The first ever training event for parish secretaries, administrators and pastoral assistants from the ten largest Jesuit parishes in England and Scotland has taken place in Leeds. The 12 representatives spent three days at Hinsley Hall, during which they immersed themselves in a series of exercises, discussions and talks aimed at supporting them in their work and providing them with a structure for the future.

Some years ago, the Jesuits in Britain set up a Pastoral Commission consisting of eight lay people and Jesuits, with the chairs of the parish councils making up the Jesuit Parishes Forum (JPF). These groups now meet at least three times each year; and the annual gathering of parish priests concludes with a joint meeting with the JPF. A residential conference every three years enables about 150 people from each of the Jesuit parishes in Britain to discuss developments, undergo training and help plan for the future.

At the recent Hinsley Hall event, the Director of St Beuno's, Fr Roger Dawson SJ, provided a kaleidoscope of insights into the life of St Ignatius, his spirituality and some hints on how to work with Jesuits. This was followed by input from Jane Hellings, the province’s Director of Development and Communications, who explained the communications structure aimed at informing people of what we do, and a workshop led by Ruth Morris, who is responsible for Digital Communications for the Jesuits in Britain. She introduced the delegates to the proposed ‘Pastoral Forum Network’ that is to be included on the province website.

Good at teamwork

On the final day of the training event, the province’s Human Resources Officer, Ann Marie Stephenson, concentrated on ways of working and how to find appropriate support both for the parishes’ lay staff and for their parish priests. “A common observation was that all the Jesuits with whom the group worked had too much to do and were not good at taking time off,” observed Br Ken Vance SJ, the province’s Delegate for Pastoral Ministries who had organised the training event. “The nature of parish and pastoral work makes it difficult to define boundaries – something to be mentioned when the directors of pastoral works meet in Leeds in two weeks’ time.”

Prior to the meeting, participants had been asked to complete a Belbin psychometric questionnaire and the final afternoon was devoted to exploring the results. Once they had each received a copy of their own profile, they discussed ways in which this could be used to improve their work practice. “Interestingly, most of the group appeared to be good at teamwork,” says Br Ken, “which is undoubtedly a good sign!” 

In evaluating the three-day training event, one participant described it as “informative, uplifting and affirmative”. It is hoped that it will now be held annually, with the occasional training or issue-based meeting arranged when needed.