Catholic Outlook March 2016
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Make a connection this Easter – you can do it!<br />
By Richard McMahon, Director of Pastoral Planning & Implementation<br />
DIOCESAN PASTORAL PLAN<br />
An elderly lady rang me<br />
recently. Her husband passed<br />
away last year and she is very<br />
isolated. She just wants to connect<br />
with someone. We all know someone<br />
who needs a friend: at work, in our<br />
family circle, in our neighbourhood.<br />
But we sometimes get stuck when it<br />
comes to the next step.<br />
Here are some tips that may help<br />
you to invite them to an Easter cup of<br />
tea (offer to assist your parish, school,<br />
workplace or neighbourhood group<br />
to organise something). You may also<br />
invite them to an Easter Mass, or just<br />
to share a conversation. By the way, if<br />
you are feeling isolated, the following<br />
applies to you too!<br />
No more excuses<br />
I am too shy. Maybe they will<br />
reject me if I make contact with<br />
them. Maybe someone else is better<br />
placed to make a connection. All<br />
these things may be true. But deep<br />
down, they are all excuses. The truth<br />
is, if you have noticed someone, or<br />
have been thinking about someone,<br />
then they have already connected<br />
with you on some level. Maybe if you<br />
don’t make the connection, no one<br />
will.<br />
Pray for support<br />
Okay, it can take lots of courage<br />
to make that first step. Ask God to be<br />
with you. Start praying for the person<br />
you have in mind to approach.<br />
Make a commitment<br />
Commit to God your decision<br />
to connect and tell a close friend.<br />
Ask them to hold you to account.<br />
Be specific. Set a day and a time for<br />
making contact.<br />
Be safe<br />
If you are approaching a person<br />
from your parish who you don't<br />
know well, do so in a public place<br />
and let someone know what you are<br />
doing. If you are uncomfortable in<br />
an encounter, politely break it off or<br />
don’t initiate it. Your safety comes<br />
first.<br />
What will you say?<br />
If you don't know the person,<br />
introduce yourself. Seek common<br />
ground. Are you at the same place for<br />
a reason such as sport, Mass or work.<br />
Ask their opinion: “What do you like<br />
best about living around here?” is<br />
better than, “Have you lived in the<br />
area long?”<br />
What are you inviting them to do?<br />
People are naturally suspicious.<br />
Be quick to explain the purpose of<br />
making contact. You may invite them<br />
to an event, share a prayer card (see<br />
top right), or just make a connection.<br />
If inviting them to an event such<br />
as Easter Mass, Easter cup of tea,<br />
street party, be sure to give clear<br />
instructions. People usually want to<br />
know what to wear, what to bring,<br />
if it costs anything, how long it will<br />
be. Also reassure them you will meet<br />
them there and sit with them. On the<br />
day, introduce them to two or three<br />
others if possible.<br />
Worried about if they ask faith<br />
questions?<br />
If we identify ourselves as a<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong>, we can sometimes fear<br />
getting questions we may not know<br />
how to answer. It is okay to respond<br />
by affirming their questions and<br />
experiences, for example, “That is a<br />
good question. To be honest, while<br />
I love God and my faith, I don’t<br />
know the answer to that. If you are<br />
interested, I could find out more.”<br />
Or “I am sorry to hear that you have<br />
had a bad experience. I understand if<br />
you don’t want to come to the Easter<br />
cup of tea. But I would still like you<br />
to come.”<br />
Using our Year of Mercy cards<br />
One great initiative is the pocketsized<br />
Year of Mercy cards available<br />
at your parish and also in some<br />
diocesan schools. Each card comes<br />
with a beautiful image and quote,<br />
and a space for someone’s name, your<br />
name and a short message to tell<br />
someone you are praying for them<br />
for a certain reason.<br />
How would an approach work?<br />
It’s a simple idea that allows us in a<br />
non-threatening way to share our<br />
faith, for example, “Hi Emily. You<br />
were telling me about your brother<br />
being sick recently and I thought<br />
of you with one of these message<br />
cards. It’s just something to let you<br />
know that I’m keeping you and your<br />
brother in my prayers.” Think of<br />
people outside of the faith/Church<br />
circle and write a special message on<br />
these cards as an appealing way to<br />
share your faith.<br />
Following up<br />
It is best to keep follow-up<br />
contact as natural as possible. Jesus<br />
invites us to love one another. He<br />
does not ask us to force people or<br />
pretend to be their friend. Once we<br />
#mercyhasaface<br />
mercyhasaface.org.au<br />
have made initial contact, sometimes<br />
a wave or a “hello” helps keep the<br />
connection going, rather than racing<br />
across for an in-depth chat every<br />
time. Allow the connection to grow<br />
at its own pace.<br />
As we prepare for Easter, let us<br />
bring the resurrection to one other<br />
person through the simplest of<br />
interactions! Smile and say “hello” to<br />
someone new.<br />
If your parish would like a<br />
workshop on ways to reach out,<br />
contact the Pastoral Planning Office<br />
tel (02) 9831 4911, rmcmahon@<br />
parra.catholic.org.au<br />
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<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 7
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