Dear Father,

You will already know through meetings of the Council of Deans and Council of Priests of preparations that have been going on concerning the future pastoral planning of the Diocese. At Your Word, Lord is the beginning of a wide-ranging process of spiritual and pastoral renewal which will continue. Another important part of that renewal must include a careful review of the present situation in the Diocese and our resources, so that we may plan for the best pastoral care of the people of the Diocese and our future mission of evangelisation.

Mgr John Arnold and the members of a small group nominated by the Council of Priests have been working in recent months to plan for the discussion and consultation that needs to be undertaken. (Graced by the Spirit).

We should recognise the opportunity that we now have to share our ideas and gather information for the best decisions that we can make for the future of the diocese. When the lay consultation was carried out in the first part of 2002 about the need for a spiritual renewal of the Diocese of Westminster, there were some very valuable and wise responses both from groups and individuals, which showed that the people of our diocese have much to say of value for our planning, and recognise the challenges and opportunities that we all have to face in the years to come.

I am convinced that we are not facing a decline but rather that we have a wealth of resources for the type of Church that we need to be in this new century. I would urge you to engage your parish communities in fruitful consultation and encourage everyone, priests, religious and laity, to say what they feel about the future. In the decisions that will eventually be made, it is important that we all feel that there has been a thorough consultation with a sincere openness to the listening to what the Lord may be asking of us in the growth and expression of our faith and in our task of evangelisation for our future.

Yours devotedly

Archbishop of Westminster