We are very excited to announce that the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton have just agreed to take forward an exciting new way of working to address the ongoing ecological and growing social crises. Recognising the urgency for the church to act on these crises, particularly in the context of COVID recovery, on Friday 22nd January, Ellie and John Paul from the Ecological Conversion Group were invited by Bishop Richard Moth to speak to 55 representatives from the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton on the Journey to 2030 campaign. This meeting set out the vision for the diocese to work collaboratively in addressing these problems and we’re happy to say that the group agreed to take this forward as a new working strategy!
The diocesan campaign (launched in 2018), run by the Ecological Conversion group and inspired by Pope Francis’ teachings in Laudato Si’, takes an integral approach to working in a way that recognises that we are all connected and living in a common home. Because of this, no problem is isolated; there is a need to “hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” [Laudato Si’ 49] in our efforts in building a better world. The Journey to 2030 is, as the name suggests, our diocesan journey in building this better world.
In this spirit, the Journey to 2030 campaign invited Arundel and Brighton diocesan staff, chaplains, and religious communities onboard to help steer our Journey to 2030, so that the many voices they represent can be heard in building our diocesan strategy in working together towards combatting the ecological and social crises of our world.
John Paul and Ellie presented on some of the key themes of the campaign and led a discussion to agree how we might move it forward in the diocese. The group agreed to form a Journey to 2030 Working Group to work on this strategy, as well as to divide into subgroups to take forward the key themes of Laudato Si’, with an emphasis on cross-departmental working and collaborative problem solving.
The ECG will be working closely with A&B to coordinate the set-up of these groups. We are so excited to be working with A&B on this innovative approach and look forward to sharing its fruits in the near future – so watch this space!
