| 'Councils of one sort
or another have been a constant challenge to me
throughout my 37 years as a priest' the bishop told them.
'I was ordained by Bishop Derek Worlock, a theological
adviser at the Second Vatican Council, who was an expert
on the role of lay people in the Church. I have worked closely with Pastoral Councils and I know their strengths, their potential weaknesses and the criticism they attract'. The Bishop was impressed by the reports he had heard. 'They were outward looking', he said, 'and they had a spirituality to underpin them'. I see real leadership there'. He wanted, he said, to emphasise the Pastoral role of the Council and was committed to developing its role within the mission of the Church. 'Councils should be a resource for mission', he said. Try to draw others into your work, without excluding those who don't want to join in'. The Council was formally established by Bishop Leo McCartie in 1990. It meets three times each year, acting as an advisory body for the bishop, and providing a two-way channel of communication with the Deanery Pastoral Councils. There are two lay representatives from each of the eight deaneries in the diocese, as well as Religious Sisters, Deacons and priests. |
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