Get ready for Advent: join us for Season Four!
Called into Community:
Come and See!
A synodal journey inspired by
PREPARE FOR ADVENT WITH THE CHOSEN.
An online series Friday evenings:
Nov. 8, 22, 29, and Dec. 6, 2024
7-8:30 p.m. EST
What is
The Chosen?
The Chosen is the first multi-season television series about the life of Christ, as witnessed through the eyes of those He impacted. Directed by Dallas Jenkins and distributed by Angel Studios, The Chosen has grown to become the largest crowdfunded TV series of all time. The Chosen is available online and full episodes of Season Four can be viewed for free.
In The Chosen, we experience the life and ministry of Jesus through the eyes of the people that walked on Earth with him: his disciples, his mother Mary, the children, those he healed and taught. We also see him through the eyes of those who opposed him: the Pharisees, the Roman authorities. The Chosen stays faithful to the Gospels, while attempting to tell us a wider story. Without ever contradicting scripture, it fills in some of the gaps: it puts familiar Bible passages in the context of the daily life of the people who encountered Jesus, so that we can more easily imagine, “What was life like with Jesus? How did meeting Jesus change people’s lives?”
A synodal journey: embracing community
Since Advent 2021, our growing online community has embarked on a transformative journey alongside the characters in The Chosen, engaging deeply with Seasons One through Three. Inspired by Pope Francis’s vision for a truly synodal Church, we have walked together, listening to one another and envisioning innovative ways to invite all into life-changing encounters with Jesus.
This journey has helped foster local communities of welcome and belonging, where each individual recognizes they are “called by name.” The fruits of our discussions, grounded in spiritual conversation and communal discernment, have made a meaningful contribution to our diocesan Synodal Report, presented at the diocesan assembly on June 11, 2022. This report was subsequently shared with the Assembly of Quebec Bishops, highlighting our local insights and experiences.
What kind of Church are we being called to be?
As we prepare for Season Four, we invite everyone—curious newcomers and past viewers alike—to join us in this next chapter. Through themes like radical love and compassion, inclusivity, trust in God’s timing, prayer and intimacy with God, faith over fear, and finding joy in suffering, we’ll reflect on how these values can help guide us as individuals, a community, and a Church.
As faithful around the globe engage with the ongoing synod in Rome, key themes of listening, discernment, and community continue to resonate, inviting us to consider new ways of being Church, and embracing Jesus’ example of faith in action, humility and servanthood, forgiveness and grace.
Together, we can embody the spirit of synodality, paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive future. Join us on November 8 for the exciting start of Season Four!
Continue the journey…
“Jesus is a little weary and heavy laden and Jesus needs rest, and he’s not getting it from the people around him, including his closest friends.
He (Jesus) knows what’s coming but they don’t, and even when he tries to tell them they don’t quite get it, […]
they don’t get the meaning of it. They all remain focused on either their personal positions within the group or the earthly kingdom that they think he’s there to create or to bring about by fighting a war, and that breaks his heart.”
– Dallas Jenkins
Creator, Producer, Director, and Writer
The Chosen
The idea of discipleship in the context of following Jesus as he fearlessly pushes buttons and boundaries, involves profound personal sacrifice, commitment, and the navigation of complex relationships and societal challenges. Season 4 explores how the disciples respond to their calling, confront challenges, and deal with the ramifications of their choices.
As we journey with the disciples and Jesus in this more harrowing season, let’s consider how we can be tangible signs of hope in our world, pilgrims of lasting peace, singers of hope whose melody can touch the heartstrings of humanity and reawaken in every heart the joy and the courage to embrace life to the full, as Pope Francis is calling on us to be in his Papal Bull, Hope Does Not Disappoint.
Hope in Season 4 of “The Chosen” is not the traditional view of optimism but rather an understanding that highlights resilience, community, and faith amid struggles. While fear is palpable, the moments that emphasize connection, shared purpose, and the enduring presence of Jesus provide a nuanced and layered exploration of hope. This season may challenge us to reflect on how hope can exist within fear, and how acts of Christian love and resilience in the face of adversity create a pathway to finding light, especially in the darkest moments.
Be part of the dialogue. See Him in a new light, through The Chosen’s fresh look at the Gospel. Consider the challenges of living as a chosen disciple right here and now.
How can we create a church which goes out to “the peripheries”, encountering Jesus in all of our brothers and sisters, in all God’s creation?
What difference would it make for your personal journey of faith, your experience of belonging to a church community, your witness and service to the world around you?
You, your family members, and your parish teams are invited to journey into Season Four, led by the Office for English Pastoral Services.
Please feel welcome to attend one, some or all of the sessions.
Have a look at Season Four’s preview below.
WHEN
- Four Friday evenings
– Nov. 8
– Nov. 22
– Nov. 29
– Dec. 6
From 7-8:30 p.m. ET each evening, via the cloud platform, Zoom.
N.B. Before each Friday, view the upcoming episode in advance. Consider planning a film night with family/friends.
WHO is this for?
Open to all.
For those seeking a space dedicated to:
– taking part in a synodal exchange with your parish team, family and/or friends
– listening to God’s call to us, in our personal mission and our communal mission as Church.
– creating opportunities to foster a pastoral conversion as an individual and as community
REGISTER for free
Register now.
The online sessions are free and all are welcome. In order to participate, advanced registration is required. Please complete the form below.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Important
-
Please note that all communication regarding your registration will be made via the email provided on the form.
To ensure that you receive this information, please save parishvitality@diocesemontreal.org in your contacts as a recognized email address.
If you cannot find any emails from the Office for English Pastoral Services, please check your spam/junkmail/ unwanted emails/promotions folders, in case you have active filters.
Please do not hesitate to email us if you still cannot find our correspondence in your inbox.
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If you have any questions or comments related to this event, please write to us at:
parishvitality@diocesemontreal.org
About Us
Coordinating office for pastoral affairs regarding the English-speaking Catholics of the Archdiocese of Montreal.
Contact Us
2000 Sherbrooke St. West
Montreal, QC H3H 1G4
oeps@diocesemontreal.org
514-925-4300 ext. 219
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