ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FINAL 211031

IMPACT
REPORT
the centuries, the Church has adapted to the
challenges it has faced and made use of new tools
to further its mission. This unusual time has often
called on us to be courageous and resourceful.
Like St Augustine, the Benedictine monk sent by
St Gregory to England to bring the Good News,
we have had to leave the comfort of our normal
routine, to take stock, to persevere and to find
new ways of undertaking the mission entrusted
to us.
Within a matter of weeks of the pandemic’s
arrival, a digital revolution had taken place. At
the start of the first lockdown, approximately
ten parishes were live-streaming Mass but, by
the end of the year, over 70 were online and the
numbers continue to grow. Meetings, sacramental
preparation and prayer groups moved to online
platforms and priests were soon releasing
inspirational spiritual podcasts and vlogs, updating
their websites and working with social media to
nurture faith and encourage a personal encounter
with Christ.
The Centre for Catholic Formation, transformed
into the Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis,
has reached out to parishes on a virtual basis
with guidance and unique opportunities to grow
in faith. The Marriage and Family Life Team
moved online to prepare couples for marriage.
The Southwark Education Commission has
been tireless in its commitment to support
schools, staff, pupils and governors, through a
raft of changing guidance, and the Youth Service
focussed on helping young people with mental
health issues. Meanwhile our Fundraising Team
found new digital ways to keep the Archdiocese
and its parishes financially afloat. These are but
a few examples of all that has been undertaken.
The year 2020 had been designated as a year
of celebrating, living and sharing the Word of
God through ‘The God Who Speaks' project,
marking the 10th anniversary of Verbum
Domini: Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic
Exhortation on ‘The Word of the Lord’, and the
1600th anniversary of the death of St Jerome,
the great translator and promoter of the Bible.
This past year, many have experienced
isolation and the pain of hardship. This is
where our Church, through parish and school
communities, has stepped in, to provide
connection and the witness of presence.
As we look forward to the new normal,
not entirely sure what that will mean; and
to attending Mass in person, and to being
physically be present to each another, we hold
fast to our mission to share the Good News
of our faith. God chooses people in every age,
like Andrew and Peter, James and John on the
shores of Galilee, like St Augustine who landed
in Thanet over 1400 years ago, like St Jerome,
to make him known. We are called to witness
and serve, at this time and for this place. I pray
that we will all be encouraged by the good
we have seen and the lessons we have learnt
during the pandemic. May we listen for God’s
will and resolve to use our gifts and resources
with wisdom so that as we follow Christ, with
us, others may be drawn to him.
Worship in Southwark during 2020 in line with
government Covid-19 safety guidelines
A wall of rememberance for
Victims of Covid-19 in London
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