Parish Development Resources

In response to the Diocesan Assesmbly of 2003, the Parish of St Francis embarked on a process of consultation with all Parishioners, culminating in a Parish Day (repeated in 2006). From this a Parish Model was developed - a framework for the on-going work of building our community. The following explains the process followed, along with links to the documents used.

The guiding principle of this process has been to involve the whole parish community as fully as possible in the proposal, discussion and adoption of ideas; and, therefore, much effort and consideration was given to making sure that communication between the parish, the Parish Council and the parish representatives to the Diocesan Assembly was thorough, detailed and two-way: the Assembly Reps and Parish Councillors spoke regularly at the end of Mass; every report and the minutes of all meetings are posted in the church; copies of reports (and versions in large type for the partially sighted) are also made available to anyone who requests one.

Events are listed most recent first:

October 2008

Parish Council Annual Report 2007/08

October 2007

Parish Council Annual Report 2006/07

October 2006

Second Parish Day held. Around 120 members of the parish attended - Parish Day 06 Report

Autumn 2006

Parish Council Annual Report 2005/06

Jan. 2005

Parish Councillors are currently reviewing how to assist the activities currently taking place within their areas of responsibility and how to facilitate the development of further activities which the parish identified as desirable and whether further consultation of parishioners will be advisable.

Sept. 2004

AGM held. Well-attended. Parish model approved by parish. New councillors elected.

Parish Council adopts model. Areas of responsibility are shared out.

April 2004

Parish Council approves proposed model (6. Parish Model).

Dec. 2003

Parish Council forms a new sub-committee to turn this prototype into a working model with detailed areas of responsibility for parish councillors and a setting guiding principles for operating within it.

Nov 2003

Parish Day is held. This is in effect a mini-Assembly. A programme of exercises is published for use by discussion groups in preparation for the day. This programme forms the core of the day’s activities (4. Resource Pack). 180 parishioners attend. There is a bring-and-share lunch. The day begins with a single parish mass rather than the usual three and ends with a short but powerful prayer service.

Its objectives:

to produce a broad consensus on the future direction and organisation of the parish;
to publicise and celebrate the current life of the parish;
to bring the parish together.

It’s achievements (5. Report on the Parish Day):

the parish identifies all the wide range of activities currently taking place which constitute the life of the parish;
it proposes areas for future development, with particular regard to the possible absence of a parish priest;
it develops a model of parish life on which subsequent organisation will be based.

Oct. 2003

Sub-committee produces plan with timetable for necessary actions (2. Parish Action Plan).

A census is taken of the whole parish (3. Parish Questionnaire).

Its aims:

to identify what individual parishioners can offer the parish
what they need
what they see as the most pressing concern for the parish

Sept. 2003

Assembly Representatives report back to the Parish and Parish Council from The Diocesan Assembly (1. Diocesan Assembly).

Parish Council sets up sub-committee to produce a plan for implementing the findings of the Assembly.