“Put out into the deep and let your nets down for a catch”

That is the challenge that Jesus places before those who would become his disciples. And we know what happens next: the catch is so abundant that many have to come to assist the fishermen in bringing that great catch to shore. The story ends well, but it begins with a scene of tired and weary men who are discouraged by their failure. They’ve been working all night for very little return and now this Jesus, who is not a fisherman - he’s a carpenter, arrives on the scene and proceeds to tell them what to do. 

Even though tired and discouraged, Peter and his companions push their boats from shore and go out into the deep with Jesus because they trusted him. 

The Church has long seen in this episode of the miraculous catch of fish an image of the Church gathered. Within the net of the Church, cast by the apostles, under the guidance of the Lord, a great host of fish - mankind in all its wonderful diversity - comes together. 

“Go out into the deep” the Lord told the disciples; ‘go out into the deep’ is also the challenge that is placed before us. We have a lively and welcoming community and prior to the pandemic, we had an impressive offering of ministries and activities. As we start to imagine a return to a fuller calendar of activities and events, we have to honestly ask ourselves if we are responding to Jesus’ invitation to go out into the deep water. Are we gathering our brothers and sisters who are searching for meaning and happiness in all sorts of place and who in many ways are scattered.  

For a very long time, the Church in general and our parish have hovered on the coastline, sticking to what is familiar. We’ve opened our doors invitingly and sought to welcome those who came but have we really ventured out into the deep? 

What might the deep water look like for us at St. Isaac’s? 

It is the waters of reconnecting with so many, after years of isolation due to the pandemic. For over two years, the restrictions imposed on us have made community difficult. Opportunities to come together have ground to a halt and the terrible scourge of isolation has grown, widening the tragic gap between many, taking a toll on our mental health. Putting into the deep might mean finding new ways to reach out, to invite - to break isolation and recreate the bonds of community. 

The deep waters are also those of the changing face of the place we call home. Whenever I drive north on Brock there seems to be new developments popping up. Up to 70 thousand new residents are in the process of moving into what we now call New Seaton. Sources have also pointed to the changing nature of the Kingston road corridor where most of the planned 75 residential towers are to be built. Our City and our Parish are about to change.  

The Challenge - the invitation to go out into the deep is, on the one hand, to find ways to reconnect with one another and also to make room for those who will join us in the next few years. 

‘Go out into the deep and let your nets down for a catch’ the Lord Jesus tells us. How do we do that? 

To be honest, I’m not too sure but I firmly believe that we have to go beyond business as usual. I’m not talking about changing things that are fundamental. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. But how we reach out, what activities we offer and what directions our ministries and groups go in can and must be adjusted to face new challenges. 

Along with our parish team, I have been giving much thought to all this over the last few months, convinced that if we don’t seize the opportunity that is now before us, we are condemning ourselves to a steady decline and more importantly, if it’s just business as usual we are not being totally faithful to what the Lord is asking of us. 

Allow me to outline a couple of initiatives that are underway that lead us to venture onto the deep waters. 

First, we are expanding our parish team and creating a new role. We are happy to add a Lay Pastoral Associate for Parish and Family Life with the financial support of the Family of Faith Campaign. The goal of this new position is to coordinate and unify initiatives already in existence, as well as initiate new programs in a cohesive manner. Think of Bibles studies, groups and events for parishioners who are grieving or a mother’s group - family adoration or retreats. There are many other things on our Idea Board… Given the importance of rebuilding the bonds of community so damaged by the pandemic, we hope to offer events that develop our sense of fellowship in to a welcoming and supportive community. 

I am happy to announce that Shelly Coish, our current Youth Minister, has accepted to take on this role and will along with myself and the different groups and ministries, progressively flesh out the vision behind this new role. I am extremely grateful for the work that Shelly has done in our parish for the past 9 years building up our youth ministry program into one of the more successful programs in the Archdiocese. Over 100 youths attend EDGE, roughly 50 teenagers join us for LifeTeen. This ministry is vital in our parish and will continue to remain a priority. In the next few weeks, we will begin the recruitment process for a new youth minister who will continue to grow our outreach to young people and their parents. 

We have also created a Renewal Committee. Composed of 12 parishioners and myself, they have the mandate to look at the different aspects of our life together, of the services and ministries we offer and see what we are doing well, what could we do better, what is missing. What should a Catholic Parish who desires to go out into the deep look like? In the course of its work, this committee will progressively engage parishioners and groups. Pope Francis has invited the whole church to a synodal journey. We are invited to assume together the responsibility for the mission of the Church, to have input in what we should prioritize and to journey together in discerning where God is calling us and how best to respond to the challenges poised by our current situation.  

Lastly, I have also put together a working group to look at our parish hall. It is clear to all who have had to try to book space for activities in our parish that we are a bit tight for space. I’d say our Church is large enough to accommodate the expected demographic growth in our Sunday Masses but as we plan a fuller program of activities, as we desire to reach out into our community and as our neighbourhood grows, this lack of activity and event space will only become worse. This working group in conjunction with the archdiocese and an architectural firm will come up with recommendations as to the best way forward. Once those recommendations are ready, you and I will have an opportunity to review them and evaluate how best to move forward. 

I would like you to pray for these initiatives (our new ministry with and for families led by Shelly, our Renewal committee, and the Parish Hall Working Group). Let us ask the Holy Spirit to show us the way forward and to make us bold and creative in our desire to share our faith with others and to invite them to discover that St. Isaac’s is a place where they are welcome. 

I value your insight and opinions. Over the last few months, I have had several conversations with many members of our parish. I’ve presented the challenges as I see them, and together we have begun to dream about what could be next. I don’t have a plan in my head of what I’d like this to look like, this is not about what Father wants -- it is about what the Lord calls us to -- this consultation process might be a bit messy at times. Perhaps I might give the impression that I don’t have a clear vision; what I know and believe is that if we place our trust in the Lord, He will not disappoint. 

In the months to come we will all be given a chance to share our thoughts and opinions - out of our collective wisdom I believe that the Lord will guide us. 

Together let us trust the Lord and set off into the deep waters.