By Joe Burns, Commission member
As everyone must be aware by now, Bishop Marcus is now Apostolic Administrator for the Dioceses of both Middlesbrough and Hallam – in addition to being Bishop of Leeds.
There is currently an ongoing process of consultation about how this geographical area should be managed pastorally in the future.
Leeds and Middlesbrough Dioceses both have J&P Commissions and we decided that a meeting to reflect on possible changes would be useful. Hallam has not had a J&P Commission for the last six years but a group of 5 J&P supporters also came along to this meeting, which we held in York.
We had never met before as a group of northern dioceses J&P supporters so we spent a significant amount of time just getting to know a little about one another and how the work of Justice & Peace is carried out in each diocese.
One of the most inspiring aspects of the day was being in a room with 25 people who were passionate about Justice and Peace being a core part of being a Catholic Christian and the immense range of talent and different experiences that were brought together in the room.
Near the start of the day, we made a list of the aspirations each of us had for this meeting. It was an ambitious list! – and I do not think we advanced many of those aspirations. However, being ambitious and imaginative was at the core of what this day was about. We went through an exercise of visioning what the work of J&P might be like after the completion of any changes to diocesan structures (and we may not know what these changes are for another year or two).
What we did achieve through having this day was
• Renewed inspiration and sharing of energy for the work of J&P
• A better understanding of how J&P operates in our different dioceses
• All sorts of ideas for follow up – which will inevitably mean further meetings
Some of the key ideas were:
• Building closer relationships – perhaps having a northern J&P Day Conference?
• Making sure that the work of J&P is properly reflected in the results of the consultation process
• Sharing ideas and resources to enable more people to come to an understanding that the work of J&P is a ‘constitutive element’ of preaching the Gospel.
There will be more about this later!