ARCHBISHOP John Bathersby of Brisbane described commissioning 40 young people to this year’s National Evangelisation Team (NET) Ministries as ‘one of the most satisfying tasks I have as leader of the archdiocese’.
He was speaking at the commissioning Mass at Christ the King Church, Graceville on February 19.
Archbishop Bathersby identified evangelisation as one of the great challenges in the Church today and reminded the teams that they did not go out alone.
‘Spreading the Good News was no picnic. At the same time any success we experience fortunately does not rely solely on our talents but on the grace of God which accompanies our mission and that realisation consoles us enormously,’ he said.
‘God walks beside us always, in good times and in bad.’
NET Ministries, now in its 17th year, will have six teams visiting parishes and schools across Australia this year, sharing stories of ‘Good News’.
Archbishop Bathersby said NET Ministries contributed significantly to the Australian Church and to other national Churches and ‘this makes all Brisbane archdiocesan people very proud and grateful that you are based here in Brisbane’.
NET Ministries executive director Shayne Bennett said he was looking forward to breaking new ground with diocesan based teams.
He said the diversity of the Australian Church was one of the challenges for the diocesan teams.
‘The work that our team will do in Geraldton is so vastly different to our work in Melbourne,’ he said.
‘While Geraldton can be seen against a backdrop of vast distances and small remote communities, the Melbourne team live in an inner city area ministering in a densely populated city and working in conjunction with the Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Ministry.
‘This diversity makes for an exciting and challenging year ahead.’
Teresa Delsorte from Corinda Graceville Parish, who will be working with a team of five in Adelaide archdiocese, thanked the archbishop for his support of the ministry, asking him to continue to pray for them and for the young people they will be reaching out to throughout the year.
To find out more about NET Ministries phone (07) 3397 9666 or visit www.netministries.com.au
