Over the weekend of 15 and 16 February, Bishop William Kenney visited the parish as part of the Visitation of Warwick Deanery. Deanery Visitations take place approximately every 5 years, and during this period the Archbishop or one of his auxiliary bishops will visit each parish within the deanery. As Bishop William explained, the aim of the visitation is for the Archbishop or Bishop to gain an insight into the life of each parish and to answer questions from the clergy and the people of the parish. He also said that it provided an opportunity for the people of a parish to reflect on their own Christian lives and their place as part of a Catholic community.
On Saturday 15 February, Bishop William met with Father Frank and representatives of the parish to discuss various aspects of our church and community. The involvement of parishioners in various ministries for the celebration of the liturgy – as readers, altar servers, musicians and Special Ministers of the Eucharist – was discussed, as was faith formation and preparation to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation and Marriage.
Parishioners also spoke about the ways we support charities such as CAFOD, Helping Hands and HCPT The Pilgrimage Trust, and about activities to raise funds for our own church and its continued maintenance. Bishop William observed that the social element of many of these activities was important too, as a way of building the bonds of friendship within our community.
Practical matters such as finances and the maintenance of the church building were also discussed, and the Bishop gave some information about the Diocesan levy and central support available from the Archdiocese.
Those present at the meeting were given a copy of a Parish Report, compiled by Ian Clarke, containing information and photographs provided by Father Frank and parishioners about the parish and its activities.
Following the meeting, Father Frank and Bishop William visited Maureen Carroll, one of our longstanding parishioners, at her home.
On Sunday 16 February Bishop William returned to our church (despite the winds and heavy rain of Storm Dennis) to celebrate Mass and preach for us. He explained that he would normally stay to talk to parishioners after the Mass, but his busy schedule meant he had to leave in order to drive to Heathrow for a flight to Rome, to attend a meeting there the following day.
Bishop William asked us all to pray for him in the future, as he will pray for us. The Visitation of the Warwick Deanery closes at the end of March.
To read our parish report, click on the picture above or
here. Note that you will need Adobe Reader or similar PDF file reader installed.