter). They received the Elijah cup when the outgoing coordinators and Rev. Mitch Walters visited Moncton. The text of their testimony is available by clicking here.

Souvenir Album Now Available