Goa archbishop urges united Church to serve others and overcome obstacles to mission

Pastoral letter for 2024-25 calls Catholics to work together, resist individualism and digital isolation, strengthen parish life and become “pilgrims of hope” as Jubilee 2025 approaches.

PANAJI, Goa, (Indian Catholic News) — The Church’s mission to serve others and overcome the challenges that hinder that service must be renewed through authentic Christian witness, shared responsibility and unity across parishes, Goa’s archbishop said in a pastoral message for the year 2024-25.

In a 35-page pastoral exhortation issued June 2, 2024 from the Archbishop’s House in Panaji, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa called on clergy, religious and laypeople to live the Gospel through action as well as words, stressing that evangelisation depends on credible witness.

Quoting Pope Paul VI’s apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, the document states that people today listen to teachers “because they are witnesses” and urges that “our Christian life, lived authentically, and not only our words, become an effective instrument of evangelisation.”

Many workers, one mission

Drawing on St. Paul’s image of the Church as one body with many members, the archbishop underscored that unity and collaboration are essential for the mission of Christ.

“No member of the body can say to its other member, I do not need you,” the letter recalls, adding that “every member is important and needed” to build up the Body of Christ.

The document also quotes St. Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts: “Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord… To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor 12:4-7).

While stressing that the Church “is not a democracy” and is “not primarily an institution, a territory or a building,” the archbishop warned against individualism, factionalism and the spillover of party politics into parish life.

“Oftentimes, due to our weak human nature, we may succumb to the temptation of promoting our individualistic plans, thus disregarding the mission of the Church,” the letter says.

The archbishop urged all Catholics to take part in parish associations and movements, warning against “an insular mentality” and calling the faithful to work “together, as faithful members of Christ’s Body, for the one mission of Christ.”

Jubilee 2025 and the journey ahead

Looking to the Ordinary Jubilee 2025, which opens on 24 December 2024 under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” the pastoral letter sets out a threefold goal: celebrating Jesus, renewing service to the Church and celebrating the gifts and vocations of every Christian.

The Jubilee is described as a time “to be illumined by Him – the Hope of the world,” to “revive and rekindle hope within us,” and to “radiate hope to all around us.”

At the same time, the archbishop identified significant challenges to the mission, particularly the impact of digital culture.

While acknowledging that technology has become “a blessing to humanity,” the letter warns of “adverse impacts” including “propagation of lies, character assassination, cheating, sexual exploitation.”

The Church, it notes, is making extensive use of digital tools for faith formation, but “many, particularly young people, have ceased to occupy the physical spaces inside their Church, in favour of online spaces.”

The parish, the archbishop stressed, “remains the ordinary place where the faithful gather physically to grow in faith, to live the mystery of ecclesial communion and to take part in the Church’s mission.”

New heart, new mind and participatory structures

A further challenge identified is growing self-absorption and lack of time for others, even within families and neighbourhoods.

“By adopting a lifestyle of ‘me and myself’, we have failed to live up to the demands of our Christian vocation,” the letter says, urging Catholics to “firmly resolve to make time for one another.”

The document also points to the declining participation of men and young people in parish life and faith formation, noting that the mission of Christ “suffers due to the lack of menfolk getting involved in the parish participatory structures.”

Invoking the biblical promise of renewal, the archbishop called for “a new heart and a new mind,” citing God’s promise through Ezekiel to replace a “heart of stone” with a “heart of flesh.”

Quoting St. Teresa of Calcutta, the letter reminds the faithful: “Holiness is not the luxury of the few; it is for all.”

Pope Francis is cited as repeatedly calling Catholics to become “pilgrims of hope,” especially in a world marked by “wars and destruction, sickness and disease,” and divisions that cause many to lose hope.

The pastoral letter also highlighted the importance of participatory structures in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, especially the reconstituted Parish Pastoral Councils.

The Parish Pastoral Council is described as ensuring that parish life “reflects the mission of Jesus” and that “all parishioners are provided with the opportunity to share in that mission.”

In conclusion, the archbishop echoed Jesus’ command to proclaim the Gospel: “Go … proclaim the Good News!” and urged Catholics to carry that message to families, neighbourhoods and society.

Invoking St. Francis Xavier and St. Joseph Vaz as missionary models, the letter calls the faithful to become “fervent messengers of the Good News and pilgrims of hope” during the Pastoral Year and Jubilee 2025.