Way forward for parishes - Report of the Deans' meeting on Feb 8th
Bishop Seamus and his Council met the deans of the diocese’s 18 deaneries on Tuesday 8th February. The meeting was called to discuss ways in which we can best manage our parishes following the Council’s meeting in January. The Bishop began by introducing Kathryn Turner, newly appointed co-ordinator of spiritual formation.Kathryn spoke about God’s guidance in her life: in the diocese of Portsmouth she was involved in a pastoral plan for changing circumstances, helping people develop a spirituality that can handle such changes. She had also been responsible for the diocesan newspaper and website, Portsmouth’s stewardship project, and Wellspring, a website of spirituality resources.Despite being very fulfilled she had discerned a vocation to end her work in Portsmouth and is very glad to be in the north-east.
She has received a warm welcome especially from the community at Holy Family, Grindon where she will be living. Her hope is to encourage and enable spirituality for all – everyone can grow in their friendship with God. She said ‘I will be out and about, visiting all of the deaneries, involving myself in initiatives that are already set up and promoting new projects. I want to work alongside people not just in our parishes, but schools, hospitals – wherever people are.’
Fr John Butters (Episcopal Vicar for Cleveland and South Durham) then spoke about one of the ways forward that the Council had discussed – amalgamation of parishes. He said ‘From my own experience in Billingham I can tell you the good that results when parishes come together: pooled resources strengthen the local Church and administration is reduced.’
He, and others present, stressed that the coming together of parishes does not necessarily mean that churches will be closed, neither is one parish being abandoned in favour of another. There may be no resident priest, but that does not mean the loss of a community. A small parish keeps its identity but is strengthened by belonging to a larger family.
The deans were then asked to think about developing closer bonds between the parishes in their deaneries. At the end of the meeting Bishop Seamus summed up: ‘Linkage of parishes leading to amalgamation will be part of the way forward for our diocese.’