Swindon Deanery Pastoral Council Inaugaration
Members of the Swindon Deanery Pastoral Council were commissioned by
the Dean, Father Liam Slattery at a Mass concelebrated by the priests
of the deanery in St Peter’s, West Swindon.
This was the culmination of the first stage of a process that began in June 2003 at a meeting of clergy and lay representatives of the parishes in the deanery called by Father Liam, the then newly appointed Dean, in order to discuss ways of fostering a sense of deanery and co-operation between parishes. Swindon Deanery consists of the four urban parishes in Swindon, that of the neighbouring village of Wroughton and those in the market towns of Malmesbury, Wootton Bassett and Marlborough with Pewsey.
During the winter of 2003 and into the spring and summer of 2004, this group met monthly to pray, share and eventually formulate our vision of the vocation and mission of Catholics in the area. Rosemary Power, the Ecumenical Development Officer for Churches Together in Swindon, facilitated the process.
On 20 June 2004, a pastoral letter from Father Liam was read in all the parishes introducing the draft mission statement and strategic plan and inviting all to attend a Service of Prayer, parish meetings and to comment on the draft. Bishop Declan joined us for an inspiring evening of prayer and reflection on later that month. The parish meetings took place throughout June and July and there was much frank discussion.
The comments that were received both at the parish meetings and in subsequent correspondence were all noted and included in an amalgamated document in preparation for rewriting the plan. A working group of three produced various drafts during the autumn of 2004; each of which was brought to the deanery planning group. In January 2005 the latest version was accepted by this group as a document with which we could work for the next year or so and the clergy of the deanery gave their formal acceptance on 8 February 2005.
The mission statement reads: We are called by God to proclaim the Gospel as a Christian, caring, compassionate community for all people.
We commit ourselves to sharing the good news through our words, lives and action in the way we worship; care for our neighbour; foster and nurture the faith and action in the younger church; foster and nurture the faith and action in the older church; work together and work with the wider church.
The plan recognises the need to respond to the situation and needs of the church in our area today. It notes six areas of pastoral concern. Under each heading there is a reference to church teaching; an invitation to parishes to consider certain points and the possibility of implementing various strategies together with a deanery commitment to undertake certain actions.
Worship considers both Sunday Mass and other worship together.
Care of our neighbour highlights issues in pastoral care of parishioners and also justice and peace issues local, national and international.
Fostering and nurturing the faith of the younger church is concerned with support for the family, preparation for the sacraments of Christian initiation, work in and with schools also enabling the contribution of the young.
Fostering and nurturing the faith and action of the older church includes on going formation, support for vocation and ministry of every kind, programmes and processes of evangelisation and renewal.
Working together is concerned with deanery and parish pastoral councils and also with administration, communication, finance and care of church buildings.
Work in the wider Church encourages both ecumenical activity and civic and community cooperation.
Each parish is asked to use the plan in its own pastoral planning, starting with whatever topic and at whichever point is appropriate. The Plan is envisaged as a companion document to the Diocesan publication ‘Guidelines for Pastoral Councils’.
The next step for the newly commissioned Pastoral Council is to spend the day together on in prayer and reflection in preparation for the first official meeting on 6 May.
Julia Arkell
This was the culmination of the first stage of a process that began in June 2003 at a meeting of clergy and lay representatives of the parishes in the deanery called by Father Liam, the then newly appointed Dean, in order to discuss ways of fostering a sense of deanery and co-operation between parishes. Swindon Deanery consists of the four urban parishes in Swindon, that of the neighbouring village of Wroughton and those in the market towns of Malmesbury, Wootton Bassett and Marlborough with Pewsey.
During the winter of 2003 and into the spring and summer of 2004, this group met monthly to pray, share and eventually formulate our vision of the vocation and mission of Catholics in the area. Rosemary Power, the Ecumenical Development Officer for Churches Together in Swindon, facilitated the process.
On 20 June 2004, a pastoral letter from Father Liam was read in all the parishes introducing the draft mission statement and strategic plan and inviting all to attend a Service of Prayer, parish meetings and to comment on the draft. Bishop Declan joined us for an inspiring evening of prayer and reflection on later that month. The parish meetings took place throughout June and July and there was much frank discussion.
The comments that were received both at the parish meetings and in subsequent correspondence were all noted and included in an amalgamated document in preparation for rewriting the plan. A working group of three produced various drafts during the autumn of 2004; each of which was brought to the deanery planning group. In January 2005 the latest version was accepted by this group as a document with which we could work for the next year or so and the clergy of the deanery gave their formal acceptance on 8 February 2005.
The mission statement reads: We are called by God to proclaim the Gospel as a Christian, caring, compassionate community for all people.
We commit ourselves to sharing the good news through our words, lives and action in the way we worship; care for our neighbour; foster and nurture the faith and action in the younger church; foster and nurture the faith and action in the older church; work together and work with the wider church.
The plan recognises the need to respond to the situation and needs of the church in our area today. It notes six areas of pastoral concern. Under each heading there is a reference to church teaching; an invitation to parishes to consider certain points and the possibility of implementing various strategies together with a deanery commitment to undertake certain actions.
Worship considers both Sunday Mass and other worship together.
Care of our neighbour highlights issues in pastoral care of parishioners and also justice and peace issues local, national and international.
Fostering and nurturing the faith of the younger church is concerned with support for the family, preparation for the sacraments of Christian initiation, work in and with schools also enabling the contribution of the young.
Fostering and nurturing the faith and action of the older church includes on going formation, support for vocation and ministry of every kind, programmes and processes of evangelisation and renewal.
Working together is concerned with deanery and parish pastoral councils and also with administration, communication, finance and care of church buildings.
Work in the wider Church encourages both ecumenical activity and civic and community cooperation.
Each parish is asked to use the plan in its own pastoral planning, starting with whatever topic and at whichever point is appropriate. The Plan is envisaged as a companion document to the Diocesan publication ‘Guidelines for Pastoral Councils’.
The next step for the newly commissioned Pastoral Council is to spend the day together on in prayer and reflection in preparation for the first official meeting on 6 May.
Julia Arkell
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