PARISH NEWSLETTER
NEW AUXILIARY BISHOP OF LIVERPOOL
Message from Archbishop Malcolm
It was announced on Tuesday 6 July 2021, that His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Canon Thomas Neylon to be Bishop of Plestia and Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool.
I am grateful to our Holy Father, Pope Francis, for his generosity to us with the appointment of Canon Thomas Neylon as Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool and I am delighted to welcome him as an Auxiliary Bishop. When I came to the archdiocese in 2014, he was already a Vicar General and trustee of the archdiocese and his excellent pastoral and administrative skills have been invaluable to me in my ministry as Archbishop. He will now be able to use those God given talents at a higher level in assisting me in taking the archdiocese forward in the coming years.
Our Synod met two weeks ago and this month we will meet to determine a pastoral plan for the coming years. Bishop-elect Tom will fulfil a vital role in implementing our plan so that we can better serve the people of our archdiocese. It is a challenging time but one which offers a bright future for Catholics in this part of north-west England as we continue to be ‘together on the road’. Bishop-elect Tom will, I know, be always walking alongside us and our people on that journey.
It is with great joy that I will ordain him Bishop on Friday 3 September in our Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. On that day the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St Gregory the Great, a man who reorganised Church life and administration and sent Augustine and his monks to evangelise the English. It is a fitting day to ordain a Bishop who will be charged with the tasks of administration and evangelisation in this part of England. I know that Bishop-elect Tom will accept these tasks graciously and fulfil them with diligence and care for others.
Welcome Bishop-elect Tom Neylon – I look forward to your ministry as Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool.
May God bless you and all the people of our great archdiocese.
UNDERSTAND LGBTQ+ HATE CRIME
Click here for a user friendly and easy to read guide from Stop Hate Uk called ‘Understand LGBTQ+ Hate Crime’, which is being shared with communities through Local Authorities and Police. This is a resource that defines the different types of LGBTQ+ hate crimes, and also covers key points such as: understanding hate crime law, online hate, how to report a hate crime, taking care of yourself after a hate crime, going to the police and going to court.
OUR PARISH AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY
Archbishop Malcolm has issued the following statement about the recent pronouncement from the Vatican prohibiting the blessing of same sex unions:
"The recent response by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a dubium (question) on the blessing of same-sex unions has caused some hurt amongst the faithful of the archdiocese and beyond. It is important that we reach out to all our LGBT+ brothers and sisters, to show them that they have a place at the heart of our Church, and our archdiocese. As Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of Brisbane, has been reported as saying recently, the latest pronouncement should give us greater impetus to another conversation about inclusion. Indeed, Liverpool Synod 2020 is, in one sense, just this: staying faithful to Tradition, but being open, through our learning, reflection, prayer and discernment, to the new insights which the Holy Spirit offers to us about the depths and breadth of God’s creation. We are a stronger and more powerful witness to Christ because of the presence of our LGBT+ brothers and sisters, indeed, because of the inclusion of all the people of God. Far from denying their experience, and the reality of their lives, we should learn from them and hear God speaking through that reality. We would be poorer without them. It is our hope and prayer that we will find new ways of expressing this inclusivity, understanding the language we use, and employing the talents of everyone, to witness more profoundly in our lives as priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful, a fundamental Gospel teaching: that God’s love has no limits."
Everyone who comes through the doors of our church should always feel welcomed, included, and loved within any of our parishes; no matter their background, sexuality, identity, ethnicity or gender. All people are welcome to come and worship as part of our inclusive and loving parish community.
