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Note from Terry:
Diocesan Assembly in Reading
The three days I spent at the Diocesan Assembly has made me
realise
just how far advanced we are on the Isle of Wight in
implementing
the Diocesan Plan. For a long time we have been aware that our
priestly resources are slowly dwindling and that the lay
community
are going to have to play a more prominent role in organising
church
liturgies and pastoral care.
It should not have come as a surprise, then, to learn that St
Saviour's, Totland, has been chosen to be the premier pilot
project
for the stewardship component of the plan. Stephen Morgan, head
of
finance, said the Stewardship project was more to do with the
lay
use of time and talents, and to a lesser extent treasures (or
cash).
St Saviour's and St Thomas of Canterbury, Newport, are working
toward a pooling of resources while sharing the ministry of Fr
Bruce
Barnes.
Stewardship was an integral part of the Diocesan plan to extend
the
parish system with larger pastoral areas, involving two or more
churches that would share resources like the services of a
priest.
Mgr John Nelson, who introduced the larger pastoral areas, said
these pastoral areas would be smaller than deaneries and would
involve sharing of responsibilities, like confirmation
preparation,
thereby freeing up the priest for wider duties.
There was much concern about the Centrality of the Sunday Mass.
Fr
Paul Townsend said some churches might not be able to celebrate
the
Sunday Eucharist under the new plan. Instead churches could
have a
service of the Word or a Liturgy of the Hours, but from July
2006
churches would not be allowed to substitute the Word and
Communion
for Sunday Mass. This invoked much discussion about Sunday
obligations.
Full report:
www.portsmouth-dio.org.uk/assembly
Terry Keeler |
