MOVING ON WITH BUILDINGS   Peter Corcoran S.M. Des Hanrahan S.M.   July 2002  
At our recent Parish meetings there was a real openness and honesty in the discussions. We were aware of the present and the need to take responsibility for ourselves as parish communities now. But also there was an awareness of the future, when it is possible that not one of the three parishes would have their own resident priest. There would obviously be a priest involved in the communities - that is the nature of our Church - but the running and final voice in decision making, as it often was in the past, would simply not be possible. Also the simple consideration of hours in the day which the priest in the future will have at his disposal was raised.
 
With these thoughts in mind, we have since sat down together and done some serious thinking. Our thoughts were obviously influenced by the discussions at the meetings and the subsequent responses to the various suggested areas of responsibility.
 
Also last week, Dr. Jim Whiston, the Financial Secretary of the Diocese, came down to Hull and we had a meeting with him which included a tour of the three Parish properties.. We looked at them from the larger perspective of the Diocese.   CORPUS CHRISTI  
PREAMBLE: The area behind the Church, which originally contained the Parish hall and garden, has been on the market for over as year and no interest has been shown in it.
 
PROPOSAL: To apply for access to this area via a ‘road’ going down the left hand side of the church, within our property. A Car Park to be created on the unused area, to be used by Parishioners, especially in Winter. (If in the future, interest were to be shown in this area we would then be in a position to sell part of it, now having access.)
 
To re-site the large Crucifix, demolish the present sacristy and also the garage.
 
To build a sacristy on the other side of the church, possibly incorporating toilets and more storage space.   ST. JOSEPH’S  
1) Exterior of the Church - Car parking facilities.
 
PREAMBLE: This topic, which has been on the agenda during the tenure of previous parish priests, needs to be addressed. The present car park is dangerous for pedestrians and inadequate for our purposes as a car park. We simply need more quality space.
 
PROPOSAL: Work to be done on the present Car Park to make it safe and user friendly.
 
The present Car park to be extended around the other side of the church, taking in part of the Parish garden. Thought be given to the need, advisability or desire for access from Pickering Road.
 
2) The interior of our Church
 
PREAMBLE: The benches in our church are uncomfortable nor do they afford the flexibility required for wheelchairs and prams nor for different services. Likewise, they do not provide the option for those people, some elderly and disabled, who would benefit from alternative seating.
 
PROPOSAL: To purchase some proper church chairs and replace the front two rows of benches on either side at the front of the Church and the back two rows on the right hand side and the back four rows on the left hand side.   ST. WILFRID’S  
We are a very small community and, as was evident from the parish meeting and the subsequent responses, are rather stretched with our resources. To have responsibility for three sites - church, house, hall would seem to be beyond us.
 
1) The parish house.
 
PREAMBLE: When it was confirmed that there would be no resident priest in St. Wilfrid’s it was decided to retain ownership of the house and lease it out to tenants. With this in mind the house was cleared and rewired.
 
PROPOSAL: To sell, rather than lease, the property as it is felt that nothing is to be gained from our retaining ownership and also we are heavily in debt as a parish.
 
2) The parish hall.
 
PREAMBLE: Apart from the Christmas and Summer Fair it is not used for any major parish event. To justify our retaining it, its use would have to change drastically so that it would become a major source of income for our parish. The recent parish meeting and subsequent responses didn’t suggest that we have the personnel to do this. We are a small parish and we simply do not have the people we had in the past to do everything we would like to do.
 
PROPOSAL: To sell the parish hall and thus concentrate all our efforts, financial and otherwise, on the maintenance and development of the church, which is big enough and adaptable enough to supply most of our present needs, religious and social.
 
We would hope get things moving on the areas mentioned above in the Autumn.