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Notes from our network zoom meeting of 23 June

After a prayer David Jackson updated us on progress on synodality within the diocese. His observations as a member of the Diocesan Steering Group are included in this edition of the newsletter. The full report and synthesis of feedback from across the diocese is available here

It’s well worth a read as a well-constructed summary of the views of numerous groups and nearly 4,000 individuals across the diocese. The key question is….What happens next?

Discussion points:
The diocese now recognises the need for improved communication. (Look at the title: Synodal sub-report-communication-is-key). The Bishop has appointed Mgr. Andrew Summersgill as Moderator of the diocesan Trustees. The hope is that communications will be on his agenda.

Some key lay-appointments within the diocese have yet to be made. This may also impact on the effectiveness of communication between various commissions in the curia. NB Mr Keiron Flood has been appointed as Director of Education. We wish him every success.
Positive development in the area of the diocesan Environmental policy in consultation with the Justice and Peace Climate Action Group are at an early and hopefully promising stage.
Some clergy have expressed surprise at the positive outcomes of the listening exercises in their parishes and have become more aware to the impact of previously unacknowledged ‘clericalism’ within their own parishes.
There is a general positivity about the parish listening exercises and the potential for development. There is a general understanding that things cannot go on as they are. It cannot be ‘business as usual’. Lay-people will inevitably become more involved, even because of the age profile of our clergy.
We heard of some very practical ways that some parishes have developed in the last few months. These include small changes or ideas, and some to facilitate more involvement of parishioners. They are given in this newsletter.
We were reminded of the Council of the Laity which had been established by Bishop Konstant many years ago. Does our recently established Diocesan Pastoral Council need to have parish/deanery representation to facilitate listening and discernment across parishes and the diocese? What diocesan mechanisms are in place for discussion and dialogue for the People of God? Hopefully these questions will be addressed soon; after all, we now know that ‘communication is key’.

We agreed to:

Let Mgr. Summersgill know that ACTA Leeds strongly supports the synodal process and we offer our assistance to promote it through the sharing of good practice. Our website gives testament to our work for meaningful dialogue in the diocese over many years.
Encourage one-to-one conversations with parishioners and promote discussion in our individual parishes and locally about the synodal path of prayer, listening and discernment which Pope Francis is urging us to journey together on as The People of God.
Promote positivity and support for the diocesan Parish to Mission exercise, particularly currently in Phase 2 where parishes are beginning to review and develop their own ways of journeying together. ACTA Leeds, through its newsletters, will share the good practice we are aware of. We ask readers to submit examples of developments in their own parishes for publication in our newsletters. Reply to this enews or email
Not become despondent or despair about the particular situations we might find ourselves in because of historical failures or absence of meaningful dialogue in the past.

We all need a ‘home’ to find joy in our faith. ‘My house has many rooms’…of which ACTA Leeds is one! Encourage membership. We mustn’t forget that some of our clergy may themselves feel quite fearful of change and need our love and support at this time.

We finished the June ACTA Leeds network meeting with a prayer

Two practical ideas to encourage parishes to journey together as the Synod asks us to do. Might they work in your parish?

One parish in the Diocese is thinking of having a Parish Groups Fair after weekend Masses in the Autumn. All Groups e.g. catechetical, prayer, choir, supportive (eg SVP,) youth, cleaning, counting money, flowers and social etc., will all be invited to have a table in the Parish Hall with a poster to say what they do and invite parishioners to join them if they wish. We tried this some years ago and many people responded. This might be a good way to refresh Groups post lockdown and is one way we can journey together in a synodal way.

There is a suggestion we call it a Parish Groups Fair of Gifts and Talents to share in the Parish and to discover the hidden talents that can be nurtured to build up the Parish Community.....

Another idea is to have the new national Catholic Post delivered to your parish. It is free to parishioners but there is a charge to the Parish. Visit and check it out. It has articles, a letters page and some Dioceses are taking part of a page to say what they are doing. It is perhaps a way of informing us, with some interesting educational items and giving us ideas for the future..

Pippa Bonner

News from the Parish of St.John Vianney, Moortown, Leeds

The parish held its phase 1 synodal meeting in early December 2021. The phase 2 meeting was held in April but was not as well attended. The P2M summary from phase 1 had been distributed to members of a ‘discernment group’ recently established by the parish priest, who had arrived with a new assistant priest at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Pope Francis’ book, ‘Let Us Dream’ provided the basis of reflection, listening and discussion within that group. This June, parishioners were invited to attend an open parish forum, where for the first time in many years, representatives of various parish groups and individual parishioners were able to present ideas and views collectively. For example, the CAFOD Group proposed that we apply for the Live Simply Award. Notes of the parish forum have been emailed to parishioners, together with the phase 1 Parish to Mission feedback. Our new synodal process will include having an open parish forum twice a year.

Suggestions and views will be considered/implemented in more detail by a small parish steering group (nominated by the PP) which will meet more frequently. These parishioners will need to have the time to discern and plan for the parish but will also be able to draw on the expertise of various groups or individuals as and when necessary. This listening approach represents a very significant development in synodality in our parish. It is difficult to say whether it stems from the Parish to Mission exercise or whether Fr. Dennis would have been introducing this as a new Parish Priest anyway.

Vince Borg

Two urgent announcements

The Annual General Meeting of ACTA
A Call to Action
Wednesday 6th July 2022 at 7.00pm via Zoom
Information here

More information and to book

FAITH, EDUCATION AND THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS

Online symposium 14 July on Faith, Education and the Ecological Crisis.

More information and to register for the event in Eventbrite here

Also, the 2022 celebration guide for the Season of Creation has just been launched here which as always is 1 September to 4 October

Bishop Fintan Monahan formally commissioned 24 new ministers – women and men – who will minister in parishes and pastoral areas right across the Killaloe diocese.

Read about it here (scoll down to end)

His statement can be found here an the press release here

Book Recommendation

The Synodal Pathway - Where Rhetoric Meets Reality published by Columba Press.

There are 15 different articles in it altogether and apparently Pope Francis has a copy! One gets the feel of what the church would once more become if the synodal process was properly followed.

Sr Teresa Kennedy

Personal reflections on the life of Fr JohnGott who died on 28 March.

From Kay Pierce
At the end of Mass Fr John would give this blessing, ‘God bless all those we love, all those who need our love and all those we find it hard to love.’ We heard this every week and it seeped into our minds and actions.

He always wanted us to look beyond the confines of the valley and so he organised coaches and we went on anti war and anti poverty marches. He formed the Rock Bottom Travel Company and took trips to Poland and Russia (before the fall of the Iron Curtain) and maintained links with churches in those countries. One trip to Israel/Palestine resulted in meeting with a young Palestinian student and then supporting him to study for 5 years at Salford University. He now works for the WHO in Gaza and the West Bank.

He was always there for us, often travelling all over the country to support us and our relatives in times of distress. He supported me when coming to my mother’s funeral in a United Reform church on the south side of Manchester.

‘What now?’ often heard from parishioners after one of Fr John’s great ideas. He wanted sheep painted on the roof of the Good Shepherd so they could be seen from the air when the Tour de France passed by the church; they ended up being painted on the road going up the building. The church was seen as a community asset so there were Potato Days, Band Concerts, Christmas fairs and even the Northern Ballet performed in the church.

He reached out to the other churches in the valley and was a committed supporter of Churches Together. He could be exasperating at times as he tried to encourage new expressions of outreach but he was known and respected by the whole community in the upper valley as was shown by the messages on Facebook etc.

He was truly a man of God.

From David Jackson
Fr John Gott was a retired Mytholmroyd parish priest, a priest well ahead of his time, with a wide vision.

He was an ecumenist, member of Justice and Peace, advocate of power to the people long before synods were spoken of; he empowered the community and managed to be a benign dictator all in one! A man of strong opinions and never kept them to himself - never knew how to stop expounding, such was the strength of his convictions.

Many bishops directed him to move on but he always refused. They learnt to leave him well alone. One of the non-clericalist priests who managed to fully merge his priesthood in his humanity. He only quit through age and when flooded out of his house! Great man.

Like sparks through the stubble runs he now! Endlessly.

Amen

International Survey of Catholic Women for Synod 2021-2023

Many thanks are due to all those who participated in the survey. The results, and a commentary on the results, were sent to the Secretary of the Bishops' Conference in England and Wales at the end of April and an offer was made to provide the complete data set so that further detailed analysis might be undertaken, if required. It was deemed appropriate to provide adequate time for the material to be considered by the bishops before publicising the results more widely. So far, no response has been received, so the results are now being sent to you, together with a copy of the commentary.

Anyone wishing to know the results, please contact

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ACTA Leeds prayer - Seeking is Seeing

Seeking God is as good as seeing God.
Who, but a saint,
Would know so clearly
That the journey is the reality,
The steps are sight,
The effort is reward,
The seeing is the searching,
The dream is the reality?
Seeking God is seeing God.