Bridges of Faith: Building a Relationship with a Sister Parish: A Personal Journal

by Dennis P. O'Connor

What practical items should you pack when going to a sister parish? How do you deal with your anxieties about meeting strangers who may speak another language and eat foods different from your daily diet? What are your dreams for building a bridge of faith in another part of the world? Dennis O'Connor, a partnering pilgrim himself on many occasions, provides an insightful journal that covers everything the new and seasoned pilgrim needs to know about...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0867167947
• ISBN13: 9780867167948
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Franciscan Media
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

It's all in here

In his opening chapter, O'Connor shares examples of twinning relationships on the international, national, diocesan, parish, and neighborhood levels. The stories show food drives; summer camps featuring multicultural faith experiences; and material and personal support for education, housing, and health care programs. "From the highlands of Guatemala to an inner-city parish in Baltimore; from a Navajo school in Arizona to a rural outpost in Kenya," O'Connor writes, these exchanges illustrate the opportunities and challenges of the twinning covenant. "In every sense responding to calls for partnership and solidarity... are recognition of the relationship we have as Christians." The author is managing editor of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati newspaper and an active participant in twinning efforts in his parish. After much study and experience with twinning, O'Connor set about to produce a basic text for establishing sister-parish relationships. In Bridges of Faith, he weaves historical information and Church teaching with first-hand stories of mission trips and interviews with twinning veterans. Though heavy on experiences within the Roman Catholic community, O'Connor's material is suited to any faith-based group with "non-paternalistic, non-proselytizing ideals." In addition to the narrative style, Bridges of Faith engages the reader with subheads and sidebars, such as (1) seven reasons for establishing faith-based partnerships, (2) planning and carrying out mission trips, and (3) activities to enrich and expand a sister parish relationship. Finally, O'Connor has included appendixes with sample documents for getting started and a list of organizations that can help identify potential partners. All in all, this is a truly valuable book for anyone involved in or considering a twinning relationship.