Chairman’s Report to the Annual General Meeting of the Blessed Sacrament Parish June 8th 2009
Good evening and welcome and thank you for giving up your evening to attend this Annual General Meeting of our Parish. I am fairly sure that few people would claim that meetings of this kind are a favourite occupation but I think that it is important that, at least once a year, we are given the opportunity to reflect on the degree to which we are succeeding in our parochial endeavours and to contribute ideas for our future development.
I hope that this brief report covers most of the significant events in the life of the Parish over the past 12 months, although it is a personal view and you will have to forgive me if I fail to mention, or give insufficient weight, to something that you feel was particularly important.
I mentioned briefly in last year’s report that, earlier in 2008, a final review had been published which covered the first three years of a Pastoral Plan for the Nottingham Diocese. In an introduction to the review, Bishop Malcolm expressed his satisfaction with what had been achieved in six key areas: Communications, Planning and Structures, Education and Formation, Spirituality, Liturgy and Worship, and Evangelisation. When Bishop Malcolm originally launched the Pastoral Plan for the Diocese he asked each Parish to develop its own Pastoral Plan. Following meetings intended for the whole Parish, and later at meetings of the Parish Team, we developed a Parish Pastoral Plan which was based on the approach taken in the Diocesan Plan. In September last year, as promised at the 2008 AGM, we published a review of the final phase of our own three-year plan. On November 1st last year we held a meeting of the Parish in order to begin developing a new Pastoral Plan. Some very useful suggestions were made at the meeting and many have been introduced into the Plan that the Parish Team is now working to.
In reviewing our work over the past year it may be useful to look at each of the key areas in the Parish Plan since this now provides a framework for almost everything we do as a Parish:
Communications: Over recent years the most significant development in this area has been the establishment of a Parish Website. I know that some people do not own a computer but very many people do and the number is growing rapidly. A recent national survey showed that access not only to the Internet but also to Broadband is now seen as absolutely essential to business and other organisations and to many individuals. Over the past year the Parish Website has been further developed – you can now find information about the Parish and Parish activities, the Weekly Bulletin, the Newsletter, the minutes of the Parish Team Meeting and a great deal more. Several hundred people visit the website each month and our thanks are due to Laurence for the efficient way he manages the site.
Of course we do not rely entirely on the website as a means of communicating with Parishioners. We make great efforts to keep everyone informed by means of the Bulletin and the Newsletter and we maintain links with the local media including a number of very local publications – just recently, for example, we have started to provide copy for a magazine which circulates in the Leicester Forest East Area of the Parish.
Planning and Structures: I have already mentioned our commitment to a structured approach to planning within the Parish. The only additional thing that I would have to mention in this area relates to the planning of Parish finances. The current economic difficulties have led to problems for many individuals who have had difficulty in finding jobs or have lost existing jobs and to a strain on many household budgets. The Parish is not immune from such problems but I will leave it to our Parish Treasurer to provide more detailed comments.
Education and Formation: An event which is becoming a fixture in the Parish Diary is the Lenten Study Programme. The focus this year was on an introduction to the bible and was based on a course developed in America. A few chapter headings may give a flavour of the range of topic covered: How to Chose a Bible; How to Read and Study the Bible; The Importance of Biblical Scholarship, The Bible as God’s Self-Revelation; The Fallacy of Biblical Fundamentalism. We were especially grateful to previous Parishioners, who now live in America, and supplied us with the study booklets.
We are currently exploring the possibility of a short programme of studies for the autumn. We are also planning a training day for readers based on a recently developed course which is being offered in the Diocese.
We are especially grateful to all those Parishioners who help with the religious education of our children at Junior Church or in preparing them for the sacraments. We were delighted to welcome the Bishop to the Parish on May 8th for the Sacrament of Confirmation and are very grateful to those who were involved in the organisation of the day in particular in arranging the catering.
On the 14th June we have first Holy Communion and we are arranging a barbecue after the 10.30 Mass.
Spirituality: Something new which we tried this year, and which seemed very successful, was the series of Prayer Breakfasts, organised by John and Berni Ambler, and held during Advent and again during Lent. Half an hour of prayer and reflection followed by an excellent breakfast seemed an ideal way to start a Saturday morning.
The Parish Pilgrimage to Ireland, led by Father Maloney, was held from May 10th – 15th and this year went to Rosses Point near Sligo. As well as a full day spent at Knock, we visited the Glenveagh National Park in Donegal and enjoyed boat trips on the Shannon and Lough Gill and, surprise, surprise, a number of people spent a good deal of time playing golf. The Parish Pilgrimage is very popular and is truly something not to be missed.
As well as the pilgrimage to Ireland we have tried to promote other pilgrimages; towards the end of the month, for example, we are joining with St. Peter’s Parish in order to take part in the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Walsingham.
Liturgy and Worship: An active Liturgy Group has continued to arrange lively celebrations of the Mass and special efforts have been made to celebrate the great feasts of the Church especially Christmas and Easter. During the seasons of Advent and Christmas we once again raised money for people in need and so successful have our efforts been that CAFOD have asked for details of how we raise such substantial amounts by our involvement in the World Gifts Scheme. This year, in addition to supporting CAFOD and to providing help in the area local to the Parish, we were able to provide significant help to a group of Sisters working to support Christian communities in Iraq. In total we gave away almost £ 6,000. The services arranged during Lent and Easter seem to become more meaningful each year, this year particularly so with the Cross of Repentance a constant reminder of the meaning of Lent.
In July of last year we had two very special celebrations: the first on the 13th of the month when Father Jim Duffy celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood and on 26th July when we were privileged to be able to host the ordination of the Rev. Robert O’Callaghan. This was a very special event for our Parish and one which we will long remember.
On Sunday 26th October we hosted a Civic Service to mark one of our parishioners, Mrs Jo Fox, becoming the Chairman of Blaby District Council.
Evangelisation and Mission: We have long been involved with the Councils of Churches in the South West Leicester Area and the Kirby Muxloe/Leicester Forest East Area. In January this year we hosted a service to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Bishop of Leicester accepted our invitation to preach at the service and the church was packed. The African dancers made a tremendous impact and afterwards we had arranged a buffet for 200 people. By general agreement, it was one of the most successful such services ever held in the area.
A further successful event was organised by Parishioners in Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe who this year organised the Women’s World Day of Prayer. A service based on a model developed by the women of Papua New Guinea. We were also involved at a similar combined service held at the United Reform Church on
Gooding Avenue.
Social and Other Activities: The highlight of the past year, so far as social events are concerned must surely be the “surprise” party we arranged on 7th February to celebrate the 70th Birthday of Father John Joe. It provided an opportunity for us all to show how much we value and appreciate all that our Parish Priest has done for us over so many years. It was all the better, I think, because the entertainments and all the preparations were undertaken by members of the Parish. We made a little presentation of a birthday gift – a weekend golfing break. We also took the opportunity to say farewell to Father Gihong who had spent the previous two years in Leicester studying for his Master’s Degree whilst providing such welcome support in the Parish. Father Gihong has now returned to South Korea.
Other activities included a Parish Outing to Hunstanton, the New Year meal for the older people of the Parish, the Christmas Bazaar, Quiz Evening and a visit to the pantomime. In the autumn of this year we hope to arrange our first Parish Dinner Dance.
And Finally: I think we can agree that we have had a very full year but it would have been very different without the enthusiasm and support of so many people. We are very fortunate: firstly, because we have such a wonderful priests in our Parish Priest Father John Joe and in Father Joel; secondly because we have so many people willing to give their time and talents in order to make the Parish the success that it surely is. I would like to close by offering sincere thanks to everyone who helps the Parish in whatever way whether as readers, altar servers, welcomers, musicians, cleaners, volunteers at the Friday Drop-In, educators, members of the Liturgy Group or Parish Team, the list goes on and on. The Parish would be a very much poorer place without their commitment and I can only express the hope that we can continue to rely on their help and goodwill.