Minutes of the Parish Pastoral Council Meeting

Minutes of the Parish Pastoral Council Meeting

Wednesday 14th October 2015, 7.15pm in the Church Hall

For actions arising , please refer to the Action list at the end of this document

Present: Fr Danny, Louise Birley, Ann Burke, Amy Butler, Ellie Clark, Tony Clark, Nicki Craggs, Terri Hinton, Maura Holt, Shaun Howard, Marion McGuire (part), Rita McNicholas-Gumm, Bernard O’Neill, Marie-Danielle Tichbon.

Associates: Peter Hancock, Dr Trevor Keeling.

1 Welcome

Maura began by welcoming everyone to the meeting. There had been a quick turnaround since our last meeting 3 weeks ago but, going forward, PPC meetings will follow their usual pattern of the second Wednesday of the month at 7.15pm. Maura reminded everyone that, as Louise has stepped down as Leader of the Contemplative Life Team, this group will require a new leader.

Nicki confirmed that Sharon Elliott Walker will attend the PPC meetings as a representative of St Joseph’s School as Nicki will be moving away in November. Nicki was thanked for her service to the PPC, for all that she has done as a member of the Education and Formation team and for her assistance as minutes secretary. Hilary Bonehas decided to step down from the PPC due to another commitment on a Wednesday evening but is still happy to help out with youth events. She was thanked for her service to the PPC and particularly for all that she has done as a member of the Education and Formation team.

Since our last meeting, a successful SVP Awareness and Fundraising weekend was held during the weekend of 26th/27th September. Pew Packs were introduced to the parish at Masses on 3rd/4th October and are now available in the porch for children to use and enjoy during Mass. They have been very well received by parents and Sarah and Theresa were thanked for putting them together. They are a very welcoming resource for families. Last Saturday, there was a very enjoyable and well attended Quiz evening in aid of Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service organised by Chris Lindsay and his team. (Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Servicewas founded in 2007 with the aim of providing a dedicated children's hospice service for all children with life limiting and life threatening illnesses in Berkshire and beyond.) Last weekend 10th/11th October also saw the launch of the Parish Bereavement Support Group and a presentation of the main aims of this group was given at each Mass.

The pastoral care of the elderly and housebound in our parish, the sick, the dying, families in need, those with disability, is vitally important. When we offer our support to those in any kind of need in our parish we are living out Jesus' teaching. But Jesus also asks us to reach out and offer our love and support to those in the wider community and beyond too – the homeless, refugees, families in poverty, victims of human trafficking.

The Synod on the family is taking place at the moment in Rome (from 4th-25th October) and we pray that the Holy Spirit will guide its deliberations.

2 Prayer and Formation

“And so, we bring ourselves, our gifts, talents and charisms to this meeting. We are a community of faith at the heart of our parish and we are here to serve”.

We said together the prayer that Bishop Philip has asked us to pray during this Year of Prayer. Father Danny then led us in a period of reflection and discussion focussing on mercy and compassion. He ended by leading us in a Prayer Reflection by Archbishop Oscar Romero, entitled “A Future Not Our Own”, of which a copy was made available to all present.

3 Apologies

Apologies were received fromMaria Illingworth and Anne Gibbons (both attending GB meeting at SMC), Mary McNab, Claudia Wing, Simon Mwanje, Bernadette Fisher, Jan McTague, Anne (Taylor), Kenneth Maimo, Theresa McDougall.

4 Approval of the Minutes from the meeting of the 23rd September 2015

It was agreed that the minutes of the previous meeting were a fair and accurate record.

5 Actions arising from the minutes

1/04 Review need for training/ongoing training for Catechists. The new core Confirmation team has been meeting to study the ‘Transformed in Christ’ programme of Evangelisation and Catechesis to prepare young people for Confirmation. Tony gave feedback that they had also met Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, the author of ‘Transforming in Christ’, for preparatory work together in Portsmouth. The First Holy Communion Journey has also started with a meeting with parents last week. Father Marcus Brisley, who has replaced Father Kevin in Crowthorne/Sandhurst parish, is leading this year’s RCIA for the Pastoral Area at the Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Crowthorne on a Thursday eveningweekly except for 'half term' and school holidays. Several people from Bracknell are unable to attend on a Thursday evening and arrangements have been made for them to have individual one-to-one sessions at our Church in Bracknell. On-going.

5/03 Children’s Liturgy. Ann gave feedback for this item. 10.30am Mass is working very well and is extremely well attended! The Children’s Liturgy at Saturday 6pm Mass has not yet started and Ann has asked new members of the Children’s Liturgy teams at the 8.30am and 6pm Masses to observe Children’s Liturgy at the 10.30am Mass in order to build confidence and ensure consistent Children’s Liturgies across all Sunday Masses.

On-going.

6/02 Appeal submissions for the new financial year commencing September to be considered by the sub-committee.Peter provided the feedback for this item. The sub-committee has held its first meeting and the proposal suggested by the committee, that all requests for offerings/collections etc be made in writing, has been advertised in the newsletter in recent weeks. The aim is to ensure that we are fully aware what collections/offerings are being made and events held and to ensure that they are appropriate to the values and workings of the church. Peter also mentioned that other parishes are also moving towards working in this manner. To date there has not been a ‘flood’ of requests but the sub-committee will meet to look at requests submitted and ensure that the process is followed properly. Peter has reiterated that Father Danny should not be a part of this committee to ensure that he is not put in a difficult or embarrassing situation. Ongoing.

A date will need to be arranged for the next meeting of the sub-committee and an application form, if necessary, needs to be produced for appeal submissions.

New Action: 10/01

6/03 Prepare a further ‘push’ to reach the ‘Living Our Faith’ target. Peter again gave the feedback for this item. 96% of the target has now been reached and he explained that, although we have not quite reached our target, it would be possible to draw on the money raised so far and so we are in a position to begin to look at what some of this money could be used for. One suggestion (previously made too) was for a Youth Worker for our Pastoral Area. Peter explained that this would need to be looked at carefully as employment law etc needs to be taken into account. Peter said that there has also been mixed feedback from other areas in the Diocese. It was felt in some Pastoral Areas that, when good Youth Workers are found, they are very quickly ‘poached’ by other groups. If we are to share a Youth Worker across the parishes in our Pastoral Area, it would be necessary to put together a proper plan including job description, hours of working etc. It was noted that those who volunteer to help with the Friday Youth Group would appreciate the expertise, help and support of a Youth Worker who would also give the young people more direction and structure. Father Danny did reiterate that this was an area already agreed by the PPC and our neighbouring Priests and a good job description to work across the parishes should be put together. It was also mentioned that the money needed for a Youth Worker did not all have to come from the ‘Living Our Faith’ fund but could possibly come from other sources of finance.

It was agreed that we should find out which Pastoral Areas in our Diocese have a Youth Worker and contact them to ask them to share their experience.

New Action: 10/02

Further discussion was also raised with regard to people who had signed up to ‘Living Our Faith’ who might leave the parish before the end of the 5 years of ‘Living Our Faith’. Peter confirmed that very few people actually stop paying over the five years but added that we would continue to advertise in the porch/newsletter so that new parishioners might join if they wish. Peter said that he would continue to try and encourage new members, but, as Father Danny felt that those who would/could sign up had already done so by now, it was agreed that this Action was now complete. Action Completed.

9/01 Look at WYD Pilgrim Information Pack, in particular the preparation events and advise accordingly.The youth team has been implementing fundraising ideas for Poland 2016. There have been successful monthly cake sales and a number of people have returned Smarties tubes filled with 20ps. It is hoped to secure a stall at the St Joseph’s Christmas Fair on 28th November and the St Margaret Clitherow Christmas Fayre on 5th December to increase fundraising efforts. A “Bangers and Bingo” evening is another idea being looked at and The Knights of St Columba have also offered to organise a fundraising evening, possibly a Quiz, in early February 2016 (date tbc).

The Education and Formation team met on 8th October and with regard to WYD2016, they have reported back as follows:

“Concern was expressed that the 6young people planning to attend Poland Youth Day (and their parents), were still not entirely clear on both the financial and logistical implications of this trip. It was understood that the Parish had not received the Pilgrim Information Pack but these packs had been sent to the young people involved. A request has been lodged for clarification /support with the following:

-Reassurance that the full delegate fee is being paid by the parish and is not dependent on hitting the ‘Living Our Faith’ target or fundraising by the young people.

-A Parish contact (Mary tbc) to follow-up with the Diocese if any additional costs are associated with events prior to the Poland trip and to confirm back to the delegates if these will/will not be funded by the parish and if any logistical support e.g. transport, will be provided by the parish.

-Confirmation that the first instalment for the Poland trip has been paid by the Parish

-Notification to parents when subsequent instalments have been paid.

-Support to bring together the parents/young people involved in the Poland trip to confirm the finance situation, and encourage them to support the fundraising efforts to contribute towards these costs. It would also be helpful for emails/contact details of parents/young people to be shared with the whole group (subject to the consent of all)”.

Maura thanked the Education and Formation team for their report back and clarification will be sought on the issues raised prior to the next PPC meeting. Peter asked for clarification of the costs involved and the hope is that the £6000 required will be met by the time of the event (21st July – 2nd August 2016). On-going.

9/02 Arrange a meeting of interested people to set up a Justice, Peace and Social Responsibility team in the parish. Bernard gave feedback on this item. A meeting has been arranged for next Thursday 22nd October. However, this may need to be rearranged as a number of those interested in attending have other commitments that same evening. The meeting will look at the strategy for a Justice & Peace Commission in our parish and the local issues that it would start to address.

Bernard said that he (along with Dominica Roberts and Father Danny) had attended a Conference on Migrant Slavery, hosted by the Justice, Peace and Social Responsibility Team of the Diocese of Portsmouth, on 26th September2015 at St. Bede’s Church, Basingstoke. Speakers included Kevin Hyland, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Fiona Cunningham, Centre for Social Justice, Jess Gealer, Medaille Trust and Laura Franklin, Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner, Isle of Wight who talked about the Modern Slavery Partnership recently launched in Hampshire

Following the Conference a number of attendees from Bracknell, Reading and Maidenhead, including Bernard and Dominica, decided to draft a letter to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, to ask for information about the initiatives currently in place in the Thames Valley to tackle human trafficking and to see if any plans are in place to set up a partnership similar to the one in Hampshire. Bernard asked anyone wishing to comment or make suggestions with regard to this letter to contact him as soon as possible.

Bernard then gave an informative power point presentation on the subject of Human Rights. Tony asked if he could borrow this presentation in order to share it with the Confirmation group who will be considering the dignity of the human person at their session next week.

9/03 Contact Mr Masters with regard to celebrating Sunday Mass at St Margaret Clitherow Academy.As yet Father Danny has had no response to his email sent to Mr Masters following our last PPC meeting. The aim is to ensure that everyone who wishes is able to attend Mass and be a part of the parish. Father Danny explained that, when he attends Mass at St Margaret Clitherow Academy, he does not recognise all the children/parents and there may be a ‘missed opportunity’ to enable the entire parish toworship. There will, of course, need to be future discussions on the impact of this on Mass times at the Church. On-going.

6 Items for Discussion

• Year of Mercy

Pope Francis has given the Church a Jubilee of Mercy which opens on 8th December. The Jubilee is an invitation from the Holy Father for us, as a Church, to learn once again the mercy of God and how he shows his tenderness, his gentleness and steadfast love so that we can be that mercy to our world and to others. The practice of pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year. In our Diocese the Cathedral in Portsmouth and the Church at Abingdon will have Holy Doors for the Year of Mercy.

• Refugee Crisis- update from Bernard. As yet there are no plans for Bracknell Forest to receive refugees which means that it is difficult to make firm plans or deal with offers of help until we are aware of what is required. There is an open letter Are we set for refugee influx? in this week’s Bracknell News (14th October 2015) asking : “.. what preparations Bracknell Forest Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead are making to offer homes and assistance to these displaced people”. Father Danny continues to work with other churches in the area to establish a ‘night shelter’. However, this requires a group of at least 7 people at a time to ensure that all who are in need can be helped and this is proving difficult to establish. Should this not be a viable option then we will need to establish what we can do as a parish and begin to build a level of expertise in this area. The Justice & Peace group will begin to gather information and continue to feed this back to the PPC.

• How can we be a Dementia friendly Church?

We have joined the Bracknell Forest Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) and Maura attended a DAA meeting on behalf of the parish on 8th September. One of the key priorities is the need for improved dementia awareness in our parish to help dispel fear and stigma of the disease. We plan to host open ‘Dementia Friends’ sessions on Thursday 15th October at 11am and Thursday 19th November at 11am in the Church Hall led by Caroline Rathmell, Dementia Action Alliance Co-ordinator. All are welcome to attend and it is free. These sessions are being advertised in the newsletter and on the noticeboard.

The key questions that we need to address as a parish are: What is a Dementia- friendly Church? and How can we be one? We need to become more aware of the spiritual and pastoral needs of those with dementia as well as those who care for them, the difficulties that they face and how we as a parish can offer them support. We have a growing number of parishioners, many with dementia, who are constantly concerned about getting to church on a Sunday. Maura highlighted the reliance of many parishioners on public transport and the fact that, on a Sunday, there is little or no public transport in Bracknell (note: There is an hourly 171/172 Service from Great Hollands, through Birch Hill and Crown Wood arriving at Bracknell Bus Station). There are some who come to Church by taxi each week at great expense. Finding lifts for people is always difficult and, as a parish, if we are to arrange these, there are safeguarding, insurance and personal liability issues that need to be addressed so the easiest option is for parishioners to have a personal arrangement to offer a lift/lifts to people whom they know. We are very grateful to people who give eldely and frail parishioners lifts to Mass. Maura has been in contact with the Bracknell Forest Community Engagement Officer regarding our transport concerns to see what more they can do to provide transport options on a Sunday for those with dementia and their carers who don’t have an independent means of transport so that their spiritual and pastoral needs can be met in a way of their choosing.