“Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” John 21: 6

It was like a gathering of the clans on Saturday, 15 February. From across the whole of the Archdiocese of Cape Town PPC members came to the third annual Summit of Parish Alive. Nearly 500 people from 73 churches/parishes represented their parishes in a morning of praise and worship, keynote talks, group discussions and sharing. People came from far and wide, representing the beautiful and rich diversity of our archdiocese but with unbreakable bonds of unity, understanding and love for one another. The Holy Spirit was certainly moving in this space, and words cannot describe that feeling of joy which is not of this world.

Parish Alive was launched in November 2022, soon after Covid. It has been a programme of hope and renewal embraced by parishes across the Archdiocese. Each parish has adopted Parish Alive at its own pace to bring renewed vigour and vitality into parish life. As witnessed at the 2025 Summit this year, the Catholic church and the parishes in the Archdiocese of Cape Town are alive with the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis has said on countless occasions that the parish is at the heart of the Church and where the Church lives – the home of the Church. Parishes are communities within communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the Gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent out to renew the earth.

The Summit agenda was full. It started with a beautiful opening liturgy with readings and praise, and we thank Alison Dunn for preparing it with such care.

Fr Zane Godwin, Episcopal Vicar of Pastoral Development opened and welcomed all to the Summit which was then followed by our first Keynote Talk by Fr Nkululeko Qokolo, Director of the isiXhosa and Sesotho Apostolate. Fr Nkululeko gave an impassioned talk entitled “Vision for creativity, renewal and restoration”. His stories impressed upon us that the church community is a home where people should feel a sense of belonging. People are there because they want to be there – we are, after all, brothers and sisters. He spoke about creativity, and gave the example given in John 21:3-18, where after a night of catching no fish, Jesus advised the apostles to cast their nets on the other side of the boat – and their nets filled to bursting. Creativity is exactly that – to fish in a different direction. He suggested we do that by going out to tell people where we are, by evangelizing and going out from our comfort zones.
He spoke about renewal that starts with a personal journey and then develops into relational renewal with others. He also made some challenging and inspiring comments about what indeed community is, or could be. He then went on to talk about restoration. People are seeking connections and people who are hurt or wounded need healing – we all do at some stage in our lives. In our parishes we are called to be beacons of hope and renewal in the modern secular world. St Paul said we are all made new in Christ. It is in Christ that we are restored. In him we find the truth and in him tranquility and peace that cannot be found elsewhere. The world cannot give us this.

Following Fr Nkululeko, there was the opportunity for everyone to meet up in groups and discuss two questions: 1. Identify other creative ways of building your parish community, and 2. How can we embrace diversity in our parish communities. The buzz in the hall was a testimony to great discussions, sharing, learning, commitment and engagement.

Dominque Yon’s topic was “Engaging youth and young adults in parishes as a strategy for parish renewal and transformation” and she spoke powerfully as she always does, campaigning for the youth. Pope Francis has said “Young people are the window through which the future enters the world” and if we believe this, we will recognize that the youth does not only represent the present but also the future of our church. If we do not involve and empower the youth in the church today, what will become of our church in the future? This question should haunt every PPC member. The responsibility lies heavily with us all today to think beyond ourselves and our time. We need to do today whatever we can to ensure the future of our church. It may not be an easy task – indeed often in life the important and noble things are not easy.

But let us not falter with this vital task. Let us embrace the youth and listen to them in a truly synodal way. We may be surprised and delighted and charmed at what they have to say and tell us! We may be invigorated by their ideas. And if we stumble and make mistakes, then rather we would have done that and learnt, than never have tried. Change is never comfortable – but when the future of our church is at stake, then surely, we can bravely cast our nets on the other side of the boat. Jesus was radical. God loves us extravagantly. We were forgiven all our sins. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Our faith is not a bland, faded watercolour – it is a vibrant colourful textured and dynamic faith with an infinite store of treasures. It is alive.

In his closing remarks, Fr Zane thanked everyone – the speakers, the organizing team, Our Lady Help of Christians, our unfailing host venue, and all who were there. He challenged everyone returning to parishes to think beyond themselves. Today we are leaders of the local church. In this moment of time, we are charged with an important responsibility to lead as servant leaders. We would not be doing our job if we did not look to the future and look beyond ourselves – and if we need to fish from the other side of the boat we should listen to, and trust, the Holy Spirit, because in those waters we will surely find an abundance and a bright way to the future. We are today’s stewards, let us do our part today to assure a better future. This is LEADING IN THE SPIRIT OF THE JUBILEE.
You can watch the videos from the Parish Alive Summit on the Parish Alive YouTube channel at this link https://www.youtube.com/@ParishAlive
Karen Parkin
Parish Alive Team

For further images of the Parish Alive Summit 2025 and other interesting articles in the Archdiocesan News, visit: https://adct.org.za/wp-content/uploads/ad-news-1-of-2025.pdf