A SAFE LANDING
Do you have lapsed Catholics in your family? I do… And did you know that statistically there are probably at least 2 or 3,000 such people in our 3 Churches area?
Before Christmas, something great happened when two initiatives in our 3 Churches came together. I had decided to launch a pastoral project, namely an outreach to inactive or “resting” Catholics. Meanwhile, some parishioners had been thinking about starting “faith sharing afternoons”, of which we have so far had two.
Now these two things happening together are what I call a “God-incidence”, not a coincidence, and in my experience this is a sign that the Lord is on the move. So I am very happy to say that the next phase is about to happen. On Thursday March 25th – the Feast of the Annunciation – during Mass at St Brigid’s and afterwards in the Church, the 3 Churches Faith Matters team, who have been working on all this (you will have seen their Christmas welcome leaflet), will present the Landings programme which we hope to run in the 3 Churches from later in the year.
Landings welcomes and affirms returning Catholics, and helps them find their feet, giving them time and space to share their thoughts or anxieties. March 25 will be an information evening, inviting parishioners to get involved. I would dearly like to see this project take off, and I am sure that it is an issue close to the hearts of all of us who care. It would make an excellent undertaking for Lent.
For so many people all that is needed is a safe landing – and I’m sure we are well able to provide that in our parishes. So come along to our Landings evening – March 25 Mass 7.30pm, meeting 8pm.
Meanwhile, to find out more, why not visit the Landings UK website at www.landingsuk.org.uk
Fr Matthew