Report on the meeting of the Diocesan Pastoral Council
held at Park Place on 20th and 21st January 2006

New Members

Nina Lake (Chair – Bournemouth) welcomed new clergy members Frs Bruce Barnes, Tim Buckley, Shaun Budden, Michael Dennehy, Tom Grufferty, Richard Hind and Mark Hogan; Rev Deacons John Cumpsty and Iain MacFirbhisigh; plus lay members Bernie Brunning and Jim Malia.

 Outreach

As a follow up to the discussion at the last meeting on the Pastoral Plan’s ‘Outreach’ chapter, three guest speakers had been invited to give a talk on what in practical terms ‘Outreach’ meant to them  from the perspectives of  Youth Ministry, Hospital Chaplaincy Ministry and Schools Ministry. Dave Hill, (Diocesan Adviser for Youth), spoke of how as part of a consultation process with Young People, he had researched how the Church might help them feel they belong and be an important part of it. Over 750 responses came in. David’s work is to build relationships with young people and to encourage their greater involvement in the life of the Church enabling them to enter into a relationship with Christ. Information should be available after Easter on the World Youth Day to be held in Sydney in 2008.  Fr Michael Cronin then spoke to DPC Members about his experiences and work as Hospital Chaplain for the last 25 years and currently in Southampton. He outlined his role as part of the Chaplaincy Team. Sr Regina de Roza talked of how she, as full time School Chaplaincy Minister at St Edmund’s Catholic Secondary school, Portsmouth, (assisted by a part time Chaplain and an allocated teacher) served the spiritual and pastoral needs of the school’s 900 pupils.

Pastoral Areas Discussion Document.

Nicky Stevens (Head of Dept for Pastoral Formation) led on this item.  The document contained proposals covering the formation of between 20 and 30 Larger Pastoral Areas (LPA). Nothing has yet been finalised – the document is a starting point. The Pastoral Plan Implementation Steering Group (ISG) will shortly place  the document on general circulation. Responses from parishes and individuals are required before 7^th April. Bishop Crispian will release a formal proposal at Pentecost – ie 4^th June. The formation of LPAs reflects a shortage of priests, an administrative re-organisation, and also a fall in the number of Sunday Mass-goers. (Post meeting note: the Discussion Document is now on the Diocesan web page).

Associated matters also came under the spotlight: Bishop Crispian is planning to prepare Clergy for the new processes which may call for a new style of Ministry; ‘Days’ will be arranged to explore the impact of the new LPAs on pastoral workers employed in parishes, plus one for Parish Pastoral Councils (PPC) to assist with the transition to the new structures; in the post-Pentecost period, relationships will be crucial as parishes start to work together more – in this context Canon John O’Shea (St Joseph and St Edmund, Southampton) gave a description of the coming together of Members of constituent PPCs in his Deanery and how they had learned to work together harmoniously; Fr Dominic Golding (Judicial Vicar) presented to the DPC a draft  paper he and Stephen Morgan (Head of Finance Dept) are working on which addresses ‘Canonical and Civil Implications of LPAs’; the ISG will be producing a Guidance Handbook for LPAs.

Lay Ministry of the Word.

Paul Inwood (Director of Liturgy) formulated proposals on training Lay Ministers who proclaim the ‘real presence of Christ in our midst’ during liturgy. He envisaged Lay Readers being trained centrally at a Diocesan course who then in turn would train others at local level. On conclusion of training, some form of recognition, eg commissioning, would take place. Paul’s proposals were supported by the DPC and he will now take forward.

Dates of Next DPC Meetings

12/13 May 2006, 13/14 October 2006, 2/3 February 2007, 11/12 May 2007, 19/20 October 2007   

  Joe Golden  DPC Minutes Secretary   26 January 2006