Dear parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel & St Gregory the Great,
Following the appointment of your new priest, Fr Peter, your parish has been able to start looking ahead, laying the foundations for the hopeful future that God is calling you to.
Alongside that, our Deanery has been considering how to respond to a future reality when priests will also be serving more than one parish community. At our recent Deanery meetings, we have been discussing what this new future might look like, and you will recall that St Gregory’s was asked to prepare for such a future.
In discussion with the priests of your local cluster (Bearwood, Warley, Quinton & Harborne) I can let you know that the new Mass times at St Gregory’s Church will be at 8.45am & 4.30pm on Sundays, beginning on Advent Sunday 2024. The times across the cluster account for the possibility of a priest being able to cover Masses in the case of sickness, but also as a way to future-proof the Deanery for the number of priests we expect to be active in a few years time.
There will naturally be a period of review built into these changes, so can I please can I ask you to pray for what is happening, and for how you will support your parish during this time. In addition, the changes present St Gregory’s with an opportunity to implement the results of your parish Survey and to plan for building the vibrant, missionary community envisaged in our Diocesan Vision. For example, your Sunday evening Mass is a good opportunity to encourage greater family involvement, and to build parish activities around.
The arrival of Fr Peter has also meant that essential work on the parish buildings has now started to take place, so the hopeful future at Bearwood is only limited by the creative ways that you can use your unique resources – particularly the people, but also your physical assets. You will be asked to become involved in this more deeply over the coming months, so please look out for how you can do that.
Don’t forget that your parish continues to offer midweek services and Masses, so please make these a part of your spiritual and social participation at St Gregory’s, if you do not do so already.
While these changes will not be ideal for everyone, Fr Peter and the Core Group would very much appreciate hearing your responses about whether your involvement might change or remain the same, but also what you can offer to make the spiritual and missionary life of the parish even stronger.
I look forward to working more closely with you,
Canon Gary Buckby
(Dean of Cathedral and South Birmingham Deanery)