THE PARISH OF BAULKHAM HILLS

Dear Friends,

Two years ago I published a long article on the topic “The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelising Mission of the Church”. It essentially portrays the parish community not in terms of a territory with a given structure, but rather sees the local parish as an existential space where the culture of encounter and dialogue is fostered. Hence, being church means being God’s people, being God’s leaven in the midst of humanity. The parish community is not an outdated model, but must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.

This pastoral background provides the backbone of my understanding of being a parish community in Baulkham Hills. In my own theological interpretation, our parish should be a dynamic, Eucharistic, and evangelizing community. To achieve the bond of unity and to foster relationships, we, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, need a new discernment around community, which consists in seeing reality with the eyes of God, with a view to unity and communion. The whole People of God must urgently embrace the Holy Spirit’s invitation to begin the process of “renewing” the face of the Church.

I am very aware of the history leading to the merger of two former parishes – St Michael’s and OLOL – into one parish community. Also, I acknowledge the grief and hurt caused during that time, twelve years ago. Yet, we need to move on for the sake of our children and grandchildren. We can’t remain in the state of grief and hurt which won’t bring us forward. It only will destroy the future and cut our children and grandchildren off from spiritual growth.

To persist in the state of grief and hurt means to grieve against the working of the Holy Spirit. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). His command not to grieve the Spirit falls under Paul’s initial instructions covering what not to do to cultivate holiness and walk in Christian purity. Grieving the Holy Spirit is similar to “quenching” the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) in that both negatively impact the believer, the parish, and the broader community. Quenching the Spirit speaks of stifling or suppressing the fire of God’s Spirit that burns within every believer. The Holy Spirit desires to express Himself in our actions and attitudes. When we do not allow God’s Spirit to be seen in our behaviour, when we do what we know is right, we embrace or engage the Spirit. We allow the Spirit to reveal Himself as He wants to, with “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).

As a living community of believers, the Parish finds itself in a context whereby the territorial affiliation is increasingly less evident, where places of association are multiplied and where interpersonal relationships risk being dissolved into a virtual world without any commitment or responsibility towards one’s neighbour.

I invite to let go if you are still aggrieved and embrace the wider parish if you are not, to be ready to forgive and accept being forgiven, ready to be reconciled by the grace of God.

A task of this kind ought not to be seen as a burden, but rather as a challenge to be embraced with enthusiasm.

Fr Joe