Para uma Igreja que vive no meio da casa dos seus filhos e filhas

Abstract

Created in the first centuries of the Church's life, the parish, even though it has
undergone some changes, has managed to resist the wear and tear of time, still remaining a fundamental institution in the life of the Church, and continues, for many, the main reference point of the Christian life.
However, in many cases it is no longer able to fully satisfy those Christians who
wish to live the evangelical proposal coherently and who do not find in it a satisfactory response to their desire for greater participation.
Looking at the reality and crisis of increasingly empty churches, the need arises
renewal for a change that follows the “new times”, a reform that makes possible a Church that is more fraternally lived and participated in.
Aware that the future of the Church continues to depend on the vitality of the
parish, and that it can only grow when it becomes evangelized and evangelizing, we set out, in this study, following a critical-theological reading of a pastoral model put forward by Fr. António Pagola, to present the Jesus Groups as a possible response to a more fruitful Church, showing that faith has to be manifested in concrete gestures, creating “places of faith”, and like the local Churches of the apostolic and post-apostolic era, which implement Second Vatican Council ecclesiology of communion, Christians experience models of life in faith as an opportunity for an encounter with God in today's life.

Date of Award	28 Nov 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Tiago Freitas (Supervisor)