Our Pastoral Area

The Diocesan Pastoral Plan – entitled Go Out and Bear Fruit is the result of an immense amount of work and consultation that has been going on in the diocese in recent years. It is a statement of how we see ourselves as sharers of the Gospel and how we are to be as those for whom Christ’s word and teaching is absolutely central.The Plan raised many important pastoral issues for the diocese, one of which resulted in the development Pastoral Areas, which have replaced the old deanery structure. In today’s world with fewer priests and more mobile communities, we have to be even more effective as a missionary community.

Pastoral Areas, which are larger than parishes, and, in most cases, smaller than the old deaneries, serve to provide the following:

To ensure that Sunday Mass is accessible to as many people as possible on a local basis.
To affirm and support priests in the essentials of their pastoral and sacramental ministry.
To endeavour to maintain the distinct identity of smaller pastoral groupings, e.g. churches, Mass centres, schools, hospitals.
To enable the continuing growth of hospital, prison and school chaplaincy teams, which may include priests, deacons, religious and lay people.
To provide pastoral care and catechesis more effectively.
To share gifts and expertise on a wider basis.
To be an opportunity for the further development of leadership skills by a larger group of people.
To promote efficient and coordinated use of resources, especially people and buildings.
To create more opportunities for ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue and shared initiatives.
To enable greater priority to be given to outreach, especially evangelisation and involvement in the local community.

The parish of St Joseph and St Margaret Clitherow in Bracknell belongs to the South Berkshire Pastoral Area which consists of Bracknell, Wokingham, Crowthorne and Sandhurst and Ascot.

The co-ordinating Pastor in our Pastoral Area is Rev. Daniel McAvoy who is also the parish priest for the Bracknell parish of St. Joseph and St. Margaret Clitherow. Rev Kevin Bidgood is parish priest for St Francis Parish Ascot, Canon Simon Thomson is parish priest for Corpus Christi Parish Wokingham and Rev. Marcus Brisley is parish priest for the RC Parish of Crowthorne and Sandhurst.

Click to see the Bishop’s Pastoral Plan Go out and Bear Fruit

Please click here to link to the website for Corpus Christi in Wokingham

Please click here to link to the website of the RC Parish of Crowthorne and Sandhurst

Please click here to link to the website for St Francis in Ascot