Response to Called to Bear Fruit consultation published
The Archdiocese of Southwark has published its report on the Called to Bear Fruit consultation, which took place earlier this year
Thousands of parishioners across the Archdiocese of Southwark took part in the consultation, offering honest, hopeful and practical reflections on the life and mission of the Church in Southwark.
The consultation revealed a burning desire within our parishes to be missionary and evangelising disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, who work together to help people encounter His love.
There are clear challenges, which will take a unified effort to overcome, including changing demographics and fewer clergy, but the signs of hope are clear to see.
Engaging young people emerged as the most urgent priority for parishes, with a widespread recognition and desire for investment in youth activities, and placing young people at the heart of the Church’s mission.
The desire for laity and clergy to work together shone through, with a real willingness to take up the challenge of renewal so that we can continue to build vibrant parish communities that witness joyfully to the Gospel.
In his foreword for the report, Archbishop John Wilson said:
“Our task is not simply to change structures but to renew hearts, allowing Christ to draw us closer to Himself so that our parishes and Archdiocese become radiant with His presence. Our duty as Catholics is to be evangelising disciples, who are called to help those in our communities to encounter the Lord Jesus. But this also means we need to encounter the Lord Jesus in our own lives too, especially in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance. It is by placing this encounter with Christ at the centre of our lives and at the centre of our parishes that we will bear much fruit.
“As we move forward, several priorities are clear. We will continue to invest in our growing Southwark Youth Service, forming young people as missionary disciples. We will strengthen inter-parish collaboration across ministries and plan together how groupings of parishes might best serve our communities. We will also renew our Archdiocesan and parish structures so that the energy and creativity shown throughout this consultation can bear lasting fruit.
As part of the report, 15 action points have been identified as immediate next steps, forming the foundation for the next phase of renewal. This includes a new study guide - which will be published in due course - on the purpose of a parish. It is a guide to Pope Francis’ The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community. Other actions include the sharing of good practice from across the Archdiocese, ongoing formation and prayer for renewal.
This consultation marked the fourth stage of the Called to Bear Fruit process, which has included extensive engagement with clergy, a survey, deanery level consultations and lay consultation.
Throughout, the Called to Bear Fruit process has been one embarked on in the Synodal spirit, demonstrating the Archdiocese of Southwark’s commitment to journeying on the way together to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
The Archbishop extends his deep gratitude to Fr Stephen Langridge for his leadership, and to Georgia Clarke who worked with him, on making the Called to Bear Fruit process a fruitful initiative that offers hope for our Archdiocese.
In the meantime, Archbishop John said:
“...together, with faith and confidence, let’s build up the Body of Christ in Southwark, becoming ever more a community of missionary disciples filled with joy and hope for the future”.
The consultation report is being sent to every parish and is available to read online.
As an Archdiocese, we will continue to discern the process of renewal, and further updates will be provided in due course.
Thank you to everyone who took part, especially for sharing so openly your hopes for the life of the Church in our Archdiocese.
