THE P RTAL
July 2017 Page 19
The First Personal Parish
Fr David Lashbrooke , Parish Priest of the Personal Parish of our Lady of Walsingham with St Cuthbert Mayne , Torbay
There have been many new chapters in the life of the still very new
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham from its erection , first ordinations and the now diaconal ordinations at Spanish Place , when the faithful will have travelled from all parts of the country to share a great blessing of those candidates responding to God ’ s call to serve .
All these chapters are metaphorically written through members of the Ordinariate responding in faithfulness to the visionary , ecumenical and missionary document Anglicanorum coetibus .
Like people who marry , those of this new personal parish have hopes and fears but are keenly aware that becoming a parish is so much more than a title , a piece of paper or a goal in itself . Like a marriage , we must , as this new community at Torbay , grow in love , stability and faithfulness . The erection of the parish has recognised that desire and that vocation .
Within that precious document , it was envisaged that communities who had responded to invitation to come into full communion with the Catholic Church would in time become personal parishes and on Ascension Day 2017 , Mgr Keith Newton erected the first of these parishes and inducted Fr David Lashbrooke to be the first parish priest .
The Personal Parish of Our Lady of Walsingham with St Cuthbert Mayne ( Torbay ) is now in existence and I , as the new parish priest , have been asked a challenging question ; what difference does it make to those who make up the community in Torbay , or even to the of the Ordinariate as a whole .
As part of the Induction Rite , the parish priest designate is presented by one of his fellow priests , in this case Fr Mike Cain , to the Ordinary . At the celebrations afterwards Fr Cain said it was like giving the bride away and he is a seasoned hand at that .
I write on the morning after a day of great celebrations , and joy that the day gave to all those present who had worked so hard for it . That comment of Fr Mike has helped me make a start on an answer to this pertinent question .
How many times , as priests , when we have prepared people for marriage , impressed on the prospective couple that marriage is not piece of paper but a material change which has such hallmarks as love , stability and faithfulness ; a vocation where , under the blessing of God , they continue to explore what they have been called to be and as one , by God ’ s grace , bear fruit .
As a parish , we need to learn how to open our church doors wider . As a parish , we need to learn how to offer hospitality to a greater number of people . As a parish , we need to teach , so that people may access that dormant or forgotten relationship with Christ .
As a parish , we need faithfully to offer worship , with the Mass and Blessed Sacrament at the centre of that praise . To fulfil our needs we need to trust and ask the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us as we daily ask for all the Church .
We have some minor issues , like building a presbytery , renovating the church building and developing our shop , which has just moved into larger premises .
I would like to thank the Ordinary and Governing Council for their faith in making this parish and I pray there will be more in the near future . Please pray for this new parish , for its priest and for its people and if you are in Torbay do come and see us .