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Downsizing: “ I wish I had done this sooner!”

Tuesday, November 13, 2018 6:18

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Downsizing: “ I wish I had done this sooner!”

My involvement with retired priests in the archdiocese has enabled me to be become aware of an important aspect for consideration, especially in preparation for retirement, a concept called downsizing!

Having a clutter, or too much stuff can get in the way of any move. Moving from a big house to a smaller one involves leaving behinds things, that can be understood physically and spiritually too. Smaller does not mean you would be worse off, but you have a better chance of adjusting to a new situation, to a changing environment. Letting go of being a parish priest and moving into retirement can be a daunting prospect, a leap into the unknown. After making the decision I often hear the phrase “I wish I had done this sooner!”

Retirement is a change of life, not an end, change is scary, but can be beneficial for health and wellbeing too.

In my head I often apply this thinking to parish situations. There seems to be so many parishes in one area, and so few priests, also fewer people attending, I find priests struggling to maintain buildings, as well as at the same time being employed to proclaim and build up the kingdom. This daily struggle can be almost overwhelming, lonely, frustrating, and can lead to depression, health issues, fatigue, anxiety and other related problems. So how about downsizing here too?

For example, there are fourteen parishes in Coventry, these could become five parishes; one in the north of the city, one in the south, one in the east, one in the west, and one in the centre.

Five parishes, employed with a sufficient amount of priests and deacons allocated to make them work. A suitable accommodation found (or newly built) to help the welfare and well being of the priests, and better morale may result. What do I envisage? A purpose built presbytery, with room for individual sitting rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms, enough private space to breathe and live, ( as a priest I value my own space!) The presbytery would house a common area for meetings, an adequate kitchen and dining room, there could be office space, shared resources, a secretary, a shared income, a garden, a chapel….a presbytery big enough to maintain and sustain a clergy willingly to work together for the good of the kingdom, the diocese, the people of God! Letting go of parish priest status, so as to embrace service.

Deaneries always carry passenger priests this is true, there are those who can’t cope for one reason or another, or who need special or gentle coaxing and careful handling too. We all need help, some more than others, those who need the most help often shy away from help offered and fall into a murky world quite alien to religious life. Some priests would love to be left alone and get on with their own work, but for how long? With falling numbers and failing parishes and struggling missions? How do we combat apathy amongst the faithful, they want to get places in the schools but not the places on the benches in an attendance at weekend Mass! How do we combat apathy amongst the clergy who feel isolated and inadequate? How do we put fresh impetus into the evangelisation of people if not by first downsizing and starting afresh from the vantage point of more support and encouragement.

10 years ago I would have run a mile if this was suggested, I think to my days as a seminarian or as a curate and I shudder at the idea of being subjected to that experience again, this experience of downsizing is different, not a backward step as now…..the future does not look that great. Something has to give, and trying downsizing might help the quality and better prospects for the future. I might hear myself saying “I wish I had done this sooner!”

Source: http://humblepiety.blogspot.com/2018/11/downsizing-i-wish-i-had-done-this-sooner.html

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