Feedback from Living Stones Meeting

1. Feedback from Living Stones Meeting Held on Wednesday 29th March At Holy Trinity

2. The Parish Pastoral Team • PPT needs to be comprised of a representative from each of the parish groups. • One person from the PPT (Parish Pastoral Team) should attend each Open Deanery meeting and then each deanery should have the option to meet with the Bishop a couple of times a year to discuss concerns, views, ideas

3. What has changed? • The structure of the current PPT has drifted – we should share good practice advice with other parishes in the area and Deanery. It is time to get back to the grass roots to move forward and build it up again. • Previously all groups had a representative as did each geographical area of the parish i.e. Collingham, Balderton, Hawtonville etc. these representatives were known in the parish, so if you live in a certain area you knew who to speak to if you have concerns or you would like an issue raising with the PPT

4. What do we want to see? • PPT minutes – used to be in the porch after meetings haven’t seen any for a very long time – do they do it anymore? • STRONG PPT is needed and we need everyone feeding into it. • Picture that is up needs to be taken down and updated when PPT is properly in place • Would be best to start with a small number of people meeting regularly and then get more people involved

5. Where do we go from here? • Should the name be changed to show a re-birth/change i.e. Parish Pastoral Council, Parish Management Team etc. Might that encourage new people and a new sense of confidence? • Either a group leader or representative of each parish group should attend each PPT Meeting – people need to see it as part of their role in a group not just something they don’t need to worry about!! • T – together, E – everyone, A – achieves, M – more TEAM!

6. The Parish Structure • The structure of the parish including groups running in the parish should be re-publicised twice a year for new people coming into the parish. • Concern regarding the aging population that we have in society today and those who are ill – the care and inclusion of those people • It would be good for Fr Michael to have access to a group of people who could go visiting as he can’t cover everyone who would like to be visited

7. What do we want to see? • We should care for each other more • It was discussed that we could set up a group to go visiting, do shopping, run people to appointments • Set up would require CRB checks and training – again the feeling that this is all related to structure – if everyone knew what was happening in the parish it would make it easier • Need a network/structure of people setting up

8. What should we be doing? • We should be engaging with people who were once very active – must remember that we must be missionary – go out and approach people – needs to be a continuous thing, not just do it once and then not think about doing it again for 5+ years or until you reach crisis point. Preparation is vital – it was that link that brought people together. • Talk to non-involved Catholics

9. Parish Groups • Get a definitive list of the parish groups • Co-ordinate a list of every parish group and make sure there are contact and meeting details for each group • People don’t know what is happening in different groups in the parish – not aware of who is doing what (possible idea - HT NL corner for each group rotating? So can say what they are up to, when they are meeting next etc)

10. What is missing? • SVP and Lourdes group no longer exist in the parish how can we do something about it? • Active recruitment – ask people specifically to get involved. • Concern was voiced that the SVP and Eucharistic Ministers (EM) roles should be separate as currently the EM are doing a lot of what the SVP used to do. • There was a problem with national policy with the SVP – expectation of a large contribution from each local society, a worry of what that money was being put towards. • Currently also an issue with the CWL – a desire that funds raised locally should be used locally not just sent to the national headquarters

11. What have we done before? • Through the 2001 Mission, people came together in groups and got more involved in parish life through that experience, more the preparation that brought people together.

12. Volunteering • Use the personal approach, asking someone directly to be involved is more likely to have a positive response than asking generally for volunteers. Also ask people to bring friends along – was successful during the mission • Fr Michael should make a list of the jobs that he does which could be done by lay people and have some of the pressure relieved – if the parish structure can be sorted out again it will enable a better support system to be in place.

13. How do we get more people involved? • Things like this don’t need to be done at church they could happen in peoples homes – “meet people where they are, don’t expect them to come to you” • Is there someone in the Polish/Eastern European community who could step forward and help the parish to be more inclusive – have heard some of our Polish parishioners playing the organ and singing – could they be approached and encouraged to participate more in Masses at the weekend. Start breaking down barriers a bit more.

14. Website • Needs home page updating – there are events and news on there well out of date • Need to amend group listing on webpage as there are some missing and some there that don’t exist • Want a link to the Living Stones document so parishioners can easily access it through our website • Have Elsie’s story from Fr Michael’s 40th available and uploaded on the website, and the pictures of the old church • Website needs modernising and making more appealing to look at – look at other church sites for ideas

15. Other items for discussion • Parish priest numbers are declining - What can I/we do? • Concern was voiced about tying this in at local and wider levels – will things that happen at Diocesan level get imposed onto us, equally if we decide to make changes will they be sent up to the Diocese? • Holy Trinity is part of the Live Simply Parish Scheme

16. RCIA – HT was the only parish in the Deanery at the Rite of Election at the Cathedral this year – HT should share with the other parishes in the Deanery their RCIA programme to encourage other people to attend the courses throughout the Deanery • Living Stones is an opportunity to revitalise the parish • We should get to know each other more, when in groups/open parish meetings it would be nice to do a brief introduction - people assume everyone knows everyone.