26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

25 September 2004

Dear Brothers and Sisters

Over the summer months we were blessed in having three ordinations to the priesthood and seven to the diaconate - three deacons on their way to priesthood and four who are now serving their parishes in the permanent diaconate. In comparison to some other dioceses we are better off for ordinations to both the priesthood and diaconate, but we cannot be complacent.

Two of our priests retired in the summer after serving the diocese for many years and one of our priests died.

When I go on parish visitations at weekends, one of the concerns which people always raise with me is the number of priests to minister in our parishes both now and in the future. Some of you have already experienced the consequences of fewer priests with a reduction in the number of masses being celebrated on Sundays.

The reason for a reduction in the number of masses is not only because there are fewer priests but because too many masses in a parish fragments the community rather than helps it become a community with a purpose, a mission.

The joint conference between the dioceses of Clifton, Plymouth and Portsmouth held at the University of Exeter in July was a celebration of our faith and an affirmation of our call as followers of Christ to live and share our faith in God. We all have a responsibility for the life and mission of the Church. We do so first by witnessing to Christ by the sort of people we are, individually, within our families and within our parishes. We are not to be an inward looking people, obsessed with our own problems but outward looking concerned with the needs of others. When we look to the life of our parishes, can we say we are that sort of people?

In one parish recently, people were saying how friendly they are as a community to one another. The parish priest then challenged himself and the parishioners by asking: If we are so friendly why are we not attracting people?

I believe that if we are Christ centred communities, people will be attracted to us. They will ask us what we believe and why we believe. We must have an answer that is both true for them and for ourselves. Sometimes we are lacking in confidence and knowledge. That is why adult formation must be an ongoing characteristic of our parishes.

Our faith is communicated not only by witness and word but also by celebration. Whether the number of masses is the same as the number we are accustomed to, or fewer, the quality of celebration is important so that in liturgy our faith and our lives connect. We should be able to celebrate and deepen our awareness of God with us. This must be so not only in the celebration of Mass but in all the sacraments. Liturgy is not a routine or a ritual that is the same Sunday after Sunday. Good liturgy needs good preparation not only by the clergy but by everyone who is invited to the celebration. We need to ask ourselves how do we prepare ourselves for mass every Sunday?

As we finish the summer holidays and enter into autumn, I think it is a good opportunity to look at the way in which we follow Christ. When Christ is at the centre of our lives and the centre of our communities, we will hear his call to follow him in many vocations including those of priesthood and diaconate. As a people dedicated to God we must be "filled with faith and love, patient and gentle". Like Jesus we must speak up as witnesses for the truth. We must be a people who see the needs of others; unlike the rich man in the Gospel who was so concerned with himself he was unable to see the poor man at his gate. We must ensure that a gulf does not grow between ourselves and the wider world into which Christ sends us as his disciples.

With my best wishes and prayers
Bishop of Clifton

To be read and / or made available in all Churches and Chapels in the Clifton Diocese on the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time 25 & 26 September 2004