Prayer at the heart of all we do

A man in his work clothes knelt with a rosary threaded through his fingers. Two children folded their hands beside their mother. Nobody spoke, and in the quiet you could hear the pages of a Bible turning. This was how Bishop Patrick McKinney chose to open his visit to the Sherwood deanery (a cluster of neighbouring parishes the diocese groups together). He began not with talk of plans, but with Adoration: quiet prayer before the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is Christ himself present with them.

About fifty people had gathered at Holy Trinity, Newark, from parishes across the Sherwood Deanery. One by one, parishioners stood to read short reflections while those gathered joined in prayer. When one person read about what it means to be a disciple, Elizabeth Sparks wanted a copy of it. “I feel that he’s launched us into the mission,” she said of the evening. “The readings were very inspiring.”

Ask Bishop Patrick why he begins each deanery visitation this way and his answer is simple. “Christ Jesus is the one that we follow,” he said. “That prayer is the beginning and prayer is the end of everything.”

Over two years, Bishop Patrick and his two Vicars General are visiting every deanery in turn. Sherwood is the third, after North and South Lincolnshire earlier in the year. Each parish in the deanery is visited on its own; it is an opportunity to affirm the good already happening and to encourage that parish towards its next steps in becoming more missionary. This year, every parish has been asked to take three such steps. “The visitations are a way in which I can draw close to each of the parishes and encourage them in all the good work that is happening,” the Bishop said.

Beneath the steps, the strategy and the support, the Bishop’s hope for these visitations is straightforward. “Most especially, I want every Catholic to know personally God’s love for them, and that love will transform them into his disciples.” The wider aim reaches outward. “The heart of it is helping our parishes, our diocese, to become more and more missionary, looking out to the people around us rather than simply looking inward.”

He has begun to notice more of what he calls green shoots. “The number of people, including young adults, are growing,” he said. “People are looking towards the Catholic Church to learn more about Catholicism.” He sees it, too, in church halls opening as warm spaces, offering a hot drink and, more than that, company. “One of the greatest diseases in our society at the moment is loneliness,” he said, “and people feeling that they’re just left to themselves.”

Elizabeth Sparks knows something about small beginnings. She helps with children’s liturgy and the choir, and this year she completed the Bethsaida course offered by the diocesan youth service (NDCYS) to equip and empower people to work with young people in their parish settings. Her three churches, in Newark, Southwell and New Ollerton, have recently become one parish, St Francis of Assisi. “We’ve got to work together much more closely now and explore and find out the talents within the different churches, and bring it all together,” she said.

Father Michael O’Donoghue, the Dean who hosted the evening, had a gentle word for the deaneries and parishes whose turn is still to come. “Just be. Be yourself,” he said. “Be happy with what you’ve done, and if you’ve got something to learn, be open to learning. In most people, there is a great fear about change but tonight has been a beautiful experience.”

The vision behind everything you’ve read here is set out in the diocese’s five-year mission plan, Go, Make Disciples. It takes about twenty minutes to read, with a shorter parish summary if you’d rather start there. You’ll find both at gomakedisciples.uk. And if you’re not sure where to begin, you can book a meeting with the Diocesan Adult Formation for Mission Department, who would be glad to help your parish shape its next step; email adult.formation@dioceseofnottingham.uk.