Dear Parishioner,

A reminder to all members of the Pastoral Council that it will meet on Wednesday at 730pm at Stella Maris.  I will report to you in next week’s Newsletter the outcome of that meeting.

Every three years, on a staggered basis, the members of the Pastoral Council are replaced by others.  This ensures a constant change of blood in the council, with fresh faces and fresh ideas.  Now is the time for the UCMW to re-elect their representative in readiness for the next meeting in the Spring.

Let me remind you of how the Pastoral Council is constituted.  All parts of the Parish and all the organisations within it have a seat on the Council.  The Parish Priest is the President, with the Parish Deacon and the Parish Sister on the council ex officio.  The Convent is represented, as is the School.  All the groups within the Parish elect their own representative: the UCMW, SVP, GAS, Stella Maris, Friends of Stella Maris, Pro-Life, Justice and Peace. The Parish’s ecumenical endeavours has also a voice on the Council, so does the Property Manager, while Sr Jennifer, who does so much with the Altar Servers, reports on behalf of the young people.

Also on the Council are two representatives to the Deanery.  Peter and Sue Lewis report the proceedings of our Parish Pastoral Council to the Deanery Pastoral Council, which in turn reports to the Diocesan Pastoral Council.  In this way, any bright idea or good practice which we may get up to can find its way right up into the formulation of diocesan policy.

At each meeting the various groups report to the Pastoral Council what has been going on in their particular field, particularly anything new, giving the council opportunity to approve or disapprove of it.  Then the matters which you have presented via any of the delegates are thoroughly discussed, aired and voted upon.

The minutes are taken by Mandy, the Parish Secretary and the Pastoral Council Secretary.  She sends the agenda, decided upon at the preceding Steering Committee, to all members of the Council and posts the minutes in the porch after the meeting for all to read.  The present Chairperson is Mrs Elaine Dingsdale who, as you know, is also the Head Teacher or our School.  This is a particularly happy coincidence, as it promotes the close collaboration between Parish and Parish School.

The Council is, of course, advisory.  It is there to advise me, as the Parish Priest.  I will always make my opinions known but seldom, if ever, impose my will on the council.  I have the greatest respect for its decisions and virtually always go along with them.

We have a Pastoral Council to be proud of and the Parish owes a real debt of gratitude to Mr Bill Homewood who helped me substantially in drawing up the constitution in the first place.  The pastoral Council ensures that democracy plays a real and vibrant part in the running of our Parish.

Let me also remind you:

• of our Parish Fast, which is now into its third week.  If you haven’t started yet, well, it’s never too late.  Leaflets in the porch explain how to take part.  We are trying, in our own small way, to make some atonement to Almighty God for the insult of abortion with which our society has increasingly confronted Him.
  

• of the fact that Mrs Elaine Dingsdale, whom we mentioned above, will be bringing us up to date at the Masses next weekend with all that is going on in the School.
  

• that the UCMW will be having a special Mass on Monday at 730pm at Stella Maris, when we will continue our exploration of the Beatitudes.  This time, the beatitude in question is: Blessed are the sorrowful; they shall find consolation.  Think about it in advance, so that in the discussion which follows the Mass you can share your insights with the rest of us.

God bless you, 

Fr Antony Jones