Catholic Deanery of Eastbourne and St Leonards

Update from East & West Hub Meetings – July 2025


As part of the Diocese’s Pastoral Plan, we are on a journey toward becoming one single Catholic parish in Eastbourne and St Leonards. Due to the size of the current deanery, we have formed two hubs — West and East — to work more locally and effectively. These hubs will collaborate in mission while continuing to honour the unique character of each church community. This development, outlined in our recent newsletter, marks an important step in how we serve more effectively as one Church.

The first meetings for this new stage, with representatives from each deanery church and our clergy, took place on 2nd July for the West Hub and 3rd July for the East Hub. Together, they reflected on how we grow as one Catholic parish, sharing resources and mission while honouring the unique gifts of each community.

The meetings led to visioning:
“What do we want our parish to look like in two years?”

Several shared priorities emerged, including improving communication, enhancing prayer and worship with a focus on inclusive liturgies and ministries of welcome and better formation and outreach. These priorities — and others — will be taken forward through future Hub meetings and working groups. This is not change for change’s sake, but a prayerful evolution of our Catholic missionary promises, rooted in our Baptism, so all our communities may grow and thrive together.

To support this growth, we encourage everyone to prayerfully consider whether a ministry such as Welcome, Catechesis, Altar Serving, Charity and Outreach, or others might be calling them. Those discerning a vocation are also warmly invited to seek guidance. Please speak to a priest, a member of the parish team, or a ministry leader if you feel drawn to help. Your presence and your gifts truly matter.

Please note, there will be no meetings in August, allowing time to rest, reflect, and prayerfully discern God’s direction. Future gatherings will resume, continuing this journey rooted in prayer, formation, and mission in September.

Further updates will be shared in due course. As always, your prayers, presence, and insights remain vital to our shared mission.

May we keep moving forward together in faith, hope, and joy.


Synthesis of high priority points raised in both Hub meetings


Visioning: What do we want our Parish to look like in 2 years’ time?


  1. Communication
    1. Vital that parishioners are kept updated of everything going on in the Churches, spiritual, material and social via website, newsletters and pulpit etc
    2. Updated parish database for mailshots to parishioners of events etc
    3. Parish audit of key contacts (parish coordinators plus professional support)
    4. Make good use of the Synodal way of listening and discerning (“conversations in the Spirit”)
    5. New parish identity: Hub Newsletters in place of individual parish newsletters, Logo, Mission (vision) Statement, use of provisional parish name (Catholic Parish of Eastbourne & St Leonards)

  2. Prayer & worship
    1. ministry of welcome paramount
    2. inclusive and lively liturgy for families with young people (Family Mass?)
    3. good range of Mass times
    4. helping people to church who have no transport
    5. Use of lay-led para-liturgies, e.g. Morning Prayer, Prayer Groups, Holy Hours

  3. Formation
    1. How to offer Sacramental preparation that gives opportunity for life-long development of relationship with Christ and his Church)
    2. Nurturing personal relationship with Jesus
    3. Support to RCIA / adult enquirers – more flexibility in how we engage and offer accompaniment (e.g. timing / variety of courses offered)
    4. Faith (knowledge and deepening of) and ongoing journey for all ages
    5. Preparing people for missionary discipleship
    6. Practical formation of those in ministry (e.g. Catechists, Welcomers, Readers)

  4. Mission
    1. Welcome and Inclusion paramount – how to welcome and accompany people (e.g. buddy system), how to integrate, introduce and support new enquirers
    2. Family & Young People Ministry – work closely with schools to find ways to encourage children and young people in their faith and social interactions, develop opportunities & activities for young people across the parish (youth groups, catechesis between Sacraments), develop better parent catechesis within Sacramental programmes
    3. Support of single people (e.g. young adults’ group)
    4. Develop Volunteering Opportunities in the parish (Open Days, Presentations, Invitation)

  5. Pastoral Care
    1. Taking Eucharist to sick and housebound
    2. Reaching out to people (parishioners and non) across the New Parish in innovative and creative ways
    3. Reaching out to those on the margins, to those distanced from Church and their faith
    4. Support for housebound and isolated – providing access to Holy Communion and Sacraments, how to better include them in parish life (e.g. as prayer partners, better use of streamed services etc)
    5. Good collaboration between clergy and laity in all things

Image: Alan Levine

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