Letter: Catholic tradition is now under threat
There are two divergent trends in Christianity: one claims a once-for-all revelation, immutable in essence but open to modification by the interpretation of hindsight; the other throws this aside by a claim of continual revelation from the Holy Spirit.
The first is the Catholic faith which depends for its continuity upon tradition. The second is the Protestant way which has benefitted from Calvin, Luther, Huss, Knox et alia but, in the extreme, leads to Joseph Smith and Mary Baker Eddy.
Anglicanism is unique in binding together both of these strains in one church organisation but, increasingly in recent years, the Catholic strain has been under severe pressure and needs cosseting.
All Saints, Castlefields, is the only Catholic parish for miles around, so forming a focus for Catholics, together with its parish responsibilities. It seems particularly unfortunate that the parish is not receiving the support of Lichfield Diocese which is its due.
Unfortunately, Fr. Michael Fish has now accepted an offer elsewhere and the parish is in limbo with the threat of pastoral re-organisation hanging over it. By current rules the parish cannot be merged with any other parish unless either it renounces its present strain of Christianity or the other merged parish does the same.
I have written to the bishop on this subject but have waited in vain for a reply. Despite the bishop having been schooled in the extreme Protestant theological college at Bristol I, with many others, would hate to see him remembered as the person who destroyed the continuing Catholic strain in Shrewsbury.
K L Turns, Powys
