Carmel Bulletin, 24 November 2013
At its meeting last Tuesday night, the Parish Pastoral Council received recommendations from the Church Renewal Committee and me, Fr Paul, which we had formulated at our meeting the previous week.
These recommendations came after a long and thorough process of study, reflection and discernment by the Liturgy Committee and the Church Renewal Committee, dating back to 2007.
With all the background process taken into account, the Church Renewal Committee and I put the following recommendations to the Parish Pastoral Council, which it endorsed:
- Preserve current North/South orientation of Church with centre aisle
- Retain sanctuary space as is
- Preserve Narthex as is
- Retain Choir Gallery as is – doing any necessary repairs to make safe
- Retain Marian Shrine
- Plan staged introduction/management of following issues as finances permit:
- Seek architectural advice and confirm that there are no structural issues to be addressed in the Church before proceeding further
- Look to developing Master Plan for overall Parish Plant (considering car parking, parish offices and toilets in particular) before embarking on staged Development Plan for the Church
- Commission new liturgical furniture (Altar, Ambo, Baptismal Font, President’s Chair, Tabernacle stand)
- Consider placement of a new Baptismal Font
- Make minor adjustments to seating in light of placement of a new Baptismal Font and processional needs – then recarpet the sanctuary and the body of the Church as appropriate
- Renew both Bennett & Garfield Street entrances – to create more light at the back of the Church, brighter vista for the Church and greater architectural consistency between the various Church buildings on the streetscape
- Develop new toilets
- Repair kneelers as necessary and consider removal of kneelers in front rows
- Blinds for western windows
I am very grateful to all those in the Liturgy Committee and the Church Renewal Committee for their commitment, over a long period of time, to the Church Renewal project. I think we have arrived at a point where we can now proceed further, having agreed on the parameters and process for taking the project forward. As I have said above, we will be proceeding step-by-step and as finances allow.
We will keep parishioners informed of any significant plans for changes as they are developed, inviting feedback on anything that is proposed.
Paul Cahill OCarm
Parish Priest
Frances Sullivan
Chair, Parish Pastoral Council
Liturgy 