BSC Parish Model

During World War II, a statue of Jesus Christ in a bombed city was badly damaged, especially its hands, which could not be repaired. While some wanted to restore them, others felt the statue should remain as a reminder of the tragedy. Eventually, the statue was left without hands, with a sign added that read, “You are my hands.” This powerful symbol reminds believers that they are called to carry out Jesus’ mission in the world.

The mission of the Catholic Church is rooted in Matthew 28:19 – to go and make disciples of all nations. Blessed Sacrament Church is aligned with this mission.

We are guided by a vision…

This Eucharistic Spirituality is to be nourished by the Eucharist and by contemplating the Eucharist, we will become the Body of Christ so that everyone can see the presence of Christ in each of us. Blessed Sacrament Church’s vision is achieved through 3 goals and supported by 4 pillars.

Goal 1: Renew Parishioners’ Relationship with God. The call to holiness is also a call to better utilise the gifts of the Holy Spirit and to become a sharper image of Christ.

Goal 2: Increase Sense of Belonging in the Parish Community. Intentional collaboration with various ministries to establish cohesiveness, and instill in all parishioners the importance of being part of church community.

Goal 3: Bring Christ to Our Neighbours. BSC wants to invite and give everyone in the vicinity an experience that is warm and welcoming.

Grow Spirituality: Intentional spiritual growth through prayer, Scripture, and a deepening relationship with God.

Strengthen Community: Encouraging broad participation, inclusivity, and clear communication to build a united, active parish.

Revitalise Ministry: Creating welcoming, supportive spaces that foster relationships with each other in the ministries and with God.

Serve Neighbourhood: Sharing Christ’s love through action, especially toward the poor, marginalised and overlooked, with a focus on practical, local outreach.

We always remember that our belief is based on the love of Christ, who is our source and perfection. We bring his presence to wherever we go and share our faith to build God’s kingdom. Hence, together, the parishioners of Blessed Sacrament Church are called to be the hands of Christ in today’s world.

Our Priests launched the BSC Parish Model on 25/26 October  (Mission Sunday), following weeks of careful introduction and preparation of Goals 1, 2 & 3.  To help us ponder on this further, please revisit the Mission Sunday homily below.

Mission Sunday Homily

We have introduced the three goals of our parish model over the last three weeks. Then, you watched the video about the whole parish model just now.

What is the purpose of this parish model? We want to build an evangelizing parish community rooted in Eucharistic spirituality. This vision statement emphasizes that the Eucharist is the source and summit of all Christian life and mission. Evangelization, therefore, must flow from a deep, personal love for Christ in the Eucharist, which empowers and transforms the faithful into “Eucharistic missionaries”. Parishioners are called to be “salt and light” in their communities by living out the sacrificial love of Christ they receive in the Mass, allowing this love to attract others to Him and renew the entire parish in its mission.

The Eucharist as the Source and Summit of Evangelization

• Centrality of Christ’s Presence: The Holy Eucharist contains Christ himself, making the Mass the heart of parish life. All other activities of the Church, including evangelization, are nourished and sustained by this real presence.
• Source of Mission: Just as Christ is the beginning and end of the Christian life, He is also the source and summit of the Church’s mission to evangelize. The power to evangelize comes from encountering the risen Lord in the Eucharist.

Living the Mission in the Parish Community

• From Reception to Mission: The grace received in the Eucharist must be transformed into outward action, leading to works of charity and service that reflect God’s compassion and mercy.
• Renewing the Parish Culture: A renewed parish culture of evangelization flows from this deepened faith and dependence on the Holy Spirit. It is a collective effort built on prayer, humility, and a shared vision of living as missionary disciples.
• Attracting Others: When the faithful, filled with love for the Eucharist, live as witnesses to Christ’s love, they will naturally attract others to Him, bringing about a vibrant, evangelising and missionary parish community.

In recent decades, the Church’s Magisterium has repeatedly taught that the Eucharist plays a central role in the mission of evangelization. Pope St. John Paul II describes the Church as a “Church of the Eucharist” in his 2003 encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (The Church from the Eucharist). In the same encyclical, he echoes the teaching of the fathers of the Second Vatican Council by referring to the Eucharist as “the source and the summit of all evangelization.”

Both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have stressed the encounter with Jesus Christ as a key moment in evangelization and a catalyst for discipleship.

Example from St Damien of Molokai
The Eucharist as central of our Christian life is not only in the teaching of the Popes but also in the lives of the saints. One of the examples is the life of St Damien of Molokai. Father Damien SSCC was serving the lepers in Molokai island. He lived for the Eucharist. It was this strong apostleship that filled the lives of the lepers. Their Eucharistic adoration was an edifying homage to the Lord. He wrote to his brother, “Without the constant presence of our Divine Master, I would never be able to cast my lot with that of the lepers.”

He said, “The Eucharist is the bread that gives strength… It is at once the most eloquent proof of His love and the most powerful means of fostering His love in us. He gives Himself every day so that our hearts as burning coals may set afire the hearts of the faithful.”

His daily Mass united his own sacrifice with that of the Saviour, for he saw the Mass as Calvary made present again on the altar: “I put all my confidence in the Lord who accepts me as His servant and who nourishes me each day with His body and blood in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In the same spirit of the Congregation, Damien lived from the Eucharist. This is the secret of his heroic life.

This love for the Eucharist he transmitted to the lepers. As we saw already, he organized beautiful liturgies, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Processions, which included the lame and the crippled – all with much participation and singing. He also wanted his lepers to live from the Eucharist, and many of them did.

How about us?
Has the Eucharist renewed our relationship with God?
Has the Eucharist increased our sense of belonging?
Have we brought Jesus, who present in every Eucharistic celebration, to our neighbours?

All of us baptised are missionary disciples. The youth, working adults, parents, grandparents, senior parishioners. Missionary disciples till we die and cross into our heavenly home.

Amen.