It is an exciting time to be a Catholic in Sydney. A flame is being fanned. Faith is being strengthened. Disciples are coming forward. Apostles are going out. And the Holy Spirit is renewing the face of the earth!
What is going on? Perhaps it is partly due to an often neglected—yet essential—element of Christian life making a resurgence: the baptised are discovering their charisms.
Charisms, the Catholic Church teaches us, are supernatural gifts received by all the baptised for the building up of the church and for the common good.
When we become aware of our charisms and start to exercise them, we become more fully who we were created to be.
When we know how God has chosen us to fulfil his purpose on earth, that inner frustration that comes from knowing there is more to life dissipates and is replaced by freedom, peace, and joy. Discovering this, we can never be the same.
For the last four years the Parish Renewal Team has worked towards a shift in culture and clarity regarding charisms.
We have sought to introduce the faithful to the language of charisms, to help them to understand the purpose of charisms, and to equip them to discern which charisms God has chosen for them.
Three key moments have led to an increased desire for people to learn more about these supernatural gifts: the visit of Sherry Weddell to Sydney in May 2023; the offering of the Called & Gifted Discernment Process; and more recently, the presentation on charisms by Cathy Coman, with testimonies from Terrie Yule and Fr Adrian Suyanto, at the Parish Renewal Conference.
The Called & Gifted Discernment Process is not for the “consumer Catholic,” but for those who are prepared to give what they have received; or rather, to give who they have received.
Although charisms are personal gifts, they are from God and for others, so they are not really about us. They are about leading others into relationship with God, and as believers we have “a right and duty to use them” (Apostolicam actuositatem, 3).
To help believers of Sydney to discover their charisms, the Parish Renewal Team organised for two groups of 60 to participate in the Called & Gifted Discernment Process.
On both occasions the material was delivered live and online by the Catherine of Siena Institute in the US. The process consists of three parts: a series of workshops to learn more about the Holy Spirit and the charisms; a one-on-one interview; and four fortnightly sessions to support each other in discerning the presence of charisms in day-to-day life.
Consistently, participants have found the experience transformative, and the fruits have been plentiful!
Eager to make this experience more widely accessible, the Parish Renewal Team invited a small group of “graduates” to join them in receiving training from the Catherine of Siena Institute, and these individuals are now fully trained facilitators.
No longer reliant on Zoom sessions from the US, this group of 14 have come together with great enthusiasm to form a local Called & Gifted Network.
The newly-established network exists to support members in offering the Called & Gifted Discernment Process to more and more budding disciples in the Archdiocese of Sydney.
The Parish Renewal Team, together with other members of the Network, is inviting those interested in discovering their charisms to join us for the first in-person offering of the Called & Gifted Discernment Process which will take place at St Martha’s in Leichhardt, commencing in September. We look forward to seeing many new faces!
To register your interest please follow the link.