Xavier School of Mission
17 August, 2021
In July our diocese was very blessed to be able to host the Xavier School of Mission. Xavier School of Mission is an annual event that has been running for several years in Brisbane based at Holy Spirit Seminary aiming to equip and form leaders in evangelisation. The team from Brisbane have been looking at how they can work together with the dioceses of Queensland and last year the idea was hatched to host our own event here in Rockhampton to coincide with the seminarians retreat and mission week here in our diocese.
The aim for hosting this event in our diocese was to bring together people throughout our Church who are involved in the Church’s mission in order to form connections, be encouraged, and to hear relevant content from engaging and qualified speakers. Our hope was that individuals and groups in our diocese would be energised and given a renewed focus for mission because of this event.
The event featured times of prayer and liturgy throughout the schedule, to give space to connect with God. We wanted to acknowledge that the energy and focus for our mission comes from the love that we have received from God and our ongoing relationship with Him. It is really the Holy Spirit that works through our words and actions and so we need to be open to the Spirit working in our lives.
During our time together we discussed how the Church does not exist for its own sake, but it exists to evangelise and to carry on the mission of Jesus, which Jesus instructed his followers to continue. We also discussed how in previous generations the mission of the Church was left to priests and members of religious orders, but that all of us are co-responsible for the mission of the Church and we are all called to be missionary disciples in our own way. We also looked at how the Church’s perspective of itself and on mission changed at the Second Vatican Council, as well as hearing from some of the words of the recent popes, especially Pope Francis.
We had a great diverse group attend including Catholic Education staff, religious sisters, priests, and parish staff and volunteers. We were very blessed by the presence of our keynote speakers, Dr Maeve Heaney, Shayne Bennett, and Fr Warren Kinne, as well as the four seminarians who assisted with the entire running of the event, especially with our liturgies.
