In his new pastoral letter, "The Church Forward!", penned on the occasion of the 180th anniversary of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop David Zubik reflects on the diocese's past, present, and future.
He then turns to "The Forward," or where we as the Church need to go next. With an eye towards welcoming, he exhorts each of us to embody Christ to each person we meet.
In his letter, Bishop Zubik told all parishes to continue the “synodal” style of prayerful, group discernment that Pope Francis has called for as they consider how to answer Jesus’ call to spread His Good News. When the diocese and all the parishes held hundreds of listening sessions in 2022, three major themes emerged from the feedback:
1) a need for more engaging liturgies;
2) improving the welcome,
especially to people who feel estranged from the Church;
3) better instruction in the faith for children and adults
so they can better share the faith.
The Church Forward! addresses those themes and asks every parish to discern how it will respond.
The Church Forward! Pastoral Letter