Father Christopher's Words

23 June 2010

The prayer we have just heard takes us back to the very beginning of the process that we celebrate this evening.  We begin by remembering how we have been led to this moment and how we can give thanks for all that is given.

In 2006 Bishop Declan led us through the process of ‘Seeking the Face of Christ’ and he asked us to reflect on the mission of the church in the broadest terms:
that we were made in image and likeness of God,
that God was to be found in all things,
that we are the communion of God’s people,
and so we are called to reveal the face of Christ to others.

That process led us to the diocesan guidelines ‘Called to be a People of Hope’.

‘Called to be a People of Hope’ was as a result of listening to one another and entering into conversation with one another, reminding ourselves of what we are called to be as the Church of today. It was to be a springboard for action and we were invited to be patient and not rush straight into action.

Even though we weren’t to rush in, ‘Called to be a People of Hope’ did promise that we would see our process of listening bare fruit in our diocesan guidelines, a guide for the setting up and running of pastoral councils would be produced for the autumn of 2009. And that has been done.

In encouraging parishes to develop the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the diocesan guidelines to the RCIA would be revised and updated. And alongside that, a practical guide to approaching the RCIA would also be produced. 

We sought to enrich our catechists by supporting them in their formation. This bore fruit in the Certificate Course for Catechetics which came to a conclusion in May of this year with 75 people taking part.

Parishes were invited to explore and celebrate the ways in which our Catholic schools enrich the lives of the parish and guidelines to support schools in their mission were produced in 2009.

We were encouraged to identify the rich variety of family life in our parishes and a coordinator for marriage and family life, Anne Marie Sparrow, was appointed.

We wanted our young people to be fully integrated into the life of our parishes and encouraged to feel a real part of the community. A diocesan Youth Coordinator, David Wheat, was appointed to support all those in youth work.

As a diocesan community we wanted our priests to be supported in their ministry and to continue their own formation.  A practical handbook for priests was produced in the summer of 2009.

And so we come to the reason we are gathered here in prayer this evening. The way in which we work together underpins and deepens the mission of the Church. The way in which we collaborate with one another is part of our mission. And so, ‘Called to be a People of Hope’ calls for a committee to be formed to review our existing deanery and parish structures. Canon Bernard is here with his working party and he will reflect with us on their work.