COVER STORY - "Reflecting on the Assembly through the light of the dawn"
By Louise Gannon RSJ.

I love dawn. I love it for some of its qualities captured in the Dawn Blessing prayed at the end of the first session of our Diocesan Assembly.

Today we call down the blessing of our God of the Dawn.
May the subtle hint of the breaking dawn fill you with hope for today, tomorrow and the future. May the cool, crisp, freshness of dawn awaken and energise you for mission.
May the majesty of dawn inspire you and fill you with a deep love for its creator.
May the beauty of dawn enthral you and captivate your imagination for service of others.
May the colour of dawn light up your gifts so that you may use them for the work of the kingdom.
May the newness and promise of dawn heal within you all that weighs you down.
May you become like the dawn: a new creation filled with the hope and promise of a new day.
May our God, who calls you to constantly turn ‘towards the dawn’ of the Kingdom bless you: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dawn is not a stand alone event. It is an integral part of the cycle of the day, and of weeks, months and years. Dawn is both a beginning and an end. It stands as a bridge between night and day, between darkness and light. Dawn heralds the day and wakes and beckons us to participate in it.

A Diocesan Assembly is very much like the Dawn. It is an integral part of the cycle of our life together as a diocesan faith com-munity, both a beginning and an end. It is a bridge between where we’ve been and where we’re going. Like the dawn, a Diocesan Assembly awakens us and helps us sharpen our focus so we can move into the day with renewed purpose and commitment.

Having reflected theologically on our reality, the Diocesan Assembly authorised the three recommendations put to the Assembly. The recommendations focused on evangelisation, faith formation and our ongoing need for conversion to Jesus.

While each recommendation establishes a working party to explore how we might improve what we are already doing in each of these areas, there is much work for each community and group to do right now. Together, the Regional and Diocesan Assemblies helped us to focus on some of the tensions which are a very real part of our lives. These tensions highlight our ongoing need for conversion to Jesus.

Each parish, region and group within the diocese had representatives at the Assembly. Look to them. A new day has dawned and there will be another one tomorrow. What is your community or group doing about the sharpened focus the Assembly gave to our life of faith? What renewed purpose and commitment is dawning in your community? The work of the Diocesan Assembly has only just begun. How is it shaping up in your community?

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