In his foreword for the report, Archbishop John said:

“Our task is not simply to change structures but to renew hearts, allowing Christ to draw us closer to Himself so that our parishes and Archdiocese become radiant with His presence. Our duty as Catholics is to be evangelising disciples, who are called to help those in our communities to encounter the Lord Jesus.

“As we move forward, several priorities are clear:

• We will continue to invest in our growing Southwark Youth Service, forming young people as missionary disciples.
• We will strengthen inter-parish collaboration across ministries and plan together how groupings of parishes might best serve our communities.
• We will also renew our Archdiocesan and parish structures so that the energy and creativity shown throughout this consultation can bear lasting fruit.”

The Archbishop extends his deep gratitude to Fr Stephen Langridge for his leadership, and to Georgia Clarke who worked with him, on making the Called to Bear Fruit process a fruitful initiative that offers hope for our Archdiocese. He also thanks the Called to Bear Fruit Steering Committee and the Management Committee for their advice and invaluable input throughout.

 Fr Behr