The Bishops of The Society wish you all

a Happy and Holy Christmas.

At the 2016 Forward in Faith National Assembly the Right Revd Philip North, Bishop of Burnley spoke about The Future of Catholic Life in the Church of England  and began a consultation on the Mission Priorities of The Society for the next five years.   The proposed Mission Priorities can be read here.

What Do You Think?

We now need your views on these six priorities. You might like to think about the following questions:

• Do you agree that the six priorities are the right ones for the Catholic Movement for the next 5 years? If not, what would you change?

• Which is the most important of the six, and why?

• What would the implications of this mission strategy be for your parish?

• What should be our first steps in implementing this strategy?

• Do you have any other general comments about this mission strategy?

It would be good for parishes to have this conversation at a PCC meeting, and then return a Parish response. Alternatively, you could send in your own personal reflections. All feedback will be very much valued. Please send responses to feedback@forwardinfaith.com by Friday 27 January 2017.

With the encouragment of the Bishop of Newcastle, on Monday 5 December 2016 The Society in Diocese of Newcastle organized a Study Day on the Pope Francis' encyclical Evangelii Gaudium (the Joy of the Gospel).  The day was led by the Right Revd Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough, and the Right Revd Alison White, Bishop of Hull, and was attended by seventy clergy and laity from across the diocese.  This event was made possible through the generosity of The Newcastle upon Tyne Church of England Institute Trust and The Newcastle Diocesan Evangelism budget.

The Council of Bishops has issued a Pastoral Letter, which the bishops invite the clergy to read, and make available, in all of their churches on Sunday 4 December 2016.

Pastoral Letter 2016