UNITED KINGDOM" "
“List the most important results of your priestly ministry at the present time”, “How do you judge the morale of priests?”, “What contributes to it?”, “What are the most important concerns of priests today and how can they be tackled?”. These are some of the questions that form part of a survey promoted by the archdiocese of Westminster, to assess the morale of its clergy and to understand whether they are happy or not. The results of the survey, “Perceptions of priestly ministry in the diocese”, will be presented in a report to the Council of Priests at the end of November. The survey was coordinated by Father Stuart Wilson, the same priest responsible for the programme of pastoral renewal “At your word Lord”. Not all priests welcomed the project. Father Gerard Burke, canon of the church of St. Lawrence at Feltham, a district in West London, declared to the Catholic weekly “The Tablet” that no change would be introduced as a result of the survey, while Father Digby Samuels, of the parish of St. Patrick, in the district of Tower Hamlets in East London, who represents his diocese to the National Conference of Priests, said he was happy about the survey. According to the diocese of Westminster, a festival of the faith will be launched in 2006. “Open the doors” will be held over the weekend from 14 to 16 July and priests and parishioners will be encouraged to contribute ideas to the realization of various activities.
