Celebrating Family Diocesan Projects: Diocese of Arundel & Brighton 

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The Diocese of Arundel & Brighton received a grant of £5,050 from the Celebrating Family Fund to fund Master's level training for the former diocesan advisor for Marriage and family Life.

Marriage and Family Life (MFL) Ministry in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton (A&B) dates back to 1990, when Bishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor invited Elaine Gibbs to establish a peer ministry covering all aspects of marriage and family life.  It has continued to flourish in the hands of successive MFL workers, under the guidance of Bishop Kieran Conry and the Diocesan MFL Commission. The current MFL Adviser is Katherine Bergin.

A New Master’s Degree Programme in Leadership for Family Ministry and Faith Development

The diocese of A&B is committed to the continual professional development of its staff, and is known for its investment in staff training. In 2007 Dominican University (Chicago, Illinois) launched a new distance-learning master’s degree programme in Leadership for Family Ministry and Faith Development. The three year course combined face-to-face learning (through an annual summer residential) with on-line study during the spring and autumn terms.  According to Dominican University, the master’s programme was a response to the Church’s on-going need to connect parish and family life with lifelong faith development.  The course would approach this by examining the role of the family in the life of the Church (especially in the transmission of faith from one generation to the next) and by studying faith development throughout the life cycle. The Master’s programme would prepare students for professional leadership in a contemporary Church environment and provide rich growth experiences in theology, community building and spirituality. 

Liz James had been in post since 2005 and was an experienced MFL Adviser, Marriage Care volunteer, wife, mother and grandmother.  She was, however, keen to deepen her own awareness of what it means to have a leadership role within the Church and to share that learning with others similarly engaged. Excited about the prospect of creating a solid theological foundation for her work, Liz discussed the possibility of diocesan sponsorship for her studies with the MFL Commission and the Vicar General. For Church sponsored students a grant of 33% was available from Dominican University so it was important for her to apply with their support.

Happily, at this time, the Celebrating Family Fund became available and Bishop Kieran gave Liz the diocese’s blessing to apply for help with tuition fees and associated costs, with the proviso that any grant awarded should cover only half, with the rest supplied by the diocese in line with its staff development and training policy.  The funds were jointly awarded and Liz began her MA in 2007, supported by Katrina Avery, the Diocesan Pastoral Support Coordinator. 

‘It was a good two weeks of learning and sharing….it has increased my awareness; has made me love learning and I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.’

The course was demanding, but very quickly Liz found that it was directly relevant to her own work.  It gave her a fresh perspective as well as new confidence and assurance in group situations. Liz particularly enjoyed studying on-line and the interaction with the other students.  So much so, that by the time the students met face to face for the summer residential, it felt like a reunion between long lost friends.  

‘Developing ideas through reading, reflection and participation in the course makes you see a wider picture.’

Liz was able to put her new learning into practice almost immediately. She piloted a reflective workshop for married couples, in partnership with Marriage Care, in Weybridge in September 2008 at which they were encouraged to examine their ongoing relationships. Liz also launched the Home is a Holy Place initiative in November 2008.  She was completely committed to promulgating the central message of Home is a Holy Place and her academic study better equipped her to lead the Home is a Holy Place discussion sessions - encouraging a rich cross fertilisation of ideas. 

In one parish, Liz’s session was such as success that a group of young mothers now meets up regularly outside of Church – and the network of support and fellowship within the community is growing.  Liz took Home is a Holy Place across the diocese as part of the Pastoral Team Road Show and presented the resource at a variety of venues.  She now found that she had the confidence to shape the material she was given, and to develop it in her own way.  She explored ideas that she wouldn’t have touched on before because she had confidence in the theological grounding of her work. Katrina Avery was delighted to see Liz growing in strength and confidence.  She commented that the, ‘on-going formation, rooted in spirituality and the ’spiritual nourishment’ provided by the course were critical resources for people in lay ministry; doing much to reinforce the collaborative nature of family ministry in the diocese.

By July 2011 eight other diocesan leaders will have graduated from the Dominican University’s Master’s programme 

Liz graduated in 2010 with a Master’s Certificate and retired later the same year.  As the first UK-based students to embark on Dominican University’s new master’s programme, Liz and her contemporaries were able to provide constructive feedback on course content, work/study balance and the practicalities of on-line learning, which has proved invaluable.  By July 2011 eight more diocesan leaders will have graduated from Dominican University’s master’s programme. In the UK, ideas for MA level training in Leadership for Family Life Ministry are currently being explored with a view to developing a UK-based course at some point in the future.

Liz continues to work on a voluntary basis for Marriage Care and offers support and encouragement to the new diocesan MFL adviser, Katherine Bergin. Katherine has been a teacher most of her professional life and is an active member of the diocese – including, for many years, acting as a group leader on the annual diocesan Lourdes pilgrimage.  She is married with four children.  Katherine’s current priorities include developing the Catholic Grandparents Association locally; providing new adult formation courses on baptism and extending the provision of bereavement support across the diocese.

For more information on the experience of the Dominican University master’s programme please contact elizabeth.davies@cbcew.org.uk.  For details of current MFL initiatives and other developments in A&B please contact MFL Advisor Katherine Bergin.

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