Report on the meeting of the Diocesan Pastoral Council
held at Park Place Pastoral Centre on 28th and 29th March 2003

Ministry of the Laity
In introducing this item Graham Dorey, Chair PCDP, said it should be seen in the context as being a follow-on to discussions in previous meetings which had looked at the Ministry of the Ordained Priest and of the Ordained Deacon, encompassing how different layers in the church community come together to proclaim the Word of God. Angela Wills, Adviser for Collaborative Ministry and Nicky Stevens, Head of Dept of Evangelisation and Catechesis, focused on Baptism as being the basis of the whole Christian life. Through Baptism, we are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her Mission and we all have a part to play in fulfilling Christ's priestly ministry; this constitutes the Ministry of the Baptised or the Ministry of the Laity. We can however only live out this Mission through communion, and Baptism provides the foundation of this communion, drawing us all together in a universal sacramental bond of unity. This presentation informed the ensuing discussion on the role of the PCDP, noting that all lay people are disciples of Christ, but recognising that there needed to be a common vision of the Mission.

Role of the PCDP
Fran Ross, Adviser for Collaborative Ministry, led discussions reviewing the role and the effectiveness of the PCDP. This was inaugurated in April 2000, had met on 9 occasions, and this was felt to be an appropriate moment to evaluate how well it had performed against what it had been set up to do. In setting the scene for the review, Fran underlined the point that pastoral councils are at the heart of collaborative ministry, sharing ideas and finding common vision across the Diocese. This could entail sharing with the Bishop the formation and development of Diocesan pastoral policies, identifying priorities for implementation, and viewing the enactment of policies by Curial Departments or by Deaneries and Parishes. Members were invited, in groups, to make positive and adverse assessments of the PCDP. There were many perceived constructive factors; the principal one was that of enabling individuals right across the Diocese to come together in unity of purpose and understanding, allowing interaction between people of different pastoral experiences. It has also provided the machinery for building a solid foundation for Clergy and Laity to work together in a process that, naturally, is still evolving.

On the other hand, Members recognised there was room for improvement and many areas were identified which warranted fresh appraisal. Fundamental to this was the need to give the PCDP a more precise definition of its role and how it should best discharge its responsibilities. Integral to this was how it should structure its meetings to maximum advantage, the processes governing the flow and content of information to and from Deaneries and Parishes, and greater connectivity with the work of the Curia and the Trustees. It was agreed to set up a special Working Group, comprising the PCDP Steering Committee plus several Members of the Council, to have a fundamental review of the Council's meetings - examining the processes, the content, plus the inter-relationship with the Curia and the Trustees. The Committee will keep the full PCDP fully briefed on progress of the review.

Elections - PCDP
Because of his change in role (now Episcopal Vicar), Fr Paul Townsend has stepped down as Vice Chair to Graham Dorey and Fr Ron Hishon (Bournemouth) accepted Members' nomination to take his place. There were no nominations for Executive Secretary to replace Helen Shepherd, who had resigned, and this will be left vacant pro tem, recognising the role will be affected by the work on re-structuring PCDP meetings.

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Members' Concerns

Peter Ryder (East Berkshire) felt there is merit in publishing information on "best practices" so that experiences and lessons in one Deanery/Parish could be shared by another. The Steering Committee will take this up.

Francis Connolly (Kennet Valley) expressed concern over the need to have documents validated to ensure there is no miSundayderstanding between issues of draft and final versions.

Jeanne Coates (Basingstoke) sought guidance as to when Eucharistic Services are acceptable. Bishop Crispian said he was not in favour of Eucharistic Services being a planned alternative to Sunday Mass, although in emergencies when, for whatever reason, a Priest was unavailable, it would be permissible. It was recognised that this was an area which required a more definitive statement.

Martin Stubbs (East Berkshire). In reply to a concern in connection with the celebration of the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, Paul Inwood (Dept for Liturgical Formation) explained that the Easter Triduum was one continuous celebration spread over three days and only a Priest should preside at the Good Friday liturgy.

Paul King (Vale of the White Horse) raised the possibility of setting up a Consultation on a Deanery Basis for Leaders of Prayer Groups in parishes. The Spirituality Development Group, which had visited Deanery Pastoral Councils, would take this forward with the aim being to integrate prayer groups better in local church and provide mutual support and encouragement. The Council agreed with this approach.

Briefings

Marie Crispin (Portsmouth) reported back on the Bi-Annual Conference of the National Board of Catholic Women she had attended on 18/19 January - the theme of which had been "Shifting the Boundaries - Authority and Leadership in the Church Today".

Nicky Stevens said that work was in hand on taking RCIA forward in the Diocese.

The next meeting of the Portsmouth Diocesan Pastoral Council will take place on Saturday 21 June 2003

(Signed) J Golden PCDP Minutes Secretary 29 April 2003