Cardinal Tobin: A pastoral vision for our missionary future
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Three weeks ago, on January 6, 2025, I announced a multi-year pastoral planning initiative here in the Archdiocese of Newark. This new initiative, We Are His Witnesses, provides our archdiocese with a chance to prepare for the opportunities and challenges that confront us as a missionary Church that is synodal and co-responsible in its pastoral leadership. By following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and by listening carefully to the Word of God and the voices of all our sisters and brothers, we hope to be faithful witnesses to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
In my last newsletter, January 10, I reflected on the concepts of pastoral conversion and missionary discipleship. The primary sources for these reflections are the 2013 Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) and the prayerful discussions held during the three-year Synod on Synodality 2021-24.
The Final Document, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission” (see selection below) references both The Joy of the Gospel and the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium (The Light of Nations), in its summary of the Synod’s proceedings. I was privileged to participate in the meetings held in Rome, as well as in the Listening Sessions and other events here in the Archdiocese of Newark and many other discussions on the national and continental levels throughout the Universal Church. As Pope Francis noted in his concluding remarks for the final session held in Rome last October (see selection below), the Synod’s Final Document, which the Holy Father approved and asked to be published, “contains very substantial indications which can guide the mission of the Churches, on different continents, and in particular contexts.”
I have asked Bishop Michael Saporito and the Commission that has been formed to oversee this planning initiative to ensure that all of the activities we undertake are based on principles of synodality, subsidiarity, and solidarity as described in my pastoral letter, We Are His Witnesses, and to provide clear communication, accountability, and transparency throughout this process.
Continue reading Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s latest newsletter.