chris@mcdonnell83.freeserve.co.uk           Previous articles by Chris

   October 17, 2012                              Chris McDonnell, UK   

How do we make our church the church of our children?  

Last week, on October 10^th a gathering took place at Heythrop College in London under the title A Call to Action. The organisers, seven priests who together wrote to the Tablet in early June, were overwhelmed with the response, for nearly five hundred people arrived. We moved out of the College and took up residence in the Anglican church of St Mary Abbott , the other side of Kensington High Street for the plenary sessions

It was a day when those present attempted to explore paths that we might take in the immediate future to ensure that, to quote Kevin Kelly,  "the Council is not seen just as an event in time but an ongoing experience".

Initial presentations were given by Thomas O’loughlin, professor of historical theology at Nottingham University , Catherine O’Donovan who as a Salvatorian Sister had been in Rome during the Council, Gerry Hughes SJ, the moral theologian and myself.

The day was a start; it is an initiative that must continue. It will do so only through continued support of individuals and our prayer for our church.  

References

Article in the Tablet (paper edition) Saturday 13^th October Pg 30

Copy of my own opening comments on the Tablet website

Further discussion on the Pray Tell website and the ACP website.  

You may also be interested in a statement, also in TEXTS on the Tablet site, www.churchauthority.org signed by a number of theologians on authority in the church. There is opportunity for you to co-sign the statement on line.