Duccio Di Buoninsegna, Christ Preaches the Apostles, 1308-1311
Following Jesus’ instruction presented in Matthew 28:19,
the mission of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, simply put,
is to form disciples of Jesus Christ.
A simple mission. A simple mission statement.
Jesus left us one mission.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
One mission echoed through the ages.
The very last thing the Risen Lord said to His followers was: “Go, and make disciples.”
• From the very beginning the early Church saw as its mission to make disciples.
• The significant Church documents since the Second Vatican Council have affirmed the Church’s mission: to make disciples.
• Since Vatican II, Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis have all urged the Church to embrace Her mission: to make disciples.
• The U.S. Bishops’ 2001 document on evangelization entitled Go and Make Disciples urged the Church in the U.S. to embrace her mission: to make disciples.
• The U.S. Bishops’ 2017 document on evangelization entitled Living As Missionary Disciples urged parishes across the country to embrace their mission: to make disciples.
Our mission statement.
Jesus left us the mission. Jesus gave us the mission. Jesus gave us our mission statement:
“Make disciples.” Far too often our parish mission statements are long, cumbersome, and complex. They are so complex most parishioners dismiss them. We consistently have to explain our mission statements in order for parishioners to understand their purpose. However, “If you have to make statements to clarify your statements then your statements aren’t making statements.” Perhaps our parish mission statements are too complex. Perhaps the mission from Jesus is the mission statement for every parish: “Go, and make disciples.”