Whats inside Flores de Mayo Procession Pages 10 Round Church celebrates 75 years Page 20 CATHOLIC POST THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS JUNE 2010 www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk www.catholicpost.org.uk An Abundant Harvest T he warm glow of a summer sun beamed through the windows and doors of Leeds Cathedral as the beautiful voices of the Cathedral Choir filled the air to signify the start of the vigil Mass for the Feast of Pentecost. Bishop Arthur welcomed everyone to the Mass and made special reference to those who had been baptised at Easter. More music and readings followed and then Bishop Arthur spoke to the congregation, he began by explaining that the feast spoken of in the Gospel was a Jewish feast, which translated in English as Harvest Festival. Bishop Arthur said that the power of the Holy Spirit is at work within our lives always, even in times of darkness. He added that it is the Holy Spirit which gives us the ability to live truthfully under His protection and in the full knowledge that sins can be forgiven. He concluded his homily by asking that we rejoice and thank God for the harvest that is our faith and that we especially rejoice in the harvest of the first fruits, those who were newly baptised. He asked that we remember always to pray to God that the next year’,s harvest would be even more abundant and that we can do our part to ensure that new growth is tended and nurtured. At the end of Mass Bishop Arthur said that it was a joy to see that the Holy Spirit was busy working in all of us, bringing us to celebrate Mass together and to give such faith that was willing to bear witness to God Almighty. CATHOLIC CARE (Diocese of Leeds) - Taking the Caring Church into the community

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Page 2 SCHOOLS NEWS When you pick up this paper, the Pope’,s visit will be only three months ahead. The detail of the arrangements shows how much has changed in the last thirty years- or so- since Pope John Paul II came here on his momentous and innovative pastoral pilgrimage round the country. Something that has not changed is that we were at war then, and are at war now- if only a different one. War, despite Pope John Paul’,s admonition, still has its place on our agenda. Many other changes have come from war’,s close cousin, terrorism, and others from the modern state’,s substitute for trust, health and safety. Another more welcome change is the fact that this is a state rather than a merely pastoral visit and apart from the Government picking up half the cost, the Pope is this time being welcomed as a Head of State, with all that this implies. He will meet formally with someone else who has both temporal and spiritual power- The Queen, the supreme governor of the Church of England. The downside is that the Queen and her Government must be certain that nothing should befall their guest, and so for all these reasons we find restrictions: the Pope cannot be approached or placed at risk. That glorious summer day on Knavesmire with those seemingly chaotic but effective train services &, the roving Popemobile begins to seem like a carefree memory. As we said, though, things have changed in other ways as well. I can fly to Rome with my parish to see the Pope from here for the price of a London train ticket: I can see him much more clearly than that distant view at York on the parish’,s big screen or even on my mobile phone. That can be a bit virtual, as we now say, so how can those who cannot travel south celebrate this visit in an atmosphere of community or occasion? Starting in prayer, and then a shared parish celebration? The Post Says …, Disability Logo Competition P upils in Years 8 and 9 from Leeds Diocesan High Schools were invited to enter a competition to design a logo for the Pastoral Commission for People with Disabilities. The winning entry is by Rachael Mahoney from St Joseph’,s Catholic College in Bradford. On Thursday May 27th Rachael and four other pupils, Philippa Williams, Lauren Dibb, Rebecca Gray and Ashleigh Robinson, all from St Joseph’,s, came to a presentation ceremony at Hinsley Hall. The pupils were accompanied by their art teacher Heather Swain and by family members. At Hinsley Hall they were welcomed by members of the Pastoral Commission for People with Disabilities. A Liturgy of the Word was celebrated in the chapel and then prizes were presented by Mgr Michael McQuinn. Mgr Michael thanked the pupils for taking part in the competition and commended them for the high standard of the entries. He emphasized how important it is for parish and school communities to support all people with disabilities. Rachel’,s winning design can be seen here along with her description of the logo. “,I have chosen this design because I feel it gives detail about the different types of disability. I have chosen the shape of the logo because I feel it is bold and that it will stand out. I have chosen the black and white colour scheme because the monochrome colours stand out more clearly to the elderly. I have included ‘,EQUALITY’, in the middle because I feel everybody is equal and unique.”, Rachael Mahoney, St Joseph’,s Catholic College ONE OFF BECOMES ANNUAL EVENT 250 children from 23 Catholic Primary Schools joined together for a festival of football at St Theresa’,s Catholic Primary School in East Leeds on Thursday, 27 May The organising committee had seen this as the perfect end of half-term treat for mostly Year 6 children, only two weeks after the KS2 Assessments. The schools were organised into five leagues of five teams with each team playing each other once in a league format. The winners of each league went on to play for the trophy which was sponsored by Leeds 3 Catenian Association who celebrate their centenary this year. The other teams who finished second, third, fourth and fifth also played on into the afternoon playing the other teams who had finished in a similar position to them in the morning leagues. The atmosphere was wonderful, competitive but without any edge. Teams played to win and accepted winning and losing with good grace. Peter Dowson of the Leeds 3 Catenians attended the event to present the brand new trophy and the medals to the eventual winners, St Augustine’,s Catholic Primary who narrow beat the runners-up St Patrick’,s Catholic Primary on goal difference. Peter stated that the Catenians had been looking for ways to mark their centenary by sponsoring events for the Catholic community of Leeds and thought that this tournament sounded perfect for what they were trying to achieve. Mr Michael Teggart, Head Teacher at St Augustine’,s said “,This has been a wonderful day, the kids have really enjoyed themselves and the organisation of it has been very smooth. I think we should make this an annual event!”, The organising committee agreed and there will be a similar event in May 2011. Junior Majorette catches Major Prize A Leeds youngster has twirled her way to first prize in the Great Britain Baton Twirling Association (GBBTA) competition held at Primrose Valley last month. 12-year-old Daniela Honey from East End Park in Leeds, who is in Year 7 at Mount St Mary`s High School, won the 2010 individual trophy for her age group. Daniela, who danced for over two minutes to Bonnie Tyler’,s song Hero, said: “,I have been doing majorettes since I was four and I enjoy doing every bit of it. Two minutes doesn’,t sound very long but it is really hard work. We train four times a week and this can go up to five near competition times.”, Daniela is a member of La Classique Majorettes and her group of ten also won the junior pom-pom competition. Last year she won the duos prize with her cousin. In school, Daniela enjoys science and art and her ambition is to be a forensic scientist. La Classique Majorettes were formed in 1989 and meet at West Leeds Social Club in Armley.

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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 16th June REVELATION ON MISSION For more info. call: 0113 2618058, 4.30 –, 7pm Cathedral Hall, Leeds Wednesday 16th June REVELATION For young people in Yrs 9 -13, 7 –, 9pm Cathedral Hall, Leeds Thursday 17th June Diocesan Youth Ministry Coordinator Meeting 10.30-12.30pm Hinsley Hall Sunday 20th June Diocesan Corpus Christi Procession 2pm Mount St Joseph –, Hinsley Hall Friday 25th June LOURDES Pre-Departure Mass For Youth Section Pilgrims Arrival:1.30pm Mass: 2pm Leeds Trinity 1st –, 9th July Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes Youth Section Lourdes Friday 16th July Golf Day World Youth Day Fundraiser For more info. call: 0113 2618058 Sandmoor Golf Club Sunday 18th July WYD Staff Meeting TBC Hinsley Hall 26th –, 30th August Sanctuary@Walsingham Youth 2000 Festival Walsingham Friday 3rd September Spanish Night World Youth Day Fundraiser. All welcome! 7.30pm TBC Sat. 11th September Papal Visit Prep. Day For young people who are representing their school or parish and travelling to see Pope Benedict XVI with LDYS 10 –, 2.30pm Immaculate Heart of Mary, Leeds Leeds Diocesan Youth Service Calendar LOURDES PREPARATION A s the annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes is fast approaching our young pilgrims have been preparing for the week in Lourdes in many ways. Each school has been raising funds to support pupils going on the trip and there has been fantastic support from the school and parish communities. Some have made cakes for bun sales, others have washed cars, organised car boot sales and two schools took part in a sponsored walk from Myddelton Grange to Bolton Abbey. Each school also provides wheelchair training for their students, so that the sick and elderly pilgrims will be in safe hands during the week in Lourdes! The Leeds Diocesan Youth Service team have also been helping the young people to prepare for Lourdes. Each school group, as well as meeting together regularly in school have spent a morning or afternoon with the Youth Team learning music to help them participate more fully in the services and Liturgies while we are in Lourdes. The team also use the session with the young pilgrims to introduce the theme of Lourdes 2010, “,Making the Sign of the Cross with Bernadette”,. By looking at the various times in Lourdes when we will use the Sign of the Cross in prayer, the LDYS team are hoping that the message of the Cross is clearer for the young pilgrims as they prepare for their pilgrimage. 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 FORTHCOMING EVENTS at The Briery Retreat Centre 38 Victoria Avenue, Ilkley LS29 9BW Tel, 01943 607287 Email: srscs@aol.com Website:http://www.briery.org.uk 2-9th June, 2-9th July 6 Day Individual Guided Retreats The Briery Team 7th –, 14th July Preached Retreat Fr. John Fuellenbach, SVD “,The God image of Jesus and our call to follow him today”,. Jesus was sent to reveal to us who God really is and who He wants to be for us. He summarized his message in two words or phrases. The first one contains his God experience expressed in the word Abba (his human expression of his innermost experience of God). The second one is the phrase Kingdom of God, God’,s dream for the whole of creation. He called disciples whom he sent out to carry out his own mission. 20th –, 24th September Mon - Friday Retreat for Priests Fr. Tom Lane, C.M. “, I will show you the way to Heaven”, The Curé, de’, Ars, John Mary Vianney, is the patron of all priests in pastoral ministry. When he asked a young boy the way to Ars, the boy obliged. To express his gratitude the Curé, spoke the lovely words that are the theme of the retreat. October 29th –, 31st Sacred Circle Dance weekend Sylvia Williment 10th –, 12th December Advent Preached Retreat “,Christmas is for Adults Too!”, Fr. Daniel O’,Leary Weekend A time to reflect on the astonishing and life- changing meaning of the Incarnation –, and maybe for the first time. There are beautiful secrets they never told us about. Catholic Care Cheque Mr Aiden Duffy with cheque designed by from left Conal Penman, Dominika Pawlek, Ikra Ahmed and Amna Ahmed. The children at Holy Name raised money over easter for good shepherd to the tune of £,719.42, and we were pleased to have been able to present a cheque to Roddy Minogue from Catholic Care on Monday at our assembly. The children in the photo helped to design the big cheque and were very proud to present it.

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A s the Family Life Ministry Parenting Project develops and grows a number of courses have already successfully completed including two at Holy Rosary in Chapeltown Leeds, joint ventures with school and parish. The group facilitators all learnt a great deal from these initial courses and one shared issue that emerged was how to make the parenting sessions attractive enough for fathers to take part. With this in mind we made the decision to run a course specifically for men. The take up was good and the commitment of the men even better. Seven men from a variety of age groups, backgrounds and cultures, successfully completed the course supporting and encouraging each other and the leaders. At the beginning we were all a bit nervous of each other but we gradually relaxed, overcame language difficulties and began to share some experiences and to form new friendships. One father commented in the last session that not only had he discovered new ways to be involved with his children but he had also found new friends he could talk to at the school gate and at church. The evaluations indicate that they all found the sessions useful and most of them found them interesting and thought provoking. Some of the ideas they have tried with their own children include •, pausing to listen to a child before acting •, trying different ways of dealing with a child when they are upset •, looking at different ways of dealing with different children •, the use of silence and the importance of good eye contact •, the use of eye listening They feel they are now more skilful in their handling of unacceptable behaviours as they are more aware of the options available to them when dealing with their children in different circumstances. Alongside this they expressed a feeling that they are becoming friendly fathers. They have developed skills that are helping to improve their family relationship, with their children and also with their partners. The fathers now have an increased awareness of the huge range of tools available to them to deal with aspects of young children’,s behaviour and a better knowledge of how to cope with things. They also gave us some constructive ideas for improving our course. These men showed they were dedicated fathers, even before they joined our group. They showed this by caring enough about their children to turn up. They are all determined to be both loving and responsible parents and it was a privilege to spend time with them. A final comment from a parent and grandfather was: “, The course was very comprehensive, a gold mine of skills, terrific”, Page 4 FAMILY LIFE / SIDELINES / MUSIC Many viewers of the Eurovision song-contest noticed that the German winner, Lena Meyer-Landrut, was wearing an enamel Taize cross round her neck- on the original Taize black string. The “,cross”,- a combination of a dove and a cross made in Taize’,s workshops is said to have thus been once wearable behind the old Iron Curtain. I gather that Lena herself had indeed spent time in Taize The day after the contest, we arrived in Taize, where many hundreds of young people were wearing similar crosses. Now we are home, with those famous Taize songs still spinning round our heads. What are Taize songs, and why are they so popular- and why do we have them, anyway? The Taize Community, a religious community of now over 100 brothers was founded in 1940 by the late Brother Roger, a Swiss Protestant Theologian: other Protestant brothers joined him, and later he was joined by Catholics, too. The openness of the early community encouraged many young people to spend time there and it became essential to build up a collection of music to use with the traditional daily prayers which could be quickly learnt- or “,interiorised”, by people from various countries spending just a week with the community. A collaboration between the well known Psalmist Fr Joseph Gelineau, the organist Jacques Berthier and the late Brother Robert of Taize started off an evolving group of songs, usually based on short scriptural texts which are either ostinato choruses with solo verses, canons or occasionally short chorales or Orthodox acclamations. Today there are 150 of these songs in the church songbook, with many more “,resting”,. They use Latin- a common language- and many others, varied according to who is visiting in any week. The community is still ecumenical: during our visit, Orthodox Russians were greeted with familiar words or music in some of our songs. In addition, Fr Gelineau composed a fine set of Mass parts for the Eucharist and the community uses his Psalm settings every day, together with simple sung responses and the oldest part of their liturgy, a series of short responsaries. The mythology is that the use of Taize songs will fill your church with young people: it won’,t, because the music is only part of Taize- but some of the principles behind their liturgy can improve our own. The ostinatos are simple and easy to “,take into the heart”,- but some- not all- of the accompanying solo verses- and they are optional- can be as challenging to sing as they are beautiful. Although carefully organised, there is no public order of service setting out when and how what is to be sung: the assembly does not even know what is next until small electronic hymn boards tell us: and in the centre of each thrice-daily prayer is a 10-minute time of deep silence for all, complementing the music and responding to the scripture. Everyone faces east: the assembly with the brothers grouped down the middle with their Prior at the back- until we all turn for the proclamation of the Gospel- and so no-one performs- and this is something we can often overlook. The soloists and leaders sing from within the assembly and are not necessarily seen: in busy weeks a “,little choir”, helps lead the singing, but they sit and are led unobtrusively. Anyone is welcome to come to a daily practice to learn the songs, so the gathering period before each prayer is one of silence, too. Shared silence, and songs from the heart: a spiritual wellspring. To hear Taize music, a “,prayer”, or a full podcast of the latest Saturday prayer, visit www.taize.fr. NATIONAL NETWORK OF PASTORAL MUSICIANS Conference Friday-Sunday (or Saturday only) 23-25 July: Chester University: Many well known names- open to all parish musicians- with Bernadette FARRELL Richard HUBBARD Martin FOSTER, Stephen DEAN Philip JAKOB Andrew MARIES Stella McGANN Gary O’,NEILL Philip RODERICK Chris WALKER see: http://nnpm.org/National_Events.html or 01792 775598 Musical Notes by Jane Shields PARENTING FOR MEN By Marjorie Parker, Family Life Ministry We are in the midst of what could even be described as the “,Sacraments Season”,- Eucharist and Confirmation- and those same questions come to mind which have probably been raised here before: sometimes I feel that I ought to have indexed these columns and where appropriate marked them “,R”, at the bottom (for “,Repeat”,) as I repeat myself again. The trouble is that in a world of change some things don’,t seem to change- at least for the better- and it is only hope that keeps us going. So many of those making First Holy Communion appear like swallows for the summer and in a rather telling way, can’,t even manage to struggle back to Mass on the following Sunday. Confirmation follows a similar pattern on a smaller scale with the added complexities of the candidates’, rather delicate age as we try to find a berth for Confirmation in the education curriculum. It is still wonderful to see some parish families working through the preparation and beyond, but so often we are turning sacraments into rites of passage, the milestones of growing up, which they are not: so does “,Catholic”, mean turning up for four Sacraments- Baptism, Eucharist (with Reconciliation), Confirmation and possibly Matrimony, doing what is required and fading into the background again? Is this enough? Is it enough to go to a Catholic school? The answer has to be a resounding “,No”, to all: the life of a Catholic begins in church: in baptism, in that first and then every Sunday Eucharist, the source and summit of our life. Holy Communion, we say, is also a holy communion: our personal communion on that first Holy Communion day is our personal and lasting communion with the church. Nowadays, we may be dealing with families where this is the second or even third generation who have broken the link and the word “,Communion”, has lost that part of its meaning. Our schools have many virtues, but they do not pretend to replace that Sunday communion of God’,s faithful, as a sort of “,parallel parish”,: they can only be the complement, evangelising not in what they say- because the Government has given them too much to say already on many other subjects- but in what they, the wider staff, the school’,s ethos, does- and that is responsibility enough. *** I was encouraged in those thoughts by a little book on the Eucharist that someone sent me, with a helpful distillation of recent papal documents on the Mass from our Popes. Another book which I bought by an American teaching fellow from Princeton, Jason Brian Santos, encouraged some thoughts on Confirmation, or that time afterwards: he is young enough (30‘,s) to tell us that we can feel constrained to offer every sort of diversion, from pool tables to dancing Gospels, but what we don’,t always offer is our trust in the ability of young people to accept responsibility in our parish communities, and to take their places not just for special and passing occasions, liturgy or events for “,youth”,, but in the otherwise adult daily or weekly life and worship of our parishes. There’,s the challenge. Benchmark Sidelines M ay 21st, is the feast day of St Eugene de Mazenod (1782 –, 1861). If you have heard of this priest you may know that he is often considered the saint of dysfunctional families. He suffered massive upheaval as a young man because of the French Revolution which forced his family into exile. His parents’, marriage broke down and they engaged in a bitter wrangle over property. His mother tried to dissuade him from answering the call to the priesthood as she wanted to marry him off to a rich heiress. Sounds like an opera, real or soap, doesn’,t it? His early sufferings do not seem to have diminished, and may even have fed his zeal for God. After a life of languor and grandeur in Italy Eugene was utterly dismayed by his reduced circumstances on returning to France.Yet this was the man who became known as ‘,a second Paul’,. On his death bed he said to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, an order he founded, ",Among yourselves - charity, charity, charity: in the world - zeal for souls.", Eugene’,s zeal for Christ was apparent in each of the very different men who spoke at the FAMILIAS event, ‘,My Family, My Priesthood’, in London on 18th May. Six priests from different diocese, cultures, continents and religious backgrounds, shared their reflections on the role their early family experience played in their vocation and how family sustained them now. Even though they came from very different families, and some had more difficult early experiences than others, a common theme came through in their accounts, that of having experienced at some point a feeling of being unconditionally loved. Three priests from the Diocese of Leeds, Fr Daniel O’,Leary Fr Paul Grogan and Fr Paul Williment were our stars for the day and they contributed alongside Fr Moses Igbo from Nigeria, Fr Graham Smith from Southend and Fr Graham Preston of Southwark Diocese. What did we learn about family and the vocation to priesthood? The day for me was best summed up by Fr Paul Williment, married to Sylvia, father, grandfather and Chaplain at St Gemma’,s Hospice, who said that if anything, the very different stories told revealed in a fresh way the truth that the ‘,Holy Spirit blows where it will’,. Eugene de Mazenod’,s fractious and insecure parents did not stop his answering the call. Bereavement, poverty, aggression, anti-religious, anti- clericalism and doubt, did not deter the men we listened to in Westminster that day, in their call to follow Christ as ordained diocesan priests. But the day was even richer. In the priests’, words I heard of the amazing power that already exists in the world around us and that constantly speaks to us of God if we just stopped to listen. We heard about the power of music to heal and to draw people in to the sacred, even where human love was not as evident in early life. We heard of the nurturing and sustaining love that married priests find in their spouses and families and that celibate priests find in their role as sons, brothers and uncles. We heard of the power in a parent’,s love, expressed in words or in constancy and in fidelity and of how the Holy Spirit worked through the extraordinary love (is love ever ordinary?) of a grandmother as she raised a young man in poverty and faith. That young man, now a priest says ‘,my Grandmother is everything to me’,. These unheralded, unheard of before today, people were, are, ordinary folk living in the world we all live in: managing families, relationships, budgets, jobs, illness, unemployment, poverty, grief, inadequacy. In and through all those differing circumstances many of them also modelled a priestly role, a priesthood of service to family, church and community. They witnessed, in their very ordinary daily household actions of feeding, clothing (or not if they were too poor), defending, caring, comforting, guiding, to a love and faith which inspired and guided many of these priests in their youth. The priesthood of believers was present at our day, in the flesh and in the spirit as we listened to these stories of humdrum heroism. For some the call to priesthood was a call to forfeit the right to marry. For others it is lived through marriage and family life. I had never appreciated before today the sheer variety of the men called to the ordained priesthood. Yet, it is always before our eyes and the Bible is full of examples of the power of God’,s love in the lives of very different, and sometimes quite unlikely people. Eugene de Mazenod who in his lifetime was likened to St Paul, himself a pretty difficult but undoubtedly zealous guy, languished in luxury and worldly status before finding his call to serve the ‘,spiritually needy-prisoners, youth, servants, country villagers, often in the face of opposition from the local clergy’, (www.vatican.va) Yes, the Holy Spirit blows where it will. It occurred to me that our task, as the priesthood of the baptised, is to allow it to enter and transform our lives as these priests lives are being transformed. We are also called to nourish the priesthood of parents and married people that they may be able to provide the warmth of unconditional love, the warmth that enfolds us in love and feeds the spirit even when the body is hungry and cold. The warmth that frees us to grow in love and wisdom and to answer the call to love in whatever guise it appears to us, as family people, single people, ordained people. People, in other words, of the new commandment, who love one another as Jesus loves them. My Family, My Priesthood By Breda Theakston

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COME AND SEE Page 5 COME AND SEE A first proclamation and a renewed proclamation O ur theme for this fifth year of Come &, See, is Mission and Evangelisation. Each month a quotation from a key document on Mission and Evangelisation will be included on this page, with a little information about the document it is taken from. The text below is taken from Ecclesia in Europa, written by Pope John Paul II in 2003. It is a Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, written after the second synod of Bishops in Europe. The theme, which had emerged after the first synod in 1991, was that “,the Church has the urgent task of bringing the liberating message of the Gospel to the men and women of Europe”, and that the message is one of great hope. “,In various parts of Europe a first proclamation of the Gospel is needed: the number of the unbaptized is growing, both because of the significant presence of immigrants of other religions and because children born into families of Christian tradition have not received Baptism, either as a result of the Communist domination or the spread of religious indifference. Indeed, Europe is now one of those traditionally Christian places which, in addition to a new evangelization, require in some cases a first evangelization. “,The Church cannot shirk the responsibility of making a courageous diagnosis which will make it possible to decide on appropriate therapies. On the “,old”, continent too, there are vast social and cultural areas which stand in need of a true missio ad gentes. “,Everywhere, then, a renewed proclamation is needed even for those already baptized. Many Europeans today think they know what Christianity is, yet they do not really know it at all. Often they are lacking in knowledge of the most basic elements and notions of the faith. Many of the baptized live as if Christ did not exist: the gestures and signs of faith are repeated, especially in devotional practices, but they fail to correspond to a real acceptance of the content of the faith and fidelity to the person of Jesus. The great certainties of the faith are being undermined in many people by a vague religiosity lacking real commitment, various forms of agnosticism and practical atheism are spreading and serve to widen the division between faith and life, some people have been affected by the spirit of an immanentist humanism, which has weakened the faith and often, tragically, led to its complete abandonment, one encounters a sort of secularist interpretation of Christian faith which is corrosive and accompanied by a deep crisis of conscience and of Christian moral practice. The great values which amply inspired European culture have been separated from the Gospel, thus losing their very soul and paving the way for any number of aberrations. “,When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?”, (Lk 18:8). Will he find faith in our countries, in this Europe of ancient Christian tradition? This is an open question which clearly reveals the depth and the drama of one of the most serious challenges which our Churches are called to face. It can be said as the Synod emphasized that this challenge frequently consists not so much in baptizing new converts as in enabling those already baptized to be converted to Christ and his Gospel: in our communities we need to be seriously concerned about bringing the Gospel of hope to all those who are far from the faith or who have abandoned the practice of Christianity.”, Taken from Ecclesia in Europa, paragraphs 46-47 Top Mark for Mount St Mary`s M ount St Mary`s High School in Richmond Hill, Leeds will have a new head teacher from September. Mark Cooper, currently deputy head at the school, will succeed Bernadette King when she retires at the end of this academic year. Married with two grown-up children, who both now live in London, Bernadette first came to Mount St Mary`s aged 11. Her grandmother, who grew up in the parish, brought her to a day retreat which was held in the nuns’, chapel, now the school library. Before heading off to Leicester University to read English, Bernadette was a pupil at Notre Dame Girls Grammar School and a regular visitor to Mount St Mary`s as a sixth-former and also to St Michael’,s, allegedly attracted there by her studies rather than by the boys! After a brief spell as an English teacher at Fartown Comprehensive in Huddersfield, Bernadette spent many years at Lawnswood School before being promoted to deputy head at All Saints, Huddersfield. She finally returned to Mount St Mary`s as head in 1996. In retirement, Bernadette intends to travel and to properly master French and Bridge. She also plans to become involved in voluntary and charity work in education: “,It has been a hard decision to leave such a warm and vibrant school community which continues to inspire such passion and commitment from so many –, and certainly from myself.”, “,The school has faced a number of challenges over the years and I do feel I have steered Mount St Mary`s safely through some difficult circumstances and that I am leaving the school in good shape –, heavily oversubscribed, financially sound, with good examination results and, above all, a reputation for providing outstanding care for all our youngsters.”, “, I am delighted that the school will be very well led by someone who values the heritage of Mount St Mary`s, has made a strong contribution to its present strengths and has the determination to lead the school to even greater success in the future.”, Mark came from the North East in 1984 to read mathematics at the then Trinity and All Saints College. He first taught at Mount St Mary`s in 1988, returning as head of year, after seven years at St Mary’,s, Menston. He became deputy head in 2002. Mark said he was delighted to have been entrusted with the role of head teacher: “,I have seen Mount St Mary`s go from strength to strength in recent years to where it is today. I relish the opportunity to lead the school and its community on to even better things and even greater success in the years ahead.”, Susan Coluccio, currently at Swallow Hill Community College, completes the leadership team alongside existing Mount St Mary`s deputy, John Booth. 50th Anniversary The Church of the Immaculate Conception Idle Bradford is celebrating its 50th anniversary on 1st July 2010 with a Concelebrated Mass at 7.00pm followed by a buffet in the grounds. Anyone wishing to attend is welcome but owing to number restrictions we ask those coming to contact me for a ticket (free) A Lunchtime Reunion for all Former Members There is to be a reunion of former members of St. Anne’,s Club in September. All are warmly invited to attend and pass the word round to other former members. All are welcome. The date is: FRIDAY 17th SEPTEMBER 2010. The time is: From 12 noon. The venue is: The New Roscoe Hotel, Junction of Regent Street / Roseville Road, Sheepscar, LEEDS LS7 1DH (Ample parking –, entrance on Roseville Road.) Refreshments available at reasonable prices. For further details, phone or leave message with either :- Terry Meehan …, 01132 –, 644205 - email –, terry.wheels@ntlworld.com Stephen Oliver …, 01924 –, 405632 - email - heck31770@aol.com St Michael’,s Reunion A reunion planned on behalf of St Michael`s College ( St John`s Road ) Leeds - a former Catholic grammar school run by the Jesuits. Date : Sunday 4th July 2010 •, Reunion Mass 11:15am at Leeds University Chapel, St Mark`s Avenue Leeds •, Hospitality for an hour following Mass •, Lunch at City Inn ,Leeds from 1:30 - for those wishing to partake Paul Gallagher pmg_100@yahoo.co.uk 0161 928 4714 10 Ways to Save More Money 1. Ensure your tax code’,s correct - People in The UK overpay millions in tax every year simply because they are given the wrong tax code! Check it out on www.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/tax-right.htm 2. Claim your benefits and tax credits There’,s a whole list of options to explore: Child Benefit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and employee-related benefits. Log on to www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk, or ask your accountant. 3. Take Advantage of your Individual Savings Account (ISA) Allowance - If you’,re over 16 you can invest up to £,3,600 every year in an ISA –, Tax Free growth. (More about ISA’,s another time) 4. Avoid Savings Tax - If you or your children are not tax payers, you can boost your savings income is by filling in form R85 at your local bank or building society so the interest on your savings is tax-free. Print off a form at www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/R85.pdf 5. Reclaim wrongful charges - You might be able to reclaim Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) Charges, overcharged mortgage exit fees or wrongly invoiced charges for automated letters and overdrafts. Get details from www.moneysavingexpert.com. 6. Be Smart with Insurance Policies Don’,t go without - it’,s not worth the risk. But that doesn’,t mean you can’,t shop around for the best deal. For quality and service, get help from an independent broker, and if it is just the cheapest you’,re after (not always the best option) go to www.insurancesorter.co.uk/ or another comparison site. Don’,t buy loan protection insurance you don’,t need, and don’,t just automatically renew your travel insurance. Also, there are other providers of breakdown insurance besides the AA and RAC, so try them out. 7. Be Smart with Energy and Utilities •, Energy saving appliances (and light bulbs) greatly reduce your bill and are good for the environment. Look for the blue wedge logo on the appliances. Go to www.energysavingtrust.org.uk to find out how much you can save in your own home. •, Ensure you’,re wall cavities and lofts are well insulated. (A third of your home heating is lost this way!) •, If you’,ve never switched your gas or electricity supplier compare prices at www.energywatch.org.uk or www.which.co.uk/switch. •, Consider installing a water meter - if you’,re just two people living in a big house - you may be able cut your annual bill by half! You can switch back. •, Reduce land-line phone Bills - Some cable/satellite companies give you a package deal for your phone, TV and internet using your existing BT line. •, When I tried to switch mobile phone suppliers, they cut the rates to keep me! If you don’,t need all those minutes and texts, switch to a pay-as-you-go. 8. Avoid buying extended warranties - Are you really going to reclaim repairs on a radio that cost £,10? All retail goods have to last a year anyway and some manufacturers’, warranties are longer! 9. Be Smarter with Travel Expenses •, Save on Flights Holidays and Trips - Book early, travel out of season or mid-week. Use a travel agent to source the best deal (my preference), and if you have time log on to the web to compare eg. Skyscanner or kayak.com •, And stop complaining about fuel prices! Reduce your fuel bills by up to 30% by staying under 60mph, checking tyre pressure regularly, changing through gears early, driving in 5th gear when possible, and not carrying unnecessary weight. 10. Always check your statements and bills. Check your bank statements, card statements, restaurant bills, phone bills and receipts. And if you’,re unsure about something, don’,t be embarrassed to ask!

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I n the Constitution Lumen Gentium of the second Vatican Council, the Council expressed the desire to renew the diaconate: “,strengthened by sacramental grace they are dedicated to the people of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service of the liturgy, of the Gospel, and of works of charity”,. A little more about this, as promised last time: firstly, the ministry of a deacon flows from sacramental ordination, just as anyone in Holy Orders. Yes, many of the deacon’,s functions can be carried out by lay people or priests but the basis and significance of the deacon’,s functions flow from his own ordination. A deacon serves the whole church and acts in the name of the church: in our leading paragraph a deacon is given a threefold ministry of Word, Sacrament and Charity: and this ministry must be integrated and balanced. “,Someone not prepared for this threefold ministry should not be ordained. This ministry is carried out in sacramental communion between deacons and their bishop and between deacons and their collaborators in ordained ministry, the priests.”, There, I’,ve said it- and it is even better to write it down, because it is difficult to say in the church porch or over a coffee after Mass…, “,what do you do?”,- with that implied supplementary “,why do you do it”,? A deacon is not a mini- priest or even a sort of “,special constable”, of the priesthood. In a very few dioceses now, the numbers of deacons exceeds the numbers of priests, but the problem, I was always told, is nevertheless “,not a shortage of priests but a shortage of deacons”,. The diaconate was never intended to overwhelm the priesthood. The two ministries are distinct and could take even more different paths in a parish, but the current and hopefully passing shortage of priests brings a need for diaconal service in the parishes, supporting and collaborating with the priest in whatever way he can. Some commentators favour deacons exercising the church’,s preference for the poor, but they must not neglect the Word: the deacon has a duty, for example, to help bring the Gospels and scripture generally to people who, not so many years ago, did not see or hear or see a great deal of it outside the two (usually) New Testament readings at Sunday Mass: “,I once heard someone say ‘,Oh the Bible- it’,s that Protestant Book,’, ”, someone said to me only last week. At the altar, the deacon can follow the example of his Orthodox brothers and be a bridge between celebrating priest and the assembly of people. Diaconal ministry- one of of reconciliation- is intended to add “,its own uniquely sacramental character to the diaconal nature of the church”, as part of a whole tapestry of ministries, lay and ordained. This was part of the vision of those survivors of Dachau mentioned last time, and part of the vision of those Bishops of the Council who renewed the diaconate- with the words we started with here. Written with the valuable assistance of 101 Questions and Answers on Deacons (Dcn Dr William T Ditewig, Paulist Press) Page 6 DEACONS NEWS Deacons Diary T his Sunday (16th May, Ascension), Bishop Roche, will dedicate the Klais organ in the Cathedral at 3.00pm, during Solemn Vespers. The Lord Mayor, ecumenical guests, members of the Cathedral Chapter, some former Cathedral Directors of Music and organists will attend. This event brings to an end part one of the restoration of the Cathedral, which was started in July 2005. There still remains work to be done on the wall paintings and it is the hope that a grant might be available for that work. However with all the work that has now gone on and all the alterations the Cathedral now fulfils the most of the changes that were published by the Second Vatican Council. The original organ was built specifically for Leeds Cathedral in 1904 by Norman and Beard. Following a period of silence of around 30 years, Johannes Klais Orgelbau was chosen to reconstruct and enlarge the instrument to serve the requirements of the restored Cathedral and the new position of the choir at the East End. Rather than follow the well trodden path of producing yet another eclectic organ, supposedly capable of playing any repertoire, it was decided to pursue the artistic ideal of an instrument of great character in harmony with the spirit of an Edwardian Arts and Crafts building, and within the embrace of the richness of the Catholic liturgical tradition. In order to preserve the English Edwardian style of the Norman and Beard instrument, all the historic 1904 pipework has been carefully restored on its original chests. The organ now has seven divisions, controlled from a four manual console with 78 stops, which features a unique new system of allocating manual departments to keyboards. Predominant architectural features of the Cathedral, such as the ubiquitous trapezium motif and the tooth edging design, are reflected in the console. The number of different materials used has intentionally been limited as far as possible, such that the metal surrounds of the Swell pedals are of the same material as the toe pistons and the Swell pedals of the same material as the stop jambs. The keys are of bone and ebony and the inlay of the console oak is ebony and Swiss pear. Cathedral Celebrations Your Grace is Enough P upils, staff, families, and parishioners from all over Wakefield were welcomed to St Peter &, Paul’,s Church on the evening of Wednesday 19th May. Representative year 6 children, from each of the nine Catholic Primary schools, came together to share a series of workshops over 2 days. This is the 10th year that children have been coming together to worship through dance and prayer. Once again they were led by ‘,More Than Dance’, an inspirational liturgical dance group from Hexham and Newcastle Diocese. This Wakefield Catholic Partnership of Primary schools have facilitated this event through the Deputy Heads networking group. The theme was ‘,All things are possible with God’,s grace’,- exploring through music, dance and prayer the part we all play each new day in developing the tradition of our Faith. More than 60 children and staff shared their experiences while an enthusiastic congregation were encouraged to be involved on all levels, including learning a movement or two themselves! For the children involved they sacrificed their lessons for the 2 days concentrating their time and energies into developing new friendships, supporting each other and celebrating their success. For staff it was a time to share muscle aches and remedies to survive the next activity! The evening offered something for all who were there: from times of great energy and noise dancing to ‘,All things are possible’, to quiet moments for prayer and reflection. A moving dance in honour of Our Lady brought a beautiful stillness to the church and evoked great emotion in its simplicity. The evening of worship was a testimony to the strength of community between parishes and schools giving our young children an experience that they would treasure and share with children back in their respective schools. Lay Carmelites celebrate their first anniversary in Leeds O n 16th May the Leeds Carmelite Spirituality Group celebrated its first anniversary with a celebratory meeting at St. Theresa’,s Church in Cross Gates. The group developed from the former Chapter of the Carmelite Third Order which had met in Leeds for many years. Since its re- establishment as a Spirituality Group, the Lay Carmelite community has grown considerably, attracting dozens of people to its monthly presentations on different aspects of the 800- year-old Carmelite tradition. Highlights in the group programme thus far have included the visit of the relics of the Carmelite St. Thé,rè,se of Lisieux, pilgrimages to Knaresborough, days of recollection at Wood Hall Carmelite monastery, presentations on the martyrdom of Archbishop Oscar Romero, a talk from CAFOD’,s diocesan worker about justice and peace, and discussions about the Order’,s rich Marian tradition. Group convenor Johan Bergströ,m-Allen commented: “,We’,ve so much to thank God for, having enjoyed a really vibrant first year. As a community of largely lay people interested in the Carmelite way of life, people of different ages and backgrounds have found in ‘,Carmel’, something relevant and appealing, namely a closer encounter with Jesus Christ. We’,ve been made very welcome by the parish of St. Theresa’,s and its priest Monsignor Philip Holroyd. Although our group format is new, the Carmelites have a long-established relationship with Leeds Diocese, and we were delighted to receive a letter from Bishop Arthur recently thanking us for what we are doing and wishing us well in our development.”, For further information about the Group, visit www.carmelite.org/leeds or write to: Leeds Carmelite Spirituality Group, c/o More House, Heslington, York, YO10 5DX.

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VOCATIONS Page 7 Classified Advertising YOUTH FESTIVAL A minibus will be taking young people from Leeds down to the national youth discernment festival which is taking place between Friday 2nd and Sunday 4th July at Oscott College, Birmingham. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, and Abbot Christopher Jamison, will be among the speakers at the event, the first of its kind, which will include workshops and varied experiences of worship. The festival is aimed at young men and women aged 16 to 35 who are looking to deepen their relationship with Christ, discern God’,s will for their lives and at least be open to the possibility of priesthood or religious life. To book your free place on the minibus, which will leave Leeds Cathedral at 3pm on the Friday, please just email dolvocs@aol.com giving your contact details. The weekend costs £,50 and accommodation will be provided in big tents. Funds will be made available if any young person could not otherwise afford to go. 2. Four new seminarians Bishop Roche has accepted four men to begin formation for the priesthood beginning this September. All four, who are aged 21, 22, 32 and 33, will be going to the Royal English College in Valladolid, Spain, to participate in the propaedeutic year, where, among other things, they will be given a thorough grounding in the Catechism, develop their prayer life, engage in demanding pastoral work and go on pilgrimage to sites associated with Spanish saints. Bishop Roche interviewed the men with his two vicars general at Hinsley Hall, Leeds, after each had engaged in a discernment process in the diocese lasting at least a year, which included monthly meetings, discernment weekends, spiritual direction and a psychological assessment. There will be further interviews later this month. 3. The sheer awesomeness of the Mass Through celebrating the Mass the priest enables all those who are worshiping to become Christ’,s real presence in the world, Mgr Steele told the members of the discernment group at a recent meeting. He said: “,When at the words of Consecration I say ‘,This is my Body’,, ‘,This is my Blood’,, I remind myself that the Body and Blood of Christ ‘,garnered in this tiny space’, is there to be eaten and drunk by the whole priestly people, so that Christ can look on all of us together and say ‘,This is my Body, this is my Blood’, –, and at the end of Mass he can then send us all out on our mission: ‘,Go in peace –, be my Real Presence in the world.’,”, Mgr Steele, who is an expert on ecumenical and interfaith issues, described how he had come to understand the relationship between ordained priests such as himself and the “,baptised priesthood”, of lay people, by reflecting on the documents of the Second Vatican Council. He recognised that during the Mass lay people too, together with me, “,were exercising their priesthood by inwardly offering themselves with Christ, in worship and in intercession for the world, and by outwardly expressing their priesthood by taking an active part,”, he said. The “,horizontal dimension”, of the Mass which he described in this way complemented that “,vertical awesomeness”, which he had been especially conscious of as a young priest before the Council. He recalled that when he held the consecrated Host in his hands for the first time “,my hands and my whole body were shaking.”, The full text of Mgr Steele’,s talk, whose title “,The fervour of a priest’,s life depends entirely upon the Mass,”, is a line drawn from Pope Benedict’,s Letter to mark the Year for Priests, is available on the diocesan vocations website. The next meeting of the group is on Friday 25th June, beginning at 7pm, at Leeds Trinity University College, Horsforth. All Catholic men who wish to explore the possibility of priesthood are most welcome to participate. 4. Visit to a new eco-friendly convent Three new enquirers from Leeds Diocese, attending a recent discernment weekend at St Cuthbert’,s College, Ushaw were taken to the new Stanbrook Abbey near Wass in the North York Moors and prayed and conversed with the Benedictine sisters there. The community recently moved from Worcester to the newly built convent, which is situated near Ampleforth and which has been widely praised for its attention to sustainability. Later on the participants listened to Deacon Seá,n O’,Brien from Salford Diocese speak about the Northern Saints, focusing especially on St Cuthbert and St Aidan. He showed the enquirers various artefacts, including St Cuthbert’,s ring, which was found on his body, and which bishops use when conferring ministries on and ordaining men at Ushaw. Deacon O’,Brien is pictured showing the ring to Fr Grogan. 5. Youth discernment group trip to Osmotherley Young men aged 13 to 17 are invited to go on a day trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Grace, Osmotherley on Saturday 19th June. The day will include a picturesque four-mile walk across the North York Moors, a rosary procession to the shrine, Vigil Mass at the Shrine and a fish and chip supper. Any young men who are interested in participating in the trip are invited to get in touch with Fr Grogan (dolvocs@aol.com) who will then contact their parents to secure their permission. 6. A school of love The evangelical counsels - poverty, chastity and obedience - allow us to model ourselves on Christ, Mgr Philip Holroyd told members of the discernment group recently. He described them as a ",school of love", and a ",prophetic witness in the modern world.", The importance of the counsels was underlined by Pope Benedict in his Letter proclaiming the Year for Priests. Drawing on varied scriptural texts, Mgr Holroyd, who is Parish Priest of St Theresa’,s, Cross Gates, noted that very early on in the life of the Church some Christians discovered a desire to “,follow Christ and the Gospel as fully as they could, if you like, in a more intense way.”, He said that the Desert Fathers, monasticism and the Franciscans and Poor Clares in the Middle Ages were all instances of this. He added that the counsels have had a “,strong influence2 on the spirituality of the diocesan priesthood too, even though diocesan priests do not make formal vows in the way that members of religious orders do. Mgr Holroyd remarked that there was a danger inherent in focusing upon the evangelical counsels –, it could lead to a two-tier church. This is avoided if we are attentive to the teaching of the second Vatican Council, he said. The document on the Church, “,Lumen Gentium,”, emphasises that all the members of the Church are equal by virtue of their baptism and that all members of the Church are called to holiness, a holiness which is rooted in the gospel. The document refers to the counsels. Mgr Holroyd added, “,It then goes on to explore how one call to holiness is to be worked out in different ways for different people in different circumstances.”, The full text of Mgr Holroyd’,s talk is available on the diocesan vocations website. 7. Parishes An anonymous benefactor has paid more than one thousand pounds for two prospective seminarians to go to Lourdes on this July`s diocesan pilgrimage. Each year the diocese sends a number of young men who are seriously interested in the priesthood or who are already at seminary, but this year it was decided to axe this expense to keep costs down in the current economic climate. Vocations Director Fr Paul Grogan said: ",It is very generous of this person to sacrifice so much money to foster vocations to the priesthood. When we look after others at Lourdes we rediscover our own vulnerability and this puts us in the right place to hear the Lord speaking to us. The pilgrimage is a great help in vocational discernment.", 8. Parish Vocations Preaching Mission 5th/6th June: St Columba’,s, Halifax 12th/13th June: St Augustine’,s, Leeds 26th/27th June: St Mary’,s and St Alban’,s, Halifax 10th/11th July: St Anthony’,s, Bradford 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 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

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PAGE 8 INTERFAITH Death of Fr Pat is a sad loss Fr Pat McCaffrey SSC died on May 17th in Pakistan of a heart attack. He had been visiting Columban Lay Missionaries in Muree and was walking to catch a bus back to Lahore, accompanied by one of the Missionaries, when he collapsed and died later in hospital. Fr Pat was seconded to work as Interfaith Adviser in the Diocese of Leeds in 1999. He had worked as a missionary in Fiji and in Pakistan for 19 years prior to this appointment. He was a founder member of the ecumenical Columba Community in Bradford. He left in 2004 to take up missionary work again in Fiji and subsequently in Pakistan. He died where he confessed his heart lay –, in Pakistan. Before his death, from 1999 to 2004 by his indefatigable making of friends across all divides of culture, race and religion he has left us a legacy of the meaning of what interfaith dialogue is and an inspiration for us to take forward in that work in the diocese of Leeds. May he rest in peace. Someone has said: “,I wonder what God will do with the fearsome and lovely energy now available to Him in Pat McCaffrey? Pat made several flying visits from Birmingham in 1999 before deciding to take on the work of interfaith dialogue in the diocese of Leeds. He came like a powerful whirlwind at the precise time that the Catholic Church and its ecumenical partners needed just that. A small diocesan interfaith group had been working from the late 1980s in the field of dialogue with members of other religions. The Columban Missionaries (in the person of Ed O’,Connell) had been joint organisers with this group of a Muslim-Christian journey to Pakistan in 1989. In 1995 the group held a meeting with the title “,Christian –, Muslim Dialogue –, Ideas for Ways forward”,. The West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council had inaugurated a series of consultations on the future of the Churches in Bradford in 1999. We were awash with ideas, reports and analyses a plenty but we did not need ideas any more but someone like Pat to stir us into action. He duly arrived. Within weeks of his arrival, in January 2000, Pat had organised the first of what were to prove an evolving programme of courses designed to bring interfaith dialogue into the mainstream of the diocese. Until his departure in 2004 he delivered courses on his specialism –, Islam and relations with Muslims - up and down the diocese for priests and laity and where possible always with ecumenical partners. He contributed his unique enthusiasm, insight and considerable academic ability to courses organised by Diocesan Interreligious Relations Commission. He advised innumerable priests and laypeople in parishes, schools and organisations in the area of interfaith dialogue. He brought great gifts to all this work of formation and evangelisation, but it will not be for this that he will be mainly remembered. Pat used to say: “,There are those who talk about interfaith work and those who do it!”, Pat had to sit through interminable interfaith meetings where strategies for dialogue were dissected at great length. His body language spoke volumes. His forte was out in the street or the home or the work place meeting people. He had a great gift for languages. In Ireland and India on interfaith “,pilgrimages”, with friends of different religions, in Bradford Mosques, Temples and Gurdwaras he loved nothing more than meeting people, offering the hand of friendship and speaking to them in their own languages. Faces would light up and barriers come down. He had a gift for making people, young and old, feel alive, loved and valued. So Pat in 1999 and 2000 helped to form the emerging ecumenical Columba Community in Bradford. He was one of its main “,roof-beams”, –, shaping its direction, spirituality and character. He made his home in its house on Horton Grange Road and in no time the house was overflowing with guests responding to Pat’,s insistent hospitality and practical help offered to all comers. He welcomed those most who needed welcoming –, the disadvantaged and the asylum seeker. He was part of the move in 2002 to mark the anniversary of 9/11 with interfaith prayers for peace. Those early meetings packed people into the room at Horton Grange Road fit to bursting. That is Pat’,s abiding legacy to us. He lived out, in all his approaches to all he met, a total conviction that God loves all without exception, without human distinctions and that it was his task to illustrate that love for as many hours of the day he could manage. It so happened that Pat was endowed with more than the measure usually allocated to us of energy and strength. He had the physical and emotional endurance of ten. His smile was never as wide as when listening to the rich tales of those he met, his attention never as concentrated as when hearing stories of hurt, sorrow and disappointment. Pat’,s energy and dedicated love of others flowed from his priesthood, his life of prayer and the daily celebration of the Eucharist. Pat gave every sign of confidence and optimism but was beset by doubts about the efficacy of his mission and fears about its effectiveness. Few saw this. Pat’,s fragility was hidden in his deep reliance on the God he found in prayer and in the God he met in his encounters with all those he met. Pat came truly alive when he became the “,man for others”,, when he let his instinct for love take over. If he caught himself thinking too much about how to do that, he could falter. Luckily these times for too much introspection were few. In 2010 the Bishops of England and Wales published a teaching document on interreligious relations. Its title is “,Meeting God in Friend and Stranger”,. Pat was one of those pioneers who, by their total dedication to interfaith work, laid the secure foundations for the theology, spirituality and practice which the document contains. He embodied in his life and work the exact truth which the document seeks to expound: that God is to be found in everyone, that it is the task of the Christian to enter into the “,loving service of all that exists”,. This was so much the driving force of Pat’,s approach to everyone he met that they responded with similar generosity and openness. He brought God to all, he found God in all and so his impact on people was immense. In the Old Testament, patriarchal men and matriarchal women were accredited by those who came after them with extraordinary length of days –, to mark them out as giants whose deeds could not be emulated by mere mortals. Pat would not like that sort of adulation. He was only too aware of his faults and failings. But he stands for many as a giant of love who delighted in nothing other than embodying the universality, depth and richness of the God he served. Fr Pat McCaffrey, member of the Missionary Society of St Columban. Friend to many of all religions and of every culture, creed and race. Died in Pakistan, May 2010. Our sincere condolences go to his brothers and sisters in Northern Ireland. FEASTS AND FESTIVALS 5 July Sikh: Birthday of Guru Hargobind (1595 –, 1644) the sixth of the Sikh’,s ten Gurus or founders. 9 July Baha’,i: Martyrdom of the Bab executed in Tabriz in Iran in 1850. 20 July Jewish: Tisha B’,Av –, the solemn day marking the series of tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people over the years. 23 July Sikh: Birthday of Guru Har Krishen (1656 –, 64) the eighth Guru. A s well as preparing for her first teaching post, CAFOD volunteer Hannah Davis will be spending the whole of the summer holidays teaching English in Mekele, Tigray, northern Ethiopia. The Abba Gabremichael Project was started in 2005 by the Daughters of Charity, CAFOD’,s partner, to help children in difficult circumstances. As well as providing learning opportunities for children between the ages of 9 and 17, the project also tries to reintegrate former street children into families. This project is supported by CAFOD, Sciaf and Trocaire but it can only run successfully because of volunteers like Hannah who are ready to give up their time and share their skills. Ged Naughton from Hexham and Newcastle Diocese volunteered last summer. Below we can read Ged’,s impressions. No doubt Hannah will have her own story to tell when she returns. Ethiopia: Green shoots of optimism When I first went to Ethiopia I only knew three things about the country. It’,s famous for marathon runners, it suffers from periodic famines (or at least it did when I was growing up), and its leader used to be Emperor Haile Selassie, who was made into a God by the Rastafarians in Jamaica, believing he embodied Christ’,s second coming. Now, at least, I know something about its history. But what caused the famine that was on our European TVs in 1984-85 and brought about Band Aid and Live Aid? Three things: poverty, war and drought. Tigray was the base from which the 17-year civil war was launched against the communist government of Mengistu and the Derg (military junta). The other region to rebel was Eritrea, which got independence in 1994. Tigray, meanwhile, has supplied the Ethiopian government with many members, including its Prime Minister, who has won the last three elections. The war is over, and seventeen years on the country seems to be building its capitalist economy –, Mekele has a shop selling organic Tigrayan honey, for example. Drought, however, is an annual problem. It only rains for three months and estimates say up to a million people in Tigray are still affected each year. This year’,s rain has been small. But there are some communities working together to conserve water in the highlands, build irrigation channels and reservoirs, dig springs, and produce crops. Once water is conserved, there are more harvests each year, which means more money and more possibility of young people continuing their education, and not having to turn to the streets. But such projects, although successful in themselves, can make only small incursions into the tyrannous regime of drought. It is hoped that the Ethiopian government will learn from them and take these successes onto a grander scale. And when that learning is truly widespread, indigenous trees will return in numbers, and the natural balance will take over again. Or so it is hoped. If climate change, war or any other natural or manmade disaster doesn’,t wipe it out first. It’,s precarious, but there is some hope. Bob Geldof and the rest of them sang: “,Where nothing ever grows, no rains or rivers flow.”, Not true in a few places I visited, and I have the photos to prove it. So that only leaves poverty. Tekeste, aged somewhere around 13 to 15, is one of the children at the project where I’,ve worked for the last month and a half. Last week he lost his mother. It was difficult to find out what had been wrong with her –, the other children said it was cancer and her face had been disfigured with large swellings. Tekeste had already lost his father, so he will probably have to leave the project and full-time education and look for work to help support himself and his family. These statements are understood with little or no passion, it seems. Perhaps, he thinks he’,s had his chance, and two years of education is better than none. There are hundreds of other kids the same as him who don’,t even get that, including his siblings. There are still beggars and street-children and electricity only on alternate days, and it will take continued years of peace and development to make a difference. And it’,s true that in that time, a lot of people will not see much change in their personal difficulties. There are, however, lots of green shoots to be optimistic about. The Rainy Season School

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N ow that we have a new government, let’,s keep the pressure up to end global poverty. CAFOD pledges to continue to work to make poverty history and for a fair and global climate justice deal during 2010. We will continue to try to reduce our own carbon footprint and live more simply, sustainably and in solidarity with people who are poor. CAFOD will work with our networks to influence the UK and the European Union’,s position. But we need you to support us. Our faith calls us to stand alongside people living in poverty. Our decisions can change life for the better for our neighbours in developing countries. All three political parties now agree it is vital to tackle climate change, increase aid and make businesses work for the poor. But actions speak louder than words. Prime Minister David Cameron will only act on these issues if we tell him to. We’,re asking you to join with us in sending a clear message to the new Prime Minister from the start. We want the government to act on poverty by: •, Pushing for a fair, legally binding climate change deal at the UN •, Honouring the commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on aid for the world’,s poorest by 2013 •, Ensuring businesses are accountable to people in poor countries affected by their operations Why not get your parish to campaign with us? ‘,Who is my neighbour? Act on Poverty’, campaign cards can be ordered through the Leeds office 0113 275 9302 leeds@cafod.org.uk or by contacting: 020 7095 5692 or campaigns@cafod.org.uk ",The Spirit of the Lord will be with him, To give him understanding,wisdom and insight. He will be powerful and he will know and honour the Lord. His greatest joy will be to obey the Lord.”, (Isaiah 1:2-3 The Poverty and Justice Bible) T he remarkable story of the Holy Spirit at work in Oscar Romero has transformed thousands of people’,s lives in El Salvador and has been an inspiration to many thousands more across the world. Born in Ciudad Barrios, a town in the mountainous east of El Salvador, on 15 August 1917 he was shot dead on 24th March 1980, aged only 63, whilst celebrating mass in the chapel of the hospital where he lived. What happened to make this quiet, conservative man become a national icon and a prophet for the global church? Becoming Bishop After serving in a parish, Fr. Oscar Romero became secretary of the diocese of San Miguel for 23 years. As diocesan secretary he inspired many with his sermons, broadcast by five local radio stations and heard across the city. In 1970 he became auxiliary bishop of San Salvador, and there he busied himself with administration. Many found him conservative in views and by temperament. In 1974 he became Bishop of a rural diocese, Santiago de Maria. Three years later, in February 1977, Oscar Romero was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador, seen by many as a `safe` appointment, someone who would maintain the status quo. Romero had a reputation as a quiet, timid man who liked to avoid conflict and who backed down in the face of government corruption. The authorities believed that as Archbishop he would not cause them any trouble by asking awkward questions or drawing attention to the situation in El Salvador. They also hoped he would control “,trouble making”, priests, those who did dare to challenge government violence and oppression and that he would order the people to obey. Spirit of Love A church that doesn’,t provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn’,t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’,t get under anyone’,s skin..... what gospel is that?.....’, Oscar Romero (The Violence of Love) Within a month, however, his reputation had changed. El Salvador was a country in turmoil, where social divisions were deep-rooted and made worse by violence. Land and wealth were in the hands of a few families who controlled the media, rigged elections and used the army to protect their position. •, 2% of the population owned 60% of the land. •, Many farmers depended on just one crop –, coffee. If the harvest failed their families would go hungry. •, No criticism of the system was tolerated. Each month hundreds of people were tortured, murdered –, or simply “,disappeared”,. •, The distress and anger of the peasant population was growing and caused alarm among those who did well out of the system. Any call for justice was put down by brutal intimidation. •, The first three months of 1980 had already seen 800 murders and tension was rising. The Church, too, was entering into a time of persecution because of new ideas which were beginning to be talked about and acted upon by those working with and for the poor. Their talk of justice threatened the way of life of the rich and powerful. In February 1977 a crowd of protesters was attacked by soldiers in the town square of the capital. Then, on 12 March 1977, a radical priest, Rutilio Grande, was murdered in Aguilares. Romero had known him. He had been living in poverty alongside landless peasants, believing this is what Jesus would have done. Romero Acts –, Rebel or Prophet? Romero was shocked and decided to act. He ordered three days of mourning and a funeral mass in the cathedral, despite advice to the contrary. He observed that there was no official enquiry. He recognized that power lay in the hands of violent men, and that they murdered with impunity. The wealthy sanctioned the violence that maintained them. Death squads committed murder in the cities while soldiers killed as they wished in the countryside. When a new government which represented a coalition of powerful interests was elected it was seen to be by fraud. There was talk of revolution. The more Romero committed himself to the poor and the persecuted the more he became the catalyst for radical moral prophecy in the church and outside it. Meanwhile, the church began to document the abuse of human rights and to establish the truth in a country governed by lies, where men and women simply disappeared without account. The press attacked him vehemently. Romero, it was said, allied the church with revolutionaries. This he repudiated: the church was not a political movement. But when a succession of priests were murdered Romero found in their deaths testimony of a church incarnated in the problems of its people. In May 1979 he visited the Pope in Rome and presented him with seven dossiers filled with reports and documents describing the injustices of El Salvador. Above all, Romero urged justice, peace and forgiveness. He tried to see the best in everyone –, even those who appeared to be the enemies of the people. Specific ways in which he acted were to: Gift of Faith The day before he died, Archbishop Romero made a passionate plea for peace and justice in El Salvador: “,When you hear the words of a man telling you to kill, remember instead the words of God, ‘,Thou shalt not kill.’, In the name of God, in the name of our tormented people who have suffered so much, I beseech you, I beg you, I order you...stop the repression!”, These words sealed his fate. As Romero had become more and more confident and outspoken in his criticisms of the authorities, he knew he was pushing them to a point where they would try to silence him. In the sermon just minutes before his death, Archbishop Romero reminded his congregation of the parable of the wheat. ",Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ, will live like the grains of wheat that dies. It only apparently dies. If it were not to die, it would remain a solitary grain. The harvest comes because of the grain that dies We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses, that God wants, that God demands of us",. Gift of Peace 1981 Oscar Romero was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (having been nominated in 1978). Today the memory of Oscar Romero is cherished by the people of El Salvador, and by countless Christians across the world. He was murdered because he had spent his three years in office criticizing those who made El Salvador a dangerous, violent and unfair place to live. He tried always to live and to spread the Gospel message of love, peace and justice. Though often afraid, he was prepared to risk his life for the people whom he loved most –, the poor and the powerless. His vision continues to inspire people in El Salvador and around the world. CAFOD PAGE 9 Archbishop Oscar Romero –, 20th Century Martyr Join us for an evening of inspiration and hope. ‘,Remembering Romero’, The Romero Trust Lecture tour visits Leeds Diocese 7.00pm on Friday 2nd July, Wheeler Hall, St Anne’,s Cathedral, Leeds. To book a place tel: CAFOD Leeds 0113 275 9302 or email leeds@cafod.org.uk See poster for further details After the Election –, What next? Act on poverty now!

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Page 10 Flores de Mayo Procession S unday morning on the 16th May masses of colour in the parish of St Cuthbert &, First Martyrs of Rome who were host to the annual Flores de Mayo procession in honour of Our Lady. This procession which originates in the Phillipeans was started in the parish here a few years ago and grows from strength to strength each year. There was great excitement among the children who were dressed up for the occasion. The girls dressed and queens and angels and the boys dressed as knights. They looked beautiful as they processed along the streets around First Martyrs Church, Bradford. The whole sight caused not a little stir among the locals, who were looking out on the gathering of people, walking in procession singing hymns to Our Lady. Although early morning threatened rain, thankfully it held off and we had a wonderful procession, very kindly escorted by the local police who kept the traffic at a safe distance as we went past. It was a powerful witness to the Catholic faith in our area and many people watched as we went passed heading back for our parish Mass at 10.30 am. It was a very joyful occasion which was made especially so, as the children in Year 3 who the day before had made their First Holy Communion, also joined in the procession dressed in their finest First Holy Communion clothes. The sight of all the children together, both the first Holy Communion children and the children dressed for the procession was a delight to behold and bodes well for the future of the parish with so many children involved. STUDENTS IN QUARANTINE M any of the pilgrims leaving The Holy Family Catholic School, Keighley for the annual Lourdes pilgrimage on Friday were in quarantine. But not because they were ill, they were in exam quarantine. The examination board had scheduled an RE exam for Friday morning which meant that the pilgrims sitting the exam had to come into school early to sit the examination prior to departure. They then had to stay in isolation without mobile phones or contact with other students until late morning when the examinations sat at the usual time would have ended. In spite of the very early start a lively group assembled to load the bus, have a group photo taken and pray together before departing mid-morning to drive south for the ferry to France. The pilgrims will spent the week of their half-term holiday working as care assistants to other sick pilgrims on the Society of Our Lady of Lourdes Pilgrimage. The students not only sacrifice their holiday to work very hard in stressful circumstances but they also pay for the privilege. The pilgrimage in Year 10 has developed over the years into a rite of passage for the year group as a whole.

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Page 11 WHITSUN CELEBRATION N ormanton was blessed with beautiful weather and temperatures in the 70s for our procession on Sunday, the procession was led by the 32 children who had made their First Communion the previous week and had attended their Thanksgiving Mass prior to starting off, our alter servers also played their part even though they had to wear their woollen gowns throughout. Pride was certainly etched on the faces of mums, dads, grandmas and granddads as they recalled years gone by when this was an annual event, congratulations must go to Kitty Durkin 89 yrs young who walked the whole of the processional route. The number of parishioner`s and friends who turned out was heart warming, something that will be talked of for many a year. The magnificent display of the parish banners and enthusiasm shown by all especially the girls who `volunteered` to carry the statue of Our Lady was appreciated by all members of the community of Normanton both non-catholic and Catholic alike. On returning to church the Grotto and a new statue of Our Lady was re-dedicated in a short and very moving service led by our much loved parish priest, Canon Peter Maguire. A fantastic family afternoon was then enjoyed by all in the grounds of the Social Club, where many a thirst was quenched especially by those who had the task of carrying the banners also a B-B-Q and Cream Teas were on offer. Entertainment by the Altofts &, Normanton Brass Band, a traditional Punch and Judy Show and other entertainments was enjoyed by all, a day of celebration and fun was complete. GUARANTEED WEEKLY PRIZES , 1st Prize £,2,000 , 2nd Prize £,200 , 3rd Prize £,50 , Plus 150 prizes of £,5 each WEEKLY PRIZES Entry only £,1 per week - Drawn every Friday INTERESTED? Please return the coupon below to: The Lottery Office, Wheatfields Hospice, Grove Road, Leeds, LS6 2AE. For more information telephone 0113 278 1500 NOW St Gemma’,s and Wheatfields Lottery If you want to help JOIN NOW Please make cheques payable to: ST GEMMA’,S &, WHEATFIELD LOTTERY Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other Name .................................................................... Address ...................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................... Postcode:................................... Tel: ......................................................... PLEASE TICK PREFERRED PAYMENT METHOD AND RETURN TO THE LOTTERY OFFICE ❏, CHEQUE –, Minimum £,10 (to be sent now) ❏, STANDING ORDER ❏, CASH COLLECTION Visa/Switch Telephone 0113 278 1500 CALL NOW! We can all be winners £,1 gives you the chance to win £,2,000 GIFT VOUCHERS NOW ON SALE Winners are automatically paid by post each week. All profits shared equally between St Gemma’,s &, Wheatfields Hospices. Registered with the Gambling Commission for Great Britain LOTTERY NEW MEMBERS’, FORM

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Page 12 T he final retreat day for the current Foundations in Faith (CCRS) group was held at The Briery in Ilkley on May 8th. This group have been studying and praying together for the last two years and have said how much they will miss gathering together on Tuesday evenings as they progressed through the course. The overwhelming response from the group has been very positive. “,The course was fantastic, the lecturers were very knowledgeable and presented their topics very well, there was a wide cross section of course participants, people from all walks of life (not just teachers!) which added to the depth of discussion!”, (Andy Krlic) “,The modules were interesting and also challenging, encouraging me to learn more for myself outside of the sessions. Alongside the studies, I had the privilege to meet a lovely, diverse group of people, some of whom I will remain friends with. We shared experiences, formed bonds and became a “,family”, over the course of the two years. The outcome of my attending the course was a deepened understanding of my faith and ultimately a closer relationship with God. I would highly recommend the CCRS course to anyone wishing to pursue this.”, (Annette Crowther) “,At the outset I though that it was a bunch of stuffy old people who were from a different planet to me and had nothing in common. I was wrong, I felt true love and faith each Tuesday evening. It was like a sanctuary sharing hopes, desires, fears and successes with a new set of life long friends from many different walks of life. The course content was tough at times, but we all found our strength through the relationship and friendships which were made over the two years. Especially for teachers who could `talk shop and offload on each other` after busy days. My favourite parts of the course were the retreat days. Filled with spirit and worship they became central to my personal faith journey.”, (Julie Drake) “,I came to sign up for the Foundations in Faith course because I felt that I needed more knowledge of the catholic faith in order to progress spiritually. I feel the combination of taught modules and retreats has been just right to enable me to achieve that. I felt the people in the group were great, they came from a variety of backgrounds and made many valuable and inspiring contributions to the sessions. I felt the tutors opened to us the treasures of the Church for which I am very grateful.”, (Greg Turton) “,Some of the things I have enjoyed about the course are that it became a lifestyle almost, meeting with people from differing backgrounds from across the Diocese openly sharing their faith and experiences, the regular calling to prayer and the opportunity for retreat and inspired, enthused and enlightened.”, (Julia Findlay) This two year course for teachers, catechists and anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith includes the eight modules of the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) which is validated by the Catholic Bishops’, Conference of England &, Wales. In addition to the eight modules there are two introductory sessions and two retreat days each year. The next course begins at Hinsley Hall in September 2010 For further information contact Mrs Janine Garnett on 0113 261 8040 or janine.garnett@dioceseofleeds.org.uk Or download an information pack from the website www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/evangelisation Foundations in Faith (CCRS) A Day of Celebrations When Angela Kemp arrived at Our Lady and St. Paulinus Church in Dewsbury on Sunday morning she felt that she had a lot to be grateful for as it was her ruby wedding anniversary. Together with her husband John, and surrounded by family members, she walked into the church where she had been married on 2nd May 1970. Little did she know that the tables would be turned on her, and words of thanks and gratitude would be expressed to her for over thirty-five years dedicated service to the Parish as a flower arranger. The culmination of her Parish Priest, Father Nicholas Hird’,s appreciative words of her quiet, loyal and devoted ministry came in the form of the presentation to her of the Leeds Diocesan Silver Medal granted by request of Bishop Arthur Roche. Angela began her long association as a flower arranger at the church by assisting her aunt, ultimately taking over the role. During her thirty-five years, she has arranged flowers for all kinds of occasions, and eighteen months ago produced some of the many arrangements that formed the church’,s first ever flower festival under the title of Saints and Sacraments. As a young mum, Angela would sometimes be accompanied by one or other of her sons, Matthew, James, Paul and David, now as a grandma, it isn’,t unusual to see one of her granddaughters assisting her. At the end of the Mass of Thanksgiving to mark their fortieth wedding anniversary, Angela and John Kemp were presented with a Papal Blessing. for their garden they were given a camellia and a rose tree named Ruby Wedding. St Paul’,s Primary visit S t Paul’,s Catholic Primary School in Alwoodley, Leeds welcomed some very special visitors recently. Sylvia Wright visited the school during her recent return to Leeds, to thank pupils, staff and parents for their generous donation of £,600, which provides sponsorship for two children at Sylvia’,s Rangammal School for the Deaf in India, for a whole year! Sylvia was delighted by the warm welcome and lovely children at St Paul’,s, she asked if two of her teachers could also pay a visit to the school. ‘,Simply outstanding’, P arents and Governors at St Theresa’,s Catholic Primary School in East Leeds were treated to three wonderful performances of Lloyd-Webber’,s musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor®, during the week beginning 24 May 2010. The children performing were aged from 7-11 (all of Key Stage 2) and the quality of the singing and acting was simply outstanding. Parents were buzzing as they left the hall and lots of lovely comments were passed on to staff and Governors about the quality of the performances. The lead roles were all taken by Year 6 pupils and Joseph was played by Oliver Maskill, his performances over the three nights were flawless and quite electrifying, this boy is a star in the making! Other notable performances were from Nicholas Goulden as Pharaoh, all the brothers but most especially Adam Street, Olivia Mather-Walsh and Rhiannon Duffy who all sang brilliant solos. The narrators, Anna Keat, Emily Riley and Emmie McGlinchey were also stunning and started both acts off in a wonderful way. In fact everyone did really well so it is hard to single individuals out as every child deserves a big pat on the back. St Theresa’,s is exceptionally lucky (for a primary school) to have such an amazing stage and sound and lighting rig. The scenery, costumes and sound were all first class. Overall this was a fantastic show that will live long in the memories of the children who took part in it and the parents who watched it. Head Teacher, Mr John Hutchinson, said at the end of the show, “,These performances are the things that children never forget and I believe this is what primary school life should be all about, experiences that shape and form you for your whole life... ones that you’,ll tell your grandkids about! I would just like to thank all my staff and children for such a brilliant end to our half-term, it was simply outstanding!”,

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POLISH NEWS 13 Father Wiktor Ostrowski’,s Birthday Celebrations F ather Wiktor Ostrowski arrived In Leeds In September to serve the Polish Community alongside Father Jan Zareba. Father Wiktor was ordained in the June of 2000 in Torun by his Excellency Bishop Andrzej Wojciech Suski. He began his ministry in Wabrzezno, a town about 35km to the northeast of Torun. This is Father Wiktor’,s first ministry here in England. On the 23rd of May, it was the Polish Communities opportunity to thank him for all his hard work and celebrate his birthday. In good old polish style, there was much fun to be had. The committee organised teas, coffee and cakes whilst a local polish group of artists Invadarters showed off their talents by organising fun activities for children and a lottery to raise money for their exhibition of work on the 12th of June in the Polish Centre. The weather was superb and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We wish Father Wiktor many more years of fun filled service within our community and also success to the Polish Artists for their display of work on the 12th of June at 6pm. Funeral Services W. Lever Ltd BRADFORD 01274 547137 524 THORNTON ROAD, BRADFORD BD8 9NB FOR OVER 75 YEARS PROVIDING A COMPLETE PERSONAL &, CARING 24 HOUR FUNERAL SERVICE CHAPEL OF REST 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 Rafael Kalinowski T he Polish Discalced Carmelite Friar, Rafael Kalinowski, was born on the first of September 1835 inside the Russian partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in the city of Wilno. He was a teacher, engineer, prisoner of war, royal tutor, and priest, who founded many monasteries around Poland after the suppression by the Russians. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1991, the first man to be so recognized in the order of the Discalced Carmelites since Saint John of the Cross. He was born as Joseph (Jó,zef) to a noble family in the city of Wilno. He was the second son of Andrew Kalinowski, an assistant superintendent professor of mathematics at the local Institute for Nobles (Instytut Szlachecki). His mother, Josephine Polonska, died a few months after he was born, leaving him and his older brother Victor without a mother. His father then married Josephine`s sister (a practice that was not uncommon in that time), Sophie Polonska, and had three more children: Charles, Emily, and Gabriel. After Sophie died in 1845, Andrew married again, this time to the 17-year-old Sophie Puttkamer, daughter of Marył,a Wereszczak (famous at the time for being written about by Adam Mickiewicz), who became mother to all of Andrew`s existing children and had four more of her own: Mary, Alexander, Monica, and George. From the age of 8, Kalinowski attended the Institute for Nobles at Vilna, and graduated with honours in 1850. He next attended the School of Agriculture (Instytut Agronomiczny) at Hory-Horki, near Orsha. Choice of colleges was strictly limited by the Russians, so in 1853 he enlisted in the Russian Army and entered the Nicholayev Engineering Academy (Mikolajewska Szkola Inż,ynierii). He was promoted to Second Lieutenant in 1856. In 1857 he worked as an associate professor of mathematics, and from 1858-1860 he worked as an engineer who helped design the Odessa/Kiev/Kursk portion of the Trans-Siberian railway. In 1862 he was promoted to Captain. but In 1863, he resigned from the Russian Army and became Minister of War during the Polish insurrection –, the January Uprising. On the 24th of March 1864, he was arrested and condemned to death by firing squad, but his family intervened and the sent to work in a Siberian labour camp for 10 years. He was forced to trek overland to the salt mines of Usole, near Irkutsk, Siberia, a journey that took nine months. Three years after arriving in Usole he was allowed to move to Irkutsk. From 1871-1872, he did meteorological research for the Siberian section of the Russian Geographical Company. He also participated in Benedict Dybowski`s research expedition to Kultuk at Baikal. In 1874, he returned to Warsaw, and became a tutor to 16-year-old Prince August Czartoryski. August was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1876, and Kalinowski accompanied him to various health destinations in France, Switzerland, Italy, and Poland. In 1877, Kalinowski joined the Carmel of Linz, and took the name ",Brother Raphael of St. Joseph.", The name ",of St. Joseph", had nothing to do with his birthname—,it was common for many Carmelites to list their name as ",of St. Joseph",, after the ",Convent of St. Joseph", founded by Teresa of Avila, co- founder of the Discalced Carmelite Order. He was ordained as priest at Czerna in 1882 by Bishop Albin Dunajewski, and in 1883 he became Prior of the convent at Czerna. He founded multiple Catholic organizations around Poland and the Ukraine, most prominent of which was a monastery in Wadowice, Poland, where he was also Prior. He founded a Carmelite Sisters convent in Przemyś,l in 1884, and Lwow in 1888. From 1892-1907, he worked to document the life and work of Mother Theresa Marchocka, a 17th century Discalced Carmelite, to assist with her beatification. He died in Wadowice of tuberculosis in 1907. Kalinowski`s remains were originally kept in the convent cemetery, but this proved unmanageable because of the large number of pilgrims who came to pay their respects. So many of them took handfuls of dirt from the grave that the nuns had to keep replacing the earth and plants at the cemetery. His body was later moved to a tomb, but the pilgrims went there instead, often scratching with their hands at the plaster, just to have some relic to keep with them. His remains were then moved to a chapel in Czerna, where they remain. Father Rafal was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1983 in Krakó,w, in front of a crowd of over two million people. On November the 17th 1991, he was canonised a saint when Pope John Paul II declared his boyhood hero a Saint. Rafal was the first friar to have been canonised in the Order of the Discalced Carmelites since co-founder Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591). His feast day falls on the 19th of November. CO SIE U NAS DZIEJE W PARAFII W LEEDS? WHAT’,S ON IN THE LEEDS POLISH PARISH? Czerwiec/ June: 6ego/ 6th Procesja Bozego Cialo/ Corpus Christi Procession 13ego/ 13th Dzien Dziecka –, Leeds/ Polish National Children’,s Day –, Leeds 20ego/ 20th Glosowanie na Nowego Przydenta R.P. / Polish Presidential Voting Day 26ego/ 26th Dzien Dziecka –, Laxton Hall/ Polish National Children’,s Day –, Laxton Hall 27ego/ 27th Imieniny Ks Jana Zareby i Festyn Parafialny –, Polish Parish Priests’, Name Day Celebrations and Summer Fete Lipiec/ July: 10ego/ 10th Zakonczenie Polskiej Szkoly/ Final Day of Polish School 25ego/ 25th Pielgrzymka do Holywell, Pantasaph/ Northern Polish Pilgrimage to Holywell, Pantasaph

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Page 14 LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE International student finds a warm welcome at Leeds Trinity H i, I’,m Hitesh and I’,m in my second year of a BA in Business and Management at Leeds Trinity University College. My hometown is Udaipur in the state of Rajasthan in India, so it was a big decision to come and study in another country. However Leeds is such a friendly place that I soon felt at home. Having been at a Catholic school in India from the age of three to the equivalent of A levels, the ethos of a faith based institution felt familiar and welcoming to me. Staff on campus from the catering staff to student support and the academic staff know me well, it is like a family. I love living on campus - it’,s easy to get to know people, and I can help out welcoming new international students. The international office provides great support for students, with an induction programme for new arrivals, ongoing English language and study skills classes, and social events. I think that you gain lots of experience by getting involved in activities. I’,m the first international student to have taken a post in the students’, union or to be a student ambassador. This year I have been Welfare Officer for the students’, union and I have been elected as General Secretary for the coming year. As a student ambassador I can do flexible part-time work on campus from helping out on campus tours and open days to working for the IT department or wherever else I’,m needed. When I graduate I plan to stay at Leeds Trinity to do a Masters in Business Management. My ambition is to run my own business in India and studying here is ideal preparation. The small class sizes mean that the teachers know you well, bring out your strengths and encourage you. Hitesh Sharma Second year BA Business and Management Leeds Trinity to sponsor West Yorkshire Youth Games L eeds Trinity University College is proud to announce its backing for the 12th annual West Yorkshire Youth Games, which will bring together nearly 1000 children to play sport in an atmosphere of healthy competition. The Youth Games are organised by West Yorkshire Sport and will take place at Leeds Carnegie on 26 June. Businesses and organisations across West Yorkshire have come forward to support the event, with internet bank First Direct and Leeds Trinity the two key sponsors. For the children involved the games will be the culmination of Events at Leeds Trinity University College Ofsted praise for Leeds Trinity’,s teacher training courses L eeds Trinity University College has been training teachers for 44 years, and key to its success is the enthusiasm and expertise of its staff, the personal support offered to students and the teaching experience that prospective teachers gain in schools. These are the findings of a recent report by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’,s Services and Skills (Ofsted), which judges the university college’,s teacher training provision to be good overall with outstanding features. The report highlights as outstanding the ability to be innovative and forward thinking, the leadership of the programmes, and partnerships with schools which are very strong across the region. Leeds Trinity offers secondary teacher training at postgraduate level, while prospective primary school teachers undertake a four year undergraduate degree with Qualified Teacher Status. Rothwell St Mary’,s Catholic Primary School is one of the partnership primary schools. Headteacher Stephen Nicholson said, “,We receive a high quality of support from the link tutor at Leeds Trinity and a strong relationship has been forged with our link teacher. We consider the Outstanding for Partnership well deserved as the support is always excellent.”, With employment rates of 97% and high student satisfaction, the university college is pleased that the quality of initial teacher education at Leeds Trinity has been recognised by Ofsted. Julia Tanner, Leeds Trinity’,s Dean of Education, said, “,We know from the annual Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) Survey that Leeds Trinity trained NQTs are among the best in the country, and we are delighted to see this reflected in the Ofsted report.”, “,The inspection team noted the high quality of our teacher training courses, identifying particular strengths in our flexibility in personalising programmes to meet individual needs, our outstanding partnerships with schools, and the professional attitudes displayed by trainees.”, “,I am very grateful to everybody involved for their tremendous commitment to nurturing potential so our trainees become the excellent new teachers schools and their pupils need.”, The picture shows a science class at St Mary’,s Menston, one of Leeds Trinity’,s partnership secondary schools. months of preliminary competition which has seen them win through to represent their schools or districts at the Youth Games. Children aged between six and sixteen will compete in ten sports: athletics, boccia, new age kurling, rugby league, tennis, badminton, gymnastics, cheerleading, cricket and netball. Nigel Harrison, Director of West Yorkshire Sport, said, “,The Games is a great opportunity for young people to represent their district in a large scale, multi-sport event, highlighting the positive effects competition in schools can bring to both team and individual sports.”, Professor Freda Bridge, Principal of Leeds Trinity University College, said, “,We’,re delighted to support the West Yorkshire Youth Games, which celebrate the sporting achievement of young people all over the county.”, “,Our staff and students have forged solid school and community-based links, making us a natural sponsor for the Games. We are very much looking forward to this fantastic event.”, Kim Somerville, Director of Marketing and Communications at Leeds Trinity, is pictured (second from right) with other sponsors getting on their marks for the West Yorkshire Youth Games. Thursday 24 June 4.30pm to 6pm Open Seminar “,Working in partnership with young people who are carers”, (in partnership with Barnardos). For more information and to book contact Heather Jones on 0113 283 7100 ext 536 or email h.jones@leedstrinity.ac.uk Wednesday 30 June 10am to 3pm Open Day for prospective students Find out more about studying for a foundation, undergraduate or postgraduate degree at Leeds Trinity University College. To book visit www.leedstrinity.ac.uk, call 0113 283 7150 or email opendays@leedstrinity.ac.uk Friday 2 July to Sunday 4 July Schools History Project Conference Three days of inspiring professional development for teachers. For more information contact Liz Cairns on 0113 283 7100 ext 379, email e.cairns@ leedstrinity.ac.uk, or visit www.schoolshistoryproject.org.uk Wednesday 14 July Graduation Thanksgiving Services We will be celebrating the achievements of our students on Wednesday 14 July with graduation ceremonies at the University of Leeds. Leeds Trinity Chaplain, Father Paul Grogan, will be conducting four short Services of Thanksgiving throughout the day, one before each ceremony. All are welcome to attend these services. They will be held at the Leeds University Chapel at 9am, 10.30am, 12.45pm and 2.30pm.

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Page 15 Football’,s coming home to Notre Dame F orget the world cup! Students at Notre Dame College have joined forces with ten Catholic Primary schools around Leeds, to promote Gaelic football. The project has been set up by Gerard Rogers, [St Benedict’,s Harp’,s] a teacher at the College, and Andrew Kitterick from the Yorkshire Gaelic Athletic Association Once a week since September, the students, Conor Mullan, Jordan Walters, Dermot Cox - Domnick Thompson, ConorDoherty Declan Hughes, Sean Wall,Jason Oyemhen, Andrew Mullan, Declan McGill, Declan Doherty and Oliver Murtagh have been going out to primary schools to coach the youngsters in the game. Notre Dame is currently the only 6th form in the country playing Gaelic football but interest in the sport is growing. One of the main aims of the project is to get more children playing the game and to strengthen local clubs in the area. Gaelic football may look like a strange mixture of Rugby and Soccer, but in fact it dates back before both of those sports. It is similar to Aussie Rules but has unique skills and rules of its own. Each team has 15 players on a side, and the ball itself is round, but slightly smaller than a football The goalposts in Gaelic football look like a combination between a football goal and a rugby post. There is a net like in football, but the posts extend up into the air above the crossbar, looking more a like those used in rugby. Points are scored in Gaelic football in two ways, either by getting the ball over or under the crossbar of the posts. If a player is able to get the ball over the crossbar - using their hand, fist or by kicking it - they score a point. As well as helping a new generation of players, Students will complete a coaching course and gain a first aid award through their work. The project has seen a huge increase in players attending coaching blitzes across Leeds and will culminate in a tournament on 7th July at the South Leeds sports centre, when the schools will compete for the inaugural Leeds Primary Schools Gaelic football Blitz. The students have enjoyed helping the children develop their skills and one commented ‘,to help kids get into Gaelic football is a real privilege.’, Development blitzes are being held throughout the summer at various locations for children aged 6 - 16 and anyone who would like to have a go at Gaelic Games or become involved can contact Andrew Kitterick on 07872600083 or andrew.kitterick.cda.yorkshire@gaa.i e . All details of Gaelic Games in Yorkshire can also be found at www.yorkshire.gaa.ie. Catholic Sixth Form Colleges working together to produce future leaders A n innovative project involving five of England’,s best colleges celebrates the end of its successful first year. In September 2008, a group of high-achieving Catholic colleges in the North of England came together to address the issue of developing the senior leaders of the future. The result was a highly innovative partnership involving five sixth form colleges that has just marked the end of a successful first year. The programme has been an outstanding success and the colleges recently celebrated as 27 teachers and support staff finished their rigorous year long programme. The Leadership and Management Development Programme for Catholic Sixth Form Colleges is now set to be a regular part of professional development programmes across the colleges. The colleges involved in the project are Notre Dame, Leeds, Xaverian College, Manchester, Holy Cross College, Bury, Carmel College, St Helens and Aquinas College, Stockport. Several days were set aside throughout the year and senior leaders from the colleges delivered training alongside Promoting Excellence, a consultancy firm led by Peter Rushton, an ex principal from the Catholic sector. The programme was supported by the Learning and Skills Funding Council. The summer of 2010 will see a training day led by the participants that will involve all the partner colleges and will also be opened up to colleges outside the partnership, further reinforcing its value to Catholic education. Now into its second year, the programme continues to be successful and it looks like it’,s here to stay with further programmes being developed as part of the partnership. Cardinal Maritime pledges continued support to Bambisanani Partnership M anchester based Cardinal Maritime, one of the leading UK consolidators specialising in services to and from the Far East, Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent, Mediterranean, Africa, USA and Canada have this week pledged their ongoing support to the Bambisanani Partnership by donating £,1,500. The Bambisanani Partnership is a unique initiative developed by St. Mary’,s School, Menston and Mnyakayna School in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa. The partnership has gained international acclaim for its work using sport as a catalyst to develop international understanding, education, health and leadership. The partnership has established an ambitious plan which involves students and teachers from both countries being involved in exchange visits. The initiative also funds forty Aids orphans into Mnyakanya School and provides much needed equipment. In the last year, funding has allowed the development of computing skills. Long term, it is hoped to build proper toilets at Mnyakanya School which serves one of the poorest communities in South Africa. David Geldart, Assistant Headteacher and founder of the Bambisanani Partnership is delighted with support from Cardinal Maritime. “,Cardinal Maritime have been very supportive from the onset of this development by shipping much needed equipment to Mnyakanya School at no cost and providing us with valuable financial support. The Bambisanani Partnership is making a difference to young people in both countries and the continued support from Cardinal Maritime will help us make even more of a difference over the next 12 months.”, Mr Andrew Smithurst, Managing Director of Cardinal Maritime.com commented:- “,We have been working closely with St. Mary’,s now for several years on this project. With our connections to South Africa the Bambisanani Partnership is a perfect match as our overseas charity. We are hopeful in the coming years we can offer more than just financial assistance as we work closely with David and his team.”, During the visit to St. Mary’,s, Andrew spent time with pupils, Kavinda Appuhamy, Adam Varley, Mairenn Collins, Alix Oglesby, Joe Roberts and Olivia Metcalfe who, in collaboration with Mnyakanya School, have established a business called ‘,Bambisanani Enterprises’,. Year 7 student Adam Varley said, “,Andrew is involved in business all over the world and as part of our business involves importing and exporting it was great to get advice and ideas from him. All our profits go to support the Bambisanani Partnership so the better we are at business the more we can do in South Africa.”, Arranged for Leeds Catholic Post Buy now to start June or July and mention this advert and get a £,20 discount off any annual policy 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

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Page 16 BATTLE John Battle KCSG Before the General Election the Catholic Bishops Conference published their reflection guide to take us through what they believed should be an agenda or context setter from within Catholic social teaching applied to our circumstances in twenty first century Britain. It was entitled “,Towards? The Common Good”,. Too often, however, the claim to “,the Common Good”, is uncritically wheeled out as something we can all readily give assent to. Who can be against it? Yet a deeper probing suggests that what is really believed is that one man’,s common good is ‘,meat’, while for another its ‘,poison’,. In other words even “,goods”, conflict and divide, most apparently in any society deeply split by access to wealth and income and experiences of poverty. How do very wealthy chief executives officers of major companies identified by Richard Lambert the director-general of the CBI as so extravagantly remunerated that they occupy a different galaxy from the rest of us risking becoming aliens in their own communities, participate in the project of the “,common good”, when far too many families with children in Britain still fall well below the breadline and struggle with desperate debts to get the basics? Chief executives in the private sector are today paid 81 times the national average wage of £,25,000 a year. In the West Leeds inner city constituency average wages are still only £,12,500 a year. In other words with so wide a gap between rich and poor how other than completely idealistically is it possible to talk meaningfully of ‘,the common good’,. The founder of John Lewis, John Spedan Lewis, in his retiring speech in 1957 declared “,it is all wrong to have millionaires before you have ceased to have slums”,, pointing to great differences of reward “,being far too great”, –, and since then the inequality gap has greatly widened in Britain. But rather than focus on private sector high re-numeration and bonuses, not least in the financial and banking sector, some banks now propped up with taxpayers money. The shift is to high public sector pay with the naming and shaming of council officials and head of public bodies and quangos who earn more salary than the Prime Minister. While the public fat cats are being listed, the rhetoric is of a new Government ‘,pay and incomes policy’, –, but only for the public sector. The real fear of course is that far from the “,determination to build a fairer society”, in practice what are coming are reductions in the incomes, services and number of jobs providing basic services in the public sectors of council home care, educational welfare, community health services and in particular “,mental health”, services recently described as providing for the unnecessarily “,worried well”, in a manufactured depression epidemic fostered by drug companies eager to sell more anti-depressants. Declaring an intention to make sure that “,being out of work does not pay”, is an easy slogan but in practice far more difficult to implement without either pushing up the ‘,unable to work’, disability figures or driving people (particularly young single mothers) into low paid work that needs to be reinforced by extra benefit supplements to make up for the fact that what they earn during their working week will not even cover their basic housing, food and living costs. The idea that life on the dole at £,65.45 a week (incidentally itself lower in real value than under the last Tory government) led to the need to develop a system of personally-tailored (i.e. means tested) top up tax credits. What has always surprised me is how strong the work ethic actually is in our society. In Leeds West, unemployment was just above the city average but thousands went out to work for little more than or even less than the door. The poor were working for low pay despite the new statutory ‘,floor’, of a minimum wage. Cutting out those part time caring and low paid jobs of classroom and health assistants will only lengthen the unemployment queues. Meanwhile, the benefits system and indeed the tax system itself has always been complex and needs to be adjusted to changing individual family circumstances. People don’,t get to 16 years and stand still waiting for that fixed permanent job. They find temporary part time work that switches regularly. They are in and out of different jobs. They form relationships, have children, move house, split up and form new relationships regularly. It is this hyper instability that prevents an annual ‘,means testing’, tax and benefit top-up system from coping. In West Leeds at the start of a primary school year - one third of the class will have left before the year ends –, as a result of a job change or relationship break down. That’,s what makes a personal benefit tax system so difficult to keep up. Three suggestions then, much more effort and resources needs to go into relationship support for young families, the tax credit system should shift to a “,living wage”, system and the “,economics”, of the common good needs to now move to the hear of the public debate. The Economics of the Common Good PASTORAL LETTER SIXTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Opening Remarks Nearly two years have passed since I initiated the formal process of consultation regarding future parish structures in the Leeds area. You may recall my first DVD presentation, (circulated in the autumn of 2008) in which I outlined the history of the parishes in the Leeds area and spoke of the challenges which face us at this time. At that point I invited you to share with me your own insights and suggestions for addressing these challenges. Then, last autumn, I distributed a second DVD in which I shared with you a selection of the responses I had received from parishes and individuals and, following further reflection, I put to you a proposal for reshaping the parish structures of the Leeds area. Once again, I invited you to meet together and discuss these proposals and I appointed Convenors in each area to assist the process of bringing people together across parish boundaries. I ended by saying: “,I ask you to consider what I have shared with you very carefully, and if you have any further suggestions which improve it, then let me know, or if you have alternative proposals which would serve us better, then let me know these too. If you feel that what I have proposed is workable, then continue the work of developing the proposal –, of dotting the “,i”,s and crossing the “,t”,s.”, The responses to this last invitation have made it evident to me that very many of you contributed to this process and that you did so in a highly constructive spirit. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you and acknowledge the many wise insights that you brought forward and which have helped me yet again to shape my own conclusions. Through this pastoral letter I would also like to express a very special word of thanks to the six Convenors who so willingly entered into this unchartered territory and so ably facilitated the local meetings across parish boundaries. I also take this opportunity to express my deep thanks to those who have kept the whole process of consultation in their prayers, not least the sick and the housebound in our communities. The proposals I put to you last autumn spoke of six new pastoral areas. This approach has certainly enabled us to think afresh about our structures and it is clear to me that the groupings I proposed are, in the main, appropriate. However, the term “,pastoral area”, is an unfamiliar one and some have raised questions about the canonical status of such an area and the relationships of the priests who would serve within it. I believe that the concept of a “,pastoral area”, has been a useful tool to aid our thinking and encourage our debate but it is clear that the familiar structures of “,deaneries”,, “,parishes”,, “,parish priests”, and “,assistant priests”, are more readily understood and so the decisions I am about to set before you are set in these more familiar terms. New Deaneries &, Parishes The first change I am going to make is to reduce the present four deaneries in Leeds to three. There will be a deanery for North Leeds, one for East Leeds, and one for South-West Leeds. The parishes within these new deaneries will be as follows: 1. The North Leeds Deanery will be made up of four new parishes: •, The parishes of the Cathedral and of the Holy Rosary will be amalgamated into one new parish. The Cathedral, the mother church of the Holy Rosary and indeed of the whole diocese, will be the parish church and the Holy Rosary will be its chapel of ease. While the clergy who serve this new parish will reside at the Cathedral the former presbytery of the Holy Rosary will be used to house a religious community. This new parish already has a primary school in common. •, A second new parish will be established by the amalgamation of the parishes of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Urban. The church of St. Urban will become the parish church and a chapel of ease established in the hall of Our Lady of Lourdes. We will continue to use the church of Our Lady of Lourdes until this provision is established. When the hall is ready and the church and former presbytery are vacated the remainder of this site will be disposed of •, A third new parish will be created by amalgamating the parishes of Immaculate Heart and St. Paul’,s. Two priests will serve this parish and will reside at the Immaculate Heart presbytery. The presbytery of St. Paul’,s could be used by a priest engaged in a non parochial ministry such as hospital or prison chaplaincy or an alternative use will be found for it. •, The fourth new parish in this deanery will be created by amalgamating the parishes of St. Mary, the Holy Name and the Assumption. A parish priest and an assistant priest will be appointed to serve this new parish. Further consideration will be given to the use of the two presbyteries. It seems to me that my initial proposal for this area took many by surprise but I have been impressed by the degree of collaboration achieved by members of the three parishes in their own deliberations. I believe it is important to maintain the momentum of this collaboration in order to establish among the three congregations a sense of having an equal stake in the future parish provision and my decision is intended to assist this development. These new parishes will be created by Canonical Decrees which I will issue in the next few weeks. The amalgamation of the Cathedral and the Holy Rosary, however, will only be fully implemented upon the retirement of the present Parish priest of the Holy Rosary. 2. Let us now look at the East Leeds Deanery. For the time being, this will consist of five parishes. •, The parish of St. Benedict in Garforth will be unaffected by these changes although I may place the parish within another deanery to align it more closely with the Castleford area. This view was clearly shared by some who wrote to me during this current consultation. •, Closer to the city centre the two parishes of St. Augustine and St. Patrick will also remain unaffected by the changes and will remain as separate parishes. I am aware, however, of the changing nature of the population in these areas and the fluctuations in the number of immigrant peoples who are a valued part of our community. It will, therefore, be necessary to keep our structures in these areas under review. •, A new parish will be established by amalgamating the parishes of St. Nicholas and Our Lady of Good Counsel. St. Nicholas’, will become the parish church of the new parish and Our Lady of Good Counsel will become a chapel of ease. The parish priest will reside at St. Nicholas’, and the presbytery at Our Lady of Good Counsel will be put to alternative use or disposed of. It is my intention to create this new parish immediately and I will bring forward the necessary Canonical Decree within the next few weeks. •, Finally, a new parish will be created by amalgamating of the parishes of St. Gregory, St. Theresa and Corpus Christi. Eventually, this parish will be served by two priests, a parish priest and an assistant together with additional priestly support at the weekend from a priest elsewhere. It is not my intention to make this change immediately. For the time being, I shall leave the present three priests in post. However, I am mandating Monsignor Philip Holroyd to initiate a process to bring these three parishes closer together and to reduce the present number of Sunday Masses. To assist this reduction of Sunday Masses the chapel of St. John’,s, Halton, will close for worship this summer and the Sunday Mass presently celebrated at the Anglican Church in Barwick in Elmett will cease at the same time. When the plan for this area is finally implemented the church of St. Theresa’,s will be designated the parish church of the new parish and the remaining churches will become chapels of ease. You will recall that I also consulted you on the possibility and desirability of Corpus Christi parish and church becoming a centre for our young people in the diocese but I received a good many responses advising against African &, Caribbean Chaplaincy Huddersfield Deanery Annual National Caribbean Pilgrimage to Walsingham Sunday 27 June 2010 7:00am Coach depart from St George Square outside the railway station in Huddersfield 12 noon Coach Arrival &, Lunch Break at The Shrine 1:00pm Coach take everyone down to the village 1:45pm Assemble for Procession, Friday Market in the village 2:00pm Procession along the Holy Mile from the Village to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham (pilgrims unable to walk the mile may be dropped off at the Church) 3:15pm Sung Mass 5:00pm Coach depart Walsingham to return Please bring a Packed Lunch All are welcome including children &, families Coach Price of £,12 per person should be paid in advance No of Seats on the Coach only 51 Booking Coordinators: Sr.Rosemary on 01484532556 And Mrs. M. Philips 01484300276 Chaplain: Rev.Dr. Michael C. Mkpadi

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ROME Page 17 Christianity is a living, breathing body, inhaling through worship and sacraments, exhaling through witness and practical action. The more we can breathe together across the different churches and ecclesial communities, the more we can provide authentic and convincing testimony to God’,s love for all men and women. That was the principle outlined at the start of the Edinburgh 2010 conference, marking 100 years since the first World Missionary Conference met in the same Scottish city to discuss ways of working more closely together to spread the faith to the non-Christian world. Back in June 1910 the participants, numbering over 1.200, were largely Europeans or North American men, from mostly Protestant or Reformed Churches. There was one African delegate, a handful of Asians and no Latin Americans at all, since that was not deemed to be mission territory. At that time, Scotland was seen as a key centre for evangelisation, home to many well known missionaries of the previous century, including Robert Moffat and the legendary David Livingstone. As the conference was convened, not long before the start of the 1st world war, hopes were high that such intrepid pioneers and their missionary societies could bring the light and truth of Christ to the furthest corners of the earth - within just a generation or two. But at that crucial encounter, thanks in part to the impassioned appeals of those few delegates from what we today call the global south, another truth also began to dawn in the hearts and minds of the delegates. As a young Indian participant, co-founder of the first Indian Missionary Society, called for equality and friendship between missionaries and local Christians, these older missionary pioneers began to realise that the body of Christ was broader and deeper than most of them had ever imagined, not limited to their Western languages, cultures or ways of worshipping, but already thriving amongst believers of very different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. Not only did participants pledge to overcome conflicts and cooperate more closely between the different denominations, but they also saw the need for an end to colonial attitudes and a new partnership with the recipients of Christian mission. The change of attitude at that conference is now widely acknowledged as birth of the modern ecumenical movement, a new way of working and worshipping alongside - rather than in opposition to - Christians of different churches and communities, a movement the Catholic Church fully endorsed at the Second Vatican Council. During Christian Unity week this year and again during his visit to Cyprus, Pope Benedict spoke of the significance of the first Edinburgh meeting in furthering dialogue and cooperation among the different Churches. So a century later, over three hundred delegates gathered once again in the Scottish capital to take up the challenge of `witnessing to Christ` in a more globalised and multicultural world than their predecessors could ever have imagined. While the number of participants were significantly smaller, they came from all the continents and, most importantly from a very wide spectrum of Anglican, Catholic, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Orthodox, Presbyterian and Pentecostal traditions –, only the second time that such a range of Christian representatives have ever gathered together to discuss shared strategies and a common vision. The conference lasted five days, concluding with a service of re-commitment in the same Assembly Hall next to Edinburgh Castle where the first conference met exactly a hundred years earlier. Led by the Anglican Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, participants issued a Common Call for an ‘,authentic, respectful and humble witness to Christ’, which shows hospitality, welcomes diversity, seeks reconciliation and promotes justice and peace in the world. The nine point concluding statement reflects the results of some five years of consultations, research and study projects that took place ahead of the conference in countries around the world, with the aim of including as many Christians as possible, of all ages, backgrounds and languages in this historic process. So where will it all lead. Heading the Catholic delegation to the conference, Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, noted that Edinburgh 2010 was ‘,not expected to solve all the questions on the table’, that continue to divide the Christian churches. Noting that June marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of his Council, he reiterated the Catholic Church’,s commitment to the realisation of Jesus’, prayer in John’,s Gospel `that they may all be one`. Furthermore, he told me the atmosphere of trust and cooperation in Edinburgh marked a tangible step forward from a similar encounter in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2007, where representatives of so many different Christian traditions were gathered for the first time under the auspices of the Global Christian Forum. ‘,Mission is a commandment and unity is a prayer’,, he stressed, and while we have to admit we don’,t have all the answers, ‘,we are totally committed to searching for them’,. (From our Rome correspondent Philippa Hitchen who travelled to Edinburgh from June 2nd to 5th for this historic ecumenical conference focused on the theme ‘,Witnessing to Christ Today’,) Philippa M Hitchen Our Rome Correspondent ‘,Mission is a commandment and unity is a prayer’, this not only from east Leeds but also from around the city and so I shall not proceed with this proposal. 3. The South-West Leeds Deanery of Leeds will be made up of seven parishes, for the time being: •, The parish of St. Mary in Rothwell will be unaffected by these changes for the foreseeable future. However, I shall give further consideration to the parish being aligned to the deanery of the Castleford and Wakefield areas rather than in South Leeds. It is interesting that a number of responses to the current consultation also expressed this view. •, A new parish will be established in the Holbeck and Beeston areas by amalgamating the parishes of St. Anthony and St. Francis of Assisi. St. Anthony’,s will be designated as the parish church and the parish priest will live in the presbytery there. St. Francis of Assisi’,s will serve as a chapel of ease within the parish. (Monsignor Robinson, however, will continue to reside in St Francis’, presbytery in retirement.) I intend to create this new parish immediately and I will bring forward the necessary Canonical Decree within the next few weeks. •, A new parish will be created by the amalgamation of the present parishes of St. Philip and St Peter and St Joseph. St. Peter’,s will be designated as the parish church and the parish priest will live there St. Philip’,s will become a chapel of ease within the parish and, while the need remains, St. Joseph’,s school will be retained as a Mass centre. However, the number of Sunday Masses celebrated in the area must be reduced from five to three and I suggest that the Saturday evening Vigil Mass is celebrated in the centrally-sited church of St. Peter and a Sunday morning Mass be celebrated in the church of St. Philip and in St. Joseph’,s school. It is my intention to create this new parish immediately and I will bring forward the necessary Canonical Decree within the next few weeks. •, A new parish will be created by amalgamating the present parishes of St Francis Morley and St. Brigid’,s Churwell. This parish will be served by one priest at one church. I recognise that the two communities of St. Brigid’,s and Our Lady of the Nativity, Ardsley, have worked hard to persuade me to retain their provision and that many of those who attend Sunday Mass at these two churches have great bonds with what they presently know. However, with the greatest respect, this is not realistically possible for one priest, nor is it possible to sustain all these properties in good repair for a long-term future. St. Brigid’,s and Our Lady of the Nativity will therefore close. I realise how painful this news will be for some of you, but I urge you all to bring all your gifts and energies to work for the good of the new community and to collaborate together in building something new by consolidating these former communities into one. It is my intention to create this new parish immediately and I will bring forward the necessary Canonical Decree within the next few weeks. •, A new parish will be created by amalgamating the present parishes of the Holy Family and St. Wilfrid. It will eventually be served by only one priest. The church of the Holy Family will be the parish church (and the parish priest will reside there). A chapel of ease will be retained at St. Wilfird’,s. It is not my intention to make this change immediately, but I shall instruct the Diocesan Trustees to work with the present parish priest and parishioners of St. Wilfrid’,s to make sensible plans to rationalise the property on that site. At the very least the present church should be adapted to meet the area’,s needs and the remaining property be disposed of. (It may be that a more appropriate building could be found or built to accommodate our present needs in conjunction with the future development of land. This will need careful thought.) •, The parish of Christ the King will continue to serve the Bramley and Stanningley districts as at present. In order to safeguard our property for long term use it is necessary to rationalise our properties and the time has now come for us to dispose of the Holy Spirit chapel of ease at Stanningley. However, in response to the request of the congregation there I am happy for the church to remain in use until it is disposed of providing that this is economically viable to do so. •, The only change to the parish of St. Joseph in Pudsey is that it now becomes part of a new deanery Concluding Remarks Many of those who responded during the course of the recent consultation highlighted the need for greater collaboration between priests and people and for greater lay formation I wholeheartedly acknowledge this need and I ask those who will be charged as parish priests in these new deaneries to work with the Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation to meet these needs. In last autumn’,s DVD I invited you to reflect “,on two issues that will need to be discussed further if changes are to be successful, namely, the timing of Sunday masses and the pooling of financial resources.”, The responses that I received indicate that in some areas consideration was given to the timings of Sunday Mass but I have received little to indicate that the pooling of financial resources figured in your deliberations! Therefore, the Canonical changes which I have outlined in these new deaneries give greater clarity to how financial resources will be handled, namely by each new parish. It is never easy to announce the closures of either churches or chapels and I have much sympathy with those who have invested so much of their lives for their upkeep. Many of you will associate wonderful and profound things with these buildings. But the Church is not a building, it is you, the living stones who make the face of Christ visible in our society. So while I acknowledge, indeed share with you, some of the hurt and pain of closure, I also encourage you to have that pioneering and missionary spirit of our forebears. The operational and congregational structures of the Church need to be on a firmer footing than they are presently if we are to meet conscientiously the missionary needs both of the present day and of the years to come. In particular, I ask all of you to be aware at this time of change of the needs of those without transport who may find it a little more difficult to travel to Mass on Sunday During the course of the next few weeks priests and parishioners will need to work closely together to prepare for these changes and, where required, to make new arrangements especially for the times of Sunday Masses. It will be very important to establish new Finance Committees and Pastoral Councils in these newly formed parishes so that all aspects of concern are covered at local level. And, as I indicated earlier, the Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation, Father John Wilson, will be only too willing to assist in the furtherance of lay formation within the new deaneries. I encourage everyone involved in this process to work with generosity and in a spirit of charity which, above all, is the hallmark of a Christian community. Finally, I wish to acknowledge, above all, gratitude to God for the gift of our faith and for the graces He has given to you and me during these last two years. From all of the responses to this consultation that I have received it is clear that you have striven to discern the future under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the prayers of Our Lady of Unfailing Help. As the fascinating and remarkable history which I presented in my first DVD of the consultation period reveals the Church has weathered many challenges throughout her history. Our forebears rose to those challenges, now it is our turn. Have faith and be of good heart and let us desire to hand on to future generations something that will support them in their day as we have been supported in ours. With the assurance of my prayers, my support and my blessing. Devotedly yours in Christ, Arthur Roche Bishop of Leeds D uring the week of May 17th to May 21st, St Edward`s Catholic Primary School in Boston Spa, held a RE Week on the theme of Prayer. Throughout the week the normal curriculum was suspended and all lessons focussed on this theme, with pupils engaging in a range of art, Design Technology, dance and written activities all about prayer. Children in all year groups learnt about what Jesus taught about prayer and researched from the Bible the times that Jesus himself prayed. They learnt types and forms of prayer and had a go at each of them, including meditation, the Rosary, lectio divina, Taize chants and hymn singing. Pupils also wrote their own prayers both of petition and intercession, and many wrote hymns and psalms and put their own liturgical dance movements to them. Every child and staff member in school drew a ",prayer partner", out of a hat and were asked to pray for this person during the week. One year 4 child commented at the end of the week that ",my prayer partner must have done a really great job because I felt really good all week.", Another special element of the week was that each class visited a different Prayer Station, set up in each classroom, each day of the week. Prayer Station themes included Creation and Growth, God`s Covenant, and How to be a Good Disciple. Children took part in activities based on the prayer stations and thoroughly enjoyed visiiting different classrooms and working with different teachers. A Prayer Tent was set up in the school grounds for quiet, individual prayer and each class produced a contribution for a celebration mass at the end of the week, such as writing the bidding prayers or performing liturgical dance for the psalm. The mass was a happy, joyful celebration of what was a calm, relaxing but fun week in school - pupils have asked if we can do this again next year! A WEEK OF PRAYER

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Page 18 BE STILL/DIARY/ENGAGEMENTS 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 David Easterbrook Chairman LDSC on 0113 2289468 evenings between 6 and 7.30pm only. 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 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 Be Still a few moments for thought and prayer at the end of the Year for Priests God has created me to do Him some definite service He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another I have my mission I may never know it in this life but I shall be told it in the next Therefore I will trust Him whatever I am, I can never be thrown away If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him John Henry Newman Bishops Engagements -/June/July Deadline For receipt of material for next edition: July 9th 2010 Parishes receive their copies: July 25th 2010 Send letters, articles, reports &, pictures: Mr John Grady, Leeds Diocesan Curia, Hinsley Hall, 62 Headingley Lane, Leeds LS6 2BX. Send text as word doc, pictures as jpeg, e-mail to: john.grady@dioceseofleeds.org.uk Tel: 0113 261 8022. Advertising Deadline Please note All paid-for advertising is dealt with by: CathCom, L4 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN. To advertise call 020 7112 6710 or email: ads@cathcom.org Your Catholic Post Sunday 20 June 2pm Corpus Christi Procession, Little Sisters of the Poor, Leeds. Tuesday 22 June 6pm Confirmation, St Robert’,s, Harrogate, 7.30pm Confirmation, St Joseph’,s, Wetherby Wednesday 23 June 6.30pm Confirmation, St Malachy’,s, Halifax Thursday 24 June 10am Diocesan Education Conference, Wheeler Hall Friday 2 to Thursday 8 July Leeds Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes Tuesday 13 to Wednesday 14 July Standing Committee Meeting, London Thursday 15 July 10.30am Meeting with Diocesan Finance Board &, Trustee Directors, Hinsley Hall Friday 16 July 11am VGs’, Meeting, Bishop’,s House 7.30pm Diocesan Youth Service Dinner, Sand Moor Golf Club, Leeds Saturday 17 July 12 noon Mass of Thanksgiving, Yorkshire Martyrs Catholic College, Bradford T he Bene Merenti Medal, was presented to Mr Kevin Rafferty by Fr Tim Swinglehurst, in St Austin’,s Catholic Church on Sunday 18 April 2010. These medals, instituted by Pope Gregory XVI in 1832 are awarded to those individuals who have given for long and exceptional service to the Catholic Church and community. Kevin, originally from Birkenhead, came to Wakefield in 1970 as Deputy Headteacher at St Austin’,s Primary School and in 1976 he became Headteacher. He soon became involved in the life of the school and showed a vested interest in the children –, his sense of humour playing a significant role in his management style. Summer galas and Christmas fares created a community feel much appreciated by parents. It was also in 1976 when with others he began the “,200 Club”, where parishioners in St Austin’,s gave a fixed amount of money at regular intervals and could then participate in cash prizes. This is now in its 35th year and Kevin, who now runs it on his own, has raised between £,75,000 to £,80,000 for the Church. He was also a member of the Finance Committee for 25 years and more recently became the first Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council at its inauguration 4 years ago. Kevin said he was much humbled by this award and felt extremely honoured to receive it from Fr Tim. Married to Maureen for nearly 45 years they took their four children and four grandchildren for a celebratory lunch afterwards. Recognition For Work Well Done P upils, Parents, Staff and Governors at St Joseph’,s Castleford once again had cause for celebration following their recent OFSTED subject inspection in PSHE. The school’,s overall effectiveness of the subject was judged to be outstanding under the new framework. The school prides itself on its effective curriculum in personal, social and health education, which has continued to develop significantly over the last few years with help and support from the Wakefield Partnership of Catholic Primary Schools. This group works effectively together to develop high quality curriculum innovation projects. The inspector judged the quality of the curriculum to be outstanding, stating: ‘,the provision for pupils’, learning is planned meticulously and is embedded well through subjects such as religious education. Excellent use is made of visiting ‘,experts’, and visits to develop pupils’, awareness of key aspects of the PSHE’,. The leadership and management of PSHE was also judged to be outstanding, where: ‘,all staff embrace the subject wholeheartedly, and are supported very well by the school’,s governors. Support for pupils’, personal and social development permeates the school’,s work. Excellent use is made of local resources to enrich pupils’, experiences and excellent subject links exist with the pyramid of local catholic schools.’, The inspectors judged the school’,s self-assessment processes to be: ‘,accurate and that improvements in the subject were very well referenced in the school development plans.’, Head teacher, Mr Kieron Flood, commented “, After the initial shock of another inspection the pupils, staff, parents and governors were pleased with the successful outcome for our whole school community in recognising the hard work by all involved in helping to continue to move the school forward. “, The community celebrated in conjunction with the feast of St Joseph. This began with a Jamie Oliver style chef demonstration for pupils, staff and parents where they explored different food types and the George the Chef helped pupils prepare and sample four different heathy dishes. Children were all given recipe books so they could try it at home and hopefully be inspired to be the next budding chef. Father Sean Durcan, Parish Priest celebrated mass for school and parish which celebrated the talents of the community. Outstanding Success in Castleford Grand Summer Concert S t Joseph`s Catholic Church in Bradford will be hosting a sumptuous evening`s entertainment provided by Bradford Choir, Chordiality with Musical Director Peter Sherlock. The event takes place on Saturday 26th June at 7.30pm in the church on Pakington Street Bradford. There will be music for everyone from Baroque to the Beatles ! Guesting and performing at the concert, will be Bradford born actor, singer and musician Heather Peace. The concert is the inaugural event to raise funds for the refurbishment of the Church Organ. There will also be a lavish buffet supper which the parishioners have sponsored, so this evening is very much a parish affair ! Come along, bring your friends, and help support this worthy cause. Tickets cost £,10 and £,7 concessions, available from the church and members of Chordiality. Also available on the door. A s the closure of Yorkshire Martyrs College comes closer, there are more events planned that will give people associated Yorkshire Martyrs, Cardinal Hinsley and St Margaret Clitherow schools opportunities to visit the school for the final time. On Saturday 10th July, from 1-4pm the school will be open for tours, and for a quiet, social gathering. Light refreshments will be available, and there will be examples of old photographs and some memorabilia from the history of the schools. Also, a booklet containing personal reflections from many former members of staff and pupils will be available to purchase on the day. All past staff, governors, students and anyone associated with the schools over the last 50 years are most welcome. No ticket or reservation is required for this event, and families are most welcome. The following week, on Saturday 17th July at 12 noon, Bishop Roche will be celebrating the final Mass at the school. Former staff and pupils are invited to attend. Numbers for this event are very limited, so people wishing to reserve a place should contact Annette Walker at the school via email a.walker@ymcc.ngfl.ac.uk or by telephone on 01274 681262. YORKSHIRE MARTYRS

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BOOK REVIEW Page 19 F r Thomas O’,Reilly was born in Moyne, County Longford, Ireland on 16th October 1915. He studied for the priesthood at St Peter’,s College, Wexford and was ordained for the Diocese of Leeds in Wexford on 9th June 1940. He was one of ten brothers, four of whom became priests. His elder brothers Dan and John both joined American dioceses after their ordinations in the 1930s, while his younger brother, Brian, was ordained in 1945 and joined Fr Tom in the Leeds diocese. At the time of his death in 1978 Fr Brian O’,Reilly was Parish Priest of St Aelred’,s, Harrogate. While at seminary Fr Tom had initially been a student for the Diocese of Mobile in Alabama, where his brother Dan had been a priest since 1933, but a chance encounter one summer with a priest from Leeds persuaded him of the benefits of being in a diocese closer to home and following an interview with Bishop Poskitt he was accepted for the Leeds diocese. Thus it was that in the summer of 1940 Fr Tom travelled across the Irish Sea to take up his first appointment, as a curate at St Bernard’,s, Halifax. He later recalled his period in war-time Halifax as a very happy one, when he felt his ministry was ‘,enthused’, by the faith of the people in the parish, many of whom were of Irish descent. He also spoke warmly of the welcome extended to him by his first parish priest, Canon Austin Henry. In 1947 Bishop Poskitt appointed him as an assistant to Canon Curran at St Patrick’,s, Bradford. In the event his stay there was brief and he went from Bradford to St Joseph’,s, Moorthorpe. In 1951, unusually, he returned to Halifax for a second term as curate at St Bernard’,s. The following year he served as chaplain to Alderman William Regan, the first Catholic to hold the office of Mayor of Halifax and a life-long parishioner of St Bernard’,s. Fr O’,Reilly became a parish priest for the first time in January 1953 when Bishop Heenan appointed him to St Philip’,s at Middleton in Leeds. In September 1956 he moved to Sheffield and the parish of St Thomas More. The highlight of his years there was undoubtedly the opening of the St Thomas More Parish Centre in May 1969. The centre was a bold innovation, and comprised several multi-purpose buildings alongside the new church, which were intended for parish, ecumenical and community use. It was described at the time by Bishop Moverley as ‘,a great attempt to express, in bricks and mortar, the ideals put before us by the Second Vatican Council’,. In 1979, shortly before the creation of the Diocese of Hallam, and following his brother’,s untimely death, Fr O’,Reilly left Sheffield after twenty-three years and retired to his native Ireland. By then he had succeeded in paying off the debt incurred in building the parish centre, and he wished to return home to be near his sister who had been taken seriously ill. In his later years Fr Tom worked at the St John of God Special School at Celbridge, and in Kiloe and at St Mary’,s, Athlone before retiring to Our Lady’,s Manor at Edgeworthstown, County Longford, where he also served as chaplain for nearly seventeen years. During his time there he was held in high regard for his ministry to the sick and as a sought-after confessor. At the time of his death on 13th May 2010 Fr O’,Reilly was both the oldest and the longest-serving priest of the Leeds diocese. Prior to interment in the local cemetery the Funeral Mass for Fr Tom was held on 15th May in his home parish of Dromard, at the Church of St Mary, Legga. The homily was preached by Bishop Colm O’,Reilly of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, and Bishop Roche was represented by Mgr Michael McQuinn VG. Mgr McQuinn paid tribute to Fr Tom’,s ministry in the Leeds diocese and spoke of the affection in which he was still held by his fellow priests in West and South Yorkshire, among whom he was always renowned for his parish visiting, and for the fact that he knew everyone in his flock. Rev Thomas O’,Reilly I n 2008 Fr Nicholas Hird published his study of the lives of the priests who served in the Leeds diocese from its foundation in 1878 until the outbreak of the First World War. Within the pages of Our Fathers of Faith he provided biographical sketches of more than 300 priests. While it would be true to say that many of these men became famous among the people of the parishes, towns and cities where they lived and worked, only a few became well-known to a wider public. One of these was Arthur Hinsley, who later became Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster in the 1930s. He is now the subject of a major biography, Priest and Patriot, written by one of his successors as Headmaster of St Bede’,s Grammar School, Dr James Hagerty, and published in 2008. Alongside Cardinal Hinsley the other man who achieved recognition well beyond the boundaries of his parish and diocese was Mgr John O’,Connor, the model for G K Chesterton’,s fictional priest-detective, Father Brown. Mgr O’,Connor died in 1952 and it is only now that we have a biography. The Elusive Father Brown –, The Life of Mgr John O’,Connor by Julia Smith is published by Gracewing at £,12.99 and traces the life of a man who had a significant impact on the Church hereabouts while at the same time being part of an extensive literary and artistic network, which included the likes of Chesterton and the sculptor Eric Gill. The story begins with a childhood spent in Ireland followed by a Benedictine education at Douai in Belgium and his studies for the priesthood at the English College in Rome, where he was ordained in 1895. As a young priest O’,Connor served as a curate in Keighley and it was here that he first met Chesterton in 1904 and formed a lasting friendship. In 1922 he received the author into the Catholic Church, eleven years after he had been immortalised in the first of the Father Brown stories. After Keighley he went to Heckmondwike, where he built the Church of the Holy Spirit in 1913, as Julia Smith explains the building was financed in part by the sale of pictures from Fr O’,Connor’,s own collection. This was the precursor of bigger project he undertook in the 1930s as parish priest of St Cuthbert’,s, Bradford: the construction of the new Church of Our Lady and First Martyrs at Heaton –, renowned as a very early example of a church built ‘,in the round’,. As he had done previously at St Cuthbert’,s, Mgr O’,Connor commissioned Eric Gill to provide sculptures for the church, thus providing the diocese with some its most important works of 20th century religious art. In the end, however, it is clear that his friendships, his writings and his literary and artistic interests never interfered with his primary role as a parish priest. In his foreword to this new book Mgr Philip Moger sums up the man perfectly, as he says, Mgr O’,Connor was ‘,a twentieth century Renaissance Man if ever there was one!’,. It is fitting that this carefully researched account of his life is published in the same year that church at Heaton celebrates its 75th anniversary. There will be many here and further afield who will welcome this timely biography of a truly unique priest. The Elusive Father Brown is available from branches of St Paul’,s Bookshops in Leeds, at Hinsley Hall and also in York. A Bradford Parish Priest, but with World-Wide Fame Stepping back in time A few weeks ago the Year 2 children from St. Benedict’,s Catholic Primary School stepped back in time to one hundred and thirty years ago and arrived at a Victorian schoolroom. The children had a fantastic time and learnt just what it was like to be a young child long, long ago. Strangely enough quite a number of them volunteered to be one of the children who got into trouble for having lost the penny they needed to pay for their schooling or for being late. The children learnt how to use sand trays and slate boards as well as how to do a drill lesson for PE. In the afternoon they practiced using pen and ink and learnt about some Victorian toys. The children came to school looking very authentic in their Victorian style clothing, it was obvious how much care had gone into getting them ready. The children were delighted that Father Gerard came with them and took on the role of a Sunday school superintendent. The Victorian teacher at Armley Mills commented on how well mannered and behaved the children were and said she always enjoyed it when St Benedict’,s pupils came to her schoolroom. Well done and a big thank you to everyone! 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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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 Bradford’,s Round Church Celebrates 75 Years F riday 28th May was the day the sun shone down on the parishioners of St Cuthbert’,s and First Martyrs of Rome parish as they gathered together with Bp David Konstant and former parish priests to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the First Martyrs of Rome Church, Bradford. The founding priest Mgr John O’,Connor was very forward thinking and envisaged the changes that were going to take place in the Church’,s liturgy, and he is responsible for the First Martyrs of Rome Church being the first round Catholic Church built in the whole country. It was very controversial at the time and continues to be so today. It was good to see former parish priests return to celebrate this occasion Fr John Brendan Murphy and Fr Philip Moger along with deanery priests and Fr Eamonn Hegarty the current parish priest. The Mass was wonderful supported by the parish choir who sang for the first time, a Mass setting written by Mr Peter Sherlock especially for the occasion. A lovely party was held in the hall afterwards with plenty to eat and drink for all. All in all it was a worthy celebration which marked the beginning of a year of events to mark the Jubilee. Congratulations to all in the parish of St Cuthbert and First Martyrs of Rome.

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