Pastoral Council Accompaniment Programme

Our programme begins again with a retreat day for parish councils on 20th September. We already have a number of parishes who want to take part – Email alexandra.shelton-bourke@northamptondiocese.org if you’d like to join

One of the commitments from the Assembly is that Bishop David has invited every parish to develop a functioning pastoral council. However, we know that some of our experiences of pastoral councils have not been good! This suggests that simply having better meetings or taking better minutes will not make long-term change.  

Following the Assembly, a small group in the diocese has been working on a re-imagining of pastoral councils, a distinctly Catholic model of decision-making, which does not rely on business methods but draws on centuries-old practices of spiritual discernment.  

We have developed this into a Pastoral Council Accompaniment Programme. This is both for new pastoral councils and councils which need a refresh. This programme is designed to support all pastoral councils/ vision/ mission teams within the diocese. Having piloted this programme last year, we have revised it for this year, offering online webinars with a variety of guest speakers between October – June focusing on topics such as the purpose of pastoral councils, keeping meetings spiritual, pastoral council culture, casting a vision, discernment, conflict resolution and giving thanks. 

Following this, we suggest three phases.  

• The first phase (September – December) is focused on getting to know one other and how the team works together, what skills you have collectively and how to become a living faith community. Planning an activity in the run-up to Christmas is a good way to get started. 

• The second phase (January – April) is about creating a vision for the future. Within this phase, the vision process can be used to open the conversation within your parish community to consider where God is currently and where God might be calling you to be.  

• The third phase (April – July) is focused on putting the vision created in phase two into practice. The vision created can be used to implement strategies in your parish community. Parishioners can be invited to help implement change for the community.  

Here are a few comments about the pastoral council retreat day:

“Conversation in the Spirit was a high point for me, as it was new to me. I also enjoyed Vron’s talk as I learned many new things from it.”

“I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to other PPC members. I found using the Conversation in the Spirit very different to any previous methods and really enjoyed the whole day. Vron’s input along with Avril’s really helped me approach my role in a different way.”

“The day was generally well organised. I found the Conversation in Spirit a very effective tool for inclusive feedback, focus and reflection.”

“Congratulations to our 2024 cohort! St Columba’s, Chesham, St Barnabas Cluster, Milton Keynes, Ss Francis and Therese, Northampton and the North Bedford Catholic Community all have worked hard this year and have seen many fruits as a result. From adopting a spiritual approach to meetings, coming together and leading fundraising events, creating resources for parishioners to use, to celebrating the diversity of the parishes.”