In his pastoral letter for the New Year, Bishop Alan Williams extols the virtues of Mary, the Mother of God and holds her up as a pattern for Christians everywhere.
“Mary is our mother but also someone who shows us what Christians can become by the grace of God. As the ‘star of the new evangelisation’, she remains the model and inspiration for all of us,” he says.
Quoting Pope John-Paul II and Pope Francis, he says missionary outreach must be at the centre of all the Church’s activities, adding: “We must seek new and creative ways of sharing the great treasure of our Catholic Christian faith in a world hungry for the justice and peace of God’s Kingdom.”
In this great mission, he hopes, the Diocesan Stewards of the Gospel, one in each parish, will lead the way. He adds: “Like Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church, we are called to be like Christ, think like Christ, feel like Christ and act like Christ in all that we do.”
Read the full letter.