REPLY No.1

This first question almost feels like it is my answer: I hope and dream to see a Church that is more outward-looking and through that process becoming more missionary. In considering the question I start by thinking about Jesus’ response to the question of the greatest commandment given to him in Matthew: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.” It has long seemed to me that there are people who very obviously follow and practise that second commandment who would not call themselves Christians, or even religious at all, but in their basic goodness, and as far as I see, quite altruistically, are doing one of the main things that Christ advocated, exhibited, practised in his own life - and sometimes better than we as Catholics do. And any way in fulfilling the second commandment are they not showing love for God without evoking his name? (Jesus does say that “the second is like it”.) Is that even possible: can you love God and yet not know that you do or maybe even not know that he exists?

Of course the chief aim of Jesus’ mission, as I understand it, is to bring people closer to God and in recent years it has seemed to me that there are so many ways that people grow towards God, come to know Him, and some of these exist outside of “Christianity”, let alone outside of our Church - I think it’s part, at least, of what Richard Rohr calls “the universal Christ”. As society around me has appeared to become more secular I have come to value personal religious faith of itself, intrinsically - even when I might feel that some aspects of their faith are mistaken or even “wrong” (which is nearly always in terms of their sense of exclusivity - something that we in the Catholic Church have been very good at for centuries). When missionaries from other faiths come to my door I have always said “I respect your faith but I have my own” which effectively closes off dialogue, in our increasingly superficial, material society what I want to say is, “I value and treasure your faith as I hope you will mine”. I suppose what I’m saying is that I feel our missionaries should be going out into the world asking “This is the way I believe, is it relevant to you? Do you want to know more about it?” rather than “This is the way you should believe”. In some cases their dialogue might include, “These things that you believe in are the same things I believe in, but, I’d express them differently - we share these principles”.

I feel it’s a great sadness that so many in our society are losing the greater perspective that faith and spiritual life can bring - though part of my sadness also stems from the reductive way in which all world religions, at some point or an other, have historically presented spirituality. What we see today are many people seeking to “do good” in terms of social inequalities and inequalities of race and gender and our planet’s burgeoning environmental crisis. As a Church (and as far as we can in a parish, and even on an individual level) we need to recognise and do everything in our power to try to help rectify these inequalities and injustices.

I’d really like to sum up neatly what my rather discursive thoughts try to drive towards, and though I feel I’m going to stumble there, I’ll give it a go. I know that every suggestion below really deserves justifications, explanations, clarifications that I’m not going to give and additionally that popes in recent years, and Francis in particular, have strived to address many of these ideas - so I’m afraid you could say there’s nothing new here (but we do seem to be going round in circles as a Church.)

A ecumenical perspective that goes beyond the simple Christian definition of the word - fostering an attitude of genuine openness in dialogue with other faiths, moving towards a respect and acceptance of their relevance to their followers.

A mission for world peace.

A mission for environmental welfare.

A mission for social equality and justice for all classes everywhere and full acceptance on the part of our Church of the primary need for the well-being of, and security for, the oppressed. (The rather unfashionable Liberty Theology.)

An inclusion for all who desire to be a part of our Church and the opportunity for full participation within every strata and on every level of our Church regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.

An openness about the historical injustices within our Church.

REPLY No.1

I think the parish and parishioners are welcoming and open (at least I have always found them so) and I feel that this need to be open and welcoming to all is a fundamental element for an inclusive and no-judgemental Church to grow and develop so that it can meet and help shape our world. At St Joseph’s we do have a wonderfully diverse community.

Meditation, prayer and action focussing on the issues of social justice and environmental welfare is an element that we could perhaps develop. That action might involve considering greener and more sustainable forms of heating and energy for the Church buildings (I am well aware that might not be practical fiscally at least for the time-being but perhaps we could do something more than we are doing at the moment. The design of the church itself should allow for the installation of solar panels without too much damage to the beauty of the architectural whole - something that many older church buildings can not achieve.)

Discussions between our community and local centres of worship on how we can work together might be a starting point for establishing relationships that nurture faith in its multitude of forms - an example that our recent Popes have surely set us.

N.B. In addition to my suggestions to the second second question. I think that another thing we could do would be to establish a support group for anyone experiencing gender/sexual identity issues. A group aimed at helping them feel supported in their faith and their personal identity despite the attitude that might sometimes emanate from members of the Church. It’s a tricky call. Perhaps a starting point for this might be advertising in our schools, and I do really feel that this should be established using the skills and knowledge of open-minded professional councillors and not simply enthusiastic individuals.

REPLY No.2

I think there’s a question behind this that needs considering first. I recall a brief conversation with an archbishop many years ago referencing the key role of the Catholic Church in our community. His answer to me was that it was to the Catholic Community. I wasn’t entirely satisfied then and I’m still not with that answer. Mark’s gospel in 16:15 reports Jesus saying “Go out to the whole world, proclaim the gospel to all creation”. I thought then and still do that we have a responsibility to proclaim not just be deed but also by word, sensitively of course and in a way that can more easily be received by those with little of no understanding or awareness of God. I think the marginalised and separated are all those who do not have a knowledge and awareness of God. Then there are those who have a knowledge of God, perhaps even a measure of faith, and those who are Catholic by birth or upbringing and those whose faith and relationship with God have suffered through life’s vicissitudes and especially during the pandemic may have lost the practices of their faith and become cool in their relationship with God. (I know too well from my own life how easily that can happen). These too are the marginalised and separated. Our parish and community will surely have these amongst us.

REPLY No.2

No easy answers here!  I think we need to call back those who have become marginalised and separated through the pandemic. Call back to what, one may ask? Difficult when Covid risk remains high. Perhaps we need a census, a letter reminding people of God’s love and acceptance of all of us, and a request to honestly report (in confidence if wanted) on practices, (personal prayer, what if any church is attended, or online services, what people would like to return to as things ease - as possible questions).

Again as things ease perhaps a series of short half day retreats, maybe aimed at different groups of people, an invitation to people to form small groups for building community around the parish ( I know your own experience has been of difficulties around this in some places but I’ve also known it to be quite fruitful in some places). To reach others who are more separated or jaded perhaps  we could introduce something like the Sycamore courses to help people explore and deepen their relationship with God. Pope Francis has reminded us that having a personal relationship with God our father is important for all of us.

Maybe also inviting people in the parish to follow one of the  Bible reading, study and prayer guides that are available.

And a reminder to all of us that prayer, individually and collectively, is an essential building block for renewing our own lives and those of our parish and community.

None of these easy of complete answers of course but hopefully helpful suggestions, offered in humility and all too aware of my own shortcomings in much of this.

We had a ZOOM meeting on Thursday to which two members of each local parish, the deacons and priests were invited.  As we listened to some wise and sharp thought-provoking comments we knew this same drama would be playing out in hundreds of thousands of such meetings called by the bishops around the world.

    Much of what was said would be said elsewhere, thousands of times, by people concerned about the lack of life, mission, integrity in our Church. How much of what is said will reach Pope Francis?  We are doing it for him and for God.  All that was/is said reaches God – we don’t need to worry about that – prayer, reflection, honest speaking, are on a direct line to heaven; our problem is there is no direct line to Pope Francis.

    Do we want him to stop the closing of churches, the changing of mass times, the merging of parishes, the unpleasant differences between people?  Those are local problems and should easily be resolved locally.  Pope Francis wants us to see the big picture in the way that heroic people do in times of civil war, international tensions, need for food, medicine and education, the challenging of vile threatening men and women who desire power and wealth, the courage of those who oppose such power and suffer, the longings for just government.  Where do you see wise good government – EU, NATO, Russia, UK, China, USA, Evington (we elect a new local counsellor next week)?

    Imagine Pope Francis’ news desk each day.  He has already been at prayer (he rises at 4.30 am) and will read or listen in company with God.  That is a comforting thought.  Read and listen with God.  It used to be Daphne Oxenford (‘Listen with Mother’) but God is better (listen with Father).  Try.      

    The world needs your goodness, your love.  That is all God asks.  It is all your family, friends, colleagues, neighbours ask: to love them.  And you can.  You know that.  If you truly wanted to you could love the whole world.

    Shall we?  We must find a way to show love to everyone – it is the Church’s mission and the first act of love is to include everyone, exclude no one.  We heard that in the best few seconds of Thursday’s ZOOM meeting: “Absolutely everyone to be included.”  Amen.  Alleluia.

We are only allowed to submit 2 points to the dean for consideration for his report back to the diocese.  The two we submitted seemed to encompass much of what has been said to us over the past months. But note this is not the end and there will be other avenues of dialogue open to us.

Our questions are below - for collated deanery questions click here

1. Inclusivity with no exceptions - the Church needs to welcome all, even if personal circumstances mean persons cannot always live the expected ideals of Church teaching.
2. The Church needs to give a public "genuine" apology, supported by publicised action, to those it has damaged/abused - this is the first step needed to regain the trust, hence longed-for return of those involved in the exodus of past decades.