Westminster parish soars to the heights thanks to Growing in Faith

Oldest parishioner Nancy Sinclair enjoys inaugural ascent

St Joseph's Parish, Bunhill Row, on the edge of the City of London, has soared to the heights, literally, with its commitment to Westminster Diocese's Growing in Faith (GiF) fundraising scheme. This lively parish, without a resident parish-priest since 2006, values the strong pastoral support and encouragement it receives from Canon Peter Newby, its Administrator, who is also Parish Priest of the nearby St Mary Moorfields Church. Its Parish Pastoral Council strives to be a model of good practice in collaborative ministry, as well as being strongly committed to ecumenical partnership with its local sister-Churches of St Giles Cripplegate, Jewin Welsh Presbyterian Church, Quaker Meeting House, St Anne's Lutheran Church, and Wesley's Chapel. The latter's Associate Minister, the Revd Jennifer Potter, is an ecumenical member of St Joseph's Pastoral Council.

Sunday, 6 July 2014, saw not only four young adults receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, but the Blessing of a Lift enabling access for all, to both the basement-level church and the 1st Floor Parish Hall. The Blessing included Mark's Gospel story of the paralytic being lowered through the roof to be healed by Jesus. The Blessing prayers spoke of the lift being a sign of the parishes commitment to welcome, equality, and each person's value. The Lift installation has been made possible through the parish's involvement in Growing in Faith and which has had zero fall-out in its parishioners' pledges. Well over £60,000 has been pledged for the next few years, with a sizeable amount already in the bank. St Joseph's is also using some of its GiF funding to support its membership of Citizens UK over the next five years.

The Confirmation Mass and Lift Blessing were followed by St Joseph's annual Parish International Fiesta. The parish celebrates the presence of over 30 different national backgrounds in its congregation and this was evident in the variety
of bring-and-share food brought for all to enjoy over lunch. Committed to be 'at prayer in the City', St Joseph's also hosts monthly Carmel-in-the-City spirituality days, for those wishing to explore the relevance of Carmelite spirituality in today's world: www.carmelinthecity.org.uk/ .

St Joseph's is open on Wednesdays from 11.30am for Mass at 12.05, on Fridays from 12 - 3pm, for personal prayer, and on Sunday's for Mass at 11.30am. Its award-winning Quiet Garden, in memory of Cardinal Basil Hume, is open from Easter-October.