PARISH PRIEST’S REPORT 2016
I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the events and activities that have taken place here at Our Lady’s during in 2016.
Pastoral Council, Three Chairs Meeting and finance COMMITTEE
Since the last Annual Parish Meeting have I met with the Parish Pastoral Council four times: in April, July, September 2016 and January2017. I’m deeply grateful to all the PPC members for the generous ways in which they give of their time and energy in working with me in develop the pastoral, spiritual and social life of the parish. I record here my sincere thanks to Samantha Benson, Maud Cutting, Dave Pione and Michael Curtin, whose term of office now comes to a conclusion. All four of them have served on the PCC as my initial appointees for the past two and half years and I wish to thank them for agreeing to take on this extended commitment. I express my thanks to Samantha Benson for chairing the PPC for the first 18 months and for Michael Curtin for being Secretary to the PPC for the past two and half years. I am deeply grateful to both of them for the enthusiastic and generous ways in which they have fulfilled those offices. I also express my thanks to Paul Forrest who has served as Chair of the PCC this year. This is an important role and I have very grateful to Paul for the enthusiasm and energy that he has brought it. Christina Calderato, who was elected to the PPC at the last Annual parish Meeting, has decided to step down from the PPC at this time due to other commitments. I would like to express my thanks to Christina for her contributions to the PPC over the past year. The place vacated by Christina will remain vacant until the election of four new PPC members at the next Annual Parish Meeting.
I have continued to meet with the Chairs of the Pastoral Councils of the three parishes and since the last Annual Parish Meeting we have met twice - in September 2016 and in January of this year. These meetings were highly successful and are a great way of sharing news and experiences across the three parishes, as well as exploring new ways that we can work together.
I’m also very grateful to the members of the Parish Finance Committee, under the Chairmanship of Mark Blayney, for all the support, advice and help that they give me in administering the parish’sfinancial resources. Mark will be giving you a financial report later in this meeting.
Lent, Holy Week and Easter
For our Lent 2015 programme we followed Bishop Robert Barron’s course Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Lively Virtues and we prayed the Friday Stations of the Cross, which alternated around the three parishes.
Our Holy Week and Easter celebrations were very well celebrated, thanks to the efforts of our musicians and choir, sacristans, altar servers, readers, ministers of communion, welcomers, flower arrangers and church cleaners. To all of whom I express my sincere thanks for all that they do for the parish, not just on these special days, but throughout the year.
Once again we held a Children’s Good Friday Workshop, for the children of the three parishes, hosted at St John’s, Mill End. This was very well supported and much appreciated.
It was a special joy in 2015 to have four adults complete their initiation into the Church through the RCIA process and I am very grateful to our faithful and dedicated team of RCIA catechists who worked so hard and diligently to prepare them for the sacraments. This year we have 11 candidates in the RCIA preparing for the sacraments at the Easter Vigil.
Catechetics
On four Saturdays in May we had beautiful celebrations of 1st Holy Communion. All the children were invited to take part in the Corpus Christi procession at the end of the 11.00am Mass on Corpus Christi Sunday and this was followed by a party for the children.
On 13th May the Confirmation Mass for the young people of the three parishes was celebrated at Our Lady’s by Bishop Paul McAleenan.
I wish to express my sincere thanks to our 1st Communion and Confirmation catechists for the dedicated way in which they give so generously of their time and skills in preparing our children and young people for the sacraments.
During the year 30 baptisms, 16 weddings and 18 funerals were celebrated in the parish. The October Mass count showed an average of 374 parishioners attending Sunday Mass each week, somewhat down on last year’s figure on 400.
I would like to record my thanks to Liz Waddington and Mary Quinn for acting as Registrars for Marriages in the parish, thus freeing Fr Mark and I from a substantial amount of paperwork on the day of the marriage.
On 17th September, Readers and Ministers of Communion from the three parishes accompanied Fr Mark and I to the Niland Centre for a very enjoyable Day of Recollection. Once again Fr John Hemer’s scriptural talks were very much appreciated by all who attended.
I take this opportunity to record my thanks Fr Graham Gillman and Fr Tim Dean, for all the help they give us in supplying for Fr Mark and I during holidays and other absences from the parish.
SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL
I am delighted that our Chess Valley SVP Conference continues to flourish and to develop the ways in which we reach out to those in the local community around us. Later in the AGM we will receive a report on the SVP’s activities during the past year.
YOUTH WORKER
Our Growing in Faith parish project was to provide a Youth Worker to work with the young people of our parish. In the autumn I was delighted to appoint Miss Anke Vos as our Parish Youth Worker. Anke is a great addition to the Parish Team and is working very hard to develop a vibrant youth ministry in the parishes. Again, we will hear from Anke later in the meeting.
WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
On 4th March Our Lady’s hosted the Women’s World Day of Prayer. I am very grateful to Cristina MacGillivray for becoming the parish rep. for the Women’s World Day of Prayer and for putting together such a lovely and well-organised service.
SOCIAL LIFE OF THE PARISH
On 12th March the Social Events Committee put on a Family Bingo Night and on 15th October they organised an evening of entertainment by the group Vamp til Ready. Both events were great fun and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. I am immensely grateful to the Social Events Committee for the dedication and energy they put into organising these events and also for the Advent Fair which was held on November 27th.
ORGAN RECITAL
On 21st May we were treated to a wonderful organ recital by Martin Baker, the Organist and Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral. Martin put together varied recital of music which really showed off what our new organ can do.
PARISH PILGRIMAGES
In May I led a very successful pilgrimage to Padua, Venice and Verona, which was well-attended and very much enjoyed by those who took part.
BARN DANCE
On 2nd July we had a Three Parish Barn Dance at St Joan of Arc’s School. Although the numbers attending were down on those attending two years previously, it was still a very enjoyable evening and I am very grateful to all those who helped to organise it, especially to Laura Sharp who helped to plan and coordinate the event, together with representatives from the other two parishes.
VISIT BY BISHOP PAUL McALEENAN
On Sunday 17th July Bishop Paul McAleenan joined us for the 6.00pm and presented Samantha Benson with the Archbishop’s Certificate of Catechesis.
NOVENA
In October we had a three parishes Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, with each parish hosting on three different evenings. The theme of the Novena was ‘The Corporal Works of Mercy’ in honour of the Year for Mercy. The reflections given by the various speakers were very much appreciated.
BIBLE STUDY COURSE
In October we began a new Bible Study Course entitled Matthew; The King and his Kingdom. Around 20 parishioners from across the three parishes signed-up for this programme, which is continuing this year.
WELCOMERS’ DAY OF REFLECTION
On 19th November I organised an afternoon of reflection for the Welcomers of the Three parishes. All three parishes were well represented. The afternoon was divided into a spiritual reflection on the ministry of welcome and a more practical discussion on many aspects of the exercise of the ministry of welcome in each parish. It was decided that in future new parishioners would be offered a home visit from one of the parish clergy and the opportunity to attend a small gathering for new parishioners who have arrived during the year. The Information for New Parishioners leaflet has been updated to include the opportunity for new parishioners to sign-up for ministries and activities in the parish. In addition, Welcomers from all three parishes will in future be invited to join Readers and Ministers of Communion for the annual day of recollection at the Niland Centre.
VISIT TO KENSAL NEW TOWN
On the afternoon of Sunday 20th November I was delighted to be able to take a coach full of parishioners to my previous parish of Our Lady of the Holy Souls, Kensal New Town, where we celebrated Mass and where I was then able to give a tour of the church during which I able to explain the work of restoration that I had been able to undertake on the church during my time there as parish priest. Fr Philip,the current parish priest, together with some of the parishioners, gave us a very warm welcome and laid on some refreshments for us.
BLESSING OF GRAVES
Also in November, Fr Mark and I carried out the traditional blessing of graves at Woodcock Hill Cemetery, the Old Chorleywood Cemetery, Chorleywood Lawn Cemetery and in our own Garden of Rest. These were well attended and much appreciated by those who were able to come along to them.
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS
For our Advent programme in 2016 we followed Bishop Robert Barron’s DVD series Catholicism: The Pivotal Players, which we were able to offer in both an afternoon and evening session. We also had a second season of Thought Provoking Films for Advent.
Our Christmas celebrations were all very well attended and once again, I express my thanks to our musicians and singers, sacristans, altar servers, readers, ministers of communion, welcomers, flower arrangers and church cleaners for all their work in making these celebrations so special.
PARISH ADMINISTRATION
Although she is not here in person to hear it, I wish once again to record my very great thanks to our Parish Administrator, Kerry Van Rensburg, who looks after the administration and book-keeping for all three parishes. Kerry, is a charming, efficient and dedicated person. In many ways, Kerry is the public face of the parish on a day to day basis, and she handles every situation with tact, precision, calmness and a warm smile. We are extremely fortunate to have her working for the parishes. I would be unable to carry out my role here without all the support and help that she gives me in the challenging task of running three parishes.
FR MARK WALKER
I cannot finish without expressing my deep and sincere thanks to Fr Mark for all the assistance he gives to me in so many different ways in caring for these three parishes and for all that he does in his excellent and varied ministry here as Assistant Priest. As many of you will know, there was a general expectation that Fr Mark would have been moved last summer. However, the Archbishop decided not to move Fr Mark at that time – which is a great blessing for our parishes. However, I do need to warn you that we are now on borrowed time and you we should prepare ourselves to say farewell to Fr Mark, probably next summer. We will, of course, be sent a new Assistant Priest to serve the parishes – well, be better be!!!
IN CONCLUSION
Finally, I wish to express, on behalf of Fr Mark and myself, our heartfelt thanks to the parishioners of this parish for their prayers, support and many personal kindnesses to both of us during this past year.
We know that you are appreciated the challenges we face in serving three very different parish communities. Your understanding, your patience and your generosity of spirit have been, and continue to be, very much appreciated.
2016, I believe, was another very good year for Our Lady Help of Christians, and I look forward to all that lies ahead of us in 2017.