Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous’ latest book, A New Wine and
Fresh Skins, sold out at its Western Australian launch at St Mary’s
Cathedral parish centre on 6 October.
The book tracks the growth of the new “ecclesial movements” of the Church, a term which came into common parlance about 20 years ago to describe the new and rapidly growing Catholic movements springing up in the Church throughout the 20th century, often after Vatican II. The words “capture an emerging reality, post Vatican II” of a “new and particular dimensions to the work of the Holy Spirit in our time,” Bishop Porteous said.
The Bishop placed the new movements in the context of the overall Church, which Pope John Paul II described as a ‘movement’ in itself.
“The Church, in its essence, is a spiritual movement in the world. It takes structure, because it has to, it is a human reality but it has an inner life and dynamism which is spiritual,” Bishop Porteous said.
“The Church began by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and throughout the history of the Church there is constant witness to particular impulses of the Spirit,” he said.
Bishop Julian said his book was “not meant to be comprehensive” but meant to help understand what is happening in the Church today in the context of other movements in the history of the Church such as ‘Monasticism’ in the third century and the ‘Franciscan movement’ in the twelfth.
Today, there are hundreds of movements engaging hundreds of thousands of people across the world. These movements have been an ‘experience of grace,’ a work of the Holy Spirit, he said.
In 1983, the Pontifical Council for the Laity organised a meeting of leaders of various international movements such as Communion and Liberation, Community of Sant’Egidio, L’Arche, Opus Dei, Society of St Francis de Sales and others.
In Perth, members from Couples for Christ, Emmanuel Community, Communion and Liberation and the Neo-Catechumenal Way and others attended the launch.
Bishop Julian said that the movements have “reordered” the practice of the faith from private practice to a renewed emphasis of public practice with a missionary zeal. After they become established and grow in numbers, they begin to develop in many ways.
“As the communities mature, they’re moving in to serve the Church in various ways by bringing their gifts to bear on the challenges the Church is facing at this time,” he said.
“One of the things the new movements have done is say ‘we’ll go out into the streets, we’ll do things publicly to testify to our faith,’” Bishop Julian said.
“One of the things I say is, we Catholics have to be seen and heard. The time has passed whereby we should retire into ourselves. It is not good enough to have things safe and comfortable in the Church, obviously that is good but we need to be doing things, living and witnessing out there in society. The time has come. No more silence, no more invisibility. The time has come to be seen and heard,” he said.
Bishop Julian, who wrote the book while on Sabbatical, intended it for two main audiences; firstly, for those who are not necessarily involved in movements, but are curious about them, possibly sceptical or uncertain of their place in the Church and secondly, for those who are involved in the movements.
He said that while people involved in movements can have a “deep appreciation of the grace of the charism” that they have received, there is a danger if they limit their vision to their own experience and community.
“The maturity will come to communities when they are able to see and understand their place and the contribution that they can make to the life and mission of the Church,” he said.
Are you part of one of the new communities? What has been your experience? Send a letter to the Editor: editor@therecord.com.au