‘It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards one’s progress, not the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken’.
St Francis Xavier
St Francis Xavier is a vibrant parish where:
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people from all cultures will be warmly welcomed into our faith community;
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people will share their baptismal calling to witness the love of God in action;
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people will receive the Sacraments throughout their life journey in a community embraced with encouragement and love.
Vision Statement of St Francis Xavier’s Parish Ballina/Lennox Head
In Baptism we are called to promote the new reign of God as a community who…
Celebrate
We are disciples of Jesus and celebrate his presence amongst us
Therefore we:
- Share together, and with others, the nourishment we have received from the Word and Eucharist.
- Meet with Jesus in the Sacraments during the most sacred moments of our lives.
- Encourage one another to find God in ordinary everyday events.
Evangelise
We are called to recognise Jesus, accept him in our lives and spread the GOOD NEWS of salvation
Therefore we:
- Commit ourselves to be witnesses to the Gospel by learning and living THE WORD in our daily lives
- Work towards building the KINGDOM OF GOD among the members of our parish family.
- Remain open to allow the Spirit of God to work through our parish and into the wider community.
Develop
We are committed by developing the life and mission of our parish
Therefore we:
- Encourage parish groups to work together and provide support for their ministries.
- Remember that we are always trustees of our faith and parish resources.
- Challenge as many as possible to participate in the various parish ministries.
- Develop effective means of communication between parish groups.
Collaborate
We are a community who welcome everyone without exception
Therefore we:
- Accept differences in people because each of us as a unique gift of God.
- Respect, value and support family life.
- Believe that everybody, regardless of their status or beliefs, must be treated as a member of the Kingdom of God.
- Endeavour to maintain effective, open discussion among all the various ministries in the parish family.
- Commit ourselves to resolving our differences in a spirit of peace and justice.
- Welcome into our community those people who feel alienated.
Care
We are a people who acknowledge the worth of every individual and the environment in which we live
Therefore we:
- Invite ALL to participate in the mutual support of our Church.
- Serve the identified needs of all people, with consideration for their life situations.
- Believe that by serving the needs of all, the KINGDOM OF GOD will be visible among us.
We acknowledge the Bundjalung peoples as the traditional custodians of the land on which we worship, learn and live in the Parish of St Francis Xavier Ballina, where our Churches, Schools, Day Care Centre and Crowley Aged Care stand.
