Diocese issues an Excerpt Summary of Fit for Mission? Marriage

Bishop Patrick’s launch of Fit for Mission? Marriage couldn’t be more opportune in view of the media furore about Pope Benedict’s implicit re-iteration of the truth that pre-marital abstinence and marital fidelity are the best and truly human ways of protecting people from contracting HIV/AIDS. The Catholic vision of marriage – which fully preserves God’s plan for men and women – is truly life giving on so many levels of human existence.

The Diocesan document can be viewed here

(from the Diocesan website)

Parish Mergers 2009

Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue, Fifth Bishop of Lancaster after a fulsome consultation (Fit for Mission?) has issued the following Decrees of Merger to the communities concerned:

Effective date of merger: Low Sunday 2009

St Peter’s Cathedral, Lancaster & St Thomas More, Lancaster - St Peter’s Cathedral & St Thomas More Parish, Lancaster

Ss Thomas & Elizabeth, Thurnham & St Joseph, Galgate (Re-merge), - retain name

St Mary, Morecambe & Good Shepherd Torrisholme - The Good Shepherd & St Mary Parish, Morecambe

St Patrick Morecambe & Holy Family, Morecambe – St Patrick & Holy Family Parish, Morecambe

St William, Pilling & St Bernard, Knott End - St William & St Bernard Parish, Over Wyre

St John Vianney, Blackpool & St Monica, Blackpool - St John Vianney & St Monica Parish, Blackpool

Our Lady & St Bernard, Preston and Ss Peter & Paul, Preston- St Edmund Campion Parish, Preston

Christ the King, Milnthorpe & Our Lady of Lourdes, Arnside – The Catholic Parish of Milnthorpe & Arnside

St Columba, Barrow (Walney) & St Patrick, Barrow – St Patrick with St Columba, Barrow

St Joseph, Preston & St Teresa, Preston – St Joseph & St Teresa, Preston Effective date of merger: First Sunday of Advent

(from the Diocesan website)

Bishop O'Donoghue meets the Holy Father in Rome

At the close of the Papal General Audience on Wednesday 15th April Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue had the opportunity to present Pope Benedict XVI with his two groundbreaking documents – Fit for Mission? Schools and Fit for Mission? Church.

The Holy Father departed from the usual protocol and spent quite some time going through both documents with Bishop Patrick expressing his obvious delight at the wide-ranging scope of the work. The Holy Father and Bishop Patrick were joined by Mgr Georg Ganswein - Private Secretary to the Pope – and Archbishop James Harvey, Prefect of the Papal Household.

Bishop Patrick explained to Pope Benedict that these were diocesan documents that concentrated on fostering an authentic Catholic identity in our schools and a correct interpretation of the Second Vatican Council in our parishes. The Bishop stressed that the initiative was an attempt to encourage all to think clearly about what it is to be Catholic today.

He went on to say that the overall objective of Fit for Mission? was to propose practical ways of balancing continuity, in the life of faith, with change in the midst of an increasingly secular world.

Towards the end of their meeting the Holy Father thanked the Bishop for all his work of renewal in the Lancaster Diocese – a fitting acknowledgment of Bishop O’Donoghue’s fruitful 8 years of ministry as Shepherd of the Diocese.

Bishop Patrick also presented the Holy Father with a letter briefly introducing the third and final document in the Fit for Mission? series – Fit for Mission? Marriage : A Preparation Course, which was published by the Catholic Truth Society on the very same day as their meeting in St Peter’s Square.

Bishop O’Donoghue made the following comment:
‘I am so grateful for having the opportunity to personally explain to the Holy Father what we have being attempting to achieve through our Fit for Mission? initiative in the Diocese of Lancaster. His obvious interest and enthusiasm confirms me in my conviction that over the past two years – despite the difficulties and controversies – we have been on the right track, through the aid of the Holy Spirit.

(from the Diocesan website)

Fit for Mission? The Bishop’s Decisions

Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue has written his last pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Lancaster which can be found here. The Pastoral Letter contains the Bishops decisions for Fit For Mission?

Decisions for the Fleetwood Parishes are as follows;

The Parishes of St Mary, Fleetwood (Listed church), St Wulstan, Fleetwood, and St Edmund, Fleetwood (St Wulstan, Fleetwood presently linked with St Edmund Fleetwood)
Sunday/vigil Mass to continue at St Edmund, Fleetwood and the parish will remain linked with St Wulstan, Fleetwood – Mass will continue at St Edmund, Fleetwood for as long as the congregation there makes this arrangement sustainable.
Sunday/vigil Mass to continue at St Mary, Fleetwood and St Wulstan, Fleetwood. It is likely that there would be an eventual merger of the parishes of St Wulstan, Fleetwood, and St Edmund, Fleetwood, early in the next decade. Eventually, however, this new parish may need to merge with St Mary, Fleetwood, (Listed church) Collaboration between these three parishes must increase.

The Full version of the Pastoral Letter & the Bishops decisions can be found on the Diocesan website http://www.lancasterdiocese.org.uk/