33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

17 November 2003

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

For sometime now I have become more aware that though people have an understanding and experience of belonging to a parish, they do not have such a strong sense of belonging to the Diocese. People are often hard pressed to give an answer to the question: What is a Diocese? Yet the Diocese is important in our understanding of what it means to belong to the Church. The Diocese is described as the Local Church and that Local Church, we proclaim every Sunday, is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. We are an entire Church but not the entire Church.

The Diocese is the parish communities, religious communities and other communities that make up the local church – the Diocese of Clifton. Our purpose is to proclaim the Gospel. That is our calling, our vocation; that is the reason for our existence. As we proclaim the Gospel our lives are changed by the message we proclaim. We are first to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ for ourselves so that we become the living Gospel for all people to hear and experience.

As we proclaim the Gospel by who we are and what we do, we will want to know more about Jesus Christ (Catechesis), and in knowing Christ we will want to celebrate his presence in our lives and in the life of the world (Liturgy). In celebration we come to recognise that presence even more and experience the power for good that the presence of Christ brings.

Christ present among us, draws us into the life of God to whom we all belong and draws us closer to one another. There is no such thing as a private relationship with God. Each of us is called to have a personal relationship with God but we do so within community. God has made us to be in communion with God and with one another. We are to be a holy communion.

God calls us, the local Church of Clifton, to have a sense of solidarity not only amongst ourselves but also, through my ministry as the Bishop, with the universal Church, which is called to be a sign and instrument of the unity of humanity. The Church has a mission to the whole world to proclaim the Gospel. We cannot be inward looking either as individuals, as separate communities, as a Diocese or as a Church. As Jesus was sent by the Father into the world, so is the Church sent in Jesus' name.

This sense of mission does, of course have practical implications. The services given by the men and women who work in the Diocesan Offices - at the Bishop's Office, at Alexander House, and at the Marriage Tribunal - support the work of each parish. Often that work is unseen, hidden, sometimes unknown even though it is through the financial support of each parish and every member of a parish that this work is sustained. As well as this letter being read in every parish you will today be given a short paper which explains some of that work, and the financial implications for our Diocese.

The work of our Diocesan employees is supported by the parish through a levy system which each parish pays based on its income. Over recent years this levy has increased considerably. Some of this increase has been due to the employment of professionals to work with the schools in our Diocese; some due to the implementation of procedures to ensure the safety of young people and vulnerable adults; some for the setting up of the Department for Adult Education and Evangelisation. And maybe as important, one reason for the increase in costs has occurred because we now pay just wages to those whom we employ.

I know this is an added burden on each parish, but the support from each parish community enables the Diocese as a whole to continue its mission. Quite soon you may hear appeals from your Parish Priest or from members of the Finance Committee for an increase in your giving which will support not only the work of your parish community but of our Diocese as well. I hope you will respond as well as you are able to such appeals.

Last Sunday we heard the story of the widow who put into the Temple Treasury two small coins. She gave everything she had even though others gave bigger amounts. Jesus commends her for her great generosity. Catholic communities are well known for their generosity in response to emergency situations around the world or to the ongoing work of CAFOD and Foreign Missionary Societies.

In contrast to other Christians, we are not so well known for our parish giving. Yet in many ways we are facing an emergency situation in our own country and throughout Western Europe. There is a need, as Pope John Paul reminds us, for a new evangelisation of our society. There are already signs of renewal in many of our parishes and a willingness by many people to live out their faith on a daily basis and to engage in the wider community. Like the fig tree in today’s Gospel, new fruit is beginning to appear.

All we do must be judged in the light of whether it is helping or preventing that evangelisation. The work of the men and women in our Diocesan Offices is to help with that mission, as is the presence and work of everyone who is part of our Diocesan family. I would like to thank those who work in the Diocesan Offices for all that they do and to thank you for what you generously give and for being the Local Church of Clifton.

With my best wishes and prayers,
Bishop of Clifton

To be read and made available in all Churches and Chapels in the Diocese on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 17 November 2003

Levy 2004

The services provided by the Diocese will cost approximately £1,700,000 in 2004. Some key elements which make up this cost are:

Central Diocesan employees
The salary bill for the Diocesan central offices in 2004 will be £606,000.

5 members of staff provide Educational Services – 4 of whom are experienced senior teachers supported in their work by 1 full time administrator.

2 members of staff - a qualified social worker supported by an administrator provide Child Protection advice and coordination throughout the Diocese.

1 priest works as head of the Department for Adult Education and Evangelisation. While he is unpaid he is supported by an experienced administrator. Within this Department there is also provision for 1 full time member of staff to coordinate youth work in the Diocese.

2 full time members of staff work at the Bishop's Office providing administrative and practical support to Bishop Declan. One of these also provides personnel services across the diocese.

2 full time and 1 part time members of staff work for the Property Service - a professional surveyor, an experienced administrator and an administrative assistant provide specialist property advice to the parishes and trustees. They also ensure that we are complying with current law in the fields of disability access, health and safety and handling asbestos.

6 members of staff work in the Finance Department provide accounting, payroll and gift aid administration services to the diocese.

2 members of staff at Alexander House provide help across all functions where workloads dictate.

School Projects
As you may have seen in the newspapers at the moment the government is putting large amounts of money into upgrading facilities in schools throughout the country. We have 55 primary and 11 secondary schools within the diocese and for every £1 that the Diocese puts into schools repairs and new buildings we can get £9 from the government.

Your contribution in 2004 of £365,650 will allow us to claim over £3 million pounds from the government for improving the schools facilities.

Clergy Training and Welfare
It takes between 4 and 7 years to train a priest – the time taken depends on the person involved and the formation they need. The college fees, living expenses and travel costs during this time are all paid by the Diocese – we are fortunate to have 11 men in training at the moment but it is expensive. We also have 15 men training as Permanent Deacons and their training expenses are also within this budget.

The projected cost in 2004 for clergy training and welfare will be almost £193,000. The money raised by the annual Clergy Training Fund Collection goes towards this cost; last year it raised £45,000. However the balance of £148,000 has to be paid by the Diocese through the levy.

Insurance costs
Across the Diocese we have nearly 400 buildings ranging from a grade I listed church in Cheltenham which is insured for £9 million to scout huts insured for £50,000. In addition the diocese has to be insured for public use of the buildings and insure its employees and voluntary workers. An average house and its contents cost £250 a year to insure. Our Diocesan insurance bill for 2004 will be £162,600.

Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults
Two staff are employed by the Diocese to ensure that the recommendations in the Nolan Report are implemented in the Diocese. As well as their wages, this year we have to make a contribution of £11,000 for the costs of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults as well as include a provision for the possible costs resulting from checks made by the Criminal Record Bureaux. This means that the overall cost of the Department in 2004 will be £75,000.

Bank Charges
Every year across the Diocese we issue 27,000 cheques and pay in £3 million pounds worth of cash. Every month we process 6,000 standing orders. However free banking is not an option offered to us. Banking, audit, and legal costs came to £75,000 last year.

National Catholic Levy
Just as each Parish in the Diocese pays a levy to support the work of the Diocese so each of the 22 Dioceses in England and Wales also pay a Levy to support the work of the Bishop's Conference with its various Departments. Our contribution for 2004 will be £48,310.

Marriage and Family Life
1 priest heads the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal. While he is unpaid he is supported by 4 staff who work in a separate office in the Bishopston area of Bristol. We also make contributions to the work of Marriage Care in Bristol, Swindon, Cheltenham and Gloucester. In 2004 this work will cost around £56,500.