The parish should be at the center of the community, a place where God’s presence is felt and hope and love are shared with the world, Pope Francis told Catholics in Bulgaria, Monday.

“The parish, in this way, becomes a home in the midst of homes,” he said May 6. “It manages to make the Lord present there, where every family, every person tries to earn their daily bread.”

The parish should be “a family among families, open to bearing witness in today’s world… open to faith, hope and love for the Lord and for those whom he has a preferential love. A home with open doors.”