Bishop of Arundel and Brighton Richard Moth says the new pastoral plan will create new pathways for apostolic mission and to meet the challenges of an increasingly secular society.
The Word Who is Life: the Call to Mission draws on the potential of diocesan parish communities to act as “beacons of light... not in an era of change, but in a change of era”.
Currently the diocese has 11 deaneries with 85 parishes, served by 90 active priests and around 20 retired priests. A further five men are in seminary or exploring ordination.
In what is known canonically as “extinctive union”, the parishes are to be combined in coming months with the present eleven deaneries re-configured as 11 parishes. Priests and deacons will work together in the parishes, with one of the priests appointed moderator.
“The communities do not cease to exist,” Bishop Moth told The Tablet. “Pope Francis talks about a community of communities. That is what we are going to be doing.”
He said the reason for the change was not so much the shortage of priests as the drive to “facilitate mission” and play to the strengths of individuals across different churches. “The really important part of this is doing our mission better, and getting communities to work together so the sum is greater than the parts.” Bespoke plans are to be drawn up for each of the existing 11 deaneries.
In an instruction in 2020, the Congregation for the Clergy refers to clergy working as a team or “in solidum”. It states that the pastoral care of a parish, or of a number of parishes together, can be entrusted to several priests jointly.
“Such a solution can be adopted when, at the bishop's discretion, concrete circumstances require it so, particularly for the good of the communities concerned, through shared and more effective pastoral action, and to promote a spirituality of communion among priests.” Arundel and Brighton already has three parishes operating in this way, said Bishop Moth.
Canon Kieron O’Brien, Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Planning said: “By creating a ‘community of communities’ people across our diocese will have the opportunity to live out their faith in a way that is resilient, sustainable, and adaptable. Parish teams of priests will be able to cooperate more closely and serve the life-giving sacramental needs of their communities in a flexible way, bringing their many gifts to the service of the Church in mission. Each church community will continue to have its own identity with each exercising their particular gifts and the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts.”