Parish support group
Agenda for an extraordinary meeting to be held at St Thomas More church hall – Monday 8 December 2025 at 5pm
- Opening prayer
- Communications: Deanery
- Christmas Plans: Schedules; volunteers
- Co-ordination with and support for the school
- Care for the most vulnerable in the parish: Visits, services in Homes and Extra Care
Housing - Pastoral Visit to the parish by Rt Rev Bishop Richard Walker, Auxiliary Bishop of
Birmingham, weekend of 31st January 2026: Schedule; representation - Any Other Business: Dates for meetings in 2026
- Closing prayer
Parish Assembly Support Group (Interim Parish Council)
Minutes of the extraordinary meeting held at St Thomas More church hall – Tuesday 11 November 2025
In attendance: Canon Mervyn Tower, Charles King, Julie Murphy, Margaret King (Chair), Tim Selwood, Jane Leman, Kathleen McGlynn, Kazia Kantor, Teresa Canning, John Bellasis (Secretary), Sandra Lenagan, Ann Wilkins, Rania Naser (School Support), Anne Garrett, Mary Laina, Cathy Morrison,,Louis Borucki, Mary Joseph,Maggie Borucki, Bob Wright
Apologies: Julieann Exley, Garrett Nagel, Irma Foster, Marika Dimech, Sean Calnan, Jean Clarke, Stephanie O’Keeffe
- Fr Mervyn (MT) opened the meeting at 5pm with a prayer and then welcomed everyone. The assembled company were grateful for his presence. Margaret King volunteered to take the Chair.
- MT apologised for the poor communication from above. MK/CK had written to the Archbishop and Auxiliary Bishop Walker and had a reply from both resulting in the proposed visit by the latter at the end of January 2026. MT summarised the situation as follows:
- Archbishop’s Council meets every fortnight. The shortage of priests is a universal challenge, exacerbated by a number of recent deaths in the diocese, including a relatively young priest.
- A list of priests covering at weekends is available in each of the sacristies and MT will cover emergencies and funerals and will help to steer things.
- When a priest is not available for a Mass, a Eucharistic Service may be held by a lay person selected by those that currently plan the services each week. A Eucharistic Service is comprised of the Liturgy of the Word for the day plus the distribution of Holy Communion that will be replenished in each church by MT. Such a service may include a homily prepared by the nominated lay minister. Only the consecration will be lacking.
- RN emphasised the need for school Masses for the sacraments and she explained the increasing interest in the Faith by children and parents and is concerned about maintaining this momentum. MT promised to talk again with Archbishop Bernard Longley.
- CK stressed the importance of keeping up attendance in church and floated the idea of assembling a large screen in each church to relay Masses from MT’s church at Corpus Christie, Headington, where Sunday Masses are held at 9am and 11am.
- MT proposed suspending the Saturday vigil Mass but RN led the general concern of losing the regular attendees; in particular some young children and teenagers.
- RN and MJ will work together to post the necessary information on the parish website.
- Extra support will be given to the school in this interim period by this support group as and when required.
- MT offered to write a weekly deanery report to inform and encourage this parish. This would be in addition to a deanery report that has always been available but not circulated within this parish. He continues to put pressure on those local sources of supply of which there are many in and around Oxford but their time is mostly spoke for. A priest might become available during the week and the school will have preference; for example the week of the carol service and the last Thursday of term. RN proposed pausing the preparation for the sacraments until January.
- LB thanked all volunteers for continuing in their roles.
- Christmas plans for the two churches are underway and will be reviewed at the next meeting. The above paragraph on communication instilled confidence in how to manage the way forward. In addition to the lists of priests in the sacristies, readers will be notified as usual and lay ministers will be chosen and notified in the same way.
- Co-ordination with and support for the school: See paragraph 2 above. RN reported that JE is keen to return to her post following a period of bereavement and this group should be called upon to assist where necessary.
- Care for the most vulnerable:
- Eucharistic ministers will continue in their role of visiting the sick.
- SL informed that St Hugh’s in Woodstock, as part of a rota with CTWB (churches together), would continue to provide the residents and care staff in Spencer Court Home with a Sunday evening service of hymns, prayers and readings. St Hugh’s next service will be on Sunday 21st December from 5:45 to 6:30pm. JB suggested approaching Moorside Place in Kidlington to do something similar.
- Other Business:
- It was agreed to accept Bishop Walker’s offer to visit during the weekend of 31st January. This Pastoral Visit is a special occasion requiring all the volunteers and officials of the parish and the school to be ready to attend. (A programme for the visit will need to be drawn up.)
- The next meeting will be held in the St Thomas More church hall on Monday 8th December at 5pm.
- MK advised that Kidlington News has a surplus of funds that they propose to distribute around the churches of Kidlington. This implies that only the St Thomas More church will benefit.
- MT proposed re-naming the group, Parish Council or Interim Parish Council. This would reflect the structure in other parishes in the deanery where the parish council and the finance committee meet on a Saturday over a pizza and hold a synodal meeting on the Sunday with a bring-and-share lunch. (This can be explored.)
- Canon Mervyn Tower had to leave at 18:10 and led us in prayer then and gave us a blessing. The meeting continued until 18:30.