Vicar for Parish Renewal Fr Dan Mason is encouraging parishioners in Brentwood Diocese to sign up for a number of renewal events in September and October. The Billericay parish priest was delighted when Bishop Alan asked him to lead Parish Renewal in Brentwood Diocese earlier this year. “The vicariate had been called ‘Adult Formation’ previously – and that is definitely part of it – but the thing that excites me is parish renewal,” he says.
He first became interested in parish renewal when he was parish priest in Canning Town and read Rebuilt by Fr Michael White and Divine Renovation by Fr James Mallon. “Both of these books helped me realise what could be possible in terms of creating and renewing parish communities and structures,” he says.
This conviction was strengthened when he attended the ‘Maintenance to Mission’ Conference organised by Divine Renovation at St Mary’s, Strawberry Hill in 2017 after he had become parish priest at the Most Holy Redeemer, Billericay.
While parish renewal was important pre-Covid, he says, it has become even more critical since the outbreak of the pandemic because all of the trends which were leading to declining Mass attendance and decreasing involvement in parishes have accelerated. “As Monsignor James Shea points out in his book From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, in order for the Church to thrive it must be prepared to adapt its methods to the changed culture and be prepared to be more missional in order to engage those Catholics who are no longer practising their faith and to invite those who are seeking to consider whether God may be calling them to join our parish communities.”
Fr Dan is certainly not prescriptive about how this should be done – and does not want to impose anything on anyone or any parish. But he is passionate about renewal in a time when church attendances are falling. Whether the resources come from Divine Renovation, Sycamore or elsewhere, he says, the main thing is to offer something to Catholics or those curious about faith.
“The Divine Renovation programme has been developed by Canadian priest Fr James Mallon and is rooted in his strong pastoral experience,” says Fr Dan. It is a programme that aims to reorient parish life away from maintenance towards mission and evangelisation. “While Alpha is a central plank of the approach to evangelisation that Divine Renovation proposes, the reason for this is because Divine Renovation considers it to be the best resource that is currently available. If something comes along which turns out to be better than Alpha as an evangelisation resource then they would propose that.”#
He has found some of the Alpha resources from Divine Renovation helpful but equally so is Sycamore (a homegrown, informal course about the Christian faith and its relevance for life today which was developed by the Newman House chaplaincy for London students). “We have been using Sycamore for the first time with our RCIA group this year – and it has been great. The content is very good and Fr Stephen Wang, who is the voice of Sycamore, is very listenable.”
He adds: “It is all about looking at new ways to engage and revitalise people – giving things a try. The important thing is to have something in place within your parish – whether it’s Alpha or Sycamore or ChristLife – which you can invite people to and which will lead to the development of discipleship. In our discipleship document we talk about the three “Ms”: Making, Maturing and Missioning. All three are important but perhaps the most important stage is the ‘Making’ and this is what Alpha does very well.”
He feels blessed to be serving as a priest in Billericay. “I am following in a line of priests who have been quite ahead of their time, such as Fr Bill Nix, Fr Pat Sammon and Fr John McGrath. They have made it a lot easier for me because the older parishioners can make connections with things that have taken place previously.”
The focus is preaching about and encouraging parishioners to have a personal relationship with Christ. “Everything flows from that. In the past there has been a focus on obligation rather than relationship.” He talks about Sherry Weddell, who founded the Catherine of Sienna Institute in 1997 with Fr Michael Sweeney OP. She had become a Catholic a decade before and was on a mission to equip parishes to form lay apostles. Using the ‘Called & Gifted’ discernment process, she would interview Catholics about how God might be using them for good. One interview in particular had a profound influence on her. “She was stunned when a leader of a Catholic women’s group, a cradle Catholic, said that she didn’t have a relationship with God,” says Fr Daniel. That interview drew the Institute into direct involvement with evangelisation and Sherry Weddell went on to write her famous book Forming Intentional Disciples.
Fr Dan refers to the ‘Called & Gifted’ course being run in the autumn in his parish (see below). “We have been doing a lot of this sort of thing for the last few years and have a team keen to host these events – and a great pastoral centre and car park. There is an open invitation to other parishes but it is entirely up to priests to decide. It is not about saying this is the only way.”
None of this is new, he adds. “Popes have been talking about the ‘new evangelisation’ for 40 years. It is in Vatican documents – and the Synod is pointing in the same direction in terms of lay engagement.”
He points out that if everything is led by the priest, it is never going to be sustainable. “Parish renewal is about empowering parishioners to see what the Lord is calling them to do and unleashing the gifts they have. We have some very high-powered people in parishes.”
It is not just about coming to church on Sundays, he adds. “We need to knit together our communities in the way the early Church did. Our Connect Group, for example, brings together small groups of parishioners meeting in their houses to look at video resources, prayer and sharing. It is about parishioners having conversations and connecting beyond the Mass itself.”
The parish also employs a family coordinator to specifically support families. “This may be with Holy Communion and Confirmation, for example, but Kristin, who is Norwegian, works more generally with children and parents. At Christmas families constructed gingerbread houses and created the town of Bethlehem for the parish with them, enjoying a social time together.”
Events coming up
‘Adoremus’ Festival at Oscott College, Birmingham on Saturday, 14 September
On Saturday, 14 September at Oscott College in Birmingham, the “Adoremus’ National Eucharistic Congress and Pilgrimage is taking place with representatives from dioceses across England and Wales.
Our diocese has been allocated a limited number of places. If you would like to go please email the Diocesan Co-ordinator, Fr Dan Mason at [email protected]
There will be a coach leaving for the Congress from St Edward the Confessor Parish, Romford at 8am on the day. There is no charge for the coach or attending the Congress but you will need to bring a packed lunch.
Forthcoming events in the diocese:
‘Called and Gifted’ teaching day at the Most Holy Redeemer, Billericay: Saturday, 14 September
On Saturday, 14 September from 9am to 4.15pm at the Most Holy Redeemer Church in Billericay we will be running a ‘Called and Gifted’ teaching day.
‘Called and Gifted” is a discernment process developed by the Catherine of Siena Institute which enables everyone to understand the gifts and the charisms that God has given to them so that they are able to share these gifts with others. Those who have taken part in the ‘Called and Gifted’ process have found that their faith has deepened and that they have been able to discover new ways of serving God in their parish and the wider community.
As well as the teaching day, participants are invited to complete an online ‘Gifts Inventory’ prior to the day, as well as having a one-to-one Zoom session with a member of the Called and Gifted team.
The total cost of the process including the teaching day is £120 which includes online access to the Gifts Inventory as well as a Resource book which will be given out during the day.
In order to secure your booking please register your interest before Friday, 23 August by emailing the Billericay Parish Office at [email protected].
If you would like more information about Called & Gifted please visit their website: https://www.calledandgifted.org.uk/
Open House: Saturday, 12 October 2024
On Saturday, 12 October the Most Holy Redeemer Church, Billericay will be hosting a day focusing on parish renewal with talks and workshops designed to help parishes transition from maintenance to mission. Bishop Alan will also be presiding at the Midday Mass.
Get inspired by priests and parishioners as they share stories of transformation. Hear what they are learning and dream about the change that could be possible in your own parish.
The day will last from 9.30am to 5pm and the cost is £20 per person. In order to attend you need to register in advance by following this link: https://divinerenovation.org/events/