Dear all,
On 7 July we will be celebrating together our last regular Mass in Hollerich. To many, this announcement will come as a bolt from the blue; some may have read the signs. On Thursday 13 June, P. Erny Gillen, the Vicaire Général, had a meeting with the Fabrique d’Église of Hollerich. This was prompted, at least in part, by our concerns about the structural integrity of the church building; in part also to see how we might work together in the future. The conclusion of the meeting was that the committee feel that both our interests are best served if we find another home; I am sure there is wisdom in this.

This presents us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity:  to work with the archdiocese in finding ourselves a new church, more suitable to our needs, where we can begin afresh. Both the Archbishop and the Vicaire Général believe this to be the best course of action for us, and I agree with them, and our Parish Council are of the same mind.

The archdiocese have indicated that they will help us find us a new, suitable venue, hopefully by Autumn 2013. At this early stage, they have several churches in mind, and we will remain in close dialogue with them as to our future. We are looking at the date of 7 July to celebrate together our final regular Mass in Hollerich, at our usual time of 11am. This Mass will be a Mass of thanksgiving.

When we leave Hollerich, several things suggest themselves:

• The Parish Council are agreed that we will have an open meeting, where any parishioner can come along, learn what’s going on and have a voice. The date for this meeting will be announced shortly.
• Obviously we will leave with sadness, but with great spirit of gratitude for our years in the church.
• We will move our Masses to St Alphonse until our new home, wherever it might be, is available (our Mass at St Alphonse would be at 11:15).
• The Parish Council will be working to define our priorites for the new building: size of church, location, parking, rooms available, disposition of the Fabrique d’Eglise, etc. to assist the archdiocese in identifying possible locations, and to clarify our own thinking on the matter; no church will be perfect, but we need to be able to ascertain which would be the best compromise

I will continue to work with the Parish Council on these issues, and we will keep you up-to-date with developments;  We would be grateful for your comments and suggestions. In the meantime, please keep our parish in your prayers, asking the Lord that we will find the best possible location for our vibrant and growing community.

With warmest best wishes,

Fr Ed, with the Parish Council