LISTENING 2004

Listening 2004

“We are here today because we care.”

Listening 2004 in the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton

The Arundel & Brighton’s Family Listening Day was held at the Friary Hall in Crawley on Saturday 27^th November 2004. Bishop John Hine (Chairman for the Committee of Marriage and Family Life for the Bishops of England and Wales) was present with Elizabeth Davies the coordinator of the Listening 2004 project.

Bishop Kieran was unavoidably absent due to the installation that day of the Rev Christopher Hill as Bishop of Guildford, but had prepared a videotape to address all participants: “I’m sorry to miss the day. I know a lot of hard work has gone into preparing it. I hope it will be a fun day for you. Its part of a national project, an attempt to understand what family life means today and for you to share that experience, both good and bad. I’m sure that something very important will come out of it. For the diocese it will allow the new marriage and family life coordinator whom we are about to appoint, to have a much better grasp of what people’s experience of family is today.”

About 60 people representing their parishes across the diocese attended the day. The programme commenced with a short liturgy at which eleven candles were lit to represent the areas that had been highlighted in the Listening 2004 replies. The candles remained alight throughout the day to remind us that we were there to carry out the discussions on behalf of everyone in the diocese. After a short time of reflection an invitation was issued inviting people to indicate with post-it notes, their three personal priorities for action.

The chosen areas were: Concern for young people, greater clarity on church teaching and more welcoming parishes.

Over lunch there was also an opportunity to write and post on the wall those various encouraging and discouraging factors that in the experience of participants enabled or disabled action. Listening and communication skills seemed to be very important as well as a spirit of openness.

The afternoon’s concentrated on case studies from the three selected areas: welcoming parishes, young people and Church teaching. Groups were invited to identify the key issues raised in each scenario, appropriate action that was being or could be taken to help and the ways in which parishes could foster a greater sense of inclusion and support in such situations.

In her closing remarks Barbara Wallace said “I promise you that what we’ve got in this room, whether it be on the wall on the table or whatever you are going to send us in the future, will be considered and given to Bishop Kieran, so that we can really plan to do something and do it soon.”

Bishop Kieran himself arrived just before the closing liturgy and was able to personally thank all those involved especially the participants, “for the time you’ve given, the commitment, the energy, and the interest you’ve shown and for giving up your Saturday as well. This is part of a learning process for the diocese and the Church. I hope we will be able to learn what we can do to strengthen family life and marriage within our church and our country.” Bishop John Hine then cut a specially baked Listening 2004 cake to celebrate the end of the Family Listening Day in Arundel and Brighton and the end of this part of the Listening 2004: My Family My Church process in England and Wales.