The term "missional" means "to be sent."  Jesus expresses this sending on mission in what is called the Great Commission: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" (Matthew 28:16-20).  Notice the following elements of Jesus' sending:

• "Go." Jesus send us on mission.
• To whom is the mission? To "all nations," to everyone.
• What is the mission? To "make disciples," to make followers of Jesus, to bring people into relationship with God.
• How do we do this? "Baptizing them..." By bringing them to the Sacraments, into the life of the Church.
• How can I do this? "I am with you always." Only by Jesus" active presence within us, in particular through the power of the Holy Spirit.
  

A missional community (parish or family of parishes) is one where its "customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today's world rather than for her self-preservation" (Pope Francis, Evangelii gaudium 27).  Archbishop Lucas identifies three key characteristics of a missional community:

• Collaborative Leadership - The Holy Spirit gives various charisms to both clergy and lay faithful. Institutional and charismatic gifts must function together as essential parts, for the body of Christ to grow.  In HSCP we have many lay faithful participating in leadership, staff, and ministries.
• Clear Path of Discipleship - Being able to articulate a path for discipleship.  How do we all grow? What is the next step in growing in relationship with God?  How and where do parish ministries and groups fit in with ourselves being formed as disciples, and the call to invite others to follow Jesus as well.  Learn more about our Clear Path of Discipleship within HSCP.
• Culture of Generosity - The cultivation within the parish of thanksgiving to God for material and spiritual gifts and the expectation that these gifts are meant to be offered generously for the benefit of parishioners and the wider community.  In HSCP our initiatives to grow in Christian stewardship expresses our growth in the culture of generosity.

The Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith, empowers us to evangelize.  The celebration of the Mass concludes with "Ite missa, est." "Go, forth the Mass is ended."  Pope Benedict reflected that, "In antiquity, missa simply meant 'dismissal.' However in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word 'dismissal' has come to imply a 'mission.' These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church." (Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caritatis 51)  We gather as a Church each Sunday so that we can be filled with God's life and sent back out on mission during the rest of the week.

There has been a decline in Catholics (and other Christians) who participate in the life of the church, a decline in Mass attendance, and an increase in the "nones" who do not consider themselves connected to any faith at all.  Nearly everyone knows of family members or friends who no longer practice the Catholic faith.  A 2021-2023 Gallup study found that even the percentage of self-identifying Catholics who attend Mass weekly has fallen to 23%.  There is need for a New Evangelization:  "in countries with ancient Christian roots … entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church … In this case what is needed is a 'new evangelization' or a 're-evangelization'" (John Paul II, Redemptoris missio 33).

Looking at the statistics of Mass attendance, if we do nothing different, the projections are rather stark. For Holy Spirit Catholic Parishes, attendance was 63% 20 years ago. Today it is 40%. Following the trend, if we do nothing different, in ten years we could be under 30% attendance, for only 860 people total going to Mass in the entire group. The question is: Do we really have to resign ourselves to what we have always done - trying to maintain separate communities, each of which have been dwindling for years, until the point in which we simply have so few committed members that the same people do it all, stretching each other and our priests so thin until, we simply wither away?  Rather, we can dream about and embark upon a different path.

We need an imagination for what could be possible. What renewal God can do, what good he has in store for us. What amazing things that he could do through you and I. Why not create a future where our communities gather and work together? Where we create centers of faith, gathering for a common Sunday experience. It may mean people have to travel a bit further, but we come together for a fuller experience – where liturgy is done most beautifully with an experience of the sacred, and encounter with the living God. Where we come not just for an hour to get it over with, but those coming are committed and on fire for making it truly the Lord’s Day. Perhaps creating opportunities for formation of families outside of the Mass. Where we invite our neighbor, where we pick up and bring those unable to drive themselves. We could create something where our priests can actually be part of the Sunday community outside of Mass, rather than him having to leave immediately and rush to the next service miles away. What if the highly committed members in our parishes saw and talked to each other, supporting each other in the task of growing in our ability to go forth and evangelize, rather than feeling isolated and pressured to do it all alone?

Do you know how to express why you are a Catholic?  "In your heart you know that it is not the same to live without him; what you have come to realize, what has helped you to live and given you hope, is what you also need to communicate to others" (Pope Francis, Evangelii gaudium 121).  Can you express the core message of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Here is one way to express the gospel message:

1. Relationship:  God loves us and made us for relationship with him & others. (John 3:16)
2. Ruin:  Sin ruins our relationships & isolates us now and for eternity. (Romans 6:23)
3. Restore:  Jesus restores our relationship with God by his death and resurrection. (Romans 5:8)
4. Response:  Our response to accept Jesus opens us to life eternal. (Rev. 3:20)

God created each of us in his image, able to know and love, made for relationship with him and each other. Unfortunately, by the envy of the devil, sin, suffering and death entered our world, distorting who we are and disordering many of our thoughts, desires and actions. But – wonder of wonders – God has come to wage war upon the enemy, to right the wrong, to heal the wound, to rescue us and restore us to the freedom of new life, through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each of us are invited to respond to his invitation, to be joined to Christ’s body, the Church, to receive back our identity as his beloved children, and to not only be healed ourselves, but help others come to know him as well.