The Parish Council met on Tuesday night, October 9th, and decided that we were in broad agreement with the outcome of the Deanery Proposals out lined below*.
However we felt that we would also like our own feelings to be made clear to the diocesan authorities . Accordingly the chair of the Parish Council Mrs Mary Fisher and Fr Farrell, (Parish Priest) were asked to make our views known to the diocesan Core and Review Groups, before the appointed date.
*Please find below the outcome of our Deanery discussion,
reported last week..
(Responding to the Draft Diocesan Proposals for the restructuring of the church in this area)
As planned, the Deanery Council met on Thursday night October 4th,to consider a joint response to the Diocesan plans for restructuring the church in this area. Unfortunately two parishes were not represented, viz: Sacred Heart & St. Bernadette. Fr John Foulkes was in the chair and our parish was represented by Mrses, Cath Sawyer, Anne Cottriall, & Mary Fisher and Fr Val Farrell
The council agreed that we could do either of these three:
2) Keep our eyes on our own parish and work to save that at all costs.
3) Keep our eyes on the horizonand try to come up with a plan that was best overall for the long-term future of the Church in Blackpool & Fylde area.
After much consideration of everyone’s point of view it was agreed to opt for Number 3 above. Here’s why:
- There was
a strong feeling that the diocese was probably just looking at the
bottom line (No. 1. above) and we felt that this lacked in vision and
was not long term enough. Nor did it recognise sufficiently the wisdom
and imagination available locally.
- We thought that concentrating only on saving our own parish might not make full use of all the good- will, talent, energy and genuine Christian concern available among Catholics in the deanery.
- It was felt that the function of a “Lighthouse” church could just as easily be achieved with a good Deanery web site.
- With these thoughts in mind, a letter is being sent to the Diocesan Mission Review team asking them to meet us face to face here in Blackpool and discuss with us the long-term plans we have (No. 3 above), and to postpone the final date for agreement unntil Easter of 2008.
- This letter will be written by Fr Bernard Woods (our Dean) with the assistance of those who facilitated the council meeting It will then be made available to all Blackpool parishioners.