Westminster Record July 2013
Parish Profile - Hackney
St John the Baptist, Hackney – ‘An incredibly youthful parish’ by Alex Balzanella Nestled between the greenery of London Fields and Victoria Park, whilst also situated on a busy high street, is the parish of St John the Baptist, Hackney. When I arrived at the parish I was met by Fr David Evans, the long-standing parish priest. When I expressed my surprise at how green the surrounding area is Fr David said what a lovely parish it was and how lucky he felt to be here. Certainly a great way to begin a parish profile!
‘Underlying Instability’ When I asked about the history of the parish Fr David said its past has been a turbulent one, with the parish church needing to be demolished as a result of collateral damage from bombings in the Second World War. The new church, built in 1956, was one of the last in the diocese to be constructed before the Second Vatican Council, meaning that no sooner had it been completed than changes needed to be made to the original building.
The altar in the church
The parish still continues to see great change today, with the London Borough of Hackney seeing a third of people living in the area move every year. The area has also recently undergone gentrification and witnessed a sudden movement of young people from outside the St John the Baptist Hackney church building borough into the area. In such ‘Jewel in the Catholic Crown’ circumstances the parish church Parish Societies provides a vitally important sense of Although the character of the parish As well as Catholic societies the parish stability and community. community means there is little also has within its boundaries some opportunity for activities during the vitally important faith-based Young People and World working week, St John the Baptist projects, in which parish community Youth Day parishioners more than make up for members are volunteers and long time When I spoke to Fr David about the it whenever there is an opportunity. supporters. Fr David describes this challenges this must pose, he was work as ‘the jewel in the Catholic keen to stress that instead it has In the near future the parish will be crown’. Particularly well known is St helped develop a unique sense of hosting its annual BBQ, which Joseph’s Hospice, which was formed provides an opportunity for people to community in the parish: “It is an come together and learn about the by the Religious Sisters of Charity in incredibly youthful parish, more different ways in which they can 1905 and provides both in-patient and than half of the congregation on a become involved. These include the out-patient palliative care to people typical Sunday are under 35.” from Hackney and five neighbouring Legion of Mary, St Vincent de Paul London boroughs. In 2012 St Joseph’s “As a result of its young Society and Union of Catholic became an independent charity, rather congregation the parish Mothers. Fr David tells me as part of than being part of the Sisters’ order. really comes alive on the the Year of Faith there has been a However, the Sisters are still very much weekends.” renewed emphasis on helping these involved in the day to day life in the The level of engagement of the young societies to grow and take on hospice and also are highly involved in people at St John the Baptist is evident new projects. the new charity. in that the parish has the greatest Further to St Joseph’s Hospice the number of pilgrims on the Diocesan parish has had a long-standing link trip to World Youth Day in Rio de with Mild May Hospital, a faith-based Janeiro, Brazil. Fr David, in particular, hospital that provides specialist care was keen for the young people of his and support for people living with HIV parish to attend World Youth Day: & AIDS. The valuable work which these “Those I sent to World Youth Day came organisations do in the parish is back full of it and really became something which Fr David is keen to involved in parish life. In many ways it help develop and support. did them the world of good. Afterwards I felt it was really One cannot help but feel that with so important to support as many as I much youth and energy around the could to attend the next World future is bright for St John the Fr David speaking to parishioners Youth Day.” Baptist, Hackney.
Hackney embraces Archbishop's vision The word vision brings a particular call but also a particular difficulty. When the Archbishop offered us his vision for the future of the diocese we were called to have confidence that what lies behind it offers something good, beautiful and with a firm foundation for the building up of the local church of which the parishes are part. But at the beginning of a vision, there is nothing there; there is nothing or very little to see. In the film ‘The Song of Bernadette’ we are all so used to seeing Bernadette scraping in the dirt but at the time none would have foreseen what that would eventually mean. In his vision Archbishop Nichols introduced a three-fold challenge (for the parish, the priests and our witness to those in need) to the priests in the diocese to implement that vision. A pause was perhaps
of pavement stomping and house visiting. The priest turning up on your door step to talk about a vision and to share something of a future is not an easy thing. It is a time to catch up on news, views and thoughts but above For all of us to try to make the vision all to talk about God and His Church. It our own, we have needed to begin a is a sobering time to scratch around process of realising our shared and see what comes out. responsibility. This must surely begin and continue with our prayers - The response to be part of that vision prayers for ourselves that we maybe and a willingness to be counted strengthened to understand our part among those who would join in that in the work of the diocese - prayers idea in time, solidarity and in prayer that help us to perceive that the very was immediate and enthusiastic. A act of praying is a participation in the great witness to the challenge of the Archbishop’s vision. For to return to Archbishop is to have the confidence the life of St Bernadette, her scraping to make our parishes not only places in the dirt produced a place notable where we want to go but also where others will want to come to share for prayer. what we share and understand what Once asked to begin to proceed with it means to be friends with God and ‘Growing in Faith’ here in Hackney, it each other. The call of Growing in was time to revamp the lost practice Faith has been to begin by doing just needed for all of us to spend some time in thought and prayer to consider its implications. The three fold challenge should cause a threefold response.
that: to look at our parish to see why we go there and what is needed to make others more comfortable there too. Very soon a team of people were on board to be part of this very crucial initial contact. Perhaps, the most enthusiastic and enlivening moments were those meetings in the church hall when most of the families of the parish were represented (more than twothirds). Here the ‘vision’ that the Archbishop had proposed was brought to a real situation: from an individual speaking to individuals to those individuals coming together to reveal that ‘we are members of one body’. Just as St Bernadette had got her hands dirty to do something for God, so here many were willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in.
• Priests normally step down from being a parish priest when they turn 75 • Some continue to serve in a supply capacity after 75 • As a Diocese we are currently caring for 79 retired clergy, with a further 10 on sick leave • 44% of our priests in active ministry today will have retired within the next 20 years • Almost 40 men are currently training for the priesthood, with 8 being Ordained next month • The Diocese of Westminster plans to increase its Catholic Social outreach over the coming years and has recently appointed John Coleby as the Director of Caritas, Diocese of Westminster to lead this effort Page 9