Bishop Brian’s message on Clergy Assemblies held over the months.

Dear sisters and brothers,

When I wrote to you on Good Shepherd Sunday, I mentioned the importance of clergy coming together for fraternal support and personal development. Over the past 6 months, our priests and deacons have met 4 times as a diocesan body. Two of these were in person in Oban – for the Chrism Mass and for three days during September. The focus of these Oban days are spiritual and pastoral, and we build our camaraderie through relaxing in each other’s company. This is especially important in a rural diocese like ours, where priests can be isolated from each other.

We have also held two online Clergy Assemblies, the second being yesterday with a full itinerary. We began with a Safeguarding presentation by the new Independent Agency before discussing finance, Health and Safety, IT, Fraternal Support, Future Planning within the Diocese, Covid protocols, and discussing how parishes can offer support to people during the Cost of Living Crisis. 

Our priests and deacons strive to serve God and his people in so many ways. I thank them for their commitment. Let us continue to support them with our encouragement and prayers.

St John Vianney, pray for us.

+Brian