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MISSION statement:

We are a group of Catholics, some of whom are ordained, brought together by our love of Christ's Church and our anxiety about its future. Still inspired by the Second Vatican Council, we want to contribute fully to the life of our Church so that we may be a more effective sign of the Kingdom of God. To do this, we believe that an atmosphere of openness and dialogue both with each other and with our church leadership needs developing. Accordingly, we aim to supply channels of free and frank communication. We desire to help create a climate of trust and respect for all where this dialogue may be fostered.

THEOLOGY statement:

ACTA is a movement built from below by clergy and laity alike in every diocese in England and Wales. It exists to give those people an effective voice. It is an instrument to establish and promote space for a trusting dialogue within a hierarchically structured people’s Church.

ACTA believes that the reforms of the Second Vatican Council are the only way forward for mission to modern society. It is not a small chapel of selected followers; it believes in the Church as a “big tent”, with open doors. As a free and representative association of believers, it seeks to liberate the expertise in the ranks, so as to bring added energy and witness to the Church in the world.

: Written by Alex Walker; Published: 24 March 2020

DIOCESE	COORDINATOR
Arundel & Brighton	Brian Pointer
Birmingham	Jean Riordan
Brentwood	Tony Castle
Cardiff	Frank Callus
Clifton	Nick Weeks
East Anglia	VACANT
Hallam	Anne Pearcey
Hexham & Newcastle	Mike Kerrigan
Lancaster	Anne Foley
Leeds	David Jackson
Liverpool	VACANT
Menevia	Michael Doyle
Middlesborough	Patricia Harriss CJ
Northampton	Jackie Gleeson
Nottingham	Bill Myers
Plymouth	Peter Farrell
Portsmouth	Andrew Hornsby-Smith
Salford	John & Dorothy Ryan
Shrewsbury	VACANT
Southwark	John Michael Wilkins
Westminster	John O'Sullivan
Wrexham	Joy Elder

Please complete this form if any of these details are incorrect or you would like to volunteer for a vacant diocese:

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: Written by Alberto Fabio Ambrosio; Published: 23 March 2020

Message from Jean Riordan in Birmingham: Look at the sort of articles you can get from La Croix Internationale – not just our favourite Robert Mickens! Look online and consider subscribing – it’s really worth it!

'Are there any good Catholics in this time of coronavirus?'

Italian-born Dominican theologian believes the coronavirus pandemic can lead society and the Church back to the basics

Alberto Fabio Ambrosio
Luxembourg

I feel close to the cry from outside the Church in the face of its cowardice. Of course, there's a cry from the inside, too. But it seems to me that it's being raised hesitantly when it should be extremely strong.

: Written by Alex Walker; Published: 23 March 2020

THE GOD WHO SPEAKS ...
ACTA
LECTIONARY COMMENTARY
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
YEAR A
YEAR OF MATTHEW

Download: 5th Sunday of Lent Yr A Matthew

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: Written by Patricia Loughran; Published: 23 March 2020

It feels very strange to be writing a homily which will never be heard by anyone. ‘Unprecedented’ is the word these days to describe the situation we are currently living through. People in previous centuries, of course, lived through much more serious times than the we are doing, but we all have to live through our own times, and these are ours.

And so the big question is what do we make of them? The spirituality of Ignatius Loyola is summed up in the phrase Finding God in All Things. So, if this is right, where is God in the current crisis? There will be those who will do what they always do and see this virus as some kind of punishment from God. Have nothing to do with this kind of rubbish. It’s utter nonsense. God is not like that and never has been. You could say that mother-nature is somehow fighting back, urging us to look again at what we are doing to ourselves and the environment. The virus started, after all, through a lack of proper care in the way we treat animals. And so, as so often happens, we are the cause of our own misfortune. But mother-nature herself is only a metaphor, not God.

Read more: Where is God in the Coronavirus? Add new comment