Bishop Patrick’s spiritual themes.
At St Teresa’s we incorporate the Bishop’s themes into lots of aspects of school life, in our
liturgies, chaplaincy team foci, retreat days and they are interwoven into RE lessons.
ENCOUNTER: Bishop Patrick would like to ensure that people of all ages in our parishes, schools,
and chaplaincies are helped to discover, or discover more deeply, the importance of a personal
ENCOUNTER with Christ; so that they can become convinced that they are each loved by God
and are invited to grow in their relationship with him. In particular Bishop Patrick would like to see
the development of times of Eucharistic Adoration in our parishes, schools and chaplaincies.
DISCIPLESHIP: With the personal encounter with Christ, Bishop Patrick would like to encourage
each of us to hear and respond to his invitation to be his DISCIPLES, to follow him more closely,
and to seek to serve him generously in our daily lives.
MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP: With a greater recognition of, and openness to, the help, guidance
and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we can all become MISSIONARY DISCIPLES; faith-filled, joyful
and outward-looking Christians who are growing in confidence to speak humbly of the difference
that knowing Christ makes to our lives, and who bear witness to His love in our service of our
brothers and sisters, especially those most in need. The service to which Christ calls us is always
the action of the Holy Spirit working in us.
These themes remind us of what Jesus asks of his disciples, “Go, make disciples of all nations”;
they remind us that the Church is called to be missionary. The theme of ‘Encounter’ will be
explored during Advent and Christmas, ‘Discipleship’ during Lent (Spring term), and ‘Missionary
Discipleship’ from Easter to Pentecost (Summer term)
