Pastoral Message about the Ad Limina

23 January 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

This coming week, with the other Bishops of England and Wales, I shall be taking part in the Ad Limina visit to Rome.   

It is not a private visit but an integral part of every Bishop’s ministry, and something I undertake on behalf of our diocese.

The name Ad Limina literally means ‘to the threshold’ and derives from the ancient practice of Bishops going on pilgrimage  to the threshold of the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul.  There is evidence that this custom of Ad Limina visits has taken place in different forms since at least the fourth century.

Nowadays the Ad Limina is made up of three important parts:

- The pilgrimage to, and veneration of, the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul
- A personal meeting with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI
- Meeting and conversations with the various departments of the Roman Curia

In preparation for the visit each Bishop prepares a report about his diocese covering the past five years.  The report I have prepared details aspects of diocesan life and forms the basis of the meetings with the Holy Father and others. 

When I was compiling the report it became clear that there is much that is positive within our parishes and other communities which make up the life of our diocese.  We have much to celebrate, as is seen in our diocesan pastoral guidelines, ‘Called to be a People of Hope’.

The pastoral guidelines reflect what is currently happening within our communities and provide ways in which we can grow as God’s people.  In the past few years, we have seen real development in areas such as education, ecumenism, interfaith dialogue, care for the environment, and collaborative ministry, particularly in the growth of pastoral councils. 

This gives us hope for the future.  As I said in ‘Called to be a People of Hope’:  “To have hope is not mere optimism, it is a bold confidence in a future that is founded on God’s promise to us. To have hope is to have faith in God’s word.”

In today’s Gospel we hear how Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry, went to the synagogue in Nazara and read the scriptures.  He proclaimed the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of the Lord is given to me, for he has anointed me”.  Those words are spoken of Christ, but they are also spoken about each one of us.  Every one of us has been anointed.  Each of us has been immersed in the Spirit of Christ so that we might share in his mission.

Jesus goes on to spell out what our mission is: “To bring the good news to the poor, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour”.  It is a task that can seem both daunting and invigorating at the same time.  Christ calls us to share in his work.  But how are we to accomplish what Christ asks of us?  It seems so far beyond our abilities.  The answer is that we can accomplish what the Lord asks of us by playing our part in the life of the Church, by living as part of his body.  As St Paul says: “Now you together are Christ’s body but each of you is a different part of it”.  Each of us has been called by Christ; each of us is entrusted with a task by Christ.

When I meet Pope Benedict, the successor of St Peter, it is a reminder that we are part of the Universal Church.  It is only by living in communion with the whole Church, the Body of Christ, that each of us is able to be true to our own vocation.

At the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul I will pray for the whole of our diocese and for all the challenges that lay ahead for us.  I ask you to pray for me and to pray for our diocese in this coming week. 

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 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 23 and 24 January 2010.

You can listen to Bishop Declan read you his pastoral letter in the multimedia panel on the right.

You can watch Bishop Declan in the Cathedral read you his pastoral letter in the cliftondiocese.com cliplayer below.  The video designed for online streaming and is compressed in Flash format.