The Spirit of East Anglia

The Spirit of East Anglia Reflections on our diocese in the Year of Faith

‘We will see and we will love ... not because we will be able to possess the light, but because we will wholly enter into that light.’

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The Spirit of East Anglia

The Spirit of East Anglia Reflections on our diocese in the Year of Faith Contents Foreword Introduction: the Spirit of East Anglia The characteristics of our diocese The history of our diocese Diocesan structure Map of parishes and schools The life of our community: parishes The life of our community: schools The life of our community: ongoing formation The life of our community: safeguarding The life of our community: prayer Reaching out: care for those in need Reaching out: prisoners Reaching out: hospitals Reaching out: seafarers Reaching out: justice and peace Reaching out: ecumenism Reaching out: beyond East Anglia Conclusion

Foreword In these early days of my ministry in the diocese, I have been deeply impressed by the vibrant life of our communities reflected in this account of ‘the Spirit of East Anglia’. It shows how the diocese has continued, during the Year of Faith, to respond to the call to proclaim the Gospel and to allow the inspiration and teaching of the Second Vatican Council to develop in our mission.

I am grateful to all those who have sent in their reflections and taken part in writing the document and advising on its content. I hope it will give everyone affirmation and encouragement as we work together to enter more deeply into our encounter with God in Jesus Christ and to offer witness to the possibility of a world transformed by faith, hope and love.

Bishop Alan Hopes

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Introduction: the Spirit of East Anglia

The characteristics of our diocese

‘The wind blows where it wills. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from, or where it is going. So is it with all those who are born of the Spirit.’

(John 3:8)

There is the sea, with its inlets and wide horizons; expanses of farmland; forest, fen, rivers, the Broads, ports, villages, towns and cities. The numbers employed in agriculture and fishing are now relatively small, but the understanding of the sea and countryside and the ability to live in both solitude and interdependence are still detectable in our communities.

The main urban centres are Norwich, Ipswich, Peterborough, and Cambridge, but areas such as the North Norfolk coast see a

Christians. The recent immigration of Catholics from Eastern Europe, Portugal, India and the Philippines has increased our numbers, and around 100,000 Catholics now form about 4% of the population.

The Mother Church of the diocese is the magnificent neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Our diocese covers the area of Norwich, built by the 15th Duke of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire Norfolk, Henry Fitzalan-Howard and Peterborough: the core of East with the architect George Gilbert Anglia. The climate, the open Scott Junior. It is believed to have skies, the relative isolation of many been the largest parish church in communities have formed a England until it became the people of determination and cathedral of the new diocese of independence, who work together East Anglia in 1976. In the Middle for their survival and Ages, Norwich was the development, adapting to the second city of England conditions as required. The and the centre of one of strength of the winds What would you be, you wide East Anglian sky, its most affluent and which blow across this Without church towers to recognise you by? influential areas, and part of England brings to What centuries of faith in flint and stone contains many ancient mind the power of the Wait in this watery landscape, all alone churches as well as the Holy Spirit, which swept mediaeval cathedral, through the windows to To antiquaries, ‘objects of research’; now the centre for the empower the renewal To the bored tourist ‘just another church’.

Anglican diocese of initiated by the Second The varied Norfolk towers could also be Norwich.

Vatican Council and has A soothing sight to mariners at sea. continued to inspire the (John Betjeman) Within our area there are people of our diocese three more Anglican since the death of Bishop dioceses with their Cathedrals in Michael Evans in 2011 great influx of visitors during the Bury St Edmunds, Ely and and during the Year of Faith. holiday season. East Anglia Peterborough. Peterborough has continues to be a major base for a growing multi-ethnic The challenge of being without a the Royal Air Force, the Army and population, including large bishop was considerable, but the the United States Air Force. numbers of Muslims. trust, determination and courage of Fr David Bagstaff and the diocesan The colleges of Cambridge consultors ensured that everything Within this large geographical was in place for the proclamation area, there is a small proportion of University give a unique dimension to the city, as well as a of the gospel to continue Catholics compared with other range of academic expertise, and powerfully. This booklet celebrates parts of the country, due to the the University of East Anglia has some of the innumerable ways in history of the area since the which this has been achieved and, Reformation. This has encouraged become one of the major we hope, may serve to share ‘good among Catholics both a tenacious universities in the country during the fifty years since its practice’ and offer ideas for further fidelity to Catholic faith and a real foundation. development. openness to sharing with other

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The Diocese of East Anglia is home to England’s National Shrine of Our Lady. The mediaeval shrine in Walsingham was destroyed in 1538, and pilgrimages ceased until the establishment of the Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in 1897 at the new Catholic Church in Kings Lynn. This nourished a rekindling of devotion and in 1934 the Slipper Chapel at Walsingham was designated as the National Shrine. The Bishop of East Anglia is entrusted with its overall care and direction and since 1968, its day-to-day management has been the responsibility of the Marist Fathers.

Walsingham is an ancient place of pilgrimage. The first chapel was built around 950 years ago and by the 13th century it had become the pre-eminent place of pilgrimage to Our Lady in England. The earliest written records of Walsingham remind us that it is a perpetual memorial to the great joy of the Annunciation of the Lord.

Though a medieval pilgrim would still recognise some landmarks in present-day Walsingham there are have been enormous changes, especially since the Second Vatican Council. Recent popes have continued to stress the great value of pilgrimages.

World Youth Days and other large

gatherings have had an enormous influence on faith and practice and more and more young people are now coming to Walsingham. The focus of a pilgrimage tends no longer to be devotion to an image or a relic, prayer for healing or the gaining of an indulgence. Instead, the grace is found through the journey itself, symbolising the journey through life.

Pope Benedict reminded us that shrines are often places of conversion which ‘bring together a growing number of pilgrims and religious tourists, some of whom are in complicated human and spiritual situations,

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somewhat distant from living the faith and with a weak ecclesial affiliation’. The presence of the shrine at Walsingham makes a powerful contribution to evangelisation.

Responsibility for the National Shrine may appear daunting for a small diocese like East Anglia but the spirituality of the Annunciation is fundamentally about complete reliance on God’s grace. ‘Living religion is conversion or it is nothing at all’ (Bernard Lonergan sj).

Walsingham remains a great centre of conversion in a unique ecumenical setting; a gift to the whole Church tended by the love and faith of the people of our diocese.

The history of our diocese The origins of our diocese can be traced back to the seventh century, when St Felix, a missionary from Burgundy, was sent to East Anglia and became the first Bishop of the East Angles. This largely pagan people were receptive to the gospel and Christianity was quickly established. There followed many other saints and mystics; St Fursey, who supported St Felix; St Etheldreda, abbess of Ely in the seventh century; St Edmund, the ninth century king and martyr; St Walstan, a lay farmworker in the early 11th century declared a saint by popular demand; Lady Richeldis, in the 11th century,

whose vision led to the establishment of the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham; and Julian of Norwich, the 14th century mystic whose writings have encouraged many to be sure that ‘all will be well’. Several of the 16th century martyrs, such as Henry Walpole, Robert Southwell, Henry Morse, Thomas Tunstall and Philip Howard were born or brought up in East Anglia, but during the 17th century Puritanism flourished and the Catholic faith was maintained by only a handful of families. It was these families, and sometimes individuals within them, who were responsible for the eventual establishment of many of our Catholic parishes.

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East Anglia was a part of the Diocese of Northampton until it was established as a separate diocese in 1976 by the Papal Decree ‘Quod Ecumenicum’, with Alan Clark as its first Bishop.

Bishop Clark worked very hard to establish the identity and cohesion of the new diocese. He was succeeded in 1995 by Bishop Peter Smith, whose pastoral wisdom and insight affirmed clergy and laity alike. On his appointment as Archbishop of Cardiff in 2001, he was succeeded

by Bishop Michael Evans. Bishop Michael’s Diocesan Pastoral Plan addressed the key priorities identified in consultation with consultors, clergy and lay people and it was implemented with great energy and enthusiasm. He wrote in 2009 ‘We have no reason to be down-hearted or fearful for the future. There are challenges to face, but overall the diocese is blessed with vibrant parishes served by dedicated priests, and we move forward together knowing that Christ is with us and that his Spirit is among us.’ His

courage during his illness exemplified that knowledge and gave inspiration to many.

Diocesan structure The diocese has 50 parishes, with additional Mass centres, which are gathered into eight deaneries.

Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ipswich, King’s Lynn, Norwich, and Peterborough deaneries are formed of the parishes around the towns; North Norfolk and Coastal deaneries cover most of the coastal areas of Norfolk and part of Suffolk.

There are 31 Catholic schools, most of which are voluntary aided, with a few academies and independent schools; one primary and one secondary school are ‘inter-church’ schools, run jointly with the Anglican diocese. There are many hospitals and prisons in the diocese, and four universities, all of which are provided with chaplaincy support by parish priests, deacons and lay people, in some cases as a full-time role.

The diocese is served by 52 active Diocesan priests, 30 priests of religious orders and 36 deacons. In recent years four young men have been ordained priest and two students have begun their training. There are over 100 religious sisters, nuns and brothers in the diocese, making an essential contribution to parish work and other ministries.

Many lay people work for the diocese, on an employed or voluntary basis. At Diocesan level, the staff at the administrative centre at the White House, Poringland, deal with Finance, Schools, the Marriage Tribunal, the Youth Service, Communications, and Safeguarding. There are a range of agencies and commissions covering particular aspects of the work of the diocese, such as Justice and Peace, Dialogue and Unity, Evangelisation, Marriage and Family Life, Liturgy, and Social Concern, which depend on the contribution of lay people.

Cambourne

Papworth

Bar Hill

St. Ives

High Schools

Primary Schools

Rural Mass Centres

Ely

Haverhill

Sawston

Clare

Kirtling

Sudbury

Hadleigh

Coldham Cottage

Brantham

Acle

Woodbridge Felixstowe

Southwold

Pakefield

Lowestoft

Gorleston

Great Yarmouth

Caister-on-Sea

Aldeburgh

Beccles

Gillingham

Leiston

Framlingham

Halesworth

Harleston

Bungay

Loddon

Poringland

Kesgrave

Stowmarket

Ipswich (5)

Woolpit

Great Barton

Quidenham

Diss

Attleborough

Wymondham

Hoveton

North Walsham

Norwich (3)

Aylsham

Cromer

Sheringham

Costessey

Fakenham

Walsingham

Thetford

Cavendish

Bury St. Edmunds

Mildenhall

RAF Lakenheath

Brandon

Watton

Blakeney Wells-next-the-Sea

East Dereham Swaffham Downham Market

Cambridge (3)

Ditton

Newmarket

Chatteris

March

Parishes (number in towns and cities)

St. Neots

Buckden

Huntingdon

Sawtry

Ramsey

Peterborough (3) Whittlesey

Bretton

Wisbech

Dersingham

Burnham Market

Kings Lynn

Hunstanton

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The life of our community: parishes Catholic communities in the diocese are widely spread and the diminishing number of clergy mean that the involvement of lay people is essential for the Church to flourish. The document ‘Lumen Gentium’ notes that the Holy Spirit ‘distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank.

By these gifts he makes them fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church.’

(LG 8, 12) I was reflecting recently on the difference in lay involvement in parish life now compared with 35 years ago when I was first ordained. Then, not even the curates knew how much was in the collection and the laity, although involved to some extent, were not really in the thick of things when it came to decisions about the

direction of parish life. In fact those words would have been greeted with some incredulity.

The rector of our seminary used to talk to us students about the word ‘enable’. It was a Second Vatican Council concept which was a key word in how to be a priest.

These days I think of the parish priest’s role as that of an orchestra conductor. We don’t want everyone to play the drums and we want the noise created to be pleasant. We really are all gifted differently and when let loose most people surprise themselves, and the rest of the parish, by what can be achieved.

Our parish has an open forum five times a year. All aspects of parish life are discussed and everyone is invited to attend. Meetings normally attract between 20 and 30 parishioners. It is often clear from the discussion what should be done in the areas of catechesis,

liturgy, building maintenance, finance, social and pastoral life.

Sometimes kites are flown and imaginations are allowed to soar.

My way of being a parish priest has always been to say ‘yes’ unless there’s a good reason to say ‘no’.

Let’s start a young people’s Mass, a Mass for mothers and pre-school children, etc etc. Why not! Let’s try it and if it proves to be popular, so much the richer parish life becomes. If it doesn’t work, let’s try something else.

A lively parish will run into a conflict situation once in a while where there are two distinct approaches to what should (or shouldn’t) be done. I have found that as long as the focus is on the matter in hand and not on the personalities involved, resolutions can be found. Not everyone will be happy but, accepting that we won’t always get our way and with good will all round, we can emerge as a unified parish.

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The involvement of lay people in leadership is also evident in parishes which have worked hard to create new identities as a result of ‘sharing’ a parish priest. In cases like this, the parish ‘offers an outstanding example of community apostolate, for it gathers into a unity all the human diversities that are found there and inserts them into the universality of the Church’ (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, 1965, 10).

With ‘Father’ at the centre of our parish family we are in safe hands. He arranges everything for us, tells us what to do and when to do it. And we are comfortable.

The news breaks that he is to leave us and that there is not another standing in the wings eager to take his place. Then we go through the classic stages of grief.

Denial – ‘they are just trying to scare us’ – ‘of course there will be another priest, whoever heard of a parish without a priest?’

Anger – ‘this can’t be right, we are a good parish…we are the oldest catholic church in the area, they can’t abandon us.’

Bargaining – we have the school . . . the graveyard . . . we are good people . . .

Depression – ‘Are we not valued’ – ‘will the church close?’

Acceptance – then we remember all that we have been taught by all the priests we have known. We accept, of course, that we can’t do everything but just as importantly we realise that we can do some things for ourselves.

Certain things were easier than others.

We continued to care for our church, its beautiful grounds, the now empty house, the accounts, the music, sacristy, flowers, cleaning, eucharistic ministry, children’s liturgy and catechesis. And our deacon was still there, a very important constant in our lives, a promise of continuity; he answered all the phone calls – the calls for help from the sick, from the dying, from the worried; he was there for the baptisms, weddings and funerals.

The strength of the parish is its friendships, the sense of belonging. If we stopped meeting each other, getting to know each other, caring for each other, then we stopped being a parish. So we carried on celebrating our friendships at the barbecue, the international dinner, the harvest supper, and Sunday by Sunday when we gathered in the gardens after Mass for tea and a chat.

Spiritually – this was certainly the most

difficult. Our bishop challenged us to imagine ourselves in the position of many Catholics around the world who rely on visiting priests who would come to say Mass for them every few months. During a visit from our twinned parish in Cambodia, Bishop Kike told us a moving story of his meeting with an old Khmer lady who reached out her hand to him, showing him her worn rosary. During their terrifying years in hiding from the Khmer Rouge she had clung to this rosary, her most precious possession, and she had used this to hold together her community, until, years later, the priests came again and they could rebuild their church.

Could we rise to this challenge to take a more active part in the life of our church? We had a breadth and depth to our spiritual heritage that we did not want to lose. This, we realised, was where we could find our place.

Morning and evening prayer, Stations of the Cross, May devotions, October rosary – the calendar and rhythm of the church. We try to involve many different groups in ‘leading’ these services, the prayer group, the Union of Catholic Mothers, our musical director and our children; they each bring their own experiences . . . Maybe we are more understanding now of how much our priests do for us and I hope we are more open to playing our part.

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The relatively recent establishment of our diocese means that the spirit of East Anglia, where, as in the county of Norfolk, we ‘do things different’, has not been confined by particular traditions or cultures. In many areas, there has been a continuing tradition of welcoming ‘incomers’ from many different parts of the United Kingdom and from other countries. Our parish communities include some which are now multi-ethnic, where much effort has been made to ensure integration and to celebrate the diversity of people’s cultures. As the Council document ‘Lumen Gentium’ makes clear,‘the one People of God is present in all the nations of the earth since its citizens, who are taken from all nations, are of a kingdom whose nature is not earthly but heavenly’ (para 13).

Our parish serves a community of rural villages and rapidly expanding urban residential areas. The presence of a university hospital and nursing homes has increased the ethnic mix, and there is a large Filipino

community within the parish. A couple of years ago, a Filipino priest set up several Filipino choirs, one of which is now well-established in the parish.

When this began, some of the Filipino community were regular attenders at the parish Mass but many just attended monthly Filipino Masses.

While British and Filipino culture and customs are different, the common ‘language’ was music, and it was agreed to invite the Filipino choir to sing at the parish Mass on one Sunday each month, along with the ‘resident’ choir and instrumentalists. It was made very clear that both choirs were open to everyone, and no-one should be discouraged from taking part in parish music. The Filipino choir learned English Mass settings and hymns, and the regular congregation was introduced to Mass settings by Filipino composers, adapted for English words.

This practice is now well established.

Ma y parishioners have benefited from Filipino devotion and vitality.

Now that they feel accepted within the parish, more Filipinos attend Mass regularly, and play a full role in parish life and social events. By popular request, the Filipino choir and instrumentalists provide the music for the parish’s first holy communion celebrations. If a parish wants to integrate its communities and has a strong musical tradition, music really can act as a universal language.

There have been two new churches completed recently, at Diss and Haverhill, and work is continuing on a large extension to the church at Clare Priory. This reflects both the energy of the communities which have given these developments their support, and the focus on good celebration of liturgy. ‘It is through the liturgy that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 2).

Awareness of the importance of liturgy in the building up of

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community, as well as for individual spiritual development, has continued to grow. The liturgy is ‘the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10).

The liturgy of the Chrism Mass has been developed after much discussion by the Diocesan Liturgy Commission, and its music is led by two Commission members. Since the establishment of the diocese, the Chrism Mass has become a real focus for the diocese, providing clear evidence of the communion across a diverse range of parishes.

The Cathedral provides a superb venue for this and many other great liturgical celebrations, fulfilling its role as the mother church of the diocese. Its size means that people from all parts of the diocese can be welcomed for events such as the celebration of the opening of the Year of Faith, when 200 schoolchildren joined a huge congregation for Mass. The opening of the Narthex has made a great contribution to these celebrations with the warm hospitality offered by the team of volunteers.

Individual parishes have also developed liturgies which express and support their communion.

Our parish is vibrant and diverse – we have groups of families from Poland, Kerala, Zimbabwe, other African countries, from the Philippines and Argentina, who bring the richness of their own tradition and culture to our community life. The invitation from Pope Francis to join him in Eucharistic adoration on the feast of Corpus Christi challenged us to think creatively about how to reflect this richness in our liturgical life.

We decided to prepare four altars as ‘stations’ for our procession, representing cultures from across the world, each decorated according

to a different national tradition. As the Blessed Sacrament was placed upon each altar, we were drawn into humble adoration as each group sang praise in their own native language. First communicants led the way, the young and not so young gathered around and the grounds of our beautiful church were alight not just with the glorious sunshine of the afternoon but with the joy of the presence of Jesus in our midst.

This will certainly become an annual celebration for our parish as we continue to proclaim Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist - the heart of our faith and the centre of our parish life.

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The life of our community: schools St Bede, in his ‘Ecclesiastical History’, says that St Felix started a school in East Anglia ‘where boys could be taught letters’. Our Catholic schools provide many of our children and young people with the opportunity to receive an education which is integrated with their faith. The Second Vatican Council says that a Catholic school has ‘an atmosphere animated by the gospel spirit of freedom and

charity; it helps the young to combine personal development with growth as the new creatures that baptism made them; in the end, it makes the message of salvation the principle of order for the whole of human culture, so that the knowledge which pupils gradually acquire of the world, of life, and of human nature, is enlightened by faith’ (Gravissimum educationis, 8).

In our diocese, we are privileged to have a community of schools that give devoted and constant witness

to the love of Christ. There are 31 schools, providing education for more than 10,500 pupils and students aged from four to eighteen, supported by 1400 teachers and support staff. We are very much part of the diocesan family and we work closely together, with our parishes, to serve the diocese as a whole.

We believe that the role of the Catholic school is pivotal to the mission of the Church. We seek to witness to the Gospel to everyone within the school, members of staff,

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visitors, the children and their families, whatever their faith backgrounds. Our schools are built on a foundation of respect, care, love and commitment, with Christ at the centre. We celebrate this richness not just in our Eucharist, prayer life and liturgies, but every day in our interactions, in play, in supporting children growing up and in the time spent learning together. Our schools can often be the starting point for vocations to many aspects of life, including the priesthood and the religious life.

Now, more than ever before, we welcome Catholic pupils from other parts of Europe and the world; this has brought great diversity, cultural richness and deeper understanding to our communities. Most of our pupils are Catholic, but we have always been fortunate to have room to offer places to other Christian children or children of other faiths from families who wish to educate their children in a faithfilled environment. Our schools work hard to ensure that everyone is included in all activities and opportunities. We encourage children to embrace the wider world with an informed understanding of difference, as well as a commitment to developing their own faith.

Our witness extends into the wider community. Our schools are recognised as having high standards of learning and promoting strong ethical and moral values. We seek to have the courage to witness by the way that we live

our lives. Our children and young people often have a great depth of spirituality and a simplicity of faith that is a joyous and humbling experience for those adults working with them, for their families and for all those they meet.

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The life of our community: ongoing formation Education in our faith must not end with the end of school years. The diocese ensures the support of students through its provision of chaplains to further and higher education institutions.

Many people in the diocese work hard to ensure that young people can participate in the life of the church. East Anglia is regularly represented at World Youth Day by a group of young people, and this year was one of only four dioceses in the country to send young people to Rio.

Words can’t describe how amazing it’s been in Rio ... the sheer number of teenagers and young people who are active in their faith renews our faith and gives us confidence in our faith ... my personal reaction ... I feel so much closer to God and so much more comfortable sharing my faith with my friends.

Many other young people are actively involved in more local events. One of the highlights this year has been the Ignite Youth Festival, organised by the Diocesan Youth Service.

For ‘Ignite’ this year, inspired by Pope Benedict calling for a Year of Faith, we

took the theme ‘Celebrating the Year of Faith – not just word or speech but in truth and action’, based on 1 John 3:18. Around 50 young people from all over the diocese came to Sacred Heart School in Swaffham for the event. Speakers talked on how living our faith is what can bring us true happiness, and on the challenge of being a Catholic at university. There were workshops on ‘Finding your vocation’, ‘God gave rock and roll to you’ (hearing God speak through pop music), ‘A brush with God’ (prayer through art) and ‘A taste of Taize’.

After a barbecue supper, we had a concert with the Christian mime artist Steve Murray, a beautifully reflective Taize prayer around the Cross, and a

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concert by a Christian rap artist. The weekend ended with a joyful, yet moving, celebration of Mass.

We hope that the enthusiasm evident in these events will continue to ‘be penetrated with the spirit of Christ ...’ so that ‘a very rich harvest can be expected from it’ (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, 12).

Day meetings with high quality speakers have been provided as part of the adult education programme, focussing this year on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. Those seeking more structured study can follow a course leading to the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies.

The Diocesan Celebration Mass for Marriage and Family Life attracts more people every year, with 50 certificates presented this year to those celebrating the arrival of a new baby or a significant wedding anniversary. The Commission for Marriage and Family Life has encouraged the development of parenting courses and produced a Marriage Preparation policy. The diocese obtained funding for a paid Marriage and Family Life Coordinator. An important aspect of work relating to marriage is that of the Marriage Tribunal, which can support those who are in difficulties with their relationship and often enable their full communion with the Church to be restored.

The life of our community: safeguarding All communities experience the sadness of recognising sinfulness in their own lives, the effects of this on innocent people and the need for urgent action to address it. ‘There is a growing awareness of the sublime dignity of the human person, who stands above all things and whose rights and duties are universal and inviolable ... There is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbour of every person ... and to come to his or her aid in a positive way.’ (Gaudium et spes, 26, 27.) The work of safeguarding is an illustration of the absolute commitment of the diocese to fulfilling this duty.

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I have been the Diocesan Safeguarding Coordinator for just over a year and I have been deeply impressed with the positive response to safeguarding across the diocese and with the unstinting hard work and dedication of our Diocesan personnel. Safeguarding can be a complex and sometimes difficult area of work but when we work together as a team we can accomplish great things! I think the following two stories illustrate this and also demonstrate that with courage and effective communication we can make a real difference to people’s lives and help to make our parishes and communities safer.

In the first example, a parish priest noticed that an individual member of his congregation appeared to be interacting with children in a way that was causing concern. The priest shared this information with me in confidence, which enabled me to carry out relevant enquiries to check on the individual’s background, and to visit him with the police and set up a covenant of care. Since then, the priest has been in regular contact with me and, together with his very able parish safeguarding representative, has continued to manage a difficult situation, whilst respecting the rights and dignity of individual members of his congregation.

The second example showed excellent team work between another parish priest, the parish safeguarding representative and a parish volunteer, who together identified a challenging situation

involving a vulnerable older woman who appeared to be in difficulties after a relative had taken control of her finances. They referred the matter to me so that I could make some relevant enquiries and refer the matter on to the appropriate agencies. This has led to a positive outcome.

The life of our community: prayer The diocese would have no life at all without the commitment to prayer which is at the heart of our communion with God and one another, and the means by which the Kingdom grows. We are part of a strong tradition of spirituality, from the contemplative writings of Julian of Norwich to the devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham. There are religious orders, such as the Carmelites at Quidenham, clergy and lay people for whom prayer is a way of life. Parishes provide opportunities for lectio divina, for saying the divine office in common, and for praying the rosary and experiencing prayer based on the Taize approach.

One way of prayer which has found new expression in the diocese in the Year of Faith is that which acclaims the power of the Holy Spirit.

For many years the Diocesan Service Team has supported prayer groups and put on Renewal days.

For these days – three per year - we organise an inspirational speaker who gives a morning and afternoon talk, a music group for the praise and worship, a priest for Mass (often the speaker),

confession and Adoration. The days attract people from a range of Christian churches, so it is also an occasion to socialise and share during break times. These days are very popular with the more mature as there are no facilities for families with young children. For this reason we were prompted to re-think how we could serve this younger and vitally important sector of the community who, after all, are the future of the Church.

The Holy Spirit guided us towards the idea of putting on a ‘Celebrate’ weekend. These weekends have a great community feel about them because they make provision for the whole family, with sound teaching and inspiration for young and old alike. To organise one of these weekends, particularly for the first time, took a huge amount of trust. After 18 months of prayer and preparation we were amply rewarded. The weekend, held at the lovely venue of St Benedict’s School in Bury St Edmunds, chosen for its centrality in the diocese, was a resounding success. Of the 220 delegates who attended 80 were young church members between one and 22 years of age.

Many commented that the joy and enthusiasm was so tangible, and also that they could sense the Spirit’s activity and presence moving among the delegates during the weekend.

There are several retreat houses and centres of spirituality in the diocese, such as the Retreat and Prayer Centre at Clare Priory and the St Claret Retreat Centre at Buckden.

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the chance to talk through things in confidence and discuss options, and, where appropriate, suggest other sources of support or professional advice. This service is made known through posters and the parish newsletter, and a mobile telephone number and email contact details are provided.

Reaching out: prisoners It is easy for those of us who do not have direct experience of work in prisons to forget the real need of prisoners for spiritual and practical support.

Reaching out: care for those in need The Council document ‘Gaudium et Spes’ says, ‘Today there is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbour of every person and ... to come to that person’s aid in a positive way’ (27).

The Diocesan Commission for Social Concern manages the St Edmund’s Fund, which provides support for those in need. Many of our parishes are involved in working, often through the Society of St Vincent de Paul or with those of other Christian traditions, to

support those in need in their local areas with initiatives such as night shelters and food banks.

One parish has set up a support group whose members offer ‘to be alongside any parishioner who is experiencing any sort of difficulty and who would appreciate the opportunity to talk to someone about it’. This includes people new to the area wanting local information, those who are lonely, depressed or recently bereaved, carers who need support, and those in financial difficulties.

Support group members provide

There are ten prisons and detention centres in our diocese, some for high risk prisoners and some open prisons for those nearing release.

Provision for prison chaplaincy may not be widely publicised, but it is a jewel in the crown of the diocese. Chaplains include priests, deacons, religious and lay people, often volunteers, working cooperatively to live out Christ’s words ‘I was in prison and you visited me’. These teams offer the Sacraments, support and hope to some very vulnerable people when they need to be challenged in order to change their lives. When they feel isolated from their families and when society has turned its back on them, the chaplains are there to bring them encouragement.

Many prisoners find their way back to faith and many others discover God for the first time. In the long term, the chaplaincy service can help those deprived of freedom to accept their punishment, and also to find something positive within their prison experience which may help some to become better citizens.

The Spirit of East Anglia

Reaching out: hospitals ‘In a special way those who are weighed down by poverty, infirmity, sickness and other hardships should realise that they are united to Christ, who suffers for the salvation of the world.’ (Lumen Gentium, 41.)

When the NHS was established in 1948, hospital authorities were advised that they ‘should give special attention to provide for the spiritual needs of both patients and staff’. This was understood to include the provision of a chapel and the appointment of chaplains ‘from more than one denomination ... made in consultation with appropriate Church Authorities’.

The diocese has always seen care for the sick as an essential part of its mission and ministry. ‘“Heal The Sick!” The Church has received this charge from the Lord and strives to carry it out by taking care of the sick as well as accompanying them with her prayer of intercession.’

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1509) The diocese provides a chaplaincy service to fifty hospitals and hospices across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. There

are no full time chaplains, and all priests and deacons come from parishes. Some are employed parttime by the NHS but many, especially in the smaller hospitals and in hospices, provide a voluntary service.

Many sick pilgrims have the opportunity of joining the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, which is organised on a yearly basis and provides great encouragement and inspiration to the sick and to those who care for them.

Reaching out: seafarers The lengthy coastline of East Anglia is full of natural beauty.

The world of the sea also brings challenges, and these are experienced most intensely by those whose work involves long periods at sea. The support of port chaplains and visitors from, for example, the Apostleship of the Sea is an essential ministry.

The Apostleship of the Sea is both a mission and welfare outreach of the Church, providing help to all seafarers regardless of colour, creed or nationality. It works closely with its ecumenical

partners ... Those who work on the ships that bring to our country so many of the goods that we take for granted are among the poorest people and are separated from their families for long periods.

They deserve all the support, hospitality and care we can give them during their short stays in our ports between trips.

Reaching out: justice and peace There is a growing awareness in the diocese of issues in the wider and global communities and agencies like CAFOD are well supported. A number of parishes have achieved Fairtrade status and one holds the ‘Livesimply’ award. The Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission holds an overview of activities at the local level and beyond, and provides a forum for sharing experience and encouragement to action on specific issues. It organises days of recollection and an annual conference for the whole diocese, most recently a day of learning, action and prayer about ‘Water’, its fundamental importance to life and the challenges to its availability in so many areas.

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The Spirit of East Anglia

Reaching out: ecumenism The relatively small proportion of Catholics in East Anglia has led to a keen awareness of the importance of communication and collaboration with other Christian churches. In 1964, the Decree on Ecumenism of the Second Vatican Council stated,‘Today, in many parts of the world, under the influence of grace of the Holy Spirit, many efforts are being made in prayer, word and action to attain that fullness of unity which Jesus Christ desires. The sacred Council exhorts, therefore, all the Catholic faithful to recognise the signs of the times and to take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism.’ (Unitatis Redintegratio, 4.)

Following the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church became a major contributor to the ecumenical movement. Soon after the establishment of the Diocese of East Anglia in 1976, Bishop Alan

Clark, who was deeply involved in ecumenical conversations nationally, set up an Ecumenical Commission to advise him on matters of local ecumenism. Over the years, this commission has organised a number of diocesan study days to keep people in the diocese in touch with ecumenical developments and to encourage local ecumenical working.

Increasing queries about inter-faith and inter-religious matters led to the establishment of a subcommittee to give these particular attention and to the renaming of the commission as the Commission for Dialogue and Unity. A practical outcome of this change was the sponsoring of a travelling exhibition on world religions, which was made available across the diocese.

In East Anglia the degree of cooperation between the churches

is very positive. In parts of the area there is a continuing demand for new townships to be built on green field sites and members of the commission have been involved, along with representatives of other churches, in the delivery of church centres in the new developments.

The Church Centre at Cambourne is one such example, where a building has been provided for worship purposes but also as a facility for use by the wider local community.

More recently this type of work has been widened to include cooperation with members of other world faiths. The NW Cambridge Faith Reference Group, which includes representation from the commission, has been in dialogue with the University of Cambridge on how the community centre being planned for the University’s NW Cambridge Development might be designed so the building would also be of benefit to the wider faith community.

The Diocese is fortunate to have two inter-church schools within its boundaries and the ecumenical importance of these schools cannot be overestimated.

The Spirit of East Anglia

Reaching out: beyond East Anglia As the Second Vatican Council noted, ‘the Church is by its very nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, it has its origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit’ (Ad Gentes Divinitus, 2). The outreach beyond our diocese has flourished, particularly through its twinning with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang.

The twinning with the Latin Patriarchate arose from concerns for the declining and increasingly marginalised Christian population there. Over the 12 years it has been in place, many pilgrims from our diocese have not only visited the Holy Places but also met with the “living stones”, celebrating Sunday Mass with the local community, visiting schools, hospitals and other projects and returning with a better understanding of the reality of life in the Holy Land. Several groups of

young people from the Holy Land have visited their twin parish or school in East Anglia.

Parishes and schools in our diocese have raised more than £600,000 to support projects such as university and school fees, maternity facilities, internet access, house renovations, business start-up finance, and library books.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem said in a recent letter: ‘I convey our heartfelt gratitude for your continuing interest and concern for our local Christian communities as you join in our mission to provide opportunities for our future generations and sustaining a Christian presence in the Holy Land.’

Another of Bishop Michael’s initiatives was the twinning of our diocese with the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang. Regular visits by parish groups and individuals to the different centres, and by priests from Cambodia to East Anglia, have helped to create

strong links between the parishes involved and have raised awareness across our diocese of the work of the Church in Cambodia.

Over the last two years, money from the ‘Building Bridges’ Diocesan Fund has repaired two churches in Cambodia. Individual parishes and schools have supported a wide range of projects, including a new student hostel, the purchase of land for sustainable farming, the construction of a reservoir which provides clean water for a community and its kindergarten, and the provision of rice, through a rice voucher scheme, for the poor.

Cambodian ‘events’ have been held in various parts of the diocese, ranging from Cambodian-style Masses to talks, slide shows, rice soup lunches and curry evenings, all helping to promote understanding, friendship and spiritual support between ourselves and the people of the Battambang diocese.

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Conclusion During the Year of Faith, Pope Francis issued the encyclical letter ‘Lumen Fidei’, ‘The Light of Faith’.

‘Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love, a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives. Transformed by this love, we gain fresh vision, new eyes to see; we realise that it contains a great promise of fulfilment, and that a vision of the future opens up before us.’

(Lumen Fidei, 4)

During the wait for our new bishop, all in the diocese remained in good heart and continued to be open to new ideas and initiatives. The priests have lived out the Council’s statement that ‘they all contribute to the same purpose, namely the building up of the body of Christ, and this, especially in our times, demands many kinds of duties and fresh adaptations’ (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 8). With the deacons, they have ensured that the work of building up the faith within our communities and extending their outreach has continued. The deans and other consultors have worked closely with

the Diocesan Administrator to make sure that all the aspects of the work of the diocese are not only maintained but, as far as possible, developed. The arrival of our new bishop has been welcomed with great joy, and everyone looks forward to the years of his ministry.

Without light, there is no reflection; without the light of Christ, there is no Spirit to give reflection its inspiration and direction. May these reflections on our diocese in the Year of Faith encourage everyone in the diocese to rejoice in the light of Christ and in the work of the Holy Spirit among us.

The Spirit of East Anglia

‘Just as the word calls for a free response, so the light finds a response in the image which reflects it... The light becomes, so to speak the light of a word, because it is the light of a personal countenance, a light which, even as it enlightens us, calls us and seeks to be reflected on our faces and to shine from within us. Yet our longing for the vision of the whole and not merely of fragments of history, remains and will be fulfilled in the end, when ... we will see and we will love. Not because we will be able to possess all the light, which will always be inexhaustible, but because we will enter wholly into that light.’ (Lumen Fidei, 33)

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The Spirit of East Anglia Reflections on our diocese in the Year of Faith