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Leeds Catholic Post History

Newspaper for the Diocese of Leeds

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Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 1

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Whats inside Come and See Launching Year 5 Page 2 Feast Day At St Wilfrid`s Pages 10/11 CATHOLIC POST THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS NOVEMBER 2009 www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk www.catholicpost.org.uk T his year’,s annual ‘,All Saints Day Mass and Lecture’, at Leeds Trinity University College provided a unique opportunity for a threefold celebration that also drew together three continents. The university college principal, Professor Freda Bridge, was delighted to welcome Bishop Arthur to preside at the feast day mass in celebration of the college’,s long history and its recent achievement in gaining university colllege status. The Bishop for his part was honoured to welcome to our diocese Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Nigeria, to the college. The Archbishop, who is renowned for his commitment to building peace between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria’,s northern states, is in the UK following the Synod for Africa in Rome. He was very pleased to accept the invitation to come to Leeds Diocese having met the four students from St Joseph’,s Catholic College in Bradford when they visited his diocese in September. He expressed then his gratitude for the support the diocese had given for CAFOD’,s healthcare programmes in Africa by helping the girls raise £,17,000 through their ‘,mums and babies’, packs last Christmas. A further link was made when, at the request of the Archbishop Ignatius, Bishop Arthur gladly agreed to welcome into the diocese Fr. Blaise Agwom. The Archbishop is aware of the need for further learning in the difficult area of reconciliation and wanted one of his priests to benefit from the highly regarded specialist course offered at Bradford University. Bishop Arthur was instrumental in enabling Fr. Agwom to enrol for the year’,s course and Archbishop Kaigama welcomed the opportunity to visit Leeds diocese and thank the bishop in person. Guest speaker for the annual feast day lecture was Fr. Robert Barron, the theme of his address was meditation on the essence of the Christian message, made even more special by the uniting of European, African and American dialogue. Fr. Robert Barron is the Francis Cardinal George Chair of Faith and Culture at University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. As a renowned Catholic evangelist Fr. Barron reaches millions of people throughout the world by utilizing advanced and emerging technologies at www.wordonfire.org. Fr Barron was invited to the diocese by Bishop Arthur to be the keynote speaker at the launch of year five of ‘,Come and See’, (full report on page 2). Threefold celebration at Leeds Trinity University College CATHOLIC CARE (Diocese of Leeds) - Taking the Caring Church into the community Left to right: Professor Freda Bridge Katie Megan Bishop Roche Archbishop Kaigama, Isabella Kimi

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Page 2

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 2 COME AND SEE COME AND SEE Diocese of Leeds Vicariate for Evangelisation YOUTH &, FAMILY LIFE MINISTRIES The Diocesan Youth Service &, Family Life Ministry offer a five week introductory course covering the following: , Context: The realities of life for families and young people today. How can, or does, the church respond to their needs? , Message: What does the Church have to proclaim to families and to young people? , Impact: What does this mean for the way young people and families live their mission and make choices? , Practice: Youth and Family Life Ministries aim to equip families and young people to live their mission , Pulling it all together: How do we talk about Youth and Family Life Ministries? How do we embark upon those ministries ourselves? The course runs from 7.15 –, 9.30 pm on the following dates in 2010: Tuesday 12th January Tuesday 19th January Tuesday 26th January Tuesday 2nd February Tuesday 9th February This is one of the specialist modules for the Catholic Certificate of Religious Studies (CCRS) but can be taken as an individual course. All sessions take place at Hinsley Hall and will be led by Anna Cowell &, Breda Theakston Cost £,35 For further information or to book please contact Janine Garnett on 0113 261 8040 or janine.garnett@dioceseofleeds.org.uk Launching Come &, See Year 5 –, Go Make Disciples T he fifth and final year of Come &, See was launched on Saturday 31st October when delegates gathered to listen to a visiting priest from the USA. Fr Robert Barron led the day which was held at the Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford. The theme of the day was `Go Make Disciples - Mission and Evangelisation today`. Bishop Roche warmly welcomed Fr Barron and the 200 delegates. He opened the day by telling the story of the Prophet Jonah, who was asked by God to go to the city of Nineveh, to preach the word of the Lord for the people’,s conversion. Although Jonah was reticent, he finally fulfilled God’,s request reluctantly. The people turned back to God. Bishop Roche reminded those gathered that we are modern day prophets. He led a prayer to begin the day. Fr Barron, a priest of the Arch-Diocese of Chicago, gave three talks over the course of the day. He described evangelisation as ",telling the world its story",. He compared the ‘,world’,s story’, to a play with its different acts. Act One was creation, out of nothing, by a loving God. Fr Barron explained that the Christian view of The Creator is that God created, not out of need, but out of a generous act of love, that God is love. He described the relationship between God and Adam and Eve, how they were aligned to the powers of God through ‘,right worship’,. `The Fall` was Act Two of the play, when Adam and Eve tried to take the Divine Life for themselves, rather than receive it as gift. Fr Barron contrasted this with the story of Elijah and the widow. When asked, she shared her last food with Elijah, instead of running out, her oil and flour increased. So it is with the Divine Life! Fr Barron commented that you will find happiness if you make your life a gift. Act Three was the found Old Testament from chapter 11 of Genesis onwards: of God`s People being repeatedly unfaithful and God calling them back. Fr Barron shared his insight into the role of the Temple in the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites, as the place of ‘,right worship’,, and how the Law was utterly congruent with freedom. During the lunch break there was opportunity to buy books, collect resources and meet with members of CAFOD, the Inter-faith Commission, Vocations, Wednesday Word and the Vicariate for Evangelisation. After a buffet lunch, Fr Barron spoke about Act Four. This centred on the person of Christ and how he completely fulfilled the covenant in four ways. Christ gathered the tribes, purified the Temple, dealt with the enemies of Israel and reigned as Lord of the nations. He was the promised Messiah. A beautiful image shared by Fr Barron was of Jesus as the New Temple. Ezekiel prophesied that, out of the side of the temple, would flow water for the healing of the nations. He showed how, when water flowed from the side of Christ at the crucifixion, that prophesy has been fulfilled. Moreover, the early Christians would not have missed its significance. Fr Barron concluded the afternoon by exhorting the listeners to engage with Act Five of the story, our task as the Body of Christ, to gather the nations. By being ‘,magnetically attractive’,, going to Mass and the Sacraments, using the spiritual weapons of the power of the gospel to fight the ‘,enemies of Israel’,, and proclaiming that there is a new Lord, we can fulfil that task. Hearing the gospel proclaimed in such a passionate way, by such a learned priest, was an inspiration to the delegates. Bishop Roche concluded the day in prayer and by expressing the gratitude that was felt by all. Fr Barron’,s website is www.wordonfire.org Fr Robert Barron’,s talks on Double CD The talks from the Launch of Year 5 by Fr Robert Barron are available to order from the Vicariate for Evangelisation. Cost: £,10 + p&,p To order contact: Mrs Janine Garnett Hinsley Hall, 62, Headingley Lane, Leeds, LS6 2BX 0113 2618040 janine.garnett@dioceseofleeds.org.uk FORTHCOMING EVENTS AT The Briery Retreat Centre 38 Victoria Avenue, Ilkley LS29 9BW 01943 607287 email: srscs@aol.com website:http://www.briery.org.uk 6th –, 8th November Sacred Circle Dance weekend Sylvia Williment 13th –, 15th November Themed Retreat 12 Step Spirituality Weekend For those working the Twelve Step Programme of Recovery in AA or similar fellowships. Fr Michael Powell 23rd November Ecumenical Open Retreat Day The Briery Team 10 am –, 4 pm 27th –, 29th November Parish Retreat The Briery Team 1st December Clergy Day of Recollection Fr John Edwards S.J. 10 am –, 4 pm 11th –, 13th December Advent Preached Retreat ‘,Based on Romans 1:3-4: Jesus ‘,who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead’,. Mgr Kieran Heskin Weekend 16th December Carol Service An evening of Carols followed by mince pies and mulled wine. The Briery Team 7.30 pm Fr Barron leading the Day at Cedar Court

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Page 3

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

YOUTH Page 3 Leeds Diocesan Youth Service ‘,All who are thirsty, come!’, (Rev 22:17) Are you an older person from the Irish community? Do you care for an older Irish person or work with older Irish people? Are you interested in the future of services for older Irish people? If your answer is yes to any of the above, please come along to: A consultation meeting for and about older Irish people in Leeds on Thursday 19th November 2009 At The O’,Meara Suite Leeds Irish Centre, York Road, Leeds, LS9 6NT 2-4pm This event will consider the current and future health and social care provision of older Irish people, and how these services can better meet the needs of the growing numbers of older Irish people in Leeds For further information please contact 0113 2625614 or email: ant@lihh.org For more information about how to register for Leeds Diocesan Youth Service events, check out: www.leedsyouth.org.uk, contact Anna at the Youth Office: 0113 261 8058 / abcleedsdiocese@hotmail.com or join the “,Leeds Diocesan Youth Service”, Facebook group. Saturday 14th November St. Pio Day, 1-6pm, St. Pio Friary, Bradford Sunday 22nd November “,Revelation: HOPE”, World Youth Day 2011 Launch! TBC, Cathedral Hall, Leeds Saturday 5th December Leeds Oasis Prayer Group, 1-6pm, Leeds University Chaplaincy Wednesday 9th December “,Revelation: LOVE”, 7-9pm, Cathedral Hall, Leeds Leeds Diocesan Youth Service Calendar Lourdes Youth 2010 Over 400 young people will join Bishop Roche and pilgrims from throughout the diocese for the annual Lourdes pilgrimage (1st –, 9th July 2010). A limited number of places are available on the youth section for young Catholics (Year 10 and Year 12) who do not attend Catholic schools. For further details contact: Anna Cowell Diocesan Youth Officer abcleedsdiocese@hotmail.com 0113 2618058 REVELATION: FAITH R evelation is the monthly youth event for the young people of the diocese. Over the next few months the young people will be exploring the Theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. October 21st gave the young people the chance to look at Faith and what it means to have Faith. What is Faith? We heard from Nicola Couttie (an RE teacher at St Wilfrid’,s Catholic High School) about what Faith is, what it is we as Catholics believe and how, by looking at scripture we can see how important Faith is in our lives. Nicola encouraged the us to know that even the smallest bit of faith can make the difference and change our lives. She explained that Faith is a gift from God, that even though we may get things wrong God still wants us to have everlasting life with him, of which Faith is the start. Bible Cricket Nicola then showed us how we can see faith in many people in the bible, and to do this we played cricket! There were two teams, and whilst one team searched out a given bible reference the other team were scoring runs, this was a great energetic game and even helped to teach the new Franciscan sisters what cricket was all about! After a short break we then heard from Liam Barrett about his Faith conversion. Liam explained that he had attended a Catholic school and knew about the Church, but it wasn’,t until about a year and a half ago, on a trip to Walsingham that he felt the presence of God and felt called back to the Church. He then, last summer attended a Youth Event in Medjugorje which again helped, through the Faith understand the importance of God, the Church, the Sacraments and what impact they can have on his everyday life. Praying for the increase of Faith Having heard Liam’,s story we were then invited to stand and prayer together. The usual Revelation band aided this time of prayer. Together, through music we prayed that wherever each person was in their faith, that God would give them more. We prayed also for those who were struggling in their faith. Overall it was a great evening, enjoyed by all involved. The next REVELATION, which will see the Launch of WYD Madrid 2011 will be held at the Cathedral Hall on Sunday 22nd November, 3 - 5.50pm.

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Page 4

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 4 FAMILY LIFE / SIDELINES / MUSIC Sidelines The English Church, but not as we know it.. The Pope’,s latest initiative towards Christian Unity was brought by the Pope’,s envoy to England only a day or so before it was publicly announced- the idea of allowing uniting Anglicans to retain their “,spiritual patrimony”,. Such an idea for Anglicans in union with the Pope is not a new notion world-wide, but it is certainly new in this country. There are of course byzantine or eastern churches which recognise the position of the Pope: in some countries they are grouped into distinctive “,Eparchies”, within a diocese, with great richness in their diversity. Such structures give some weight to the idea that the only thing holding many groups of Christians apart is the question of authority, or as Pope John Paul saw in his great encyclical Ut Unum Sint, the authority of the Pope and how it is exercised. In this country, Anglicans wanting to move towards the Pope have had to do it almost individually, accepting the time-hewn structures of English Catholicism. Now, they can do as- say- Americans already do and “,come over”, in groups, parishes- but perhaps not whole dioceses, although that may be theoretically possible- and retain some of the “,patrimony”,- their spiritual history and culture. I was reading about a St Thomas More Society in the US- more particularly in Scranton, Penn. which seems to have set up a provisional “,Anglican use”, parish to help those wishing to look towards Rome. This looks like the sort of model we may need: I fear we may also see some NIMBY attitudes (Not In My Bench Yet) here and there from people who like to retain a feeling of spiritual exclusivity or even superiority, attitudes which proved to be the scriptural downfall of the otherwise pious Pharisees. *** Excuse Your Quotes Continuing exasperation with the BBC and its religious reporting was maintained during the visit of St Therese. The Leeds BBC website headlined rather quaintly “,Long queues to see nun`s remains”, whilst concluding its story “,…,.and was described by Pope Pious (yes!) X as the greatest saint of modern times.”, Pope Pius X died in the “,modern times”, of 1914 and Therese was canonised ten years later. You work it out- I can’,t. Exasperation continues with the latest news about Anglican/Catholic union “,Rome goes fishing in Anglican pond”, headlined Robert Pigott, the BBC Religious affairs correspondent, in an ungenerous misquotation of Cardinal Kasper’,s own words. He then complains that people couldn’,t understand the language of the Archbishops’, Press Conference (is he on a mission to explain, or not?) and ends with even less generosity “,It gave the misleading impression of institutions that were out of touch and irrelevant to the lives of the many unattached but spiritually hungry people whom the churches need to attract.”, Is this conclusion a wide going for four byes, or just a no-ball for throwing? The best sign which the churches can give to this “,spiritually hungry”, country is one of the unity for which the Lord prayed- but such unity would spoil many a good story. *** Time travelling A Surfing Warning: Talking of a “,modern”, church which is really that of 1914 reminds me that you may otherwise feel reassured when you google “,Catholic Encyclopaedia”, on a site called New Advent: but this is an amateur site put together by one man and some helpers, using a 100 year old (but otherwise professional) Catholic Encyclopaedia, which is out of copyright. Fine, if you are looking up- say- saints, but remember that it is otherwise very much “,of its time”,- nearly 100 years ago- and anything in the church’,s life or any changes in its pilgrim way after around 1914 may at best have only a short note. Try- say- Holocaust or John Paul II or Second Vatican Council, and you will see (or fail to see) what I mean: it is interesting just to see how much things have really changed…, Benchmark `Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous, it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp, make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song, play skilfully, and shout for joy.` (Psalm 33, NIV) Thirteen musicians and singers gathered in Garforth last month to play Advent music, even if I knew, I`m not sure it would be entirely proper to comment on how `righteous` or `upright` we were, and no-one remembered to bring harps or lyres, but we managed to sing plenty of `new songs`, as well as older ones! The occasion was West Yorkshire Church Music Network`s repertoire sharing afternoon: `Music for Advent`, held on Sunday, 18th October at St Benedict`s. ‘,New` had the obvious meaning of `just written`, –, whether it was new words for familiar tunes –, Brian Hamill`s `Angels Guardian` –, or a hauntingly beautiful guitar accompaniment, written by the singer, for `Saviour Lord`, a hymn composed by pilgrims, and sung on coach journeys en route to various shrines. However, `new` also had the sense of `new to me`, and as intended at WYCMN events, this swapping of musical ideas was really useful. St Benedict`s parishioners provided tea, coffee biscuits and a friendly welcome to all –, and I think that all helps to promote good music! Matt Conroy, a regular participant despite the journey from South Yorkshire, will not be able to offer as much support in future as he has secured a new job in Cambridge –, we`ll miss him as a highly capable organist and a stalwart of the network. Details of all the music we played can be found on the website, www.westyorkshirechurchmusic.org.uk and also, information about the next WYCMN event, as details become finalised. It will be in the New Year, and focus on Lent/Easter music. If you`d like to be on the Network email list to hear about future events, please let me know…,. tim.devereux@ssg.org.uk Musical Notes by Tim Devereux Home is a Holy Place at Advent O ur homes are holy places at any and every time of year but at Advent there are real opportunities for families to merge their rituals with those of the wider church through activities like Advent wreaths, calendars and travelling cribs. These days we are also beginning to understand family sanctity a little differently from when I was young. When I was growing up families were encouraged to make every effort to absorb formal church devotions into family life and missions were held to encourage that. So, I remember praying the rosary at home, novenas and also the care my parents took to make sure that we recited the famil- iar prayers of the church at meal times and bedtimes. At school we prayed the Angelus every day and on Sunday afternoons during Lent we went to church for the Stations of the Cross. Today, in large part due to all the work of John Paul II to reawaken the mission of the family, our vision of family holiness has expanded and looks rather different from the institutional sanctity of the larger community of church we find at Sunday Mass and in other parish devotions. In Familiaris Consortio Pope John Paul II said that family prayer is about family life and that it involves ‘,joys and sor- rows, hopes and disappointments, birth and birthday cele- brations, wedding anniversaries…,’, (FC 59) So we are beginning to see how even the very ordinary stuff of family life like birthdays and wedding anniversaries, which I admit I have taken for granted and not seen as holy moments, are in fact just that! It is in celebrating these holy moments, and in the sor- rows and disappointments of family life as well, that God’,s grace can be seen most clearly if we begin to open ourselves to the possibility of it. Archbishop Vincent Nicholls, in the Home is a Holy Place DVD (out now see below) reminds us very gently that while formal prayer is important in family life it is not the only sign of God’,s presence. We know that the church teaches that where there is love there is God and this is true in our daily family lives too. Indeed marriage is a sacrament partly because it models, even imperfectly, the committed and faithful love of God for us. So, at Advent, by all means make use of the churches markers of the season at home: make an Advent wreath and have a little daily or weekly ritual of lighting the candles and singing or saying a prayer at dinner time, make or buy an Advent calendar and use the days to tell little bits of the story leading up to the birth in the stable and the drama and excitement of the angels and shepherds, take part in the travelling crib if your parish or school arranges it and play host to the holy family for one night on their journey to Bethlehem. Do any or all of this and you will begin to instil, and help to develop, in your child a sense of wonder and mystery in our faith which will enrich their own daily lives and which they can call on in future years as their faith grows, or wanes and is rediscovered in the retelling of the story for their own children. Whatever you choose to do or not to do, anything done in love and affection at home cannot fail to sink deep into your child’,s heart preparing the way for her/him to receive with gratitude the love of the God whose incarnation we look forward during Advent to celebrating during Christmas. In this way and in all the many ways you model committed love for your child at home, your child experiences the love of God through your example. How much more holy can our work as parents be? Home is a Holy Place Resource Packs are available free to parishes (1 per parish), at a cost of £,7.50 each for schools, other groups or individuals. There are a few copies for loan in the FLM library. Contact Family Life Ministry at flm@flm.org.uk or call 0113 261 8050. Workshops for catechists, family life ministers and other interested people on how you can use the Home is a Holy Place DVD, a flexible and attractive resource, at home, school and in baptism, first sacraments and confirmation catechesis will be coming to various parish halls across the diocese in the summer term 2010. Look out for details, and to book your place, in the Catholic Post from the New Year. “,Don’,t worry Mom, he wants to serve the Lord”, D uring the past two years the Diocesan Pastoral Commission for People with Disabilities has asked a number of people to write articles for the Catholic Post about their experience of disability. In this article the mother of a teenage boy with Fragile X Syndrome with ADHD tells the story of her family - God created my product which was launched onto the consumer society in 1990 with a big label FRAGILE X SYNDROME WITH ADHD, which we as parents were not aware of at that time. Dennis, my 19 year old son, is a friendly, funny, helpful, charming and curious young man. Dennis is diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome with ADHD and dyspraxia. He is in full time education at Shipley College. Fragile X is the most common inherited cause of learning difficulties and affects a child’,s ability to tackle key skill areas like numeracy and literacy, and causes behavioral problems and social anxiety. An incident still lingers in my memory when Dennis was about 15 months old and we were staying in Gwent in Wales and attended this lovely church. I was sitting in the second row with Dennis and the service started and as usual Dennis began moving towards the alter. I panicked as I had to continually walk him back to his seat. My husband did not like this - I could tell by the look on his face. All of a sudden Dennis went right up to the priest and the altar boys just watching them and observing what the boys were doing with the cup, cloth, jar of water, the big bread, the ringing of the bell - all fascinating for little Dennis. Nobody was worried or distracted by Dennis and everything went on smoothly. After Mass I went up to the priest and apologized. The priest was very kind and said,”, Don’,t worry Mom, he wants to serve the Lord and is taking a keen interest and observing the others and I have not been at all disturbed by his presence.”, I felt so relieved and happy and proud of my boy. Sadly in India we had a different experience when Dennis was 3, and were asked not to bring him to Mass. Aged 14 Dennis was welcomed and acknowledged by priests in two different parishes. Dennis loved attending the services simply because he was accepted for what he was, welcomed with open arms and encouraged to participate in the Mass. When one priest was informed about Dennis’,s disability and asked if he could receive his First Holy Communion Father said it did not matter whether or not he knew the prayer what was important was for him to attend willingly. Father had a special one to one session with Dennis to help him prepare for his First Holy Communion which he received at the Easter Vigil Mass. Dennis was so happy that he had received Christ officially and on top of that he was invited to the after Mass party. After receiving First Holy Communion Dennis went to Mass for few Sundays and then totally stopped going but he always woke me early on Sunday morning to remind me it was time to be at Church. He stayed at home but always asked about the service and Father. The parish priest inquired about Dennis and his health and always prayed for him and said,”, Mom don’,t worry, don’,t force him he will come when he is ready again.”, To sum up, I am proud of my boy. Whatever he has learned so far is through his observation and listening at Church. He keeps the Bible under his pillow but does not like me reading to him but sometimes when he is willing to listen I do read to him. I am still waiting for that special SUNDAY when he will make his way to church once again.

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Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 5 ‘,An Ardent Gentleman’, T hese were the words that bishop David chose to use about Mgr Billy Steele at the end of a Mass he had concelebrated with Mgr Steele to mark the Golden jubilee of ‘,Billy’,s’, Priesthood Mgr Steele was the main concel- ebrant with about 30 priest friends gathered around him as well as about 40 lay and religious also present. Billy started the Mass by welcoming everyone and thanking them for taking the time to share time with him. As befits such an occasion the readings were given by David Jackson (Inter-Faith Co- ordinator) and Rev Clive Barrett (County Ecumenical development Officer) - this was reflecting the work that Mgr Steele has done in both areas. In his homily Mgr Steele gave a brief flavour of important moments in his life –, pointing out that he had lived through 50 years of turbulent times in the Church history –, when all was questioned. He expressed his thanks for having lived in such times while acknowledging ‘,..the Lord your God carried you …, ( through ) …,’, he outlined how the Leeds number one bus was the place where he came to grips with Christian Unity and a jeep in Pakistan was the place where he had some realisation with regard to ‘,The Inter-Faith Perspective’,. He took as his closing thought ‘,I do not ask to see the distant Sea One step enough for me’,. At the end of the Mass Bishop David said a few words to congrat- ulate and thank Billy for all the work and friendship he had done for and given to so many people in his life. All this was followed by a first Class buffet, at which Bishop Roche was able to be present hav- ing been detained earlier on, having asked Mgr Steele’,s permission he stood to say a few words. He con- gratulated Monsignor on his fifty years and thanked him for all the work he had done not just in this country but also in Rome. He fin- ished by proposing a toast that was taken up by all the guests and accompanied by the singing of Ad Multos Annos . Celebrating 50 Years O n Friday 2nd October, the Parish of St Mary celebrated the 50th anniversary of the consecration of St Columbaí,s Church, Bradford. Former Parish Priests and curates returned for the occasion, concelebrating Mass together with priests of the deanery. The parish was honoured to welcome Bishop Arthur Roche as the principal celebrant. Religious who worked in the parish in the past, along with parishioners old and new, all came together to give thanks to God for the church and the Catholic community giving witness to the faith in southeast Bradford. The readings reminded us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In his homily, Bishop Arthur traced the history of St Columbaí,s, from its beginnings in the school. The church choir led the congregation in singing, and St Columbaí,s Primary School choirí,s beautiful rendition of ì,Be still for the presence of the Lordî, brought a sponta- neous round of applause from the congregation. After Mass, all were invited to St Columbaí,s School for refreshments and, of course, an opportunity to catch up with friends old and new. Parish priest Fr Francis Smith paid tribute to the people of the parish, past present and future: `A wonderful celebration, a great testament to the people of the Parish of St Mary. I am so very grateful to all who made this occasion so memorable. St Columba`s Church was built by the people of this area and continues to be the spiri- tual home for them, their families and all the Catholics of this area. Together†,with the people of St Peter`s Church, our parish will continue to grow and flourish in this part of Bradford for the next 50 years due to their commitment and love†,for Christ and his Church` Pounding the Roads for CAFOD O n 20th September 2009 two young mothers from St Joseph’,s Parish, Castleford ran the 13.1 miles Great North Run –, Newcastle to South Shields, to raise money for CAFOD - and they completed the course in 2 hours 15 seconds. On Sunday 1st November, at the end of Mass, Fr Sean Durcan, Parish Priest of St Joseph’,s, presented the two young women, Paula Jones and Jane Clegg with a cheque for £,1,500 –, the sponsorship money raised by the people of the parish. Fr Durcan congratulated Paula and Jane on their magnificent effort and also praised the parishioners for their generosity and for caring and sharing with less fortunate people. Father Durcan said ‘,The Feast of All Saints was an appropriate day for such a presentation because the Saints heard Christ’,s invitation –, ‘,Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world –, for I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink..... and insofar as you did this to the least of my brothers you did it to Me.’, The dust clouds raised by Paula and Jane over many weeks of training for the event will hopefully now settle –, well, until the next time! Well done Paula and Jane and all who sponsored you –, we are rightly proud of you all.

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Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

T he mill wheels of vocations information grind all but slow, and it can sometimes be difficult to see or find information about the diaconate. Be of good heart, seekers, because there is information on the internet. The Archdiocese of Toronto have produced a short (7min) video on U-tube which is excellent: access it via http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/diaconate/index. htm. It will be of interest to deacons and those wanting to know more about the diaconate. This Archdiocese has around 100 deacons in active service. Closer to home, the diaconate training programme at St John’,s Seminary Wonersh has introduced an excellent website for the diaconate: details will be circulated. ++++ Deacons in this diocese would want to wish Mgr Billy Steele many congratulations on his Golden Jubilee of priesthood. Apart from his great work local and nationally for Christian Unity, he was instrumental in reviving the diaconate in this diocese with a round of new ordinations through the early 1990’,s for which he was Director of Deacons and Deacon Formation. Many will be grateful for not only his caring input &, direction but his marvellous range of teaching contacts- the many who accepted his personal invitation to come and speak to the small groups in formation. Ad multos annos! ++++ The Pope’,s invitation to unity is a reminder that there are permanent or distinctive deacons in the Anglican Church. Unlike deacons in some protestant churches, their role is very similar to ours- working in parishes and chaplaincy and teaching work. They do of course include women- a different debate to that over the nature of the priesthood. ++++ Page 6 DEACONS NEWS Deacons Diary T he Diocese of Leeds is very fortunate that high quality choral music is not limited to Leeds Cathedral each Sunday. In particular, St Joseph’,s Church in Bradford and St Patrick’,s Church in Huddersfield both benefit from having a diocesan choir ‘,in residence’, singing at a number of liturgies each month. The Dioceses team of choral directors visit many schools in the Diocese weekly teaching children to sing, and running an ever-increasing number of youth choirs. In Huddersfield, the choral director’,s work includes being director of music at St. Patrick’,s church, in the Parish of the Holy Redeemer. He makes weekly visits to the three Catholic primary schools in Huddersfield, St. Joseph’,s Primary School in Brighouse and All Saints’, Catholic College (winners of a Bronze medal at the World Choir Games in Austria in 2008). The newly-formed Huddersfield Boys’, Choir is recruited from these schools, although boys from several other local schools attend. This choir shares singing duties at the 11am Sunday Mass at St. Patrick’,s with a choir made up of adult volunteers from the parish, although they have an increasingly busy time with concerts and competitions as well. More recently over the summer, thanks primarily to the generosity of members of the parish, a magnificent new organ, by the firm of Skrabl in Slovenia, has been installed, which will be dedicated by the Bishop on December 1st. The Huddersfield boys’, choir will be joined by the Cathedral Adult Choir for a service of vespers, featuring a new Magnificat written specially for the occasion by the churches Director of Music, Keith Roberts (a former chorister at Westminster Cathedral and Choral Scholar at Kings College, Cambridge.) St Patrick’,s church is very proud of their new organ, particularly as the liturgical constitution of the church teaches that ‘,the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendour to the Church`s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man`s mind to God and to higher things.’, Future plans include a new girls’, choir, and three other schools in the Kirklees area joining the group of schools taking advantage of the country’,s largest catholic youth singing programme. Young people from these schools gain the opportunity to join the diocese’,s network of choirs with the opportunity to take singing to a much higher level than would otherwise be the case: St. Patrick’,s church benefiting from being the centre of the choral programme in Kirklees. A Catholic church with professional Director of Music, new organ, children’,s choirs and singing outreach links to local schools is a rare if not unique in Catholic parishes in the country. The next few years should be exciting indeed. Huddersfield Choirs December is a busy time for the Diocese of Leeds Music Department. There are concerts and services around the Diocese –, why not attend one near you? 29th November 4pm: Leeds Cathedral. Ceremony of Carols Britten sung by the Cathedral Choirs and the Bradford Girls’, Choir. 30th November 1pm: Leeds Town Hall. Ceremony of Carols Britten and other seasonal music sung by the Cathedral Choirs and Bradford Girls’, Choir. 1st December 7.30pm: St Patrick Church, Huddersfield. Blessing of the new organ by the Bishop of Leeds during a service of Vespers sung by the Huddersfield Boys’, Choir. Followed by an organ recital by Benjamin Saunders (Diocesan Director of Music) 3rd December 7pm: St Winefrides Church, Bradford. Carol Concert for Catholic Care given by the Bradford Boys` and Girls` Choirs and children from local Catholic primary and secondary schools 13th December 4pm: St Josephs Church, Bradford. Carol service for Bradford with music led by the Bradford Boys` and Girls` Choirs. 19th December 3pm: St Georges Hall, Bradford. The Bradford Boys` and Girls` Choirs join forces with the Bradford Festival Choral Society for a carol spectacular. 20th December 4pm: Leeds Cathedral. The annual carol service sung by the Cathedral Choirs and the children from the Cathedral Choir school. For further details on all events, see www.dioceseofleedsmusic.org.uk November Musical Events Diocese of Leeds Vicariate for Evangelisation A short course on INTERRELIGIOUS RELATIONS The Diocesan Inter-Faith Commission offers a five week course covering the following: , What is meant by interreligious dialogue? , Dialogue with Muslims –, a Catholic view of Islam. , *Thursday 11th March - Visit to the 11th of the Month Interfaith Prayers for Peace in Bradford. , Tuesday 16th March. Visit to a Leeds Mosque. , Dialogue in prayer and worship: interreligious marriages, chaplaincies The course runs from 7.15 –, 9.30 pm on the following dates in 2010: Tuesday 23rd February Tuesday 2nd March *Thursday 11th March* Tuesday 16th March Tuesday 23rd March This is one of the specialist modules for the Catholic Certificate of Religious Studies (CCRS) but can be taken as an individual course. All sessions take place at Hinsley Hall and will be led by David Jackson Cost £,35 For further information or to book please contact Janine Garnett on 0113 261 8040 or janine.garnett@dioceseofleeds.org.uk

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Page 7

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

VOCATIONS Page 7 Classified Advertising NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING SERVICE (YORKSHIRE) For free, confidential tuition in the symptothermal method of natural family planning telephone: Leeds (0113) 260 0844 The N.F.P. Service is sponsored by the Diocese of Leeds C A HOLIC C ARE DIOCESE OF LEEDS Taking the Caring Church into the Community YOUR LEGACY WILL HELP US TO HELP THEM Catholic Care is working on behalf of the Diocese of Leeds. Since 1863 the Society has been helping and supporting local people. The needs of the children and families we serve are as pressing as ever. Please help us to help them by including Catholic Care in your Will. For more details about our work and how you can help, please contact: Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds) 11 North Grange Road, Headingley, Leeds LS6 2BR Tel: 0113 3885 400 Fax 0113 3885 401 W eb S ite: www.catholic-care.org.uk Registered Charity: 513063 LEEDS CATHOLIC MARRIAGE CARE Marriage isn’,t always easy —, Counselling can help For an appointment in confidence, with an understanding and experienced listener, please telephone: LEEDS 0113 261 8045 HUDDERSFIELD 01484 422523 A Relationship Counselling Service L atest statistics show that there has been a modest increase in the number of men entering seminary from dioceses in England and Wales. The figure has increased from 32 in 2008 to 42 in September 2009, vocations directors were told at their annual conference last month, which took place at Villa Palazzola in Rome. The number of entrants in September is almost double that of 2001, which was the worst year for numbers in living memory. The directors were addressed by Mgr Francis Bonnici, who works for the Holy See’,s Congregation for Catholic Education and is responsible for promoting vocations to the priesthood. He noted that there have also been positive signs across Europe recently: the last international vocations survey, which was carried out in 2007, shows that 20 countries, including England and Wales, experienced an increase in the number of vocations. The Diocese of Leeds currently has nine men at seminary. During the course of the four-day conference, the directors, who included Fr Paul Grogan from Leeds, attended a Papal Audience, visited both the Pontifical Beda College, where two Leeds men are studying, and the Venerable English College, where four Leeds men are studying and where they joined Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’,Connor for a Votive Mass of the English College Martyrs to mark the re-opening of the recently restored college church. The directors discussed a number of issues including psychological assessments, applicants from overseas, training for spiritual directors of prospective candidates, and forthcoming events such as a weekend to mark the close of the Year of Priests at Oscott College, Birmingham in June 2010, the World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011 and the visit of Pope Benedict to Britain. The picture shows the members of the conference standing beneath the famous newly restored Martyrs’, Picture at the English College. Fr Stephen Langridge of Southwark was elected chairman and Fr Grogan vice-chairman of the conference. Seminarians urged to offer their lives for Christ Men who are called to the priesthood today are being invited to follow in the footsteps of the martyrs, Bishop Ambrose Griffiths, the Bishop Emeritus of Hexham and Newcastle, told seminarians at the Mass to mark the Feast of Douai Martyrs at St Cuthbert’,s College, Ushaw recently. They are being called to give their lives to Christ and for the service of his people, he said. The courage of the martyrs was a gift to them from Christ, which he poured into their hearts through the action of the Holy Spirit, he noted. Bishop Griffiths also highlighted the fact that the bishops who were appointed and ordained during the short reign of Queen Mary between 1553 and 1558 chose exile en masse rather than conform to the new Protestant establishment which was ushered in during the reign of her successor, Queen Elizabeth. This contrasted with the fearful accommodation which all the Catholic bishops, bar St John Fisher, had made with King Henry a generation earlier. Afterwards college staff, students, vocations directors and invited guests participated in a festal dinner. The picture shows Fr Grogan with Mgr Anthony Boylan, who studied at Ushaw and who is now parish priest of St Boniface’,s, Bentham and St Mary’,s and St Michael’,s, Settle, standing in front of the College’,s Martyrs’, Picture. Minibus required for increased number of enquirers A minibus was required to take the latest group of enquirers from Leeds Diocese to last month’,s discernment weekend at Ushaw College. The group of six men joined others from other dioceses in the Northern Province to hear spiritual conferences from the President, Mgr John Marsland, the Vice-President, Fr Philip Gillespie and Spiritual Director, Mgr Peter Verity. They also joined in the ordinary timetable of prayer and social activities at the seminary, which currently has 26 students. The vocations service is grateful to Leeds Trinity University College for the transport provided. Social justice and the Blessed Trinity The social teaching of the Church is drawn from a prayerful reflection on the life of the Blessed Trinity, Mgr Peter Rosser (pictured) told prospective seminarians at the latest meeting of the discernment group. Just as the Father and the Son give themselves to each other in an unending communion of love, so men and women, made in God’,s likeness and image, realise the purpose of their lives through charity towards one another. This is to be actuated in the foundational community, the family, and then through the larger communities which go to make up society, and then finally between nations, he said. The full text of the talk, which was entitled The Human Community and in which he draws on the teaching of the Catechism, is available on the vocations website. Mgr Rosser is the Episcopal Vicar for Christian Life and he worked for a number of years among the destitute in the diocesan mission to Peru. At the next meeting of the group, on Friday 20th November, Mgr Richard Atherton (pictured), the former President of Ushaw College, will speak on Praying the Psalms in the Divine Office. The meetings, which are open to all men who wish to explore the priesthood, begin at 7pm with a holy hour, during which there is the opportunity for confession, and conclude with a meal. Lifts home afterwards are provided. New figures show increased interest CARING CAROLS Catholic Care will be taking its message of a caring church into the Bradford community with a little help from the pupils of St.Winefride`s Primary School and the Bradford Schools` Choir. A Christmas concert will be held on Thursday 3rd December in the parish church of St.Winefride`s, St. Paul`s Avenue, Bradford BD6 1ST at 7.00 pm and there is an open invitation to come along and enjoy an Advent treat that will include a mixture of traditional and modern songs celebrating the lead up to Christmas. Short readings and a visual presentation will complement the music. Refreshments will be available afterwards in the parish hall and there will be a raffle and retiring collection to support the work of Catholic Care and promote the Schools Choir Programme of the Diocese of Leeds. Latin Mass Venues - Extraordinary Form -1962 Missal HALIFAX: St Marie’,s, Gibbett Street. Vigil Mass every Saturday. 6.00pm. CASTLEFORD: St Joseph’,s, Pontefract Road. Every Sunday, 3.00pm. BROUGHTON: Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall near Skipton, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9.30am. BATLEY: St Mary of the Angels, Cross Bank Rd. Batley. Every First Friday of the month, preceded by confessions, 7.30pm and every fourth Saturday of the month (Vigil) at 3.00pm and as announced. LEEDS: 1.Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardigan Road, Leeds, every last Sunday of the month, 3.00pm 2. Our Lady of Good Counsel, Kentmere Avenue, Leeds every Friday 9.15am. HECKMONDWIKE: Holy Spirit , Bath Road, Every First Sunday of the month, 2.30pm. and every 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Saturday of the month at 11.30am. BRADFORD: St Peter’,s, Leeds Road, every second Sunday of the month, 3.00pm. lmsleeds.blogspot.com for further details. Ordinary Form –, 1969 Missal First Sunday of the Month Cathedral 11am Second Saturday of Month 4pm (Schola Gregoriana)

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Page 8

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

G reat fun was had by all the young people and leaders who attended the first CAFOD Leeds youth retreat. During the first three days of half term twelve young people from across the diocese came together at Myddleton Grange to spend time finding out more about the world we live in and how we are called to make a positive difference to our brothers and sisters across the globe. The young people took part in a number of imaginative interactive activities that helped them understand the work that CAFOD undertakes and how it does it. There was plenty of time to reflect on how fortunate we are and to think about the different ways we can help our brothers and sisters in developing countries. As well as time for prayer and activities, the young people were able to enjoy the beautiful countryside at Myddelton Grange and appreciate God’,s wonderful world. There were mini-adventures too with different animals along the way –, all part of the fun! Here’,s what Georgia thought, “,I had a really good time and particularly loved the chickens. The leaders weren’,t too bad either - awesome and very entertaining!”, Rose thought the encounter with the cows who blocked the path on the walk was quite scary and while exaggerating (just a little!!) she saw the positive side, “,Our ‘,near death’, experience with the cows made us realise how lucky were are to be alive, we also realised how lucky were are in lots of ways.”, One of the highlights of the retreat was making a hunger cloth together to represent how the young people would like the world to be. Everyone also joined in with lots of energy making handprint messages to send to Prime Minister Gordon Brown urging world leaders to take action on climate change at the UN summit in Copenhagen in December. Kieran, aged 14, said, ‘,It is important to share my feelings on how I think the world can be changed with people who have the power to make the changes.’, The retreat seemed to have made a real impact on all of the young people. Danielle thought she would really like to start a CAFOD focus group at her school . The retreat hade made her realise that she wanted to, ‘,Speak more about equal rights for everyone and get involved in trying to stop poverty.’, She also realised how important it is to pray for those in need and Faye wants a world where we ‘,Treat everyone with respect to make unity and peace.’, This is just a tiny flavour of the great ideas these committed young people had in wanting to change our world and they were brought together in a very prayerful closing liturgy. We felt that the days with the young people had been a privilege. The fact that they had given up three days of their half-term because they wanted to make our world a better place left us feeling full of hope and even more convinced that bringing them together to reflect, pray and share together is something we’,d definitely want to do again. PAGE 8 CAFOD CAFOD’,s Mission - still the same 50 years on T he aim of ‘,Come and See’, Year 5 is to ‘,invigorate the missionary and evangelising spirit across the Diocese’,. It recognises that, ‘,mission and evangelisation are central to the mission of Jesus and to the work of the Church, are the source of life and growth in the Church’, and thereby serve ‘,both internal renewal and formation and external outreach.’, When Jesus wanted to describe his own mission he quoted the well-loved and deeply challenging passage from Isaiah, ‘,The Lord’,s Spirit Has come to me, Because he has chosen me To tell the good news To the poor. The Lord has sent me To announce freedom For prisoners, To give sight to the blind, To free everyone who suffers, and to say, ‘,This is the year the Lord has chosen’,. (Trans. The Poverty and Justice Bible) The opening paragraphs of ‘,Gaudium et Spes –, The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World’, express the Church’,s mission in prophetic language. ‘,The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. (Intro para1) Inspired by no earthly ambition, the Church seeks but a solitary goal: to carry forward the work of Christ under the lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to be served.’, (Intro para 3) In his latest encyclical,Pope Benedict XVl, develops this theme further:- ‘,Testimony to Christ’,s charity, through works of justice, peace and development, is part and parcel of evangelization, because Jesus Christ, who loves us, is concerned with the whole person. These important teachings form the basis for the missionary aspect of the Church’,s social doctrine, which is an essential aspect of evangelisation. The Church’,s social doctrine proclaims and bears witness to faith. It is an instrument and an indispensable setting for formation in faith.’, (Caritas in Veritate para 15) The Bishops’, Conference of England and Wales has mandated the agencies, CAFOD - the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and more recently, Caritas Social Action. These two bodies are the ‘,external outreach’, arm of the Church - overseas through CAFOD, locally and nationally through Caritas Social Action. As well as this, the Justice and Peace Commission of each Diocese is appointed to work closely with both of these bodies and other agencies such as Pax Christi. We can rightly celebrate a rich heritage of putting faith into action to help build God’,s reign of justice. We might also ask ‘,What is our call, our particular mission as Church at this time.’, Here’,s how CAFOD sees its mission in one sentence:- ‘,Inspired by Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching and the lived experience of the people whom we serve, CAFOD’,s mission is to promote human development and social justice in witness to Christian faith and Gospel values.’, CAFOD can only fulfill its mandate through the support of parishioners and schools in Leeds diocese (and the other 20 dioceses around the country). For the last fifty years people in our diocese have faithfully supported CAFOD by praying, fasting, fundraising, campaigning. Thousands of lives have been saved and changed because of your involvement. Next February CAFOD will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the first Fast Day. To say thank-you for your support over the years, there will be a celebration mass at 12 noon on Saturday 27th February at Myddelton Grange. Put this date in your diary so that you can join us for mass, a simple lunch, a celebration of CAFOD’,s journey and the opportunity to socialise with friends. Just One World - Cafod Youth Retreat C AFOD Leeds was honoured to welcome Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos who was on a flying visit to our Diocese in between being in Rome for the Synod of Africa and London for the Mass for Africa that took place on Saturday 31st October. Archbishop Ignatius is renowned as a peace-maker because of his commitment to building positive relations between Christians and Muslims, not only in Jos but throughout Plateau State and northern Nigeria, as well as his commitment to justice and to the poor. After addressing students with Bishop Arthur at Leeds Trinity University College, the Bishop met with Muslim and Christian leaders at the Khidmat centre in Bradford. He was accompanied by Vicar General Mgr. McQuinn and Mr. David Jackson. The Archbishop was delighted to learn about the creative inter-faith work that is taking place in Bradford as well as being able to meet local Muslim leaders. CAFOD’,s healthcare programmes in Nigeria also take into account the need to build peace and this can often be done on lasting basis through reaching out to all in need, no matter their faith or ethnic background. This report from CAFOD’,s Annual Report gives a glimpse of how we are making a difference. ‘,We all have a right to live without fear. But millions of people worldwide exist in the shadow of violent conflict. We promote justice, work for peace and help rebuild shattered lives. Nigeria is Africa’,s most populated country. It’,s also one of the most divided. Conflict in Jos killed around 200 people in November 2008 and displaced many more. We were the first international agency to help, sending emergency funds to our church partners hours after violence erupted. Archbishop Ignatius told us ‘,CAFOD is a loyal friend. When violence broke out, you acted quickly because lives were at stake.’, But we’,re not just there in time of crisis. To help create lasting peace, we provide essentials such as water, food and health care. Because when people aren’,t fighting to survive, they have a chance to live peacefully, side by side. In Kwai, northern Nigeria, water shortages are tearing the community apart. “,We fight over every bucket. It’,s creating bad feeling between Muslims and Christians,”, says 30-year-old Halima. “,But what’,s water got to do with religion? We should unite to resolve the problem.”, To help ease the crisis, we’,re helping people to harvest rainwater. Our partner, the Archdiocese of Jos, has fitted catchment tanks to the local church, mosque and school as well as some houses –, Halima’,s included. Rainwater now runs from each roof into a huge drum fitted with a lock and key. Water use is managed by a designated person at the height of the dry season. “,The project is helping everybody –, regardless of religion,”, says Halima. “,Sharing water with my Christian neighbours has helped us become friends. In this small way, I see change happening.”, Our water and sanitation work is changing lives in Nigeria. In 2008, we helped 7,500 people to access clean water and installed 5,500 hygienic latrines.’, (Source ‘,Review of the Year 2007-2008’, p6. If you would like a copy of the Annual Report, please contact the Leeds office 0113 275 9302 leeds@cafod.org.uk) Working for Justice and Peace –, in Bradford and Jos The story began in 1960. A small group of Catholic women –, members from the CWL(Catholic Women’,s League) and UCM ( Union of Catholic Mothers) heard about the needs of mothers and babies in the Caribbean island of Dominica. They decided to raise funds for a mother &, baby health programme. They persuaded the National Board of Catholic Women to support them and to organise a family fast day. The picture shows Mrs. Jaqueline Stuyt, one of CAFOD’,s founding mothers. More news about Lent 2010 to follow.

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Page 9

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

INTERFAITH Page 9 NATIONAL INTERFAITH WEEK –, November 16 –, 22 Celebrate With Music T he multiplication of national weeks for this and that worthy cause can reduce the value of the cause they promote. But this is the first such week to celebrate interfaith relations nationally –, a mark of the growing importance attached to good relations between the different religions in the UK. Our Diocesan contribution to this celebration of dialogue is an evening of music drawn from the worship of the religions of our area. “,WE BELIEVE –, IN MUSIC”, at St Paul’,s Church in Manningham, Bradford starting with refreshments at 6.30 and a programme of music –, Christian, home grown and Asian, and then worship music from Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Sikh sources from 7.15 to 9 pm on Tuesday November 17th –, see the advert in this issue of Catholic Post. Come along and join us. Why did we turn to music to celebrate interfaith week? “,Love is indeed a journey, an on-going exodus out of the inward-looking self towards self-discovery and the discovery of God.”, (Pope Benedict) Dialogue with members of other religions is such a “,journey”, and because religions cover the globe the journeys are potentially global. The best map we can use to guide us into the soul of another religion is prayer –, something all religions have in common. Archbishop Williams has said that the royal route into an understanding of the believer who occupies the otherwise strange territory of another religion is to watch them as they pray –, because their eyes are fixed on God. Very often an even more detailed map into the depths of religions is provided by the music of worship. It seems that human beings, when they worship together or when they celebrate their religious identity and culture, are drawn to use music to express their deepest thoughts and feelings. The good news is that we do not have to travel very far on these “,journeys of dialogue”, nowadays –, the world’,s religions are on our own doorsteps and so is their worship and the music of that worship. Exploring people’,s journeys to God are no more enjoyable and enlightening than when we can use the signposts provided by the music of their worship. Just one recent example can illustrate this. The famous Reform Jewish Synagogue in Bradford was the subject for an “,Early Day Motion”, in the House of Commons in July this year. It noted “,the architectural merit of one of the few surviving synagogues in Europe built in the Moorish style”, It was built in 1881 and is Yorkshire’,s oldest synagogue. The EDM went on to “,regret that: the Jewish community no longer has the resources to maintain it and hopes that means may be found to keep it in use for future generations.”, In October the Synagogue hosted a musical evening to boost its fund-raising. This was a “,Klezmer Concert”, performed by a quartet –, the Freylach Spielers. If you wanted an insight into the local Jewish community, you could do worse than to sit and listen, glass of wine in hand, feet tapping, to the haunting melodies of their Jewish European heritage –, songs of joy and sadness, the celebration of a worshipping community in a tradition of music, song and dance that stretches back to the times when King David danced in front of the Ark of the Covenant and the Psalms were first sung. VISIT OF ARCHBISHOP KAIGAMA OF NIGERIA Archbishop Ignatius of Jos in central Nigeria has interreligious relations firmly on his agenda. Nigeria is often troubled by those who seek to exploit religious identity, Christian or Muslim, as an excuse for inter-communal violence. The problems we face hereabouts fade into insignificance when compared with those in Nigeria. When he visited the Diocese at the end of October he met Christians and Muslims involved in dialogue in Bradford. We all benefit if those who have set out on the journey of dialogue, compare their experiences and are encouraged to invite more and more members of the different religions to join them: “,Love is indeed a journey, an on- going exodus out of the inward-looking self towards self-discovery and the discovery of God.”, (For information about the work of interreligious relations in the Diocese contact David Jackson. Tel: 01274 581094 or email dandt55@btinternet.com ) Feasts and Festivals •, 24 November –, Martydom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (1675) Sikh. Under orders from the Moghul Emperor, the ninth Guru was executed in public near the Red Fort in Delhi for upholding the individual’,s right to worship in the manner of his/her choice. He defended Hindus in this instance. A saint and martyr for all involved in interfaith relations. •, 25 November Eid-Ul-Adha / The Festival of Sacrifice Muslim. This major festival marks the end of the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah - one of the five pillars of Islam) –, on the 10th day of the 12th month. Pilgrims sacrifice animals at the village of Mina on the way back to Makkah from Mt Arafat in commemoration of Abraham’,s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Muslims everywhere sacrifice an animal if they can afford it. The meat is distributed to the poor and shared with relatives and friends. (See the Qur’,an Surahs 37:99 -111, 22 26 -33 and 3 96 –, 97.) •, 8 December Bodhi Day Buddhist Some Buddhists celebrate Gautama Buddha’,s attainment of enlightenment on a day in December under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, north India. •, 12 –, 19 Dec Hanukkah Jewish. Celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after it was captured by the Maccabee brothers from the Syrian Greeks. Candles are lit for each of the 8 days of the festival. The candles are lit from right to left on a Hanukkiah –, a nine-branched menorah. The ninth candle from which all the others are lit is called the “,Servant”, (shamash) candle. The miracle of the replenished oil is remembered by cooking foods with oil –, latkes (potato cakes) and doughnuts. Children may play the game of dreidel to commemorate the great miracle. Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Nigeria, meets Muslims and Christians in Bradford.

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Page 10

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 10 F riday October 23 was chosen by St Wilfrid`s School Featherstone to celebrate their feast day, as tradition has it this was the day before they start the Autumn Half Term. Once the guests and pupils had filed into the specially prepared worship space in the sports Hall the celebrations started with Dance, opening with a well performed solo piece from one of the girls - influenced by a ballet - following this a group of eight girls performed and medley of Rock and Roll and twist numbers, - this was followed by a group of six for the final dance sequence that included a boy! The chief concelebrant for the Mass was Fr Thomas, one of the Franciscan Friars from Bradford - they have been working in the school with the pupils over the last year. He introduced the other three priests and the Deacon who were with him, and outlined the theme of the Mass as one of a call to following Christ and call to proclaim ones Faith in Christ who is King. As is now taken for granted the music was up to the normal high standard with a full orchestra and soloist who just seem to get better vas the years go by. In the homily Fr Thomas challenged the students to remember that they were precious in the eyes of God - but more importantly he challenged them about if they had the courage to stand up for Jesus - do they he asked speak out for what they believed - because this is what they were called to do. The Mass finished with a rousing rendition of the school Hymn to St Wilfrid. The guest then retired for an excellent buffet while the students streamed out to the Fun Fare which had been set up in the grounds STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

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Page 11

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

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Page 12

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 12 POLISH NEWS “,Pope Benedict XVI has approved, within the Apostolic Constitution, a canonical structure that provides for Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of distinctive Anglican spiritual patrimony”, reads the statement issued by Anglican and Catholic Archbishops after Cardinal Levada’,s surprise announcement on behalf of the Pope. An Apostolic Constitution will provide a framework for groups of Anglicans to unite with the Pope, whilst retaining parts of their Christian heritage- just as other churches in the east have done over many years. The first reaction to this statement was the immediate unity of the Archbishops of Westminster and Canterbury in their joint announcement, and then the humility and generosity of that remarkable man, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. We, the church, have to respond in a similar way. Any groups wishing to practise their catholic faith alongside us whilst preserving their “,spiritual patrimony”, must be warmly welcomed, assisted and encouraged. This is no time for triumphalism, returnism or any of the suspicion and rejection that has divided and harmed the church so much in its mission of evangelisation. Instead, we have an opportunity in this bold initiative to build upon the foundations laid over nearly a century of interchurch dialogue with Anglicans and other Christians: we have no idea what fruits it may bear, so we must pray that we may move a few steps nearer to the unity which is never, for Christians, just an option. ",We do not want to prove who was right and who was wrong…,”, said Blessed Pope John XXIII. “,All we want to say is `Let us come together: let us make an end to our divisions`", The Post Says …, A special welcome for reception children O ne of the big milestones in a child’,s life is the day they begin school. It is a day of excitement for the child as they embark on the foundations of knowledge which will culminate in the future in educational qualifications. For the parents, it is a period of mixed emotions. One suddenly realises that ones little bundle is growing up fast and that they are starting to form some independence of their own. For those who apply and are fortunate to gain a place in Catholic Education, have the relief that our faith will be taught and that the children will follow a Catholic way of life. We were fortunate to receive a place at St. Edward’,s School in Boston Spa which is run by Miss Gilpin. The School’,s motto is “,Through God’,s Grace we Grow and Learn”,. The first terms religious education topic is Friends. Friends to all of us are so important and certainly St. Edward’,s is a friendly environment where older children support younger ones. It is therefore very fitting that the reception children were formally introduced and welcomed to the school by Father Ingwell, the local parish priest after being introduced by a 5th form pupil. Each 5th year child prepared a name plate for their allocated little friend and stood next to them during the special liturgy. The liturgy began with the hymn “,Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name, you are mine.”, Miss Gilpin then welcomed all the parents and children and explained to the children the importance of the day’,s liturgy as a milestone for their faith and on their journey through the school. This was followed by a bible reading read by Mrs Weale Class 1’,s inspiring and lovely teacher. The reading reminded us about Jesus Christ’,s baptism in the river Jordan. Each child was then introduced to Father Ingwell. Each child received a blessing like they had obtained at their baptism. They then received the light of Christ in the form of a candle which was dipped in water and was then placed in two symbolic bowls where the candles were burnt to remind us all that Jesus is within each of us. In this way all the children were introduced to St. Edward’,s and we hope they will continue to learn and follow the Catholic way of life in this “,outstanding”, school. REMEBERING Pope John Paul T he 16th of October is a date many Poles hold dear as this marks Cardinal Karol Wojtyla election to the throne of Saint Peter as Pope John Paul II. His was the second-longest pontificate, only Pope Pius IX served longer and was the first non-Italian Pope since Dutch Pope Adrian VI in the 1550s. John Paul II has been widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century and was an integral cog in ending communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. As a peace maker, he also improved the Catholic Church’,s relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Church of England. He was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 individuals and canonised 483 Saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the last five centuries. It can therefore not be a surprise that Poles always remember Pope John Paul the Second on the 16th. In the Polish Community, on the Sunday prior to this anniversary, the 11th of October, there was a display of photos and reflections carefully arranged and shown as a slide show before Mass began. The photos were accompanied by soothing reflective music and a darkened church. The church was so silent that even a mouse would have been heard. It allowed everyone, who had been touched by this incredible man to remember their own memories of him and how he had influenced their lives. For those who were lucky in their lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope John Paul the Second, I am sure reflected on their personal experiences which were so unique and mean more than words can portray. The children who will make the first Holy Communion in 2010 also will never forget Sunday, the 11th of October as they were all invited to attend a special service and prayers to wish them luck on the journey to prepare to receive the Eucharist. The children’,s names were read out and they all received a set of Rosary beads and a blessing from Father Jan Zareba who urged each child to use their new rosary beads in prayer. The candidates and their guardians were also reminded the importance of the rosary and using all the children in the church and a total of 5 fathers as the Our Fathers/ Glory be’,s a rosary was made. A living rosary was therefore built and reminded us all the importance of prayer .

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Page 13

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE 13 Funeral Services W. Lever Ltd BRADFORD 01274 547137 524 THORNTON ROAD, BRADFORD BD8 9NB FOR OVER 75 YEARS PROVIDING A COMPLETE PERSONAL &, CARING 24 HOUR FUNERAL SERVICE CHAPEL OF REST E.M.D. PARKINSON LTD Funeral Director For a Caring Service We Assure You Of Our Best Attention Any Time Day Or Night. FOR COMPLET PEACE OF MIND THE WHITEHOUSE 37 LOWER YORK STREET, WAKEFIELD WF1 3LH Pre-paid Funeral Plan Telephone: (01924) 373191 H UGHES F UNERAL S ERVICES (Catholic Funeral Directors) 180 YORK ROAD, LEEDS LS9 9NT. Tel 2480953/63 152 GREEN LANE, CROSSGATES. Tel 2326900 3 HOLLIN PARK PARADE, OAKWOOD ROUNDABOUT Tel 2499338 Web: wwww.hughesfuneralservices.co.uk Email: info@hughesfuneralservices.co.uk Family owned and managed. Fully Qualified in all aspects. 24 Hour Service Guaranteed Fixed Price Funeral Plans etc. “,At a time of bereavement we carry out our duties with dignity and respect”, In times of bereavement please contact: B. J. MELIA &, SONS (B. J. Melia Dip F.D.) F UNERAL D IRECTORS AND M ONUMENTAL M ASONS Private Chapel of Rest 64 GIBBET STREET, HALIFAX Telephone: 01422 354453 PRE-PAID FUNERAL SERVICE AVAILABLE DETAILS ON REQUEST Support for students is second to none A recent survey has revealed that Leeds Trinity’,s graduates are holding their own in the current difficult jobs market. On behalf of the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the Careers Service contacts recent graduates each year for an update on their careers. The resulting national Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey gives a snapshot of what graduates are doing six months after graduation. The survey shows that despite the challenges of the economic climate 93% of those graduating in 2008 with a first degree from Leeds Trinity were either in work or further study. Hannah Marren (pictured) graduated in 2008 with a degree in Psychology. She worked with young offenders during her professional placement and after graduating, and has just passed the selection process for the Merseyside Police. She said, “,I loved every minute of my professional placements during my degree and believe that without that experience and the great advice from Leeds Trinity’,s Careers Service I would not have got my current job.”, “,I also trained to be a Special Constable which gave me a huge insight into policing and confirmed my ambition of joining the police as a career.”, 17 November, 7.00pm –, 8.30pm ‘,The beauty of the family: perspectives from Christianity and Islam’, A dialogue organised by the Chaplaincy and the Iqra Centre in Leeds to mark Interfaith Week. For more information contact Dominica Richmond on 0113 283 7100 18 November, 2.30 –, 4.00pm ‘,Youth justice and children’,s rights: an overview in 2009’, Lecture by Professor Terry Thomas, Leeds Metropolitan University For more information contact Heather Jones on 0113 283710 ext 536 25 November, 5.30–,7.30pm Postgraduate Open Evening An opportunity to find out about Leeds Trinity’,s great range of postgraduate courses 25 November, 7.00 –, 9.00pm ‘,Salvation outside the Church, but why then evangelize?’, Lecture by Rev Steven Bevans, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago For more information contact Dominica Richmond on 0113 283 7100 3 December, 7.00 –, 9.00pm Carol Service in the Leeds Trinity University College Chapel For more information contact Lucy Birkenshaw on 0113 283 7105 11 December, 1.00 –, 2.00pm ‘,Love needs to be organised’, Lecture by John Battle MP For more information contact Sara Sellars on 0113 283 7226 EASTERN CHRISTIAN STUDIES LECTURE SERIES 18 November, 7.30 –, 9.00pm ‘,Hearing and image in Christianity’, Lecture by Dr Carol Harrison, University of Durham 2 December, 7.00 –, 9.00pm ‘,Clinging to heaven: Mount Athos and the heights of spirituality’, Lecture by Rev Professor M C Steenberg, Leeds Trinity University College 27 January, 7.00 –, 9.00pm ‘,Non-canonical gospels and other apocryphal texts, East and West’, Lecture by Dr Paul Foster, University of Edinburgh For more information on the Eastern Christian Studies Lectures contact Sylvia Simpson on 0113 283 7126 For more information visit our website at www.leedstrinity.ac.uk Forthcoming events Every child matters at Leeds Trinity’,s new centre W ith the media spotlight directed on the welfare of children and families, Leeds Trinity University College’,s newest academic department will be at the forefront of this high profile area. I joined Leeds Trinity in September to head up this new department, the Centre for Children, Young People and Families. Launched last June at a special conference focussing on challenges for the children’,s workforce arising from the Every Child Matters agenda, the Centre will offer courses at all levels to equip the workforce of the future to meet these challenges. I will be delivering the Centre’,s first annual lecture in January 2010, entitled From James to Peter: Finding hope in a generation of tragedy. The lecture will begin by considering the tragedy of two murders - of James Bulger in 1993 and “,baby Peter”, in 2007. It will then explore the so–,called crisis in child welfare before finding reasons for hope within this most important and socially significant area of work. As a qualified social worker, I have more than 20 years fieldwork experience working with children and families. I am particularly interested in working for justice for children –, of any age. This may mean freedom from harm but equally it may mean a more child and young person friendly society –, one which welcomes and enjoys the company of children and young people. Prior to joining Leeds Trinity, I was the programme director for child and family welfare studies at the University of Leeds. My two main research interests are Victorian philanthropy and violent and sexually offending young people. I feel that this is a very exciting time for the Centre. Children, young people and families are at the top of the political agenda and we have the opportunity to equip the next generation of people working in this important sector. I am married to Fiona and have three children aged 16, 14 and 12. This, along with my involvement in leadership of a local church, keeps me busy outside work. My “,haven of peace”, is my caravan in Whitby, which we visit as often as we can. For more information about the Centre please call 0113 283 7290. Andy Lloyd, Head of Centre Centre for Children, Young People and Families Wanted for the Missions Large Statues (Even damaged ones), old vestments, pictures, church fittings, rosaries, prayer books, etc. Please ring Mr. B. Ferris KSC, 102 Moor St, Earlsdon, Coventry CV5 6EY Tel: 02476 676986 For Advertising contact CathCom on 020 7112 6710 B ishop Arthur Roche visited Leeds Trinity University College on Friday 30 October to celebrate the patronal feast day of All Saints. Bishop Arthur was joined by special guest and concelebrant Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Nigeria, to celebrate Mass, which had an added significance as the first celebration of All Saints Day since the institution, formerly Leeds Trinity &, All Saints, became a university college. A special lecture by renowned Catholic evangelist Rev Robert Barron, of the University of St Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, followed the Mass. Congratulating Leeds Trinity on its new status, Bishop Arthur said, “,This is a significant development for Leeds Trinity. It grants the college autonomy while continuing to provide a learning environment where individuals are enabled and encouraged to reach their full potential. I am immensely proud of this well earned achievement, and look forward one day to there being a Catholic University in the Diocese.”, Originally founded as two separate Catholic colleges, All Saints and Trinity, which later merged, the recent achievement of university college status has resulted in the new name of Leeds Trinity University College. Professor Freda Bridge, Leeds Trinity Principal and Chief Executive, said, “,Awarding our own degrees and changing our name makes the status of the institution clear, both in the UK and internationally. The name reflects our proud association with Leeds and our Catholic heritage.”, Bishop celebrates a new university college for the diocese

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Page 14

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 14 HOME NEWS A Diamond Day in Dewsbury F amily from Ireland, Religious from across the North of England, together with former working colleagues, friends and parishioners joined Sister Anthony Ward CP in a Mass of Thanksgiving on Saturday 12th September as she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee of Profession. Sister Anthony is a Parish Sister in Our Lady and St. Paulinus, Dewsbury. The numbers at the celebration reflected the affection and respect in which Sister is held. Originally from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, Sister Anthony followed her elder sister –, Sister Berenice –, into the Congregation of the Cross and Passion, and was Professed on the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady (8th September) 1949 at the Motherhouse in Bolton. Sister has lived out her Religious calling in a number of placements, many of them in the field of education including several in the Diocese of Leeds where she was on the teaching staff of St. Malachy’,s, Halifax (1956 –, 59) and Headteacher of St. Peter’,s, Bradford (1971 –, 85). More recent placements have been in the Dewsbury Deanery, at Batley Carr and currently in Dewsbury itself, where she continues to fulfill a number of ministries. Although Sister Anthony had insisted that her Jubilee celebration be ‘,simple,’, the Mass of Thanksgiving reflected her unique vocation, recalling with gratitude those who in her formative years had helped cultivate her vocation, acknowledging the nature of her various placements, and above all thanking God for the good health Sister enjoys, her contentment in life, and the joy that her vocation continues to give to herself and many others. In his homily, Fr. Nicholas Hird, said that “,Sister Anthony has not only dedicated the gift of her vocational calling to a particular rule of life –, that of poverty, chastity and obedience as lived by the guiding charism of the Congregation of the Cross and Passion –, but has truly lived out these qualities. In short sixty years of Religious Life, have allowed one God-given ‘,gift’, –, that of a human being touched by the active power of the Holy Spirit –, to become a ‘,gift’, in the lives of so many.”, Towards the end of the Mass, Sister Anthony was presented with a Papal Blessing, flowers and a cheque for her personal use. In offering the Parish’,s gratitude for her ministry, Vice-chair of the PPC, Penny McGoverin spoke touchingly, based on her own experience, of Sister’,s wonderful influence on Parish life, not least in the area of her care of housebound and sick. After Mass, refreshments were served in the Parish Hall by ladies of the Parish. C hildren at St Joseph’,s Catholic Primary School in Castleford were once again treated to an unusual visitor to their school. The visitor was a large black and white dairy cow the size of a double- decker bus. The ‘,Dairy Bus’, visit was planned as part of continuing developments to improve learning opportunities for pupils, as part of the schools recently judged outstanding curriculum. Mrs Kimberley O’,Connor, who organised the visit, was pleased with the success of the day saying: The children were really enjoying the ‘,hands on’, experience within the workshops on the bus. They had opportunities to understand how dairy produce helps to keep us healthy and how farming communities in Yorkshire make their living. The children and staff especially enjoyed milking the cow on the bus, obviously no real animals were subjected to being milked by 400 enthusiastic hands!’, Mrs O’,Connor went on to thank ASDA for this new initiative and looked forward to working with other community based projects. St Joseph’,s community links, to its local, national and global communities, were recently judged to be outstanding by both OFSTED inspectors in March 2009 and in its more recent RE inspection in July 2009. Further information is available from Mr Kieron Flood, headteacher on 01977 723060. Details of the ASDA dairy bus are available via the website on www.dairybus.org. Pupils enjoy an a MOO sing time! God’,s creation is under threat! T his was the eye-catching statement which attracted people to two evening meetings on the Climate Change at The Assumption parish club in Leeds, and the overwhelming message they got was of the urgency of the situation and the notion that we really can do something effective about it. The meetings were organised by parishioners from three churches, The Assumption, Our Lady of Lourdes and St Urban, to try to get these ideas across. On September 22, Mark Dowd from Operation Noah gave an excellent presentation of the scientific evidence which shows clearly that Climate Change is a fact and is caused by human activity, mainly the energy used in industry, in transport and in the home. He then went on to link these global changes with our Christian faith, showing from Scripture and recent Church teaching that we have a responsibility to care for this planet which has been entrusted to us by God, and that as individuals we have a duty to make others aware of the need for action. On October 6, Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds NW, showed how the scientific evidence of human responsibility for global warming works out in practice, giving a vivid description of the frightening effects of Climate Change, particularly in the Developing World. These include an increase in diseases such as malaria and malnutrition, flooding in some places or devastating drought in others, resulting in large areas of the world slowly becoming uninhabitable. The world’,s poorest countries suffer most and do not have the resources to cope with such disasters whereas the richer countries, like ourselves, produce most of the pollution. All of this painted a bleak picture for the future, but both Mark Dowd and Greg Mulholland held out hope by telling us emphatically that we do have the power to change things. Of course we must pay attention to our own carbon footprints by examining our own use of energy –, insulating our houses, thinking about our air travel etc. –, but very much more significant is putting pressure on our politicians. Greg recalled the success of the Cut the Carbon campaign which resulted in the passing of the Climate Change Act which puts an obligation on the government to take measures. This Act may be weak in its requirements but it would not be on the statute book if politicians had not been forced to realise that the subject was important to their constituents. He assured us that postcard campaigns like the current one from CAFOD, Our Climate is in Our Hands, really do make a difference. In December there will be a summit meeting of world leaders in Copenhagen when vital decisions will be made on Climate Change. Greg encouraged us to join The Wave demonstration in London on December 5 to march and pray that these meetings will lead to Climate Justice. (Details about the march available from the Cafod office 0113 275 9302). All of us in the western world simply have to keep on and on at our politicians if our children are to avoid disaster in the future.

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Page 15

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 15 FROM JUST £,299 R.G.R. MEMORIALS COLOUR CATALOGUE QUALITY MEMORIALS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES IN GRANITE, MARBLE &, STONE ALL PRICES INCLUDE DELIVERY &, FIXING Ogee top memorial 2’,6”, high Fully polished Black Granite, Delivered and Fixed for £,399 inc VAT FREE Tel: 0113 282 3888 43 High Ridge Park, Rothwell, Leeds LS26 0NL T his award, first instigated by Pope Gregory XVI in 1832, is conferred on those who have exhibited long and exceptional service to the Catholic Church, their families and community. Catherine Barber, a mainstay of St Austin’,s Community for many years received this award on Sunday 4 October 2009 at the 11 o’,clock Mass. It was presented to her by the Rev Monsignor Peter Rosser, Episcopal Vicar for Christian Life in the Diocese of Leeds. This complements the Knights of St Gregory Award which her late husband, Hubert, received a few years ago. Catherine is well known for her work with church music, the establishment of St Austin’,s Players and in particular for her many dedicated years of service in Wakefield Prison where, once again, her musical abilities have been integral to the weekly worship there. Catherine is the mother of four children and has 9 grandchildren. She said, “,I feel very humbled by this award and I thank my family and friends for the support they have always given me.”, For more information please telephone Catherine on 372869 T he key to Notre Dame’,s successful liturgy programme is student and staff involvement. The ownership factor is tantamount, anything less will make it not meaningful. Our young people are spiritual, they may not attend the Churches they were baptised in, but in assembly when they are asked to bow their heads and pray young people will take the time to reflect. In this picture we see some of the young people who took place in our recent welcome services. Alex, far right, a candidate for the Diocesan vocation discernment group, sang the classic Lourdes action song ‘,Yes Lord’, as a solo. It was ‘,mega’,, as some young people say. It took a great deal of courage but in this Catholic college of yours/ours, standing up in front of 1,500 fellow students and being counted is the only way that spirituality becomes relevant. Many priests have an unenviable job addressing the huge range of ages on a normal Sunday morning. Here in Notre Dame we know the things that tend to work: praising them, good music, reflection time, scripture and drama. For a number of our students this is the first time they have had direct contact with Catholicism. We pray that the Gospel message shines bright. Andrew Sullivan (Lay Chaplain) How to do liturgy for 16-19 year olds HELP - YOUR DIOCESE NEEDS YOU! E arlier in the year the Diocese of Leeds Office for Schools and Education began the process of setting up an Independent Appeals Service. The idea is that when parents want to appeal against an admission decision, made by the governing body of a diocesan school, instead of lodging the appeal with the Local Authority the parent will appeal to the Appeals Service set up by the diocese. We hope that this will ensure an equality of decision making across the diocese. The first part of this process has been successful and we are intending to roll-out this service to more of the rest of the diocese next year. To make this a reality we need more people to volunteer to be Appeal Panel members. There are two types of panel members needed –, Lay Members and Professional Members. A Lay Member must not have any professional educational background. Parents and school governors who do not work in education can be Lay Members but will not be used for appeals at their own schools or in their own immediate areas. Professional Members work in the education service currently or recently. As a panel member, you will need to have a friendly manner and to be able to listen to the case put forward by parents and schools. Panels are made up of three (or sometimes five) people and as a member of the panel you will need the ability to make a balanced judgement based on the facts. Panel members do not need to have detailed knowledge of the law relating to admissions but training in the basic principles is recommended and will be provided. All panel members are volunteers but are able to claim travel expenses. If you are interested in receiving further information please give me a call or drop me a line –, Tel: 0113 2618034 or email: beverley.sice@dioceseofleeds.org.uk Presentation of the Benemerenti Medal

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Page 16

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 16 BATTLE John Battle KCSG T he increase in the world population to 6.4 billion people (1.6 billion of whom live in China and 1.2 billion in India) coupled with the pressures of climate change leading to increased droughts, disasters and subsequent migrations has led to inevitable questions of sustainability. How many people can our planet support? Recently projections (speculative calculations not measurements) suggested that Britain’,s population is set to rise from 62 million to 75 million in the next 20 years. Inevitably the response of some has been to press for increased population control. When this is no longer confined to general requests for limits and ‘,capping’, to be introduced by governments and the details of how such limits should be imposed on people - and families - then the arguments hit difficulties. For three decades and not least since China introduced its “,one child”, policy, campaigns such as ‘,population concern’, have been lower key generally focussing on contraception (and abortion as a last resort contraception) and simply at the Catholic Church’,s conservative approach. For two decades even secular development specialists have stressed tackling poverty is the key challenge as making progress on that front tends to reduce populations –, rather than trying to reduce the population to get the numbers in poverty down. Taking care of the poor was generally regarded as the means of taking care of the pressures of population. Now it would seem that climate change panic in ‘,the face of the difficulties of changing behaviour (and consumption and waste) in the rich northern world is leading to increased demands to be “,firmer on population control”,. Significantly just as China is now stepping back from its failed and inhuman “,one child”, policy it would seem some are pressing for exactly those kinds of limits to be introduced especially on “,poor families”, notably in poor countries. Population –, and not poverty –, is again emerging as the main problem –, despite decades of evidence to the contrary. Of course the Catholic Church with its views on contraception and abortion (alone with the Muslims) is regarded as a recalcitrant stumbling block as increasingly crude and unthought out demands for population control move into the main stream for public discourse. But why should we be panicking at projections of population increases. Will over population kill us all off? The developmental specialist Frances Moore Lappe who has a track record internationally second to none as an expert on food security insists not. For a start there is no fundamental world food shortage. Frances Moore Lappe of the Small Planet Institute at Cambridge Massachusetts rebuts the myth that world population growth is outstripping the volume of food we produce, pointing out that “,between 1970 and 2000 population grew by 65% and cereal production by 75%. Since then the pattern has held. In grain alone the world produces roughly 3,300 calories per person or about 40% more than we each need”, (and of course we eat many additional foods –, root crops, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables). In fact we produce more than we eat and are generating waste from a reality of plenty. In other words human numbers are not outstripping food production –, even after feeding grain to animals and “,the planet could support even more people if more people moved towards a less wasteful plant cantered diet”,. It is extreme poverty creating high infant death rates and dependency on family labour that is the problem and the lack of a just and fair production and distribution system. As Shakespeare put it in his play King Lear “,And should distribution undo excess and each should have enough”,. Are the People the Problem Like a Rainbow, Jesus brings Colour to my Life The hall at Mount St Mary`s High School was vibrant with rainbow colour and alive with energy and enthusiasm for the Welcome Mass celebrated by Year 7 pupils, their families, new teachers and new friends together with staff from their primary schools. The colours of the rainbow were featured in candles, flags, banners and fans, all of which contributed to a beautiful display. To prepare for this very special Mass, a carousel of activities was planned on a Pastoral Day. Each form was assigned a colour of the rainbow and in workshops the pupils made windmills and fans, prayer- beads, form-banners and a front cover for the Mass booklet. Every activity had special meaning: we are aware of the wind blowing when the windmill turns, therefore we know that we are living the life of God when we show forth the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. The importance of prayer was the key in the making of the prayer- beads and these prayers were presented in boxes at the Bidding Prayers while incense was offered to God. The prayers of parents written on the Prayer Tree at the school’,s Open Evening were also offered. The Mass was enriched by the newly formed Year 7 choir and their rendition of Ave Maria was very moving. The story of Noah was read with great gusto and the celebration ended with the rousing singing of Colours of Day. Father Eamon blessed the congregation, especially the young people as they start a new phase on life’,s journey: “,We ask that as we journey together, we will reflect God’,s colour in our lives and become a loving and caring community.”, Book Reviews The Art of Christmas. A journey in paintings through Advent and Christmas Sr Wendy Beckett Redemptorist Publications, 2008 978-0-85231-354-1 The Carmelite art historian, Sr Wendy Beckett, needs no introduction. Her enthusiasm for religious art, particularly of the renaissance, is well known. In this book, she leads us from the Israel’,s expectation of and waiting for a Messiah, through the mysteries of the Annunciation and Nativity, to the Epiphany (focussing on all aspects of the feast) and the Presentation of the Lord, thus covering the whole of the Christmas season, which properly ends with the Feast of the Presentation on 2 February. The book is based around fourteen fabulous paintings –, many extremely well known, others less familiar –, from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries, with one exception: a beautiful female orante from the Catacombs . The commentary on each painting begins with a theological and spiritual meditation around the subject matter, but Sr Wendy’,s enthusiasm for the paintings soon breaks through, pointing out the context in which they were painted –, Breughel’,s wonderful Numbering at Bethlehem, for instance, is properly located within the context of a war of independence in a northern European state –, as well as linking the art to the theology and spirituality. Many of these images are familiar from Christmas cards, and so it is wonderful to see them beautifully reproduced, and placed in their proper spiritual and artistic context. This book is perfect for renaissance art lovers who want their love of art to help their prayer, and are looking for something to guide them through the Christmas season. Nativity A visual meditation Caroline Farey Family Publications, 2008 978-1-871217-82-7 Nativity, by contrast, focuses on a single painting, Campin’,s early fifteenth-century Nativité,, to guide us through Advent and Christmas. The book is divided into four sections, representing four different aspects of Advent, and could, therefore, usefully be used throughout the season. Within each section, brief meditations and prayers are matched to details from the painting, which emphasise an aspect of the meditation or prayer. These details are the tiny, easy-to-miss details, often in the background, which are as important, in art, as the main subject of the painting. Although the meditations here are very short, the art is once again beautifully reproduced, and this book would be a useful addition to any spiritual library. ST. JOSEPH’,S CATHOLIC COLLEGE, BRADFORD Past Pupils and Staff are warmly invited to visit the College on Saturday November 21st for our annual Past Pupils’, Day. The College will be open from 10.30.a.m. until 3.30.p.m. Mass will be offered at 11.00.a.m. for all deceased pupils, staff, governors and friends of the College. We will particularly thank God for the life of Miss Marie C Fair who died on October 28th this year. We pray in thanksgiving for her life of dedication to the College and Catholic Education in Bradford and the Diocese of Leeds. Miss Fair was a pupil, member of staff and Headteacher from 1981 to 1992 and was known, loved and revered by countless numbers of pupils and staff whom she served. MAY SHE REST IN PEACE. After Mass , Lunch will be served at 12.30.p.m. ( To book Lunch please send £,10 with a S.A.E. by November 14th to The Reunion Secretary at the College, Cunliffe Rd, Bradford BD8 7AP) Cheques payable to St.Joseph’,s Catholic College.

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Page 17

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

ROME Page 17 As any serious history student will know, ‘,Non Angli sed Angeli’, is the quip that Pope Gregory the Great is thought to have made when he saw some English slave children for the first time in the Roman market place towards the end of the 6th century. He was so taken with their blond hair and angelic faces, so the story goes, that when he was told they were still pagans, he decided to send St Augustine over to bring Christianity to the English. The Latin phrase is also the title of a new exhibition which has just opened at the Venerable English College in the heart of Rome, tracing the history of the Church in England from the Middle Ages –, when the college was founded as a hostel for pilgrims –, through the Reformation to the present day. The inauguration of the exhibition was timed to coincide with the re- opening of the college church which has been undergoing restoration work for the past two years and formed the centrepiece for a week of celebrations with past and present members of the seminary. Five former rectors –, including the retired archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’,Connor -were on hand for a programme of liturgies, lectures and musical events, ranging from traditional organ recitals to more contemporary performances by the uplifting New English Orchestra and Choir. The 19th century church itself has been so spectacularly cleaned and re-lit that it’,s barely recognisable as the rather dark and foreboding place where I last attended Vespers with the Cardinal and the Archbishop of Canterbury in the days following the death of Pope John Paul II. Today the polished grey marble columns and gilded arches lead the eye on to the large ‘,martyrs’, picture’, filling the wall behind the simple stone and wood altar. Painted by Durante Alberti in 1580, just after the college had been turned from a pilgrim hostel into a place for training priests with the specific mission of returning to Protestant England to keep the Catholic faith alive. Over the next century, some 44 college students would give their lives as martyrs for their faith, beginning with St Ralph Sherwin who was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in 1581. Graphic depictions of the torture and grisly deaths of these men, alongside some earlier Christian martyrs, were painted in that period and afforded important evidence of contemporary veneration of the martyrs during the process for their beatification and canonisation. Copies now hang around the walls of the tribune, or upper gallery of the church, as a constant reminder –, even to modern day seminarians –, of the sacrifices that Christians are still called to make in some countries of the world today. Poignant reminders of the days of the Reformation also abound in the exhibition which has been cleverly housed in the crypt, with a visitors’, entrance two doors down along the Via di Monserrato just a stone’,s throw from the central Piazza Farnese. Descending the steps from street level, the modern day pilgrim embarks on a virtual journey from England to Rome along the ancient Via Francigenia, following in the footsteps of those who braved all kinds of dangers to visit the tombs of the Apostles and returned home invigorated and strengthened in their faith. One of the first rooms houses a visitor’,s book dating back to the Middle Ages with signatures of some of the pilgrims who stayed in the English hostel in Rome, including Milton and a certain ‘,Arthur of Stratford’,, believed to be a pseudonym for William Shakespeare. In a nearby room, a reconstruction of the secret ‘,priest holes’, used by many men to escape persecution, helps to recreate the atmosphere in England under the reign of Elisabeth I as hostility towards Catholics increased. Wall panels and maps along the floor guide the virtual visitor along the route towards Rome and in the central exhibition space under the church, a section of original Roman road has been neatly incorporated alongside a contemporary, rather New Age video of pilgrims trekking through a final woodland scene as they head towards the Eternal City. And a final surprise awaits the pilgrims on their return journey as they step almost literally into the martyrs’, painting, pointing them back towards a new life of commitment to their faith. I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour of the exhibition just before it was officially opened to the public and the finishing touches were still being put into place. My expert guide was the vice-rector of the college, Fr Andrew Headon, who has managed the restoration and exhibition project paid for by a generous English benefactor. Whether you’,re next visiting Rome to take in some artistic and historical treasures, or simply enjoying a few days away with the family, make sure you include this on your itinerary –, the exhibition runs until the end of July 2010 and is open all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays plus Saturday mornings –, for details see www.angelisunt.it Philippa M Hitchen Our Rome Correspondent Non Angli sed Angeli Sacrament of Anointing at The Holy Family School O n Sunday October 18th The Holy Family School hosted the annual celebration of the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick for the churches of Keighley &, district. Every year since 1983, the year of the Great Jubilee, this event has been a regular feature of the autumn term. The school chaplain, Fr Ben, presided, assisted by Canon Sean Gilligan The students preparing to travel to Lourdes in May 2010 to work as lifters, pushers and care assistants were out in force sporting their uniform yellow jerseys for the first time. Patrick Moran, who will lead the pilgrimage in May said, “,This is a good first venture for the group. They are looking after the infirm, but not particularly seriously infirm, and on home territory. The students are expected to greet our guests and make them welcome, to conduct them to seats and serve refreshments afterwards.”, The celebration is held annually in October, close by October 18th, the feast day of St Luke the Evangelist, patron of the medical profession. For once in several years the meet fell on absolutely the correct day. Dave Metcalfe, who led the team that organised the afternoon said, “,The event has actually taken on a life of its own over the years. It is something we are very pleased to be a part of in order to contribute something to the Catholic community that supports us so very generously in many ways. Even on Sunday there were many good folk out and about volunteering there time or helping in other ways such as using their car to ferry people about. I think Michael Devlin, who proposed the vote of thanks, said it wonderfully well when he reminded everyone of the words of St James ‘,Heartfelt prayers work wonderfully.’, This little festival really is a highlight of the long autumn term and it gives us all in school a tremendous lift.”, Leeds schoolgirl wins top essay competition A Leeds schoolgirl has written her way to first prize in an essay competition organised by Ampleforth College. Iona Fernandes, who lives in Oakwood, is a Year 8 pupil at Mount St Mary`s High School. She was one of over 150 11 to 14-year-olds from all over England and Scotland to tackle the title “,Can we be sure God exists?”, Iona said: “,Every single thing has a cause –, your parents caused you and their parents caused them. However, there has to be an uncaused cause because the sequence can’,t go on forever. God is the uncaused cause.”, She added: “,God is the law-giver who makes everything ordered. All things have a purpose. A bag is made to carry things. God designed us with a purpose.”, “,We are so special because God gave us a soul. We are special because we control our environment, pollution, cars and houses –, we can adapt to anything.”, “,Sometimes we need things physically so we satisfy those needs but when we need things emotionally, God gives us that. He loves us. He gives everything good for us. When we are dying and still cannot accept we are about to pass into eternity, He gives us life.”, “,God is our saviour, our friend, our father but most importantly He is the reason for our joy and love and life Iona said, “,It was brilliant when I heard that I had won. I was ecstatic.”, She has already been interviewed by BBC Radio Leeds who asked a group of pupils how they “,see”, God: “,Everywhere you look, you’,ll see something of life –, that’,s God himself.”, In school, Iona enjoys Science, Maths and Religious Studies. Her hobbies are reading, films and her computer. In the future she hopes to be a doctor. The call went out via Zenit in the twice daily news mailing from the Vatican –, “,Develop the devotion of children to the Blessed Sacrament.”, Friday October 2nd was nominated as the day of the world-wide chil- dren’,s Holy Hour. Ever ready to accept a challenge The Holy Family School in Keighley decided to respond What did we do Maintained Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for three hours during the Friday using the lesson before lunchtime, lunchtime itself and the lesson after lunch. Teachers we invited to make a brief visit with their class during lesson time while the lunchtime was open access How did we do it Sort out a core team who will maintain the licety of Watching. Dress the Chapel so that it was obvious that this was a special event. Issue the invitations What was the result 70 visits to the Blessed Sacrament before we stopped counting, in three hours. Not a bad average even for a full-blown 40 Hours in a parish church! Most visits were fairly short though not all. A lot of catechesis on the hoof around the Watching as children had questions to ask and the opportunity to ask them of teachers who were not their regular RE teachers Would we do it again? Probably. There is no reason why not, though we would possibly need the impetus of an external chal- lenge or something to join in with such as the World- wide Day of Prayer Can it be replicated in other schools No reason why not given a school used to praying and using the Chapel together with a competent Chaplaincy Team that can guarantee propriety A thought: Should the diocesan rota for the 40 Hours include schools? Not for 40 hours but certainly for a few hours, perhaps on the Friday before the weekend that exposition takes place in their Deanery. Is it to much to suggest that every community that has the privilege of having the Blessed Sacrament in reservation should observe a regular period of Watching? We did three hours quite easily, both a significant number and a sig- nificant length of time. Yes it was inconvenient but not as inconvenient as being crucified! World-wide Children’,s Holy Hour

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Page 18

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 18 First Friday of the Month SINGLE CATHOLICS meet at 8.00pm for mass at our Lady of Lourdes, Leeds. We also a have a program of 4-8 events during the month, walks, meals, cinema and theatre trips, etc. Phone Malcolm McLean chairman ASC.on 01274 610817. Membership is open to all single Catholics who are free to marry within the church. Crusade Mass The crusade Mass and Rosary of Mary Immaculate is held at St Patrick`s Church, Bradford, on the first Saturday of the Month after 12.15pm Mass Second Sunday of Month 2pm Meeting of Bradford Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order at St. Anthony`s Convent, Clayton, Bradford. Third Sunday of Month 2.30pm Meeting of Leeds Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order at the Cathedral. Ampleforth Renewal Community Ampleforth Abbey, meet 1st Sunday each month, at Ampleforth. 11.30am Praise, Speaker, Sharing Groups, Reconciliation, Exposition, Finishing with Mass and Healing at 4.00pm. All enquiries: Seamus McEneaney 01429 426181 Charismatic Renewal A charismatic prayer group meets at Trinity and All saints College Chapel, Brownberrie Lane, Horsforth on the first and third Wednesday each month (please note change of date) at 7.30 P.M, Groups also meet at Harrogate, Huddersfield, Halifax and Wakefield. For further information contact Pat, 01924371559 or Tony, 01274824203 Monthly Vocations Mass Mount St Joseph’,s Chapel 7.30pm First Friday of the Month. Calix: An organisation for those recovering from addiction and working the 12 Step Programme of AA so that they can develop and deepen their relationship with Jesus as their Higher Power. Meets on the First Sunday of every month at Corpus Christi Church, Neville Rd. Osmondthorpe. Leeds. Mass at 4.30pm followed by meeting. Contact: Fr. Michael on 01977 510266 Helpers of Gods precious infants, prayer vigils Regular weekly prayer vigils at Marie Stopes Abortuary, 7 Barrack Road.LS7 4AB, next to Nissan car showrooms. Fridays 12-30 to 1-30, and Saturdays 9am-l1am. Other times variable. Further details Pat 0113 2582745 Diary - December Be Still a few moments for thought and prayer No ear has heard, no eye has seen any god but you act like this for those who trust him…,... Yet Lord, you are our Father, we the clay, you the potter, we are all the work of your hand. Two extracts from Advent Readings from Isaiah Moving on to new posts A t the Cathedral`s 11am Mass on Sunday 27th September, a presentation was made to Fr Sam Ofia MSP, and Sr Martin Raphael DMMM, both of whom are leaving the Cathedral to take up new posts. Fr Sam is moving to be Parish Priest of Nailsea, in the diocese of Clifton, Sr Martin Raphael is to undertake Social Work Studies at York University. They have endeared themselves to many during their time at the Cathedral, and they will both be missed. Bishops Engagements - December Deadline For receipt of material for next edition: December 4th 2009 Parishes receive their copies: December 20th 2009 Send letters, articles, reports &, pictures: Mr John Grady, Leeds Diocesan Curia, Hinsley Hall, 62 Headingley Lane, Leeds LS6 2BX. If at all possible, send words by e-mail to: john.grady@dioceseofleeds.org.uk, or, failing that, on a floppy disc in Word. Tel: 0113 261 8022. Advertising Deadline Please note All paid-for advertising is dealt with by: CathCom, L4 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN. To advertise call 020 7112 6710 or email: ads@cathcom.org Your Catholic Post Sunday 15 November 9am Visitation, St Stephen’,s, Skipton Monday 16-19 November CBCEW Meeting, Hinsley Hall Thursday 19 November 3pm VGs’, Meeting, Bishop’,s House Friday 20 November 12.30pm Mass for Deceased Clergy of the Diocese, Leeds Cathedral Wednesday 25 November 11am Presbyteral Council Meeting, Little Sisters of The Poor Thursday 26 November 9.30am Visitation, St Joseph’,s Primary School, Keighley. 11am Visitation, Our Lady of Victories Primary School, Keighley Friday 27 November 10am Catholic Care Governors’, Meeting, Hinsley Hall 7pm Golden Jubilee Mass, St Boniface, Bentham Sunday 29 November 10am Visitation, St Joseph’,s, Keighley We’,re home! The Stanbrook community ‘,at home’, in North Yorkshire S ix months after the community of Our Lady of Consolation moved from Stanbrook in Worcestershire to North Yorkshire, the Benedictine Sisters welcomed journalists into their new home. The purpose-built monastery is situated on the southern edge of the North York Moors National Park, near the ruined Cistercian monasteries of Byland and Rievaulx, as well as Ampleforth Abbey, whose monks say Mass for the Sisters. The Sisters are renewing the monastic footprint which played such a large part of the history and landscape of Yorkshire, a county which is well known for its monastic ruins. The National Park were so delighted to have a religious community returning to the area that they used a special clause to enable the project to go ahead. Architect Gill Smith described the commission as ‘,a fantastic challenge’,, adding, ‘,we were privileged to have a client that strongly advocated sustainable design right from the beginning’,. Rt Rev Dame Andrea Savage, Abbess of Stanbrook, explained that ‘,the sustainable elements are at the heart of the design, and when we were having to do the inevitable cost cutting, these were the one set of features we insisted be retained.’, The eco-design ranges from using sustainably sourced timber and stone off- cuts from paving stones to rainwater harvesting for laundry, outside taps, and to flush toilets, a woodchip boiler, solar panels, and a reed bed system to purify the sewage from the septic tank. The building was designed to be unobtrusive, using stone and timber on the outside walls. The three storeys are staggered so the building is only ever the height of two floors. The combination of rainwater harvesting from copper roofs and sedum-sown flat roofs means less water run-off, the sedum offers additional insulation, while the copper will blend into the landscape as it weathers, gradually turning green. The monastery enjoys views across the Vale of York, Yorkshire Wolds and Yorkshire Dales. Every cell has a large south-facing window, as do the windows of the main rooms –, refectory, calefactory and Chapter House, currently used as the chapel. This is ‘,an aspect of our new location’,, said Mother Andrea, ‘,the whole community rejoices in. The architects have brought God’,s creation inside’,: to be able to ‘,experience God’,s creation enveloping us [is] a prayer all by itself’,, fostering the contemplative life which is the monastic vocation.

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Page 19

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 19 THOSE WERE THE DAYS D uring the week beginning 19th October the children and staff at St Joseph’,s Catholic Primary School, Bingley marked the Anniversary of the start of World War II with a special History and Citizenship Week. The week began with a special visit from five past pupils who attended the school during the War and who have remained friends. The ladies joined the children for a Harvest and Thanks- giving Mass and then spent the rest of the day in classrooms talking about their war-time experiences. Throughout the week children took part in ‘,war-time’, baking and ‘,make-do and mend’, sessions alongside WWII themed workshops provided by ‘,Harry Shrapnel’, where they were able to learn about life during the war through songs, drama, activities and discussions. On Thursday everyone dressed-up in WWII clothes and enjoyed a ‘,rationed lunch’, and a ‘,war- time’, food tasting session. History co-ordinator Irene Greenway said that the week had been a fantastic success –, it had given all children a chance to experience ‘,real history’, through the memories of past pupils and the children in turn were then able to share what they had learnt with parents and friends at a special assembly. Catholic Care Christmas Card Collection 2009 Real Christmas Cards - Bringing you the true Spirit of Christmas Our 2009 Christmas Card Brochure is now available. All the profit made on the sale of the Christmas cards and any additional donations go directly to support our work, so your contribution is a very prac- tical way to support us. From this year onwards “,Cathcard”, are no longer be able to offer the Christmas Card scheme to Catholic agencies as they have for many years. So 2009 sees us creating our own service and we hope you like the choice of cards on offer. There are 12 cards available in various sizes, which encompass modern and traditional art, but all with a religious theme. The message inside the cards will be:- “,Wishing you the joy and peace of Christmas and a happy New Year", As with previous years we cannot offer personalised cards. If you wish to receive more copies of our brochure please contact Karen on:- direct dial: 0113 3885 403 fax: 0113 3885 401 email: karen.byram@catholic-care.org.uk www.catholic-care.org.uk SING-ALONG FOR PERU With Sally Barnes and the singers from Cardinal Heenan High School St Joseph’,s School Hall, Hunslet 7.30pm Friday 4 December 2009 Tickets £,3.00 (includes Tea and Mince Pies)

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Page 20

Nov 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

Page 20 Designed and produced by CathCom, L4 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN. To advertise call 020 7112 6710 or email: ads@cathcom.org

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