These are times of significant change and development in the Church across the Archdiocese.
Deaneries have been changed, parishes are clustering.
There are two main reasons.
The first is the call to the New Evangelisation first promoted by Saint Pope John Paul II who called the Church in Western Europe - in particular - to rediscover Jesus Christ and the vocation of lay people in the world. His call has been taken up since then by Popes Benedict VI and Pope Francis. In the Archdiocese of Birmingham that call informs the diocesan vision promoted by Archbishop Bernard.
The second is the age profile of the priests of the Archdiocese. The number of priests available to serve parish seems certain to decline quite rapidly over the coming years. There is a need to help parish communities to a broader shouldering of responsibility for the mission of the Church, and be able to sustain its life with a less hands-on role being exercised by clergy.
Parishes are encouraged to establish Parish Pastoral Councils to support their common life.
Here in St Nicholas an interim Council has been established to serve for a year, largely to give thought to how to re-set our culture as parish - to help us prioritise our sense of purpose and mission; and identify the priorities for formation of leaders and the congregation at large. An important guide for us in this time is a document of the Holy See which explores issues of renewal. Our working document - with a link to the full document - is available here.
The Council will meet regularly in 2025, with two open parish meetings to give others an opportunity to make a contribution to our reflections. Regular updates will be given in our parish newsletter and major developments noted here.
Deaneries have been changed, parishes are clustering.
There are two main reasons.
The first is the call to the New Evangelisation first promoted by Saint Pope John Paul II who called the Church in Western Europe - in particular - to rediscover Jesus Christ and the vocation of lay people in the world. His call has been taken up since then by Popes Benedict VI and Pope Francis. In the Archdiocese of Birmingham that call informs the diocesan vision promoted by Archbishop Bernard.
The second is the age profile of the priests of the Archdiocese. The number of priests available to serve parish seems certain to decline quite rapidly over the coming years. There is a need to help parish communities to a broader shouldering of responsibility for the mission of the Church, and be able to sustain its life with a less hands-on role being exercised by clergy.
Parishes are encouraged to establish Parish Pastoral Councils to support their common life.
Here in St Nicholas an interim Council has been established to serve for a year, largely to give thought to how to re-set our culture as parish - to help us prioritise our sense of purpose and mission; and identify the priorities for formation of leaders and the congregation at large. An important guide for us in this time is a document of the Holy See which explores issues of renewal. Our working document - with a link to the full document - is available here.
The Council will meet regularly in 2025, with two open parish meetings to give others an opportunity to make a contribution to our reflections. Regular updates will be given in our parish newsletter and major developments noted here.
