CURRENT NEWS
What's happening at local level now - and in the next few months
The Pastoral Areas have submitted their Groundplans to Bishop Peter. During June and July he was working with an advisory group of (mainly) clergy, and the Plans have now been fully considered. Whenever possible, in the next few weeks, the Bishop hopes to meet with the Deans and PALs of the Areas to talk over his response to the Groundplans.That is probably the stage at which they can be considered to be "approved", or "further work suggested".
In later September and subsequently, after the Papal Visit, Bishop Peter hopes to meet with the Local Steering Groups. As he will then explain, it is intended that Area Pastoral Councils will be formed to take forward the work already done, and it is expected that there will be formal commissioning events for these bodies in due course.
In the meantime, Pastoral Areas are urged to continue with ongoing activities as far as they can.
Watch this space for further updates.
For the Vine article on the final Stream Three Team meeting, click here and look for the July 2010 issue (page 2).
Facilitator Training - Towards a wider conversation
The ‘Walking Humbly’ process is offering an opportunity for reflection and conversation from Lent 2011 onwards, called ‘The Micah Conversation’ – something which will help groups in the parishes and pastoral areas to reflect prayerfully on their common life and the call to serve the wider community. In preparation for this, and with Bishop Peter’s desire for developing conversation within our communities, a special programme is being offered to train up to 30 people from across the diocese as ‘facilitators’ of small groups.
The transferable skills developed during this course will be of great use to those operating within all sorts of other situations - within both working and planning groups (such as ‘steering groups’, pastoral councils or schools) and other groups gathered for youth work, faith-sharing, RCIA, catechesis etc. A brief overview and rationale for the course may be downloaded from here - search "Stream Three Current". in the dropdown "Categories" box. Changing the "Sort By" menu to "Date" will bring this document to the top.
The course has begun well, and there have been two Introductory sessions in April and May, a residential weekend in early June, and another Training Day on 18th July. If you wish to know more about this, contact Deacon Philip Pugh on 07833 050628 or by email on deaconphilippugh@gmail.com
BACKGROUND
Click here for the context and origin of the Walking Humbly process.
In May 2009 the former eight Deaneries were replaced by thirteen "Pastoral Areas" intended for more effective sharing and collaboration. A few of these may be reviewed as part of the Bishop's response to Area Groundplans.
The Area Deans and "Pastoral Area Links" convened Local Steering Groups which began work in the autumn with reviews of local provision in their Areas. Their remit weas to produce Groundplans setting out priorities for the life and mission of the Church in their Areas. These were to address the changes brought about by having fewer priests, in the context of an aspiration to move ever closer to the model of a "Thriving Catholic Community" which was articulated by the Stream Three Team and taken up for themselves by local communities.
Meeting Voluntary Organisations
The Stream Three Team met and consulted widely with many groups and councils in the Diocese, from the consultative bodies of clergy which advise the Bishop, down to the former Deanery Pastoral Councils at local level. The current stages of the Walking Humbly process involve Local Steering Groups speaking to parish groups and, where possible, entire congregations, as well as those other large Catholic communities - our schools.
At a late stage it was realised that there had been no formal involvement with the many non-parish groups and organisations that contribute so much to Catholic life ; groups such as the SVP, Knights of St Columba, UCM, CWL, Catenians, CAFOD groups and many others. Two meetings were held in the spring of 2010 in High Wycombe and Northampton. These meetings provided an excellent and rare opportunity for the "Catholic voluntary sector" bodies to network together, as well as hearing about the Walking Humbly process and exploring what they could bring to it - and receive from it.
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The Pastoral Areas and their Deans
With effect from May 2009 Bishop Peter appointed new Deans to lead the thirteen Pastoral Areas which have replaced the former eight Deaneries.
The names of the Deans, the Pastoral Area Links and the provisional names of the Areas have been published on this site here for some while.
From the box below, you can download a PDF document which gives a diagrammatic Map of the new Pastoral Areas. (The reasons behind this change were explained at length to all priests, deacons, Religious, Deanery Pastoral Councils and Diocesan agencies during the consultation process that lasted from November 08 to March 09.)
On the back of the Map is a list of the Areas, (the names given to them are purely provisional at the moment) with the names of constituent parishes and churches in each, and the names of the Area Deans.
The Church Finder facility on this site has been updated to reflect the new Areas.
With regard to the final names of the new Areas, the Bishop has indicated that he would like them to be generally known by geographical names along the lines of the ones provisionally allotted: but he is open to suggestions from Area Deans,after discussion with local clergy, for any modifications, and one Area has already suggested an alternative. Separately, a process to lead to proposals for new Patron Saints is under consideration. We will publish further information as it becomes available.
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Downloadable versions of the paper material offered for use in sessions on the "Advent DVD" are still available from the main Downloads page. Search "Stream 3 Archives " in the drop-down box.
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Please direct all urgent queries to Deacon Philip Pugh