Message from Canon Kristian

Dear Parishioners

The first week of the national lockdown has passed and the possibility of a viable vaccine is now on the horizon. However, although there is now cause for hope that our days of having to keep distance from each other will come to an end in the not-too-distant future, we know that the virus is still very active in the wider community and remains a serious threat to life, especially for the most vulnerable amongst us.  So, whilst continuing to pray for an end of the pandemic – uniting our prayers to those of people of all faiths at 6pm each day – and abiding as faithfully as we can to the present restrictions on movement and gathering, let us live these days with positivity and patience, drawing on that living water from the deep wells of our faith in the presence of the Risen Christ even in the darkness and most challenging times. Above all, out of love, let us maintain our vigilance on those of our neighbours and friends, and on those in our parish community, who are particularly physically or mentally vulnerable at this time due to isolation and loneliness.  Our Church Year draws to a close in just a few weeks, heralding the promise of new beginnings and a refreshed focus on the coming of “God-with-us”, whose presence permeates every human life and the whole of creation.  Although we will be unable to mark the start of this new Year of Faith together in church, we can still do so both as individuals and together as the  Body of Christ in which we all remain spiritually united whatever our physical circumstances. We can – and indeed our Christian faith requires it – look to the future with confidence.

As usual, the Newsletter comes to you with a number of documents, provided in PDF formats where possible.  I know that not all of these will be relevant or of interest to everyone, but it is one of the beauties of electronic communication that each of us is free to read and/or download only those things which are.  So I try to include as much information as I can, so that everyone has the chance to be as informed and involved as they can be in the life of the parish and of the wider Church and community.

Amongst the items in the Newsletter and the accompanying items, I would like to highlight the following:

• Prayer:  Along with the request to maintain the prayer of the Angelus at 6pm each day, our prayer for the Holy Souls and our reflection of the Sunday Gospel, we are being asked to join in a special moment of Eucharistic Adoration next Saturday, 21 November, to pray for each other and for the International Eucharistic Congress that is due to take place in Budapest next year.  Although this request initially came from Cardinal Péter Erdö, the Archbishop of Budapest-Esztergom, it has received the backing of the Holy Father as a worldwide initiative and one which our own Bishops strongly support.  To enable as many of you as possible to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament that day, there will be two periods of exposition in the morning from 11am-12noon and in the evening from 6.00-7.00pm.

• Social Action:  This Sunday is the World Day of the Poor.  The Newsletter contains a number of items that can help focus our prayer and action on this intention.  Caritas Plymouth provides some ways of engaging with the teaching of the Pope’s recent Encyclical on Global Fraternity and Social Friendship as well as some important signposting details with regards to those who are suffering financially as a result of the pandemic.  On a local level there is a reminder of the Christmas Appeal of CHAT Foodbank and, on an international level, an update of the work of CAFOD.

• Safeguarding:  The Report concluding the investigation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)  into the Catholic Church in this country was published this week.  It makes for difficult and distressing reading.  There can be no excuse for the abusive behaviour – sexual or in any form – of priests and others in positions of trust in the Church and for the failures in leadership, particularly the tendency to prioritise the Church’s reputation over the needs of victims, the unwillingness to listen to and believe them, and the attempts at cover-up.  The fact that the great majority of sexual abuse uncovered by the investigation took place in the past should not lead us into a false sense of security either. Of its very nature, the sexual abuse of children often only comes to light many years after the event itself, the effects of child abuse are devastating and on-going for the person abused and many of the structures and attitudes that allowed the abuse to happen and to go unchecked are still present in the Church today. Both Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have called for the prior and essential need for a thorough-going conversion with hearts and minds in the Church with regards to the reality and impact of sexual abuse before the conversion of structures.  The Report has underlined that this primary change of attitude within our Church still has a long way to go and that the rate of change over the last twenty year has been far too slow.  So, before embarking on another round of structural change, we are all being invited to listen more attentively to those who have been abused and to find ways of giving their voice a central place in the process of change in the Church. A difficult, but necessary, journey lies ahead of us.  The Statement on behalf of all the Bishops and England and Wales is available to read online here along with a video message from Cardinal Vincent Nichols. The statement can also be downloaded to read off line here, whilst a Pastoral Message from Bishop Mark is also available from our website.  A list of important safeguarding contacts is also provided on our parish website which has also been updated to give greater prominence to the important place of safeguarding in our parish community.  We are all responsible for making our parish community a safe place for children and vulnerable adults, but I want to express my gratitude to our three Parish Safeguarding Representatives for their work in ensuring that we continue to make this a priority.

• Finance and Fund-raising:  I am really grateful for those who have already changed their parish giving from Gift Aid Envelopes to a Standing Order. This is vitally important so that we can continue to be a sustainable parish community on a financial level, as well as to reduce the risk of the spread of infection to those volunteers who have to count and bank money.  If you haven’t already done so, I would urge of all you who can to make the change to a Standing Order and the guidance and documentation to help you to do this is available by contacting the parish office.  In addition to using our contactless facility at church for those who cannot set up a Standing Order, our parish website has also been updated with ways in which you can also make a donation online (https://stjameschurchtiverton.org.uk/support-us/).  As our thoughts begin to turn towards the Festive Season please see the poster of a number of Christmas Novelties which will be available for sale at church to help raise parish funds.  Margaret Found has generously offered to take orders for these too by email and to bring them to church ready for collection for those who would like to do this.  I am sure that, for those who might be unable to get to church due to the pandemic or for other reasons, we will be able to find ways to deliver them to your door as well.

Finally, in order to sustain our prayer and reflection during Advent, we have purchased the daily reflection books “Walk with me” and “Day by day”.  Those who are able to get to church will be able to pick them up from there, but there will be many who will not be able to do that due to restrictions, so we are hoping to deliver them as well.  Therefore, I am looking for volunteers who would be prepared to deliver booklets to houses of parishioners in their area, as well as volunteers who would be prepared to do this in other areas.  If you can offer this service to the community, please email the Parish Office either indicating the area you would be prepared to cover or letting us know that you would be happy to cover any area that might be needed.

You all remain in my prayers

With every blessing

Canon Kristian