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Rescheduling Sunday Masses
across our communities
Following a series of discussions amongst our deanery clergy and leadership teams, a proposed new schedule of Sunday Masses was announced on the first weekend of October. Outlining draft proposals to the Leadership Team in mid-September, Fr Chris Bergin noted the background to the challenge and outlined the approach that the clergy have used in developing these proposals.
BACKGROUND
For the last couple of years, we have enjoyed the luxury of eleven resident priests serving our nine parishes (ten churches), but we have known for some time that the number of serving priests is set to reduce. As reported in the Deanery Newsletter in July, Fr Charles Howell is leaving Effingham & Fetcham shortly and the diocese has no plans to appoint a replacement, asking the local clergy to plan collectively how best to meet the sacramental and pastoral needs of these communities.
Additionally, Canon Provost Bill Davern at Epsom will next year reach the age where priests are expected to offer their resignation (although we are not saying he is due to go - in discussion with our new Bishop he may well agree to stay longer!) and Fr Michael Masterson at Leatherhead is already serving well past this point; the likelihood is that, within a few years, we will have to operate with no more than eight resident priests.
PROCESS
Our clergy met together at Dorking in June to identify how to approach this challenge, starting with the existing schedule of 28 Sunday Masses (including Vigil Masses), and then at Ashtead in July to consider an initial set of proposals. After taking time for reflection and discernment, they met again at Cobham in early September, after which draft proposals were shared with the Leadership Team. Further adjustments to the proposals were agreed ahead of publication.
Existing Mass Schedule: 28 Masses
Vigil Masses: 8 - 1 @ 5:30pm, 7 @ 6:00pm
Sunday morning Masses: 18 - 8:00am (1), 8:30am (6), 9:00am (2), 10:00am (3), 10:30am (4), 11:00am (2)
Sunday evening Masses: 2 - 1 @ 5:30pm, 1 @ 6:00pm
PRINCIPLES
To develop specific proposals, some principles were established:
• "We’re all in this together" – all our communities will work together to face the challenge and share the impact; it would be preferable to introduce the changes 'as a package', rather than have to make multiple alterations over the next few years.
• Priests should celebrate no more than 3 Sunday Masses each week (including Vigils on Saturday evenings); this is in line with the Canon Law of the Church.
• There should be 2 hours between the start-times of Masses to be celebrated by the same priest; this is to ensure time for both travel between churches and interaction with members of our communities.
• We should seek to preserve the primary relationships between priest, people and place, so communities should expect to be served regularly by the same priest(s).
To provide capacity for holidays, it was agreed that we should develop a schedule that could be supported by seven resident priests. It is hoped that assistance / cover from retired priests will continue to be available, but the base plan does not presume that this will always be possible. In discussions, it was also agreed that we should take the opportunity to introduce more variety into the timing of our services, to assist parishioners who will need to adjust their attendance in the light of these changes.
PROPOSED MASS SCHEDULE
Click on the button underneath each church for details of proposed changes
FURTHER WORK TO DO
It is hoped that the 8-week period between announcement and implementation will give local communities adequate time to plan all associated changes, such as rotas for welcomers, Eucharistic Ministers, musicians, readers and all those who support our eucharistic celebrations.
At their discussion in September, the Leadership Team also expressed the strong desire that local leadership teams should plan how to address other needs, such as how to support those who may need assistance to get to Mass at a different time or place, or how to manage increased demand on local car-parking facilities. The team will be discussing these and other related issues - including feedback from parishioners on the proposals - at its next meeting in October.
More announcements will cover weekday Mass arrangements for Effingham & Fetcham following Fr Charles' departure and, in due course, further discussion will be necessary to agree the schedule of Masses for Christmastide .
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