SYNOD 2020 - Parish Proposal Form:                 
Having reflected on the situation, how our Faith informs us, and what needs to be done in order to become the Church God is calling us to be; the proposals for action submitted by our parish to Synod 2020 on the Theme Sharing the mission of Jesus are as follows:

Proposal 1 
We need to be a compassionate and caring church within our community. We need to follow up with lapsed Catholics, bereaved people, parents who have baptised their children etc. so that     people will see that they are part of a community that cares about them and their loved ones.

Proposal 2 
The church needs to share the Good News of Jesus in a modern way through Facebook, Instagram etc. We need to be on aplatform that people can relate to in the present day. This could take the form of invitations to church sent out via social media and calls for people to take action on issues relevant to the church.

Proposal 3 
There needs to be church events such as afternoon/evening teas which invite the community to get together. This would serve to make the church a community space that people are encouraged to visit.

Proposal 4 
People need to be shown a clear path to sharing in the mission of Jesus. People want to help others, they just need to be given a clear means to do so through, for example, setting up clear voluntary roles that people can apply for which could be advertised locally.

Proposal 5 
The good work of the church locally, nationally and internationally needs to be publicly celebrated. This could encourage more people to get involved.

St. Paula – 26th January:
Born in Rome of a noble family on May 5th 347. A member of one of the richest   senatorial families which claimed descent from       Agamemnon; Paula was the daughter of Blesilla and Rogatus, from the great clan of the Furii Camilli. In her mid teens Paula was married to the nobleman Toxotius and the couple had five children - Toxotius, Blesilla, Paulina, Eustochium, and Rufina. They were regarded as an ideal married couple, and on his death in 379, she renounced the world, lived in the greatest austerity, and devoted  herself to helping the poor. She met St. Jerome in 382 through St. Epiphanius and Paulinus of Antioch and was closely associated with Jerome in his work while he was in Rome. The death of her daughter Blesilla in 384 left her heartbroken, and in 385 she left Rome with Eustochium, travelled to the Holy Land with Jerome, and a year later settled in Bethlehem under his spiritual direction. She and Eustochium built a hospice, a monastery, and a convent, which Paula governed. She became Jerome's closest confidante and assistant, taking care of him and helping him in his biblical work, build numerous churches, which were to cause her financial difficulties in her old age, she died at Bethlehem on January 26. She is the patroness of widows.