Parish Pastoral Council

Mission

Our aim is to prayerfully discern the direction of the Parishes and to enable the parishes to actively put the vision into practice. We aim to be approachable by any parish member who wishes to contact us for any reason. We are guided in our work by the vision set out for the Clifton Diocese in the document "Called to be a People of Hope"

Listening

We recognise that in order to serve the parish communities we need to Listen, Understand, Empower:

• To listen to the hopes and concerns voiced in every part of our parish communities.
• We need to understand what our parishes look like both from within and from the perspective of a newcomer and to be outward-looking.
• We need to discover what fruitful work can be done to serve our parish communities and to make space for vision.
• One key task of the PPC is to enable and empower the whole community to be involved in the initiatives of the parishes.

Most importantly, we need to listen to the voice of God prompting us through Word, Sacrament and prayerful discernment. We need to learn how best to serve our communities, what their needs are, where we could be more effectively living out Gospel values and sharing them. It is our hope that the communities will be encouraged in taking up the challenge of both out-reach and ministry to the wider community and church community. The PPC will continue to foster parish growth that comes from continuing formation in its Roman Catholic faith, actively seeking opportunities to explore and deepen the faith of its members, so that all of us can be equipped to understand and grow in our own vocation.

Welcoming

Our parish seeks to be a place of welcome and hospitality serving God, our neighbour and one another Growing in understanding of our faith our community and each other. Rooted and grounded in God. Oscar Romero’s reflection helps us to keep in mind the purpose of the PPC:

“This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that will one day grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects Far beyond our capabilities.” (Oscar Romero)

Doing

Our first initiative is to put The Rite of Christian Initiation at the heart of the parish community, for it is by evangelisation and pastoral care of both Catechumens and Catholics alike, that we will mature as a Catholic community and be equipped to live out our faith more fully.

We have also chosen to support, in prayer and practically, the Parish of Our Lady of the Wayside, Monze, Zambia as our first Parish Project. Click here for reports, and here for location.

Our next focus is to be on the way that we welcome all to our parish celebrations.

Meetings

The PPC meets on the first Tuesday of every other Month (January, March, May, July, September, November) and each meeting includes the opportunity to present parish feedback.

If you wish to contact the PPC for any reason, please get in touch with one of the members of the PPC. On the weekends when we have a PPC meeting, we should be recognisable after Mass by our badges.

Reports

Our last meeting was held on Sunday 6th November.

At this meeting we discussed developments in the Parishes, the consequences of our change from two to one Priests, The Parish Project and issues that parishioners had asked us to discuss since the last PPC meeting.

Developments in the Parishes:

Work on the site at St Thomas More was about to begin, and would depend on volunteers assisting with the preparation of the buildings in advance to keep within budget. Development of the site begins on 21st November. Meanwhile, the Sunday Mass for St Thomas More Parish will be held in the Church of St Gregory the Great at the usual time of 5.00pm, and with the Parish of St Thomas More remaining responsible for its liturgical preparation and celebration (readers, servers, musicians and so on).

One Priest:

With the move of Fr Tom to Warminster, our Parishes will need to accommodate some changes. It is regretted that the Mass at Holy Name hall in Pennine Road will no longer be said. The community there will be supporting each other through this difficult change e.g. ensuring everyone who needs one can get a lift to other Masses in Cheltenham. The hall remains as a centre in the community and available for bookings.

As communities we must be aware that with one priest, should he be unavailable for any reason then we will need to be flexible, understanding - and supportive - of each other. Just one example: the PPC will in future meet on Tuesday evenings as then Canon Bosco will be available for ProTeen and similar meetings on Sunday evenings.

Parish Projects:

Since the last AGM the Parish Project for both Parishes has been the support of Our Lady of the Wayside, Monze in Zambia. The PPC felt that this project should continue for a further year and that another project might be sought for the following year. See the project page above; there will also be a report on the project at the Parishes AGM.

Feedback from Parishioners:

Parishioners had asked us to discuss a range of issues including the re-use of the benches from St Thomas More church, lifts and car parking for the Saturday evening Mass, events in the schools during the Christmas season (with just one priest how can school Masses happen) and the formation of a welcoming team for the 11:15am Mass. There was also a request for bidding prayers that are more responsive to current world affairs. Members of the PPC will be feeding back individually to Parishioners.

Next Meeting:

Tuesday 17th January 2012. Please contact a PPC member to suggest things that you feel should be discussed (these can be left in the Parish office marked for the attention of the PPC).