Open Morning Saturday 9th March 2019 9.30am – 12 noon News Catholic Published by Published by Bellcourt Ltd, N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Bellcourt Ltd, N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN Telephone: 0207 112 6710 Telephone: 0207 112 6710 Editor John Clawson. Tel: E-mail john@bellcourtltd.co.uk or david@bellcourtltd.co.uk Editor John Clawson. Tel: E-mail john@bellcourtltd.co.uk or david@bellcourtltd.co.uk 20p 20p WHERE SOLD WHERE SOLD ISSUE 277 ISSUE 277 March March 2019 2019 MORE THAN 21 YEARS OF BRINGING THE MORE THAN 21 YEARS OF BRINGING THE NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE TOGETHER NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE TOGETHER Guido Reni, St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus, c1620 Feast day 19th March Rev Liam Carpenter was ordained to the diaconate at the Parish Church of St Bernadette, Scunthorpe on Friday 18 January 2019 and on Saturday the 26th of January, 2019, memorial day of the holy bishops, Ss. Timothy and Titus, Bishop Patrick, ordained to the holy Priesthood the Rev. Mr. Paul Smith, former student at the seminary of the Pontifical College of S. Bede, outside Rome. (Full story, pictures and Bishop Patrick’s homilies are on pages 6 and 7 .) Celebrating Two Ordinations in our Diocese What started out as a good idea fast became a reality when a project to feed children, of primary school age, took off during Summer last year as St Mary’s Grub Club opened its doors at St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, Loughborough. The parish initiative grew from a conversation at a Catholic Social Action meeting and engaged parishioners in a way that parish activities often fail to do. What’s more it was a team effort involving schools, parents, parishioners and volunteers that proved to be successful and great fun. The End Child Poverty coalition published a new Child Poverty map of the UK in January, using data compiled by Loughborough University. The figures revealed that there are constituencies in the UK where more than half of children are growing up in poverty - compared to one in ten in the areas with the lowest child poverty rates. They also showed that some of the most deprived areas of the UK have seen the biggest increases in child poverty since December 2015. Our town of Loughborough includes two of the most deprived areas, where these cuts have hit hardest with 4,302 children living in poverty (after housing costs), equating to 22.94 per cent.(Loughborough Echo, 31 January 2018). For full story turn to page 5 St Mary’s Grub Club

Read in full

Page 2

Editor: John Clawson Editorial Office: Bellcourt Ltd, N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN Telephone: 0207 112 6710 email: johnclwson@icloud.com or david@bellcourtltd.co.uk Website: www.bellcourtltd.co.uk Distribution enquiries: Nick Layton e-mail nick@cathcom.org, Bellcourt Lim- ited, Publication date: Fourth Sunday of the month for the following month. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessar- ily those of the Editor or the Diocese. Publishers and Owners : Bellcourt Ltd, N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN Advertising: tel: 0207 112 6710 Parental permission should be sought before submitting photographs of minors. Views expressed in The Catholic News are not necessarily those of the editor MORE THAN 21 YEARS OF MORE THAN 21 YEARS OF BRINGING THE BRINGING THE NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE TOGETHER TOGETHER The The Catholic News Catholic News The monthly paper for the The monthly paper for the Diocese of Nottingham Diocese of Nottingham Page 2 The Catholic News. March 2019 Wanted - Parish Correspondents The Catholic News is looking for a Parish Correspondent in your parish to send in local news for publication in this newspaper. All items to be emailed to johnclwson@icloud.com before 10th of the month FRANKLY SPEAKING FRANKLY SPEAKING Cardinal hopes every parish priest will "hold his head high today knowing Cardinal Newman is declared a saint" On Tuesday 12 February 2019 Pope Francis cleared the way for the canonisation of the much-loved educationalist Cardinal John Henry Newman. The Pope received Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorised him to promulgate two decrees on miracles for sainthood, a decree on martyrdom and five on heroic virtues. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Catholic Bishops` Conference of England and Wales has warmly welcomed the news that Cardinal Newman will be declared a saint. Following the announcement, Cardinal Nichols said: "This is wonderful news which will be greeted with thanks to God by people across the world. Newman’s exploration of faith, depth of personal courage, intellectual clar- ity and cultural sensitivity make him a deeply admired follower of Christ. "He brings together so many of the best of Catholic traditions shared well beyond the Catholic Church. His canonisation wIll be welcomed especially in the Church of Eng- land and the wider Anglican Communion. "For me the truly remarkable nature of this moment is that this is an English parish priest being declared a saint. At the time of writing this article there is still much talk about Brexit. More than two and a half years after the referendum the politicians and, more importantly, the nation still seems split on our future relations with the European Union. When you read this article the direction of our country may or may not be more clear. Our young people have surely the right to know what impact all this will have on their future. The doubts being expressed by many politicians who have seemingly blinkered vision is not really helping. Time is running out for compromise, the country needs answers = not more arguments. If we are to witness more customs checks at our ports this will lead to delays in transporting vital goods to manufacturing units and distribution depots for perishable items destined for supermarket shelves. In the later years of my time in industry the “just in time” demands of customers became a common occurrence. This also coincided with late payment by large companies who simply resorted to keeping their money for as long a possible, 90 days or even 120 days became a common practice. A cheque was promised in the morning with a demand that goods would be despatched the same day. Needless to say this not only put great stress on the supplier but the likelihood of mistakes was greatly increased. What is most disappointing is that issues other than Brexit have seemingly been left or at least put on hold in Parliament. The much delayed Green Paper on social care is a serious casualty and yet the link with European nationals is plain to see. Have we got over 100,000 vacancies for carers? Do we employ a similar number of E.U Nationals in our care homes? Will we make it more difficult to fill vacancies if so called “low skilled” Europeans will no longer have preferential admittance to our country? Anyone who has relatives who are resident in these places would surely like a government policy clarification to these questions, Whilst our country goes through the uncertainty and turmoil associated with Brexit our own personal lives continue as we await the start of Spring. If the problems of our country have been rather overwhelming in the winter now ending. the start of Lent on March 6th with Ash Wednesday will be an opportunity for at least reflection. If the recent months have been particularly difficult we can hope and pray for a new start. “Just in Time” can also apply to our daily lives, and we might not have to wait 120 days for payment! "During his life the people of Birmingham recognised his holiness and lined the streets at the time of his burial. I hope every parish priest in England will hold his head high today knowing Cardinal Newman is de- clared a saint." Cardinal John Henry Newman was beatified - declared a `Blessed` - by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on his historic state visit to the UK in September 2010.

Read in full

Page 3

This morning I had the pleasure of joining Fr Peter and Fr Robert, along with some parishioners at the Wednesday morning Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes in Ashby de la Zouch. Today’s Mass was being said for Margaret, long standing parishioner and member of the CAFOD group who meet after Mass to raise funds each year and do- nate the money by buying a World Gift. Sadly Margaret passed away on Christmas Day and I was invited to meet the group and receive a cheque for £750, being donated in Margaret’s memory and buying a Commu- nity Water Supply. This fantastic charity gift can help a community establish their own supply of clean, safe water by providing the materials and training to build and main- tain hand pumps and water tanks. I also learnt that Margaret had remembered CAFOD in her Will. Her passion and gen- erosity for the poor will continue as a legacy in her name. Thank you Margaret An inspirational day at the CAFOD Volun- teer Centre in Bulwell. Students from Holy Trinity in Newark and English Martyrs’s in Long Eaton converged for some cross-MAT getting to know you! It started with a tweet a few months ago when members of St Clare House at Holy Trinity focused on St Clare for the Word of the Week video. I showed this to my neigh- bours in the Poor Clare Monastery and a visit was arranged. The chaplaincy team at English Martyrs have chosen CAFOD to fundraise for this year so I invited them along too! A really lovely day; after a ‘getting to know you’ Bingo icebreaker the students got into groups to prepare a liturgy; four mixed groups to prepare what we would see, hear, think and do. They then very confidently and prayerfully presented this to us and the community in the Convent The Catholic News. March 2019 Page 3 Out and about the Diocese with Maggie Mairura It started with a tweet! What scripture shall we use for our liturgy? At the end of the liturgy we were all invited to write down an act of kind- ness to pass on to someone else. Sr Francesca (who has been in the Poor Clare’s for 54 years) was given the task to make someone smile whilst a stu- dent from English Martyrs was encour- aged to give some- one a hug; it was from one of the Sis- ters, she told me proudly! We both love the drawing too! A short Q&A session followed and the Sisters sang a blessing as we left. Back for lunch and then the students really got stuck in to the activity Life without Taps. Then farewells and back to school; Holy Trin- ity in their minibus and English Mar- tyr’s on the tram. A most enjoyable day! Thank you Remembering Margaret

Read in full

Page 4

Page 4 The Catholic News. March 2019 JUST FOR JUNIORS Here is the farmer sowing seed on his field. Find ten differences between the pictures. You can read about him in Luke 8:4-8. Matthew was a collector of taxes before he followed Jesus. Luke was a doctor. Find out which object belongs to which follower of Jesus. You can read about Matthew following Jesus in Matthew 9:9-13 . Jesus told a story about one hundred sheep - ninety-nine were safe, but one was lost. How does the shepherd reach the lost sheep? Read Luke 15:4-7.

Read in full

Page 5

Feeding children What started out as a good idea fast became a reality when a project to feed children, of primary school age, took off during Summer 2018 when Grub Club opened its doors at St Mary’s RC School, Loughborough. The initiative grew from a conversation at a parish Catholic Social Action meeting and engaged parishioners in a way that parish activities often fail to do. What’s more it was a team effort that proved to be great fun. The facts We held 11 two hour lunchtime sessions during a 6 week period. • Children were served a hot and nutritious 3 course meal. • Crafts, games, reading, football coaching and other activities were offered. • About 50 parishioners volunteered to help. • We served approximately 380 meals to everyone who came, including parents and volunteers. • 43 children came from 9 schools. A member of our team handled school engagement and liaison. • The average cost of the lunch was £1.39. • The time from conception to opening was about 4 months. The need The End Child Poverty coalition published a new Child Poverty map of the UK in January 2018, using data compiled by Loughborough University. The figures reveal that there are constituencies in the UK where more than half of children are growing up in poverty - compared to one in ten in the areas with the lowest child poverty rates. They also show that some of the most deprived areas of the UK have seen the biggest increases in child poverty since December 2015. Our town includes two of the most deprived areas, where these cuts have hit hardest with 4,302 children living in poverty (after housing costs), equating to 22.94 per cent.(Loughborough Echo, 31 January 2018) Our response You could be forgiven for not recognising the signs of poverty in what seems to be an affluent university town. We learned of the problems from a parishioner who works with disadvantaged families. We decided we had to do something. Why? Because our faith compels us to act, and, as one parishioner said ‘Why do it? Because we can’. We did our research and quickly realised the size of the undertaking. We put a team together and drew up a constitution, asked for volunteers and organised training – first aid, food safety, safeguarding etc. Funding proved not to be a problem as money came in from the parish account and many generous parishioners, including an initial £2000 from a local private school. Our parish priest is committed to the project. Finally… What we are doing is more than feeding children: we are using people’s talents and gifts and bringing people together to foster the common good. The initiative was so successful that we are going to expand the programme this year and encourage other churches and communities to do the same. Every time we met an obstacle we got round it. Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate. ‘Let everything be open to God; turn to Him in every situation. Do not be dismayed for the power of the Holy Spirit enables you to do this…’ (15) If you would like to do something similar and don’t know where to start please get in touch with Catherine Brady, Grub Club Chair at office@stmarysloughborough.org.uk The Catholic News. March 2019 Page 5 New statistics reveal level of child poverty on our doorstep

Read in full

Page 6

On Friday the 18th of January, 2019, the Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Mgr. Patrick McKinney, ordained to the Dia- conate the Rev. Mr. Liam Carpenter, former monk of the Order of S. Bene- dict at Farnborough Abbey, and stu- dent at the seminary of the College of S. Mary, Oscott. The ordination took place at the parish church of S. Bernadette, in Scunthorpe, in the presence of several members of the clergy of the Diocese, from other dio- ceses around the country and from Farnborough Abbey. The following is the homily given by the Bishop at this event. "Liam, through your time with the Bene- dictines, your years of preparation and for- mation both at St. Mary’s College, Oscott, and through the experience you have also gained from your pastoral placements in various parishes of the diocese and else- where, and now here in St. Bernadette’s, you know that the vocation of the deacon is to remind us all, children, lay men and women, priests, religious, abbots and bishop, that we are all to become ever more completely the servants of Christ Jesus, who came among us, ‘not to be served, but to serve’. As a deacon you are mandated by the Church to teach and to bear witness to this in these ways: in your own life-witness, in your preaching and teaching, in the man- ner of your service at the altar, in the man- ner of your ministry to those to whom you are sent and who are put in your care, and especially in the way that you show your de- sire to reach out with love and compassion to the poor, the needy and the marginalised. Much of what lies behind this mandate is not new to you and I recognise your experience of sharing God’s love and compassion in prison ministry. Neverthe- less, the prayer of ordination to the dia- conate, which I will speak over you in God’s name this evening, does nothing to ease the high expectations of God’s holy Church for your diaconal ministry. Because, as we will hear in that prayer, you are being called to ‘excel in every virtue, in love that is sincere, in concern for the sick and the poor, in unassuming authority, in self-discipline and in holiness of life.’ "It’s surely a very daunting task for you, for any of us, for we all have our own frailties and our own wounds to bring to the Lord for his healing; and although this experi- ence of our own frailties can serve to help us to be more understanding of the frailties and woundedness of others, there still re- mains the question, how could you, Liam, how could anyone of us, take on this calling if we had only our own life experience and strength to draw upon? It would be impos- sible; but, as we know, nothing is impossi- ble for God. This evening you remind us, Liam, that it is only if we have the desire to serve the Lord, to be open to the working of the Holy Spirit within us, and so to be an instrument of His love, care, compassion and healing, it is only if we place ourselves humbly in his hands, that you, or anyone of us, could possibly offer ourselves as his ser- vants! That’s why you have shared with us in this Mass some very heartening passages of God’s Word which give you the encour- agement to make this life-long offering of yourself in His service as a Deacon, and later, please God, as a Priest. In the same way as the prophet Jeremiah, at the very beginning of his service of God, allowed God’s word to shape his ministry, so you recognise that your heart, and our hearts too, need to be open enough to be con- vinced of God’s personal love and care for each of us, and so you want us, alongside you this most special evening, to hear God speak those reassuring words: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…Go now to those to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you’. As part of your ordination, Liam, you will be presented with the Book of the Gospels to show that, as a deacon at Mass, you will be called to proclaim the gospel. But, as your Bishop, the Church asks that I chal- lenge you with these words: “Believe what Page 6 The Catholic News. March 2019 Diaconal Ordination of Rev Liam Carpenter The Bishop`s homily for the Mass of the ordination to the Diaconate of the Rev. Liam Carpenter Rev Liam Carpenter was ordained to the diaconate at the Parish Church of St Bernadette, Scunthorpe on Fri- day 18 January 2019. Deacon Liam has been on ex- tended placement at St Bernadette’s for the last six months, and will continue at the parish in his new role as deacon with the hope of being ordained to the priest- hood in the near future. The church was packed, with visitors from all over the country. The parish commu- nity worked tirelessly to ensure that the church and re- ception were prepared, and it was a truly beautiful and memorable occasion. Music at Mass was led by children from St Bede’s School in conjunction with the parish choir. It was an evening that will no doubt live long in the memories of all who were there. Congratulations to Deacon Liam, and all the best for your new ministry. you read, teach what you believe, and prac- tise what you teach”. Your life and ministry as a deacon demands that you are not just someone who is open to the power of God’s Word in the scriptures; but that you are called, like Jeremiah, to allow that Word to shape your heart, your life and ministry, so that you can become for others an authentic herald of the Gospel. As Timothy expresses it in the 2nd reading, ‘be an example to all the believers in the way you speak and be- have, and in your love, your faith and your purity…Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you’ "In the early Church the deacon was often the bishop’s eyes and ears, not in the sense that he was a spy on behalf of the bishop, but rather because the deacon ministered to, and so knew personally, the poorest and those most in need, both within and outside of the Christian community. That’s also why the deacon was given the role of reading the prayers of intercession at the Eucharist. Why? Because, as one who was expected to be working at the margins of the pastoral coalface of the Christian community, it was the deacon who knew who and what most needed to be prayed for by all in the com- munity. This is also why, for the distribu- tion of Holy Communion, the deacon is the one who administers the chalice containing the Blood of Christ. The chalice or cup, which is often associated with suffering (we speak of ‘the cup of suffering’), highlights the deacon’s calling to minister closely to those who are most suffering and in need both within and outside of the Christian community. "The act of prostration which you, Liam, will make this evening, when we call upon for the saints to pray for you, symbolises your submission to Christ, your gift of self, your willingness to be His servant-disciple, and to allow your heart, mind and will to be shaped and more deeply configured to Him. May what we see you do this evening re- mind us of, and give fresh encouragement to, the calling of each of us to encounter God’s personal love, to hear and respond afresh to His call to follow him as his ser- vant-disciples, and to go out to others as his Missionary Disciples bearing witness to that love. As you exercise your ministry of dia- conate, under the guidance of Mgr Tom here in St Bernadette’s, please bear witness to and help everyone here in the parish and in the schools to deepen their understand- ing of what it is to be a disciple of the Lord. May the Lord, who has called you to this ministry of diaconate, be always at the heart of your prayer and of everything you seek to do in his name and in his power. AMEN."

Read in full

Page 7

The Catholic News. March 2019 Page 7 The Bishop`s homily for the Mass of the ordination to the Priesthood of Fr Paul Smith On Saturday the 26th of January, 2019, memorial day of the holy bishops, Ss. Timothy and Titus, the Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Mgr. P atrick McKinney, ordained to the holy Priesthood the Rev. Mr. Paul Smith, former student at the seminary of the Pontifical College of S. Bede, outside Rome. The following is a phot o-post from the event, which took place at the cathedral church of S. Barnabas in Nottingham, in the presence of many of the priests of the diocese and hundreds of lay people. The photos have been provided through the kindness of the photographer, Mr. M. Henchy. Ordained to the holy Priesthood the Rev Mr Paul Smith On Saturday the 26th of January, 2019, memorial day of the holy bish- ops, Ss. Timothy and Titus, the Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Mgr. Patrick McKinney, ordained to the holy Priesthood the Rev. Mr. Paul Smith, former student at the seminary of the Pontifical College of S. Bede, outside Rome. The following is the homily given by the Bishop at this event. "Paul, from the scripture readings for this Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus, two disci- ples of the Lord and close companions of your namesake, Paul, I’ve chosen these chal- lenging words. They were originally ad- dressed by Paul to Timothy, but today I address them to you: “You are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord…” "Paul, as you know from your studies at the Beda College in Rome and, before then, for some twenty years, as a committed Catholic in the world of engineering work, the impor- tance of Christian witness is a really central thread running through all of the Church’s teaching. So, rather than quoting lots of sources, perhaps one short quotation from St. Pope John Paul II might serve to encap- sulate much of this teaching and illustrate what I mean. In a most encouraging docu- ment called, The Mission of Christ the Re- deemer, he said this: “People today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers, in experience than in teach- ing, and in life and action than in theories. The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of mission. Christ whose mission we follow is the supreme witness and the model of all Christian witness.” (The Mission of Christ the Redeemer, 42) "That was written some years ago, but how increasingly true this is in our society, that we look for authenticity in others, for real witness rather than mere words. We expect authoritative words to be backed up by per- sonal witness, so that they are credible. So what are some of the qualities of a good wit- ness? In a court of law we call on witnesses because we need their help in affirming or finding the truth. So witnesses are people who give evidence about what they have seen or heard or lived, at first hand. But being a good witness goes well beyond the capacity to recall things accurately; it in- volves the whole person. Cross examination or questioning of the witness tests their in- tegrity, their strength of character and their convictions because, under questioning, they can be left feeling exposed and vulner- able. In much the same way, being a Chris- tian witness involves the whole person, and very few of us, if any, would say that bearing witness to Christ these days is easy, that it makes no demands upon us. Bearing wit- ness to Christ, striving to be his faithful dis- ciples today, comes at a cost. "Paul, your own public witness here today, to give your life in service of the Lord as His priest, reminds all of us that we are each, in the varying circumstances of our lives, also called to bear witness to Christ. So who can we look to for guidance and help with this? As Pope John Paul II reminded us, we look to the person of Jesus himself, because He is the supreme witness to the Father. Why? Because, as Jesus teaches us, he knew the Father uniquely: ‘No one has ever seen God, it is the only Son, who is close to the Fa- ther’s heart, who has made him known’ (Jn. 8: 28). When Jesus spoke he was testifying to the Father, ‘I do nothing of my own ac- cord. What I say is what the Father has taught me’ (Jn. 8: 28). The same could be said about his actions. Above all, Jesus made the Father known, not only by word and actions, but by his completely authentic life; his attitudes and values; his willingness to serve rather than be served, his patience, courage and self-giving. In all these ways Jesus bore witness to the love which bound him to the Father and to all whom the Fa- ther gave him. He was the Father’s supreme witness because he was truly transparent, one with the Father. So, in a real sense, we might say that the Father was able to give his testimony, in and through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit who unites them. So Jesus could truly say, ‘the Father and I are one’ (Jn. 10: 30). "There is then only one perfect witness to the Father, Jesus himself. But, in and through our baptism, we are each called to allow Christ Jesus to bear witness in and through us, through our words and actions, our strengths and our weaknesses. Paul, I know that in your pastoral ministry as a deacon you have enjoyed visiting, listening to and getting to know and be close to peo- ple; you have liked to ‘walk alongside’ peo- ple and to encourage them. I pray that, in your ministry as a priest, you will continue to bear witness to Christ, whose servant you are, by walking closely with the people to whom you are sent. Strive always, with God’s help, to be authentic in the witness you bear to them. May your preaching and teaching not be just words, but rather op- portunities to share humbly with others your own personal knowledge of God’s love, of how you have encountered Christ, in your prayer, in times of Adoration, in the Sacra- ments, especially in the Mass and the Sacra- ment of Reconciliation, and in and through the lives of others whom you meet. Share with them, not just by words but by the manner of your life, how Christ has called you into discipleship, and how your life as a deacon, and shortly as a priest, has been humbled and enhanced through your expe- rience of the generous and dedicated Chris- tian witness of the people you come into contact with. Above all, continually ask the Holy Spirit, given to you in Baptism, Confir- mation, and again today in your ordination as a priest, to help you to become ever more truly authentic in your witness to Christ, and so increasingly more credible to those who meet you. As St Paul reminds us, the power given by the Holy Spirit is essential to Christian witness: ‘Nobody is able to say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 12: 3). "Paul, I say again, ‘You are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord’. I know it’s not an easy time to be a priest, or for any of us to be committed Catholics. Collec- tively, we have much to be deeply ashamed of in the behaviour of some of our priests and in the failures to deal with it on the part of some of our leaders. I know it’s tempting to want to keep our heads down and to avoid confrontation. It’s tempting too as priests and deacons not to wear our clerical collars out in the public square, out of shame and embarrassment, but we are the Lord’s servants and witnesses, and our pub- lic witness to Christ is especially needed at this time. Paul, be courageous in the living out of your priestly ministry; may you find real strength and encouragement in these words of St Paul from the first reading: “bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy”! "Paul, I’m going to ask everyone here pre- sent to pray now for a moment in silence that the Lord, who has begun this good work in you, will continue to bring it to completion through a long and blessed and happy and fruitful priestly ministry. Amen!"

Read in full

Page 8

Catenians from the Nottingham Diocese will hold their annual pub- lic speaking competition on Sunday 24 March 2019. The contest will take place at Ratcliffe College, Fosse Way, Ratcliffe on the Wreake. The principal guests will be Bishop Patrick McKinney, Nottingham Diocese and Bishop Ralph Heskett, Hallam Diocese. Phil Brown, the National Vice President of the Catenian Association will also at- tend. The Competition is open to all 16 to 18 year old students of Catholic schools; last year there were 10 entrants from all over the Notting- ham Diocese and beyond. Nationally a total of over 140 students entered the contest. Each regional winner is invited to the national finals which are held in Manchester in September. Last year’s regional winner was Peter Firbank from Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic College, Burton-on- Trent. The Nottingham Diocesan region also provided the very first national winner, Katjana Cleasby from Ratcliffe College, in 2008. Tickets for the Catenian Regional Competition on 24 March can be obtained from the Contest Secretary at province15publicspeak- ing@gmail.com cost £5 or pay at the door. More information about the Catenian Association and the way it helps youngsters can be obtained by visiting the Catenian website www.catenians.org.uk Kevin Hurst Catenian Association, Derby 46 Publicity Officer Over 50 filled toiletry bags have been deliv- ered by members of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, Leicester, to their local Welcome Project for Refugees and Asylum Seekers. The Parish collected the items for its special Christmas Project. In addition to the starter packs, which parishioners made up over a four week collection period, several large boxes of children’s toiletries and items for re-stocking were collected. A further £600 in cash was also raised. Volunteers at The Welcome Project, which supports individuals and families in need, were thrilled and a little overwhelmed. One commented on how beautiful some of the toiletry bags were and how much that will mean to someone who has very little or feels unwanted. Organiser, for the Parish Justice and Peace Group, Theresa Alessandro said, "We got in touch with the Welcome Project and let them know that members of our church are always willing to help people in need. We asked if there was anything specific they wanted us to collect. It was toiletries they needed. One of our group members sug- gested we made up toiletry bags, so we all got involved in the packing. It was a privi- lege to deliver the donated items." One member of the group said, “I brought the people attending the Welcome Project into my prayers over Christmas. In Bishop Patrick’s pastoral letter, in November, he mentioned Missionary Disciples and ‘bear- ing witness to Christ’s love in our service of our brothers and sisters, especially those most in need.’ I think our Parish became Missionary Disciples through our Christmas project this year. It was a grace for us all. ” Page 8 The Catholic News. March 2019 Bags of help THE CATENIAN ASSOCIATION Strengthening family life through friendship and faith Catenian Public Speaking Competition Peter Firbank (L) being presented with the regional winner’s certificate byKarol Grabowski, Provincial President Last year’s student entrants with, from left to right in the centre, Karol Grabowski, Provincial President, Wendy Sutcliffe, Chair of Adjudicators and Phil Brown, Catenian National Vice President

Read in full

Page 9

The Catholic News. March 2019 Page 9 Building up the Kingdom By Julia Beacroft I’ve only lived in four houses during my married life but I’ve had extensive building works carried out on three out of the four of them. And it was a nightmare! I think it would be fair to say that building work and I are not a match made in heaven. I loathe the disruption, the mess, the eternal dust and the way that you can never find any- thing, despite your best efforts. Our parish church is currently being re-or- dered with – yes; you’ve guessed it – mas- sive renovations and structural work and all its accompanying chaos. I must admit that it’s less stressful than living with it in a home situation, but it is still fairly horren- dous and difficult to work around. However, we do the best that we can and are lucky to have both the use of a church hall to cele- brate Mass in and a parish priest to do so. Yet most of us experience building work at some time or the other in our lives, whether it’s in our own homes, in a neighbours, at a place of work or when we are waiting for a home to be built. And with the current shortage of housing in the United Kingdom, we can be prepared for far more of this. In fact ‘building’ in its many forms is preva- lent during our life journey. We build friendships and relationships, we build up our knowledge, we build upon our careers and we build up followers on social media. In fact, building of some sort or another is all around us. Yet by far the most important type of build- ing is that of the gradual strengthening of our relationship with the Lord. We are all the chosen children of God who longs for us, but it is up to us to create the space and time to share our lives with the Lord. As St Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘You too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives in the Spirit’(2:22). As we build our lives with our relationships, careers and homes, our spirit is being built up by the Lord. Our faith is probably the most essential building block that we have in our possession and this one comes with- out mess and dust! However, Jesus does stir us up when we choose to follow Him – we may find that some of our paths are unex- pected and we may be challenged in ways that we had not anticipated. Yet we can be reassured. If our lives are built upon a strong foundation of faith, we too shall be like the man who built his house on rock: ‘Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock’ (Matthew 7:25-26). The 2019 Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes Sunday the 14th of July to Friday the 19th of July 2019 We shall be travelling once more by air and by train, with Tangney Tours, to Lourdes, being led there by the Bishop himself. The Lourdes theme chosen for this year is `Blessed are the poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.` More information in the doc- uments attached to the diocesan website page. As the flyer on the diocesan website says, the last January 7th was the 175th an- niversary of the birth of the visionary of Lourdes, S. Bernadette, and, on April the 16th, `we will commemorate the 140th an- niversary of her death. During her life, Bernadette experienced all kinds of poverty; physical, material, intellectual, social. She was also very much misunderstood. Our Lady said to Bernadette “I can’t promise to make you happy in this world, but I can in the next.”` For more information, please contact Fr. Simon Gillespie, the Deputy Director, on 07760 372105 or by sending e-mail to admin@nottingham-lourdes.org.uk. Parishes! Advertise your Easter Mass Times in next month’s edition Janet Took on 07931 836907 or email janett@cathcom.org

Read in full

Page 10

Here we are, entering the third month of 2019 already and, al- though it is late this year, by the time this Catholic News ap- pears, Ash Wednesday - the be- ginning of Lent, will only be a few days away However we have decided to keep our Lent this year, and I hope we have given it some thought , if it is nothing else then it is a time of Disciple- ship. Bishop Patrick asked us to hold certain themes before us as we live out our daily spiritual lives this year and Discipleship was the theme he asked us to think and pray about during Lent. The season of Lent is a unique and fitting opportunity for all of us to take up this theme of Dis- cipleship, and, after having en- countered Our Lord anew in a closer and more loving relation- ship during Advent, then now we are ready to look afresh at our Discipleship during Lent - a holy season in which we can draw ever closer and more lov- ingly in taking up our cross and following Our Lord thus en- abling us to become a holy peo- ple of God. I always think of Lent as being the motorway to holiness, throughout Lent there are many signposts pointing us to a life of dedication and Disci- pleship while driving in the fast lane of our lives -culminating in the joy of Easter. Lent draws us to the mystical pilgrimage of the soul, like the children of Israel journeying from the state of bondage to the state of true freedom. True Dis- cipleship is a pilgrimage of the soul and a progress from and too and with and through. Disci- pleship is a journeying with Christ from self and sin to God, it is with Christ as his Disciples with Christ as our companion, through the experience of prayer, through which the Holy Spirit is our guide. The spiritual life is a great adventure, a ro- mance. A splendid and wonderful thing. a journey which was begun within us by Christ himself. Our Lord died to redeem us in our Discipleship from the only fail- ure which is real failure and that is spiritual failure. It really does not matter what may come to us in our Discipleship, what may oppose us, what pain and dark- ness we shall go through, if we live our lives prayerfully striving towards holiness then the Holy Spirit will teach us in all things to see the vision of God. Through our Discipleship we are re-created according to the likeness and image of God. Saint Benedict saw the Christian life ( of which the monastic is but one form of living ) as a journey, a Discipleship, a warfare which requires the whole of our atten- tion and energy and is to be un- dertaken with a definite end in sight. Throughout the Lenten journey our Discipleship should be then focused on Christ so that by the end of Lent we may be spiritually refreshed in our faith and that we may have grown in holiness. In the mean- time let us hold fast to prayer following the advice of St. Theresa of Lisieux " Try to be continuous in prayer, and in the midst of bodily exercises do not leave it. Whether you eat, drink, talk with others, or do anything, always go to God and attach yourself to him " Lent is a great time for receiving from the Lord, but first our discipleship must be serious, walking humbly with God seeking his mercy through the Sacrament of Rec- onciliation and en- countering God in the Eucharist and continually in prayer. With our prayers for a Holy Lenten sea- son. Fr. David + h.d.n. Priest and Hermit Diocese of Nottingham Page 10 FUNERAL SERVICES FUNERAL SERVICES Helping with all your needs The Catholic News. March 2019 PRAYER VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY NEEDED! As we approach, once again, the season of Lent, the pro- life cause has never been more urgent. Each day, over 500 babies are aborted in our country. Each year, that amounts to over 190,000 children, in England and Wales alone. It is estimated that there are around 55 million babies who are aborted globally per year. The statistics are staggering, and reflect what St John Paul called `a culture of death`. We can`t change a cul- ture. The problem of abortion is simply too enormous for us to stop it. We may not be able to change it... but God can; and we believe that he will, if we ask him. And the place to start is here, in our own city, on our own doorstep. “40 Days for Life” is a Christian campaign group whose purpose is to save the lives of unborn children through prayer, fasting and community outreach. With the sup- port of Pope Francis for this worldwide initiative, and the encouragement Bishop Patrick locally, we are run- ning our 4th campaign here in Nottingham during Lent 2019. The aim of our prayers is simple: we are praying for an end to abortion. But we also offer support – moral and practical - to women who may be under pres- sure to have an abortion which they do not want, and which they may come to regret. Our vigil is prayerful, peaceful, and non- judgmental. We are seeking vol- unteers to pray with us during Lent (Ash Wednesday 6th March – Palm Sun- day 14th April), be- tween 6am and 6pm, on a rota basis, near the Treatment Centre on the QMC cam- pus, where many abortions in Not- tinghamshire take place. Most people who come stay for either one or two hours at a time. Please sign up now to pray with us on our webpage www.40daysfor- life.com/ localcampaigns/ nottingham or con- tact us at 40daysforlifenotts @gmail.com. What a fantastic way to prepare for the Solemnity of Easter! Thoughts from Elston Hermitage...

Read in full

Page 11

The Catholic News. March 2019 Page 11

Read in full

Page 12

Page 12 The Catholic News. March 2019 WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE SCHOOLS ON THIS PAGE FOR SUPPORTING THE PAPER The official launch of the St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi-Academy Trust was cele- brated by more than 1,500 young people and staff from 22 schools across Leicestershire. The trust was formed on 1 September 2018 and is a partnership of 18 Primary Catholic Voluntary Academies and four Secondary CVAs in the Diocese of Nottingham. Pupils and staff from across the trust came together for the first time at the Morningside Arena in Leicester to celebrate the Feast Day of St Thomas Aquinas. Neil Lockyer, trust CEO, welcomed everyone including the Bishop of Nottingham, Patrick McKinney, and he thanked the Nottingham Diocesan Catholic Youth Service for organis- ing the event. He said: “Our trust brings together 22 schools, over 8,000 young people and 1,200 members of staff and it covers the whole of Leicestershire. “We are never alone, and we know that be- cause Jesus promised that he would be with us until the end of time; the holy spirit is that presence in your lives. We are 22 schools who do wonderful things for each other and for those people we have never met through the great charitable work that goes on in our school communities. “As our patron, St Thomas Aquinas wrote, there’s nothing on this earth to be treasured more than true friendship. Let’s make sure that all of our friendships are true, respectful and genuine.” Mr Lockyer told the young people that their shared faith brought people across the world together. He said: “When we celebrate Mass we know there are over 1.3 billion other people sharing the same experience, and we are united with them in our faith.” Following Mr Lockyer’s address, the audi- ence learnt more about St Thomas Aquinas and who he was before each school chaplain took to the stage to talk about where they saw the spirit at work in their school. The Bishop then delivered his own welcome address and blessed the Trust Mission State- ment which was handed to each school. He also called upon everyone present to be mis- sionary disciples. A celebratory procession involving every school took place themed on a quote from St Thomas Aquinas who said: ‘All that is true has its origin in the spirit’. Each school presented a postcard showing how the spirit was at work in their communi- ties before handing them to the Bishop. Schools swapped postcards and took them back to their communities to display. The day ended with a Mass celebrated by the Bishop, who urged everyone to find at least 15 minutes a day to devote to quiet prayer. Official launch of new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust celebrated by more than 1,500 pupils and staff If your School would like to wish our readers a Happy and Holy Easter in the next edition, please get in touch by Monday 18th March. Contact Janet on 07931 836907 or email janett@cathcom.org

Read in full

Find your local Catholic Historical Church newspaper. Scroll to find yours.