A Pastoral Message from Archbishop John Willson - Called to Bear Fruit
Archbishop John's update video on "Called to Bear Fruit":
Pastoral Letter:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ
Last year, many of you took part in our Called to Bear Fruit consultation, giving your time, prayers, honesty, and hopes. You did so to help us understand how our Archdiocese can become more fully what God is calling it to be: a Church equipped for mission. That mission is to proclaim the Gospel faithfully and in all its fullness, so that each of us is an evangelising disciple who loves the Lord Jesus, knows that they are loved by him, and wants others to encounter that love too.
In the Gospel of St John (cf. John 15:5), the Lord Jesus tells us: ‘I am the vine, you are the branches … apart from me you can do nothing.’ Everything we do as an Archdiocese must always be rooted in that living and ongoing relationship with Christ. That is why the purpose of missionary renewal in our Archdiocese has never simply been about organisational change or restructuring. As Pope Leo has reminded us, ‘synodality is a style, an attitude that helps us… [to live more fully as the Church]… by promoting authentic experiences of participation and communion’. Missionary renewal must therefore be synodal in this profound sense: rooted in Christ, attentive to the Holy Spirit, and shaped by our shared participation in the life and mission of the Church. It is, and must always be, centred on how we can encounter the Lord Jesus more deeply in our parishes, schools, and communities. For this is what an evangelising disciple truly is: someone who has encountered Christ so deeply that they cannot help but share his love with others. This must be the heart of missionary renewal.
Your consultation response gave us fifteen clear action points, and I am glad to report that action is already under way on many of them. You told us, clearly and repeatedly, that engaging young people must be our most urgent priority. That is why we have invested time, talent, and resources in our Southwark Catholic Youth Service. There is a thirst within young people for the Lord Jesus, and we will continue to nourish this thirst through his word and the gift of prayerful encounter with him.
Through the Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis’ Some Definite Service, we are building networks of deanery mentors and parish leads, so that good practice in evangelisation, catechesis, and formation can be shared more freely across our parishes. Part of this work includes encouraging the culture of warmth already alive in our parishes, so that all who come feel truly welcome and know that they belong to the Body of Christ. Prayer is central to our mission; this is why we continue to promote resources through aec.org.uk and rcaos.org.uk which help to ensure that encounter with the Lord Jesus is nurtured and sustained.
Whilst this is welcome progress, our work is by no means finished. We are still discerning, carefully and prayerfully, what the next phase of missionary renewal should look like, whilst working towards its practical implementation in our parishes and across our Archdiocese. Our mission is clear: to proclaim the Gospel faithfully and in all its fullness, so that others may encounter the Lord Jesus, know that they are loved by him, and come to love him as we do.
Now, it is about how we live this missionary renewal in our parishes and across our Archdiocese: in a synodal spirit of prayerful listening, shared participation, and communion. We want to get this right, and we know that what works well in one community may look different in another, as we have already seen in the plans which parishes themselves have developed through Some Definite Service. That is why our renewal process must continue with patience and care. We want to be intentional, whilst remaining open to learning honestly from experience and refining our approach.
St Paul (cf. Galatians 6:8–9) reminds us that the ‘one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life’. He encourages us ‘not to grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up’. Our parishes are doing so much good in the mission of leading people to Christ through works of faith, mercy, and charity. We must hold fast to that spirit in our renewal process: sowing to the Spirit, not growing weary, and joyfully proclaiming the Good News so that others can encounter the Lord.
So I ask you to continue to walk this road with us, with patience and love. We will provide a further update in the autumn, once the ongoing discernment has matured. In the meantime, please continue to pray for the missionary renewal of our Archdiocese. Please continue to live as missionary disciples who not only love the Lord, but also help others to encounter and love him.
Thank you for your patience, your generosity, and, above all, your love for the Lord Jesus and his Church here in our Archdiocese.
With every blessing and the assurance of my prayers
Yours devotedly in Christ
The Most Reverend John Wilson
Archbishop of Southwark