Bishop O'Donoghue's latest installment in the "Fit for Mission" series has now been published on the website of Lancaster Diocese - here, to be precise. It can be downloaded from this page, but the headings of the links are not very clear. If you hover your mouse over the ".pdf" links towards the top of the page, and look carefully at the address bar at the bottom of your browser (OK, Internet Explorer - I do not know what it will look like in other browsers), you should see the filenames appear and be able to spot the file for Fit for Mission: Church.
The news release accompanying the document begins:
Clearly, this document will have a political import for the life of the Church throughout England and Wales. As I have observed before in respect of the documents of Lancaster Diocese's Fit for Mission review, their ready availability on the website is a very welcome thing, though it does encourage them to be seen outside their diocesan context. At several points in the section of the new document that I have read, Bishop O'Donoghue includes suggestions for evaluation of practice in the diocese or of points for possible action. These are very practical and pastoral, and do not avoid potentially difficult issues, as for example, over the celebration of the Ordinary Form of the Liturgy in accordance with the provisions of the Revised General Instruction or of the central place of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for all those involved in catechetical work.
My reason for mentioning this is that I think it would be great shame if Bishop O'Donoghue's document were to be seen - and used - just as a "weapon of war" by traditionally minded Catholics. That is really to miss its main point. It is primarily addressed to the priests, deacons, catechists etc of Lancaster Diocese, Bishop O'Donoghue's own diocese, though I am sure the author is quite aware of the readership it will attract elsewhere. It is the implementation of its practical suggestions - both in Lancaster Diocese and elsewhere - that seems to me to be the core of what the document is about, and that will be achieved by a positive engagement with the document and with the people concerned rather than just the launching of political gunfire.
One thing that struck me about Fit for Mission: Church is that it has not been called a "vision document". But it is quite apparent, from even my short scan read, that it has been written with considerable vision. I think those who read it will come away thinking that Lancaster is a diocese to which they wished they belonged!
The news release accompanying the document begins:
The Diocese of Lancaster published Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue’s powerful new book, Fit for Mission? Church on Wednesday 27th August. Bishop O’Donoghue has written Fit for Mission? Church to foster and promote an authentic and confident Catholic identity among the men, women and children of the 21st century, to enable them to resist the pressures to compromise, even abandon, the truths of the Catholic faith.I have only had a chance to scan read a small section of the document. I expect that it will be mined for particular references (one I saw encouraged the implementation of the provisions of the 2005 Revised General Instruction on the Roman Missal) that can be cited in critique of practice in parishes or dioceses. Its references to the role of the individual Bishop in relation to the Episcopal Conference have already been the subject of very politicised comment in the blogosphere.
Clearly, this document will have a political import for the life of the Church throughout England and Wales. As I have observed before in respect of the documents of Lancaster Diocese's Fit for Mission review, their ready availability on the website is a very welcome thing, though it does encourage them to be seen outside their diocesan context. At several points in the section of the new document that I have read, Bishop O'Donoghue includes suggestions for evaluation of practice in the diocese or of points for possible action. These are very practical and pastoral, and do not avoid potentially difficult issues, as for example, over the celebration of the Ordinary Form of the Liturgy in accordance with the provisions of the Revised General Instruction or of the central place of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for all those involved in catechetical work.
My reason for mentioning this is that I think it would be great shame if Bishop O'Donoghue's document were to be seen - and used - just as a "weapon of war" by traditionally minded Catholics. That is really to miss its main point. It is primarily addressed to the priests, deacons, catechists etc of Lancaster Diocese, Bishop O'Donoghue's own diocese, though I am sure the author is quite aware of the readership it will attract elsewhere. It is the implementation of its practical suggestions - both in Lancaster Diocese and elsewhere - that seems to me to be the core of what the document is about, and that will be achieved by a positive engagement with the document and with the people concerned rather than just the launching of political gunfire.
One thing that struck me about Fit for Mission: Church is that it has not been called a "vision document". But it is quite apparent, from even my short scan read, that it has been written with considerable vision. I think those who read it will come away thinking that Lancaster is a diocese to which they wished they belonged!
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