Egan announces plans for diocese to put ‘faith into action’

The Bishop of Portsmouth wants Catholics to serve at food banks, on credit unions, befriend immigrants and campaign for justice, writes Christopher Lamb.

Bishop Philip Egan has announced a “Year of Faith in Action” to follow on from the recently concluded Year of Faith. “I wish to encourage everyone to develop all sorts of new initiatives,” he said in a pastoral message released last Sunday. “Pope Francis has frequently called the Church to be a Church for the poor; he has said that we need to transcend our comfort zones in order to serve those on the margins.”

The bishop also urges people to visit the sick, support addicts, protect the unborn child, support young parents and their families, love the lonely, work with the Society of Vincent de Paul, help the elderly and uphold human dignity from conception to natural death.

He also announced the creation of a new diocesan agency, Caritas Portsmouth, to help develop charitable activities in the diocese.

Bishop Egan urged parishes to review the needs of their local communities to discern what action they should undertake. He said a sign of a parish’s vitality is its charitable activity.