Papal Address to our Bishops in Rome . . .

Some time ago I mentioned that I had been asked to complete a questionnaire from Bishop Kieran to enable him to gather information about parishes in the diocese for his ad Limina visit to Rome. This visit has recently taken place. Fr Seán Finnegan has posted the text of the Holy Father's address to our bishops on his blog Valle Adurni. Rather than duplicate it, I recommend you follow the link here to read it for yourself.

What is the purpose of the ad Limina?

Listed below is an explanation taken from the web site of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales:

There are three important parts to the ad Limina:

1. The pilgrimage to, and veneration of, the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

2. A personal meeting with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

3. Meeting and conversations with the various departments of the Roman Curia (the administrative offices of the Holy See)

Well done St Ann's! . . .

Along with other priests in our diocese, in my inbox yesterday was an email requesting information about our parish to help our Bishop in his preparation for the Ad Limina visit to Rome in January.

In taking a few moments to look at the questions and give answers, I couldn't help but notice from what I had written what a lively, vibrant, engaged and engaging parish we have here at St Ann's.

We have excellent, committed catechetical teams, youth leaders, prayer groups; a fantastic choir and musicians and a very dedicated organist and musical director etc. etc. . . . the list goes on. We have a prayerful community with regular Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary and Benediction, and Stations of the Cross; good numbers at weekday Masses, participation in the Prayer of the Church on a regular basis and there are many more signs of a healthy parish.

I just thought I'd write a few lines to congratulate everyone and say, 'Keep up the good work. We're doing all right here in Banstead - now let's double our efforts!'

Update: If you 'double click' on the collage of photos at the top of the page you'll be able to see a larger version.