“Becoming a Mission-Centered Parish – A Culture of Encounter” 
2018 USCMA Conference – Roger Schroeder, SVD (CTU)

INTRODUCTION
What in the Mission of the Church?  A Guide for Catholics: Revised and Expanded Edition (2018)
Moving from the focus of the church/parish on maintenance to the focus on mission
Diocese of Lexington, KY – Heads, Hearts and Hands!!! 

How mission has changed: The “why”, “who”, and “where” of mission 
From “Ransoming Pagan Babies” to Mission on Every Continent and in Every Parish

Jesus’ mission = Our mission
God created out of love, Humanity turned away, God calls us back
Jesus part of God’s mission; Disciples to continue God’s mission; Mission is NOT an option!

Pre-Vatican II and Mission
“Ransoming ‘pagan’ babies”
		Mission as Salvation of Souls: Church as the Ark of Salvation; Mission was geographical
			“Outside the church, no salvation” – More operative than official teaching of the church
Mission as the Expansion of the Visible Church 
	Establishment of the full structures of the church; Normally Western pattern
		Church Christianizes and civilizes

New Understanding of Mission
Pope John Paul II: Mission is “a single but complex reality, and it develops in various ways.” (RM 41)
One-line working definition: Mission is proclaiming, serving, and witnessing to God’s reign of love, salvation, and justice. (Schroeder, 3)
Second Vatican Council
God’s Mission and the Church – Fountain image of Vatican II
The Church reclaimed its original identity of “being missionary by nature” (AG 2)
Early church: “Gossiping the gospel”; Mission, baptism, church; Baptism “missionary by nature”
“Therefore, every local church and diocese is to be both mission-sending and mission-receiving.”  (Schroeder, 3)
God outside the Catholic Church; Rather than Church being equated exclusively with God’s Reign Church recognized the movement of God’s Spirit outside the Catholic Church

Jesus and the Reign of God
Jesus came to preach, serve and witness to the Reign of God: words, action, and behavior 
Implications
Mission is based on a commitment to doing what Jesus did.
Mission focuses especially on the transformation of the world—not just about building up church.
Not just about saving individuals, but salvation is a just society; Integral development

Further Developments: Christo-Centric response to two previous understandings of mission
Seemed to Pope John Paul II that
Church was losing focus on Jesus as unique savior and judge of culture
Church was losing focus on the importance of the church in mission
On the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate [RM] (1990)
Although it is possible to be saved outside the church and explicit faith in Christ
Church’s mission is still to witness to and proclaim Jesus as universal savior
Implications
Talks about mission as a “single but complex reality”
Christocentric and holds proclamation (with and without words) as mission’s “permanent priority”

Summary: Returning to the “Big Picture”
Foundations of Catholic understanding and practice of mission:
God’s mission and the Spirit; Jesus and the Reign of God; Jesus Christ, the Savior
Definition of mission: God’s Reign of Love, Justice, and Salvation
Shift in attitude from a position of paternalism and superiority to…A spirit of mutuality and humility
Mission is not a church foreign-aid program
All enriched and all called to conversion; We are all the Body of Christ

How to live Table Fellowship
Operation “Rice Bowl”
“Just as we celebrate the Eucharist on Sundays, we can use Operation Rice Bowl as a way to ‘break bread’ together with family and loved ones.  We…learn about the joys and challenges in the lives of our brothers and sisters all around the world, and give concrete assistance to those most in need.” 
Pope John Paul II: “there is a new awareness that missionary activity in a matter for all Christians, for all dioceses and parishes” (RM 2);  Church as a “community in mission”
Pope Francis: “In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization [mission], and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients.” (Pope Francis, “Joy of the Gospel,” 120)
“Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey.” (“Joy of the Gospel,” 127)

Mission is not about Astronauts!
Mission is not just about “missionary heroes”; Not just twice a year
Mission is who we are and what we all do as church and Christians!

Jesus and the Samaritan woman
Jesus following the mission from God
Meeting at Jacob’s well; Jesus asks for a drink
Woman: “What? You are a Jew, and you ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jn 4:9)
Jesus speaks of “living water”
“Sir” she said “give me some of that water…” (4:15) 
Conversation shifts to Personal life; Religion; Salvation (Messiah)
Disciples return
Woman puts down her JAR
“The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people, ‘Come and see a man who has told me everything I ever did; I wonder if he is the Christ?’” (4:28-29)
People came from the town and many believed in Christ “on the strength of the woman’s testimony” (4: 39)
So we are to leave our “jars” and witness to God’s life and love
“The Samaritan woman became a missionary immediately after speaking with Jesus and many Samaritans come to believe in him ‘because of the woman’s testimony’ (Jn 4:39).” (“Joy of the Gospel,” 120); The importance of Witness, with and without words!; 
“Becoming a Mission-Centered Parish – A Culture of Encounter”