Year of Grace Vision
Year of Grace Vision
7.30pm Year of Grace Vision
8.00pm ‘Grace’ Small Group Activity
8.20pm Celebrating the Year of Grace
8.30pm Encountering Jesus
8.45pm Resourcing the Year Of Grace
9.00pm Planning the Year of Grace
9.15pm Closing Prayer
Year of Grace Vision
What is the Year of Grace ?
A holy time given by God
to start afresh from Christ
contemplate his face
and listen to God’s Word
that Jesus may heal our wounds
overcome all our divisions
and make us rich in hope
so that we may show forth his face
and speak God’s saving Word
to the world in new ways.
Year of Grace Vision
Why a Year of Grace ?
• Seeking a new and deep grace to forge
the future
•Great graces of WYD Sydney in 2008 and
Canonisation of St Mary MacKillop in 2010
•Invitation for Catholics of Australia to join
their Bishops on a spiritual journey
Year of Grace Vision
Why a Year of Grace ?
• Decline of the Church as an institution
•Devastating effect of sexual abuse and
the failures of the Church
•Impact of secularism in eroding Christian
influence and values
Year of Grace Vision
Inspiration for the Year of Grace
• Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter
‘At the Beginning of the Third Millennium’
•‘Contemplate the Face of Christ’ n.16
•‘Starting Afresh from Christ’ n.29
•What has this got to do with Jesus ?
Year of Grace Vision
Year of Grace:
•is not a program or a series of events
•is a call to prayer and listening to the Spirit
Year of Grace Vision
Year of Grace is a time:
•to seek an experience of Jesus
•to name and claim grace in our lives
•to be attentive to the many and various
signs of Christ’s presence in our world
•to heal our relationships
•to grow in wholeness
Year of Grace Vision
What does the Year of Grace ask of us ?
•Pray daily seeking the mind and heart of
Jesus Christ
•Repent for the areas in which we have failed
individually and together
•Pursue the path of holiness
•Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Year of Grace Vision
How do the ‘Year of Grace’ and the
‘Year of Faith’ relate ?
•Planned independently, one national, the
other universal, same goal - renewal in Jesus
•Year of Grace - a journey of the heart
•Year of Faith - reflect on what we believe
•Both impulses of the Holy Spirit that
complement each other
Year of Grace Vision
Promotional DVD
‘Waves of Grace’
‘Grace: What does it mean to Me ?’
Small Group Activity (20 mins)
1) Form groups of 4 or 5
2) Quietly read to yourself the sheet:
Some ‘Grace’ Quotes
and then reflect on the two questions (5 mins)
3) Discuss in your group your thoughts about ‘grace’
Note: there will be no reporting back from groups.
Celebrating the Year of Grace
What are some of the key moments ?
27 May 2012
Year of Grace
begins on Pentecost Sunday
11 October 2012 50th Anniversary of Opening of
Vatican II Council e-conference
17 March 2013
‘Bringing Our Wounds to Jesus‘
-A Celebration of Repentance
1 November 2013 ‘Faces of Christ, Faces We Know’
-A Celebration of Holiness
Celebrating the Year of Grace
What are some practical ways to
encounter Jesus and experience
God’s grace in our lives ?
Celebrating the Year of Grace
What are some practical ways to do this ?
•Take 5 mins a day to read a Gospel story of Jesus
•Spend time gazing on a favourite image(s) of Jesus
•Name your daily graces during family prayer
•Read a book about Jesus
•Ask family and friends for forgiveness of past hurts
•Share with others signs of Christ’s presence in our world
(eg random acts of kindness, courage, love in the news)
Celebrating the Year of Grace
What are some practical ways to do this ?
•Recite the Year of Grace prayer daily
•Set aside a morning or a day for a quiet retreat in the
bush to reflect on the ‘grace’ of creation
•Journal about your experiences of people who are the
face of Jesus in your life
•Try to become more aware of Jesus in the Eucharist
•Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom with a difficult decision
Encountering Jesus
‘Contemplate the Face of Christ’
Encountering Jesus
Jesus Image: Do you have a favourite image of Jesus ?
Living Jesus: Is Jesus a part of your busy life ?
Scripture:
Acts 4:32-35
“great grace was upon them all”
Reflection:
How do you experience ‘grace’ in your life ?
Prayer:
Year of Grace National Prayer
Resourcing the Year of Grace
National Resources include:
•Pastoral Letter announcing the Year of Grace
•Liturgies
•Logo
•Website, Facebook and Twitter
•Promotional DVD
•DVD ‘Contemplate the Face of Christ’
•National e-Conference on ‘Grace of Vatican II’
Information about these resources and their
availability can be found on the national website at:
www.yearofgrace.catholic.org.au
Resourcing the Year of Grace
Archdiocesan Resources include:
•Year of Grace poster
•Year of Grace information brochure
•Year of Grace monthly newsletter
•Year of Grace prayer card
•Year of Grace parish/school e-kit
•Year of Grace prayer journal
•Year of Grace DVD
Information about these resources can be found on
the Archdiocesan website at:
www.bne.catholic.net.au/yearofgrace
Planning for the Year of Grace
Some Questions to Consider....
•What are some ways you could promote the Year
of Grace in your parish/school ?
•How will you launch the Year of Grace in your
parish/school on Pentecost Sunday ?
•How would you break open the concept of ‘grace’
to your parish/school community ?
Planning for the Year of Grace
Some Questions to Consider....
•What are some opportunities your parish/school
might offer to help members of your community
‘contemplate the face of Christ’ ?
•What resources and strategies are needed to
sustain the Year of Grace journey ?
Planning for the Year of Grace
Q & A ....
An opportunity to ask questions
Prayer
Jesus as I contemplate your face:
let me experience your great love for me.
Reveal your saving grace
and give me a grateful heart.
Heal me of my weaknesses and sin
and fill me with compassion for others.
Gift me with the wisdom of the Spirit
and encourage me to be a faithful
witness to the Gospel.
I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.