Leeds Catholic Post History

Newspaper for the Diocese of Leeds

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Dec 2009 edition of the Leeds Catholic Post

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Whats inside Celebrating 50 glorious years Page 10 1,300 years celebration Page 11 CATHOLIC POST THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS DECEMBER 2009 www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk www.catholicpost.org.uk CELEBRATING SAINT JEANNE JUGAN S aturday, November 14th was the day chosen by Bishop Roche to invite the Little Sisters Of The Poor along with their friends and supporters to the Cathedral to celebrate the Canonisation of Jeanne Jugan, the event itself had taken place on Sunday, October 11th in Rome. Concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Roche was Bishop David and a number of priests who live with the Little Sisters as well as other priest friends. In his opening remarks Bishop Roche pointed out just what a special place the Little Sisters had in the Diocese given their work with the poor and their dedicated work in looking after the retired priests. The Diocese will always be grateful to them for all that they do. In his homily Bishop Roche pointed out how the life of Jeanne Jugan had been a living example to the world and how, as Pope Benedict had said at the Canonisation Mass, she lived out in a real and active way the Sermon on the Mount. She knew what it was like to be poor, to be ignored, to bring peace, - to work for others not counting the cost. Those virtues she lived by are still the ones that guide the Little Sisters today. At the end of the Mass The Reverend Mother of the Little Sisters presented Bishop Roche with a medal that had been stuck to mark the Canonisation. The Bishop then joined the Sisters and their guests for further celebrations in the Cathedral Hall. On Monday 16th December the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal visited the Bishops conference that was meeting in Hinsley Hall, Leeds. Before the meeting started Bishop Roche took the opportunity to present to his Excellency a cheque for the money that had been collected in the Diocese, at the expressed wish of the Bishop, last Palm Sunday. This had raised the grand Total of £,21,728.10. In a letter that accompanied the cheque Bishop Roche said how aware the Diocese was ‘,of the sufferings of our Christian brothers and sisters in Our Lord’,s own homeland’,. BISHOP ROCHE WELCOMES HIS EXCELLENCY THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM CATHOLIC CARE (Diocese of Leeds) - Taking the Caring Church into the community

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Page 2 SCHOOLS NEWS Gathering To Remember Those That Have Served F riday November 20th was the day chosen this year for the annual Mass, celebrated by the Bishop and Chapter of the Cathedral, to remember those that had worked in the Diocese. The Bishop in his opening remarks said that we were gathered to remember those that had done such great work in the Diocese in particular, this year Fr Charlie Holmes who had died in the last 12 months. The reflection after the Gospel was given by Canon Joseph Smith Parish Priest of Burley - In –, Wharfedale. At the end of the Mass, Bishop Roche announced that Canon Joseph Taylor had taken over as the Provost of the Chapter of Canons on the retirement of Mgr Canon Bryan Sharp and he also introduced Canon Paul Moxon, Parish Priest of Ripon as the Canon to replace Canon Sharp. Bishop’,s visit ends on radio O n November 26th, Bishop Arthur visited Our Lady of Victories` Catholic Primary School in Keighley. He was shown round the school by Headteacher John Devlin and by the School Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Bishop Arthur spent some time with the children in each class, and the children were delighted to see him. Nursery children sang some songs from their upcoming nativity play, and year 1 showed the Bishop some of their PE lesson with the parachute. Afterwards, the highlight of the visit was the radio interview. RadiOlv is the school radio station of Our Lady of Victories. Each Friday, at 3 o`clock, they broadcast live to the school from the state of the art radio station. They then podcast the show via their website. The shows are presented by different members of the school media team, and each show is made up of jokes, news, reports from school trips, poems, songs, and interviews with staff, visitors, and even celebrities. The children asked the Bishop a number of questions ranging from why he became a priest to what his favorite football team is. You can hear the interview this week and next by logging onto www.ourlady.ngfl.ac.uk and following the link to radiOlv. A special visitor from Leeds T he governors of St Joseph’,s Catholic Primary School, Keighley, were delighted to offer a warm welcome Bishop Arthur Roche, who met with staff and pupils at school on Thursday 26th November. All the children were very excited, having looked forward for a number of weeks to meeting their ‘,special visitor’, from Leeds. Bishop Arthur visited each classroom, spending time talking to the children and admiring the colourful displays of art work. Children from Years 5 &, 6, under the direction of Keith Roberts from the Diocesan Music Office, enthusiastically entertained the Bishop with a medley of songs. Bishop Arthur was impressed by the choir and expressed his appreciation by inviting the children to sing at St Anne’,s Cathedral. The Bishop generously praised staff and pupils for their many achievements in sport, art and a successful Ofsted inspection. Mrs Hamer, the headteacher, said ‘,the Bishop’,s visit has been a memorable and enjoyable occasion for everyone at school’,.

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YOUTH Page 3 Leeds Diocesan Youth Service ‘,All who are thirsty, come!’, (Rev 22:17) 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. Wednesday 13th January Northern Region Youth Officers Meeting, Hinsley Hall, Leeds Wednesday 20th January Revelation 7 –, 9pm, Cathedral Hall, Leeds Thursday 28th January Leeds Youth Worker Breakfast 9.15-10.30am TBC Sunday 31st January WYD, Initial Meeting of Pilgrims, TBC Cathedral Hall, Leeds Saturday 27th February National Youth Ministry Congress, London Leeds Diocesan Youth Service Calendar HOPE: National Youth Ministry Congress What is it? The National Youth Ministry Congress is a day of inspiration for Catholics working with young people on Saturday 27th February 2010. Who is the conference for? Youth Ministry Coordinators, Catechists, Youth Club organisers, school chaplains, catholic teachers, Diocesan Youth officers and workers …, basically, any Catholic who is working with young people! Who are the main speakers? The day is full of high profile speakers who will enthuse, encourage and exhort those present with their thoughts and experience on Youth Ministry and on the theme of Hope. The line up includes Bob and Maggie McCarthy, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, Abbot Christopher Jamison, David Wells and Archbishop Vincent Nichols. Where will the congress be held? Friends Meeting House, Euston, London. How much does the day cost? Tickets are priced at £,14, but if you book before 18th December you get a reduced rate at £,12.50. You can book online at www.cymfed.org, or by ringing 01227272900. Will there be other people from the Diocese of Leeds going? We are hoping that there will be a good number of people from the Diocese of Leeds attending the congress. For more information contact Anna Cowell on 0113 2618058. 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 Launching into Madrid O ver the past few months at Revelation, the monthly youth event for the young people of the diocese, the young people have been exploring the Theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. Sunday 22nd November, the feast of Christ the King and the day set aside in the Church in England and Wales to focus on young people was also the day set aside for November’,s Revelation. The event also served as the launch for the next World Youth Day being held in Madrid 2011 and was also a chance for the young people to look at Hope and what we can hope for in today’,s world as young Christians. To kick start the afternoon there was some fun and games, led by the Lauren Jackson, the Youth Service Assistant Volunteer, to try and tease out the theme of Hope. Hope vs. Cope Once the hoola hoops had been put away and the competitions had ended, we heard from Anna Cowell (the diocesan Youth Officer) about what hope is, how sometimes we just cope and other times we can have hope, by turning to the example of St. Peter, St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. Maximillian Kolbe. Anna showed us how important hope in Jesus is in our lives. She encouraged us to know that even the smallest bit of Hope can make the difference and change our lives and the lives of people around us. In taking a closer look at the account of Maximillian Kolbe’,s life, we learnt of how he had been taken into Auschwitz and had taken someone else’,s place in the starvation unit so that the man could be with his family. Even then he never gave up hope but actually cared for the people with him and helped them to have a happy death. She explained that even when we are faced with impossible situations instead of just coping with them we can actually have hope through praying to God, trusting that everything is in His hands and ‘,all will be well’,. Madrid 2011 After a short break it was then time to focus our attention on World Youth Day. During this time, Anna and Fr. Stephen helped us to remember the last WYD pilgrimage to Sydney in 2008 and look forward to Madrid 2011.We heard from some of the young people who had been to Sydney in 2008 about their experience, what they had hoped for and their experience during the pilgrimage. Information and registration packs for Madrid 2011 were given out to the young people at Revelation. These packs are now available in your parish and high school. For more information on the WYD pilgrimage to Madrid in 2011, please contact the Youth Office. The deadline for applications is 31st January 2010. Hoping in God We then spent the last half hour of our afternoon together in reflecting on the words of hope from Pope Benedict which he spoke to young people on the occasion of World youth Day 2009 and praying. We spoke to God of our hopes and asked that our hope in Him may increase. Each person was then asked to write down just one thing that they hope for in life and to place it on the cross –, a symbol that we don’,t just cope with the things that life throws at us, but we hold onto the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Overall it was a great afternoon, enjoyed by all involved. The next REVELATION, with the theme LOVE will be held at the Cathedral Hall on Wednesday 9th December, 7 - 9pm.

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Page 4 FAMILY LIFE / SIDELINES / MUSIC Sidelines A nother year comes to a close: over the mulled wine, we mull over what the year has brought us, and the guardings of providence. We carefully consider the what-ifs, and the there-but’,s. Eventually, we arrive at the annual (well not always) Sidelines awards for 2009- in no particular order. Plot Lost: Our glorious bankers, who, rescued from the edge of the abyss, demand a bonus for being rescued- and demand it publicly. The British Bankers` Association called the idea of taxing such bonuses ",populist, political and penal",. Yes. Plot Found: literally perhaps: ITV- who found that Emmerdale is not in Lancashire (surely it’,s all the same?) and are going to leave its production in Leeds Odd Notion Award: German Markets spread rather thinly across West Yorkshire towns. Green Notion Award: Yorkshire Markets selling traditional local produce in West Yorkshire towns No Regrets Award: Hopefully the demise of National Express East Coast will not impact on its staff and perhaps bring an end to those Ryanair-style sprints for the right Kings Cross platform that were presumably meant to show us who was really in charge: alas, NEEC were neither cheap nor cheerful. Regrets Award: the loss of your church touches a nerve that could qualify every recently closed church for this award: but it is the names of the parishes that tug at the strings- some now subsumed into mega parishes with faraway names. Curiously, St Mary’,s Bradford, the unmanageable and magnificent Woollen Cathedral survives, but only as the name of a parish of two nearby churches. Strange but True Award: for all those policepeople and PCSO’,s who convinced themselves- quite wrongly-that taking a photo of England’,s heritage is illegal and proceeded, the press reports, to pursue innocent photographers rather than villains True but Strange Award: Average Speed Cameras on Motorways: have you ever met anyone who has been prosecuted with one? Do those who belt past you have a friend who knows something you don’,t? is there someone in a little room somewhere with two pictures and a pocket calculator? Are those on the M62 actually connected? Sanity Award: Vince Cable MP, who provides so many breaths of fresh air to our economic congestion: he is the perfect antidote to the BBC’,s Robert Peston. Insanity Award: the idea that people would want to pay to read newspaper websites on the internet (or they could share the “,Get Real”, award with the Bankers?) Long Term Good Service Award: a collective award to all parish Elves: you may not know them, and may never have seen them, but they are the quiet shadowy figures who collect &, tidy your hymnbooks, mass sheets/books, children’,s biscuits, discarded spectacles, chairs, items of clothing- and all those advertising inserts from Catholic Post. and finally …, A Heartfelt Award for Dignity: The Archbishop of Canterbury. Benchmark wishes all our readers a peaceful and holy new year. This column in various names has been around for- it must be- nearly 30 years. I have learnt never to believe the myth of inevitable human progress, only the need to regard all our steps forward as provisional and therefore challenging and exciting: in “,Twenty Ten”, put your hand to the plough: don’,t look back (Luke 9) Benchmark Guitars in Church: Regarded as anathema by a great many sincere churchgoers (and often rightly), folk music groups are generally too varied in too many environments to sit comfortably in one catch-all argument. Criteria are as diverse as musical direction and ‘,people available to volunteer’, in any given parish. I am not sufficiently qualified as a musician to give any authoritative line, all I have is my own experience…, Having been fortunate enough to benefit from a boarding-school education, and as a committed member of the choir I learned the real beauty of 4-part motets and the sheer enjoyment to be had out of performing and listening to them. In this situation, of course, a good number of voices was available across all 4 parts and this provided at least the very minimum requirement for a traditional church choir in terms of decent quantity and quality. The Catholic Church of Britain in 2009 is not always so rich in talent. As is the case with any church organization a music group is as dependent on available volunteers as is the St Vincent de Paul Society or the flower- arrangers. The corollary to the ‘,personnel’, problem is that auditions are rarely possible nor - in the spirit of encouraging legitimate worship of any kind –, are they necessarily desirable. Added to this church population issue, is the guitar itself. It’,s very emblematic of the current and previous generations because of popular music from the ‘,60s onwards and so is much more likely to have numbers of players in any population group than it would of clarinet or harpsichord-users. Taking these two factors into account alone accounts for the wide-ranging standards you get. However, there is one dimension that church would-be-troubadours do bring, and that is secular influence. It’,s safe to say that many Catholics in the pew would be hard-pressed to name their top three church choir heroes / conductors / arrangers etc. There is no section in HMV, WH Smith or in iTunes’,s vast catalogue that I can think of. On the other hand, everybody has his or her secular musical heroes. Our CD and vinyl collections are built on these talents and we can sing –, sometimes play –, to a reasonable standard in homage. Using instruments other than a church organ, you are much more likely to hear music in Church that borrows its style from Crosby, Stills &, Nash, or The Carpenters, The Beatles, Snow Patrol, Simon &, Garfunkel or (if you’,re really lucky) The Beach Boys. REM and Led Zeppelin re-introduced the mandolin to popular music, Seth Lakeman has helped rejuvenate interest in the tenor guitar and fiddle, while the likes of Martyn Joseph has renewed interest in open tunings. It’,s this richness of colour –, combined with an individual’,s or a group’,s courage to explore and experiment with it –, that saves ‘,folk music’, from its own worst, doom-laden generic term of “,Happy- Clappers”,. The clapping thing has two unfortunate associations: one is that it’,s linked with children’,s liturgy and two is people’,s link- often wrong- between clapping and the charismatic movement. Both have an unintentional hand in excluding the guitar-orientated liturgy from the mainstream. Then again, the very definition of church music is in that it needs to take place exposed to the public, so is necessarily more open to criticism. No mistakes or parochial shortcomings would exist in the context of a home visit by a parishioner or group. Seen in this context, then, the popularity of the “,amateur”, guitar group in the modern liturgy is easier to understand. One has to take it as read that one cannot keep the entire Catholic Communion happy: this ought to be celebrated, as it points to a body of people who are awake and attentive liturgically, intellectually, emotionally and culturally. As with any Church voluntary group, output is always going to be overwhelmingly in the hands of the volunteers responsible, and their own talents- and they need support. Musical Notes by Tim Devereux THREE CHEERS FOR PARENTS! O n Thursday 26th November two groups of parents and grandparents celebrated the end of their first ever parenting course one at The Holy Rosary Parish Church and one at Holy Rosary and St Anne’,s Primary School, in Chapeltown, Leeds. The morning session, ‘,From birth to five years’,, was facilitated by Marjorie Parker in the church building and the afternoon session, ‘,From 5 years to 15years’,, was led by Lyndsey Guest at the primary school. Certificates were presented and prayers and blessings gently and movingly offered and received by all in each group. Tears were shed and wonderful testimony offered to the amazing changes the participants had seen in their own and their families’, lives over the weeks. One grandmother said the course had been really useful and that her only regret was not having had this opportunity sooner! One comment was that the course had been the best day of her week! Others include: ‘,I have learned so much!’,, ‘,I appreciate my children more’, and ‘,I feel better about myself’,. Part of every session involves time for the parents to relax and think about themselves and think about a way that they can take time to celebrate themselves during their very busy weeks. In this way we minister to those very important people (VIPs) who care for God’,s children day in and day out in their homes and outside. These parenting courses were just two of the eight being offered in different schools and parishes as part of the Celebrating Family Funded Parenting Project. ‘,Engaging Parents’, is designed to affirm and enrich parents and grandparents, all relationships in the home and to strengthen all our home, school, parish relationships. Three cheers for parents and grandparents! To find out how you can be involved in our Parenting Project contact Anne Ruane at psw@flm.org.uk or call 0113 261 8050 Congratulations New Marriage Preparation Presenters! C ongratulations to all who attended our annual Diocesan Marriage Preparation Training! Pictured are 12, of the total of 17, with the trainers and Mgr Peter Rosser Episcopal Vicar for Christian Life. Mgr Peter attended the final evening to thank, on behalf of Bishop Arthur, all those who have committed themselves to this very important ministry. Marriage is the bedrock of our church and society and proper preparation for couples is essential. In the midst of the busy-ness of the wedding preparations couples can forget to focus on themselves. Our 6 module programme offers them a wonderful opportunity to give time to each other. Couples can find the marriage preparation course a moving (and fun filled) time of deep reflection and discovery as they find out something of their own, and their fiancé,/e’,s, deepest hopes and fears. This year our sessions were enriched by the presence of a pastor and her husband from a local Methodist Church. Left to right seated and standing: Rose McCarthy and Bill McCarthy training team, Debra and Simon Reynolds of St Robert’,s Harrogate, Pam and Paul Evans of St Joseph’,s Harrogate, Elaine and Martin Flanagan of St Joseph’,s Harrogate , Katherine and Toby O’,Donnell of St Peter and St Paul Wakefield, Jayne and Gary Poole of St Martin de Porres Wakefield, Rev Elaine and Ewart Joseph of Headingley Methodist Church, Jo Hill training team and Mgr Rosser Episcopal Vicar for Christian Life and Breda Theakston Coordinator For Family Life Ministry. Mgr Rosser presented certificates during our closing liturgy and we all shared a celebration table afterwards. Thank you to everyone especially Mgr Peter, Rose, Bill and Jo and Sr Beatrice for her warm welcome every Monday evening. Also attending but absent on this final evening were Elaine Risbey of St Robert’,s Harrogate, Paula and Michael Shanks of St Robert’,s Harrogate and Anne and Bernard Martin of St Martin de Porres Wakefield, Congratulations all and many, many thanks to your parishes and parish priests for supporting you in this ministry! For more photos and more information on how you can be involved with Family Life Ministry go to www.flm.org.uk T he two rose trees that stood in the Cathedral church of St Anne in Leeds during the recent visit of the relics of St Therese of Lisieux, the ‘,Little Flower’,, have now both gone to their proper homes. One is at the Carmelite convent in Wetherby, shown here being dug in by Sisters Hilary Therese, Carmel, Margaret and Marie Therese, and one tree has gone to its home at St.Theresa’,s Primary School, Leeds. During the Sunday afternoon ‘,Family Time’, in Wheeler Hall at the Cathedral children who had come to visit the relics made paper roses which were carried down in baskets and added to the trees so that they ‘,bloomed’, before people’,s eyes as the day wore on. The children had written prayers and blessings on the coloured tissue paper before making the roses. At Therese’,s Primary School is including its rose tree in a new garden theme for the children. The real roses which will bloom through the years will remind everyone of the very special occasion when St Therese’,s relics graced our diocese and touched our lives. In this way the blessings of the visit continue through time especially as the Carmelite sisters are keeping all the children and their intentions in their prayers. St Theresa’,s rose trees go home

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COME AND SEE Page 5 COME AND SEE COME &, SEE YEAR 5 I t seems a long time now since we began Come &, See, our diocesan process for renewal, back in November 2005. I wonder what your memories are of receiving two copies of the specially produced edition of St Mark’,s Gospel, one for you and one to pass on to someone else? Did you ever read it? Did you pass it on? Each year since then, beginning in Advent, Come &, See has moved through different themes: Scripture and Prayer in Year 1, Repentance and Reconciliation in Year 2, Being the Local Church in Year 3 and Catechesis and Commitment in Year 4. Through diocesan and local events, and through the distribution of resources for parishes and schools, we have planted seeds of mission and put the spotlight on the importance of sharing the gospel. It was Pope Paul VI who, back in 1975, said that the Church exists to evangelise and that in preparing ourselves to evangelise we too need to deepen and revive our understanding and practice of our faith. This is the purpose of renewal in our diocese. We now find ourselves at the beginning of Year 5 of Come &, See where the focus is Mission &, Evangelisation under the banner heading of Go Make Disciples. This year, whilst continuing to renew our own faith, we turn our eyes out beyond our parish, to our local community and to the world. How can our renewed faith be shared with the people we meet? How can we make a positive contribution to the lives of people in other parts of our world, sharing with them the hope that we have in Christ? Visit the Come &, See website www.comeandsee.org.uk to keep up to date with news and to download new resources. For further information, contact Mrs Josephine Stow 0113 2618057 josephine.stow@dioceseofleeds.org.uk New website to support faith T he end of 2009 sees the launch of the new Evangelisation and Catechesis website. The new website has been is for anyone interested in developing forming and deepening their own faith. It is also a first port of call for catechists and evangelisers looking for information and resources to help them with their ministry. The new Evangelisation and Catechesis website replaces the old CARES website. It contains all the resources and information for catechists as well as additional information and events. The new Evangelisation and Catechesis website is made up of three main sections: Catechesis, Evangelisation and Ongoing Formation. The Catechesis section includes Sacramental Preparation, Echoes and Journey in Faith (RCIA). The Evangelisation section includes Spiritual Seekers, Returning Catholic and Mission Opportunities. Ongoing Formation highlights helpful resources, support for developing faith and an events section with information about training and retreats, you can even book places online. There are additional sections including Foundations in Faith (CCRS) and Spiritual Reading that are worth exploring. Mrs Linda Pennington and Mrs Josephine Stow have been working on the content of the website with Fr John Wilson. Josephine Stow said of the new website, “,In the work we do, we aim to support evangelisers and catechists who journey with people from the moment they take an interest in Catholicism, through to Baptism and beyond! We hope that the website will be useful to the people who work so hard sharing their faith with others.”, The web address is: www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/evangelisation P rofessor Freda Bridge, principal and chief executive of Leeds Trinity University College presented over 200 awards and GCSE certificates to past and present students at Mount St Mary`s High School in Leeds. It was standing room only as a packed hall celebrated the best-ever results at the school. Every student in the “,Class of 2009”, left with a qualification, with nearly 70% achieving five or more top-grade GCSEs. Professor Bridge said that she was delighted to have been invited to share in the school’,s success and congratulated everyone for their excellent and well-deserved exam results: “,Thank you for the fantastic, friendly and warm welcome,”, she said. She spoke of the close relationship between Mount St Mary`s and the University College: “,We both have something in common –, a supportive environment strongly influenced by Catholic values with a clear commitment to the Catholic faith.”, Deputy Head boy, Liam Ward thanked Professor Bridge: “,On behalf of everyone here at Mount St Mary`s, I would like to congratulate you and the College on your new status and for being granted the power to design your own courses and award Leeds Trinity University College degrees.”, “,As you know, we are a specialist ICT and Maths school and as an ex-Maths teacher yourself, perhaps we could link up and design an easier Maths GCSE course in time for 2010!”, To top off the evening, the audience was entertained by the school choir before the cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat drew back the curtain and with a flash of light reprised a scene from the school’,s latest sell-out production. (Professor Bridge is pictured chatting to current students in the school library and presenting the Specialist College Prize for Mathematics to David Daka who chalked up six A stars and five grade As.) For further information contact Roy Flesher, Development Director at Mount St Mary’,s Catholic High School, Ellerby Road, Leeds LS9 8LA. Telephone: 0113-2455248 (General office) e-mail: flesher01@leedslearning.net. Professor Bridge presents the prizes at Mount St Mary’,s

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D eacons can learn a lot from our ongoing Year for Priests and the various models of ministry that are being discussed. A Deacon is not a priest or even a half priest or an aspiring priest but he is a close- perhaps the closest- collaborator: and that is why this year is important to Deacons too. Many will remember the images that Prof Nicholas Lash put forward at the Bournemouth Conference a few years ago: if the Priest is the Prodigal Father, the Deacon has been out into the world to find the prodigal son who the Father runs to welcome- a successful collaboration! As we approach St Stephen’,s Day, a great feastday for Deacons, it is good to read a recent address by Cardinal Hummes, Prefect of Congregation of the Clergy, who reported that when bishops come to Rome for their five-yearly visits, they are generally very much pleased and full of hope in regard to permanent Deacons. He said: “,The ministry of the Word which, in a special way for Deacons, has as its great model St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, requires of ordained ministers a constant struggle to study it and carry it out, at the same time as one proclaims it to others. Meditation, following the style of lectio divina, that is, prayerful reading, is one well travelled and much counselled way to understand and live the Word of God, and make it one’,s own. At the same time, intellectual, theological and pastoral formation is a challenge which endures throughout life. A qualified and up to date ministry of the Word very much depends upon this in depth formation. Another reflection regards the ministry of Charity, taking as a great model St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. The diaconate has its roots in the early Church’,s efforts to organize charitable works. At Rome, in the third century, during a period of great persecution of Christians, the extraordinary figure of St. Lawrence appears. He was archdeacon of Pope Sixtus II, and his trustee for the administration of the goods of the community. From St. Lawrence we take note of the affirmation “,the riches of the Church are the poor.”, He assisted the poor with great generosity and is an ever present example to permanent Deacons. We must love the poor in a preferential way, as did Jesus Christ, to be united with them, to work towards constructing a just, fraternal and peaceful society. “,Charity is the royal road of the social doctrine of the Church”, (Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate) Deacons must identify themselves in a very special way with charity. The poor are part of your daily ambiance, and the object of your untiring concern. One could not understand a Deacon who did not personally involve himself in charity and solidarity toward the poor, who again today are multiplying in number. May God bless you with all his love and make you happy in your vocation and mission! With respect and admiration, I greet the wives and children of those of you who are married. The Church thanks you for the support and collaboration which you give to your respective spouses and fathers in their diaconal ministry.”, Page 6 DEACONS NEWS Deacons Diary Retreat Day for Catechists Time and space for prayer and reflection Saturday 23rd January 2010 10.00 am - 4.00 pm at The Briery Retreat Centre 38 Victoria Avenue, Ilkley, LS29 9BW. (www.briery.org.uk) A chance for prayer and reflection on the ministry of catechesis, providing time and space for those who hand on the faith to receive some spiritual formation and support. The retreat is open to anyone involved or interested in the work of catechesis and handing on the faith to others –, catechists, teachers, parents, those involved with children’,s liturgy, those with a ministry in the Church... There will be Mass, reflections, and the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation and quiet prayer Cost: £,21 (to include tea/coffee &, lunch). Payment is required on booking to secure a place (£,5 of which is a non-returnable deposit). Cheques payable to ‘,Diocese of Leeds.’, Please book by Fri Jan 15 For more information please contact Janine Garnett on 0113 261 8040 or janine.garnett@dioceseofleeds.org.uk Please return to: Janine Garnett, Vicariate for Evangelisation, Hinsley Hall, 62 Headingley Lane, Leeds, LS6 2BX Retreat for Catechists Jan 23 2010 Name(s): ...................................................................................................................... ...................... Contact address: .............................................................................................................. .................. ............................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................ Tel: .......................................................................................................................... ............................ Dietary requirements: ......................................................................................................... ................ ............................................................................................................................................................ The St. Winefride’,s Wall hanging T he St. Winefride`s’, Wall hanging is a stunning piece of textile art, measure 80in x 80in and will provide a striking visual feast for visitors to St. Winefride`s School, Wibsey, Bradford. It was designed by textile artist, Christine Hughes (Christine Spink) and created by Christine, along with several other parents and parishioners of the school. It has took an amazing 2 years in all, to complete the project and with so much intricate work and detail in it, it is easy to see why. It was suggested initially by Fr. Keiron Walker of St. Winefrides Church. “,Father Walker asked me if I would like to design a wall hanging for the school, having already completed several pieces for the church, including a wall hanging and a banner for the altar,”, said Christine. “,I had to work out a theme and come up with a design which I showed to Fr. Walker and Miss Cairns, the headmistress of St. Winefride’,s School and they both approved it. I then drew a sketch of it, life size –, 80in x 80in.”, “,I was inspired by two things –, one is a verse from a hymn that we often sing in church –, Filled with my spirit, how you will grow. You are the branches, I am the tree. If you are faithful, others will know. You are alive in me. and the other is the trees all along Moore Avenue –, they are beautiful and I walk past them four times a day in all seasons as I take my little girl, Jasmine, aged 6, to school. I decided that the tree could represent the fact that we are, in life and in school, all part of the same family, and so I have made all the children and staff from the school appear as leaves on the tree”,, said Christine. The wall hanging is not only visually stunning in its rich colours of green, blue, dark red, brown and gold but also extremely tactile. “,I wanted to create beautiful textures with the fabrics and used a luscious deep red velvet for St. Winefride’,s gown.”, St. Winefride’,s face and hands are beautifully painted by artist, Ping Kelly, whose son Shaun, aged 10, attends the school. “,I was thrilled when I saw Pino’,s painting. She is incredibly talented and a wonderful portrait painter. I have seen several of her paintings before and they are really superb, said Christine. One of the major tasks in the wall hanging was the creation of the rag ragging effect, to represent the grass area which covers the bottom half of the piece. It was created by cutting and tearing fabric up into thousands of small pieces each measuring about _ in by 3 in many different shades of green. These were then sewn on by sewing machine rather than traditionally prodded, but the effect is the same as rag ragging. Christine and two other parishioners, Helen Garside and Maureen Wood got together to take on this huge task and the effect is stunning.”, It was made just from fabrics we had lying around and includes a bit of recycling too. There are old tops and shirts that have been cut up and included in there. One lovely donation came from a man who came to service my gas fire and boiler. As he worked, I told him about the wall hanging and he was very interested and thought it was a great idea. He said his wife had some spare fabrics. A few days later he turned up with his wife at my house to donate a box of fabrics. He was so nice to think of that, and although he is based in Shipley, I hope he will get a chance to see the finished wall hanging one day.”, Christine created the pool of water, and the Holy Spirit dove sections by layering several pieces of glittery fabrics in gold and silver and machine sewing them together with glittering threads and they really sparkle when they catch the light. On the right hand side is a velvet covered branch which features several beautiful hand-knitted leaves which have been made by parishioner, Kathleen Kelly, who is in her 80s. She also crocheted the lovely flowers which are scattered across the grassy area, and the effect is stunning. Another parishioner, Maria Riley, knitted the stone wall which features in the wall hanging. The huge tree is made of textured silk fabric and features hundreds of leaves, each one featuring a pupil from the school or a member of staff. Teachers, Mr. Emmott and Mrs. Dyson worked hard to produce the photos of pupils and staff and Christine then transferred them onto the fabric and cut them into leaf shapes which cascade over each other on the branches of the tree. The effect is spectacular, and displays so many textile techniques. Margaret Green, whose daughter, Ella, is a pupil at the school, put wire into the crocheted flowers and made them protrude from the grassy area and also constructed the little velvet branch on the right. Everyone has worked so hard, contributing their various talents to produce a stunning wall hanging to be enjoyed for many years to come.

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CHOIR 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 A day in the life of a Choral Director E ver wondered what a Diocese of Leeds Choral Director does? Christopher Johns tells all .... Although in many ways there is no such thing as a typical working day for me, there are some constants, one of which is the cup of coffee I make myself when I get up in the morning. And it has to be real coffee, not instant: I even keep a supply of one-cup filters in the back of my car, so that I can make myself a coffee if ever I have ten minutes to kill in a school between sessions! But that’,s where the routine ends. If I have to be in my first school for 9:30am, I drink the coffee quickly before jumping in the shower and shovelling a bowl of fruit and fibre into my mouth. Once I’,m on the road, every day is different, depending on which schools I’,m going into. When we’,re working on a project involving lots of schools, I’,ll find myself teaching the same songs in all the schools. At other times, different schools will be learning different pieces for different occasions, depending on what’,s coming up in the school calendar. My after-school timetable is similarly varied. Two days a week I stay in Bradford to rehearse the Boys’, Choir and on the other days, I have to hope that the A647 isn’,t so busy that I can’,t get over to Leeds in time to play for Vespers and Mass at the cathedral. Come six o’,clock, I’,m usually ready to go home and put my feet up, but I’,ll often spend an hour or two practising the organ first, stopping on my way out to say a quick prayer of thanks for the gift of music and the pleasure it gives to me and all whom I work with. According to the creation story in Genesis, God rested on the seventh day and on a Saturday, I endeavour to follow that good example. That said, it’,s not uncommon for extra rehearsals, concerts and the like to get in the way of these good intentions, but if at all possible, I try to take it easy. Except, of course, to make that lovely steaming mug of coffee. Holy Rosary and St Anne’,s Catholic Primary School –, A New Cathedral Choir School for Leeds! G reat things are happening in Chapeltown. Since September every pupil, from the Nursery right the way up to Year 6, of Holy Rosary and St Anne’,s Catholic Primary School (HRSA) has started on the path to a specialised musical education under the guidance of Diocese of Leeds Choral Director Sally Egan. The Diocesan Music Department is renowned for its choral programme, but it has remained difficult to recruit Cathedral Choristers from inner-city Leeds most coming from suburbs on the outskirts of Leeds. Cathedral Director of Music Benjamin Saunders decided that if inner-city children were not going to come to him, then he was going to send a Choral Director to them, with the ultimate aim of creating a Cathedral Choir School for the 21st Century. It is early days at HRSA. A Boys’, and a Girls’, choir drawn from children in years 4, 5 and 6 is in place, and plans are afoot to start a training Choir for the younger children. Each class in the school has a whole hour’,s singing with Sally Egan each week, and it is hoped that in the future all the children will learn to play an instrument too! Choral Director Sally Egan (herself a former pupil of the school) is very much enjoying the opportunity to work with these children, remarking ‘,They meet every new challenge with equal enthusiasm and it is a privilege to work with them. I will always remember a tiny boy in the Nursery, just arrived from Nigeria and full of anger at all the change in his life. He began our singing session by looking for a toy to hit another child over the head with, and ended it lying peacefully on the floor with the other children, listening to Bach. There is so much work still to do, but I think we are making a good start.’, The choir from HRSA will take part in the Cathedral Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 20th December, 4pm. SING-A-LONG FOR PERU AT ST JOSEPH`S HUNSLET F or over 20 years now, Sally Barnes and her Madrigal songsters from Cardinal Heenan High School have contributed to a wonderful pre-Christmas Sing-a-long at St Joseph`s School, Hunslet. This annual event raises monies for the Diocesan Mission run by the Sisters of Mercy in Lima, Peru. With songs from the Shows, Christmas Carols and many old sing-a-long favourites, the evening was a great success, raising some £,650. Together with a substantial anonymous donation, this will greatly assist the Sisters in their work of mercy. Father Eamonn McGoff, the parish priest, in thanking everyone for their generosity, paid particular tribute to Sally Barnes, the Songsters and Stuart Thompson, the accompanist and former Director of Music at the Cathedral, who had especially travelled up from London to participate. The Sisters would like to thank all those who have supported their Mission, in so many ways, over all these years. WEST YORKSHIRE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL Working for Christian Unity Do you have a pleasant personality, a high standard of literacy and good I.T. skills? Part time (12 hours) Secretary/PA to the County Ecumenical Development Officer. Based in Headingley. £,6500 p.a. (18958 pro rata). For full details see www.wyec.co.uk Closing date 31 January. WYEC is a registered charity, 1108691 All Night Vigil of Reparation Monday February 1st/Tuesday February 2nd St Peter’,s Church Belle Isle, LS10 3QN Holy Mass 9.30pm &, 6.00am For more information call Pat: 07747 698553

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PAGE 8 INTERFAITH Providing priests for the people –, for what? Bishop Arthur is currently undertaking the on-going reorganisation of Diocesan pastoral structures, to which he invites both clergy and lay participation. What has this major reshaping to do with the mission of the Diocese, and within that, the mission of interreligious relations? I t is no secret that the Catholic Church in this country and in Europe in general is experiencing a time of change which some have compared in its impact and consequences with the turbulent times of the Tudor reformation. Change feels like decline. The number of priests and people are dwindling. Older parishioners will notice the empty pews where not too long ago there were crowded ones. Parish daily mass is no longer to be taken for granted. At the same time many are disturbed by an increase in the numbers of our neighbours who follow another religion –, usually Islam, itself facing the internal threat of extremism. Far more people have turned away from religion in any guise and there has been an increase in anti-religious secularism. The question many ask is: “,Where is the Holy Spirit leading His Church in a new century facing globalisation, financial uncertainties, an increase in the gap between rich and poor, the threat of religiously inspired terrorism and the ever- growing dangers of climate change?”, The temptation is that we will turn inwards looking and seek by re-ordering our shrinking identity to “,save our souls”,. On the other hand it may be that we are being invited by the Holy Spirit to re-examine or re-visit an ancient truth. The Church exists to be “,the loving servant of all that exists”,. (Pope John Paul 11) We “,save our souls”, –, in the old language of the faith –, precisely by turning outwards to serve and hence bring the saving life of Christ to others. In other words we must realign the way we maintain our church structures, buildings, congregations, patterns of priestly and lay living and collaborating with our eyes firmly fixed on what all these things are being changed for. It is good to ask the question repeatedly: “,What is it all for?”, –, as long as we are aware of the God-given answer. We need to allocate the likely numbers of clergy to the likely number of parishioners so that nurtured by the life of the sacraments and being supported by the community of the Church, we are thereby equipped to turn outwards to bring the love of God to a world thirsty for it. This mission is our life blood. Without it we grow lifeless. With it we become “,Church”, in the real sense of a people “,gathered together”, for service to others. John Hull is (and may still be –, I haven’,t had time to check!) the blind Professor of RE at Birmingham University. He has a vivid image of religions. When religions are weak their heart is weak and their skins brittle, course and impervious. They threaten one another. When religions are strong their hearts are strong and their skins supple and malleable –, they are able to bend and flexibly reach out to others in strong friendship. In these crucial times our Church community is being invited to re-equip itself for mission. We are being invited to explore how best to be active in mission at home and abroad in many different ways. We are certainly being invited to take our place among those Christian Churches which know that interreligious dialogue has never been more necessary to the health and strength of our democracy. The key to an increase in a commitment to mission and interreligious relations is the careful arranging of the “,domestic hearths”, of our parishes or pastoral areas and the “,families”, of clergy and laity which gather round them in prayer and community. A careful deployment of clergy and people dedicated to the provision of a loving, worshipping, healing community will equip us for our work of building bridges between members of religions here and the parallel work of building peace, justice and care for creation world-wide. Will this missionary endeavour halt or even reverse the fall in our numbers? God alone knows. We could well ask: “,Does it matter?”, Perhaps, to the extent that our mission mirrors the mission undertaken by Jesus, success might not be measured in anything other than dozens! But with an agenda like it, with this as our abiding vision, with these emphases, we can be sure the Church will reflect the face of Christ to those who are searching Him out. An inward looking, weak Church may only attract those who seek safe havens rather than provisions and maps for their voyage as pilgrims. ON A LIGHTER “,NOTE”,! A big thank you goes to all those who made the interfaith music event on November 17th in Bradford such a success. Over a 100 folk turned out –, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Sikhs - to enjoy a noble curry and hear music from the worship traditions of 5 religions. See the photo of some of the performers. “,Those who sing pray twice”, –, was that St Augustine? 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 26 December. Zaratusht-No-Diso (Zoroastrian) Commemoration of the death of the prophet Zarathrustra. 27 December. Ashura (Shi’,a Muslim) A day of mourning for Shi’,a Muslims –, the day of the martyrdom of Husain, the second son of Ali and Fatimah, the prophet’,s daughter. 31 December. Omisoka (Japanese) A festival that prepares for the new year by cleansing Shinto home shrines and Buddhist altars. The bells of Buddhist temples are struck 108 times to warn against the 108 evils to be overcome. 5 January 2010. Birthday of Guru Govind Singh (1666 BCE) (Sikh) The tenth Guru who instituted the five Ks and founded the Order of the Khalsa on the feast of Vaisakhi 1699. 14 January Makar Sakranti (Hindu) A day for almsgiving and patching up quarrels. 18-25 January Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Inaugurated in 1908 –, dialogue on unity is to be encouraged as Christian unity is one of the most secure bases for interreligious relations between Christians and members of other religions. 27 January. National Holocaust Memorial day. First held in 2001 on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Many towns and cities in our area invite representatives of the different religions to join in remembering all the victims of the holocaust and to pledge never to forget its lessons. 30 January Tu B’,Shevat (Jewish) The New Year for trees. 31 January Birthday of Guru Har Das (1630 –, 1661) (Sikh) The 7th of the Sikh 10 Gurus. 3 February Rissun (Shinto) A Spring festival marking the division between winter and spring –, it is celebrated with beans. Must find out how! 5 Febraury. Parimaravana –, Nirvana day. (Buddhist) The anniversary of the Buddha’,s death (Mahayana Buddhists). Pure Land Buddhists call it Nirvana Day. 12 February. Mahashivratri. (Hindu) A festival of Shiva, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity. ",We Believe - in Music",. Music-makers from five religions after their performance in Bradford in November marking National Interfaith Week. Photo Michelle Hesltine. ONE MORE STEP O n the night of Thursday December 10th Joseph Cortis took his next step on the road to the Permanent Deaconate. Bishop Roche in his words of welcome at the start of the Mass pointed out how Joseph was entering on his final months of preparation for the Deaconate as he was made an Acolyte –, this was all part of his preparation to under take the office of service in the Deaconate. In his homily the Bishop traced how in being made a reader he had been entrusted with the word of God and encouraged to live his life by that word. Now in being made an Acolyte he was entrusted in giving out the Eucharist and entering more fully into the service of The Lord. More than that he was called to build up the unity of the Church and look to those in need. He would prepare himself for this and for the service of the Deaconate by prayer and attendance at Mass , as well as living an exemplary life.

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ADVERTISMENT Page 9

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Page 10 A CELEBRATION OF 50 GLORIOUS YEARS T he little Parish Church of St Boniface, Bentham, set time aside on Friday November 20th to not only to celebrate 50 years of its existence, but also to remember its glorious past. The Church was full with young and old, the sanctuary was overflowing with clergy and altar servers and the Bishop was there as the main concelebrate. It really was a well set scene newly remodelled, as the Church is it was showing as well as giving of its best. Little wonder then that the Bishop in his opening remarks said how proud he was of the Church and Parish –, and no he would not be giving it away to Lancaster. It was this theme of pride that the Bishop took up again in the homily, pointing out how apt it was that the Church should be dedicated to St Boniface a man who left his native country and came to bring the Faith to England –, just as their ancestors had kept the Faith alive during the penal times in their own area –, that Faith that had been handed down over all those years now to them –, and how well they have done it! They were now the pillars of the Faith –, just like Boniface they were true to Peter’,s successor –, The Pope –, and fittingly in this fifth and final Year of the Diocese’,s Come and See programme they were being called to be missioners –, and how well they were doing that. At the end of Mass the Bishop thanked everyone for coming and thanked the Parish for giving the Diocese Fr Dawber –, ‘,one of their own sons’,. Mgr Boylan then thanked the Bishop for giving of his time and said that as everyone left the Church there was a pamphlet for them to take away ‘,The Story Of A Parish’, by Simone Pridmore (this really is an excellent production) he then invited everyone to refreshments in the Town Hall.

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CAFOD Page 11 Swords into ploughshares . . . in the Democratic Republic of Congo ‘,Come let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh To the house of the God of Jacob That he may teach us his ways . . . Then he will judge between the nations And arbitrate between the peoples. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles.’, Isaiah2:3,4 This Christmas, with your help, CAFOD is helping build a more peaceful future for children in the Democratic Republic of Congo Tens of thousands of children have been caught up in the bloody civil war in the DRC. They didn’,t choose to become child soldiers. Many were kidnapped from their loving families, brutalised and forced to fight. A CAFOD-funded rehabilitation centre in Goma is giving escapee or rescued child soldiers new hope and the chance to build a better future. The centre provides tools and training in a trade, such as carpentry, electronics or sewing, so that the children can earn a living and put their troubled past behind them. Reuniting children with their loving families... The centre also provides vital counselling for the children who have often been deeply traumatised by the horrors they’,ve experienced. As you can imagine, after years of brutality, children become hardened and ruthlessly independent –, and sadly they find it hard to give and receive love. With time and support they begin to heal and many are able to be happily reunited with their families. Baraka’,s story... “, One day when I was 11 years old, I was feeding our cattle with Dad when we were chased by gunmen. I was caught, and they tied me up, whipped me and almost beat me to death... Later, I was sent to fight on the frontline.”, After three harrowing years as a child soldier, Baraka seized his one opportunity to escape. Eventually, he found his way to our rehabilitation centre in Goma where he received the support he needed to start afresh. “,After the training, CAFOD gave me a toolkit, which allowed me to start a carpentry workshop with four boys...”, Baraka had been tortured by his terrible past: “,I relived it again and again in my dreams,”, he recalls. But with love and counselling, Baraka was able to move on with his life. And thanks to the help he received Baraka is back with his family again. Isaiah’,s Prophesy Fulfilled in Our Time There are still more than 5,000 child soldiers in the DRC. This Christmas you can give another child like Baraka the tools and support they need to rebuild their lives and to live peacefully with their families. What a wonderful Christmas gift that would be! You can donate online at cafod.org.uk/Christmas or tel 0500 85 88 85 Lord Jesus, The angels who announced your birth sang of peace, and Mary your mother treasured their words in her heart. Today we strive to bring about a world where all your children live free from the threat of violence and war. May we be lovers of peace, givers and creators of hope. We long for the time when those who go hungry are filled with good things and the lowly are raised high. May we be inspired by your love, to transform weapons of war into tools of peace. Amen Linda Jones/CAFOD Huge Response From Leeds Diocese For Biggest Ever Climate Justice Rally Trish Sandbach shares images of the day Gathering at Leeds Station at 6.45am on Saturday 5th. December you would be forgiven for thinking you’,d arrived in the middle of a carnival: blue wigs, blue balloons, blue tinsel, blue faces, feathers and frills, even blue rubber gloves. The wave had begun. BBC Look North were there to interview campaigners and John Battle MP came to wave us off. Mgr Peter Rosser, Episcopal Vicar for Christian Life, represented Bishop Arthur who was already in London, passed on the Bishop’,s message of support and joined in the excitement. A sense of anticipation and expectation and being among friends was combined with the awareness of the huge amount of organisation that had gone into this event. Among the 500 people boarding the train were 20 sixth formers from St. Mary’,s Menston and a smaller group from Holy Family High School Keighley. Ecumenical Challenge at Westminster Central Hall On arrival we joined streams of people all making our way to the Methodist Central Hall, across from the Houses of Parliament where we gathered for an ecumenical service. Enthusiastic music from young people started off a great celebration. Moving testimonies from partners from Burkina Faso and Bangladesh brought home the realities of climate change from people experiencing its worst effects. Their stories made it even more imperative to succeed in halting global warming. Archbishop Rowan Williams was challenging, with gentle humour that raised serious questions about how we as Christians are living our lives. We are called, he said, to be healed and in the process to build a reconciled world. We bring good news to share because we believe in the hope offered by Jesus Christ so that we can face the challenges of climate change. We act not out of fear but gratitude and generosity for the amazing gift of creation. We need to change and consume less not just as individuals but as the Church itself. Archbishop Nichols reinforced that we must be the change so that politicians can make the necessary changes. He reiterated that we must live simply so that others may simply live. There was a great feeling of energy and solidarity as we left t to join the march waving our hand shaped Climate Justice placards. The Wave –, upwards of 40,000 people form a Human Wave As we walked to form a wave around the Houses of Parliament people stopped to shout support and encouragement. There is something entirely amazing about being in such a huge movement of people of different backgrounds, ethnicity, occupations, faith perspectives and knowing that you are united in this call for action that could be world changing. I felt elated but also conscious that it is only one step in this arduous journey. Arriving at Big Ben we waited till the encirclement of the Palace of Westminster had been achieved. As Big Ben struck 3.00pm. a great cheer went up from 40,000 people and we waved our placards and banners. Shortly afterwards our small group were interviewed by a woman from an American Television Network asking us why we were there. Prayer in Action for God’,s Creation, the World’,s Poor and Future Generations As we left the bridge we realised that there were still marchers who had not yet reached the end because it was so long! There was music and people dressed as penguins, Father Christmas and a co-ordinated cycle- driven dragon to give them cheer as they finished the march. Eventually back to the train after an expensive cup of tea in Covent Garden and problems at the tube station, a bit footsore and weary nevertheless we were glad to have been part of this prophetic witness. The day had been a never to be forgotten experience. It was prayer in action for our children, their children and the children of all the species on the earth.

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Page 12 LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE 26 January 10.00am to 3.30pm Managing difficult behaviour in the primary classroom Conference with Dr Bill Rogers 27 January 7.00pm to 9.00pm Non-canonical Gospels and other apocryphal texts, East and West Lecture by Dr Paul Foster, University of Edinburgh 28 January 10.00am to 3.30pm Managing the hard class in secondary school Conference with Dr Bill Rogers 28 January 7.00pm to 9.00pm From James to Peter: Finding hope in a generation of tragedy Lecture by Andy Lloyd, Head of the Centre for Children, Young People and Families at Leeds Trinity University College 24 February An evening with Gervase Phinn 22 to 26 February Journalism Week with guest speakers including Helen Boaden, Director of BBC News and Alan Rusbridger, Editor- in-Chief of The Guardian and The Observer 10 March Writers’, Festival The 6th annual Writers’, Festival, organised by the English Department, will include contributions from Royal Literary Fellows. For more information visit our website at www.leedstrinity.ac.uk Forthcoming events Honours conferred to mark inauguration of Leeds Trinity University College L eeds Trinity University College has recognised the contributions of two prominent Catholics from different walks of life by awarding Honorary Life Fellowships. The popular writer and broadcaster, Gervase Phinn, who was one of Leeds Trinity’,s very first students, and Leeds West MP John Battle became Honorary Life Fellows upon the inauguration of Leeds Trinity as a University College, in the presence of Rt Rev Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds. Leeds Trinity was founded in 1966, as two separate teacher training colleges - Trinity College for women and All Saints College for men. The institution reached a milestone in its development this year when it achieved University College status. Bishop Arthur said, “,I am very proud of the attainment of Leeds Trinity’,s new status and congratulate the new Life Fellows. This is recognition of excellence and a tribute to the staff, students and governors who have worked so hard to achieve it.”, One of only three Catholic university colleges nationwide, its new status gives Leeds Trinity autonomy to design and approve its own degree courses, thereby equipping its graduates to succeed in the prevailing economic climate. For John Battle MP, whose constituency has the lowest level of participation in higher education in the UK, this is a key challenge. He said, “,I am proud to accept this honour and by so doing become an active supporter of Leeds Trinity as it seeks to address contemporary needs for skills and training.”, Gervase Phinn said, “,It is a great honour to receive this award. I owe a lot to the college and the amazing tutors who taught me. The first thing I learnt there was that people are the most important thing if we are to continue producing caring and compassionate teachers.”, The Honorary Life Fellowships were conferred at a Civic Reception in Leeds Civic Hall on 13 November. The event provided an opportunity for the new Leeds Catholic School Choir to showcase two of the songs they have been working on this term with Choral Director Sally Egan. The children, who are all from Holy Rosary and St Anne’,s School, Chapeltown, greeted guests at the ceremony with a Congolese song of welcome “,Si si si”,, and Jacques Berthier’,s “,Jubilate Deo.”, Leeds Trinity’,s carol service has something for everyone L eeds Trinity started its Christmas celebrations on 3 December with a carol service that offered a musical mix catering for all tastes and traditions. Staff, students and guests packed the chapel for a celebration led by Resident Chaplain Fr Paul Grogan, with readers including representatives from across the college community. Musical offerings ranged from a gospel medley with a reggae influence, to modern carols and traditional favourites with brass band accompaniment. Guest musicians included organist Thomas Leech, a Choral Director at Leeds Cathedral, the music group of St Mary’,s Church in Horsforth, the Horsforth Brass Band and the Church of God of Prophecy Youth Choir from Chapeltown. The Leeds Trinity choir performed John Rutter’,s “,Angels’, Carol”, and the traditional “,Carol of the Bells”,. The choir’,s next performance will be at the Church Universities and Colleges Choir Festival in Canterbury next February. The Festival has become a regular event in the choir’,s calendar, under the directorship of Dr Fiona Thompson. Fiona said, “,The Leeds Trinity choir came into being as a seasonal gathering of singers to provide music for the annual Carol Service, and they have gone from strength to strength. The performance standard is phenomenal and the choir make me immensely proud.”,

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POLISH NEWS 13 Funeral Services As The Post goes to press, an unexpectedly large number of nations are gathering in Copenhagen to look at matters of climate change, global warming and what we are to do about it. We could regard it as the last chance saloon for the world: certainly what is done even now is already done for the next decades: it is grandchildren and beyond who could find the world not as they know or expect before the end of the century. There seems no doubt that something is happening, and it is unintentional human intervention that may be causing the bigger problems of flooding and erosion, drought and starvation that we encounter at the moment. There are still deniers- right wing Catholic groups amongst them: but generally we have to work on the balance of probabilities. We could wonder if anyone confesses the sin of allowing global warming, of not doing enough to limit their carbon footprint, emissions or whatever: what I do is essential, what you do is not. It comes into the category of that much neglected sinfulness- structural sin: the way we exclude, harm or oppress other people and society through our collective actions Certainly some of our churches and other buildings do not seem to be examples of good practice, many guzzling energy with inefficient boilers and lighting and hurling harmful gases into the atmosphere, just like we’,ve always done. Perhaps we can have our own Copenhagen and raise the priority of another essential virtue in our own diocese: good stewardship of the world we are given, and solidarity with all who use it. The Post Says …, 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 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 Diocese of Leeds Vicariate for Evangelisation A SHORT COURSE FOR CATECHISTS Sacramental &, Liturgical Catechesis The Vicariate for Evangelisation offers a five week introductory course covering the following: Infant Baptism: Parish Preparation and Celebration Christian Initiation of Children of Catechetical Age Eucharist &, Reconciliation: Parish Preparation &, Celebration Confirmation - The Challenge! Breaking Open the Word with Adults and Children The course runs from 7.15 –, 9.30 pm on the following dates in 2010: Tuesday, 23rd February Tuesday, 2nd March Tuesday, 9th 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 Linda Pennington Cost £,35 For further information or to book please contact Janine Garnett on 0113 261 8040 or janine.garnett@dioceseofleeds.org.uk A Polish Christmas A dvent is the time of year when we prepare for the Birth of Jesus Christ. During advent, various jobs are carried out within a polish household including the baking of the Christmas piernik (gingerbread), and the making of Christmas decorations. Pierniki are made in a variety of shapes, including hearts, animals and St. Nicholas figures. Traditional decorations include the pajaki, which are handmade stars and decorated eggshells are also prepared. In Poland, lit Christmas trees are placed in most public areas, outside churches and in homes. Traditionally, the trees are decorated with shiny apples, walnuts, wrapped chocolate shapes, hand blown glass baubles, and many homemade ornaments and candles. On the top of the tree is a star. In many homes, angel hairs are hung on the branches of the trees for ambiance. Sometimes, the trees are left standing until February 2, the feast day of St. Mary of the Candle of Lightning. During Advent, the ",Gwiazdory,", or star carriers, wander through the towns and villages and this continues until Epiphany. Some of the Gwiazdory sing carols, others recite verses or put on ",Szopki", (puppet shows), or ",herody", (nativity scenes). The last two customs are developments from traditional manger scenes or ",Jaselka", (crib). One tradition unique to Poland is the sharing of the ",oplatek",, a thin wafer into which is pressed a holy picture. People once carried these oplatki from house to house wishing their neighbors a Merry Christmas. Nowadays, the bread is mostly shared with members of the family and immediate neighbors. As each person shares pieces of the wafer with another person, they are supposed to forgive any hurts that have occurred over the past year and to wish the other person all the happiness in the coming year. In Poland, Christmas Eve is first a day of fasting and then of feasting. The feast begins with the appearance of the first star. The first star of the night is so important that Christmas Eve is often called the ",little star", or Gwiazdka, in remembrance of the Star of Bethlehem. The Christmas Eve meal is called Wigilia. This name of the feast is derived from the Latin word vigilare, which means “, to watch”, or keep vigil. According to tradition, bits of hay are spread beneath the tablecloth as a reminder that Christ was born in a manger. In some homes an empty place setting is symbolically left at the table for the Baby Jesus or for a wanderer who may be in need, or if a deceased relative should come and would like to share in the meal. The meal begins with the breaking of the oplatek. Everyone at the table breaks off a piece and eats it as a symbol of their unity with Christ. They then share a piece with each family member giving good wishes for the following year. There should be twelve dishes, as a symbol of the Twelve Apostles, or an odd number of dishes for good luck (usually five, seven, or nine). Poppy seed cake, beetroot soup, polish dumplings, carp, herring and noodles with poppy seed are universal Polish Christmas foods. Traditionally, there is no meat eaten on Christmas Eve. Often there is compote of dry fruits. The remainder of the evening is given to stories and songs around the Christmas tree. In some areas of the country, children are taught that ",The Little Star", brings the gifts or angels. At the end of the meal, the presents are unwrapped. Christmas and Boxing Day is often spent visiting friends. In Polish tradition, people combine religion and family closeness at Christmas time. Although gift giving plays a major role in the rituals, emphasis is placed more on making special foods and decorations. This year, Leeds City Council, Renaissance Yorkshire and Europe Direct Leeds are organising a number of events illustrating a Polish Christmas in connection with Europe Direct Leeds. These include: 12th December Leeds Museum Discovery Centre Morning session 10:00 - 12:00 Afternoon session 1:00 - 3:00 (Fully Booked) Come and make traditional Polish Christmas tree decorations, see a display of Polish artefacts and enjoy traditional Polish entertainment. Families are welcome. Booking is required. 16th December –, Central Library 6:00 –, 7:45 An evening of traditional Polish music, Polish dancing, Polish storytelling, and a display of Polish artefacts. Families are welcome. No booking required. 19th December –, Armley Library 1:00 –, 3:00 Come and make traditional Polish Christmas tree decorations, see a display of Polish artefacts and enjoy traditional Polish entertainment. Families are welcome. No booking required. 20th December –, Leeds City Museum 1:30 –, 2:15 Come and enjoy some traditional Polish storytelling. No booking required. Please come along and support these events and learn more about a Polish Christmas Fallen Leaves Listopad means ",falling leaves", in several Slavic languages. In Polish, it refers to November and just as the leaves fall, we remember the fallen during November both at Armistice Day and on All Souls Day. Zaduszki is the name given to Poles for the tradition of lighting candles (znicze) at the graves of their relatives on All Souls Day. Poles believe that praying for the souls of the death cleanses their soul. In Poland, All Souls Day is a holiday and the streets are often filled with silent and solemn crowds, and cemeteries glow with thousands of candles, presenting a unique and picturesque scene. Here in England, polish community meet at their cemeteries and pray for their departed loved ones. In Leeds, there were services held at both Lawnswood and Killingbeck Cemetries. During, the first eight days of November, poles also pray for the dead by making a dead list –, wypominki. These names are then read during the congregations prayers for the dead. This tradition goes back to the 10th century. This year, the children who will be receiving their first holy communion next year, brought their lists to church and gave a donation from their own pocket money to remember their dead relatives. Armistice Day this year in the Polish Parish in Leeds was commemorated with Holy Mass and then a “,akademia”, - show which commemorated this historic day in the eyes of the World and remember those who lost their lives for their homeland.

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Page 14 PARISH NEWS DIOCESAN TREASURE HUNT GETS UNDERWAY In recent weeks work has begun on producing a Diocesan Inventory. This is the first time that an attempt has been made to compile a systematic record of all the many artefacts of historic and/or artistic interest that are to be found in the churches and chapels of the diocese. The project is being led by the Diocesan Archives and the Diocesan Property Department in collaboration with Ben Read, a member of the diocesan Historic Churches Committee and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Fine Art at Leeds University, and is due to be completed in the summer of 2010. Ben Stoker, a researcher from the School of Fine Art, University of Leeds has embarked on visits to over a hundred parishes. Ben is a graduate of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham and before coming to Leeds was a curator of the Tennyson Transformed exhibition at The Collection in Lincoln. He is now adding the results of all the individual parish surveys to a rapidly growing database that will eventually provide an overall picture of the artworks held by the diocese. The survey covers items such as vestments, chalices, paintings and statues, and it is painstaking work as each item is studied and photographed and its details recorded on a computer. Ben said, ‘,This is a fascinating project that will lay the foundations for future research into the artistic heritage of the diocese, I’,m really enjoying visiting and working with the parishes across the diocese’,. HOLY LAND MEMORIES T he Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, will be in the memories this Christmas of a group of pilgrims from St Robert’,s Church in Harrogate. In May of this year a group of 34 parishioners and friends made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, led by Fr Christopher Angel and Fr Michael Krychiwskyj. Pope Benedict had visited the Holy Land the previous week, and the welcome posters and bunting were still up. At the Garden of Gethsemane was an olive tree planted by Pope Paul VI, and the group celebrated Mass on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Pope John Paul II had visited. Particularly memorable was a Mass in the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth in a chapel next to the cave associated with Mary’,s meeting with the angel. After Galilee the group visited the Holy Sites in Jerusalem, including praying the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa and in the Holy Sepulchre Church, and travelled through the desert to Jericho, the Dead Sea and Qumran. In Bethlehem the pilgrims celebrated Mass in the caves at the Church of the Nativity where St Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, and venerated the site of Jesus’,s birth, as well as visiting the Shepherds’, Fields. Leeds Middlesbrough Hallam When Yorkshire Priests retire or fall sick they receive support from THE YORKSHIRE BRETHREN FUND Under the patronage of Blessed Nicholas Postgate (founded in 1660) A NYONE CAN HELP THEM BY BECOMING A BENEFACTOR Each Benefactor will have five Masses offered during life or after Death as requested, and share in over 400 monthly Masses offered by Priest Members. Apply to your Parish Priest or The Secretary: Fr Timothy Wiley, St Mary’,s Presbytery, Cross Bank Road, Batley, WF17 8PQ Contribute £,30.00 Registered Charity Number 511025

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SCHOOLS NEWS Page 15 HELPING HANDS by Andrea Standring C hildren aged 12 to 13 from Carlton have been taking part in the Lifestyle Project which is run by Humberside Police. This is where children come together in groups to raise money for charitable organisations within their community. The scheme ran from 1/7/09 to 11/9/09. The group which called themselves the Helping Hands Lifestyle Group consisted of the following: Emily Standring Aged 12 Will Standring Aged 13 Emily Collins Aged 12 Megan Barratt Aged 12 The children decided because they all attended Carlton Holy Family High School that they wanted to raise money for the Goole and Howden Catholic Churches, being St Joseph’,s in Goole and Sacred Heart in Howden. They raised over this period £,1275.00 through numerous tombolas, car boot sales, a chocolate raffle at school and a sponsored walk from Goole Catholic Church to Howden Catholic Church and back. But lifestyle is not just about raising money it is also about helping in their community. The children have also being doing various jobs for parishioners, which have been as follows: Weeding for a person with MS, clearing out a unit and putting back the items to keep for a lady with severe arthritis who is very elderly, they also took this lady out in her wheelchair up town and took her to the café,. Shopping for a couple who are not able to get out because the lady suffers with a very terrible illness which leaves her paralysed and unable to talk. Cleaning barge boarding for a couple, a couple of car washes, gardening, weeding and clearing out for numerous people, one of which was for the local Memorial Hall, taking a lady in a wheelchair to and back from church to attend the mass for the sick. Two of the children played the Violin and sang after this mass for these sick parishioners. They have also helped on a regular basis with the teas at Goole Church throughout this period. They have written numerous letters to organisations asking for tombola donations and asked Tesco if they could hold a tombola stall in their store. They have also baked for many hours for their tombola stalls and also for the cake stalls at the fund raisers of both Howden and Goole churches. The children have worked extremely hard. They have worked on this project every week, sometimes many times in that week. They have had to find the prizes for the tombolas through requests from family friends and parishioners. ‘,Yorkshire Martyrs students Grow in Knowledge and Faith’, T he emphasis at Yorkshire Martyrs is very much on celebration these days. On October 8th the College recognised the achievements of last year’,s Y11 students and celebrated the best ever public exam results in its 46 year history. The John Fisher Hall was full to capacity to recognise individual achievements across the ability range and for academic, sporting and pastoral contributions. The evening was especially emotionally highly charged since the College closes its doors as Yorkshire Martyrs for the last time in July. The new Executive Headteacher of all three Bradford Catholic secondary schools , Mr Paul Heitzman, handed out the awards and gave a keynote speech where he acknowledged how proud he was to be associated with the school and how attached he had become to Yorkshire Martyrs since he was appointed in the summer term. A number of students who went on pilgrimage to Lourdes last July continued to live out their calling by helping out at the Bradford soup kitchen during the summer holidays and were awarded Contribution to Catholic Life prizes. In a touching gesture the students had already decided to donate their cash prizes back to the charity. This was truly an evening to acknowledge how the College encourages children ‘,to grow in Knowledge and Faith.’, A steering committee is planning a range of events to celebrate the contribution Yorkshire Martyrs and before that Cardinal Hinsley and St Margaret Clitherow schools have made to the Catholic Life of Bradford including a Gala dinner and a special mass with the Bishop of Leeds as chief celebrant. Leeds Students Launch New Higher Education Website M ount St Mary`s High School Year 11 student, Joe Smith, (pictured above) along with ex- classmate Daniel Cabry, who is now studying Mechanics at Leeds City College, were joined by staff and students from Leeds Metropolitan University and an audience of young people from across the West Yorkshire region for the official launch of their new website www.go2uni.net. Funded by Leeds Metropolitan University and Aimhigher, the go2uni.net project has been designed to provide young people in West Yorkshire with in-depth information, advice and guidance about higher education and the options that are available to them. The launch ceremony that took place at the Electric Press building in Millennium Square kicked off with key speeches from project managers and students involved in the scheme. Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Andrew Barker then officially launched the website before presenting Joe and Daniel with Acer Notebooks. The website aims to offer impartial advice and guidance about Higher Education, providing a real insight into university life and is presented in a format which will be appealing to young people. It features a range of information from choosing a course, how to apply, managing your money, living away from home and the benefits of going to university. Joe said: “,This project was an excellent opportunity for all of us. We got a chance to see a glimpse of the lives of university students, just as they got a chance to see life at a young age as we come up to a crossroads, deciding where we will go.”, 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

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Page 16 BATTLE John Battle KCSG I t was a bit distressing to here on Radio 5 Live a “,celebrity”, defined as “,someone who gives to charity”, as if only celebrities are acknowledged as driving charitable giving these days. But to suggest that to be “,a celebrity”, means to be charitable could rather reduce the space of the rest of us, acknowledged as charitable givers. Increasingly that great Christian concept and virtue- and charity is being reduced to a subset of media celebrity status. It is now part of the consumer spectator culture- with a bit of mock participation for the BBC’,s popular annual charity show “,Children in Need”,. This year marked the National Lottery’,s fifteenth anniversary with a gathering of lottery millionaires (billed as “,collectively worth over £,400 million”,) for a November photo call in London. Since it was created in 1994, the National Lottery has created over 2,300 millionaires and paid out more than £,36 billion in prizes. But the Lottery’,s main pitch was to raise funds for national “,good causes”, and in the last fifteen years more than £,33 billion has been paid back in over 330,000 grants made to projects large and small, from arts and sports to heritage, health, education, the environment and the voluntary sector. In this time many and various local projects have been supported but usually by short-term un-renewable grants. In practice this has meant that many innovative charity and voluntary organisations have got started, found premises, employed staff only to find out two to three years in that they have no chance of either getting more lottery money or substitute money from local authorities or government departments. The practical effect is that numerous good initiatives at local level have been short lived- lacking core funding they have started up and then been forced to close down. Of course the Lottery grants were never meant to provide permanent back up funding and approved grants usually include an element to encourage new organisations to develop alternative sources of funding. The problem is, not least in these straightened times they rarely can. On the same day as the National Lottery was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary I received a letter from the “,Fundraising Standards Board”, informing MPs that that “,charitable giving is down 11% on last year and demand for services is increasing dramatically”,. We were being urged to issue a call to our constituents asking them to support local charities in the lead up to Christmas as part of a new “,Give With Confidence”, campaign. The Fundraising Standards Board is an independent facilitator to get charities to operate to high standards of the best practice as part of a “,self- regulatory system”, sitting under the charity commission registration system. Of course we need to have confidence in properly registered –,and run- charities and be able to distinguish them from conmen and charlatans. But what is also evident from monitoring charitable giving- is that poorer people and poorer neighbourhoods by and large are the most generous givers in the UK. While supporting a campaign to foster “,giving with confidence”, we need to insist on the limits of relying on charities. Like the Lottery they do not tend to provide long term basic core funding- leaving a short term financial crisis. Furthermore there is a real danger of charitable substitutionism- of charities being asked to step in and provide services and resources previously or that should be provided by the state at local or national level. When increasing “,partnership”, is being talked up, for example with the churches and faith communities what it cannot be reduced to is asking the churches to provide services to people but expecting to raise the money to provide them with no contribution from the taxation system. Asking charities to provide services without contributing to the means to pay for them would simply be a cover for cuts- and a withdrawal of responsibilities by the state at local or national level. Charitable giving should never replace the just demands for a fairer distribution of the country’,s wealth and tax resources. “,Someone who gives to charity”, Cathedral restoration continues I n recent weeks restoration work has been completed on two large murals which adorn the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the Cathedral. The murals have a long and interesting history. The originals were the work of an Italian artist, Cesare Formilli, who was also responsible for the Stations of the Cross in the Cathedral and the mosaics on either side of the reredos in the sanctuary. Formilli’,s wall paintings were completed in 1915 as part of a process to implement the decorative scheme devised by the architect of the Cathedral, J H Eastwood. By the late 1930s the paintings in the chapel were deemed to have perished and an unknown ecclesiastical artist was engaged to produce replacements. These later murals were themselves painted over when the Cathedral was re- ordered in 1963 and they remained hidden until 2006, when preparations for the redecoration of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel revealed the earlier images. At that stage it was decided to uncover as much as possible of the paintings in the hope that eventually they could be returned to their original condition. As reported previously in the Catholic Post a substantial grant from English Heritage enabled the renowned Pugin reredos in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel to be restored in 2007.Earlier this year, thanks to the generosity of two anonymous donors, it became possible to embark on the restoration of the murals. This work has been carried out by Howell &, Bellion, a leading firm of church interior decorators based in Saffron Walden, Essex, who were responsible for the restoration of the Pugin reredos and also its counterpart in the sanctuary. To date the two Ave Maria panels to both sides of the reredos have been reinstated and the plan is to carry out the restoration of the remaining panels as funds become available. The cost of restoring the panels above the arches on the north and south sides of the chapel is approximately £,6,000 each, while the larger panel above the entrance to the chapel will cost £,9,000. If anyone is interested in sponsoring the next stage of this project, in the first instance they are asked to contact the Dean of the Cathedral, Mgr Philip Moger in writing, or on 0113 245 4545 or by e-mail: cathedral@dioceseofleeds.org.uk The Shroud of Turin O n Sunday the 14th February 2010 St Theresa’,s will be privileged to host an exhibition about the Shroud of Turin. Mrs Pam Moon who owns a full sized copy of the Shroud has agreed to bring it to St Theresa’,s and to give a talk about it on the Sunday before Lent. This exhibit has already been seen in St Chad’,s Cathedral &, Coventry Cathedral to name but two. In 1898 the church allowed the Shroud of Turin to be examined by a new technology –, photography. Seconda Pia, took the first photographs. He wrote, !all intent on my work, I experienced a very strong emotion when, during the development I saw for the first time the Holy Face appear on the plate, with such clarity. I was dumbfounded by it.”, Pia realised that the Shroud itself is a negative image and photography exposes the positive. Priest wins Poetry Prize P riest poet Fr Michael Mc Carthy has been named as the winner of ‘,The Poetry Business’, Prize for 2008/9. Fr Michael, who celebrated his Ruby Jubilee this summer is Parish Priest at St Joseph’,s Sherbum –, in - Elmet. His prize-winning Poetry Collection ‘,At the Races’, was recently launched at the Showroom Cinema, Sheffield. Described by Peter Sansom as ‘,one of the best poetry story-tellers now writing,’, Fr Michael’,s previous Collection ‘,Birds Nests and other Poems’, won the Patrick Kavanagh Award. Leading English poet Gillian Alnutt, says of the new book: “,There’,s a life lived there and here and always among people, mostly poor, apostles. There’,s a parishful of poems: ‘,a circle of small shells / their ears to the ground. Any moment / now, the waters break’,. You wouldn’,t want to miss it.”, ‘,At the Races’, is available from the Publishers website: http//www.poetrybusiness.co.uk or from all good bookshop. The poem included here ‘,Theologically Speaking’,, tells of conversation with the late Tess Carr, caretaker at Scarthingwell Church for over six decades Theologically Speaking i.m Tess Carr 1921-2003 The Church: there beside the lake hunchbacked against the wind since eighteen-fifty-four. In the background Cardinal Wiseman’,s cedar growing taller every year. Close by: the grass cut the undergrowth cleared away the small wooden cross now obvious. ‘,Who’,s buried here?’, I ask. ‘,Bernadette’,, she says. My eyebrows puzzle. ‘,The cat.’, Realising this wasn’,t your average cat I hesitate. ‘,It’,s not a matter of being small-minded or anything but theologically speaking Jesus didn’,t die for cats. Could the grave be marked say by a shrub?’, Over a medium-sized pause my suggestion is dismissed. ‘,She did enough for this Church. Everybody loved that cat.’, Theology would have to please itself May Bernadette have eternal rest.

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ROME Page 17 From a silent black and white film of Pope Leo XIII in the Vatican gardens, to Oscar winners and blockbusters such as Roberto Benigni’,s ‘,Life is Beautiful’,, Peter Jackson’,s ‘,Lord of the Rings’,, the Harry Potter series, or Mel Gibson’,s ‘,The Passion of Christ’,: the Vatican’,s film library, inaugurated fifty years ago by Pope John XXIII, boasts a collection of almost eight thousand titles, many of which are stored in two special rooms with temperature and humidity controls to preserve the most fragile ancient reels. The oldest of these was filmed in 1896, just one year after the French Lumiè,re brothers, Auguste and Louis, invented and patented the cinematographe, the earliest film projector through which they fed the first moving picture show. Using the same technique and materials, an Italian pioneer, Vittorio Calcina, filmed the pope of that period, Leo XIII in the Vatican gardens, a grainy black and white reel showing the elderly pontiff smiling at the camera and blessing those around him, before being driven away in an elegant, horse drawn open carriage. Most of the popes of the 20th century, with the exception of Pius X, were also captured on film, with sound introduced during the pontificate of Pius XI (filmed with the inventor of radio Giuglielmo Marconi inaugurating Vatican Radio in 1931) and glorious technicolour bringing to life the images of more recent events during the pontificates of Paul VI and John Paul II. Alongside footage of the popes and major Vatican events, the library also houses a sizeable collection of commercial films “,of particularly significant artistic or spiritual content”,. This section also includes some priceless antique reels such as the first film of the life of St Francis, a rather stiff and stylised short work produced in the Vatican in 1911 but none the less a pre-cursor to more recent popular films on the life of the saint directed by Franco Zefirelli (Brother Sun, Sister Moon, 1972’,) or Liliana Cavani ( ‘,Francesco’,, 1989). Also from 1911 is a film entitled ‘,L’,Inferno’, based on the first cantica of Dante’,s great trilogy and featuring the earliest attempt at special effects to portray the various circles of Hell. For many years, historians believed the film to be lost, so its rediscovery in the depths of the Vatican Film Library generated much scholarly interest and even funding for a restoration project and a DVD which has been used in schools and shown at key events such as the Venice Film Festival and New York’,s Museum of Modern Art. The Vatican film library itself possesses special equipment for viewing antique films and converting them to digital format, in addition to a small laboratory where some of the first efforts at film restoration took place. It also has a small projection room which can now seat around fifty guests following a recent renovation project completed in January 2005. At regular intervals, reports appear in the media about special previews arranged for exclusive audiences comprised of Vatican officials, diplomats accredited to the Holy See and sometimes even the Holy Father himself. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications, which looks after the film library, is currently marking the half century of its official foundation, linking it to Pope John XXIII’,s announcement of the Second Vatican Council earlier that same year, in January 1959. In an effort to revisit the original spirit of that momentous event and the impact it has had on the life of the church, the president of the Pontifical Council, Archbishop Claudio Celli, together with the director of the film library, Dr Claudia Di Giovanni, this month launched a new DVD called ‘,Images from the Council’,. Currently available in Italian but shortly to be translated into other languages including English, the DVD was produced by young Italian journalist, Nicola Vicenti, exclusively with in-house material. Rather than just another documentary, it attempts to bring to life the atmosphere in Rome during the Council years, with thousands of bishops, theologians, priests, religious and journalists all caught up in the events that were unfolding inside the Vatican walls –, as well as outside in café,s, restaurants and other locations where the Council fathers met to discuss the decrees and documents that would so profoundly affect the lives of ordinary believers around the world. The hour long DVD contains some unusual and entertaining images, such as prelates filling up their cars at a Vatican petrol pump, cardinals viewing Pier Paolo Pasolini’,s film on St Matthew’,s Gospel or Swiss guards getting spruced up and ready for action. As Pope Benedict noted when he met recently with members of the Pontifical Council, such footage is “,the patrimony of all humanity”,, a treasure of great significance, both for people who can recall those watershed years, and for younger generations who have only heard or read about them on the pages of their history books. A few short clips from the film library (Filmoteca Vaticana) can be viewed on the website of the Pontifical Council, which also has contact details and further information: www.pccs.va Philippa M Hitchen Our Rome Correspondent Life is Beautiful’, CCRS Celebrations 2009 On Wednesday December 9th there was a presentation evening at Hinsley Hall for those who had completed the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) during the past year. Five CCRS graduates attended the evening and were accompanied by family members and some of the course tutors including Fr John Wilson, Mrs Josephine Stow and Mrs Linda Pennington. The celebrations began in the chapel with Advent Evening Prayer during which the certificates were presented by Fr John Wilson, the Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation. The evening concluded with refreshments in the department offices. Fr John praised the participants for their hard work and commitment and offered them every blessing and good wishes for their work as teachers and catechists. The CCRS is a two year course for teachers and those involved in parish ministries and is approved and validated by the Catholic Bishops’, Conference of England &, Wales. At present a group of twenty five participants are in their second year of the new diocesan course, Foundations in Faith, which incorporates the CCRS. We look forward to celebrating with this group in due course. The CCRS participants - pictured with Fr John Wilson, Mrs Josephine Stow and Mrs Linda Pennington –, Peter Maloney, Nicola Couttie, Sandra Weale, Joanne Hamer and Rebecca Voller. Little Shop 0f Horrors D ecember 2009 sees Little Shop of Horrors come to St. Thomas à, Becket Catholic College. The story of an alien, man-eating plant is set to wow audiences, whilst their hearts melt over the tragic love story between Audrey and Seymour, the heroes of the piece. The production includes pupils both on stage and off, not only acting, singing and dancing but running lighting, sound and back stage. “,I never cease to be amazed by the spirit that surrounds a Becket’,s performance and I cannot be prouder of our community than when I see them pull together to create a show. We have pupils from all year groups joining in, I know they are going to put on a good show,”, said Mrs. Good, Head of Drama and the production’,s director. “,It’,s not just pupils who have been working hard on the show but staff too. I am so grateful to the staff who continually give their time and support to these projects.”, Mrs. Good and Mrs. Park, Head of Music, have both been putting pupils through their paces to get them ready for opening night. “,This is the first production I have been involved with at Becket’,s since I joined in 2008 and I have thoroughly enjoyed working in a supportive team and with some amazing kids,”, said Mrs. Park. Little Shop of Horrors sees the further development of Creative Arts at St. Thomas à, Becket Catholic College. Break a leg! PARCELS FOR AFGAGHANISTAN H oly Family Primary School, in Armley, Leeds have been making links with a school in Afghanistan, due to a contact serving in the army there. They have been told that the Musa Q`Aleh school has extremely basic equipment to use, sometimes children are even without pens or pencils to write with. The staff at Holy Family had a sort out in their resource room and put together 20 parcels of exercise books, pens, pencils and crayons that they could send as a donation from the school itself. They then put out an appeal to the children and parents, who very generously responded with 60 shoe boxes to send to the children of Afghanistan. In the shoe boxes were small toys, pencils, crayons, colouring books, socks, gloves - you name it! The children of Year 6 then spent time packaging up the parcels, putting the address labels on and eventually taking them personally to the post office, where they were sent in batches out to the Musa Q`Aleh school. They also put together 3 posters to send, containing information about their own school, letters to the children and prayers for peace. The parcels are expected to arrive in Afghanistan in the next 2 to 3 weeks, where they will be gladly received by the local people. The army have said that in sending these parcels through them, it could have the potential to cement relationships between the soldiers and the local people, an important concept in these troubled times. A big thank you to all of the children and parents for their kind efforts!!

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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 11am First Wednesday 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 - January Be Still a few moments for thought and prayer A Christmas Tree Prayer Holy Creator of Trees, bless this, our Christmas tree as a symbol of joy. May its evergreen branches be a sign of your never-fading promises. May its lights call us to decorate with love our home and our world. May the gifts that surround it be symbols of the gifts we have received from the Tree of Christ’,s Cross. Holy Christmas tree, within our home: may the spirit of Joy and Peace come and rest in your branches and in our hearts. Amen Anon Bishops Engagements - December/January Deadline For receipt of material for next edition: February 5th 2010 Parishes receive their copies: February 21st 2010 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 Thursday 24 December Midnight Mass, Leeds Cathedral Friday 25 December 10am Mass at HMP Armley, Leeds Monday 11 to Saturday 16 January ICEL Meeting, New Zealand Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 January Visitation of the Venerable English College &, the Beda College, Rome Monday 25 to Sunday 31January Ad Limina Visit, Rome PASTORAL LETTER - ADVENT 2009 My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Have you ever stopped to consider how important time is to God? We know how precious it is for ourselves: time spent with loved ones, time spent waiting for news of one kind or another, time spent in relaxation or work. While God Himself is beyond time He nevertheless created it and uses it. The creation of the world established the pattern of the earth’,s movement within our universe which gives us days and nights, years and seasons. At specific moments in world history God intervened to reveal Himself and to communicate His love. He spoke to the great patriarchs and prophets, establishing a covenant with those through whom He would call all the nations of the earth to salvation. More than that, at the appointed time, God Himself entered human history in the person of Jesus, the Word made flesh. For thirty years or so Jesus lived in obscurity until the time was right for him to begin His public ministry and preach the coming of God’,s kingdom. That was the beginning of a new phase in the history of salvation which reached its climax in our Lord’,s death and resurrection –, events which forever changed the course of our eternal destiny. Today we begin the Season of Advent and that word, ‘,advent’,, is linked to the notion of time. It means ‘,the arrival of someone important’,. That important moment was the beginning of an epic history of which our own lives and stories form a part: for Jesus came for us and for our salvation. His birth signalled a change in direction - a decisive moment - the establishment of a Kingdom, not built on earthly might, but upon the power of truth and life, of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. From tiny beginnings, this proclamation of the Kingdom has been achieved through the ages by simple fishermen, and by ordinary women and men who have taken the love of God to their hearts and shared it without reserve in their own day. It now falls to us to play our part in proclaiming the Kingdom, witnessing to it by what we say and do. This is called ‘,evangelisation’, and it is something we have tried to highlight in our diocese over the past four years through Come &, See - our process for deep renewal. Each year we have taken a specific theme and now, in this fifth and final year, the focus culminates in the missionary commandment of Jesus to Go, make disciples. In our First Reading today the prophet Jeremiah speaks about the virtuous branch that will grow in those days and at that time. At this time, and in our days, we are branches of Christ the vine, called to announce the Good News of God’,s love for all people. Throughout the history of the Church, and indeed in our Lord’,s own life, mission is characterised both by times of quiet, prayerful recollection and by times of active, vigorous proclamation. We see this reflected in the lives of so many of the saints, not least in those who have become especially close to us in recent months. St Therese of Lisieux, who is the patroness of the missions, spent her short life hidden with Jesus in prayer in the Carmel. Yet her simple insights into gospel-living, her ‘,little way,’, has inspired and converted countless thousands to the faith. The visit of her relics to England and Wales, and not least to our Cathedral, brought this truth vividly to life. St Jeanne Jugan, the recently canonised foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, put her faith into practice by caring for the vulnerable elderly of her day. Despite hardship and misjudgement, she continued faithfully to witness to Christ in word and in deed by giving herself out of love for God. From her humble example the Little Sisters of the Poor, and many more besides, continue today to combine a love for Jesus with practical charity towards the needy. From the witness of these holy women, an evangelising work continues to touch our world. Like so many other saints, they inspire us to take our part in sharing the gift of faith we have received. At the beginning of Advent, the new year in the life of the Church, Jesus says to us: Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man. He is not wanting us to be fainthearted but courageous. He is asking us to be alert, to trust Him and to be confident even in the face of difficulties and opposition. He tells us that prayer is the source of our strength. I hope that each parish in the diocese will, during the course of this year, combine prayer with action. Pray for the wherewithal to go and make disciples –, to have the confidence to stand before the men and women of our time and witness to the power and the presence of God’,s loving kindness. Let each of us take a step forward in proclaiming the Gospel. Let us bring it to life in our everyday lives. It is the right time for us to do this because God has given us this time to do just that. The Gospel of Jesus is the gospel of life, it is the gospel of love and forgiveness, of new beginnings and new possibilities. It was that that made it so attractive to a world that was failing and it still has the power to do the same in our own time. May God richly bless all of us in this beautiful season of ‘,waiting and praying’, and may He, in the words of Saint Paul, be generous in increasing our love and making us love one another and the whole human race as much as He loves us. Devotedly yours in Christ, Arthur Roche Bishop 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 19 An Anglican Point Of View I n October, Pope Benedict announced that there would be arrangements made to provide a structure for Anglicans who want to join the Roman Catholic Church, either individually or in groups, while maintaining some of their own traditions. The details of this announcement have now been set out in the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus. There was no prior warning of what was being planned, and the pages of the religious press have not been calm since its publication. Papal documents have been received and read in a wide variety of ways. Some receive a wide and enthusiastic readership (I think of John XXIII’,s Pacem in terris), others are challenged and reviled, fairly or not, almost before the ink is dry on the page (Paul VI’,s Humanae Vitae comes to mind). The response to Pope Benedict’,s announcement about Anglicans has ranged all the way from the enthusiastic to the highly critical, and that alone is a rare achievement indeed. People of all traditions and allegiances have been busily inking their pens. Some (Roman Catholics as well as Anglicans) have seen the Pope’,s initiative as rude, patronising, offensive, others (Anglicans as well as Roman Catholics) read it as generous, warm, sensitive. How do I, an ordinary parson in the Church of England, respond to the Pope’,s initiative and the surrounding clamour? Be clear to begin with that my starting point in any dialogue, whether with the Pope or anyone else, has to be the assumption that the other speaks and works from good and honourable motives. So I find myself recalling those heady days of early ecumenical enthusiasm in the 1960s . Those were the days when Archbishop Ramsey visited Pope Paul and the air was sweet with the anticipation that the tragic divisions of the Reformation might be healed and a more united Church might speak confidently the Gospel to a spiritually hungry world. The hopes of those days have not been realised, and the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue, for all its early promise, has been, if not frozen, then certainly put on hold. It is not for me to try and analyse why this has happened, still less to apportion blame. Yet still Our Lord’,s prayer, that they may be one, remains. Might Pope Benedict be seeking to break through this terrible logjam? Then I think that in his first encyclical, Deus caritas est, Pope Benedict offered us all a moving and deeply enriching meditation on the mystery of love. Love, of course, is at the very heart of the Christian mission to the world. Was Benedict also seeking to imply that it would, as it were, be the manifesto at the heart of his papacy? If so, he is old enough and wise enough and learned enough to know that Christian love is tough and resilient. The Holy Father is no sentimentalist, but a theologian and pastor witnessing to and acting on his faith. It is not hard to interpret the Apostolic Constitution as a practical outworking of that manifesto. So, what I hear the Pope saying to Anglicans, frustrated and disillusioned by the angry clamouring of various competing lobby groups, is simple. In warm and inviting words, he says: If you agree with us, why not come home and I will make it as easy for you as I can? If: there is, as there has to be, a condition. For some Anglicans this will present no major obstacle, others may find the condition too demanding. But I would hope that all, Anglicans and Roman Catholics alike, would recognise both the generosity and the graciousness of the Pope’,s provision in the Apostolic Constitution. Fr Michael Knight CELEBRATION OF 1,300 YEARS T he Dean and Chapter of Ripon Cathedral very kindly invited the Diocese to celebrate Mass in the Cathedral on Saturday December 5th to commemorate the 1,300 thanniversary of the death of St Wilfrid Patron Saint of the Diocese of Leeds and, in the person of Canon Paul from the Cathedral, a very warm and sincere welcome was given to those brave soul who made the journey to this magnificent Cathedral, which still house the crypt that St Wilfrid built in AD 672, a theme that Canon Moxon touched on in his homily. At the start of the Mass Canon Paul welcome everyone to the Cathedral and said how delight the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral were to have everyone there and that they were only too pleased to offer this hospitality as and when it wa asked for. Canon Moxon, who was the Main concelebrant, also gave the homily. He said how moved he was to be preaching in such a splendid setting and how aware he was of the tremendous work done by St Wilfrid in bringing the Faith to this part of the world. He was a man who was engaged on many fronts talking with kings, often on his travels to Rome and most probably best remembered for making sure the Synod of Whitby accepted the Roman liturgy rather than the Celtic one _ and so accepted the authority of the Pope. He was a man who kept his Pastoral Zeal throughout his ministry and upon whom the English Church was founded. At the end of the Mass Canon Moxon thanked all for coming and again thanked the Cathedral authorities for their Kindness in inviting everyone. PINK DAY All Saints Catholic College supported Breast Cancer Awareness month for the second year running by having a ‘,Pink Day`. Students were allowed to accessorise their uniforms with the colour pink to show and raise awareness about the Breast Cancer. By paying £,1 and understanding the impact all cancers can have on a family and community All Saints has been able to donate £,1,000 over two years for medical equipment and research whilst having fun wearing pink!

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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 LEEDS DIOCESAN TRUST Dear Friends, I am pleased once again to provide you with a summary of our diocesan accounts. I am grateful to our Finance Office for preparing this user friendly edition of these accounts. If however you want to browse through the fuller edition that will be available from your parish priest or via the link on the Diocesan Website. I am deeply indebted to all of you who help with financial matters in the diocese, our parish clergy and those who help them by taking the Sunday collections, counting banking, organising offertory envelopes, looking after GADs, and keeping the accounts in order. I am of course most indebted to all of you who support us week by week with your offertory giving. We are depended on this giving for the many services that we provide as a diocese. As many of you will appreciate from your own experience of income and expenditure, it is not always easy to make ends meet. This is the situation in which we currently find ourselves as a Diocese. There are many pressing demands on our funds: pastoral initiatives, schools, ageing property and not least the upkeep of our priests in their work situations and retirement. As a result we have had once again this year to spend more money than we received in income. This is something to which serious attention is currently being given and in relation to which action is being taken. Since its earliest days the church has looked to its members to give of their time, talents and treasure so that the work of the Lord could continue. This is still the case today and I, your Bishop, want to thank you for all that you give in all of these areas. Your generous giving will not escape the Lord’,s notice any more than did that of the widow who put her few coins into the Temple coffers. He will undoubtedly bless each and everyone of us for any help that we give in continuing his work and in building up his kingdom in our Diocese. With my gratitude, best wishes and the assurance of my prayers Yours sincerely in the Lord + Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds SUMMARY TRUSTEE`S REPORT The Trustee presents this summary report for the year ended 31 March 2009. This summary is extracted from the Annual Report of the Leeds Diocesan Trust for the year ended 31 March 2009 For further information the Annual Report, which consists of the full annual accounts, the auditors’, report on the accounts and the annual report of the Trustee should be referred to. Copies can be obtained from the Secretary to the Trustee, Diocese of Leeds, Hinsley Hall, 62, Headingley Lane, Leeds LS6 2BX or via the website www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk. The Trustee approved the full accounts on 27 October 2009 and the Annual Report was submitted to the Charity Commission thereafter. The report of the Auditors, PKF (LLP) UK on the full accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009, was unqualified. The Auditors have intimated their willingness to continue in office. By Order of the Trustee Rt Rev Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds, Chairman December 2009 Key Points of the Report a) Weekly Offertory Income In 2008/09 £,2.37 per head on a Mass Attendance of 35,600 In 2007/08 £,2.42 per head on a Mass Attendance of 35,671 Mass attendance virtually unchanged Average Offertory per head down 2.1% on last year b) Weekly Parish Running Costs In 2008/09 £,3.36 per head In 2007/08 £,3.33 per head In the Diocese there are: •, 102 parishes in West Yorkshire and parts of North Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, East Riding of Yorkshire and Lancashire. •, 83 Primary Schools •, 16 High Schools •, 1 Sixth Form College DIOCESAN INCOME BY CATEGORY Total income £,10.3m (Last year £,10.1m) Offertories including Gift Aid 48% - £,4,997,000 (Last year - £,5,178,000) Offertory income received in parishes plus the tax recovered via the gift aid scheme was 48% of the charity’,s total income and is clearly the most significant of all the income sources. Our ability to maintain or increase this in the years ahead will present a great challenge to the charity. Offertory income fell slightly as did the associated tax recovered through the gift aid scheme resulting in the overall total being lower than last year. There was no significant change in the numbers attending Mass 35,600 compared to 35,671 resulting in an average per capita giving of £, 2.37 (£,2.68 if gift aid is included). Collections and Donations 12 % £,1,196,000 (Last year - £,1,153,000) These are the sums of money received via general donations given to parishes or the Diocese plus the “,second”, collections made in parishes for specific purposes, either diocesan or external agencies, e.g. Cafod and Missions. Income from these second collections is shown in the accounts as restricted meaning that it cannot be used for any other purpose, parish or diocesan, than the original intention. Legacies 8% £,774,000 (Last year - £,317,000) Legacies received continue to be a vital source of income for the Diocese with the sums received last year being the highest in recent years. A number of parishes benefited from this source along with the Poor Mission and Priests’, Training Fund. This area of income highlights the importance of everyone making wills and remembering their church. THANK YOU Activities which generate funds 14% £,1,504,000 (Last year - £,1,444,000) This heading includes income received through Hinsley Properties Ltd, mainly Hinsley Hall, and from the use of parish halls. In both cases income increased slightly and represents nearly 14% of total income. Investment Income 6% £,610,000 (Last year - £,761,000) This source of income is made up of monies received from the rental of investment properties as well as that received from the Diocesan investment funds. Income from properties fell slightly in the year but the main reason for the decrease is the lower level of dividend from investment funds. Other Income 12% £,1,199,000 (£,1,220,000) In parishes this source of funds includes monies raised for parish building projects (including grants from third parties e.g. English Heritage), sale of votives and sales of surplus property. Non parish sources include cemetery fees, charges and commissions raised by Diocesan departments DIOCESAN EXPENDITURE BY CATEGORY TOTAL £,11.3m (Last year £,11.45m) TOTAL EXPENDITURE £,11,304,000 (£,11,458,000) All % in the charts represent a share of Total Expenditure (Gross). In Parishes £,6,787,000 (£,6,865,000) Parish Running Costs 61% £,6,787,000 (£,6,865,000) Parish running costs including second collections paid over to either a Diocesan Restricted fund (e.g. Priests Training, Retired Clergy etc) or third parties Catholic Care, CAFOD was £,6.8m and takes up 66% of the entire income of the charity. Of the parish total over £, 3m was spent maintaining the parish property and estate. Non Parish Costs £,4,517,000 (£,4,593,000) Costs shown are the gross costs for the department/ area concerned to tie in with the statutory accounting requirements. Some cost centres are able to generate income which of necessity is included with other income in the analysis above. This total is analysed further in the following paragraphs below. Vicariate for Evangelisation £,702,000 (£,722,000) This area includes not only the central evangelisation team but also the work undertaken by the youth office, Myddelton Grange, the schools support office and the Chaplains to the Universities of Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield. Vicariate for Clergy £,954,000 (£, 852,000) With increasing numbers of our priests reaching retirement age of 75, the cost continues to rise. Grants totaling £,298,000 were made to 41 retired clergy (41 in 2008). This vicariate also includes the fees and costs of priests in seminary, ongoing clergy formation and those who are sick and needy. Other Vicariates, Curia and Tribunal £,788,000 (£,840,000) The other Vicariates are Christian Life (Pastoral Care of the Elderly and other Disadvantaged Groups) and Outreach (Interfaith and other Ecumenical Responsibilities). Curia and Tribunal includes curia administration, Marriage Tribunal and Chancery, Archives, Media office, Justice and Peace commission and support to the Bishop. Support to Schools and parishes £,812,000 (£,862,000) Includes a variety of areas including the Music department, Safeguarding office, Finance and Property departments, Killingbeck Cemetery and some parish costs for exceptional circumstances Costs of generating Funds £,856,000 (£,824,000) Principally the costs of the trading subsidiary Hinsley Properties (including Hinsley Hall) but also the cost of running the portfolio. Interest and bank Charges £,405,000 (£,451,000) Although borrowings increased during the year the interest rate applicable was quite favourable hence the overall reduction in cost. This is likely to increase as the banks review their lending strategies. SUMMARY AND BALANCE SHEET Although total income increased and costs fell the net operating position of the Diocese was still a loss £,1.0m loss compared to £,1.3m in the previous year. The value of investments also fell markedly (but in line with the stock market) so that the net value of funds in the diocese was reduced from £,38m to £,33.44m. At the time of writing these investments have recovered over 50% of their fall. The balance sheet shows some changes to Fixed Assets where £,0.8m of additions to parish property is shown (work done at Leeds Cathedral, Leeds St Urban’,s, Leeds Immaculate Heart, Bradford, Mary Mother of God, Clifford St Edward, Huddersfield Holy Redeemer. Curia fixed assets also increased with the purchase of 2 properties for priests in their retirement and the work done at Killingbeck Cemetery to bring the extension into use and provide improved and more secure accommodation for staff, storage and visitors. However the financing of these additions together with the deficit from ordinary activities has resulted in an increase to bank borrowings. LOOKING FORWARD The underlying picture shown in these summarised accounts continues the pattern of recent years i.e. ordinary expenditure exceeds ordinary income with the net result being increased borrowing. Directors agreed to develop plans to deliver a break even position within 2 years. This will start in 2009/10 with a reduced non parish costs budget and a further reduction next year. Directors of Diocese of Leeds Trustee and Members of Diocesan Finance Board Rt Rev Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds Mgr M McQuinn VG Mgr Kieran Heskin, VG Mgr Donal Lucey Mrs. Trina Hagerty Mr Terry Forbes Mr Peter Lomas Mr Tony Hester (Resigned October 2009) Miss Ann O`Brien Mr Robin A Smith Mr Ken Hodgson (Resigned July 2008) Company Secretary: Mr David R Herd Registered Office: Hinsley Hall, 62, Headingley Lane, LEEDS LS6 2BX FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2009

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