In terms of your involvement in the Roncalli Community the starting point has to be a word of welcome.
You are welcome. We are delighted to extend to you a warm welcome even if you only have a passing interest in what Roncalli is about. Naturally we hope your interest will develop and become more substantial.
Let’s outline the ways in which you may become involved.
Perhaps you will be an occasional visitor, whether that be actually or virtually. If this is the case we value your interest and trust in your good wishes and possibly your prayer. We would particularly appreciate you telling your friends about us.
Those who connect with us on this level we see as associates or more formally as Friends of Roncalli.
We would particularly welcome the support of those in religious leadership. This support could take the form of the donation of religious artefacts. We are presently in need of a very large crucifix, an icon of the Washing of the Feet, as a centrepiece for our John XXIII oratory and indeed images of the said ‘good Pope’! Failing this, a donation, no matter how small, towards same, would be very welcome.
Over the next six months we will be looking for members of both our core community and our satellite community.
Our satellite community members are the four or five members who will not actually live in Roncalli house but will join us for key periods in the week.
The core community members are the three or four others who, along with myself, will live in and form the core of Roncalli. These members will live as members of Roncalli for a period of between three months and three years.
The core and the satellite members will be female and male, lay, religious and cleric.
One of the main outreaches of the Roncalli Community is the work of The Dead Pope’s Society. This is where most people will interact with us. We hope you might consider becoming a member of this society. It is our belief that were you to do so you would experience it as challenging, enjoyable and indeed life giving. We trust you will find The Dead Pope’s Society a good source of ‘soul food.’
The raison d’etre of The Dead Pope’s Society is based on the premise that each of us is called to develop our own unique personal relationship with Jesus. We believe, not only that this is possible, but that it is in fact a spiritual imperative for anyone serious about being a pilgrim. This core premise also acknowledges that organised religion and some aspects of the institutional Church actually mitigate against the nurturing of this crucial relationship. The Dead Pope’s Society usually meets on line twice a week.