| Letter from Fr Mark McManus 1st March |
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| Dear Parishioners of St Joseph's & St Charles, |
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Facing the Future
In his pastoral letter this weekend, Bishop Heskett will invite us to begin a formal consultation about the future shape of the diocese. Information will be made available to each parishioner/ family to facilitate such a discussion (see the document Parish Stats Analysis). It is proposed that the discussion take place in three stages:
- Firstly, as an individual or as a family. Each practising Catholic family is asked to take a look at the information provided and seek to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to them.
- Secondly, each parish community should then come together and discern what the Holy Spirit is asking of them.
- Finally, the deanery clergy, as the bishop's co-workers, are asked to come together and, including the reflections of their people and the information that they themselves have gathered, summarise their conclusions in a written report compiled by the dean (any notes, letters and emails received during the period and which are applicable to the consultation will be attached as an annex).
Our bishop asks that we prayerfully consider the future of the Diocese of Hallam and how we best serve the Mission of the Church entrusted to us with the resources that we have available. Lent and Easter are an especially appropriate time to undertake these tasks of reflection.
The questions we are asked to ponder as individuals, families and as a parish community are:
- What are the good signs for your parish that you can see?
- What are the concerns you have for your parish?
- Where do you see your parish as we enter the year of Jubilee (2025)?
- What actions do you think you/your parish need to take?
I propose that we use the remainder of the Lenten season to contemplate the questions, either as an individual or as a family in prayer, and then come together at a meeting sometime after Easter.
Here is this week's newsletter and intentions.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
St Joseph, pray for us.
St Charles Borromeo, pray for us.
With my prayers,
Rev. Mark McManus
Parish Priest |
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