Running a Diocese
Posted on 20. Sep, 2018, in Christian Values, Community, Gospel ValuesComments Off on Running a Diocese
Alan McGuckian SJ was appointed as Bishop of Raphoe by Pope Francis just over a year ago. During the last six years Alan has been working with the Diocese of Down and Conor in the ‘Living Church’ project.
This began in 2011 with a listening process, aimed at hearing the hopes and fears of the priests, religious, and the lay faithful in all 87 parishes. This process led to the publication of a document he wrote – the Living Church Report – published in 2012. On foot of this report Bishop Treanor of Down and Conor asked Alan to set up and lead the Living Church Office whose goal has been to make concrete the hopes and aspirations expressed first of all in the Living Church Report and then in the Diocesan Pastoral Plan which the bishop commissioned.
Here he talks with Pat Coyle about living and working in a dioceses and parishes and the importance of working together in prayer with holding all communities together in a true “Living Church”, in particular in a country like Northern Ireland, with its history of division.