Facing the future

Deacon Philip summarises our input to the important Diocesan consultation process:

In order to plan for the expected reduction in the number of priests in our diocese, our Archbishop, Kevin McDonald, launched a diocesan-wide consultation process entitled ‘Towards A Vision For The Diocese’ in December.

Over past months, leaflets outlining that process and calling for discussion of the situation have been distributed here in St Columba’s as in every other parish in the diocese. All of us were asked to fill in questionnaires giving our ideas. We have also had two open parish meetings to which all parishioners were invited in order to discuss our response

The Archbishop was keen for all parishioners to have a say in what happens, so he asked for a written response from each parish, setting out our thoughts and fears, our ideas and suggestions. A report summarising our thoughts was handed over to our local auxiliary Bishop, Paul Hendricks, at the end of May. Together with responses from all the other parishes in the diocese of Southwark, it will be used to help Archbishop Kevin draw up a plan of action. He has promised to come back to us with his ideas and proposals sometime in the autumn.

Here is a report of the points made to the Archbishop by the parishioners of St Columba’s following our meetings.

What fears do we have about the future?

  1. A shortage of priests
    Solutions - The issue of celibacy needs to be addressed
    - Women should be allowed to become deacons and priests
  2. The lack of young people in church
  3. The economic viability of life as a priest, bearing in mind the reduced congregation size
  4. Inability to access the sacraments
  5. Closure of churches.
  6. Breakdown in family values
  7. Being able to bear change
  8. That the Church will become an irrelevance in modern society especially to young people
  9. Congregations misunderstanding the role of Eucharistic ministers
    Solution – educate the congregation
What forms of shared collaboration could be developed within the parish?
  1. Invite individuals rather than request volunteers for various ministries
  2. Laity to take more responsibility for the running of the parish
  3. Laity to take a more prominent role during the Mass, for example as Eucharistic ministers
  4. Involving youth more, for example starting youth clubs
  5. New forms of collaboration with other Christian Churches
  6. Shared liturgical discussion groups
What forms of shared collaboration could be developed within the deanery?
  1. Collaborate with other faiths to promote shared family values
  2. Have special deanery Masses for groups of parishes
  3. Communion and confirmation classes organised by the deanery with more resources
  4. Stagger Mass times in adjacent churches.
What special areas of pastoral provision could this deanery share?
  1. Coordination of visits to hospitals/schools etc with the assistance of lay people
  2. More education of laity to carry out specific ministries
  3. Combined catechetics classes across the deanery
  4. Greater publicity for provision of help for Catholic families
What forms of coordination and collaboration could be developed?
  1. Ordain more deacons
  2. Set up ‘fireside’ or ‘House Groups’ for prayer or Bible discussion
  3. More Word and Communion services in place of Mass
  4. Allow mobility of priests from one deanery to another
  5. Encourage the laity to take more responsibility for the liturgy
  6. Be more welcoming to newcomers
  7. Encourage back priests who have left the Church in order to get married and allow them to carry out their ministry.
  8. Encourage church/parish councils
  9. Priests to minister within deanery rather than just one parish

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