Last Monday evening, I attended a Parish meeting at St Oswald’s in Burghfield Common along with other members of the Pastoral Area Senior Leadership Team. We were there to share Fr John’s vision for the Pastoral Area and the Mission Plan as we start the process of merging the Pastoral Area into a single Parish in the years ahead. The meeting was fairly well attended and the Parishioners from St Michael’s in Tadley and St Oswald’s in Burghfield Common raised some very good questions and some points which will need to be carefully considered going forward. As a Senior Leadership Team*, we were energised by the response from those who attended the meeting and discussed it at length during our weekly Leadership meeting on Wednesday.

The energy we felt may be similar to the joy the disciples shared on their return from their mission. Jesus had sent them out with strict instructions; they were to carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals and ignore other travellers. They were sent out as sheep among wolves and were totally dependent on providence. They must have set out with some trepidation but step out they did; in faith. The message they were sharing was one of peace. They were tasked with healing the sick and announcing the kingdom of God to those they met. Through our Baptism we are all called to evangelise, we are called to share Christ’s peace and to take the essence of Christ out into the world.

Are you a messenger of peace?

Dare I ask if you are the disruptor of peace?

When did you last enjoy a real deep peace? How did it feel?

I wonder if it felt anything like how the disciples felt.

The result for the disciples was that they were filled with joy at how the people reacted to the message and the healings they were able to facilitate in Christ’s name.

The local mission plan is a way of our Pastoral Area to implement the bishop’s 10-year plan ‘You will be my witnesses’.[1] There are three main focuses: the first is that we are to be a Christ centred Church; everything we do has to have Christ at the centre, this includes our liturgy, which should be inspiring, uplifting and devotional; there has to be ongoing formation for every Church member and evangelisation has to be led at local levels; local people know locals needs and have more encounters within the Community to evangelise in their everyday lives.

The second part of the strategy is focussed on Mission; we all have a duty to take Jesus beyond the walls of the Church. This doesn’t mean studying the Bible and knowing chapter and verse, although knowledge of Scripture is important, taking Jesus out into the world is about love, how do we show love to our neighbour? Using the words from today’s Gospel – how have I taken Christ’s peace out into the Community this week? Maybe for a moment, you can ask yourself the same question.

The third part of the strategy is perhaps the one which has attracted the most attention; it is about careful stewardship of our resources. Many people have honed in on this because, quite rightly, it focuses in on the blindingly obvious; our priests are getting older, there are not as many men in formation as there are priests due to retire in the next few years, so there will have to be some changes to the way our parishes are run. There will need to be more collaborative ministry with clergy and laity. Some priests will be covering more than one church. The details of all of these changes in structure will be mostly decided at a local level, where possible.

In the first reading Isaiah is urging those exiled in Babylon to continue to trust in the Lord. He paints a picture of God caring for each of us in the same way as a loving mother who knows what is best for her children; again, they are asked to trust in God’s providence. Isaiah tells them that God will extend peace to them and gives them hope that they will return to Jerusalem. God provides.

In the second reading we hear St Paul stating the only thing he will boast of is his relationship with Jesus. This allows him to have peace of mind and he says that all who walk with Jesus will have peace and mercy.

Do we accept that if we walk with Jesus that we will experience His peace and His mercy?

When I started to prepare this reflection towards the end of the week, I was highlighting that the people of St Michael’s and St Oswald’s Parish have a lot on their minds at the moment; amongst other things there were concerns about whether the bishop would have been able to appoint a new priest when Fr Patrick retires. I was delighted to hear on Friday that the bishop has found a priest for the area and I look forward to working with him to serve the needs of the Parish and work with the Pastoral area to help us all to become Missionary disciples.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 541-546: the Kingdom of God is at hand
CCC 787, 858-859: the Apostles, united to the mission of Christ
CCC 2122: “the labourer deserves his food”
CCC 2816-2821: “Your kingdom come”
CCC 555, 1816, 2015: the Cross as the way to follow Christ

*The Senior Leadership Team have been chosen by Fr John to support him to implement the Pastoral Area Plan. As Fr John said at the meeting on Monday, its membership is not cast in stone, but is based on the model used by Christ, of an inner circle. While Christ had the disciples and the apostles, he chose a few members of the apostles to be closer to him. I was surprised to be asked to be part of this, but I’m relishing the challenge. There is plenty of debate amongst the group and we are developing a deep respect for one another as we try to support Fr John with his mission.

Please keep in your prayers this week

  • Those who are sick, housebound or in hospital, that the care they receive matches all of their needs.
  • Those waiting for the results of medical tests, examinations or scans, that the results can pinpoint the treatment they may need; or alleviate their fears.
  • Our Pastoral Area as we continue to take the first steps towards moving from Maintenance to Mission.
  • Peace in the world, and a de-escalation of the situations where war has already commenced or appears to be inevitable.
  • All the clergy in our diocese who have agreed to take up new responsibilities from September onwards and those still discerning.

Deacon Tony

5th July 2025.

[1] You Will be My Witnesses – Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth