‘Duc in altum’ – ‘Launch out into the deep’!

These words of Jesus to Peter led to what we now call the miraculous catch of fish. Peter’s faith-filled response became the title for the renewal process in the Diocese of Westminster: ‘At Your Word, Lord’!

Working in partnership with RENEW International, At Your Word, Lord was an ambitious process of personal, parish and diocesan renewal which began in 2002.

The process began with a Clergy Conference in November 2002 at which it was decided to undertake the process as presented by RENEW International whilst tailoring it to suit the needs of the Diocese of Westminster. The early part of 2003 saw numerous opportunities offered for people to find out more about the process and to begin to form a Parish Core Community – the group, including the Parish Priest – that would give life to At Your Word Lord in each parish.

Through further workshops the Parish Core Communities began to form Invitational Ministry Groups, Mission Teams and Liturgy Groups in each parish and planned the process for inviting every parishioner join the process.

The Launch at Wembley Arena in September 2003 saw 10,000 people join together celebrating in Mass the beginning of this journey of renewal.

The process was centred around five ‘Seasons’, the first of which took place in October/November 2003. Each Season had its own theme:

Season One: God, a Community of Love

Season Two: Conversion

Season Three: Reaching Out through Evangelisation

Season Four: Reconciliation – Promoting Deeper Unity

Season Five: Recreate the Face of the Earth – Build the Kingdom of God

During these Seasons parishioners were invited to take part in the process by joining small faith-sharing communities, praying each day for renewal and focussing on deeper participation in Sunday Mass. To enable people to do this the At Your Word, Lord Team provided parishes with different kinds of resources – from awareness-raising posters and banners to the actual books themselves. Below are listed the resources provided for the final Season. Click on the titles to find out more about them.

Before each Season the Parish Core Communities attended a local workshop to enable them to explore the theme of the Season and to begin to prepare practically for it. In addition to this everyone who volunteered to lead a small faith-sharing community was offered formation and training at parish or deanery level. This could not have happened without the generous support of volunteer trainers who were prepared for their task by the At Your Word, Lord Team.

By Season Five it is estimated that across the Diocese around 18,000 people were members of small communities, over 35,000 were using the Daily Meditation book and many parishes were using the resources for Children’s Liturgy of the Word and Teenagers. Many Primary Schools also took advantage of the resources we provided for assemblies and classroom worship. The Family Handouts - weekly sheet of prayer and activities designed for use in the family home - proved a big hit. Allied to this (and also used by Primary Schools) the Children's Calendar provided a thought, encouragement or activity for every day of the Season.

All in all, At Your Word, Lord was probably the most ambitious project undertaken by the Diocese of Westminster in recent years and its fruits will continue to develop for many years to come.

The Resources

Before the Season…
Parish Core Community Workshop booklet
Small Community Leaders’ Handbook
Posters, Prayer Card, Banner
'Small Community Leaders' Workshop booklet

For the Season itself…
Liturgy Preparation, Faith Sharing and Meditation Books (overview)
Liturgy of the Word for Children (full resource)
Resources for Teenagers (full resource)
Resources for use in Primary Schools (full resource)
Family Handouts and Children's Calendar (colour and b/w)

Other resources from the rest of the process…
‘Share Your Faith’ Workshop: Booklet, Script, Presentation
‘Cornerstones of Christian Unity’ Workshop: Booklet, Script, Presentation
‘Living Gospel Values’ Workshop: Booklet, Script, Presentation
'Basic Introduction for Small Community Leaders'

Other resources from...
Season 4
Season 3
Season 2