Parish Life!
Ministry
Parish Life!
PARISH LIFE
The Francicans in the Amazon are involved in many different pastoral services. These services include work among the indigenous people of the Amazon, formation of young men who desire to follow Jesus Christ as Franciscans and the mission of evangelization in parishes and small communities.
The bishops of Brazil, looking to renovate the pastoral action of the parishes, published a document in 2014 entitled: “Community of Communities: the new Parish”. In the document, the bishops affirm that it is necessary to form small base Christian Communities so the parish may become a network of communities and thus carry out the mission of evangelization. These small nuclei of faith communities come together on a weekly basis to reflect upon the Word of God, pray, promote solidarity with those in need, visit the sick and create a community spirit through the sharing of their lives and daily struggles.
The Friars of the Custody St, Benedict of the Amazon work in seven parishes and two Missionary Areas in the Amazon Region. These parishes are located in large cities like Manaus, Santarém and Belém and also in smaller cities like Monte Alegre, Óbidos and Itaituba. Some of the parishes are in dense urban areas while others have many small communities in rural areas. Three times a year, the friars who work in the parishes, come together to discuss a common plan, especially by instilling the Franciscan Spirit in the parish life while still following diocesan directives.
The priorities for the parish work are the following:
- Bring into the realm of parish life the Franciscan spirit of service, fraternity and minority;
- Build up small faith communities based on the gospel values of sharing, solidarity, pardon and commitment to building up the Kingdom of God;
- Celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments as a means of strengthening the faith of the people and nurturing hope for those in need;
- Promote the formation of leadership so that the lay people can assume their role as protagonists within their communities;
- Reinvigorate parish life by promoting Catechetics based on the catechumen experience of the first Christian Communities;
- Serve those who are in need especially the sick, downtrodden and poor.
This work, within the parishes in the Amazon Region, is one of the commitments of the Franciscans of the Amazon and involves a true commitment to the mission of evangelization among the peoples of the Amazon.