Bishop's Office
St Ambrose, North Road, Leigh Woods,
Bristol.
Tel 0117 973 3072 Fax 0117 973 5913
Clifton Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity No 233977
In November 1996 I issued a statement warmly welcoming the publication of the Report into the presence and activities of the Neo-Catechumenal Way in the Diocese of Clifton.
Since then I have studied the report into the activities of the NC Way in considerable detail; I have continued to make my own enquiries and take further advice; and I have prayed deeply about this matter. As Bishop of the Diocese of Clifton, my concern is for the pastoral welfare of the people in the parishes of the diocese as a whole. It concerns me greatly to see the division in the parishes of St Nicholas of Tolentino, Bristol, the Sacred Hearts, Cheltenham, and St Peter, Gloucester. It is incumbent on me as bishop to take a number of difficult but necessary steps in order to overcome these divisions and strive to restore unity.
The measures which I am implementing should not be seen as criticisms of the NC Way. They are designed to improve the situation for all the members of the parish family. I hope that they will result in more united parishes, capable of witnessing more effectively to the gospel in the community at large.
The Report I received was quite clear. While the N C Way has "helped (some) people back to the fold and renewed the faith of others ..... the Parish Communities as a whole have suffered". (4Vb)
I have always hoped for a spirit of cc-operation and mutual respect. However I regret to say that the NC Way has not been sufficiently flexible for this to come about. The needs of a few members of a parish community cannot, and must not, be seen as greater than the needs of flit parish community as a whole. It is this principle that is guiding my decisions.
I have reviewed the restrictions that I placed upon the NC Way in March 1994 and confirmed in 1995. Sadly these have not had the unifying effect I hoped for within the parishes. I am also conscious that the Report details catechetical methods and teaching practices which concern me greatly. Though some people who have followed the NC way have found great help in the meetings and way of prayer I have decided that the activities of the Neo-Catechumenal Way within the Diocese of Clifton must be brought to a conclusion, and have issued an Administrative Decree to this effect.
The Report I received was pastoral rather than theological, and it is in a spirit of pastoral concern that I have decided to appoint the Very Rev Canon Tom Curtis-Hayward to act as my delegate and oversee the pastoral care of those who formerly followed the NC Way. It is my hope that this appointment will help the former members of the NC Way to place their gifts and talents at the service of their parish and so build up the whole parish community with its many and diverse members.
The Report of the Enquiry team clearly states the respect in which the three Parish Priests involved are held by flit clergy of the Diocese and many of those who responded to the Enquiry also spoke highly of the three priests. However the Report spoke of the need for "a new start in each parish community". With this in mind I have therefore decided to implement a number of clergy moves within the Diocese and Canon Michael English and Fr Tony Trafford will, in a spirit of co-operation with me, be asked, together with other priests of the Diocese, to move to new pastoral situations within the Diocese. Canon Jerry' O'Brien has, under the requirements of Canon Law, already offered me his resignation as Parish Priest as he has now reached the age of 75. This decision is not a criticism of any of the priests involved. Rather I hope that they will find fresh pastoral opportunities in their new situations and continue to grow in their priesthood.
The Report also drew attention to the need for a greater commitment by the diocese to adult catechesis. I wish to affirm the centrality of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) to the catechetical process in the diocese and therefore wish to take measures to strengthen the RCIA and to ensure that it remains at the heart of our catechetical activities.
I have asked the Rev Kevin Mortimer to work with the new parish priests to establish a programme of Catechesis and Adult education in the 3 parishes involved. All members of the parish will be invited to join in this process of learning and deepening of faith, and I am sure that the former members of the NC Way will wish to share their particular experience of faith with the brothers and sisters. In turn I am sure that the wider parish community will wish to renew the bonds of friendship and communion which have, at times, been under great strain.
The position of the Neo-catechumenal Way within the Diocese of Clifton will continue to be a pastoral concern for me as Bishop. I therefore feel that it would be inappropriate for me to make any farther public comment on this matter. I will continue to seek the best way forward for the parish communities involved and would ask the prayers and support of everyone in the Diocese at this time.
Ends.
Rev Robert Corrigan
Diocesan Information Officer
Tel 0117 973 3072
29th January 1997
Statement issued by the Right Reverend Mervyn Alexander,
Bishop of Clifton,
concerning the presence and activities of the Neo-Catechumenal
Way
in the Diocese of Clifton.