MISSION statement: Revised 2026

We are a group of Catholics, some of whom are ordained, brought together by our love of Christ’s Church and a desire to be part of the synodal renewal it needs.
 
Inspired by the legacy of the Second Vatican Council, and the call to Synodality for the Church of the third millennium, we want to contribute fully to the life of our Church so that it may be a more effective and inclusive sign of the Kingdom of God.
 
To enable this, we wish to promote listening, dialogue and receptivity within the Church, and with all people of good will, open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
 
Accordingly, we aim to facilitate opportunities to share experiences, practices and insights to discern our hopes and aims for the Church in the world today.

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.

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A year of the laity?

Written by: Chris McDonnell

Chris McDonnell  CT September 01  2017

There have been many ‘Years’ of celebration proclaimed by popes for the benefit of the Church. How about one with a difference, a ‘Year of the People’ or if you prefer the phrase a ‘Year of the Laity’?

Read more: A year of the laity?

Mass Settings to use for FREE !

Written by: Alex Walker

Dom Raphael Aspinwall, Belmont Abbey joined in a discussion on the Googlegroup regarding the drought of contemporary mass settings for the new translation of the mass. Dom Raphael, has kindly provided for the use of ACTA members two of his newly composed mass settings, John Kemble and Thomas Hereford. Dom Raphael writes: Here are two Masses I wrote fairly recently specifically for parish use, not monastic. My idea was to write something like an extended hymn with a practical range and an organ part no more demanding than a standard hymn. I intended for the congregation - not divided antiphonally between cantors and people - to be sung straight through - democratically! Do feel free to copy them if you are moved to give them an airing.

 
Mass of St John Kemble
Full: Mass of St John Kemble - Choir or Congregation (220.92 KB)
Choir & Congregation: Mass of St John Kemble (congregation or unison choir) (80.08 KB)
A5 Congregation: Mass of St John Kemble (for choir or congregation) A5 sheet (62.79 KB)
Mass of St Thomas Hereford
Full: Mass of St. Thomas Hereford (Congregation or unison choir) (230.22 KB)
Choir & Congregation: Mass of St. Thomas Hereford (Congregation or unison choir) Voices A5 (71.82 KB)
A5 Congregation: Mass of St. Thomas Hereford (Congregation or unison choir) Voices (78.95 KB)
 

 

Fr Jacques Hamel

Fr Jacques Hamel - RIP

Written by: Alex Walker

New models for the local church

Written by: Alex Walker

IMAGINING THE FUTURE: A DIOCESE IN NORTH EAST ENGLAND TAKES THE COLLAPSE IN CLERGY NUMBERS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RENEWAL

Fr Jim O'keefe

There is no roof on the Priory on Holy Island – there hasn’t been for centuries. In the 1790s there were around 200 priests in Sunderland and 100 in Berwick. In 2012, after more than 200 years of service, Ushaw College, that magnificent campus of historic buildings outside Durham, ceased to train men for the Catholic priesthood. The story of the Christian faith in the far north-east of England has been one change and decay, turbulence and revival.

Read more: New models for the local church

The Church We Want To Be

Written by: Alex Walker

In January, the bishop of Clifton wrote to his diocese asking ‘in the light of the Gospel’, What is it to be the Church for our day and our culture?  What do we need to do to make our imaginings come true?

Members of A Call to Action worked together to identify the issues these questions raised.

This is an edited version of what they said.

Clifton ACTA The Church We Want to Be - A5 Format            Clifton ACTA The Church We Want to Be - A4 Format

  1. A just society comes at a price
  2. RIP - Jo Cox MP
  3. What is there to say ?
  4. It's time to sing again !

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