I. Communities that proclaim Jesus Christ to the world of today

Introduction

The Church of Montreal is a community of believers inspired by the Person of Jesus Christ and proud of their status as disciples of Christ. They desire to affirm their Christian faith and to continually deepen their knowledge of the Word of God. In fidelity to their baptismal vocation, they must become messengers of the Good News and be concerned with transmitting the Christian heritage. In a spirit of openness and respect for others, they remain welcoming to the numbers of people who are searching for God.

However, the people of the Diocese of Montreal live in a pluralistic society that reveals a serious rupture with the Christian context which the older generations knew. Today, many of the baptized are ignorant of almost everything about the Christian faith. We notice a decrease in attraction to Christian religious practices. Sects are multiplying, drawing, and recruiting more and more followers. Consequently, then, a twofold challenge presents itself to believers: to affirm their faith in Jesus Christ, courageously and openly, in the workplace, in their family and social life, in interpersonal and intergroup relationships, and to devise means to ensure the transmission of our Christian heritage.

Serving the Gospel means committing oneself to women and men while taking into account the realities of their day-to-day existence. Christ wishes to encounter the human person in the totality of his or her own being and within the entire range of human needs and expectations. Jesus Christ also desires to encounter every man and woman who lives within the territory of Montreal in order to integrate them into the Church, that great family of "the children of God" and, in this way, to become present in the history of the People of God in Montreal. The service of the Gospel, the proclamation of Jesus Christ and of his Message, requires the commitment of all the baptized.

The Synodal Assembly highlighted the following aspects of evangelization with a view to having each and everyone share in the riches of the faith and in communion with Christ:

the welcoming of the many who are seeking God;

the transmission of our Christian heritage to the younger generations;

the courageous affirmation of our faith in Jesus Christ;

the continual deepening of the faith of adults.