Bishop’s Pastoral Letter

Last week the Bishop issued a pastoral letter to the parishes of the Lancaster area. In it he reflected on the changing situation of the church in our country and the need to reassess what is now possible given the reduced number of priests (and indeed of lay faithful in many of our churches). His emphasis was on ensuring the mission of the Church continues and that we are not swamped by buildings and other such practical concerns.

To this end the Bishop began a consultation of the future of the two churches of St Thomas More Lancaster and Our Lady Immaculate in Caton. This runs for thirty days, beginning last Sunday 26th January.

As he requested we will be holding two consultation meetings:

• St Thomas More 2pm Saturday 8th February

• Caton 5pm Saturday 8th February

These meetings form part of a formal process in canon law by which the concerns of the people of the parishes affected can be gathered and sent to the Bishop. As such minutes of these meetings will be taken and a register of participants kept.
Parishioners are also invited to make their views known directly to the Bishop: Bishop’s Office, Pastoral Centre, Balmoral Rd, Lancaster, LA1 3BT or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. He notes in his pastoral letter that while correspondence will be acknowledged it will not be possible to give detailed replies.