New Wine, New Wineskins provides a pastoral process to support the needs and goals of parishes that are in various stages of merging or restructuring. It draws on a Catholic understanding of the Paschal Mystery— the dying and rising that is central to Christian life. In twelve sessions, participants will encounter and work with their grief over changes in their parishes and in their lives and find ways of maintaining elements of what they value most while coming to terms with, and ultimately embracing, a future of hope and possibility.
This resource is designed for the period following a parish restructuring, allowing parishioners to build together on their collective journey as they enter a new phase of parish life. Early meetings encourage parishioners to reflect on their parish’s identity, their shared experiences of the sacraments, and the places and times they experience church unity. Members of merged and shared parishes will be encouraged to honor their diversity, embracing both the “many parts” and the “one body” of Christ and the Church. Later sessions move from identity to mission and include discussions on stewardship, mission, and the New Evangelization.
