The Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities will invite members of ecclesial movements and prayer groups to participate in a celebration of their shared mission.
PRAYER
Come, Holy Spirit, come and renew the face of the earth!
Come with your seven gifts!
Come, Spirit of Life, Spirit of Communion and Love! The Church and the world need you.
Come, Holy Spirit, and make ever more fruitful the charisms you have bestowed on us.
Give new strength and missionary zeal to these sons and daughters of yours who have gathered here.
Open their hearts; renew their Christian commitment in the world.
Make them courageous messengers of the Gospel, witnesses to the risen Jesus Christ, the Redeemer and Saviour of humanity.
Strengthen their love and their fidelity to the Church.
(From Pope John Paul II’s Meeting with Ecclesial Movements and New Communities, 1998)
TEACHING
From Pope John Paul II’s Message for the World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities (1998):
“2. They [ecclesial movements] represent one of the most significant fruits of that springtime in the Church which was foretold by the Second Vatican Council, but unfortunately has often been hampered by the spread of secularization. Their presence is encouraging because it shows that this springtime is advancing and revealing the freshness of the Christian experience based on personal encounter with Christ. Even in the diversity of their forms, these movements are marked by a common awareness of the “newness” which baptismal grace brings to life, through a remarkable longing to reflect on the mystery of communion with Christ and with their brethren, through sound fidelity to the patrimony of the faith passed on by the living stream of Tradition. This gives rise to a renewed missionary zeal which reaches out to the men and women of our era in the concrete situations where they find themselves, and turns its loving attention to the dignity, needs and destiny of each individual.”
From Pope Benedict XVI’s Message for the Second World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities (2006):
“I therefore say to you, dear friends of the Movements: act so as to ensure that they are always schools of communion, groups journeying on in which one learns to live in the truth and love that Christ revealed and communicated to us through the witness of the Apostles, in the heart of the great family of his disciples.
“May Jesus’ exhortation ceaselessly re-echo in your hearts: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16). Bring Christ’s light to all the social and cultural milieus in which you live. Missionary zeal is proof of a radical experience of ever renewed fidelity to one’s charism that surpasses any kind of weary or selfish withdrawal.
“Dispel the darkness of a world overwhelmed by the contradictory messages of ideologies! There us no valid beauty if there is not a truth to recognize and follow, if love gives way to transitory sentiment, if happiness becomes an elusive mirage or if freedom degenerates into instinct.
“Today, the Ecclesial Movements and New Communities are a luminous sign of the beauty of Christ and of the Church, his Bride. You belong to the living structure of the Church. She thanks you for your missionary commitment, for the formative action on behalf of Christian families that you are increasingly developing and for the promotion of vocations to the ministerial priesthood and consecrated life which you nurture among your members.”
From Pope Francis’ Address at the Third World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities (2014):
“1. We need always to return to the sources of our charism, and thus to rediscover the driving force needed to respond to challenges. You have not been schooled in such a spirituality. You have not attended an institution of spirituality in this way. You are not simply a small group. No! You are rather a movement, always on the way, always in movement, always open to God’s surprises which are in harmony with the first call of the movement, namely the founding charism.”
TESTIMONY
Maria: “With my husband Adrian, as a couple married for 15 years, we see the Domestic Church program as a blessing as it provides a life-long structured formation within the Catholic Church. Given enough importance and effort, it can be treated as the path to holiness within our families. Meeting fantastic people along the way and friendship opportunities is just a wonderful bonus.”
Adrian: “Domestic Church creates a friendly welcoming environment within our parish and provides a structured formation in line with the Catholic teachings and traditions. There are a lot of new families and couples moving into our area. We want to make sure, as a parish, we have got something to offer for everyone to extend our spiritual growth possibilities beyond attending the Sunday Mass and other common observances and to celebrate our faith more within our family homes as well.”
– Maria and Adrian Andrzejewski – Domestic Church Movement (NCE Interview)
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
For members of ecclesial movements, associations and new communities, that they will continue to bear much fruit for the Church and the world.
We pray to the Lord.
For the development of new movements and communities that uniquely respond to the challenges of our times.
We pray to the Lord.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Message of Pope John Paul II for the World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities (27 May 1998).
Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Participants of the Second World Congress on Ecclesial Movements and New Communities (22 May 2006).
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Third World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities (22 November 2014).
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