Did you know that Clifton Diocese is organised by Pastoral Areas? St Patrick’s Brockworth is part of the Pastoral Area of St Wulstan. Visit the diocesan website to learn more about the other areas: https://cliftondiocese.com/parishes/
The restructuring of the deaneries within the Diocese places Gloucester Deanery in a wider pastoral area, that of St. Wulstan. It includes a number of parishes from the Stroud Deanery. There are now 15 parishes and not 8 (not including The Good Shepherd, Ukranian Church). The Forest of Dean and Newent Parishes are currently without a Parish Priest. The new Pastoral Area provides us with an opportunity for showing our concern for neighbouring parishes whilst sharing a sense of mission to the wider community. Collaboration between our parishes will mean sharing our gifts and resources as we adapt to the changing postoral needs of our area. Inevitably, it will mean sharing our priests as well, with the consequence of a change to the number of Masses celebrated and Mass times. Our Lady’s Churchdown and St Patrick’s Brockworth have been paired together for some time. The coming together of our faith communities in 2016, when only one priest was available, worked well. It meant that we shared in the celebration of three Sunday Masses and not four. The time has now come for our two faith communities to work more closely together and to strengthen our links with the other parishes of the Pastoral Area of St Wulstan. From 5th/6th January 2024 Mass times will be as follows:
St Patrick’s Brockworth: Sunday 9am
Our Lady’s Churchdown: Saturday vigil 5pm & Sunday 10:30am
These changes may well affect our Sunday routine but that is not necessarily a bad thing. We make the changes our of love and concern for one another and with the desire that everyone has an opportunity to come together to celebrate Holy Mass.”
