Over the last few months, our parishes have put a lot of work into planning for, and consulting on, the proposed amalgamation of Camberwell, Balwyn Deepdene and Surrey Hills Wattle Park. The process of amalgamation is in fact a synodal process. In other words, while it is the Bishop of the Diocese who ultimately decides on the boundaries of parishes, on any alteration to their boundaries and on the names of churches and parishes, he does not do so in a unilateral or autocratic way. There are clear ways in which the people of God must be given the opportunity to participate in the process. Today I would like to reflect on the process to date, and the things that will need to happen in the coming months.
In January 2024, at a combined meeting of the Parish Pastoral Council and the Finance and Investment Committee, members made the recommendation to me that our three parishes amalgamate into a single canonical and legal entity. The reasoning behind the recommendation was to ensure that, both now and into the future, our parish communities remain viable, vibrant and vital. I accepted the recommendation of the Pastoral Council and Finance and Investment Committee, and we set about designing an information and feedback process for our parishes. Over a two month period, information was made available to all parishioners via online and printed material. This material was sent to all those on our parish databases, including both church going and non-church going parishioners, and both parish and school communities. A summary of all the material made available can be accessed at the Building Stronger Parish Partnerships for Mission page of our website.
At the conclusion of the information sharing period, there was a Parish Meeting held in each of our three parishes. Over 200 people attended one or other of these meetings and a summary of the feedback has also been provided to parishioners over the last month. This information is still available on our Parish Blog.
The process of information sharing and feedback has resulted in a strong consensus across the parishes that the proposed amalgamation should proceed to the next stage.
The next step involves the Parish Council and I writing to Archbishop Comensoli, requesting that the Parishes of Camberwell, Balwyn Deepdene and Surrey Hills Wattle Park be amalgamated to form the new parish of Our Lady of Pentecost. In that application we will provide to Archbishop Comensoli all the documentation that has been made available to parishioners over the last few months, we will describe to him the ways in which our parishes have been working together and the successful partnerships that have been established over a number of years. We will also include the feedback received from parishioners during the consultation process, both from those who attended the parish meetings and those who responded via email or through the parish website.
Archbishop Comensoli will then undertake his own consultation. He is required by Canon Law to take our parishes request to his Council of Priests. The Council of Priests is a consultative body of clergy made up of elected and appointed priests from around the diocese. There are certain decisions that are reserved to the Archbishop which, prior to making, he is required to consult this body. The changing of parish boundaries and amalgamation of parishes is one such decision. He must also take our request to his College of Consultors. The College of Consultors is a group of bishops and priests who advise the Archbishop on matters of governance and administration.
Once these groups have been consulted, the Archbishop will then provide to the three parishes a decree of amalgamation. This decree is to be posted in the porches of each of the parish churches for one month. It is to be read out at Mass on one of those Sundays during that month. This is to ensure that all those present in the Church are aware that the request for amalgamation has been submitted by the parish and received and considered by the bishop. At the end of that month the new Parish of Our Lady of Pentecost can come into effect. Then the work of becoming a more missionary parish, united as one community, will begin.
Published: 19 July 2024
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Mary Barbuto says:
Thanks Brendan for your explanation of the next steps in our journey to amalgamation.