Our Partnership Proposals

Our Partnership Proposals

Partnership in the Gospel Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2-6 Prayer resources have been developed to accompany this stage of our Forward Together in Hope journey. They are available from the resources section of the website and are designed to be customised for use within parishes and emerging partnerships. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 2

Our Partnership Proposals For almost two years we have all been exploring what it means to be a disciple of Jesus within a viable and flourishing community. In the short time between now and the beginning of Advent we need to draw upon our exploration and look very practically at how resources can be shared and leadership developed to enable our communities to flourish into the future. Every parishioner has been asked to contribute to this by thinking and praying about partnership and offering their practical suggestions through the tear-off slip from the Imagine new ways leaflet. This document, Our Partnership Proposals, requests information from a group of parishes about their initial proposals for developing new partnership arrangements. Please read this in conjunction with the booklet From Parish to Partnership published in June this year which sets out detailed information about these partnerships and their benefits. In it we are reminded that Pope Francis speaks of parish as not an outdated institution precisely because it possesses great flexibility; it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and community. We now have a real opportunity to follow this call to be flexible, open, creative and missionary as we travel together on the next stage of our journey. Electronic versions of both of these documents are available within the resources section of the Forward Together in Hope website at www.hope.rcdhn.org.uk. One completed document for each proposed partnership should be returned electronically to hope@diocesehn.org.uk by mid-day on the First Sunday of Advent (27 th November) at the latest. It is essential that all areas adhere to this deadline to ensure that their proposals are taken into account within the diocesan-wide proposals that will be developed as a next stage. We welcome completed documents ahead of this date. Please copy your proposals to the Dean(s) with responsibility for the parishes in the proposed partnership. All information received by 27 th November will be worked with during December to produce the first draft of a Flexible Plan for consideration by Bishop Séamus and the Diocesan Board of Directors at their residential meeting. Prior to that meeting we may need to communicate with the contact person for the proposed partnership (usually the Dean or his nominee) to clarify particular issues or to ask for further details. We are conscious that in parts of the diocese all of this is very new and that some proposals presented will be very much an outline. Other areas may well be able to go into a lot more detail. In all cases it is important to remember that the documents submitted at the end of November represent initial proposals. Once they are all received, these proposals have to be brought together to arrive at a position that works well across the diocese as a whole. While this is likely to mean that some proposals may not be accepted in their entirety, all thoughts and ideas received by the deadline will be brought to bear on the recommendations put forward to Bishop Séamus and the Diocesan Board. When Bishop Séamus has considered everything, his decisions will be communicated widely across the diocese. Partnership arrangements will then be firmed up and each area asked to commence detailed planning and implementation. For advice about completing this document, or for any other queries, please feel free to contact the Forward Together in Hope team by e-mail at hope@diocesehn.org.uk or by telephone on 0191 243 3304. Thank you for everything that you are doing to make Forward Together in Hope a success. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 3

Section 1: Details of the Proposed Partnership (Please refer to Section 2.1 on Page 6 of From Parish to Partnership ) The parish is not an outdated institution precisely because it possesses great flexibility; it can assume quite different contours Pope Francis - Evangelii Gaudium 1.1 Please list the parishes that you envisage being involved in the proposed partnership. (Please extend this table if necessary) Parish Name Location Priest(s) Deacon(s) Mass Attendance* St Dominic s New Bridge Street Frs John Patrick Kendrick, Colin 284 Carr, Dominic White St Lawrence s Byker Crescent Fr Bill Rooke 78 St Vincent s Monkchester Road Fr Bill Rooke 86 St Anthony Welbeck Road Fr Michael Conaty 243 St Teresa s Heaton Road Fr Martin Morris Fr Patrick McMahon Holy Name North Jesmond Avenue 237 Fr Michael Campion 250 TOTAL MASS ATTENDANCE 928 * Please include the average Mass attendance figure for each parish as reported in October 2015. (We are aware that there are sometimes seasonal variations in Mass attendance). Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 4

1.2 Why is this grouping seen as the most appropriate for your area? Please provide as much information as you can in presenting a rationale for the proposed partnership arrangement. You may wish to consider, for example, complementary skills/experience, historical connections, distances, existing joint activity, finances, numbers attending Mass etc. In Geographical considerations then this Partnership works. It also has a considerable degree of historical connections with St Dominic s moving east and north to St Lawrence s and St Teresa s. From the easterly parish to the westerly the distance is approximately 2.5miles There are some reasonable bus routes running east and west between St Dominic s and St Anthony s, and from Chillingham Road for some of St Teresa s to St Dominic s. Among this Partnership we have approximately 40 catechists who can support the parishes with limited numbers. We have no joint activities at present. 1.3 What issues might get in the way of effective joint working in this partnership area and how might these be minimised? Issue Fear of having to attend a different church Losing a mass Clash of different parish cultures Sharing Finances Lack of communications between priests and congregation Lack of communication between different parishes Minimising the impact Improve communication, good leadership from Diocese As above Improved communication and sharing meetings and social events Strong direction from Diocese and support Training Leadership from Diocese Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 5

1.4 Were there any alternative partnership combinations that were seriously considered as part of your deliberations? Yes If Yes, please describe these arrangements, their advantages and disadvantages and why they are less appropriate than your preferred option. St Teresa s are still open to a larger partnership possibly including St Andrew s, Benton, Jesmond and Gosforth. Parishioners felt that there was insufficient guidance and information to make an informed decision. St Dominic s were very interested in a Central Mission with St Andrew s and the Cathedral. We also believe that St Andrew s and the Cathedral could form part of this Partnership. Section 2: New Ways of Working Together (Please refer to Sections 2.2 and 2.3 on Page 6 of From Parish to Partnership ) There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord, working in all sorts of different ways in all sorts of people. 1 Cor. 12:4-5 2.1 What leadership/co-ordination arrangements are proposed for the partnership area? Please think about possible leadership structures, roles and responsibilities and associated training and development etc. Setting up a Partnership Parish Council, with 2 representatives from each parish and the Parish Priests as ex officio members. Chair and Secretary could be on a rolling basis. Meetings to be on a quarterly timing. Any more detail requires a skills audit which can take place when partnership agreed. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 6

2.2 What initial areas of joint working are proposed for the partnership area? Please identify the main areas that are seen as initial priorities for joint working across the proposed partnership. It is important to share the Observations on Parish Questionnaires and draw upon these. These should be identified in first 6 months following the skills audit. This will include social and cultural. Using the catechists from parishes to support those with few or none. 2.3 What approaches will you use to ensure plans and developments are communicated well across the proposed partnership area? Taking into account the expected decline in the number of priests and people over time you may wish to think about this in relation to the short term (1-2 years), medium term (3-5 years) and long term (up to 2030). a) Short term: Setting up a Partnership newsletter some detail from each parish and some common matters to be included, and a website to ensure good communication. The setting up of Partnership Council. Strong support from Diocese b) Medium term: More difficult issues, loss of masses and priests, will need very good communications. Possibility of a paid Partnership administrator. Strengthening Partnership Council and extending its remit. Continued support and training from Diocese c) Long term: Even greater and continued support and training from Diocese Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 7

2.4 We are seeking to ensure that our worshipping communities nurture disciples to witness to Jesus in our world. What resources will be necessary to ensure this takes place and is coordinated across the proposed partnership? Note: People often think about administrative support but please think more widely about how the various facets of the partnership (e.g. Young People, Outreach, Lay Leadership, Spiritual Development etc.) could benefit from co-ordinated voluntary or paid support and what training might be required. Following skills audit Partnership can identify those to fulfil specialist activities and develop from there. It is important for Partnership to be able to easily access training and support from Diocese. 2.5 What proposals / initial thoughts are there for new ways of working within the proposed partnership area? Please remember that these new partnerships are not simply groupings of a number of current parishes with their existing arrangements and structures - they offer the opportunity to look at things differently and innovatively to ensure viable and flourishing communities. You may wish to consider, for example, bringing together existing groups/creating new groups, committees and Councils and strengthening links with schools. In some areas it may be desirable for the parishes within a partnership area to merge over time. Once again, conscious of the gradually reducing number of priests and people, you may wish to think about this in relation to the short term (1-2 years), medium term (3-5 years) and long term (up to 2030). a) Short term: Use Partnership Parish Council to identify all existing groups and look at coordinating them. b) Medium term: Partnership Council will have identified what gaps exist and how to overcome these. c) Long term: Aim towards having many groups working at Partnership level. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 8

Section 3: Facilities (Please refer to Section 2.4 on Page 7 of From Parish to Partnership ) I will be looking carefully and seriously at any necessary restructuring, including: the closure of some of our church buildings; use of our building for other purposes and the need to reduce the number of Masses being celebrated. Bishop Séamus - July 2014 3.1 Please list each of the churches in your proposed partnership along with their maximum capacity and details of any existing issues/future plans that might have a bearing on their use. Church Name Location Max. Existing Issues/Future Plans Capacity St Dominic 600 On going Maintenance St Lawrence 250 ditto St Vincints 150 ditto St Teresa s 526 ditto St Anthony 350 ditto Holy Name 350 ditto 3.2 Please list any other buildings (e.g. schools) that are currently used, or which could be used, for worship. Please feel free to add any notes to explain your thinking. Venue Parish/Location Max. Capacity Blackfriars Hall St Dominic s 300 Used Now (N) /Could Use (C) Include any notes here St Vincent s Hall. Used for large variety of social/learning events. Meeting room 60 Film nights, Coffee/tea after Sunday mass Parish Hall St Lawrence 100 Sunday after mass, coffee Tuesday all day plus monthly events Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 9

Room St Vincent 50s Hall St Teresa 170 Social events, some outside hire, used every day and on occasions many activities take place on same day. Community Centre St Anthony 120 Multi activities Youth Centre St Anthony 120 Multiple uses Church Hall Holy Name 100 Multiple uses 3.3 What thoughts are there about the use of the current places of worship in the proposed partnership area? If we have around 50 active priests in the diocese in 2030 it is inevitable that Mass will be celebrated in fewer churches and less frequently. Please present your thoughts, however tentative, about the places of worship currently in use across the proposed partnership area and what the future arrangements might look like. In time it will be important to consider which buildings will be retained for worship (not necessarily for the celebration of Mass) and which might close or be used for other purposes. All parishes would like their church to remain open.. 3.4 Are there any thoughts about where the priest(s) would reside in the partnership area? Where they feel most suitable and accessible Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 10

Section 4: Next Steps (Please refer to Section 2.5 on Page 7 of From Parish to Partnership ) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God. 2 Pet. 9 4.1 Should your partnership proposals be accepted, please indicate what the key next steps would be for your area. Please add timescales where possible. Setting up Partnership Council as soon as possible and certainly within 6 months. Setting up Partnership Information Section to be included in Parish news letter within 3 months. A Partnership Social Event within first year. 4.2 What support would be most useful to you from other parishes/partnerships/the diocese in achieving the next stages of your proposed partnership? Each Parish needs to give support from Finance and Parish Council and Parish Priest. The sharing of good practice and support from other Partnerships. Diocese to provide a blue print for year 1 of Partnership. A named person at the diocese to help with Partnership issues. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 11

4.3 Please provide any additional information you feel we should be aware of when considering your proposals. We recognise the need for the Partnership however the time to consult as widely as we wished was not available. This may cause on-going issues in some parishes. 4.4 What questions/concerns do you have about the next stages of the process of moving to partnership arrangements across the diocese? We do not want to be left with little or no support. Is here an expectation that unpaid lay volunteers will be given even greater responsibilities. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 12

Section 5: The Consultation Process I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:5 a) Partnership View 5.1 Please describe the process undertaken to arrive at your outline partnership proposals. Each Parish notified the parishioners of the FTH process and called meetings to be held. There the Parish Priest and FTH Rep explained what was needed and discussed various Partnership options. Reasonable time was given to allow thought and prayer on the matter. At a subsequent meeting 2 or 3 from each Parish met and agreed their preferred Partnership. In some cases this was carried out by a vote of the parishioners who attended. All meetings were advertised in Newsletters and announced at weekend masses. 5.2 Were the individual Parish Observations and Profiles shared with all parishes in the proposed partnership as part of this process? Not fully Comments: Relevant information was shared with Parish representatives 5.3 Please list any key meetings/activities that have taken place along with numbers attending. Date Venue Purpose of meeting/activity Numbers attending/ participating Various St Dominic s Discussions on FTH, options for partnership, agreement to broad range of parishes, alternatives. 30 Various St Lawrence s Looking at what options were possible. 15 Various St Vincent s Options to cooperate 215 Various St Anthony Most practical and cultural options. How to engage with other parishes. 15 Various St Teresa s Up to 13 meetings held in Parish and between FTH 20 Rep and other Parish reps and core teams. This led to a meeting on 9 th Nov where vote held, which settled on joining the Riverside Partnership. Various Holy Name Detailed discussions culminating in AGM on 24 th Nov. The majority wished to join this Partnership 25 Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 13

5.4 Please list any specific groups or committees that have been consulted. Each Parish has consulted and included Finance and Pastoral Committees in their meetings and deliberations. 5.5 How widely has this completed document been circulated prior to submission? Please provide details. Final Draft Proposal circulated to all Parishes and FTH Reps by 12 noon on 19 th November. This to allow it to be summarised, displayed and final Core Group Meetings. All requested to give final comments by 6pm on 24 th November prior to submission to FTH Team during Saturday 26 th Nov. Holy Name contacted Riverside Partnership 25/26 th November to join with us. b) Parish View We are keen to understand the level of awareness and consensus within individual parish communities in relation to the proposed partnership arrangements. To this end, please ensure that each parish in the proposed partnership completes the questions below. If parishes wish to, they can provide a short (maximum of 250 words) perspective on the proposed partnership. Please enter the name and role of the person completing this on behalf of the parish. Note: Please copy and paste this section for each parish in the proposed partnership. Parish Name of Person Role St Dominic s Laurie McLeman Co-ordinator of Core Group Level of knowledge of proposals Medium/High Any comment: Very wide discussions and thought have allowed us to consider that we have a very good knowledge of these proposals. Level of consensus with proposals - Very High/High Any Comment: Every effort made, and generally successful, at getting the Proposal known and accepted by all Parishioners. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 14

Parish perspective (250 Words or less) We, at St Dominic s, recognise that although we are part of the Central Deanery we should be working with many more parishes to ensure that we can share resources in a very wide way. The acceptance by the other parishes in this Proposal that they want us to be with them is very encouraging. We have a beautiful listed Church and excellent Hall and both of these can be shared and enhance the parishes in this Partnership. It does not discount that St Dominic s can still be part of another Partnership, Central, and be very involved with a City Mission and the Chaplaincy. Parish Name of Person Role St Lawrence s Fr Bill Rooke Parish Priest Level of consensus with proposals - High Any Comment: Parish perspective (250 Words or less) Fully understood the needs for these Partnership Proposals, and whilst not everyone agrees recognise the issues that have to be addressed. Parish Name of Person Role St Vincent s Alice Dark Parish Representative Level of consensus with proposals - High Any Comment: It has been agreed with Core Gp. Parishioners kept closely in touch. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 15

Parish perspective (250 Words or less) Fully understood the needs for these Partnership Proposals, and whilst not everyone agrees recognise the issues that have to be addressed. Parish Name of Person Role St Anthony s Chris Dixon Parish Representative Level of consensus with proposals - Very High/High Any Comment: Parish perspective (250 Words or less) St. Anthony of Padua is a well established community since 1860. Our Charity, St. Anthony of Padua Community Association, under the leadership of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is a major resource supporting elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged people in their own homes daily, with over 2000 hours of Domiciliary Care Service each week. Our thriving Day Care Centre, brings in over 30 people daily for a range of support needs. Additionally our Youth Centre Manager leads a team supporting young people daily in our John Boste Youth Centre and also offering support to parents. The Parish has strong relationships with staff, children and parents in both its Primary School, St. Alban s and with the Secondary School, St. Mary s Comprehensive in Benton. We have 14 Catechists with diverse skills working to evangelise through weekly Baptism Groups, Prayer Groups, and Education. Our Saturday Evening Children s Liturgy serves our children during Mass. Our Registrar works with the Priest organising weddings and the paperwork involved. The Parish Secretary (employed by the Charity) works over 16 hours per week, supporting in administration through to Finance. A strong Finance Team organise Gift Aid, Offertories and more. We recognise the urgent need for continued Evangelisation in Parishes, even using Facebook and Twitter. We would welcome training from the Diocese at a local level with our partnership Parishes. We look forward to strengthening bonds of partnership with fellow parishes and celebrate the movement of the Holy Spirit as He guides us through this challenging time of change. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 16

Parish Name of Person Role St Teresa s Sarah Bell Parish Representative Level of knowledge of proposals Medium/High Any comment: A wide range of opportunities and methods to consult have been used. Any parishioners who were interested in participating in this decision, have had every opportunity to do so. Level of consensus with proposals - Medium Any Comment: The vote to be in this Partnership was by majority. There was a strong feeling that St Aidan s, our sister parish, would be a good addition to this group, along with possibly Holy Name, Forest Hall and St Andrew s, however those parishes were already looking to partner with other groups. Parish perspective (250 Words or less) As St Teresa's and St Aidan's share one priest, but carried out the whole FTH process as two separate parishes, it became clear that the parishes were looking to partner in different geographical directions. This came as a surprise to most parishioners from both parishes, who assumed the other parish would come with them. However the parishes in the furthest reaches of each group, were quite far away and difficult to access by public transport. In the event, St Teresa's parishioners voted by majority at the open meeting on 9th November, to partner with the Riverside parishes, as this was also recommended by the Dean, who has to sign off on the proposal. However parishioners are well aware that the groupings may change after they are viewed as a whole and they remain very open to working with a range of other parishes or a bigger group of parishes. Parish Name of Person Role Holy Name Madeleine Parish Representative Level of knowledge of proposals High Any comment: A wide range of opportunities and methods to consult have been used. Any parishioners who were Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 17

interested in participating in this decision, have had every opportunity to do so. Level of consensus with proposals - High Any Comment: Although initial discussions indicated that our Parish should partner with St Aidans, St Charles and Sacred Heart, at the AGM of our Parish Council on Thursday 24 th November the majority of those present felt that Holy Name had more to offer to the Partnership planned with St Dominic s et al. Parish perspective (250 Words or less) In a series of FTiH discussions at sub-committee, Parish Council and wider parish levels, The Holy Name Parish in Jesmond has debated long and hard about how to form a partnership with other Catholic communities. Parish representatives attended Deanery conversations and took part in talks to the north of the City while also responding to approaches from Riverside churches. Parish Council representatives recognise that three strong recommendations have emerged consistently in wider parish discussions not least at our AGM Thursday 24 November: a) Those with significant resources like Holy Name should link with parishes facing socioeconomic challenges to mutual benefit. (This was expressed strongly in FTiH Survey 2015) b) Holy Name parishioners feel like Tynesiders c) Holy Name should be part of a city-focused partnership rather than look towards Northumberland We trust there will be many more discussions both with our partners and the Diocese to explore the form that this partnership might take and the barriers we will need to overcome to make it work for the benefit of the changing Catholic communities. We continue to feel challenged by the meaning and impact of partnership in FTiH. We are keen to see a clear analysis of current and projected data offering a parish management solution that is fit for purpose. That is likely to involve tough decisions about buildings and in the 21 st century we won t be the only institution facing such challenges.. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 18

Contact Details We may need to get in touch with you for additional information about your proposals. Please provide contact information for a main contact person and an alternate (should the main contact person not be available). We would recommend that the main contact is the Dean with responsibility for the majority of parishes within the proposed partnership (or his nominee). Main Contact Alternate contact Name Fr Bill Rooke L McLeman Role Dean Partnership Coordinator Address Byker Crescent Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2JT 32 Preston Wood North Shields NE30 3LT Telephone 0191 265 5217 07791 879258 E-mail billrooke310@gmail.com lauriemcleman@gmail.com Please return your proposals to hope@diocesehn.org.uk by mid-day on Sunday 27 th November 2016 and copy these to the Dean(s) with responsibility for parishes in your proposed partnership. Thank you for completing this document and for all you are doing to support Forward Together in Hope. Forward Together in Hope Our Partnership Proposals - September 2016 Page 19