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Newspaper for the Union of Catholic Mothers

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Summer 2016 edition of the Catholic Mother (UCM) - Page

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Summer 2016 Remember that God loves you And cares for you each day Remember that he guards you And guides you on your way. Remember that His blessings With each day fall anew Remember there’s no limit To what His love can do Photos, copy and distribution queries for The Catholic Mother should be sent to Caroline Mills, National Media Officer, 4 Cople ston Road Southway Plymouth PL6 6RR or by email to catholic.mother@yahoo.co.uk. For further details about the Union of Catholic Mothers please contact the National Secretary, Irene Mitchell, at ucmnatsec@yah oo.co.uk. National Council The Hayes Conference Centre Swanwick 2016 National President Val Ward opened National Council with the Union of Catholic Mothers’ Prayers. Each Diocesan President was then invited to introduce their members who were attending; this year the members were seated in a “Café” style arrangement around tables rather than sitting within their own Dioceses. Members were allocated a seating plan which gave them the opportunity to mix with members from around the Country. Val Ward welcomed Past National Officers and guests from UCM Wales, UCM Scotland and attending Clergy. The National Trustees gave an overview of business and the National Secretary, Irene Mitchell and National Treasurer, Angie Higginson, gave their Annual Reports. National Secretary Irene Mitchell gave a Powerpoint Presentation about ‘UCM, The Way Forward’; one aspect of which is the revision of the Handbook. This was last reviewed in 2005 and the new revised version will be sent to all Dioceses later in the year and voting for this will take place at next year’s National Council, 2017. Many subjects were covered during National Council as each National Officer updated her already submitted report and National Vice President Anne Emblem explained the work of the National Board of Catholic Women and the National Council of Women in relation to The UCM. New publicity material has been produced and each Diocese was given a supply of both posters and leaflets for use in the foundations. Val Ward gave an update on the Website encouraging the Dioceses to send in their details and meetings days and times so they could be advertised on the Website. The Liaison Officers are working well and they are there to help the Diocesan Officers in any way needed, as well as attending their AGM or meetings. During the breaks at Council there was an opportunity for members who are unfamiliar with using Facebook to have a session on ‘How to use Facebook’ with National Media Officer Caroline Mills. The first evening ended with Benediction led by Fr David Potter. We were joined on the second day of Council by our Ecclesiastical Advisor Bishop Alan Williams SM, and Bishop Tom Williams from the Archdiocese of Liverpool who both gave thought provoking and humorous talks encouraging us that in todays’ fast and immensely changing times to be courageous and embrace the future. In her address, Val Ward talked about communication and the cascading of information from Committee to Foundations, encouraging new Delegates to attend Study Days and National Council whilst promoting the UCM and what is good about the Union of Catholic Mothers. Tuesday evening the ladies from Liverpool entertained us with musical sketches. The ladies were dressed in 1920’s Flapper dresses and boas, songs which we could all join in with and a competition; Father David was the compere for the evening and he also entertained us with some humorous ditty’s. The raffle raised money towards Galloways Society for the Blind, who record The Catholic Mother free of charge and the Union of Catholic Mothers. The Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday when the National President, National Secretary, National Treasurer and both National Vice Presidents were re elected to serve for another year. National Council was closed by Val Ward who thanked our visitors, Clergy and members. Caroline Mills, National Media Officer National Council 2016 at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick was hosted by the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Council began with Mass led by Liverpool’s Spiritual Advisor Father David Potter and concelebrated with attending clergy. The Liturgy for the Masses and Evening Prayers were prepared by the Archdiocese of Southwark.

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Page 2 Summer 2016 The Catholic Mother From the National President Dear members, Hello and welcome to the summer edition of The Catholic Mother Newspaper. As I sat down to write this, I wondered what I was going to tell you, as it seems to have been a fairly quiet time. Then I looked through my diary! Since my last column, on behalf of UCM I have taken part in the Diocesan Media Officers Training Day in St Chad’s Birmingham; National Study Days in Swanwick; UCM Scotland’s Triennial Rally at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow and Birmingham’s AGM at the Thistle Hotel in Birmingham. I have also attended 3 meetings of the National Board of Catholic Women in London. I was unable to attend UCM Wales’ Council in Prestatyn and I would like to thank Deputy National President Maureen Mayers for standing in for me at very short notice. The World Women’s Day of Prayer took place in March organised by the women of Cuba with the theme “Receive children, Receive me”. The service is translated into more than 60 languages and 1,000 dialects. The day of prayer began when the sun rose over Samoa and the first service was held. We were then part of a great wave of prayer that continued to encircle the earth until the last service was held as the sun set over American Samoa, by which time an estimated 3 million men, women and young people, in 170 countries and islands had prayed with and for the people of Cuba. In the British Isles alone around 6,000 services had been held. Next year the theme is “Am I being unfair to you?” and will be prepared by the women of The Philippines. It hasn’t all been work though!! I went to a Mother’s day/ Nan’s day at my five year old grandson Jacob’s school of the Holy Family in Cronton, with my eldest daughter, Deborah, and Jacob’s other Nan, Lene. We had a lovely afternoon with sandwiches and cakes prepared by the children and a short concert. John and I managed a few days away with our youngest daughter, Claire, her husband Michael and their three children in Centre Parks in Penrith. The weather was kind for most of the time, but it was a wonderful opportunity to go walking, swimming; play with the children and just generally to enjoy each other’s company. I met up with Past National Presidents Margaret McNicholas and Sheilagh Preston as guests of Bishop Brain to celebrate his silver jubilee as a Bishop. He was surprised and pleased to have received so many cards from UCM members. Salford held its first Rosary Rally and National Secretary Irene Mitchell, National Treasurer Angie Higginson and I were delighted to be there. It was a beautiful and very moving service and I would like to thank Salford for inviting us. It is now only a couple of days until National Council and I’m looking forward to meeting up with officers both past and present and members from around the country. I am sure we will have a wonderful time. I wish you all a very happy summer and hope you enjoy whatever you have planned in the company of those you love. Kindest regards Va l Submitting copy for next issue The deadline for articles and photos for the next edition of the Catholic Mother is 5th August 2016 Please send copy to Caroline Mills, National Media Officer, at catholic.mother@yahoo.co.uk. Thank you. Since May 2015 restoration work has been carried out on Clifton Cathedral to protect the roof and those of us in the building from the inordinate amount of rain which managed to find its way in. No mean task! Various ways and means were devised to help raise money to offset the enormous cost of repairs. The UCM fell back on the tried and trusted events of the coffee morning and bring and buy. Last year we gave our former Dean, Canon Alan Finley, £500 and last weekend, our president, Mrs Doreen Smal, was pleased to present his successor, Canon Bosco MacDonald with a further cheque for £900. All contributions gratefully received. Rita Daws Cathedral Foundation, Clifton Keeping The Roof Over Our Heads CLIFTON

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The Catholic Mother Summer 2016 Page 3 GRANDPARENTS WERE NEVER AS IMPORTANT TO THE CHURCH, THE FAMILY SOCIETY AS THEY ARE TODAY This message was at the core of the Mass arranged by the Catholic Grandparents Association and celebrated by Bishop Philip Egan at St. John’s Catholic Cathedral in Portsmouth. The Catholic Grandparents Association describe themselves as ‘a worldwide group of people united by a belief in the importance of the vocation of Grandparents.’ And they wanted to share their beliefs with those of us who attended this very special Mass at the beginning of the year. Among those attending, it was good to see representatives of U.C.M. from Fareham, Waterlooville and Cosham foundations. Bishop Philip spoke to us about the aims of the Association before introducing its founder Catherine Wiley, and what an inspiring speaker she is. She described how she was one of ten children. Their grandmothers had died young but they were each made to feel special by their grandfather and as she said ‘that is what grandparents do.’ You possibly haven’t heard of Catherine Wiley yet but if you google her name, you will soon find out what a wonderful person she is. And sitting beside her on the video is someone most of you will have heard of and that is Dana. Do you remember her as the winner one year of the Eurovision Song Contest? Catherine believes that being a grandparent is the most important job any of us will ever have and she includes great uncles and great aunts because they are grandparents at heart. The CGA is worldwide and supported by Cardinal Sean Brady, Primate of all Ireland and Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of New York and Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia. Cardinal Pell describes how In the beautiful words of Pope Francis, Grandparents and the elderly “are those who carry history, that carry doctrine, that carry the faith and give it to us an inheritance. They are like a good vintage wine who have this strength from within to give us a noble heritage.” I personally was inspired by Catherine Wiley and I do hope that at least some of you grandmothers reading this will look at Catherine on the internet. She has the most beautiful soft Irish accent. Elizabeth Christian Portsmouth diocese Media Officer I would like to thank everyone, individuals and groups, who sent cards and good wishes for my Silver jubilee in March as a Carmelite Sister. It was a quiet celebration as it fell on the eve of Palm Sunday but just what I would have wanted. I imagine I have Val James to thank for letting you all know in the first place. We met at the UCM pilgrimage to Rome just before I entered. My Mum had always wanted to go but my Dad not being a Catholic wasn`t particularly interested so I decided to treat her. The dates of my leave from the WRNS fell at the time of your pilgrimage which is how we came to be on it. Providence I like to imagine. We have kept in touch since and it is almost frightening to think how quickly the years have passed. Thank you all once again and may God grant each of you a special blessing. God bless, Sr. Susan Thankyou

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Barbara Bell, St. Luke’s, Salford Toni Kerr, St Luke’s, Salford Mary Cleary, St Peters, Northampton Diocese Allesandra Girardi, St Peters, Northampton Diocese Pat Stringer, St Peters, Northampton Diocese 70th Birthday Anne Leneghan, St John’s, Salford Diocese Anne Wade, St John’s, Salford Diocese Golden Jubilee of Ordination Rev Monsignor John Butchard (former Spiritual Advisor to Liverpool UCM) Golden Wedding Angela and Stephen Crisp, St Marie’s Foundation, Birmingham Archdiocese Marilyn and Peter Hughes, St Edwards Church, Northampton Diocese Mavis and Eddie Kingsley , St Mary’s Foundation, Lancaster Diocese Diamond Wedding Pat and Ann Gallagher, St Marys, Southwark Archdiocese Anne and Len Penrose, Yateley Foundation Portsmouth Doreen and Alan Green, Southwark Archdiocese Mary and Ted Read, St. Edwards Church, Northampton Diocese Margaret and Adrian Dickenson, St Mary’s Archdicoese of Liverpool Silver Jubilee Episcopal Ordination Bishop Terence Brain, former Spiritual Advisor to the Union of the Union of Catholic Mothers, Page 4 Summer 2016 The Catholic Mother 90th Birthday Barbara Kaye, Northwood Foundation, Westminster Archdiocese Agnes McGrath, St Luke’s, Irlams o’th’Height Salford Diocese Lillian Boardman, St Luke’s, Irlam’s o’th’Height Salford Diocese 85th Birthday Trudy Coult, St Thomas More, Leeds Diocese 80th Birthday Maureen Gavin, St. Peter-in-Chains, Hallam Diocese Shelagh Ryan, St Boniface Shirley Foundation, Portsmouth Diocese Sheila Horton, Holy Trinity Foundation, Archdiocese of Birmingham Yvonne Loftus, Cathedral Foundation, Plymouth Diocese Ann Murphy, Plymstock Foundation, Plymouth Diocese Peggy Parker, St Mary’s Denton, Salford Diocese Lillian Groves, St Mary’s Denton, Salford Diocese Joan Marsh, St Mary’s Denton, Salford Diocese Philippa Julien, St John’s Salford Diocese Jane O’Brien, Porstmouth Diocese Rita O’Connell, St Joseph’s Church, Archdiocese of Southwark Betty Fuller, St Joseph’s, Archdiocese of Liverpool Congratulations to All EAST ANGLIA Easter Hat Competition Costessy Foundation held an “Easter Hat Competition” at their recent meeting, Pennies were used to judge the best hat, our President Janet Hatton won. The Pennies went into our Charity Fund. A quiz was also held which was won by Janet Smith on a tiebreak. Study Day On Saturday 16th April, 14 members and 4 memberrs from CWL Wymandlane attended a Study Day at Poringland. After our Mother Prayer and New Members Prayer, our Diocesan President Maria Taverna welcomed everybody and introduced for the day, Elizabeth Howe and Ann Emblem. At this point, our Bishop, Alan Hope came in and welcomed us to Poringland, and thanked us for all the work we do. He was happy that we were sharing the day with CWL. He then spoke about the “Year of Mercy” (our theme for the day) and how it was going on, he told us about the Mercy Bus in Salford and the Pope’s booklet on the Family, he said we should all read it! He then wished us a happy and fruitful day, we took the Readings from Luke, Matthew and John for our theme, it was interesting how different interpretations can be made on the same Readings. We finished the morning Session with Elizabeth reading a “Letter from God”. Aftter our shared lunch, we said the Mysteries of the Rosary for Reconcilliation. It was a very enjoyable day and I think we will get a lot out of it. Marquerite Wayling Costessey Foundation NOTTINGHAM Ash Wednesday saw the A.G.M. of St. Mary’s Loughborough Foundation within the Nottingham Diocese Members were voted into posts as follows: Parish President – Dorothy Hutchings Vice President – Marie Brooks Secretary – Jean Lopez Lopez Treasurer – Kath Webb Over the past year there has been an influx of new members to add to the core of long standing members who have worked tirelessly over the years. Some of our group are coming up to their 50th anniversaries of membership. One such member is Marie Brooks who stood down this year after being Parish President for several years. In recognition of her loyalty and unfailing hard work she was presented with a necklace and bracelet set from the rest of the group. She loves her bling and the set was bought with this in mind. Father Philip Sainter, our Parish Priest, joined us for the presentation. Members were pleased to hear her monthly sale of homemade cakes and jams is set to continue; actually this was a requirement in order to allow her to retire as Parish President. New members are always very welcome to come and join us. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 7.30 in the front room of the presbytery. Speak to any of the UCM members for further information about this friendly group. Dorothy Hutchings, Parish President AGM at St Mary’s Loughborough Pictured are Marie Brookes, Dorothy Hutchins, Jean Lopez Lopez and Kath Webb WESTMINSTER On the 9th of April 2016 at 2:00 pm, a special mass was held at Westminster Cathedral. This is an annual mass intended for the Union of Catholic Mothers (UCM). In conjunction to this occasion, Joan Degan, (President, Archdiocese of Westminster) and Father Colin, officiating priest presented the certificates to the twelve ladies. These certificates were given to the members in recognition for the number of years they have been members of the UCM. It is an amazing and significant moment because these members have shown their dedication in the number of years they have been involved with this religious organisation. Therefore a heart felt congratulations to all of these members. Some of them have been with the UCM for 25, 30, 40, and 50 years. By the grace of God may the work of the UCM continue to flourish in the many years to come. Tina Fletcher, Media Officer Archdiocese of Westminster Special Mass Mrs Trudy Coult Pat and Ann Gallagher

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The Catholic Mother Summer 2016 Page 5 The Media Officers Study Day was held at St Chad’s Birmingham on Saturday 27th February 2016. The day began with introductions and welcome by myself and the Media Officers then introduced themselves within the group. The National President, Mrs Val Ward, then started off with an explanation on the role of the Media Officer and purpose of the Media Officer, which she then explained what this entails, for example attends The National Committee Meetings, National Council, Annual General Meetings and Diocesan Meetings. The Media Officer also advises the Media of UCM events that take place and if asked to attend conferences and Meetings of other Organisations such as the Diocesan Editors Forum which is held twice a year. The Media Officer is responsible for the overseeing and production of the Catholic Mother newspaper liaising with the National President to decide the final content and liaises closely with CathCom, the publisher of the Catholic Mother newspaper. Also she is the link with the Diocesan Media Officers and organises Training Days for the Media Officers. Whilst maintaining an up to date Distribution List which have all the Foundations contacts within the UCM. Adrian Wardle our guest Speaker, who has been an Editor of the Catholic Southwest Newspaper and has worked in various roles in publications and media. Adrian covered many aspects of Media including Media Research – creating, composing and how to send a Press Release. Tips for writing articles to meet deadlines, working with photographs and convenience of images and video clips on social media; Adrian also gave a demonstration on how to Photoshop photos to improve and enhance photos sent in for publication. Following the talk Adrian then asked the ladies to apply the knowledge in a practical Workshop this included creating a Poster or a Headline and Adrian was able to give the Media Officers some feedback from this. Adrian was able to supply everyone with a handout of the Session. After lunch I then talked about Distribution and circulation and publication of the Catholic Mother; Val Ward then talked about the Website, we were fortunate that we had internet access to show the Media Officers the new Website, and Val Ward talked about how this is will be kept up to date. Facebook was discussed and a practical demonstration on how to access the UCM Facebook page and how to join Facebook in general. Finally, another practical session on how to submit articles and photos to the Catholic Mother, what can and cannot be included, how to submit changes to Distribution, Ann Jones had kindly supplied a handout on ‘How Download, Store and Send Photos. There was some time before the close of the Study Day to take Questions before everyone headed off home. I have had positive and constructive feedback about the Study Day which has been welcomed and the Media Officers’ wish to know when the next one will be!! Caroline Mills National Media Officer Media Officers Study Day HALLAM Congratulations to long-time friends Delia Davies (on left of picture) and Netta Gallucci UCM members of St Joseph`s Parish in Retford (North Notts) who celebrated their 80th birthday. After Mass, parishioners and friends joined the ladies for refreshments and a cake sale in the Parish Hall. Congratulations Knitted by ladies of St Vincent`s UCM in Crookes, Sheffield the proceeds going to the Bluebell Wood Hospice fund. Dorothy Anderson, Media Officer, Hallam Diocese Easter Chicks and Bunnies The AGM of the Union of Catholic Mothers took place on Saturday 13th February 2016 at the Hallam Pastoral Centre in Sheffield. Holy Mass was celebrated with Bishop Ralph Heskett and Father Kieran Fletcher. At the AGM new Diocesan Officers were elected and a vote of thanks was given to the retiring Officers Mrs Marie Harvey, Diocesan Treasurer, Mrs, Pia Anderson (centre), the outgoing Diocesan Secretary and Mrs Delia Fox (right) retiring as Diocesan President.. The new Diocesan President Sheila Godley was presented with her Diocesan Medal which was presented to her by Father Kieran, and Marie Harvey takes up the new post of Diocesan Secretary after retiring from the post of Diocesan Treasurer. Dorothy Anderson, Media Officer, Hallam Diocese Hallam AGM

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Page 6 Summer 2016 The Catholic Mother NATIONAL PRESIDENT  Becomes one of the three trustees of The Union of Catholic Mothers; the other two trustees are the National Treasurer and National Secretary.  The three trustee officers work closely as a team regarding all matters relating to The U.C.M.  Chairs National Council & Annual General Meeting; Trustee meetings. Diocesan Officers Meeting, National Committee Meetings, Ad hoc meetings and the Walsingham Sub Committee.  Attends and leads the Annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.  Attends and votes on behalf of UCM at the 4 yearly WUCWO Assembly.  Liaises with the National Vice Presidents regarding the National Study Days.  Needs to have a thorough knowledge of the Constitution of The UCM.  Needs to have an overview of the tasks and remit of all members of the National Committee.  Represents UCM on the Executive of the National Board of Catholic Women and at Board Meetings.  Liaises with other organisations as well as representing UCM at many other functions and meetings to which she is invited.  When invited visits each Diocese once during her term of office.  Writes a column for each edition of the Catholic Mother Newspaper.  Facebook Administrator.  The National President should be available to give advice at all times. NATIONAL TREASURER  Becomes one of the three trustees of The Union of Catholic Mothers; the other two trustees are the National President and the National Secretary.  The three trustee officers work closely as a team regarding all matters relating to The U.C.M.  Attends Trustee meetings, National Committee meetings, National Council and Annual General meeting, Diocesan Officers meeting, Ad Hoc meetings as and when required.  Needs to have a thorough knowledge of the Constitution of The UCM.  Needs to have an overview of the tasks and remit of all members of the National Committee.  Pays all the expenses for the National Committee, National Study Days, Diocesan officers meeting and National Council and the Annual General Meeting.  Manages the Annual National Accounts and send them to the Independent Examiner.  Receives the Diocesan Accounts and send them to the Consolidated Accountant.  Keeps an up to date register of members.  Hold the UCM stock., orders the UCM diaries each year.  Works with the National Media Officer to keep the Catholic Mother Newspaper distribution up to date.  Facebook Administrator.  Attends the Annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.  The National Treasurer should be available to give advice at all times. NATIONAL SECRETARY  Becomes one of the three trustees of The Union of Catholic Mothers; the other two trustees are the National President and the National Treasurer.  The three trustee officers work closely as a team regarding all matters relating to The U.C.M.  Attends Trustee meetings, National Committee meetings, National Council and Annual General meeting, Diocesan Officers meeting, Ad Hoc meetings as and when required.  Needs to have a thorough knowledge of the Constitution of The UCM.  Needs to have an overview of the tasks and remit of all members of the National Committee.  Compiles the Agendas for all meetings and then compiles the Minutes. Complies the Annual Report and the National Officers reports.  Monitor emails and action if necessary.  Perform the secretarial duties associated with the role of National Secretary.  Facebook Administrator.  Attends the Annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.  The National Secretary should be available to give advice at all times. VICE-PRESIDENTS Represents the National President or other National Officers when the need arises.  Attends National Committee meetings, National Council and Annual General meeting, Diocesan Officers meeting, Ad Hoc meetings as and when required.  The two Vice Presidents share the responsibility for the Mass kit and undertake the duties of Sacristan at National Council, Diocesan Officers Meeting and Committee Meetings.  Liaises with the Diocese responsible for preparing the Liturgy for National Council.  Plans and organises the National Study Conference in conjunction with the National Committee.  Attends Meetings relating to Justice & Peace issues.  Attends the Catholic Union meetings.  Attend the non-executive meetings of the National Board of Catholic Women. (NBCW)  Attends meetings of the National Council of Women (NCW)  Administers the work of the Daily Mass Scheme.  Monitors the Bishops Conference and Pro - Life websites.  Monitors the Friends Circle.  The Vice Presidents will from time to time, submit reports of meetings attended tor insertion in the Catholic Mother.  Attendance at the Annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is appreciated.  Compiles the Walsingham Petitions for the Annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. All nomination forms together with a copy of the candidate’s CV to be sent by Friday 11th November 2016 To the National Secretary: Mrs Irene Mitchell ucmnatsec@yahoo.co.uk WALSINGHAM SUB COMMITTEE TREA SURER  Attends the Walsingham Sub Committee Meetings, National Council and the Annual General meeting, Diocesan Officers meeting, Ad Hoc meetings as and when required.  Work with the Walsingham Sub Committee regarding all aspects of the pilgrimage.  Deals with all financial aspects of the Walsingham Pilgrimage.  Prepares the Accounts each year and have them checked by a qualified Accountant before sending them to the National treasurer.  Attendance at the Annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. WALSINGHAM SUB COMMITTEE MEMBER  Attends the Walsingham Sub Committee Meetings, Ad Hoc meetings as and when required.  Work with the Walsingham Sub Committee regarding all aspects of the pilgrimage.  Attendance at the Annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham – Monday and Tuesday.  The duties and tasks assigned to the Sub Committee member are undertaken during pilgrimage days. All nomination forms together with a copy of the candidate’s CV to be sent by Friday 11th November 2016 To the National Secretary: Mrs Irene Mitchell ucmnatsec@yahoo.co.uk NATIONAL MEDIA OFFICER  Attends National Committee Meetings.  Attends National Council & Annual General Meeting and Diocesan Officers Meeting.  Attendance at the Annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is appreciated.  Advises the Media of UCM events that are to take place.  Attends conferences and meetings of other organisations to promote The UCM and also to gather information.  Must have access to a computer and good computer skills.  Administrator for Facebook and the UCM Website; she is responsible for maintaining and updating the UCM Website.  Responsible for overseeing the production of the newspaper; meets with the National President to decide on the final content for each edition of the newspaper and to proof read prior to printing; liaises closely with CathCom, the publisher of the newspaper.  She is the link with Diocesan Media officers and she organises Training Days for these Officers.  She is responsible for updating the list of Foundation contacts and liaising with the National Treasurer. All nomination/recommendation must be seconded and sent together with a copy of the candidate’s CV by 31st August 2016 To the N ational Secretary: Mrs Irene Mitchell For more detailed information in relation to any of the advertised posts please contact the National Secretary ucmnatsec@yahoo. co.uk UCM NATIONAL VACANCIES

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The Catholic Mother Summer 2016 Page 7 ARUNDEL AND BRIGHTON Arundel And Brighton Spring Meeting Our Diocesan Spring meeting was held on 12th March 2016 at Holy Redeemer Hollington. After the meeting and mid-day Mass celebrated by Canon Tom Treherne we enjoyed lunch, followed by our guest speaker Stephen Sharpe, the new CEO of LIFE. Stephen introduced himself and explained his role, he works three days a week for LIFE and also has his role in his job in project management, strategy, planning and troubleshooting to keep him busy. LIFE provides advice, care services, information and counselling for women having problem pregnancies, they also have a number of LIFE houses where girls and women can stay during pregnancy and after the birth until they are ready to move on. LIFE promotes life from conception until natural death and wishes to promote that ALL life is precious. They hope to be celebrating life in learning disability groups, Down`s syndrome and others whose lives before and after birth are under threat; also the disabled, elderly and frail whose lives are considered less than perfect and therefore disposable. Last year we had the threat of an assisted suicide bill, this year we have BPAS campaigning for abortion up to birth (which is already legal in certain circumstances) on DEMAND. Stephen explained how LIFE hopes to have Hubs around the country that groups in areas or regions are able to access advice and correct information digitally, therefore offering appropriate help to those in need of knowing what alternatives are available to allow them time to make appropriate choices for their situation. Mrs Mary Piper, National Vice President and liaison officer, also attended the meeting. Ann Witham, Diocesan Study Day Officer, Arundel and Brighton L to R Terri Coombs, Judy Harkins, Stephen Sharpe, Janet Franklin and Ann Witham New Enrolment at Hounslow Foundation, Westminster Archdiocese We were delighted to enrol 3 new members (left to right) Verna Robertson, Dalal Golby and Lavina Fernandes. In the month of February the UCM had an Enrolment at the 12 noon Mass. We normally have this Mass said for us in the evening but this year we thought we would have it at 12 noon as we may have a few young mothers interested. We also offered tea, coffee and biscuits in the hall aferwards and a few mothers joined us.Northwood Foundation recently welcomed a new member Mrs Marianna di Falco. They also celebrated Mrs Barbara Kaye`s 90th birthday with coffee and cake and a card beautifully hand painted by Mrs Jean Bartoli which they all signed. Recent meetings have covered Care in the Community and Traidcraft. Members were delighted to see in the last issue of The Catholic Mother the photo of the new foundation at Heston with their parish priest Fr Robert Ehileme. It was whilst serving as assistant priest at Northwood that Fr Robert first came across the UCM. Iona De Souza President - Hounslow Foundation New foundation members WESTMINSTER Dates for Diary Deadline for Catholic Mother Copy 5th August National Committee Meetings 25th June– Women at the Well London 3rd September – Women at the Well London 21st – 23rd November The Hayes Swanwick Walsingham Pilgrimage 4th – 5th July Diocesan Officers Meeting 8th October St Chad’s Birmingham SHREWSBURY We have enrolled another seven members into our Foundation at St Peter`s & St Raphael`s Stalybridge (Shrewsbury Diocese) and I am attaching a copy of the photograph taken on the afternoon of the enrolment. St Peter`s and St Raphael`s Stalybridge proudly welcomed seven new members into the Foundation on Wednesday 9th March 2016. The UCM business meeting was held in the Parish Hall before Mass when Antony Zidan who is training to become a Deacon in the Parish/Diocese gave a very interesting talk about his journey so far into his training. Paddy Roberts, Diocesan President, was also welcomed to the meeting. She later enrolled the new members, Judith Scott, Bernice Woodward, Margo Lloyd Jones, Theresa Johnstone, Yvonne Darraugh, Pauline Latimer and Gill Moss, during Mass. The Foundation has recently held a fund raising activity selling birthday dates. This is a really easy fundraiser and highly recommended - the dates sell themselves! All the dates were sold and the prizes were three cash prizes totalling £100. The profit made was £266 which will go towards the Foundation`s chosen charity for 2016, which is Willow Wood Hospice. Pat Fleming (Parish President) In the photograph from left to right: Paddy Roberts, Judith Scott, Gill Moss, Margo Lloyd Jones, Fr Philip Atkinson, Yvonne D arraugh, Pauline Latimer, Theresa Johnstone, Antony Zidan, Pat Fleming and Bernice Woodward. Submitting copy for next issue The deadline for articles and photos for the next edition of the Catholic Mother is 5th August 2016 Please send copy to Caroline Mills, National Media Officer, at catholic.mother@yahoo.co.uk. Thank you.

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Page 8 Summer 2016 The Catholic Mother BIRMINGHAM Fundraising After fundraising throughout 2015 the UCM members of Sacred Heart Parish, Rugby presented a cheque for £1312.50 to their local St Cross Hospital. This was towards the Diamond Appeal to provide new blood-taking facilities at the hospital. Heather Green, a parishioner of Sacred Heart, accepted the cheque on behalf of the Friends of St Cross. Birmingham Spiritual Advisors Archdiocese of Birmingham UCM is blessed with its spiritual advisors. Sadly some advisors over the years have had to leave but not Father Burke! Father Timothy Burke is our Diocesan spiritual adviser. He is the oldest serving priest in the Birmingham Archdiocese, and possibly in England!. On the 3rd January of this year he celebrated his 92nd birthday. Unbelievably he has been our diocese spiritual advisor for 60 years and our AGM this year is the first one he has not been able to attend. From 1968 he has been the parish priest at Holy Cross Stone Cross and St Joseph Yew Tree Estate West Bromwich. Holy Cross has a very active UCM Foundation. Father Burke comes from County Tipperary and arrived in the West Midlands in 1948, serving in Bromsgrove, Meir, Bilston and Coventry and between 1961 and 1968 Our lady of Lourdes, Old Hill, Cradley Heath. He has always been a teetotal and a great supporter of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association. He still returns to Ireland, where he has a house, for holidays. Birmingham Archdiocese UCM would not be the same without him! The Wolverhampton section sadly lost Fr Patrick Brennan, who had always been willing to celebrate masses for us and take part in our retreats. Fr Pat was born in Birmingham and ordained on 5th July 1967. He has been at the following parishes - 1992 1995 Redditch; 1995-1997 Christ the King, Coventry; 1997 1999 St Thomas of Canterbury, Walsall; 1999- 2001 St Wilfred, Castle Bromwich. From 2003 to earlier this year he was the parish priest at St Mary’s, Cannock and became the Section’s Spiritual Advisor when Father Kelly moved on in March 2011. St Mary’s UCM Foundation held their meetings at his presbytery. Our loss is The Holy Family, Coventry’s gain. Fr Pat is an avid Aston Villa supporter and also enjoys writing poetry. He returned to St Mary’s on Tuesday 8th March for a presentation evening. He celebrated Mass and everyone was invited into the community centre where a lovely buffet had been prepared. Music was provided by Clanna Gael, and Irish music group made up mainly of pupils from Cardinal Griffin School. During the evening Father was presented with gifts from the Parish, schools and the Wolverhampton Section of the Union of Catholic Mothers. On14th April Fr Pat had his induction Mass at the Holy Family. Two coaches went from St Mary’s which indicates the feelings that the Parish has for Fr Pat. Father Lamb of St Ambrose Kidderminster has kindly agreed to step into Fr Pat’s shoes as the Wolverhampton Section’s Spiritual Advisor. Father Brennan A celebration evening was also held for Father Edwin Cownley Spiritual Advisor to the City Section when he reached the 40th anniversary of his ordination on 27th December 2015. Fr Cownley celebrated mass in his church of Our Lady of Good Counsel and St Gregory the Great, Bearwood on the 16th January with refreshments in the school afterwards. Fr Cownley has been the Section’s Spiritual Advisor for three years but his relationship with the UCM goes back much earlier. His mother Edwina Cownley who sadly passed away on the 25th February was a long standing member of the UCM, starting at St Joseph Darlaston and then moving to Holy Trinity Bilston. She had just passed her 90th birthday being born on the 23rd December 1925.For many years Edwina ran the family hairdressing Business in Darlaston, which is still run by two of her children and her granddaughter. Edwina was the mother of three sons with her eldest being Fr Cownley whom Bilston UCM had the privilege of catering for his Ordination and his Silver Jubilee. In later years she still enjoyed time with fellow parishioners at the Friday Club which was organised by the UCM. Her funeral mass was concelebrated by her son Fr Edwin, three priests and a Bishop, and it was attended by many members of the Wolverhampton and the Birmingham Archdiocese whom formed a guard of honour as she was taken from the church. North Staffs section’s annual Shrove Tuesday dinner was attended by their new Spiritual Advisor Father Paul McNally , parish priest at Holy Trinity, Newcastle-under-Lyme. All our spiritual advisors are increasingly busy with parish work so we thank them for sparing their time to support the UCM and in return we will continue to support them in prayer and action. Susan Martin Media Officer Birmingham Diocese Birmingham Archdiocese AGM Our National President Val Ward was the guest speaker at the Birmingham Diocese AGM on the 12th April. Her talk concentrated on the need for members to be brave and come forward to hold positions within the UCM, otherwise foundations and ultimately the UCM will fold. She stressed anyone taking up an office can call on lots of support Have faith she said – if you fall God will catch you. How appropriate her talk was for us in Birmingham, and how our prayers have been answered!. Due to other commitments our Diocesan Secretary Peggy Cooke has had to step down but at the AGM Eileen Priest (Our Lady of Good Counsel and St Gregory the Great Foundation Bearwood) bravely stepped forward. For the next two months she will work alongside Peggy to learn the ropes. We pray that someone will also come forward to replace Sarah Lockett as President of the City Section, whose term of office has come to an end. We thank her and Peggy for all the work they have done for us. Wolverhampton Section’s new president Julie Taylor was introduced, and we learnt that North Staffs section is now on a firm footing with new officers. However several foundations have got vacancies and at Diocese level the position of Peace and Justice Officer remains vacant. Unfortunately our Spiritual Advisor Father Burke was unable to attend, his first miss in 60 years! However Mass was beautifully celebrated for us by Father Cownley, spiritual advisor to the City Section. At the end of Mass he presented 40 years service certificates to Ellen Bates, Victoria Olaide Adebiyi and Angela Margaret Johnston all from Our Lady of Good Counsel and St Gregory the Great in Bearwood and Margaret Sylvester from St John Fisher Parish West Heath. Afterwards an excellent meal at the Thistle Hotel was enjoyed by all. UCM Caritas Medals Thursday 11th February, was a joyous occasion for our parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, Hednesford. Bishop David McGough came to celebrate Mass with us on our Patronal Feast and after a thought provoking Homily, he officiated while some of the young girls of the Parish renewed their promises as “Our Lady’s Little Helpers”. After Mass the Bishop sprang a great surprise on two of our long serving members. Mrs Margaret Metcalf and Mr Frank Davenport, when he presented them with Uni Caritas Medals in front of their families who had secretly joined the congregation. Both Margaret and Frank have served our Parish faithfully over many years. Margaret Metcalf is the secretary of our Foundation and under the mantle of the UCM has been an important and active worker for Diocesan Pilgrimage each year, as well as for other Pilgrimages. Church fetes etc. and has only recently retired from this, but is always ready to make a cup of tea for anyone. She has organised our Church cleaning and been very active in this unseen but necessary part of Parish life. Margaret is an Extraordinary Minister and for many years took the Blessed Sacrament to the housebound, she still ministers at Sunday Mass in Church. Whenever a job is needed doing, like washing the altar linen, Margaret has been there and I am sure that she will continue to help in any way that age and knees will allow LEEDS St Patricks UCM, Birstall, Leeds Diocese Three times a year a group of 80-90 junior children from 4 or 5 different schools are invited to St Saviour’s Church, Birstall to take part in events promoted by the Spen Valley Faith in Schools Trust in conjunction with the Scripture Union. These are based on Christmas, Easter and the final one Moving on to Secondary School. It is an extension of Christian awareness work being carried out in schools. The topic for the March event was Easter. Four members of St Patrick’s Church, Birstall, along with others, volunteered to supervise the children, make them feel welcome and help them complete their activities. Three of these volunteers were members of the UCM. The children were very engaged as the topic was presented in a lively and fun way, as the true meaning of Easter was explained to them. Those who volunteered found it to be so rewarding that they resolved to be involved in further events. Anne Hill, St Patrick’s Foundation UCM, Birstall

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Visit to the Bar Convent On 8th March 28 members and friends of St.Aelreds foundation, York, visited the Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre Exhibition. The Bar Convent is the oldest living convent in England . The nuns belong to the Congregation of Jesus which was founded over four centuries ago by Mary Ward. They have been on the York site since 1686 and have houses in this country and abroad. Mary Ward was originally a Poor Clare but did not settle to the enclosed life. She was a campaigner for the education of women and girls and the convent was a school for 299 years. As well as facing persecution from the authorities for the practice of her faith Mary also was in trouble with the church which expected nuns to be enclosed. The convent is now an exhibition centre and a bed and breakfast establishment near the city centre. We were made very welcome by Sister Mary Walmsley and staff and started our visit with Mass in the beautiful chapel. Mass was celebrated by Father Paul from the York Carmelite community. The chapel is very interesting and is in the centre of the building with no sign from the outside of its existence. It contains a priests hole and has several exits in case they were betrayed. The relic of St Margaret Clitherow can also be seen there. After Mass we were able to take our time going round the exhibition which has recently been completely refurbished. There are exhibits illustrating the religious intolerance of the earlier time as well as those showing the life of Mary Ward. The Centre does not only show the past but the present times and work of the sisters. Altogether a very pleasant and spiritual outing. Elizabeth Dunn Media Officer Middlesbrough The Catholic Mother Summer 2016 Page 9 MIDDLESBOROUGH Bar Convent,York Dear Members of the UCM, March 2016 I am writing to you from the Bar Convent in York where as you may well know already, we have the privilege of having the hand of St Margaret Clitherow in our wonderful eighteenth century Georgian chapel. I know that some of you have already booked to come here for a visit in October. We are looking forward to having you with us very much indeed. For those who may not have seen our publicity: we have a new Living Heritage Centre which focuses on recusancy history, including information about St. Margaret Clitherow, the life of Mary Ward, foundress of the first Apostolic Congregation for women and the history of the Bar Convent. With the help of modern technology, the information is conveyed through many interactive and new techniques which make the whole experience unique and enjoyable. As St Margaret Clitherow is so important to all UCM groups, we are hoping you might think of organising a pilgrimage here in York. A possible scenario might be an overnight stay in our guest house or a day event where we could offer you coffee on arrival, celebration of Mass (if you can bring a priest with you as we do not have our own chaplain) or a short liturgy in our beautiful chapel, a short talk about the house and what is on offer, lunch, and then some time in the exhibition. This has been totally newly designed and is winning accolades from many quarters, not just Catholics! This might be followed by afternoon tea if required. Each group can put together its own "package" in consultation with our meetings co-ordinator. You may well know, that there is a Margaret Clitherow " trail" through York, starting in St Wilfrid`s church near the Minster, on to her house, now a shrine in her honour in the Shambles, visiting St. Martin`s in Coney Street where she was baptised and now a Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, then on to the Ouse Bridge where she was crushed to death, finishing here in the Bar Convent to venerate her relic. Our website is: The Bar Convent Heritage Centre - www.bar-convent.org.uk and our events co- ordinator`s phone number is: 01904 464907 and her email: - meetings@bar-convent.org.uk. Our conference facilities too are very good indeed. York is easily accessible by train and the Convent is only five minutes` walk from the station. You are the groups we most enjoy having with us.. We look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Mary Walmsley CJ Sister Mary Walmsley on behalf of the York CJ Community and the Trustees/staff of the Bar Convent Trust

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Page 10 Summer 2016 The Catholic Mother In Memory of Maureen Oatley To Maureen`s Family Thank you, family, for lending us Maureen. Did we ever thank her enough For her welcoming presence, Her reassuring smile, Her words of encouragement? Maureen always looked for the good in people, And worked with it. Who can replace her? It was not Maureen, but Christ, who shone through her. Like Mary, Maureen had the humility to say yes to God, Thus allowing herself to be God`s instrument on this earth. God has no hands now, But our hands. (St Teresa of Avila). Maureen was, and is, our model for good works. If only we ceased resisting the call of Christ! If only we allowed Christ into our hearts, So that He can work through us For our good and the good of our brothers and sisters Throughout the world. Amen. By Kathy McVay One of our members from the Sacred Heart Foundation wrote this in memory of Maureen Oatley who died last year, she was such an important member of our foundation, the reason I joined UCM and also Emilio`s Godmother, she was an amazing woman and did so much for everyone in our parish! CLIFTON Media Study Day At the 2016 Study Day Media Officers were handed an exercise with questions about ‘The Catholic Mother’, but we ran out of time to discuss them. I decided to hand all the Clifton Diocese Foundations copies of this questionnaire to fill in, either individually or as a joint discussion and pass back to me, should they have the time and inclination. Several foundations returned them and I have collated their responses. Asked "what do you think the paper gets right?" the response was overwhelmingly positive. It is very well presented, the colour pictures found favour. Many responses praised the International news included and all loved lots of news of fellow UCM members. No negative comments were forwarded to me. Several suggestions were made regarding regular features. Many would like book reviews, especially of catholic books, and Catholic authors. Stories of Faith was another suggestion, including Saints lives, UCM members faith stories and UCM Chaplains vocation stories. It was suggested that Diocesan Chaplains be asked to contribute articles; if each took a turn it would not come round very often! Several respondents mentioned the excellent Good Friday reflection in the Spring 2016 Edition and asked for more of the same. All who replied felt a letters slot would be a good idea. Other suggestions included exchanging ideas on good speakers, a UCM B and B or house exchange scheme for members visiting other areas, links and reports from other women’s groups, and Meet the Member, a profile of a grassroots member. The overall impression was; keep up the good work. Even the quarter page ad for a new media Officer was discussed at one meeting, with members feeling it clearly spelt out the role and helped them to understand it better. Monica Ovel, Clifton Diocese Media Officer Don’t Stand By! During the winter and early spring a series of commemorative events associated with the Holocaust Memorial Day was held in Bristol. I was fortunate to attend a service entitled “Don’t Stand By” at the city-centre church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, hosted by the Parish Priest, Father Richard McKay and Rabbi David Jewel. In the opening ceremony seven members of the congregation each were invited to light one of the candles on the altar representing the seven million Jewish victims of the holocaust. Official statistics recorded six million in the concentration camps, a further million died after their release. It came as a shock to hear Father Richard say that an evil fruit was sown in the early church, that of anti-Semitism, which led to the persecution of the Jews for centuries in Europe. We were invited to join in the prayer of repentance of Pope John Paul 11 which he prayed at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem in 2000. This was followed by the recitation by Rabbi David of the Day of Atonement prayer for Yom Kippur. The service continued with a mixture of scriptural readings, prayers and recitation of the psalms, emphasising our Judeo/Christian heritage. In the centre of the church nave was a table with an embroidered cloth with the words Don’t Stand By on it which had been prepared by the students of St. Brendan’s Sixth Form College. We were all encouraged to write an appropriate message to attach to the cloth calling to mind the many cases of genocide which have taken place since the horrors of the Nazi persecution. Before the singing of the Prayer for Peace, a daily ritual in Judaism, we assembled before the poignant Holocaust Memorial Window depicting St Edith Stein and St. Maximilian Kolbe. Following the closure of a chapel in the parish this beautiful window has now been rededicated and graces the lovely church affectionately known as St. Nick’s. The final blessing given in English and Hebrew was fittingly followed by a time of refreshment and fellowship and an opportunity to catch up with long-standing UCM friends. Rita Daws, Clifton Cathedral Foundation SALFORD Lunch being prepared at St Edmund`s Little Hulton, Salford Diocese. Every Friday during lent, the UCM prepare lunch for parishioners. Money raised goes into a Lourdes fund, which helps pay for the sick of the parish, to go on a biannual Pilgrimage. Lunch is served at St Edmund’s Pope Francis gave his blessing and support to a group of priests from Salford for the very innovate idea of a Mercy Bus, which would tour parts of greater Manchester and Lancashire during Lent. Stopping in town centres, shopping centres schools and prisons during this special year of mercy, reaching out to people where they are. Two priests were available to speak to people and give absolution. Music was played on the bus and young people acted as volunteers and distributed free gifts blessed by Pope Francis. Many people have benefited by this very forward thinking idea of The Church going out to meet the people. The very sign of evangelisation which Pope Francis asks us all to embrace. Maureen Mayers National Deputy President Salford Mercy Bus The members of St John`s Chorlton Salford Diocese, gathered together for a very special occasion. Mrs. Anne Leneghan has been a member of this foundation for 40 years. She was presented with a certificate by our parish priest Fr. Patrick McMahon. Anne was also celebrating her 70th birthday, as was Mrs Anne Wade and Mrs Philippa Julien recently celebrated her 80th birthday, so all in all it was an evening of great joy. Evening of great joy Many UCM members will remember Mrs Margaret Shryanne who twice served as Diocesan President of Salford and still remains honorary president of her foundation Christ the King Parish Walkden. Sadly, her husband, Paddy died a year ago and Margaret now suffers from dementia and finds it difficult to recall people and places. However, Margaret`s loving and out going personality still shine through. you can see her enjoying coffee and a chat with a fellow UCM member on a trip to a local mill shop. Pauline Conroy Study Day officer Salford Diocese Members remember Fr. Patrick enrolled three new members During our monthly UCM Mass at St Luke`s foundation Salford. After Mass we retired to the Parish Center where we enjoyed a cheese and wine supper as part of our celebrations. On the same evening we also celebrated the 90th birthday of Agnes McGrath, she has the privilege of being our oldest member Pat Ellicott President St. Lukes Irlam`s o`th`Height Old friends left to right - Ruth Greenhalgh, Jane Leader, Fr. Patrick, Phillipa Roberts and Pat Ellicott L/R Elsie (the longest serving member) Veronica (treasurer) Anne (newest member) photo Anne Hampson

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The Catholic Mother Summer 2016 Page 11 SOUTHWARK 25 years service to Padre Pio Father Doug Bull, the Spiritual Advisor to Southwark Diocese UCM, in his Robes of Office, having been made an honorary Chief in Ahotokurom, Ghana. This recognises his 25 years service to Padre Pio, a Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre there, which is supported by Catford and Rainham UCM foundations. His title as Chief is Nana PaaKwesi Obeng . Sharon Bishop, Media Officer, Southwark Diocese UCM Mary O’Driscoll was awarded the Fideliter Sereienti Diocesan medal on 31 January 2016. It was presented to her by Bishop Paul Henricks. She was a former Welfare Officer. A very special experience I would like to share a very special experience with you. In February, 11 UCM members and Monsignor Leo White met with City guide, Kate Boyle for a tour of the One Square Mile. We started at Cannon St. Station and explored the wonderful C17th Guild Halls with their religious roots in the medieval fraternities. We visited the hidden churchyards in the area; particularly poignant was the one containing a memorial to the Welsh princess Catrin, daughter of Owain Glyndwr, who died in the Tower of London. We then made our way up Queen St. to Guildhall and entered the Roman amphitheatre below the Art gallery. This was a revelation to the group as none of us knew it existed. The Art gallery is deserving of a separate visit and we all vowed to come again to do justice to it. We then retired to Piccolo`s, an Italian cafe, favoured by the black cab drivers and enjoyed lunch. The money raised will go to the Sisters of the Holy Rosary for their work in Brazil. Kate is also Secretary of the UCM Anerley and available to other UCM foundations if they wish to do a similar walk. Kathy Kennedy St Bede’s Foundation, Clapham Park UCM. St Anthony`s of Padua The Anerley Foundation are pictured under one of the Stations of the Cross for which they raised £500 to restore. The Stations are by the Flemish sculptor Aloys de Beule (1861-1935) who had great success at the World Exhibition in Ghent in 1913 and following World War 1 went on to produce war memorials in virtually every corner of Belgium. We are extremely fortunate to have a set of his beautiful and striking Stations at St. Anthony`s - one of only three believed to be in this country. Altogether the Parish raised a magnificent £14,000 for their restoration. Mary Naughton-Laing Media Officer Walk of Witness Every year in our Parish we start Good Friday with a Walk of Witness. We are an Island Parish...the Isle of Sheppey, in the mouth of the Thames...and have three crosses carried in procession from three different starting places. One from one of the other local churches, another from the Prison (of which there are three on the Island!), and the third from our church of Saints Henry and Elizabeth. The crosses are full size, one large and the two smaller, made in the Prison, by the Prisoners. The adults in the Walk take turns in carrying the cross of Jesus three or four at a time. Our First Holy Communion class accompany the big cross carrying a scaled down one themselves. This year we had 14 children with two of their Catechists. We start at 9 am from our church and walk along a busy road with a lot of traffic to see us, then transfer to a high grassy embankment which runs parallel to the sea shore, and also beside the coast road. We are nothing if not very obvious, which of course is the whole point of the walk. We walk about 3miles to a place called Bunny Bank, which is very appropriately high on a green hill. Children being children our Munchkins, as Canon Frank calls the Class, were not content with carrying the small cross and pleaded to be allowed to carry the big one. All 14 children lined up along each side of the large cross and managed to carry it on their shoulders, for a respectable distance before admitting it was hard work! So they gave it back to the adults and they took up their own small cross again. One little girl said as she gave up her place " Mary, now we know how Jesus felt" I agreed that we did indeed know a LITTLE of how Jesus felt. On arrival at Bunny Bank an Ecumenical Service was held when the three big crosses and the children`s small cross are in place. This year we had about 300 people attend, as many join us there who haven`t actually walked with us. And none are excluded.....we have wheelchairs hauled and carried up the steep bank, babies in buggies, dogs on and off leads, including Canon Frank`s new dog who accompanies him everywhere, at all Masses, on hospital and home visits, and at every wedding and funeral, and even into the Confessional box! Whole families come to join in this demonstration of our faith, and all are welcomed whether or not they are regular churchgoers. I enclose a photo of our Munchkins doing their bit for Jesus. Mary vanDyke, Media Officer, Sheppey Foundation, Archdiocese of Southwark Archdiocese of Southwark Diocesan Committee. The Committee met on Saturday the 5th March. Penny Curran, of the Anerley Foundation joined the Committee as South Eastern Area Team Leader.

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Page 12 Summer 2016 The Catholic Mother LIVERPOOL During the May Bi-Monthly Mass held at Holy Rosary Church, Maria Bruns was commissioned by our Spiritual Advisor Fr David Potter as the new UCM President of the Liverpool Archdiocese. Maria has been a member of St Paul’s Foundation for 28 years, serving as President and Secretary and has served on the Archdiocesan Committee as Vice-President and Study Officer. We wish Maria well in her new post. Cath Lydon from St Richard’s, Skelmersdale has been appointed to the post of Archdiocesan Secretary. We will keep them both in our prayers. New Officers Maria Bruns and Fr David Potter After a recent UCM Business Meeting at the Metropolitan Cathedral Fr Potter led over 90 members through the Holy Door of Mercy (despite the rain!) to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel where he conducted an uplifting and prayerful Service, followed by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This was a wonderful way for us all to celebrate the Year of Mercy together. Some of the 90 members at the Cathedral Holy Door St Mary’s Woolton Secretary Monica Lowe reports:- UCM members and friends had a Lenten Retreat at the Cenacle Convent, Wavertree, on Wednesday 23 March, beginning at 10.30. It was led by Sister Winnie who talked about the first Holy Thursday and the washing of the Apostles’ feet by Our Lord. We were given a copy of a beautiful painting which shows Our Lord washing the feet of St Peter, with His face reflected in the bowl of water. Meanwhile, the expression on Peter’s face and the movement of one hand indicates that Our Lord should not be washing his feet at all. We were given a list of questions to meditate on in connection with the painting and then we dispersed to various rooms for some quiet time. At 12.00 noon our former Parish Priest Fr Pat O’Brien kindly celebrated Mass for us. This was followed by lunch, a shared table. We reassembled and Sister Winnie talked about Good Friday and Our Lord’s Crucifixion and Death. Discussion on this took place and we again dispersed for quiet reflection. At 3.30 we gathered together for our closing Prayer followed by refreshments. We enjoyed the day very much and felt it had been a very spiritual occasion, especially just before the Easter Triduum. Year Of Mercy Holy Door A Cenacle Retreat We were pleased to have 4 enrolments at our latest Bi-Monthly Mass, 3 from St Anne’s Ormskirk and 1 from Holy Rosary. These add to the 12 which we have had so far this year. Newly Enrolled Members Your correspondent found it very interesting to meet fellow Media Officers at the Media Study Day at St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham. The purpose of the day was to get the message of UCM “out there” to a wider audience and to encourage members to make use of modern technology. The UCM webpage is very interesting and full of information. We were also encouraged to access the Facebook page I would like to thank everyone involved in organising the day. Madelaine McDonald, Media Officer, UCM Archdiocese of Liverpool Media Study Day PLYMOUTH The Cathedral Foundation Plymouth had S.V.P. as their charity last year. The President Frances O`Neill presented Mr. John Jebb with a cheque which was gratefully received. Cheque presented to SVP What a way to celebrate your 80th birthday! Yvonne Loftus, a member of Plymouth Cathedral Foundation decided to mark the occasion by flying in a Tiger Moth. She was taken up by an instructor and even allowed to take the controls for a while. I am sure it was an experience she will never forget! Vivienne Oxley Plymouth Cathedral Foundation By a decree issued by Bishop Mark O’Toole, Bishop of Plymouth, on 1st January 2016, the parishes of Holy Ghost Exmouth and St Peter, Prince of Apostles, Budleigh Salterton have been united under the new title ‘The Parish of the Holy Family’, with Father Philip Austen the Parish Priest. A new logo features the Holy Family sheltering beneath a roof with worshippers gathered round. The name of the united parish reflects the presence of the Sisters of the Holy Family whose convent is adjacent to the Holy Ghost Church, and who have long been central to Catholic worship and education in Exmouth. Visitors from home or abroad are always most welcome, particularly in this Jubilee Year of Mercy so if you are in Devon on holiday why not pay us a visit – we would love to see you. Details of Mass times and all parish activities can be found on the website www.holyghostexmouth.org.uk Irene Walker Exmouth Foundation The New Parish Of The Holy Family On the 7th April a Group of approximately 22members gathered for our fortnightly meeting, when, after the usual prayers and formalities, we listened to a talk given by one of our Parishioners, Mr. Geoff Ames, a horticulturist who runs his own Garden Centre. Geoff began his talk by explaining that he was going to walk us, in our minds, through his own garden, and we spent a most interesting hour or so exploring its nooks and crannies and advising us what to do at this time of year. As he meandered his way around - which was at times very humorous as well as informative, it was interesting to hear that even though a professional, he too has similar problems and disappointments as does the average gardener. He arrived bringing with him a number of plants, and a small tree, which he used as examples of types of foliage and their suitability to different soil conditions as well as their maintenance with regard to pruning etc. There was a short question and answer session, followed by the usual tea and biscuits, before the meeting was closed after a most enjoyable afternoon. Anne McAlpine UCM Exmouth (The Parish of the Holy Family) A Walk through a Devon Garden High Flier!

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The Catholic Mother Summer 2016 Page 13 PLYMOUTH On Monday 11th April 2016 Exmouth hosted the Annual General Meeting for the Plymouth Diocese. Our day began with Mass at 12 noon attended by over 30 members as well as parishioners. During the Mass two new members were enrolled – June Beard and Geraldine O’Boyle and we all took the opportunity to renew our commitment to the UCM. Our Mass was celebrated by Father Robin Ellis who attended the AGM afterwards and continues to give us support and encouragement throughout the year. Lunch was provided by the Exmouth Mothers who served up soup and rolls, before we got down to the business part of the day. It was so good to hear just how much is achieved by so few in the various Parishes. Activities have included Advent and Lenten reflections, a visit to Buckfast Abbey, cream teas, Mass at Honiton on the feast of St Rita, and talks on a whole range of subjects. Fund raising continues to be of importance and charities such as Let the Children Live (a charity working with street children in Colombia), the SVP, MacMillan nurses and CAFOD, to name but a few, have all benefitted. Knitting continues to be a favourite activity and scarves have been given to the homeless in this country as well being included in the Shoeboxes being sent abroad at Christmas. Members also, of course, continue to be actively involved as Eucharistic ministers, readers, church cleaners and flower arrangers in their individual churches, as well as visiting the sick at home and in nursing homes. The Women’s World Day of Prayer had been an important event for all of us, particularly as we had Mimi Barton, the National President of the WWDP, in our midst. In her report, Diana Norman, our President said how much she had enjoyed her first year in office and that she was looking forward to visiting the other foundations in the diocese to get to know everyone better. We finished our day with tea and cakes and a prayer, particularly remembering those members who had not been able to be present today. Irene Walker Diocesan Media Officer Plymouth Diocese AGM New Members June Beard and Geraldine O’Boyle with Father Robin Ellis and President Diana Norman LEEDS The Parish of St Martins Wakefield were invited to the ordination of Monsignor John Wilson at Westminster Cathedral on the 25th January. 2 coaches went from Wakefield setting off at 6am. The Mass itself started at 12 noon, it was a lovely day and everyone who attended said it was a marvellous occasion. Vanessa Hunter President English Martyrs foundation, Wakefield Ordination of Monsignor John Wilson Our Diocesan AGM was held as usual at St Anne’s Cathedral in Leeds on Saturday 5th March. We welcomed mothers from Salford Diocese and representatives from CWL and the Mothers Union. After Benediction the meeting started in the Cathedral Hall. Diocesan President Mrs Pat Atha welcomed our clergy, guests and members then the reports were read. Our guest speaker was Mr Kit Shorten whose wife is in training to become a minister in the Moravian Church. He has in his possession diaries written by Moravian ministers from the 18th century right through to the 2 World Wars. He has written a book using entries from these diaries and based his talk on that book. He was an excellent speaker and the Meeting Hall was filled with laughter. We ended with our usual refreshments before we made our way home. Eileen Goodwin Media Officer, Leeds Leeds Diocese AGM Mrs Pat Atha Diocesan President with Mr Kit Shorten

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Page 14 Summer 2016 The Catholic Mother As announced at the Diocesan Officers’ meeting in October, the theme of ‘Mercy’ was chosen for the 2016 study conference, inspired by the Holy Father’s declaration of a Jubilee Year of Mercy starting on 8th December 2015. This theme was chosen as it accords well with our Objects, helping us to: l Learn more about the laws of God and His church, thus helping us to: l Teach and defend Christian values l Offer love, sympathy and practical help to the family in difficulty Inherent in these points is the need to develop our spiritual lives as Catholic women and this was the key objective of the conference. The emphasis was on making changes in our lives, rather than simply collecting information. Dioceses were invited to send, at the National Committee’s expense, a Study Officer and 2 ‘grassroots’ members (defined as someone who has not attended a UCM conference in the past). This approach was adopted to actively encourage Diocesan Committees to give opportunities to more members to experience UCM life at the National level. Charitable organisations such as the UCM will only remain healthy and prosper if they have a continuous supply of new people willing and able to take office, and what better way of starting this process than taking part in a National event? However, this did not preclude any other member from attending, at the relatively modest conference fee of £132. All 18 dioceses in which we have UCM Foundations were represented in a total of 65 members. Not all dioceses were able to meet the ‘grassroots’ criterion and the total number of new delegates was 25 vs. the aim of 36. Our speaker and facilitator for the conference was Fr Paul Smyth CMF. Fr Paul is a Claretian Missionary, a member of a Religious Order founded in the 19th century by St Anthony Mary Claret, in Spain. The Order came to the United Kingdom in 1912 and established the parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Hayes, Middlesex. The parish remains under the care of the Claretian community and Fr Paul has recently been appointed parish priest there. Most conferences, especially those organised by the UCM follow the process of having a number of speakers delivering formal presentations on their area of expertise, i.e. they disseminate information. However, as already stated, the emphasis of this conference was on changing how we think and what we do in our lives. To quote Fr Paul: ‘Change does not happen through programmes of learning. We need to have the conversations that change the way we think’. To encourage those conversations and maximise the opportunities for exchange of views, attendees were seated in pre-determined groups of 8 around tables. Members were not seated in Diocesan teams (none of those labels on the seats!) and the ‘grassroots’ members were intermingled with those who have attended UCM conferences in the past. All of the sessions at the conference were conducted as working groups, with only a minimal amount ‘formal’ presentation. This ensured that members actively contributed to the conference rather passively listening. Questions addressed during the sessions included: l What does mercy mean for Catholic mothers today? l What do the scriptures tell us about mercy? l How do we/can we practise mercy in the UCM? From this last question the groups agreed on 8 topics to take forward for further exploration, considering its importance and what solutions might be appropriate for the UCM to take. These 8 topics were: 1. Coping with the different values of modern society 2. Are we too complacent? 3. Being welcoming, not discriminating or judgemental; avoiding cliques 4. Giving greater publicity to our work 5. Offering more activities for younger people 6. Being braver, ready to go out joyfully to meet people where they are 7. Using everyone’s gifts 8. Being role models: our actions say more than our words By this point in the programme we had all spent a lot of time in discussion, in having those important conversations necessary to help us to move a little closer towards changing the way we think and act as Catholic women. Now it was time for personal reflection. After a few opening words from Fr Paul we watched a section of the film ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ which provided a fitting subject for reflection in Holy Week. We also read ‘a letter from God’ which provided a good point of focus as we were left with our own reflections. Fr Paul was then available for 2 hours for those members who wished to have individual discussions with him. So was the conference a success? Analysis of the 50 feedback forms received shows an overwhelming enthusiasm for the conference theme and especially the process adopted. The seating arrangement of groups at tables, rather than the more usual rows on chairs, was judged as very successful in encouraging discussion and sharing ideas, as well as in facilitating meeting new people. The group work meant that the outputs of the conference are the combined contributions of those who attended and as a result, they are well-placed to share those outputs with others. Almost all of the forms make reference to the input of Fr Paul, especially his skills as facilitator. He has certainly given us much to think about and we are very grateful to him for giving up his time for us. Reading the feedback, one could say that the conference was a ‘success’ in that the vast majority of members met their objectives, enjoyed the friendship and fellowship and went away very satisfied with the event. However, for the true measure of success, we have to return to the key point that the emphasis was on making changes in our lives, rather than simply collecting information So, to what extent have we learned to make changes in our lives? Using the UCM as our conduit, are we ready to practise mercy and experience ‘a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God’? (Pope Francis). Only time will tell. Mary Piper & Anne Emblem National Vice Presidents National Study Conference 21-23rd March 2016

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The Catholic Mother Summer 2016 Page 15 Church Pews Uncomfortable? Why not try top quality upholstered foam pew cushions? Safefoam, Green Lane, Riley Green, Hoghton, Preston PR5 0SN www.safefoam.co.uk Freephone 0800 015 44 33 Free Sample Pack of foam & fabrics sent by first clss mail When phoning please quote MV101 To advertise please contact Caroline Gonella at CathCom on 01223 969506 or email carolineg@cathcom.org ARUNDEL AND BRIGHTON DIOCESE Marie Barlow, Haywards Heath Foundation BIRMINGHAM ARCHDIOCESE Joan Patterson, West Heath Foundation Edwina Cownley, Holy Trinity Foundation Liz McGuckin, Sacred Heart Foundation EAST ANGLIA DIOCESE Sheila Christie, Dereham Foundation HALLAM DIOCESE Helen Dews, St. Peter-in-Chains Foundation Lilliana Melynk, St. Peter-in-Chains Foundation LIVERPOOL ARCHDIOCESE Margaret Billington, St Thomas of Canterbury Josephine Kerbey, St Thomas of Canterbury Josie Cooke, St Paul’s Nancy Abernethy, St Clare’s Mary Newbury, St Margaret Mary’s aged 101 years Joan Preston, All Saints Vera Carroll, All Saints Helen Chapman, St Ann’s Erna Deane, St Mary’s (former Archdiocesan Treasurer) PLYMOUTH DIOCESE Collette Bolton, Exmouth Foundation SALFORD DIOCESE Shirley Hanley, St Teresa of Avila Vice President of Salford Diocese UCM Brenda Roden, St. Mary’s Denton Vera Connor, St. Mary’s Denton Olive Dickenson, St. Mary’s Denton Jenny Church, St Patrick’s Mary Forkes, St John’s SOUTHWARK ARCHDIOCESE Sheila Link, Rainham Foundation Jackie Edgson, Rainham Foundation Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord WALSINGHAM WHISPERS 2016 – THE HOLY YEAR OF MERCY This is a bonus as we thought the Spring edition of The Catholic Mother was the last issue prior to our pilgrimage so I am very pleased to be able to write this short article. By the time you read this we will only be two or three weeks away from our 2016 pilgrimage so I am delighted to have the opportunity to say `thank you` to all those members and friends who have already booked their tickets but also to say we are printing the booking form again just in case there are some members who, for any reason, have not been able to book earlier. Thank you to all of you that have volunteered to act as stewards and to those who have offered their help on the day. We really do appreciate this as it is a tremendous help in the successful running of the pilgrimage and I would like to convey a really special thank you to the co- ordinators from the Leeds Diocese for all their help and assistance, particularly in the allocation of the rooms at the Pilgrim Bureau. It remains for me to say, as always, on behalf of the Walsingham Sub Committee that we wish you all a wonderful, prayerful and spiritual pilgrimage and not forgetting, of course, the opportunity to gain a plenary indulgence in this special year . We look forward to seeing you and we wish you all a safe journey to Walsingham and return home. God Bless. Maureen, Angela, Elizabeth and Paddy Boarbank Hall Contact: Sr Ildikó Boarbank Hall, Grange over Sands, Cumbria, LA11 7NH Telephone: 015395 32288 Website: www.boarbankhall.org.uk Canonesses of St Augustine of the Mercy of Jesus “She who accepts the common life possesses God” St Augustine A Warm Welcome to Everyone Prayer  Community  Hospitality  Care of the poor and sick JOYCE MADDEN R.I.P. 2nd October 1938 - 25th March 2016 Members of Holy Spirit Foundation, West Bridgford, were shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected death of Joyce Madden on Good Friday Morning. Joyce had been a member of our Foundation for over 30 years and during that time served as President for 15 years. She also served on National Council and at the time of her death was Diocesan Treasurer. Joyce was very involved in Parish activities and to name a couple, was a member of the Choir for over 30 years and was on the rota for Flower Arranging. She was also very involved in flower arranging at St. Barnabas Cathedral where she helped put together four Flower Festivals. Also, at the time of her death she was on the committee for Ladies 89. Joyce was married to Jim for 55 years and have four children and nine grandchildren. At the beautiful Mass at Holy Spirit Church, to Celebrate her Life, her children and grandchildren took part by playing various instruments and singing. Four priests concelebrated at this Mass. I am sure Joyce would be very proud of the way her family organised her Vigil, the Mass and the Reception afterwards in the Parish Social Centre. The love and affection by which Joyce is held was shown at the Mass when U.C.M. Officers from both National and Diocesan Councils attended together with members from other Nottingham Foundations and other Diocese. How would I describe Joyce – as the best friend you could wish for, kind, generous, artistic, couldn`t say “no” when asked to do something, committed to whatever duty she took on and when the rest of us were struggling and saying “we can`t do this”, Joyce would always say “let`s give it a go”. Rest in Peace Joyce. Obituaries Winnie Brookstone, 3rd row from front (without hat), St John Fisher Foundation Archdioocese of Birmingham now 92 years old and still attending the Pilgrimage to Walsingham.

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Page 16 Summer 2016 The Catholic Mother

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