Pastoral Assistants (PA's)

" The most important element of collaborative ministry is probably a shared vision of what the parish can be if all the members realise to the full their baptismal vocation and mission, both as individuals and as a community. The decision to be more collaborative needs to be made by priest and people together. Both have to be willing to change themselves rather than anxious to change each other"

The Sign We Give 1995

The First Pastoral Assistants of Our Lady Of Lourdes were chosen from within the Parish Community. They all undertook a period of study, formation and training before they were commissioned by Bishop Thomas McMahon at a Mass of Thanksgiving, at Brentwood Cathedral on Friday 28th June 2002.

During the Mass the PA's renewed their Baptismal promises and concluded by giving affirmation to the question from Bishop Thomas " Are you ready and willing to be loyal to your parish priest and to support and assist him in his ministry as pastor?

Fr Sammon and Fr Silver concelebrated Mass together with Bishop Thomas, Fr George Stokes (Director of BRES) and other priests whose new PA's were also being commissioned.

Their families and a full coach of parishioners, not to mention several others who made their own arrangements, supported them at the Mass in Brentwood.

They were commissioned in the Parish at 11.30 Mass on Sunday 29th September 2002 and afterwards there were refreshments in the Parish Pastoral Centre.

Three more Pastoral Assistants were commissioned at Brentwood in 2003. They were Christine Curtis, Margaret Monahan and Allen Shiel.
They were commissioned in the Parish at the 75th Anniversary Mass at 8.00pm on Monday 13th October 2003

"The lay faithful, precisely because they are members of the Church, have the vocation and mission of proclaiming the Gospel: they are prepared for this work by the sacraments of Christian initiation and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit."

33. Christifideles Laici (The Lay Members of Christ's Faithful People) Apostolic Exhortation

Pope John Paul the Second given at Rome December 30th 1988

The three Pastoral Assistants are now formally authorised to help the Priests of the Parish with Pastoral work under the direction of Fr Sammon.

The PA's are:
Caroline Anthony
Maureen Brazier
Audrey Castelino
Christine Curtis
Louise Jarvis
Sheila Lovell
Margaret Monahan

Parish Pastoral Assistants

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