Bishop Adams senses fresh energy in Church globally

After attending an Alpha Leadership Conference in London last month, at which there was a strong Catholic presence, Bishop Adams said he came away with “a real sense that there is fresh energy and confidence growing within the Church”.

“That impression deepened in the days that followed, first at a parish renewal gathering in Richmond, and then in France, where I met bishops and priests involved in remarkable work of evangelisation,” he said. “I heard about students entering the Church in large numbers, about thriving parish initiatives and about young people gathering in extraordinary numbers for worship. These were not isolated stories. They pointed, I believe, to something larger: a new springtime stirring in the life of the Church.”

Bishop Adams then joined a pilgrimage group that travelled from Lourdes to Lisieux, and a range of holy places in between.

“That journey was filled with spiritual and liturgical highlights. In Lourdes I was able to be part of a Sunday Mass in the great underground basilica, together with bishops, priests and pilgrims from around the world. Along the way I celebrated Mass in a number of profoundly beautiful places, including Sacré Cœur, Chartres, Mont Saint-Michel, Lisieux, Cannes and Ars, where I was able to use the Curé of Ars’ chalice and say Mass in front of his remains.

“For our group, and for me personally, these were moments of deep grace. They were also a reminder of the strong French roots of the Church in Aotearoa New Zealand, through Bishop Pompallier and those who helped bring the faith here.

“One of the things I carried strongly throughout the journey was a renewed awareness of the Church universal,” Bishop Adams added. “We in the Diocese of Palmerston North may be at what feels like the ends of the earth, but the Gospel has reached here, and we have our own part to play in the mission of Christ.”

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From London to Lisieux (Catholic Diocese of Palmerston North)