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Geelong Deanery |
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Companions on the JourneyCatherine and Joe Taylor, Parish Pastoral Leaders at Holy Family Parish, Bell Park, reflect on their ministry. In 1994 we responded to an advertisement in our parish bulletin at Holy Family Parish, Bell Park, for the position of a pastoral associate in a part-time capacity in the parish of Corio/Lara. Our involvement within the church in the past had always been as a couple working voluntarily wherever we felt that God was calling us. This had involved us in many areas of Ministry such as liturgy, small groups, various movements for married couples, ecumenism and the renewal of the church following Vatican II. We were successful in our application for the position, however, it was important that we continued to work as a couple since our various gifts complimented each other and we considered our sacrament as a special calling to witness more clearly to Christ’s love for the world. We were appointed in February 1995 as community leaders to care for the community of St Anthony’s at Lara. As such we were given the responsibility and privilege of being involved in almost every aspect of ministry. For four years we were fortunate to work with a priest and a community that were open to a new vision of church that encouraged lay people to take greater responsibility for the management and care of the parish. We will always be grateful for the trust and opportunities that were accorded to us during this time, which not only allowed us to become deeply involved with the members of the community but also added to our own growth and widened our experience of church. It was difficult to leave this community we had grown to love and appreciate, however the time had come for us to move on. In February this year, once more as a couple, we took up the position of pastoral leaders at Holy Family Parish, Bell Park. How fortunate we were to once again be involved in a community where the priest and the people acknowledged the importance of lay participation within the church. We had worked in a voluntary capacity in this community before commencing at Lara and there was a sense of returning ‘home’. Every community is different and has its own needs and expectations, and it takes time when starting off in a new parish to discern specifically what these might be. It has been a few short months now since we started working in Holy Family Parish and already we feel a growing acceptance within this community. On our part we will continue to give of ourselves unreservedly, realising that it is for the sake of others that we are engaged in this work. We pray that our vision will remain constant and that our minds and hearts will remain faithful to the one who is our Way, our Truth and our Life. |
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