Diocesan Pastoral Council Play Their Part in Seeking the Face of Christ
Under the leadership of Bishop Declan the Diocesan Pastoral Council met on Saturday (2 June) at Alexander House in Bristol to discuss the progress of the consultation to produce new pastoral guidelines for the diocese.
After morning prayer Bishop Declan gave a refection. He reminded people of three things: first, we all called to holiness which means recognising God’s presence in every aspect of our lives and seeking to live out our calling in the circumstances of our lives. Second, we are a covenant people. We are called to be a people of hope, not because we believe everything will turn out well but because we believe that no matter what God is with us. Finally we are a pilgrim people, called to constantly re-evaluate our lives and our faith. As a pilgrim people we should not allow ourselves to become settled or complacent.
The next part of the day involved all the deaneries sharing their experiences of how the Seeking the Face of Christ consultation was going. There was overwhelming agreement that this being received with great enthusiasm throughout the diocese.
Many people considered the process of coming together to talk about our faith and how we live as individuals and as communities was valuable in its own right, irrespective of any guidelines produced.
The fact that this is a diocesan consultation and every parish is being asked to contribute had captured people’s attention and their imagination. There was a request for more opportunities to share not just with parishes but also across the diocese as a whole, so that we could learn from each other’s experiences and share good practice.
Responding to their request Bishop Declan promised an opportunity, likely to be in October, for anyone who wishes to come together to talk about themes emerging from the process, with him and with each other. Further details of this event will be made known in the next few weeks. The day ended as it began, with prayer.
More about Seeking the Face of Christ.
Ann Fowler
After morning prayer Bishop Declan gave a refection. He reminded people of three things: first, we all called to holiness which means recognising God’s presence in every aspect of our lives and seeking to live out our calling in the circumstances of our lives. Second, we are a covenant people. We are called to be a people of hope, not because we believe everything will turn out well but because we believe that no matter what God is with us. Finally we are a pilgrim people, called to constantly re-evaluate our lives and our faith. As a pilgrim people we should not allow ourselves to become settled or complacent.
The next part of the day involved all the deaneries sharing their experiences of how the Seeking the Face of Christ consultation was going. There was overwhelming agreement that this being received with great enthusiasm throughout the diocese.
Many people considered the process of coming together to talk about our faith and how we live as individuals and as communities was valuable in its own right, irrespective of any guidelines produced.
The fact that this is a diocesan consultation and every parish is being asked to contribute had captured people’s attention and their imagination. There was a request for more opportunities to share not just with parishes but also across the diocese as a whole, so that we could learn from each other’s experiences and share good practice.
Responding to their request Bishop Declan promised an opportunity, likely to be in October, for anyone who wishes to come together to talk about themes emerging from the process, with him and with each other. Further details of this event will be made known in the next few weeks. The day ended as it began, with prayer.
More about Seeking the Face of Christ.
Ann Fowler
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