The popular adage states, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” But the 150 Paulist priests, students, associates and collaborators gathered for the Paulist Pre-Assembly March 10-13 in the desert city were challenged to do exactly the opposite.

“Let us not keep what happened in Vegas to ourselves,” said Father Tom Gibbons, CSP, pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Toronto, during the event’s opening liturgy. “Instead let us take what the Spirit says to us during our time together to our parishes, centers and campuses so it can extend even beyond our community.”

The Paulist General Assembly is the highest-ranking governing body in the Paulist Fathers, meeting every four years after the Paulists elect their new leadership team. The General Assembly, to be held in May, will decide the priorities and direction of Paulist ministry and the community for the coming years. The Pre-Assembly attended by approximately 150 people, helps the community prepare for the work general assembly.

“We are [at the Pre-Assembly] to help discern where God is calling us at this particular time in our history, in the history of our country and in the history of our Church,” said Paulist First Consultor Father Larry Rice.

The Paulists have always read “the signs of the times” to effectively share the Paulist spirit and connect the Catholic faith to contemporary culture, but “time is needed to discern what those signs are,” Father Rice said.

“We need time together to discern as a community how we respond to what God is calling us to do,” he said, especially in light of the tremendous impact Pope Francis is having, and will continue to have, on the Church and the world. “The Paulists feel we are uniquely positioned to engage in that vision, and to face the challenges of our times when our ministry is so desperately needed.”

The Pre-Assembly included sessions on how the vision of the Paulist founder, Servant of God Father Isaac Hecker, resonates today, especially in light of the energy and hope emanated by Pope Francis. “Missionary dynamism,” Ourselves as pastoral workers,” and “The New Evangelization,” were the subjects of large and small group discussions. The entire experience was built around a framework of communal Mass, prayer and meals.

Mike Hennessy, CSP, a Paulist student in his first year of theological studies at The Catholic University of America, saw the gathering as “the community certainly looking toward the future.”

“Yes, we have harsh realities to face, but we as a community are looking to the future with great hope and great promise,” he said.

Paulist Associate Dorothy O’Malley said the communication between participants at this conference has been exceptional.

“There has been a lot of real listening,” said Ms. O’Malley, representing Old St. Mary’s Church in Chicago. “The dialogue that we’ve had here has been exciting.”

For Father Ruben Patino, CSP, the Pre-Assembly was a time of renewal “of my own identity as a Paulist and my commitment to the Church.”

The pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, added that being with the community at large has also been a healing experience after the recent loss of his father.

“The community in Horseshoe Bay has been so wonderfully supportive; I have a stack of cards inches thick,” he explained. “Then I come here and receive in person the support of the Paulists and all those with whom we minister to work together for the future. It is like a family taking a big step forward.”

The Pre-Assembly was a chance for Rose Wolfe to “reconnect with the energy of the community.”

“Sometimes we just get focused on the day-to-day routine and need to be reminded of the bigger picture of what we do,” said Ms. Wolfe, a Paulist Associate of eight years and the administrative assistant at the Paulist-served St. Philip Neri Church in Portland, Ore. The Pre-Assembly has inspired Ms. Wolfe to hopefully reenergize the Paulist Associates in Portland and bring about a more cohesive ministerial spirit in the parish.

The Pre-Assembly concluded with an address by Father Eric Andrews, president-elect of the Paulist Fathers.

“This gathering has been helpful for you, for me and for all of us,” Father Andrews said. “I see the realities, but I also see the hope and the possibilities. … We can create a movement that can change the face of our culture … to extend the freedom the Gospel gives us to be free in the Lord and the freedom to love one another.”

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