Reflections on the Diocesan Assembly
‘Come spirit of God’ chanted in (almost) perfect harmony over 300 ‘pilgrims of Hope’ gathered in Thornton College on a windy Saturday morning. Propelled by the strong gusts of the Holy Spirit, representatives from each Parish across the Diocese came together to listen and share on some of the ‘hot topics’ passionately shaping the lives of our Parishes today. From Liturgy to the life of a Priest, Youth ministry to Outreach, Women ministry to Finances, Prayer to Lay involvement in Parish decision-making, no pastoral stone was left unturned. Young and old, women and men, lay and religious, town and country dwellers, sporting varied accents and skin tones, a true multitude was united in being with, and listening to, each other as well as God through and among them. In their midst one could also spot your very own co-parishioners Magda, Francis, Maria, Pedro, Serena (St Teresa’s), Jeff and Michelle (St Dunstan’s), as well as Fr Sean, Dcn Brent and Sr Winifred, all of us subsisting on the power of your prayers. The sense of hope and expectation was palpable.
Diocesan Assembly – 15 July 2023 at Thornton College Milton Keynes
Reflections on the Diocesan Assembly
‘Come spirit of God’ chanted in (almost) perfect harmony over 300 ‘pilgrims of Hope’ gathered in Thornton College on a windy Saturday morning. Propelled by the strong gusts of the Holy Spirit, representatives from each Parish across the Diocese came together to listen and share on some of the ‘hot topics’ passionately shaping the lives of our Parishes today. From Liturgy to the life of a Priest, Youth ministry to Outreach, Women ministry to Finances, Prayer to Lay involvement in Parish decision-making, no pastoral stone was left unturned. Young and old, women and men, lay and religious, town and country dwellers, sporting varied accents and skin tones, a true multitude was united in being with, and listening to, each other as well as God through and among them. In their midst one could also spot your very own co-parishioners Magda, Francis, Maria, Pedro, Serena (St Teresa’s), Jeff and Michelle (St Dunstan’s), as well as Fr Sean, Dcn Brent and Sr Winifred, all of us subsisting on the power of your prayers. The sense of hope and expectation was palpable.
‘You must understand this, my beloved; let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger’ (James 1:19) – and so, following the direction of the apostle, several hundred chatty delegates split into 9 small-group workshops, for the hard task of listening to what the Holy Spirit had to say through each other. Solid foundations were already in place: more than 18 months of the synodal process, the testimony of thousands of people, the efforts of 6 working groups over dozens of hours of meetings and pages of report. The task now was to pause, take stock, contemplate, and let all the profound words and thoughts water the rich soil so eager to receive them.
How to solve the financial strains of rising costs and declining parishioners’ contributions? How to reach out to those who turned their backs on the church, to the marginalized? How to ensure women’s unique perspectives, talents and vocations ‘bear much fruit’ (John 15:5) in the life of the Church? How to move past ‘clericalism’ and support our often overburdened and struggling priests? Or even – what is the purpose of a Parish, and what would a thriving Parish look like? Sitting in circles, one by one, without interruptions, challenges or judgement, each delegate shared her or his unique thoughts and experiences, and in turn had the privilege of listening to everyone else’s.
“Our church needs to be visible, relevant, and ‘out there’ where the people are – why not organise an outdoor mass?”. “Individuals and families should have access to faith development and formation resources – we have developed a digital platform in our Parish, perhaps other Parishes would find it useful?”. “We organised barbecues and pub evenings, which slowly started attracting the attention and then the attendance of non-Catholics – people come for the food, but they stay for Jesus!”. “Priests need to be supported and cherished – after all, they are human just like the rest of us”. And so, one by one, first a drop then a stream and finally a torrent of ideas started flowing from each workshop group. Albeit less that the 5,000 in the Miracle of the five loaves and two fish (Mathew 14:13-21) but a true sense of spiritual multiplication was clearly felt.
So… what next? What to do with the hundreds of ideas, thoughts, concerns, hopes and visions duly scribed and captured? Bishop David’s closing response charted the path forward using (as you would expect) 3 Greek words at the heart of the Gospel: enriched by all that was said and heard, the koinonia (fellowship) of the Parish and Diocesan communities, the agape (self-giving love) which binds us together and the exousia (the power of God) which motivates and drives us outward. The Bishop also spoke about establishing a Diocesan Pastoral Council which would carry forward the results of the synodal process and also motivate the work of similar councils at the parish and pastoral area levels. As such, expect to hear much more (this time in plain English!) about how the fruits of the assembly will come to be lived in our two Parishes. Hand in hand, eye to eye, in open dialogue and two-way communication, in communion, participation, and mission.
Further Information on the Diocesan Assembly
The Life of the Priest in the Diocese Today:
Reaching out to those who do not feel welcomed by, or part of the Catholic Church, and those who live on the peripheries and margins
Improving lay engagement with decision-making:
Meeting the needs of a more missionary and community focus- finance, stewardship, clergy numbers:
Developing Women’s Ministry Reflection Paper:
The XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome
Follow the activities of the XVI General Assembly on our website.
