By Fr Junray Rayna
Not long ago, I received a letter from a parishioner that pierced me deeply. He wrote bluntly, “I don’t want to be part of a moribund parish.” I had never heard of the word ‘moribund’, so initially, I did not worry about it too much. Then, later, I looked up the definition: “Moribund: in terminal decline, lacking vitality or vigour”.
The parishioner had actually told me in that letter, he did not want to be part of St Kilian's because it's dying. I reflected deeply on that letter and what it meant.
The word hit me hard. It echoed something very real too, that I felt very incompetent in the role that I am called to serve. I felt very low, drained, pastorally disheartened — and nearly at the point of despair.
I did lots of walking and praying.
But the grace of God has a way of finding us at our lowest.
Through Divine Renovation, I found not just tools but a renewed heart for mission. I started with a Kickstart Program, which led me to a series of conversations with priests of different ages who shared in a similar struggle. I found the conversations with them were healing. Having deepened into our conversations, we shared our brokenness and eventually our ideas. I have always loved the words of Rumi, "Don't get lost in your pain, know that one day your pain will become your cure." Our shared pain has become the source of our hope, too. Slowly, we shifted from a maintenance mentality to a bold radical vision of hospitality.
Today, I would say that our beloved St Kilian's Parish has become a magnet in the heart of Bendigo: a magnet where we have missionary disciples in our community. We gather, we celebrate, we proclaim and we serve!
We now have a community garden where strangers become friends over soil and seedlings. A parish café welcomes newcomers and regulars alike into conversation and connection. Our hospitality teams serve not just food, but warmth and welcome. Children lift their voices in a children’s choir, and I’m often overwhelmed with joy seeing 10 to 20 altar servers assisting joyfully at the Sunday Mass.
Our youth Masses, young adult musicians, and intercultural community are signs of a parish alive. We gather for formation, running Alpha, Faith on Tap, Couples for Christ and a spirituality series that deepens our love for Christ and one another. There’s even something as simple yet profound as our parishioners’ lunches — where faith is shared one plate at a time.
Now, when you walk into our church on a Sunday 10 a.m. Mass, the pews are full. There’s laughter in the church grounds and garden. Prayer is alive. And the Spirit is moving.
We have become — by God’s grace — a parish that moved from moribund to magnetic. For the greater glory of God.
Fr Junray,
Administrator, St Kilian’s Parish, Bendigo.
"~ Written after a surf!"
The Divine Renovation Kickstart Program is a free, 4-week online group coaching experience for priests, designed to provide tools for transforming parishes from maintenance to mission-focused communities. Led by a Divine Renovation coach, priests join a cohort of fellow priests to learn how vision, leadership, and evangelisation intersect, offering practical insights and a supportive community to help revitalise their parishes.
Rumi: a 13th century Persian Literary Poet.