FIND YOUR 8 PAGE SPECIAL PAPAL VISIT SUPPLEMENT INSIDE CATHOLIC POST THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS OCTOBER 2010 www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk www.catholicpost.org.uk USHAW COLLEGE TO CLOSE T he trustees of Ushaw College have announced a proposal today that pending consultation with College employees and the Charity Commission that Ushaw College will be closed. The 200-year old Roman Catholic college is home to St Cuthbert’,s Seminary which has been forming young men for the priesthood since its foundation more than 400 years ago. Ushaw also provides a range of conferencing, events, and accommodation facilities to groups, organisations and businesses from throughout the UK. The proposal means that if implemented the College will cease operating at the end of the current academic year in June 2011. The seminary serves the seven dioceses of the Northern Province of England and the Diocese of Shrewsbury and the wider church. In recent years, Ushaw College has developed to blend heritage with advancement while maintaining its core function of the formation of priests to help renew and continue the work of the Roman Catholic Church in the region. Currently, there are 26 seminarians in formation at St Cuthbert’,s Seminary and once they have completed this year’,s studies, it is proposed that they will transfer to another seminary. Archbishop Patrick Kelly, Chair of Trustees said: “,This is one of the most difficult proposals that we as Trustees have had to make, not least because of the excellence of the formation our students are receiving.”, Monsignor John Marsland, President of the College, expressed his sorrow at the proposal: “,Ushaw has a long history within the Roman Catholic Church and words cannot express how sad we are that we are considering such a drastic step. “,We have long tried to find a development partner and it would be nice to believe that a partner will still come forward with a viable business plan but unfortunately time is running out and we have to face the reality of the situation we are in.”, Ushaw College can trace its roots back to Douai College, which was founded in 1568 in the Spanish Netherlands (now northern France) to provide priests for the English mission and to educate Catholic laymen when Catholicism suffered persecution in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Much later, students and staff from Douai relocated to County Durham and eventually settled at Ushaw in 1808. For a time in the 19th century, Ushaw’,s educational facilities made it the premier Catholic college in England and right into the 1950s 400 students were in attendance. Since Vatican Council II, the College has had important ecumenical links with Durham University’,s Department of Theology and Religion and, in the past three decades, increasingly close cooperation with Cranmer Hall, the Wesley Study Centre and, most recently, Lindisfarne Regional Training Partnership. The decline in priestly vocations provided the college with an opportunity to diversify, resulting in innovative educational outreach programmes, a new biomass enterprise –, complete with a willow crop - - and the three- star English Tourist Board accreditation for its accommodation and its sought-after unique setting for conferences and events. The college has also become the home of the North East regional office of CAFOD, and the Churches’, Regional Commission. Kay Wightman, Director of Finance and Commercial Development at Ushaw College said the business had been facing tough times for many years. “,Ushaw College has proved to be increasingly popular among leisure groups, individual visitors, and people seeking somewhere a little different from the usual accommodation options on offer”,, she explained. “,We’,ve also experienced a welcome upturn in the number of businesses and organisations –, including international companies –, selecting Ushaw to host their corporate events, team- building activities and social gatherings however this is not enough. “,We are a charitable organisation and as such unfortunately we’,ve had to bear increasing costs of maintaining and running the facilities we provide, and this has led to the sad proposal that Ushaw is to close. We have spent the last two years exploring several options and had hoped we would be able to attract a development partner to continue the evolution of Ushaw College and the home of St Cuthbert’,s Seminary.”, Whatever the future may hold for the Ushaw community with its historic buildings and long tradition of education, formation and outreach, the College remains grateful to God for all the thousands of friends and benefactors who have supported it over the years.

Read in full

Page 2

Page 2 SCHOOLS NEWS In the end, the BBC did not make a bad job of its coverage of the Pope’,s visit. Their 24 hour News Channel- accessible for the price of a £,20 box- filled in the gaps on the main channels, especially in Hyde Park. Huw Edwards did an excellent job on commentary, even managing to say “,celebrate”, Mass rather than the usual “,give”, or “,hold”, that lazy journalists use. It suggested research and understanding. The visit came at around the time of a spat between the BBC and its great rival Sky- involving Harper Collins, a publisher in the Murdoch stable, the BBC’,s Top Gear and, separately, the BBC’,s Director General, who made a “,scathing attack”, on the growing size and influence of Sky-TV. The BBC seems to feel rattled: there seems to be an assumption that the licence fee is indeed too high, that its activities are too widespread and its structures too wasteful. Who makes this assumption is not at all clear. The third part may be the case, but that’,s the politicians. Certainly, the licence fee does not seem too dear for what is on offer on TV, radio and internet- people will pay a lot more for a Sky- TV connection: the BBC’,s internet services are good- and free to the user. A TV licence also means that you can watch advert-free TV, giving 10 or 15 minutes more programme per hour and a lot less irritation. Finally- and this is where the Post is most interested- there is wide and varied content including some good religious-based programmes on BBC, both radio and TV: try finding much elsewhere, apart from separate evangelical networks with their own agendas: there isn’,t a lot. There could be more, and the Pope’,s visit suggests that it is more wanted than the programmers imagine: some could be better, as the sugariness of “,Songs of Praise”, amply demonstrates: but whatever you think of what you watch on the BBC, the basic and original concept is a good one, and to tinker with it in favour of discredited free-market doctrines would be a huge mistake. The Post Says …, The evening of Monday 4th October saw people of the diocese and beyond gather in Batley to witness their faith in the annual torchlight procession. As they awaited the arrival of the Bishop to lead the procession those present met up with old friends and the atmosphere grew as the evening darkened. In his welcome Bishop Arthur commented that once again the evening had been blessed with good weather. He thanked local councillor Peter O’,Neill and Mike Wood MP for joining the procession and said how pleased he was to once again be welcoming everyone. The Bishop said that the only thing he asked of those taking part was that each and every one of them prayed for their families. Father Mungovin, the new parish priest of Batley, came forward and read the Gospel of the Day which was followed by the homily given by Father Hird. Bishop Arthur then started the procession with the first decade of the Rosary. Hymns to Mary and the Rosary echoed throughout the streets of Batley and the torches of the faithful lit up the back streets of the area as the 1500 plus crowd moved steadily towards St Mary’,s Church. Once everyone had reached St Mary’,s Benediction was held, both inside the Church and outside where the overspill of people gathered in front of a big screen erected to ensure that they were part of proceedings. Following Benediction Bishop Arthur spoke of the recent Papal visit and said that as the Pope was leaving he (Bishop Arthur) had said that the people of Leeds loved him and the Pope had replied by asking for their continued prayers. Bishop Arthur thanked all present for attending and for continuing to make this annual witness of faith the success it is. (To view all photographs from the procession go to www.catholicpost.org.uk/gallery) Pray for Your Family ST. BENEDICT’,S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL Providing a catholic education that recognises and respects the unique worth of each individual and enables all to achieve their unique potential Station Road, Garforth, Leeds West Yorkshire, LS25 1PS Tel: 0113 2146821 Email: info@st-benedicts.leed.sch.uk HEADTEACHER Gp 2, Roll 197 + Nursery 16, ISR L12-18 Starting date –, required for January 2011 (or as soon as possible afterwards) The Governors of St Benedict’,s Catholic Primary School seek to appoint an inspirational practising catholic to lead our school, who will embrace the strengths of the past and the challenges of the future, whilst maintaining the school’,s strong catholic ethos. Our children would like a Headteacher who: , knows their names and listens to them , smiles and is happy to see them , believes in each of them, and gives them the opportunities to try new things We are looking for a Headteacher who has: , the vision and interpersonal leadership skills to take our school forward , enthusiasm, energy and commitment , the ability to recognise the needs of all, with a commitment to raising standards , an ability to nurture our pupils and promote a safe and happy learning environment We are able to offer: , a welcoming school , a dedicated and supportive staff team , a commitment to support your continual professional development , a supportive and hardworking governing body, Parish and parent network To arrange an informal visit to our warm and welcoming school please contact the school directly to arrange a mutually convenient time. An application pack can be obtained from - Jane Lemm, Holy Family School, Carlton, Goole, DN14 9NS Tel: 01405 860276 ext 118 Email: lemmj@holyfamilycarlton.org Closing date: 12 noon 12 November 2010 Shortlisting: 16 November 2010 Interviews: 25 and 26 November 2010 Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of our children. This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau. The successful candidate will be required to sign a Catholic Education Service contract.

Read in full

Page 3

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. Sunday 24th October Papal Visit Reunion For young people who travelled with LDYS to see Pope Benedict XVI in London 3.30pm TBC Check out the Facebook group for information 13th-15th October CAYMA Conference Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick Wednesday 20th October REVELATION For young people in Yrs 9 -13, 7-9pm Cathedral Hall, Leeds Thursday 21st October Youth Ministry Holy Hour Come and pray for the young people of the Diocese of Leeds 2.30-3.30pm Hinsley Hall Chapel Thursday 4th November WYD Staff Meeting 4.30-6pm Hinsley Hall Sunday 21st November National Youth Sunday Celebrations TBC TBC Check out the Facebook group for information Leeds Diocesan Youth Service Calendar Parish Youth Ministry M any of you will already be aware that three of our diocesan parishes have full time Parish Youth Ministry Coordinators. Hannah Zafar is based in St. Theresa’,s Crossgates, Rachel Webster is at Our Lady and All Saints Otley and Kelly Pastore is based at St. Robert’,s in Harrogate. The Youth Ministry Coordinators work closely with the Leeds Diocesan Youth Service to help young people flourish in their relationship with God. The YMCs meet regularly with the Leeds Diocesan Youth Team to review past events and look at upcoming events. As you will notice from the photograph, our last meeting happily coincided with a charity Chocolate Fountain event, raising money for Dementia UK! Leeds Diocesan Youth Service not only works with school chaplains and paid youth workers, we also run training events for parish youth volunteers in parishes. So, if you think your parish youth volunteers would benefit from a Youth Ministry training evening or day, then please don’,t hesitate to contact the Youth Office on 0113 2618058. Finally, if you have young people in your parish and you want to help them flourish in their Catholic faith but are not sure where to begin –, get in touch with us at the Youth Office –, we’,d be happy to help! 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 Growing Old Grace-Fully –, Next Steps G rowing Old Grace-fully (GOG) is a joint project of Leeds and Hallam dioceses and aims to raise awareness of the needs of frail older people, including those with dementia, and their carers in parishes and at diocesan level. The project has a specific focus on the spiritual needs of older people and carers. Now into its second year with a development worker for each diocese, working one day a week, we want to build on the good work that is taking place in the dioceses and spread this good news. As the development officer for Leeds/Hallam, I would like to share GOG’,s plans for the coming year and to invite older people and carers to tell us what would make a positive difference to their lives (see contact details at the end). With limited time, it is not possible to be everywhere and so I plan to work with a small number of parishes on developing carers’, groups, and midday Masses with lunch and social time which best suit older people. We will continue to work with organizations such as the SVP which support many older people. A well attended training session on dementia took place recently in Wakefield, for SVP members and Eucharistic ministers and there is a clear demand for more information and guidance on supporting people with dementia. The Leeds and Hallam development officers will be sharing the learning from our work to produce resources for parishes and those who want to consider their response to growing numbers of frail older people in the Church and in our wider society. We want to run more local seminars and training sessions which help people to look at issues of aging and caring and our spiritual needs. Parishes have an important role in sign-posting people to local services run by voluntary and local groups (often with the involvement of ‘,younger’, older people) so we will be looking at how to help with effective information and sign-posting. A follow-up to GOG’,s May conference, ‘,The Gift of Years’, is planned for spring 2011, in Hallam diocese. The people who are expert on aging and caring are those who are doing it and we welcome their views and experiences to shape GOG’,s work. Contact: Cath Mahoney, 11 North Grange Rd, Leeds LS6 2BR, cath.mahoney@dioceseofleeds.org.uk, tel: 07739975019

Read in full

Page 4

B eing a mum or a dad is a 24 hour a day 7 days a week commitment and having one week in 52 to celebrate that is a wonderful gift. Parents’, Week starts on Sunday 24th October and is an opportunity to honour all parents in prayer, and party, at home, school and parish. Let’,s think about and celebrate in gratitude what parents do day in day out and often in great difficulty or with little support: the mum with cracked nipples struggling to feed her newborn while her toddler runs riot and her dinner is going cold, the father who turns the TV off to help his child learn to ride a bike, the mum and/or dad struggling to manage two lively toddlers at Sunday Mass or who has left the teenage ‘,atheist’, at home, the grandparents whose home becomes a refuge for the abused, or the simply sullen, teenager (how do they tell the difference?) I am talking about you and me, ordinary people in pews and queues all over the world who bear the responsibility for growing the next generation. Who can parents turn to for help? How are parents formed for this vocation (which like all vocations is the work of a lifetime)? The truth is that despite the circumstances, in saying yes to new life every parent shares in something essential of Mary’,s yes to God. Like Mary and Joseph parents are also the first teachers of their children, evangelising not just in words but powerfully in the ordinary actions of love at home. If this was easy we would not hear so much about neglected children, ‘,broken Britain’, and the tragedy of parents who just cannot cope. Supporting parents is our Christian duty not an option. How can children learn to follow the fourth commandment if they see that the world does not honour their father and mother? The church is different. We do. We do it in the welcome we give to families at Mass and the sacraments, in the catechetical support parishes offer, in our Catholic schools, in our church documents. What else can we do? We can offer parents something practical that helps enrich and deepen their connection to each other, to their children, to their local school and to their parish. Our excellent, easy to use, positive, enjoyable, and life changing courses for parents and grandparents of children of any age can be used at home, school or parish. If you enjoy getting together with other mums or dads for a drink and a chat then you will love what we have. And if you want to develop your own confidence and CV at the same time we also offer accredited training (level 3 OCN). In the last two years 25 people have been trained and many, many more have attended the parenting courses in schools and parishes. This is what parents have said: “,I really feel this course should be made available to all parents in the parish as part of the journey through life and faith”, Page 4 FAMILY LIFE / SIDELINES / MUSIC As I walked my dog this morning, there was no question about it: autumn is here –, the mist, the conkers, the falling leaves, and possibly the migrating birds, though all I saw in the sky were a couple of loud, low- flying aircraft heading for the airport. If you are really quick, you can come along to another signifier of autumn - the West Yorkshire Church Music Network event on Sunday 17th October, where we will be sharing music for Advent/Christmas, and also having a short session about using the internet as a resource for church musicians. (Details below). Thinking back over the last couple of months, a number of personal musical memories stand out. The first, alas, is not a happy one, the scene, a large church, at a midday Mass, during the psalm, the organist seemed to be conducting a volume war with a soprano whose vibrato was turned up to 11. (All this happened in another diocese, in another country). It did not help me to appreciate the words, as I was battling to make them out. It did make me think about the invidious task of the member of St Joseph`s folk group who has responsibility for our sound system. He knows that if the music is too loud, it will swamp the singers and provoke complaints from the congregation, but if he keeps the volume down, the guitarists sulk. The second memory is altogether more cheerful. Some tunes are so well known, you almost stop listening, but when I heard “,Here comes the bride”, –, (Wagner`s “,Bridal Chorus", from the opera Lohengrin), beautifully played on a harp at the start of the wedding of my son, Luke and my daughter in law Starla: the familiar tune shed the layers of cliché,, and was wonderfully fresh. Memory three is from far longer ago than this summer, at the end of September, had I not been involved in wedding celebrations, I would have been visiting Sri Lanka with three friends who worked there with me on VSO. They were attending a reunion, organised by the alumni of the college where we taught 40 years ago. My memory is of attending Mass at a church in southern India, and being surprised by a couple of things –, no pews, and music provided by violins. Organs in church, yes, guitars, yes, but violins?? I thought this was extraordinarily strange and exotic –, sinuous tunes, with the half and quarter tones of Indian music. Now people who know me will probably fall over in disbelief, but organisation and planning are edging into my life!! (Not necessarily at my instigation). St Joseph`s folk group now plans its music a month in advance –, it entails planning meetings (boo!) but means practices are centred on playing and singing, and not querying and/or justifying the choice of music (hooray!). And the first West Yorkshire Church Music Network event of 2011 is already planned!! Called “,Washing the feet of the world”, and lead by Philip Jakob, it will take place on Sunday 19th March -”,an afternoon centred around the work and music of the Iona community”, and should prove unmissable! Other news: Joe Burns is now the Yorkshire representative for National Network of Pastoral Musicians, an ecumenical organisation consisting of people around the UK who are committed to church music and open to all. http://nnpm.org/ Dom James Leachman OSB will be speaking on “,The Maturing of the Liturgical Renewal in England &, Wales”, at the Society of Saint Gregory`s AGM on Saturday 13 November 2010 at St Benedict’,s Abbey, Ealing http://www.ssg.org.uk/ And finally....the next West Yorkshire Church Music Network event is: Sunday 17th October from 2pm to 4 pm in the hall at the Assumption of Our Lady Catholic Church Spen Lane, Leeds LS16 5EL www.westyorkshirechurchmusic.org.uk If you`d like to add your name to the email list to receive information about this and other WYCM Network events, I`d be happy to hear from you. Tim Devereux tim.devereux@ssg.org.uk Musical Notes by Jane Shields A Week for Parents? By Breda Theakston There are angels laughing all over England. Very little of the Pope’,s visit turned out as the media predicted- which says a lot for the Pope and very little for the media: arriving here with the sort of advance media publicity that may have been given to the Spanish Armada, he set out with a mixture of Bavarian charm and challenging set piece speeches which invited you to read them more carefully later, in case you had missed something in the delivery. Suddenly, the nation was engaged. Whilst La Toynbee ranted in the liberal press, poor old Tatchell was given one of Channel 4’,s leaden alternative slots to overstate his case: meanwhile there was much puffing and panting and hawkin and dawkin over an anti-pope demonstration which only demonstrated that you need to be very sure of your support before you attempt something like this, even if the BBC seems to think that it needs to report it as much as it did- but the BBC News was probably taken as much by surprise by the size of the support in the streets of London as everyone else, and is not a structure that can move nimbly and adjust its balance. The set pieces had threatened to underperform until, at the last gasp[, they became free of the state bureaucracy that underpins a state visit: suddenly good Catholic principles of subsidiarity kicked in and local organisers rushed round heroically to do a couple of month’,s work in a couple of weeks. The atmosphere in the enclosures was multi- national, cultural, generational and had one aim: it had not come to disagree with the Pope, as his detractors may have hoped, but to support the person, the Peter himself. This is the heir or successor to the man who said- as Acts tells us- ‘,I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”, and he is here saying as much to all of us, as he prays in the three Westminsters- Hall, Abbey, Cathedral. Which brings me to the Archbishop of Canterbury, because the most moving moment could have been in those moments when the Pope and the Archbishop were supposed to meet formally, but did so with much greater warmth. They prayed at the tomb of Edward the Confessor, reputedly patron of difficult marriages and separated spouses: translate that into terms of the universal but separated church, and Edward should be returned to his rightful place as patron of England. My prize for the naffest thing in the Pope’,s visit goes to the royalties company that wrote in the midst of the pre-visit anticipation to tell every parish- it seems- that royalties must be paid on any hymns we watched on the TV coverage at church: I assume it was serious. The prize on the other hand for the least naff production goes to “,Magnificat”, the “,official”, service book that managed to be versatile, portable, practical, affordable and beautiful all at the same time. Benchmark Sidelines Mums, grandmas and parenting facilitators visit the Diocesan Pastoral Centre at Hinsley Hall for tea and a tour Parish Marriage Preparation Would you like more local support to help with marriage preparation in your parish? The last ever training course in the current Diocesan Marriage Preparation Programme is planned for November 2010. This training is free and includes a complete resource folder to take away. Applicants must be sponsored by their parish priest. Contact Breda Theakston at Hinsley Hall 62 Headingley Lane Leeds LS6 2BX tel 0113 261 8050 or email flm@flm.org.uk for a Programme Leaflet and an Application/Sponsor form. Secular Order Of Discalced Carmelites, Leeds THE CARMELITE ORDER. General History. The Carmelite order began on mount Carmel in Israel in the 12th century as a group of hermits in the early 1200’,s they asked St Albert of Jerusalem to give them a rule of life they were also inspired by the prophet Elijah who had been associated with mount Carmel. that influence can be seen by the words of Elijah, “,zelo zelatus sum pro domino deo exercituum “,(1kg 19:10) on the Carmelite coat of arms. Within fifty years of receiving their rule the Carmelite hermits were forced to leave mount Carmel and settled in Europe. The Carmelites needed reform in the 16th century and this was led by SS Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. The new order was known as the discalced Carmelites, meaning barefoot, to differentiate them from the Carmelites of the mitigation of 1432 who were called Calced, (or shod) and are today known as Carmelites of the original observance or 0 Carm. The discalced Carmelite nuns live in cloistered (enclosed) monasteries and follow a completely contemplative life. The Carmelite friars while following a contemplative life also engage in the promotion of spirituality through their retreat centres, parishes and churches. In our area there are Carmelite sisters at Wood Hall Wetherby. History of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites Following in the footsteps of the great Carmelite reformers, St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) and St. John of the Cross, generations of lay folk have realised in the Carmelite way of life, a means of developing a close relationship with God and a wonderful foundation for serving God’,s people. Secular Discalced Carmelites are Roman Catholics, married or single, lay or clerical, who seek to live out this heritage of contemplative prayer. While going about their daily life, they hope to be witnesses to the love of God and the value of prayer and contemplation. Today there are over thirty groups of Secular Carmelites, known as OCDS, in England, Scotland and Wales with a branch in Leeds. THE LEEDS BRANCH OF OCDS. The Leeds Discalced Carmelite Group was founded in 1965 by Father John Keegan, OCD, who acted as Spiritual Director until his death in March 1999. At first the group met in the Lady Chapel of Leeds Cathedral. Later the Little Sisters of the Poor offered accommodation In the Convent , now Hinsley Hall, where the group have remained. In 1986 a satellite group was formed in Doncaster where it still flourishes. The Leeds group meet on the first Sunday of each month for a Day of Recollection and discussion. In accordance with the Constitutions of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order and the Rule of St Albert, the members are committed to Daily Mass and Holy Communion, frequent Confession, Morning Evening and Night Prayer from the Divine Office, Contemplation , Lectio Divina and on-going formation in the charism and spirituality of Carmel. In particular the writings of the foundress of the Discalced Reform St Teresa de Jesus and her fellow Carmelite reformer St John of the Cross are at the heart of the Order’,s studies and prayers, while not forgetting the many other Discalced Carmelite saints, including St Therese of Lisieux , St Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St Teresa Benedicta ( Edith Stein) who have lived and died as shining lights of the Carmelite Order . The order also observes evangelical councils and undertakes apostolic works appropriate to the lay state and prays for the Carmelite Order, both Discalced and Ancient Observance, the Church and the wider world. Having received the approval of Bishop Roche, the group proceeded to apply for Canonical Establishment , which was duly granted from Rome by ‘,w Father Luis Arostegui, Prior General of the Order, on March 23rd 2008. Father Matt Blake OCD is the Order’,s Superior and the two Retreat Centres for the Group are at Preston and Boars Hill Oxford. For details of the Leeds OCDS please contact Jane Nicholson, OCDS, Tel : 01485 570082 E MAIL: jnicholsonfarrarcharity.org.

Read in full

Page 5

COME AND SEE Page 5 COME AND SEE The Laity and Evangelisation 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. Ten years after the closing of the second Vatican Council, and one year after the Third General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which was devoted to evangelisation, Pope Paul VI wrote Evangelii Nuntiandi. This is still a key document today, it built on from Vatican II and set the scene for Pope John Paul II’,s New Evangelisation for the new millennium. “,Lay people, whose particular vocation places them in the midst of the world and in charge of the most varied temporal tasks, must for this very reason exercise a very special form of evangelisation. “,Their primary and immediate task is not to establish and develop the ecclesial community- this is the specific role of the pastors- but to put to use every Christian and evangelical possibility latent but already present and active in the affairs of the world. Their own field of evangelising activity is the vast and complicated world of politics, society and economics, but also the world of culture, of the sciences and the arts, of international life, of the mass media. It also includes other realities which are open to evangelisation, such as human love, the family, the education of children and adolescents, professional work, suffering. The more Gospel- inspired lay people there are engaged in these realities, clearly involved in them, competent to promote them and conscious that they must exercise to the full their Christian powers which are often buried and suffocated, the more these realities will be at the service of the kingdom of God and therefore of salvation in Jesus Christ, without in any way losing or sacrificing their human content but rather pointing to a transcendent dimension which is often disregarded. “,One cannot fail to stress the evangelising action of the family in the evangelizing apostolate of the laity. “,At different moments in the Church`s history and also in the Second Vatican Council, the family has well deserved the beautiful name of ",domestic Church.", This means that there should be found in every Christian family the various aspects of the entire Church. Furthermore, the family, like the Church, ought to be a place where the Gospel is transmitted and from which the Gospel radiates. “,In a family which is conscious of this mission, all the members evangelise and are evangelised. The parents not only communicate the Gospel to their children, but from their children they can themselves receive the same Gospel as deeply lived by them. “,And such a family becomes the evangeliser of many other families, and of the neighbourhood of which it forms part. Families resulting from a mixed marriage also have the duty of proclaiming Christ to the children in the fullness of the consequences of a common Baptism, they have moreover the difficult task of becoming builders of unity. “,Circumstances invite us to make special mention of the young. Their increasing number and growing presence in society and likewise the problems assailing them should awaken in every one the desire to offer them with zeal and intelligence the Gospel ideal as something to be known and lived. And on the other hand, young people who are well trained in faith and prayer must become more and more the apostles of youth. The Church counts greatly on their contribution, and we ourself have often manifested our full confidence in them. “,Hence the active presence of the laity in the temporal realities takes on all its importance. One cannot, however, neglect or forget the other dimension: the laity can also feel themselves called, or be called, to work with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community for its growth and life, by exercising a great variety of ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord is pleased to give them. “,We cannot but experience a great inner joy when we see so many pastors, religious and lay people, fired with their mission to evangelise, seeking ever more suitable ways of proclaiming the Gospel effectively. We encourage the openness which the Church is showing today in this direction and with this solicitude. It is an openness to meditation first of all, and then to ecclesial ministries capable of renewing and strengthening the evangelising vigour of the Church. “,It is certain that, side by side with the ordained ministries, whereby certain people are appointed pastors and consecrate themselves in a special way to the service of the community, the Church recognizes the place of non- ordained ministries which are able to offer a particular service to the Church.”, Taken from Evangelii Nuntiandi, paragraphs 70-73 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 Sacred Circle Dance weekend Weekend October 29th –, 31st Sylvia Williment Day for those interested in Prayer Guides 6th November T.B.A. 10 am-4 pm Pre-Advent Quiet Day 25th November The Briery Team 10 am-3 pm Advent Preached Retreat “,Christmas is for Adults Too!”, 10th –, 12th December 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. Fr. Daniel O’,Leary Now fully booked Carol Service 15th December An evening of carols with mulled wine and mince pies. The Briery Team 7.30 pm Sylvia Wright Trust –, Christmas Cards Our card this year has been designed by Elancheziyan, a pupil in Sylvia’,s School for the Deaf. Elancheziyan is a hard-working pupil with a particular passion for drawing. He is something of a talented artist, recently taking first-prize, beating 14,320 other children, in a state-wide drawing competition. Elancheziyan is delighted that his card is going to be sold ‘,in the West’, and delighted also that the funds will go to support his school. Please send me (price includes postage and packing): 20 cards £,6.00 40 cards £,12.00 60 cards £,17.50 80 cards £,23.00 100 cards £,28.00 I enclose a cheque for £,…,…,…,…,.. made payable to “,The Sylvia Wright Trust”, Order from: …,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,.. …,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,.. …,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,.. Phone: …,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,. Email: …,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,. Please send orders to: Mr. Tony Allinson, 14 Kings Road, Leeds LS16 9JN Tel: 0113 267 5735 It is possible to view the ever popular Sylvia Wright Christmas card online and to download an order form from the website: www.sylviawright.org

Read in full

Page 6

Don’,t forget- a meeting for Leeds Deacons with new Director, Fr Paul Fisher- an open forum evening at Hinsley Hall on Wednesday, October 20th: 7.00pm for 7.30pm *** What is a Deacon? We keep returning to this topic, because people want to know. He is a minister of the Word, the Altar and Charity: there has been much debate about the last word “,charity”,- should it be ‘,service”,? A deacon is certainly ordained for service, but service in all three aspects, a servant of the Word, of the altar and of charity. Many people in the church carry out service and they too are strengthened by grace: but in the deacon’,s case Vatican II`s ",Dogmatic Constitution on the Church", goes further and teaches that the deacon is ",strengthened by sacramental grace.", (Lumen gentium, 29). The teaching of the Council reflects on the service of humankind, of every condition, in every weakness and need. The Church has declared herself a servant of humanity: the Archbishop of Canterbury recently reminded the Pope that it was the 6th Century Pope St Gregory who sent Augustine to Canterbury- and took the title “,Servant of the Servants of God”, which has been so important to so many Popes since. Following the second Vatican Council, and after he implemented the renewed diaconate in 1967, Pope Paul VI continually spoke of deacons as the ",animators", of the church`s own servanthood. Pope John Paul II echoed this famous quote and then observed that deacons were ",the church`s service sacramentalized.", What this servant-church is and how it is to be seen in the future is another discussion: enough perhaps to be reminded of the Gospel of a couple of Sundays ago when the Lord advises his apostles, his closest collaborators, to say when they have completed their work “,We are merely servants, we have done no more than our duty”,. For now, enough to say that such principles or ideas are a response, almost an antidote to the scandals which have recently shaken the church in a number of countries. We have mentioned three Popes and should remember a fourth- the Pope of that Council, John XXIII: then a fifth bridges the gap between the mustard-seed planted by that Council 45 years ago and today’,s renewed 35,000 strong diaconate: deacons were much in evidence during the Pope’,s visit and here is a mention, too- what Pope Benedict said to the Bishops in Scotland: ", Have a care also for your deacons, whose ministry of service is associated in a particular way with that of the order of bishops. Be a father and a guide to holiness for them, encouraging them to grow in knowledge and wisdom in carrying out the mission of herald to which they have been called.", With acknowledgments for the help of Deacon Bill Ditewig Page 6 DEACONS NEWS Deacons Diary Pope Benedict in Hyde Park Tackling poverty from the heart CAFOD Young Leaders join 80,000 to ‘,Stand Up Against Poverty’, K imi Omolokun and Katie Dearden from Leeds Diocese (standing, extreme left) were among a group of CAFOD’,s ‘,young leaders’,, who held a vigil before greeting the Pope in Hyde Park. The young people, together with CAFOD supporters from all over the UK, added their voices to the thousands calling for an end to global poverty at the Papal vigil in Hyde Park on Saturday 18th September. The historic moment came as the gathered crowd prepared for the arrival of Pope Benedict during an exploration of Cardinal Newman’,s motto ‘,heart speaks unto heart’,, the theme for the visit. People were invited to stand and call for world leaders to keep their promises to halve poverty by 2015, as set out in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. Bishop Arthur was at the forefront on the stage encouraging everyone to join in by standing in solidarity with the millions of people who live in poverty around the world and by calling on world leaders to keep their promises. Footage of the moment, alongside clips from events around the world were projected onto a New York building for UN delegates at the MDGs summit starting on 20 September. The strong message from UK Catholics will be passed on to the UN representatives by Cardinal Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace who will be representing the Catholic Church at the summit. Katie, aged 16, said, ‘,It was great to be with other young CAFOD supporters from the Friday night onwards. We made new friends and we got quite close, sharing what’,s important to us and what we do with CAFOD. I really enjoyed the whole week-end, especially the Hyde Park event with Pope Benedict.’, Kimi, also 16, added , ‘,I really liked the Hyde Park event, being there with so many young people. When the Pope arrived the atmosphere was fantastic with everyone cheering. The other great moment was when we all united to Stand up Against Poverty.’, CAFOD director Chris Bain praised the strong voice of the Catholic community, who, he said, have consistently called for global justice. He added, ",The 80,000 people who stood up against world poverty at the Papal Vigil in Hyde Park, sent a message not only about Millennium Development Goals, but about the need for a world where every person has dignity, can flourish and where we all work towards the common good.",

Read in full

Page 7

VOCATIONS Page 7 Classified Advertising The final Mass at St. John’,s Catholic Centre, Halton, Leeds by Miss Pauline M Clayden I n December 2009, a party was held after the Mass to celebrate the Ruby Jubilee of the first Mass to be said in the new Chapel of Ease to St. Theresa’,s Church, Crossgates. On Sunday October 3rd a similar Mass and party was held , but under very different circumstances. During the 40 years, there have only been 3 Parish priests, Canon Denis Tangney, who, seeing the need for a Mass centre in Halton, organised the building of St. John’,s Catholic Centre, Father Philip FitzGerald, and our present Parish priest, Mgr. Philip Holroyd. Throughout the years the congregation remained around the 100 mark, and so it was on October 3rd when 125 parishioners were delighted to welcome as their guests, Bishop Emeritus David Konstant and Mgr. Steele who have frequently said Mass for us and who were to join Mgr Philip in concelebrating this our last Mass at St John’,s. In his sermon, Mgr. Philip made reference to the popular belief that the 3 most stressful occurrences were death, divorce or separation and moving house, in that order. In a way we as a community were suffering all three, the death of our weekly Sunday and Wednesday Masses (the latter said by Fr. Eric Cheetham), The separation, as with a choice of three churches to attend in future as members of the newly formed Parish of Blessed John Henry Newman, embracing Corpus Christi, St. Gregory and St Theresa’,s Churches the community is likely to be spread threefold. Moving house, we must move back home or to one of our relatives. However Mgr. went on to say that most people, after grieving, take up their lives anew and often reach even greater heights and he asked us to do the same by taking our love and care for each other and our robust singing with us. And so after our little party we embraced each other, and left a now silent St. John’,s. Contact Caroline on 01223 968 649 for information 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 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

Read in full

Page 8

PAGE 8 INTERFAITH MEETING GOD IN FRIEND AND STRANGER L ast month we promised a “,handy guide”, to the new teaching document issued by our Bishops in May –, “,Meeting God in Friend and Stranger –, fostering respect and mutual understanding between the religions”,. To tickle your fancy –, hopefully to read the whole document as the basis for your own action in dialogue –, here is an introduction to what will be eight tasty summaries. We start with Pope Benedict because, on his recent visit in an address to members of other religions, he explicitly referred to our Bishops’, statement and showed us what dialogue means in practice. This gives us a powerful preliminary tool with which to read the document. It too rests on the practice of dialogue –, a dialogue begun by many people during the ten years in which the document was gestating. The document is by no means a “,top down”, tablet of stone, cast down by the Bishops out of a blue sky, as much as a response from the Bishops to a “,bottom up”, movement of dialogue arising from the grassroots of our lives in parishes and schools, workplaces and streets which they confirm and ground securely in the Church’,s theology and tradition. This is why it is such a good guide for us as we journey in dialogue with other religions. It was no mistake then that at the end of his address, the Pope himself referred specifically to the document by name - as we shall see. THE POPE IN DIALOGUE. Pope Benedict met members of other religions on Friday September 17th to talk with them about dialogue. First he listened - intently and with full attention. He thus illustrated the first “,rule”, of dialogue –, we listen to the other before we speak. It is worth summarising what he heard Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, representing the other religions, say. He spoke movingly about the major contribution people of faith can make together to strengthening our society –, a conviction echoed in the Bishops’, statement and in Pope Benedict’,s own response. The Rabbi spoke about the “,the intricate harmonies of our several voices.”, Together believers question the deep cult of individualism in our society by bringing a sense of community, we bring a sense of values to a society dominated by consumerism only able to ask about prices, in place of cynicism we offer respect and admiration, in place of disintegrating families we believe in the consecration of relationships and marriage as a commitment. In school and home where we recognise the charisma of holiness and grace is etched an appreciation of the “,poetry of everyday life”,. Together we value people for what they are –, fragments of the Divine presence. We hold life to be holy. We are guardians of values in a wisdom-starved age. Although we admit that our faiths are different, we affirm faith as “,that habit of the heart that listens to the music beneath the noise and knows that God is the point where soul touches soul and is enlarged by the presence of Otherness”,. At the end of the Rabbi’,s speech, the Pope rose and, with a big smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye walked forward to shake hands and embrace Jonathan Sacks with obvious delight and warmth. Another basic principle of dialogue was affirmed in this action by the Pope –, “,to recognise what is true and holy in other religions.”, It was a deeply moving moment. Then it was Pope Benedict’,s turn. This is another obvious part of true dialogue –, to witness to our own faith –, having listened to our partner in dialogue we speak of the hope that is in us with boldness. He echoed the Rabbi’,s sentiments about the way religions can “,stand side by side”, in working for the good of the whole community. This dialogue of action is complementary to the dialogue of “,face to face”, encounter between religions and not opposed to it. We are all united in the ultimate questions that we ask. Pope Benedict quoted St Augustine’,s famous words: “,Our hearts are restless, until they rest in Thee.”, He reminded his audience that fruitful dialogue depends on reciprocity. In some parts of the world there is a need to assert the need for human freedom and respect for human rights so that all can work together for peace. Lastly the Pope acknowledged the promotion of interreligious dialogue in the UK. This is where he referred to our own Bishops’, statement “,Meeting God in Friend and Stranger”,. “,The effort to reach out in friendship to the followers of other religions is becoming a familiar part of the mission of the local Church and a characteristic of the religious landscape of this country.”, He concluded by saying that the Catholic Church follows the path of dialogue out of a sense of respect for others and to build bridges of friendship, respect, the healing of past wrongs and trust. He then shook hands with many of those there and exchanged a few words with each one. It was obvious from the applause and the warm reactions of those who met him that here is a Pope who is totally sincere in his desire to forward the task of interreligious relations. We can say that he is aware of how our own Bishops are fully engaged in that work. He placed their document at the heart of that task. We should feel encouraged and congratulated by his acknowledgment that we are working to make dialogue with our neighbours who are Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs or Buddhists an essential part of the mission of our local Church. COMING NEXT MONTH Pope Benedict has given us a model for dialogue. So we listen to those of other religions, we speak, we recognise what we share and how we differ and lastly how we can together work for the good of all. Watch out next month in your Catholic Post for the first of an eight part summary of “,Meeting God in Friend and Stranger”,. In parish, school or as individuals do not forget our offer, as the Diocesan Interreligious Relations Commission, to support any activities you may like to promote in National Interfaith week –, November 21st to 27th. Contact us via: www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/interfaith or Tel 01274 581094 or email : dandt55@btinternet.com For those with benefit of the www - to view the Pope’,s meeting with members of other religions: http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/Replay-the- Visit/Watch-Again/Interfaith-Meeting- Twickenham FEASTS AND FESTIVALS 17 - 24 October. Interfaith week of prayer for world peace 20 October. Sikhism. Conferring of state of Guruship on the Guru Granth Sahib in 1708. This is the Holy Book of the Sikhs regarded now as the Guru (teacher)to replace permanently the previous ten Gurus. 20 October. Bahi’,a. Anniversary of the birth of the Bab. 2 November. Rastafarian. The anniversary of the crowning of Haile Selassie 1st 5 November. Divali. Hindu. The great New Year festival. 5 November. Sikh. Divali. Bandi Chhor Divas. 12 November. Baha’,i. Anniversary of the birth of Baha’,u’,allah 16 November. Islam. Eid ul Adha. The festival of sacrifice. 21 - 27 November NATIONAL INTERFAITH WEEK –, its second year. Are you really listening or just being nice to me!", Dialogue is catching on. ‘,Wonderful Ambassadors’, P upils at St Francis Catholic Primary School, Morley, “,thoroughly enjoy their time at school”,, and “,it provides a good quality of Catholic education with several outstanding elements.”, according to their recent OFSTED report and RE inspection. The OFSTED report, which was published following an inspection in June, gave the school an overall rating of ‘,Good’, with some outstanding features, an improvement on the previous inspection, carried out in December 2006, which was ‘,Satisfactory’, as did the RE inspection carried out in July. The OFSTED report goes on to say “,They [pupils] achieve well because of good teaching and the exciting learning activities provided. Good care, guidance and support and the school’,s very positive ethos make a valuable contribution to pupils’, personal development. Pupils are courteous, friendly and supportive of others”,. Behaviour was described as ‘,exemplary’,. Commenting on the two inspections, Jane Burns, who joined St Francis’, as Headteacher in September 2008, said: “,We are absolutely delighted with the inspector’,s report which highlighted the pupils’, behaviour, enjoyment of learning, and contribution to the school and wider community, as being real strengths”,. Mrs Burns said the children were “,wonderful ambassadors”, and thanked the staff and parents for their support.

Read in full

Page 9

The Catholic Community in England and Wales has acted in a compassionate and extremely generous way once more. To date, CAFOD has received nearly £,2,500,000 to support families so badly affected by the floods. Leeds Diocese alone has donated an amazing £,90,700. CAFOD is working with partners in the region who are providing emergency kits, including plastic sheeting, blankets and cooking utensils and hygiene kits including water purification tablets and soap. Sher Ali, 14, whose family received an emergency kit said: “,Our house was washed away by floods. We lost everything and it was difficult to cook and eat. We’,re now able to prepare our own food and have clean water for drinking and cooking.”, As well as providing this kind of immediate relief, we will continue to support partners to construct transitional shelters for families whose homes were damaged or destroyed and are living under plastic sheeting. CAFOD will use donations provide families affected by the floods with support to help them earn a living again. We will also support cash-for-work schemes, providing a small amount of cash for households to carry out repairs to basic infrastructure such as damaged schools. There will also be a continuing need to provide hygiene kits and hygiene training, as well as providing emergency water and sanitation such as building latrines. We will also continue supporting the health sector, providing emergency medical support to sick people. Thanks you for expressing your solidarity with the people of Pakistan so generously. Please keep them, and our partners working with them, in your prayers. Margaret Siberry, CAFOD Leeds CAFOD PAGE 9 Pakistan Floods Appeal - Update This is a letter that came into the CAFOD office from children at St. Augustine’,s Primary School in Leeds. Their example is an inspiration to us all. Dear CAFOD In St Augustine’,s the children have set up their own CAFOD group and anyone in key stage 2 is welcome to join the group. We have led an assembly by telling the school what CAFOD is about. We have had a meeting and we are having another meeting this Thursday to discuss how we are going to raise money and tell the school more about CAFOD. Mr. Teggart our head teacher, gave us a brilliant idea to get the children to bring in the CAFOD ‘,Act on Poverty’, cards which have been signed by our parents. He got a cardboard cut out of 10 Downing Street (which he borrowed from the CAFOD group at the Assumption church. He then told us that he is going to send the cards to the Prime Minister. So, when the cards came into school, we could post them ourselves in the ‘,10 Downing Street letterbox’,. Hopefully the Prime Minister will “,act on poverty .”, Now let me tell you about what we are planning to do to raise money eg: a bun sale, a non uniform day, competitions and lots more. We will also draw posters and put them around school and invite Mrs Siberry into school to talk to us about CAFOD. If anyone has any other ideas please let us know at school. We think more money, more smiles for children in developing countries! Yours sincerely Cora Murphy, Chair, Wiktoria Adamus, Vice Chair Young People Learning About the World and Making a Difference In an economic climate where spending cuts are the norm, CAFOD and its supporters are working hard to ensure that the poorest people in the world do not lose out. To help reinforce this message the ‘,Act on Poverty’, campaign is asking supporters to send postcards to Ten Downing Street, urging the Prime Minister to stay committed to development spending targets and pushing for a climate deal at the UN which is fair to poor nations. At the Assumption church, part of the new Our Lady of Kirkstall parish in Leeds, over sixty people signed postcards and ‘,posted’, them to the Prime Minister - right outside church! The pictures show one of the CAFOD group members helping whilst parishioners post their postcards through the letterbox. By Joe Burns There has been a tremendous response from other parishes too. Thanks to all who have taken time to make sure our politicians realise our commitment to bringing about a more just world. PARISHES ACT ON POVERTY 50 Years 50 Faces –, A Photographic Exhibition Putting a Face to the Issue Lunchtime Lecture All welcome Pascale Palmer, Thursday 21st October 1.00 –, 2.00 Leeds Trinity University College CAFOD’,s bittersweet tribute to survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo as it marks 50 years of independence - This exhibition of images and words from interviews with 50 Congolese women who have suffered sexual violence puts a human face to the ongoing tragedy. The focus of the exhibition was the idea that the stories of these 50 women must be told to ensure people do not forget the ongoing crisis in DRC. And most importantly that, although the sexual violence is uniform in its horror, each of the women affected is individual. The exhibition was created, along with a short film, to coincide with DRC`s 50th anniversary of independence. CAFOD’,s partner, the Justice and Peace Commission in Bukavu, has set up Listening Rooms which offer counselling to women who have suffered rape. Pascale Palmer, CAFOD’,s advocacy media officer, listened to the women’,s desire for their stories to be told. Feza M’,Nyampunda, pictured above, told Pascale: “,Take our stories and tell everyone what is happening here. The world thinks it knows - but it doesn’,t know. “,This isn’,t a story for the war, this is our lives now. If the world is bored with the story then they have forgotten how to be human.”, Don’,t miss this rare opportunity to hear Pascale share how the exhibition came about and how the ‘,Listening Rooms’, programme is helping women to rebuild their lives in the DRC. For further details contact CAFOD Leeds 0113 275 9302 or email leeds@cafod.org.uk

Read in full

Page 10

Page 10 O nce again this summer, students from Notre Dame enjoyed a week of fantastic enhancement activities ranging from week long residentials to half day workshops. There were trips to Iceland, New York, Barcelona and Prague, an outdoors activities residential to the Lake District where students were instructed by Dave Bunting MBE who lead the 2006 Army Everest expedition, and a myriad of activities in college including First Aid and Deaf Awareness classes, Yoga, Bridge for beginners and Rock music workshops. There was also a choice of 13 team sports in which to take part. Over a hundred students opted to go on day trips to Alton Towers, the Bradford Media museum, Huddersfield University Law school and York Museums. The Morris dancing team were out in force and over thirty students visited Leeds Crown court. Students from the Theatre studies department rehearsed a production of Alan Aykbourne’,s ‘,Gosforth’,s Fete’, which they performed for high school pupils. The organization for enhancement week is coordinated by Clare O’,Hara [world squirtboard champion],who also oversees the weekly enhancement activities taking place throughout the year. ‘,The week was a great success’, said Clare ‘,and the students gained a great deal from all the events as well as having fun.’, “,A Truly Awesome Week”,

Read in full

Page 11

Read in full

Page 12

Page 12 T he morning of Wednesday 6th October saw the school community of St Wilfrid’,s Catholic High School, Featherstone in a state of anticipation as they awaited a special visit from Bishop Arthur. The Bishop had agreed to come and look round the school and to culminate the visit with the blessing of the new school Chapel. Head Boy, Alex Copley and Head Girl, Rihann Binnersley greeted the Bishop as he arrived and introduced them to the headteacher, Michael Pyle. A very relaxed tour of the school followed where the Bishop witnessed primary school children learning to swim and to speak French - not at the same time! Bishop Arthur impressed the students of a French GCSE class with his linguistic talent and was presented with a ‘,goody bag’, from International Week. The tour moved on through the Maths department onto the recently refurbished Solutions area where students can visit Catholic Care and receive guidance from the team based there. Following a brief coffee break when the Bishop met governors and senior leaders of the school it was time for the highlight of the visit –, the blessing of the Chapel. Approximately seventy people from all areas of the school community –, governors, staff, pupils and parish priests –, gathered together in the Chapel to take part in the service and to witness this beautiful calm place being blessed as a place of worship. At the end of the blessing a special presentation was made to Father Sean Durcan who has recently stepped down as a foundation governor after spending the last fourteen years as chair of governors of the school. Mrs Beverley Sice, acting Chair of Governors said that she was especially pleased that Father Durcan was present on this special day as it had long been his dream and ambition for the school to have such a beautiful Chapel. Father Durcan took the opportunity to thank all the governors he had ever worked with for their commitment to Catholic education and to thank the staff for all of their efforts. Before the Bishop left he thanked the school for organising the visit and said that his overall impression of the school was one of a calm purposeful atmosphere. (To view all photographs from the blessing go to www.catholicpost.org.uk/gallery) A Blessing for St Wilfrid’,s

Read in full

Page 13

POLISH NEWS 13 A saint in our time “, Jesus, I trust thee”,, is the caption, we all associate with the visions and subsequent painting of Jesus Christ by Sister Faustyna Kowalska. Maria Faustina Kowalska, commonly known as Saint Faustyna, is sometimes called the Apostle of Mercy. She was born Helena Kowalska on August the 25th of 1905 in Glogowiec, when Poland was part of the Russian empire. She was the third of ten children born to a poor family. At the age of fifteen, having attended just three years of school, she started work to support her family. At the age of 20 she felt and believed that God was calling her to be a nun. Helena therefore headed to Warszawa and applied to various convents. However, she was turned down each time but was finally accepted to the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Helena Kowalska finally was initiated as a nun on the 30th of April 1926. She took the name Sister Maria Faustyna of the Blessed Sacrament. Sister Faustyna reported having seen Christ in Purgatory and stated she had seen and spoken to both Jesus and Mary several times. She wrote about her visions and messages in her diary. She wrote that Jesus revealed to her, her purpose: to spread the devotion of the Mercy of God. The most important vision occurred in Plock on the 22nd of February 1931. On this occasion, Jesus appeared as the `King of Divine Mercy`, wearing a white garment. His right hand was raised in a sign of blessing and the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment emanated two large rays, one red, the other white. An explanation of these colours was given to Sister Faustyna by Jesus himself saying, ",The two rays represent blood and water”,. This has been attributed to the ",blood and water", referenced in the Gospel of John (John 19:34). Sister Faustyna reported that Jesus told her, ",Paint an image according to the pattern you see with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You…, I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I, myself will defend it as my own glory…,I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for grace to the Fountain of Mercy. That vessel is this image with the Signature `Jesus, I Trust in You.", With the help of Father Michał, Sopoć,ko, she distributed the images at Krakó,w and Wilno, and people began to pray before them. Faustyna kept a diary, despite her limited literacy. The diary was later published under the title Divine Mercy in My Soul: The Diary of St. Fausyina. In 1935, she had a vision which described what is now called the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. In 1936, Faustina became ill, since speculated to be tuberculosis. She was moved to the sanatorium in Pradnik. Here, she continued to spend much time in prayer, reciting the chaplet and praying for the conversion of sinners. The last two years of her life were spent praying and keeping her diary. By June 1938, she could no longer write. She died on October the 5th. The paintings of the Divine Mercy and Sister Faustyna’,s diary were found on her death in her room. After the death of St. Faustina, the nuns at her convent sent her writings to the Vatican. Prior to 1966, any reported visions of Jesus and Mary required approval from the Vatican Council before they could be released to the public. After a failed attempt to persuade Pope Pius XII to sign a condemnation, Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani at the Holy Office included her works on a list he submitted to the newly elected Pope John the 23rd in 1959. The Pope signed the decree that placed her work on the Index of Forbidden Books and they remained on the Index for over 20 years. Father Sopoć,ko was harshly reprimanded, and all his work was suppressed. The Archbishop of Krakow, Eugeniusz Baziak, allowed the nuns to leave the original picture hanging in their chapel so that those who wished to continue to pray before it could do so. When Karol Wojtył,a (the future Pope John Paul the Second) became Archbishop of Krakow, a new investigation into the life and diary of St. Faustina was launched. It was then that the devotion to the Divine Mercy was once again permitted. It was even said by Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, John Paul II`s successor as archbishop of Krakow, that Sister Faustyna ",reminds us of the gospel we had forgotten.", Faustyna was beatified on April the 18th 1993 and canonized on April the 30th of 2000. The Divine Mercy Sunday is now celebrated the Second Sunday of Easter (which is the first Sunday after Easter). Sister Faustyna Kowalska is the patron saint of the Polish Catolic Mission here in England and Wales. 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 A Proud History in Leeds I n Leeds, it is estimated that there are at least 5,000 Polish people. There had been a Polish Parish in Leeds since the Second World War. The Second World War broke out with the Invasion of Poland on the 1st of September 1939. Poles fought continuously for their freedom alongside the Allies. After, the Second World War, Poland had lost at least half a million fighting men and women, six million civilians. They were left with one million war orphans and over half a million of invalids. They lost vast tracts of their country and saw the greater part of their heritage destroyed. Many due to the War were spread across the World. The Polish Parish in Leeds first started with the arrival of a Polish Priest, Ks. Miszurka. He took care of the religious needs of soldiers who had decided not to return to a Communist Poland and who were stationed in and around Leeds. He also visited army camps scattered around Yorkshire. After demobilisation, a number of soldiers found work and settled in Leeds. In 1948, the community was suddenly expanded by the influx of Polish prisoners of war and people released from concentration camps in Germany. They were joined by their families who had been placed in refugee camps in former British colonies in the Middle East, India and Africa. Father Czorny, one of the Chaplains of the Polish Armed Forces, took up residence first at St. Patrick’,s parish on the York Road and later transferred to the parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Hunslet. It was from this church that the first procession to be held on Corpus Christi started through the streets of Leeds. In 1951, the first house for the Polish Community was bought in Upper Elmwood Street in the city centre. It was here that the Polish School held its first lessons on Saturdays. It was initially attended by 7 children. The house served as a good meeting place for Polish people. The following year, the parish was transferred to the Holy Rosary Church on Chapeltown Road as this was the area where most Polish people had found housing. The 1950s and 1960s saw the expansion of the Polish Community in Leeds. Through the parish and the community, the religious and spiritual needs of Poles were addressed and traditions were upheld. The Polish School expanded teaching the Polish Language, History and Geography of Poland as well as customs and traditions. Other organisations, such as the Polish Scouting Association, Polish Youth Club, the theatrical group –, Fredreum and the Choir started at this time. In 1964, the Parish Council bought its current premises –, the previous French Consulate’,s House –, “,Woodfield”, and subsequently in 1967, the adjoining “,Doctor’,s House”,. The building were renovated and extended. The Parish Buildings acted not only as a meeting place but the hall was also used for all church services until 1976 when the church of Our of Lady of Czestochowa and St. Stanislaw Kostka was consecrated. If you would like to learn more about the Polish Parish and Polish customs, from the 11th of October till Christmas, why not visit the Leeds display on the 1st floor of Leeds City Museum where there will be a case dedicated to the history of the Polish Parish in Leeds and another on the way Polish people celebrate Christmas and Easter. Polish Pilgrims who trav- elled down fron Leeds to Cofton Park Photo: Jozef Lopuszynski Polish Pilgrims Dr Sawicka (front) and Zygmunt Green (standing) at Cofton Park

Read in full

Page 14

In last month’,s Catholic Post the wrong photo appeared alongside the story on Leeds Trinity’,s prize winning graduate Stephanie Davies. We would like to apologise for this error and congratulate Stephanie on her achievement of a first class degree and the prize for the best undergraduate performance in the class of 2010. Page 14 LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Three degrees in three decades for Janet F ormer primary school teacher Janet Kelly has made it to the top of the class with her third graduation from Leeds Trinity University College, receiving her PhD at this year’,s graduation ceremony. Janet’,s first degree was a Bachelor of Education in 1982 when the institution was still Trinity &, All Saints, followed by an MA in Victorian Studies in 1998. Although it was a love of literature that initially inspired her return to study for the MA, Janet became interested in women and religion, completing a dissertation on male and female conversion accounts in Methodism, with the advice of her tutor Dr Di Drummond. Janet said, “,My MA research was a springboard in my decision to do a PhD. While there was a lot of work on Methodist preachers –, men and women –, there was little on the ordinary woman in the pew.”, Entitled “,Model Lives: The Changing Role and Experience of the Wives of Itinerant Preachers in Mainstream Methodism, 1750-1880”,, Janet’,s PhD thesis was based on a wealth of resources in Leeds Central Library and the Methodist Archive collection at John Rylands University Library, Manchester, including obituaries and diary extracts from Methodist magazines dating back to 1778. Janet said, “,Despite the many challenges for preachers’, wives, with harsh living conditions and regular moves to new areas, the women became role models by combining their domestic responsibilities with work in their communities. Their spirituality and sense of faith comes across strongly in the accounts.”, “,The thesis has been a truly ecumenical experience for all. I am an Anglican, who researched Methodist women under the supervision of a Baptist in a Catholic College!”, Leeds Trinity provides both taught postgraduate programmes, such as the MA in Victorian Studies, and research degrees at Master of Philosophy and doctorate levels. Postgraduate research degrees are awarded by the University of Leeds. For more information on research degrees in Victorian Studies or Humanities at Leeds Trinity please contact j.hamblin@leedstrinity.ac.uk Apology and clarification from the editor Events at Leeds Trinity University College Open Days for prospective students Saturday 23 October Visit between 10.00am and 3.00pm to 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 All Saints Day Monday 1 November Bishop Arthur Roche will celebrate a Votive Mass of All Saints at 1.00pm in the Chapel at Leeds Trinity, with schools from the diocese taking part. After Mass Bishop Roche will bless the newly built student residence. All welcome –, please call the Principal’,s Office on 0113 283 7102 if you wish to attend. Visit our website www.leedstrinity.ac.uk for more events, including our Eastern Studies lecture series and the Centre for Victorian Studies seminars. Leeds Trinity students and staff attend Pope’,s Big Assembly S tudents and staff at Leeds Trinity University College took part in a special event with an educational focus during the recent Papal Visit. Pope Benedict XVI visited St Mary’,s University College in Twickenham on 17 September for “,The Big Assembly”,, a celebration of Catholic education in schools, colleges and higher education institutions across the UK. Around 3,000 young people were present, among them Leeds Trinity third year student Jemma Smith, selected as a flag bearer to escort primary school children presenting gifts to the Pope. Jemma said, “,As a Theology student I have studied the church and the works of Pope Benedict XVI. I converted to Catholicism five years ago and was received into the Church three years ago, which means I am constantly learning more about my faith. The opportunity to meet the Holy Father, head of the Catholic Church, is something I will remember for the rest of my life.”, As well as joining in the Big Assembly, Leeds Trinity’,s Chaplain Fr Paul Grogan, was among the priests concelebrating with the Pope at Mass in Glasgow and Birmingham, which included the beatification of Cardinal Newman. Fr Paul said, “,The whole experience has been exhilarating. It gave those present at all the events a renewed sense of self-confidence in being Catholic. The Pope has confirmed us in our faith and reminded us of its truthfulness and our responsibility to bring hope to society.”, “,The beatification of Newman, a great English theologian of the 19th century, is especially significant for those of us working in education. For Catholic educational institutions his beatification affirms the beauty of the Catholic intellectual tradition.”, Photo copyright St Mary’,s University College. Leeds Trinity University College has a new look this autumn, with a striking split level student residence now taking pride of place on its Horsforth campus. A smart modern learning and living environment welcomed the 900 new undergraduates arriving to start their university careers, following major building developments over the past year, enhanced by redesigned landscaping and planting to complete the new look. 198 of the new arrivals are the first students to live in the new residence All Saints Court. They will enjoy every modern comfort, with ensuite bedrooms grouped in flats of six sharing a spacious kitchen cum living area. Steve Oddy, Leeds Trinity’,s Director of Estates, said, “,All Saints Court makes a very strong statement architecturally. Not only does it enhance the campus visually, it also contributes to cutting our carbon footprint.”, Green features of the new building include a sedum roof to the lowest block, insulation levels to a higher standard than building regulations demand, and energy conservation measures including an energy efficient boiler and automatic lighting. The main teaching building, which was still under construction when Leeds Trinity took in its first students in 1966, has been brought up to date with an airy glass atrium at the entrance, external cladding and a new roof. The result is a highly contemporary appearance and improved insulation, while inside the building a warm welcome awaits in the restyled reception, new communal areas and café, facilities. Stephen Knowles, President of the Students’, Union (LTU), said, “,Having watched the new developments take shape during my final year as a student at Leeds Trinity, I am thrilled to be here for a further year as LTU President and see the scheme come to fruition.”, Leeds Trinity has a new look for the new academic year

Read in full

Page 15

Page 15 The Bishop comes to visit St. Malachy’,s Primary School T he children and staff at St. Malachy’,s Catholic Primary have been so excited this week because they were expecting a visit from a special guest. At last-the waiting was over. The school council and Mrs. Russell, the head teacher waited outside school for Bishop Arthur to arrive. The children introduced themselves and took the Bishop around their school to meet all the staff and pupils in the classrooms. The children talked to him about their lessons and what they enjoyed doing in school. Members of the gardening club told him how they had unearthed an old grotto of Our Lady and how they hoped to bring it back to life. The Bishop was very interested in all the things they had to say and congratulated them on how much they knew. Year 3/4 gave a special assembly for the whole school, parents and, of course, their guest of honour. Thank you Bishop Arthur- it was a wonderful visit and we’,d love to see you again soon!

Read in full

Page 16

Page 16 BATTLE John Battle KCSG About a mile out of Knaresborough down on the right from the road by the banks of the River Nidd is St Robert`s Cave, a small recess in the rock where the hermit St Robert of Knaresborough lived in the twelfth century. Born in 1160 the son of the Mayor of York, he joined St Giles` Priory and became an Augustinian monk living in community. But he left at the age of 28 to live in the cave on the bank of the Nidd until his death at 58 years old in 1280. During his 30 years as a hermit in his cave cell he gained a reputation as a local `healer` and spiritual counsellor and people flocked to his cave for cures and advice. Even King John went down to pay him a visit. His cave and tiny chapel are still there and can be visited down some steep rough steps in all its simplicity, starkness and smallness. All he seemed to have was a space to lie down, a space to kneel and pray and an entrance to sit at and look out at the overhanging trees watching the River Nidd flow past between it`s rocky banks. The relationship between a community of monks and individuals moving out to a solitary life of the hermit has been part of the traditional tension in western monasticism since its` origins in the Egyptian desert in the early centuries of Christianity. Anthony of Egypt (c. 251) is generally acknowledged as the founder of monasticism gathered a group of hermits who had moved out from the cities such as Alexandria, into the desert into loose-knit communities –, each with their own cell –, and he spent most of his long life in solitude in a cave on Mount Kolzim. He is the classic representative of the `Desert Fathers` who sought God by living in huts, caves or abandoned buildings seeking God through intellectual and physical self-discipline in a life of prayer and meditation, austerity an manual work to provide a basic minimum of food and clothing. The word `hermit` derives from the Greek `eremites` meaning “,living in the desert”,though it came to describe anyone who from religious motives retired from action in the world to a life of solitude. Both John the Baptist and Jesus himself withdrew into the wilderness to fast and pray. In the Middle Ages St Benedict himself was a contemplative hermit before regrouping his fellow hermits into a community following his rule. In Britain a tradition of Celtic monasticism, included hermit`s cells (as on the Skelligs Islands and Cuthbert`s hermitage on the Farne Islands). In England there were individual hermits living under bridges or at toll roads, living in huts and caves and repairing the bridge and roads for basic subsidence “,for man must live and even a hermit needed sufficiently to be under the public eye to attract alms and food.”, With the reintroduction of reformed monasticism to Britain in the twelfth century –, particularly the Cistercians who came across with the Normans, a revival of the hermit traditions became part of the vocation of challenging and renewing monastic life –, and moving it back from the everyday life of commerce, industry and buying and selling. Twelfth century England saw a huge growth in population, towns, schools and commerce and whilst some `lay brothers` turned in to the monasteries other individuals moved out to the hermit`s cell. In Leeds some monks from the Cistercian Kirkstall Abbey moved across the River Aire to live alone in the Bramley woods. Usually individual hermits –, men and women –, were supported by their original religious house, or sponsored by the Anglo Saxon gentry and the Norman landlords who moved in. In Yorkshire Denise of Barneby (1294) lived in an anchorage at Beeston, Muriel was a recluse at Campsall (1240)and Sybille of Pontefract are a few recorded examples. Regularly local nobility left benefices to be distributed among local hermits and recluses. The fourteenth century Richard Rolle became Yorkshire`s most famous hermit-mystic. In other words there were hundreds of hermits in medieval Yorkshire –, more than elsewhere in England –, living in huts, caves and tiny chapels, not least centred round Doncaster, Sprotborough, Conisborough, Cudworth and Hampole all traced and tracked by Frank Bottomley in his great work Yorkshire`s Spiritual Athletes:Hermits and other Solitaries. Apparently clusters of sponsored `hermits` were common in Yorkshire. Why exactly individuals withdrew from a monastery could be for practical reasons –, not least infectious, contagious diseases like leprosy and the plague. Sometimes leprous monks had to leave the monastery and retire to a distant cave to save the rest of the monks from being wiped out and their brothers left food for them close to their huts and caves. In other words sometimes a necessary withdrawal to ensure the survival of the others was actually a motive rather than a frustration with engaged daily monastic life managing a Kirkstall sheep farm and business trading in Holland and Italy. Nor was withdrawal to the desert simply a `fleeing from the fleshpots of expanding hectic urban societies`. It was not despising the growing `Soddam and Gomorrah”, but a desire to deepen a personal relationship with God in order to change city living that motivated the hermit-mystic-counsellors. As the twentieth century hermit Carlo Carretto, a Little Brother of Jesus in the community of Charles DeFoucauld put it “,The voice said `come with me into the desert. There is something much greater than human action –, prayer. And it has a power much stronger than the words of men -love`. The self-sacrifice of a hermit withdrawing with leprosy is matched by people of contemplative prayer such as St Damien and St Catherine of Sienna who went out and embraced lepers at great personal risk. Contemplation is paradoxically a form of withdrawal that leads to a deeper engagement to even greater personal risk and sacrifice of contemplation emersed in a difficult world of action, and we are blessed with a strong Yorkshire tradition of personal witnesses men and women perhaps under acknowledged. Yorkshire Hermits Facing facts of faith and life ‘, This is a slum parish, just adjacent to skyscrapers in the city of Hyderabad. It consists of five areas and comprises all kinds of people, the lowest rung of society: painters, electricians, maidservants, lift operators, vegetable vendors, auto- rickshaw drivers, daily labourers and people doing all the menial jobs of society. Basically, it’,s a small parish, populated by all the poor of the city, tucked behind a huge building that deals with the city’,s income tax.’, Fr Anthony has no illusions about his parish. It is an area of immense deprivation. Very few people will bother about his parishioners. Most are poor, uneducated Dalits. Even the very word implies someone who is an ‘,untouchable’,, condemned forever to be crushed and broken, destined from birth to poverty, subservience and the most degrading tasks that an unheeding population can impose. Even their joy is coloured by suffering. Many of them are Hindu, and believe that they live in a cycle of incarnations. They believe they are Dalits because they have not lived virtuous lives in a previous incarnation. They must now bear the indignity of their current existence and hope that in their next life they will be reborn into a higher caste. Some Dalits have become Catholics, attracted by a God who does not despise them, who can embrace and love them, and who sees them as people with dignity and self-respect. Yet Christianity is not a passport to an easy life. They still live in the horror of the slums. Fr Anthony continues. ‘,Since they live in city slums, the houses are barely separated from each other. Many homes consist of a single room in which all household activities take place. The slums exist because of the migration of rural poor towards the city, a rapid increase in population, lack of housing, low income and urban poverty and poor sanitation. Even though families are confined to living in one room, there is a modest level of comfort in having a roof above their heads’,. Fr Anthony and other priests like him, offer hope to those living in dire poverty and unable to enjoy many things that we take for granted in this country. The Archdiocese of Hyderabad is directly funded by Missio in England and Wales, receiving over £,100,000 in 2009, and a further £,60,000 for the training of its students for the priesthood. In Africa, which has a total of 657 bishops, 34,658 priests and 465 dioceses, there are 248 mission stations with a resident priest and 70,805 without a resident priest and, on average, a population of 4,759 Catholics per priest. Africa has 16,654 seminarians training for the diocesan priesthood, along with 8,075 who belong to Religious Orders and Congregations. Asia has 732 bishops, 409 dioceses, 578 mission stations with one or more priests and 40,566 mission stations without a priest living on the premises. In spite of 52,802 priests and 14,966 diocesan major seminarians and 16,331 Religious seminarians, a single priest has, on average 2,290 parishioners. There is another interesting comparison: Europe has 11,848 Permanent Deacons, compared with Africa’,s 403 and Asia’,s 163. It is, therefore, not surprising that any parish in Africa or Asia is so dependent on the work of 16,046 lay missionaries and 712,485 catechists. In spite of 238,540 non-clerical Religious, 2,328 members of Secular Institutes, the Church extends across so vast an area that it really needs its ‘,ordinary Catholics’, to nurture each other’,s faith. World Mission Sunday is the day when, through Missio, the Church across the world reaches out in global solidarity to its younger and struggling members. It is the day when Catholics across England and Wales help the Churches of Africa and Asia in their responsibility for building faith communities. This is vital as they must also support their 16,152 health care facilities, 4,346 orphanages, 2,848 homes for the elderly and disabled, 19,020,871 Primary School plus 9,875,709 Secondary and High School pupils. The money collected in the world’,s parishes on World Mission Sunday is sent directly to the bishop of every mission diocese. Missio ensures that whatever is collected is sent out as soon as possible to those places where the need is greatest. The Catholics of England and Wales are amongst the most generous in the world but the needs are growing. Missio has been the Catholic Church’,s official support organisation for overseas mission since 1922. Raising awareness and fostering prayer and cooperation in the whole Church, Missio is the only organisation which supports every one of the 1,069 mission dioceses of the world. Missio does not receive grants from the Government and keeps nothing in reserves! To find out how you can share your faith and give life through Missio, go to www.missio.org.uk Missio, 23 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1NU Tel 020 7821 9755 Registered Charity No. 1056651 communications@missio.org.uk Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, You Are Cordially Invited To LEEDS CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST ANNE Great George Street Leeds LS2 8BE FOR African &, Caribbean Mass Date: Sunday 24th October 2010 Time: 1:00pm All Are invited Written prayer petitions are collected at start of mass. Refreshment and Music follow immediately after mass in the Cathedral Hall. Please donate part of the refreshment Just enough for your family and two extra persons . For further enquiries please contact Rev. Dr. M.C. Mkpadi on 0113 2959718 or 07884197261 PLEASE SEND THIS INVITATION TO THOSE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED Remembrance Mass The Annual Mass of remembrance will be said in the Cannon O’,Meara Lounge, at the Leeds Irish Centre, in memory of all deceased members and friends, On Tuesday 9th November 2010 at 8-00pm

Read in full

Page 17

ROME Page 17 Some 270 Catholic bishops, religious and lay experts from the Middle East are gathered in the Vatican this month for a synod focused on the Christian communities of the Middle East. At the heart of their discussions is the crucial question of how to support and strengthen these Churches in countries where they often struggle to make their voice heard. PH is following the two week meeting.... “,The Catholic Church in the Middle East –, Communion and Witness”, is the title of this year’,s Synod of Bishops which opened on Sunday October 10th with a colourful Mass in St Peter’,s Basilica, presided over by Pope Benedict and concelebrated by prelates of the different Eastern and Western rites who had gathered for this eagerly awaited event. The idea of a Middle Eastern focus was born back in 2006, when Pope Benedict travelled to Turkey and witnessed the difficulties and discrimination faced by all the Christian Churches as tiny minorities in an overwhelminghly Muslim nation. It was reinforced in 2008 during his visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, as he saw first hand the complex economic, political and social problems which induce so many Christians to emigrate in search of security and better job prospects. And finally this year, during his pastoral visit to Cyprus, the Pope was able to meet with Church leaders from across the region and present them with the working document or Instrumentum Laboris, laying out the themes for discussion at the Synod. Alongside the patriarchs and cardinals, bishops and priests, religious and lay experts –, men and women - from 17 nations, are Church leaders from neighbouring regions and Western countries with close political and religious ties to the Middle East. Representing the Church in the United Kindgom is Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool, who travels regularly to the region on behalf of the Bishops confererence and coordinates an annual pilgrimage of European and North American bishops to the Holy Land. Over the two weeks of presentations and group discussions, the Synod will also hear from 13 ecumenical delegates representating the other Middle Eastern Christian communities, plus a well known Jewish leader, Rabbi David Rosen, and –, for the first time –, Sunni and Shi’,ite Muslim representatives as well. Clearly the primary focus of the gathering is on the pastoral needs of Christians in the region, encouraging closer cooperation and communion between the six different Catholic rites, as well as among the different Churches, whose ancient rivalries have at times been starkly visible in the conflicts over control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Latin Patriarch there, Archbishop Fouad Twal, has been very actively promoting pastoral and practical initiatives to dissuade Christians from leaving, urging them to see their presence as a mission of safeguarding and witnessing to the faith that was born in the stable at Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. While the ancient Churches of the Holy Land, Iraq or Egypt will remain under the spotlight at this meeting, the synod is also discussing the challenges of much newer communities like those of the Gulf States, where hundreds of thousands of Christians arrive each year in search of work, from India, the Philippines and other developing countries. Though these Churches face their own difficulties of acceptance by the Muslim majorities, Latin Bishop Paul Hinder stresses the vitality of faith and worship there is a powerful witness to our Churches here in the West. While the daily prayers and worship of the Synod Fathers are highlighting a spiritual communion with Christians in the Middle East, many bishops point out that witness to the Gospel of Christ cannot ignore the practical, socio-political context in which so many Christians struggle on a daily basis to keep their faith alive. Maronite Bishop Bechara Rai from Biblos in Lebanon told me ‘,the Word became flesh here in these lands......we cannot ignore the realities of daily life, but we must work for a Gospel of justice, of freedom of conscience for all people here.”, Philippa M Hitchen Our Rome Correspondent Witness R ipon Cathedral was the place chosen by the Leeds Branch of the Catholic Women’,s League to hold their second celebration for their Mass of Thanksgiving. The Rt Rev Peter Doyle Bishop of Northampton was the main concelebrant along with Canon Paul Moxon, Mgr Bill Steele and Fr Ian Smith. Canon Ball of Ripon Cathedral welcomed everyone to the celebration in the Cathedral saying how happy the Cathedral was to play host to those who had gathered on such an occasion. Bishop Peter in his opening remarks thanked the Cathedral for the welcome and thanked the Mayor for attending. The music for the liturgy was led by Cantors who took full advantage of the acoustics of the Cathedral to fill the air with their sound as they led the 100 plus congregation in an up beat and prayerful celebration. In his homily Bishop Peter started by congratulating the Ladies on reaching such a great age and saying how good it was to be in such a place to celebrate all the great work they had done throughout the Diocese. He referred to Mary in the Gospel reading they had listened to as making a visitation to her cousin of hope and how they had the vision of hope in their lives and in their work in the Diocese. There were he said many things they had to be and do in their lives but above all they had to have courage and be a bridge in a world that needed a bridge of love and vision of hope. The final hymn for the celebration, (Holy God we praise thy name) brought the Mass to a fitting conclusion before the Ladies retired to have tea and cakes. A HUNDRED YEARS OF SERVICE

Read in full

Page 18

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. Leeds Cathedral 20-35 Group Young people (20-35 years old) who attend St. Anne`s Cathedral in Leeds meet regularly every Thursday for spiritual, social and charitable activities. For further details search Facebook for “,Leeds Cathedral 20-35 Group”,, phone 07816 891872 or 07759 591233 or email leedscathedral20-35@hotmail.co.uk 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 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 Jaguar car showrooms. Fridays 12-30 to 1-30, and Saturdays 9am-l1am. Monthly all night vigil of reparation in St Marys Horsforth 12th of every month, 9-30pm to 6am . Other times variable. Further details Pat 0113 2582745 Rosary rally Sat Oct 9th 2010 12-30pm Leeds cenotaph, outside art gallery, Headrow. Contact 07747698553/ or 0113 2582745 Diary Be Still A few moments for thought and prayer All Saints and All Souls: “,If you desire to honor the dead, offer a gift for them. Honor them by good works, charitable offerings, and services”, (St. John Chrysostom). Bishops Engagements - October/November Deadline For receipt of material for next edition: November 5th 2010 Parishes receive their copies: November 21st 2010 Send articles, reports &, pictures: Mr John Grady, 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 Saturday 23 October 6pm Confirmation, Leeds Cathedral Sunday 24 October 10am Visitation St Bernard’,s, Halifax Wednesday 27 October Address Clergy of Diocese of Down &, Connor, Belfast Friday 29 October 11am VGs’, Meeting, Bishop’,s House Sunday 31 October 10am Visitation &, Golden Jubilee, St Patrick’,s, Elland Monday 1 November 1pm Mass &, Blessing of New Facilities, Leeds Trinity University College, Horsforth, Leeds Wednesday 3 November 2pm Catholic Care AGM, Little Sisters of the Poor, Leeds Thursday 4 November 1pm Visitation, St Mary’,s Primary School, Halifax Sunday 7 November 11am Visitation, St Mary’,s, Halifax Monday 8 to Friday 12 November Junior Clergy Retreat, Valladolid Sunday 14 November 10.45am Visitation, Good Shepherd, Mytholmroyd Monday 15 to Thursday 18 November CBCEW Meeting, Hinsley Hall Friday 19 November 11am Chapter Meeting, Leeds Cathedral 12.30pm Mass for Deceased Clergy of the Diocese, Leeds Cathedral Sunday 21 November 10am Visitation, St Theresa’,s, Queensbury Tuesday 23 November 11am VGs’, Meeting, Bishop’,s House Wednesday 24 November 11am Presbyteral Council Meeting, Hinsley Hall Thursday 25 November 10am Visitation, Sacred Heart Primary School, Sowerby Bridge Saturday 27 November 6pm Mass for all Nascent Human Life, Leeds Cathedral Sunday 28 November 11am Visitation, Sacred Heart &, St Patrick, Sowerby Bridge Monday 29 November 10am Leeds Trinity University College Governors’, Meeting, Horsforth, Leeds Tuesday 30 November 10.30am Catholic Care Trustees’, Meeting, Hinsley Hall F r Bill Burtoft was born in Rotherham on 3rd September 1926. He attended St Bede’,s School in Rotherham and De La Salle College, Sheffield and studied at the University of Sheffield, where he obtained his BSc and a Diploma in Education, before starting his training for the priesthood. He was a student of the Venerable English College in Rome where he read philosophy and theology at the Gregorian University. He was ordained in Rome at the Church of San Marcello al Corso, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8th December 1954. On his return to the diocese Bishop Heenan appointed Fr Burtoft to the Holy Rosary parish in Leeds, as assistant to Canon Patrick O’,Meara. In 1956 he joined the staff of St Bede’,s Grammar School in Bradford. There he taught Religious Education and Chemistry, becoming Head of the RE Department in 1964. This was to be the first of several promotions within the school which culminated in his appointment as Headmaster in 1977, succeeding the long-serving Mgr Morgan Sweeney. Fr Burtoft retired from St Bede’,s ten years later in 1987 and shortly afterwards became the Parish Priest of Our Lady of Graces, at Kinsley near Pontefract. In 2001 he retired to South Yorkshire, returning to live in his native Rotherham with his sister Mary, who died in November 2009. Fr Burtoft will be remembered above all for his contribution to Catholic education in the city of Bradford, over a period of more than three decades. His tenure as headmaster of St Bede’,s coincided with the onset of far-reaching policy developments in the national education system and against this background the school benefited from his collaborative management style which made the inevitable changes easier to bring about. Amongst other things his headship witnessed the early application of computers into teaching and learning, significant investment in the school’,s buildings and important curriculum developments, especially for post-16 students. Fr Burtoft was also involved in the wider Bradford community, supporting the Bradford Catholic Housing Aid Society and for twenty years from 1966 he was chaplain to the Knights of St Columba in Bradford. A man of sharp intellect with what has been described as ‘,an agile and analytical mind’, he had a keen sense of humour, and in his younger days had been a fine cricketer, Fr Burtoft was a born teacher who did not distinguish between academic progress and pastoral welfare and on both fronts he always cared deeply about his students. For much of 2010 Fr Burtoft had been ill and latterly he resided at a care home in Rotherham, where he died on 14th September. On the eve of the funeral his body was received into St Bede’,s, Rotherham where Mass was celebrated. The Requiem Mass took place on Wednesday 22nd October and was led by the Bishop Roche, the other concelebrants included Bishop Konstant and Bishop John Rawsthorne of Hallam. The Homily was preached by one of Fr Burtoft’,s former pupils, Fr Chris Willis. Afterwards Fr Burtoft’,s body was laid to rest in the churchyard at St Thomas, Kimberworth. Obituaries Rev William Burtoft C anon John Kelly was one of the best- known priests in the Diocese of Leeds on account of his many appointments to parishes across West and South Yorkshire, and his years as the Assistant Financial Secretary of the diocese. He was born in Hunslet, Leeds on 10th April 1927. In later life he considered himself fortunate to have been born and raised in this part of Leeds where the people were ‘,warm and friendly and willing to help others’,. He left school at the age of fourteen and went to work in the Circulation Department of the Yorkshire Evening News in Leeds. As a young man he harboured a desire to offer himself for the priesthood and he finally approached the Bishop of Leeds, Bishop John Carmel Heenan, who accepted him as student of the Leeds diocese. As what was then known as a ‘,late vocation’, he began his training with the Carmelite Fathers at St Mary’,s College in Aberystwyth and after two years preparation he proceeded to the seminary at Ushaw in County Durham. He was ordained to the priesthood at St Anne’,s Cathedral in Leeds on 27th May 1961. Between 1961 and 1979 Fr Kelly served as a curate in a number of parishes across the diocese: St Joseph’,s, Brighouse, St Cuthbert’,s, Bradford, St Alban’,s, Denaby Main, St Joseph’,s and English Martyrs, Kendray, Holy Family, Leeds, St Mary’,s, Selby and St Brigid’,s, Churwell. In 1979 Bishop Wheeler appointed him as parish priest of the Sacred Heart at Hemsworth but ill-health forced him to leave the parish after just a few months. Nevertheless he was remembered there fondly and especially for his ‘,gentle kindness’,. He retuned to Churwell to assist the parish priest and took over himself in 1981, the same year that he joined the diocesan finance department. In January 1986 the new Bishop of Leeds, Bishop David Konstant, appointed Fr Kelly as chaplain to the Little Sisters of the Poor and the residents at Mount St Joseph’,s Home in Headingley, Leeds. Here he soon became a much-loved and much sought-after pastor and confidant, and over the years which followed his care and compassion touched countless lives within the home and far beyond. He was devoted to his flock, and they to him. His contribution to the life of the diocese was recognised in 1989 when he became a Canon of the Leeds Cathedral Chapter. He retired as Assistant Financial Secretary in 1993 and as Chaplain to Mount St Joseph’,s in 2002, following his seventy- fifth birthday. In recent years Canon Kelly suffered from Parkinson’,s disease and although he bore his illness with great patience and dignity, his condition became increasingly distressing for both his family and his many friends. In retirement he continued to live at Mount St Joseph’,s and he died at home aged 83 on 15th September 2010. On the evening of 23rd September Canon Kelly’,s remains were brought into the chapel at Mount St Joseph’,s where Mass was celebrated, led by Bishop Konstant. The next day, prior to interment at Killingbeck Cemetery, Canon Kelly’,s Requiem Mass was held at the Cathedral, at which Bishop Roche was the chief concelebrant and the homily was preached by Mgr Peter McGuire Prot Ap. Canon Kelly once remarked that he was born and bred in a parish dedicated to St Joseph who was, he said, a man ‘,never in the limelight, always in the background but you could always depend and rely on him’,. Much the same could be said of Canon Kelly himself, a modest, good and holy man and an outstanding priest. Rev Canon John Kelly

Read in full

Page 19

Page 19 Latin Mass Venues - Extraordinary Form -1962 Missal HALIFAX: St Marie’,s, Gibbett Street. Vigil Mass every Saturday. 6.00pm. CASTLEFORD: St Joseph’,s, Pontefract Road. Every Sunday, 3.00pm. BROUGHTON: Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall near Skipton, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9.30am. BATLEY: St Mary of the Angels, Cross Bank Rd. Batley. Every First Friday of the month, preceded by confessions, 7.30pm and every fourth Saturday of the month (Vigil) at 3.00pm and as announced. LEEDS: 1.Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardigan Road, Leeds, every last Sunday of the month, 3.00pm 2. Our Lady of Good Counsel, Kentmere Avenue, Leeds every Friday 9.15am. HECKMONDWIKE: Holy Spirit , Bath Road, Every First Sunday of the month, 2.30pm. and every 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Saturday of the month at 11.30am. BRADFORD: St Peter’,s, Leeds Road, every second Sunday of the month, 3.00pm. lmsleeds.blogspot.com for further details. Ordinary Form –, 1969 Missal First Sunday of the Month Cathedral 11am Second Saturday of Month 4pm (Schola Gregoriana) Both staff and children at St Mary’,s Primary School in Horsforth chose to eat soup and a bread roll in order to collect money for CAFOD. The day started with a Year 4 Harvest assembly where the children’,s donations of food were greatly received by the SVP. At lunch time the school came together to reflect on those less fortunate in the world by eating soup and sharing bread. Monies raised on the day were donated to CAFOD. Mr Hughes the recently appointed headteacher said that “,It was a fantastic coming together of families and the local community united in its purpose, a huge thanks goes to everyone involved.”, A Fast For Cafod E veryone knows about the Great North Run that attracts lots of adults who run for charity. What you might not know is that young people from the age of five to sixteen also give their time and energy to raise funds for different charities by taking part in the mini or junior run. On Saturday 18th September, the day before the adult run, three young CAFOD supporters from Leeds Diocese, Lucy Harrison, Christopher Wilson and Grace Wilkinson were inspired to run the Junior Great North Run for CAFOD. This was the first time CAFOD has had any junior runners and when Grace was asked by BBC Look North why she was running, this was her reply, “,I am running to support CAFOD because I want to help people who don’,t have access to the same resources as us like having enough food to eat, clean water, schools and hospitals.”, We thought that she couldn’,t have given a more worthwhile reason than that. The three children all completed the course much faster than they thought and have raised £,150 pounds so far for CAFOD. Well done to all three! Maybe next year more young people will want to follow their example! Young Runners make History for CAFOD Lucy Harrison, Christopher Wilson and Grace Wilkinson, Young CAFOD fundraisers Boogie Night 70’,s Disco and Karaoke Fancy dress optional In aid of the Peru Mission Friday 19th November Irish Centre, York Street, Leeds 7.30pm onwards Admission £,5 Under 14’,s £,2

Read in full

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 (Indeed) A Man Of Our Own Day S aturday October 9th was the day that many people in England had waited a long time for. This was the first time the Feast of Blessed John Henry Newman could be celebrated and so soon after Pope Benedict had declared him Blessed at the Mass in Birmingham. To mark the occasion Bishop Roche celebrated the 12noon Mass at the Cathedral Church of St Anne in Leeds. A Mass that was enhanced by using three of Newman’,s hymns as part of the liturgy Praise to the Holiest ( opening Hymn), Lead Kindly light ( Offertory Hymn) and Firmly I believe ( Communion Hymn) In his homily the Bishop was able to point out the very close connections that Cardinal Newman had not only with the Diocese but also with the Cathedral Church of the Diocese –, in that he preached in the Old Cathedral Church of St Anne. He also pointed out that it was Bishop Wheeler himself a convert who had pointed out that the work down by Cardinal Newman that set the stage and the intellectual background for the documents for Vatican II. Quoting Bishop Wheeler he said: ‘,It is difficult to imagine how a great deal of the [Second Vatican] Council’,s thinking on the Church, Revelation, Conscience and the participation of the laity could have been formulated apart from the intellectual groundwork done by Newman in the nineteenth century. It would have been difficult for the ecclesiology of Lumen Gentium to have emerged without [Newman’,s] The Development of Doctrine.’, So many of the Council’,s decrees bear his hallmark ‘,so much so’,, continued Bishop Wheeler, ‘,that he is thought of as a Doctor of the twentieth century even more than the nineteenth: a man in advance of his time.’, (Truth and Love). Indeed a man of our own day. The Church has raised to her Altars a courageous fellow countryman who is contemporary in every way - a good companion for us all - an example of that search in which we should all be assiduously engaged. We must now pray for a second miracle at his intercession so that we and our fellow compatriots may see this great Confessor - the sweetest singer of the world unseen - not only raised as a great saint in our land, but also a Doctor of the Universal Church.’, £,32

Read in full

Page 21

Visit of Pope Benedict XVI 2010 After being accompanied from the airport by Prince Philip, the Pope sat and talked privately with the Queen before focusing his public address on the “,deep Christian roots”, that still permeate every layer of British life today. After inspecting an honour guard by members of the Royal Company of Archers and the Royal Regiment of Scotland Band, the Pope said he had come “,to hold out a hand of friendship”, to each citizen, represented by the Royal Family, the politicians and other key figures who had gathered to welcome him at the start of his official visit. Looking back to some of the saints and heroes from past centuries of British history, the Pope spoke of great monarchs like Edward the Confessor, Margaret of Scotland and others who “,consciously exercised their sovereign duty in the light of the Gospel and in this way shaped the nation for good at the deepest level.”, Just as the ancient Holyroodhouse palace, originally built as a monastery in the 12th century, stands opposite the ultra- modern, eco-friendly Scottish parliament, hailed as one of the most innovative buildings in Britain today, so the Pope spoke of the people, ancient and modern, who have helped forge the cultural and spiritual values of these nations. From recent centuries the Pope singled out pioneers such as William Wilberforce and David Livingstone, who contributed so significantly to ending the slave trade, Florence Nightingale, who cared for wounded soldiers, setting “,new standards in healthcare that were subsequently copied everywhere”, and Cardinal John Henry Newman, whose beatification in Birmingham formed the centre piece of this visit. All these figures, Pope Benedict stressed, “,were inspired by a deep faith, born and nurtured in these islands”,. Striking a deeply personal chord for both octogenarian leaders, the Pope then touched on the tragedy of the Second World War, recalling the courage of so many Christian pastors and religious who stood up to brutalities of the Nazi regime and paid with their lives. Britain and her leaders, he said, “,stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live.”, Sixty-five years ago, Pope Benedict continued, “,Britain played an essential role in forging the post-war international consensus which favoured the establishment of the United Nations,”, ushering in a hitherto unknown period of peace and prosperity in Europe. And in modern times, Pope Benedict stressed the profound influence the United Kingdom still enjoys on the international stage –, a fact that places particular responsibility on its leaders, its media and its people to act for the common good. In her welcome address, the Queen, dressed in a light cornflower blue coat and hat, also spoke of “,our common Christian heritage”, and the freedom to worship that lies at the heart of multicultural Britain today. In particular she spoke of the “,special contribution of the Roman Catholic Church ...particularly in its ministry to the poorest and most deprived members of society, its care for the homeless and for the education provided by its extensive network of schools.”, Recalling the profound changes that have taken place on the international stage since Pope John Paul II’,s visit to Britain back in 1982, the Queen noted how “,we deeply appreciate the involvement of the Holy See in the dramatic improvements in Northern Ireland”,. The Holy See, she observed, continues to have an important role in international issues, in support of peace and development and in addressing common problems like poverty and climate change.”, At the end of this official encounter, a smiling Pope drove away from the palace in the popemobile to the sounds of bagpipes and thousands of cheering school children lining his route –, a first taste of the unexpectedly warm and enthusiastic welcome he would receive from people across the nation throughout this historic visit. “,Cead Mille Failte!”, P ope Benedict set the tone for his four day trip to the United Kingdom in his very first speech to Queen Elisabeth II at her official Scottish residence of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. by Phillipa Hitchen Photo courtesy of Mazur_www.thepapalvisit.org.uk Photo courtesy of Mazur_www.thepapalvisit.org.uk

Read in full

Page 22

“, Cead Mille Failte!”, - A hundred thousand welcomes is the Gaelic expression the archbishop of Glasgow Mario Conti used at the opening of the Mass in Bellahouston Park and the welcome from people across Scotland waiting for Pope Benedict there well exceeded all the organisers’, expectations. In this Catholic heartland of the country, up to 100.000 people turned out to take part in the first open air event of his visit to the UK, in the same leafy suburban park where Pope John Paul urged the spiritual heirs of St Andrew to hold fast to the faith that guided their forefathers throughout the upheavals and conflicts of past centuries. Wrapped up well against the wind under clear blue skies, the crowds had begun to gather early on Thursday afternoon to enjoy an energetic warm up featuring the ‘,Britain’,s Got Talent’, star Susan Boyle from West Lothian and former ‘,Pop Idol’, winner Michelle McManus singing alongside an 800 strong choir and orchestra. Noting the progress in ecumenical relations that has developed since his predecessor’,s 1982 visit, Pope Benedict stressed that the evangelisation of culture is all the more important today when, he said, “,a dictatorship of relativism threatens to obscure the truth about man’,s nature and destiny.”, There are some, he continued “,who now seek to exclude religious belief from public discourse, to privatise it or even to paint it as a threat to equality and liberty. Yet religion is in fact a guarantee of authentic liberty and respect, leading us to look upon every person as a brother or sister.”, The Pope urged his listeners to become clear voices of authentic Christian prayer and action in a society working for the true welfare of all its citizens. He urged young people in particular to avoid the ever present temptations of drugs and alcohol, pornography and promiscuous behaviour, held up as more attractive alternatives to the Gospel values of love and service to others. Despite the regeneration and development of Glasgow that has gone on in recent decades since the decline of the ship building industry along the river Clyde, the city still struggles with high levels of alcohol and substance abuse, fuelled by poverty and family breakdown. Pope Benedict noted the vital role played by Catholic schools and the ancient Scottish universities in providing an education for young people. Glasgow city council has also been very active in setting up public arts and sports centres providing activities for youngsters, including one located in Bellahouston Park itself. Reminding his listeners that “,society needs clear voices”, advocating for the genuine guidance, protection and welfare of all citizens, the Pope urged young people in Scotland not to be afraid, but to follow in the footsteps of the great saints and evangelisers of the past who have courageously handed down the faith in this land. BELLAHOUSTON Photo courtesy of Osiowywww.thepapalvisit.org.uk Photo courtesy of Mazur_www.thepapalvisit.org.uk Photo courtesy of Mazur_www.thepapalvisit.org.uk Photo courtesy of Osiowywww.thepapalvisit.org.uk by Phillipa Hitchen

Read in full

Page 23

The Big Assembly –, The Pope’,s Visit to Twickenham by Chris Devanney I had no inclination to endure a sleepless journey through the night to Twickenham, returning the same day to the grounds of Hinsley Hall, following the volcanic ash cloud that precipitated a 22 hour drive home from Rome with the family, during the Easter holidays. So when I heard (back in June) that I was to go on a coach, departing at two in the morning, to see Pope Benedict for the ‘,Big Assembly’, I was a trifle impassive. On the (very early) morning of Friday 17th September I arrived to see the assembled children, students and teachers on the steps of Hinsley Hall. We were akin to a throng of pilgrims hushed and waiting to take part in a torchlight procession except for the telling addition of pillows and blankets, testimony to the need to cushion the hard seats and little legroom of the coach with the aura of sleep. In spite of the pillows I and many of the adults didn’,t sleep a wink or at best fell in and out of sleep. By contrast, the children slept well fortified, in the case of the children from St. Cuthbert Primary, with jelly babies and a variety of cuddly toys. Thankfully, our coach driver wasn’,t gruff or bad tempered and even raised a smile when it was suggested that his coach was deliberately hired for this trip because it was a ‘,Godsons’, coach. We arrived at St. Mary’,s College, Twickenham at 6.45 am and rather fortuitously followed the Pope Mobile in. Once the sudden excitement subsided, an excitement conjured by the thought that ‘,the Pope Mobile’, must mean ‘,the Pope’,, Mr. Doherty, Head of RE at St. Bede’,s, Bradford, gave a full description, to the assembled, of how the Pope Mobile can elevate the Pope so that he can be seen by the faithful, rather like those buses that lower and raise their front step for passengers to enter and alight. We were ushered into a marquee to undergo security checks and registration then were given a ‘,pilgrim’,s pack’, (appropriately) yellow in colour which contained a variety of items including a banana (yellow? energy?) and a cereal bar. The weather suddenly improved as we were directed outside and to our relief discovered we would be standing at the front, we’,d have a good view of his Holiness. Being three and a half hours early meant that we could now have breakfast and a brief sleep back on the coach before we were directed to our allotted area inside the running track. Once we assembled on the sports ground expectation grew that the Pope would be soon with us. After a number of false dawns, occasioned by the singing of so many times I thought I was back at St. Clare’,s (c. 1972) walking round the hall on a Friday afternoon learning the hymns for the following week, and a touching interview of children from the Cathedral Choir of Holy Rosary &, St. Anne Primary by the Blue Peter presenter, Pope Benedict XVI came into view and a ripple of realisation spread throughout the place like the movement of light up the church at the beginning of the Easter Vigil. It was simply great to see him. He was impressive. Here was a man of personal holiness and warmth, arms raised in recognition of us all and the welcome the children had given. He spoke to us about the importance of Catholic education. He clearly and simply set out the true purpose of education as not about the pursuit of skills to further the economic well being of the country nor the pursuit of those skills to benefit oneself in the labour market but as the formation of each person through the pursuit of virtue so that doing good to our neighbour becomes part of our nature. The journey back to Hinsley Hall was different. All were tired, but just like the visit of John Paul II to York in 1982, seeing Pope Benedict XVI, watching his gestures and listening to his words on the sports ground of St. Mary’,s Strawberry Hill, was personally uplifting and affirming of our Catholic identity. There was a sense that the visit had not only gone well but that Pope Benedict had reawakened and renewed our faith in the mission of the Church to make Christ known to all especially in the field of education. Months of hard work at last came to an end for Holy rosary and St Anne`s school, in Leeds, on the morning of Wednesday September 15th. Since last May when they were chosen to be one of the two special schools to sing for the Pope they have been working hard to be ready. Last year they became the Choir school of the Diocese and because of this they were asked down to London for the ‘,Big Assembly`, along with 4,000 other school children who will gather to share the Assembly with the Pope - but they will get to sing for him - by themselves and they are looking forward to the event. Jubilate Deo and Ave Maria accompanied by African Drums and hand Bells will ring out to greet the Pope as he steps from his Popemobile. On Wednesday morning after one more rehearsal they packed all their belongings into a coach and headed off to London. Thursday will be a day of Rehearsals - then 10.15am on Friday morning the ‘,Big Assembly` starts. BEFORE SETTING OUT TO SING FOR THE POPE After weeks of hard work - many weeks of waiting and all the excitement of seeing their friends setting off for London - at last the children of Holy Rosary and St Anne`s school in Leeds had the opportunity to see it all on the big screen in their school hall. However even then they had to face the media because cameras were there to watch them as they watched their friends.Everything was ready and they all waited in the hall for the big assembly and they were not disappointed. True the Pope ran late and was about twenty minutes behind his planned arrival - but came he did and the children of Holy Rosary and St Anne`s all thought it was a great success AFTER WATCHING OUR FRIENDS

Read in full

Page 24

Pope at Westminster and Hyde Park O n Saturday 18th September at 2am a group of around 150 young people from the Leeds Diocesan Youth Service group, after having met at Immaculate Heart church in Leeds at 10.30pm on Friday night, and sharing Mass as well as some 60 pizzas, set off down the M1 for an encounter with the Pope. Arriving in London by dawn they then made their way to the piazza outside Westminster Cathedral where they would join in with Mass via one of the big screens in the square. At the end of Mass, Pope Benedict came out to greet the youth from dioceses across the country and Leeds Diocese was represented by, Meghan New from St. Johns Normanton, to whom Pope Benedict spoke directly! Meghan was chosen to be the representative because at the age of 18 she was fully received into the Church during the Easter Vigil 2010. From Westminster the group then proceeded to Hyde Park for a picnic lunch. The picnic was appreciated as much by the youth as it was by Hyde Park’,s indigenous population of ants! After a short Lunch break it was on to area of the park where the prayer vigil would take place. The young pilgrims were lucky to have been invited into a seated area holding only 3000 of the reported 80 000 present at the vigil. They were seated near to the front on the left hand side, you may have seen a large block of yellow shirts on the TV coverage! From the time of their arrival in the seated area to the time of the arrival of the famous Pope-mobile the pilgrims were entertained by different performances from dance groups, and choirs from around the world. As the Pope entered Hyde Park, cries of “,Viva il Papa”, could be heard rising from the growing crowds. Many hymns, songs and anthems were sung to welcome the Holy Father into their midst and it is fair to say that the excitement and the anticipation were palpable. The vigil itself consisted of an address by the Pope as well as readings, hymns, testimonies and a period of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Although the atmosphere earlier had been ecstatic, when the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, you could quite literally have heard a pin drop. During this time the prayerful contemplation gave a stark contrast to the enthusiastic singing and waving of the early vigil. It seemed fitting that after a strenuous day the many pilgrims gathered in silence in Hyde Park experienced a quiet night and a perfect end. Taking a tube back to where the coaches then met us, everyone’,s head hit the pillow and no sound was heard until we pulled up again outside the Immaculate Heart. An amazing experience and one that surely will be talked about for many years to come. A Weekend of No Sleep and Great Joy! by Mary Hymas A nna Cowell, 28, is the Diocesan Youth Officer and she attends St Urban`s Church in Headingley. Read on to find out some of Anna’,s thoughts prior to the Visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The Catholic Early Years: I was born into a family who were incredibly active in their faith. I was baptised when I was just over a month old. Each year of my childhood, my family went on pilgrimage to Lourdes. These experiences of pilgrimage, and of course, my family`s involvement in our local parish life really formed me in my Christian faith. My faith as a Catholic was something intertwined through my whole formative years. Why is your faith important? If you`ve ever had the experience of falling in love, you`ll know that the priorities of your life suddenly change around to fit in with the person that you love. Fundamentally my faith is important because it`s based on a relationship of love with the Lord. I want my whole life to be arranged so that He is my number one priority. Why are you going to see the Pope? It may seem strange to many people, that young people from all over the UK will be travelling many miles to see an old German man, but for Catholics, Pope Benedict is the father of our faith, the leader of our family, so going to see Pope Benedict is like going to welcome our father home! I am personally going to see Pope Benedict because I am excited to hear what he has to say to us here in England. Over the past 10 years, I have had several opportunities to see Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, each time I have been inspired and encouraged in my faith by the words spoken by them. What are you hoping to experience? Each time I have been to see the Pope, there has always been a great festival atmosphere. I`m sure that when the 3,000 young people are gathered outside of Westminster Cathedral there will be a great atmosphere of joy. We are taking 143 young people from Yorkshire with us on our pilgrimage to London. Many of these young people have never seen the Pope before. I hope that this will be an amazing opportunity for them to deepen their faith and encounter the Lord in a new way through their meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Do you expect the visit to change you in any way? Whenever I go on pilgrimage I pray that the Lord would deepen my faith through the experience. I am hoping that this encounter with Pope Benedict would also strengthen my faith. I am also praying that Pope Benedict`s visit to the UK will strengthen the faith of all Christians, even those who are not practising their faith anymore. Before the Pope Arrived…,

Read in full

Page 25

Highlight of the Papal Visit pilgrimage? There`s so many! Representing Leeds with that banner was just an absolute honour, especially when I noticed that OUR Bishop was FIRST IN LINE to greet us. I was so lucky to have that opportunity. Unfortunately we`d been briefed not to stop and chat to the bishops as there were about a thousand people waiting to process behind us! I actually got a text from Tanzania asking me how I`d managed to get myself on the stage (he was watching EWTN, I think!), which was interesting. Then when Benedict arrived in Hyde Park, everyone spontaneously decided to charge the barrier on the left. I just wanted to get close enough to see his face after he`d seen so many people had come out to see him in London (and they said nobody would come to greet him!) I think, however, the overall highlight was Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. How on earth can 80,000 people be THAT quiet and solemn? It`s fantastic to see that all those people have such an understanding of the importance and blessing of the Eucharist! Were these really the same people who`d been singing daft songs, doing Mexican waves and generally just getting ridiculously excited half an hour earlier? It just doesn`t make sense! What stood out most to me from Pope Benedict`s homily? The fact that he talked about educators as a vocation, alongside marriage, religious life and the priesthood. He clearly believes in Catholic education. As a young Catholic student teacher, surrounded by other trainees who have so many misconceptions about our schools, hearing the Pope say this in ENGLAND has really inspired me, not only to become the best teacher I can for the people I`ll be educating in the future but also to stick up for our faith schools and remain committed to them. My Faith The pilgrimage has definitely affected my faith. To be honest, my prayer life has been lacking a bit of late. It`s been crowded out a bit by other distractions but I really got a lot out of the time spent in personal and collective prayer, and it was mentioned by the Pope. The whole experience has reaffirmed in my mind just how powerful prayer can be! From Mexican Waves to Silence by Andy Cavadino - a young LDYS group leader I n spite of much of the negative media attention the Papal Visit received in the days leading up to the Pope’,s arrival, there were many positive media opportunities given to young people from the Diocese of Leeds. The Leeds Diocesan Youth Service would like to thank BBC Radio Leeds, Yorkshire Evening Post, Premier Christian Radio, BBC Saturday Breakfast News, The Independent on Sunday and of course, the Catholic Post (!) for giving young people from the Diocese of Leeds the privilege of sharing their faith and love for the Holy Father with the people of Yorkshire (and indeed, the people of the United Kingdom and beyond!) Finally, any of you who saw the end of the Hyde Park Vigil footage, perhaps will have noticed that all the major TV channels finished their footage of the evening with the yellow t-shirts of Leeds waving joyfully to the cameras! Leeds Youth Become Media Stars

Read in full

Page 26

O ctober 13 is the Feast Day of Edward the Confessor, who was canonised in 1161, and whose remains were enshrined in Westminster Abbey soon after. It was to this site that Pope Benedict came, pontifex maximus, the great bridge- builder. He came to worship God at Edward’,s tomb, to acknowledge the long and diverse Christian witness in this land, and to pray for the unity of Christian people. It is part of my role as Ecumenical Officer, promoting Christian Unity, to try to understand the breadth and variety of Christian thinking and practice, whether or not I personally warm to any particular expression of it. Passing through the demonstrators opposite the Abbey, I picked up a Protestant Truth Society leaflet, describing minority opinions which only served to reinforce for me the sense of how far the majority of mainstream churches have moved together in recent years. One does not need to look far back to find a time when a Papal visit would have been unthinkable. Simply the fact that Pope Benedict was visiting the UK reflected massive progress which has been made in the quality of relations between the churches. That was cause for celebration indeed. Westminster Abbey was packed with Anglican bishops, Catholic bishops, dignitaries and church leaders, young and old, male and female, from a whole host of different churches, large and small. I was with a mixed group from Churches Together in England, with representatives from Orthodox to Pentecostal traditions, and everything in between. Some of these people were at ease, others struggled with what was happening, yet even those people for whom the occasion was difficult had still come to the Abbey, they recognised the significance of the event, even for churches far removed from Anglican or Catholic theology and practice. Whoever we were, and wherever we had come from, we were together in one place, first and foremost, to worship God. The form was Church of England choral evensong. I noted that one anthem was by Thomas Tallis, a composer who kept his head in the turbulent sixteenth century and whose music inspired reformers and counter-reformers alike. There were addresses promoting unity, by both Pope Benedict and Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, but, for me, actions spoke louder than words. It is the images that I will take away as lasting memories, three in particular. First, the sight of the Archbishop and the Pope sharing the Peace. Their relationship and our relationships are stronger than the theological differences, substantial as they are, which separate. Building bridges across doctrinal chasms, sharing the Peace of the Lord with sisters and brothers of other traditions, is something for us all, not only at national level, but at diocesan and parish level too. They can do it, can we? Second, the sight of the Archbishop and the Pope kneeling side by side in prayer beside the tomb of Edward the Confessor. They prayed together and their prayer was one. At our local level, can we be inspired to pray together? The setting mattered too, at a kingly tomb in the national church, for that was a symbol of the whole Christian story of this land and the relationship between Christianity, society and the State. Christians of all traditions can pray together for our society, work together for all the people of England whether they are Christian or not, and make a real impact in what the Pope elsewhere described as the ‘,public square’,. The third inspirational sight was of the Archbishop and the Pope jointly proclaiming the final blessing. Here was mutual recognition each of the other and of the spiritual leadership of each within the worldwide Body of Christ. Alongside that was the realisation that this shared act of benediction was a single act through which the blessing of God was communicated. For me, this act of shared benediction, even more than the peace or the prayers, was the most potent symbol of both the real and the ultimate unity of the Christian Church. Edward the Confessor has seen a lot over the last thousand years, but only in this generation have popes knelt at his tomb. It is a symbol of the progress that has been made towards Christian unity and peace. When we encourage relationships with local churches of other traditions, we share in that progress. Inspired by the Papal visit, it is for each of us to be a pontifex, a bridge- builder, across the church divisions in our own communities. Building Bridges by Clive Barrett, West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council I t’,s been a year of strained relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. The surprise announcement last autumn of a new Ordinariate for disaffected Anglicans seeking unity with Rome, the Church of England synod this summer voting to push ahead with the ordination of women bishops, despite strong internal opposition, and the ordination of an openly gay woman bishop in the United States have all raised tensions and made the prospect of any significant progress towards unity recede further than at any other time over the past 40 years. Perhaps that’,s why Pope Benedict decided not to speak about any of these issues in his encounter with the Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday September 17th but to focus on the trust and friendships that have grown up between church leaders and the theological progress that’,s been made in overcoming the divisions of past centuries.. The Pope recalled the many meetings between Anglican and Catholic leaders that have taken place over the past fifty years since Pope John XXIII met privately with Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher ahead of the Second Vatican Council. And he stressed the urgent need for ever closer ecumenical cooperation to proclaim the Christian gospel in an increasingly multifaith society like Britain today. Welcoming the Pope to Lambeth Palace for this historic visit, Archbishop Rowan Williams also spoke of the essential common task of presenting the Christian faith as a positive contribution to society, against those who see it as both an obstacle to human freedom and a scandal to human intellect. “,Your consistent and penetrating analysis of the state of European society,”, Dr Williams told his guest and the group of Anglican and Catholic bishops gathered in the Great Hall, “,has been a major contribution to public debate on the relations between church and culture.”, As Churches, the Anglican leader continued, we do not “,seek political power or control, or the dominance of Christian faith in the public sphere,”, but rather “,the opportunity to testify, to argue, sometimes to protest, sometimes to affirm –, to play our part in the public debate of our societies”,. Turning to the great Anglican theologian-turned-Catholic Cardinal John Henry Newman, whom the Pope beatified on Sunday, Archbishop Williams noted the words of his close friend Edward Pusey on hearing of Newman’,s conversion to Catholicism. In a moving meditation on this “,parting of friends”,, Pusey said of the separation between Anglicans and Catholics that “,it is what is unholy on both sides that keeps us apart”,. Perhaps it’,s that spirit of holiness and humility that’,s been in short supply on the ecumenical agenda of late, as bishops, theologians and ordinary Christians struggle with what seem like insurmountable problems on one side or the other. Yet only by conversion to a genuine desire to grow closer to God –, clearly manifested by both leaders at this historic encounter - will the two Churches find the way forward to full Christian unity. LAMBETH by Phillipa Hitchen Photo courtesy of Mazur_www.thepapalvisit.org.uk Photo courtesy of Mazur_www.thepapalvisit.org.uk

Read in full

Page 27

T he ancient Westminster Hall, with its great arched wooden ceiling, was the setting for one of the Pope’,s most important speeches during his four day visit to the United Kingdom. Gathered around him, besides the speakers of the House of Commons and House of Lords, was a row of past Prime Ministers, from a frail Margaret Thatcher to a beaming Gordon Brown, as well as representatives of civil society and religious leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. It was a highly significant moment as the Pope was applauded by government leaders in the very same place where Sir Thomas More was condemned to death for placing his religious convictions over his allegiance to king and crown. In his address Pope Benedict spoke of that “,great English scholar and statesman who is admired by believers and non-believers alike for the integrity with which he followed his conscience.”, Using the opportunity to focus on one of his favourite themes, the place of religious belief within the political process, the Pope noted the strong traditions of democracy, respect for the rule of law and equality of all citizens upon which the British political system is based. “,Catholic social teaching”,, he continued, “,has much in common with this approach, in its overriding concern to safeguard the unique dignity of every human person, created in the image and likeness of God, and in its emphasis on the duty of civil authority to foster the common good.”, Pope Benedict pointed out that the key questions at the heart of Thomas More’,s trial continue to pose themselves in contemporary society. He stressed that the role of religion in political debate is “,not to propose concrete political solutions, but rather to help purify and shed light upon the application of reason”, to the discovery of objective moral principles. “,The world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief,”, he said, “,need one another and should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilisation.”, While this speech, like others on his historic visit to Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Birmingham, was filled with words of praise for the pluralistic, tolerant and democratic traditions that define the British way of life, the Pope did not shy away from voicing his concerns about the increasing marginalisation of religion –, in particular the Christian faith –, by those who would like to see it confined to the purely private sphere. There are some, he said, “,who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none. And there are those who argue –, paradoxically with the intention of eliminating discrimination –, that Christians in public roles should be required at times to act against their conscience. These are worrying signs of a failure to appreciate not only the rights of believers to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, but also the legitimate role of religion in the public square.”, In concluding his remarks to Britain’,s leaders, the Pope had words of support for the government’,s growing cooperation with the Holy See, especially in the fields of democracy and development, drawing up an arms trade treaty, promoting debt relief, fair trade or greater environmental responsibility. Where human lives are concerned, he said, time is always in short supply: “,yet the world has witnessed the vast resources that governments can draw upon to rescue financial institutions deemed “,too big to fail”,. Surely the integral human development of the world’,s peoples is no less important: here is an enterprise, worthy of the world’,s attention that is truly “,too big to fail”,. WESTMINSTER HALL by Phillipa Hitchen And then the sun broke through! Breda Theakston Pictures Patrick Sice L ike all pilgrimages going to Cofton Park involved some pain. Lack of sleep was the price I paid despite being in a quiet coach speeding through the dark night south to Birmingham. We arrived in the dark to the vast floodlit and still empty coach and car park and trekked quietly but purposefully past sleeping semis and dark gardens in the quiet streets of Longbridge and following a high fence on our right. Our bags were checked under the spotlights at the entrance barriers. Everyone including the police on standby was in a good but expectant and preternaturally solemn mood. This lifted for me on going over the high ground in Cofton Park to see the bright white, blue and lilac lights of the altar shining into the darkness and seeming to project a large simple crucifix angled high above everything, like Dali’,s ‘,Christ of St John of the Cross’,. We chatted, drank tea and then slumped into silence trying to keep the cold at bay and conserve our failing energy. As the light of a new day rose behind the altar at Cofton Park it began slowly but surely to dispel the dark grey, then light grey then the fluffy white clouds, until a glorious sunshine burst upon just as Pope Benedict entered the large green compound in his distinctive white ‘,Popemobile’, to great cheers. All rejoiced to welcome the Pope to Birmingham: from the thousands on the grassy slopes to the hundreds in the seated areas: papal knights, dames, young people, old people, middle aged people, children, priests, sisters, nuns, families, musicians, diocesan workers, an Anglican bishop, parishioners, bishops’, conference staff, people from all over the country, people from abroad, all, and Chris Patten, chief government papal visit coordinator, sharing, in the same blessed, historic time and place with each other and with Pope Benedict XVI for the next two hours. This was a lovely experience of being part of the living body of Christ. Miraculously, most of that negative publicity dissolved, as easily as the clouds had dissolved at the morning’,s sun, as soon as the Pope landed in Britain. Photo courtesy of Osiowywww.thepapalvisit.org.uk Photo courtesy of Charlotte Bromley Davenport Photo courtesy of Osiowywww.thepapalvisit.org.uk

Read in full

Page 28

O scott college, the redbrick Birmingham archdiocesan seminary, has a fascinating history which reflects the trials and challenges of the Catholic Church in England since the Reformation. Built at the very end of the 18th century, it was here in the chapel that the newly re-established hierarchy first met in 1852 and where the newly Blessed John Henry Newman spoke so inspiringly from the pulpit about the ‘,Second Spring’, of the Church. It was a fitting location for Pope Benedict to end his visit to the United Kingdom and speak to bishops from across England, Wales and Scotland about the challenges facing their communities today. Firstly, he reiterated the theme which dominated the four day visit - that of “,proclaiming the Gospel afresh”, in a such a highly secularised environment. Secondly he stressed the need for Christians to maintain their prophetic voice on behalf of the poorest and most disadvantaged, especially in this time of financial crisis where “,the spectre of unemployment is casting its shadow”, over so many peoples’, lives. Noting “,the characteristic generosity of British Catholics”,, the Pope also praised the bishops’, recent document ‘,Choosing the Common Good’, about the need to promote a renewed vision of moral values in the public life of the country. Returning to the crisis of trust in the Church provoked by “,the shameful abuse of children and young people by priests and religious”,, Pope Benedict noted the important steps taken by the bishops, including a proper acknowledgment of such crimes and the inadequate response over past years. He also praised efforts that have been undertaken to provide victims support and to guarantee child protection in Britain, urging Church leaders to “,share the lessons you have learned with the wider community”,. Finally, in his words to the bishops seated around him in the chapel, the Pope appealed for closer ecumenical cooperation and thanked all those who have worked hard on the new translation of the Roman Missal which is to be published shortly, describing it as “, an immense service to Catholics throughout the English- speaking world”,. After focusing on some of the many challenges to which the bishops will return, once the euphoria from this visit has died down, Pope Benedict still found a moment to relax and greet the seminarians gathered in the college grounds. Smiling broadly as he shook hands and posed for photos on the steps with them, the Pope was most likely hoping this new generation of priests will take to heart his message drawn from Cardinal Newman’,s teaching: “,if we are to be effective Christian leaders, we must live lives of the utmost integrity, humility and holiness”,. POPE AT OSCOTT by Phillippa Hitchen Pope Farwell V atican City, (VIS) - At 6.15 p.m. Sunday September 19th Pope Benedict XVI arrived at Birmingham airport where the departure ceremony took place at the end of his apostolic trip to the UK. Following some words from David Cameron, prime minister of the United Kingdom, the Holy Father arose to address some remarks to those present. ",Thank you for the warmth of your welcome and for the hospitality that I have enjoyed",, said the Pope, who also expressed his gratitude ",for all the hard work of preparation, on the part of both the present and the previous government, the civil service, local authorities and police, and the many volunteers",. ",During my time with you",, he went on, ",I have been able to meet representatives of the many communities, cultures, languages and religions that make up British society. The very diversity of modern Britain is a challenge to its government and people, but it also represents a great opportunity to further inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue for the enrichment of the entire community",. The Pope mentioned his meetings with Queen Elizabeth II and with political leaders, and his address to both Houses of Parliament, expressing the hope ",that these occasions will contribute to confirming and strengthening the excellent relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom, especially in co-operation for international development, in care for the natural environment, and in the building of a civil society with a renewed sense of shared values and common purpose",. On the subject of the joint celebrations with the Archbishop of Canterbury and bishops of the Church of England in Westminster Abbey - ",a place which speaks so eloquently of our shared traditions and culture", - the Holy Father said: ",As Britain is home to so many religious traditions, I was grateful to have the opportunity to meet their representatives and to share some thoughts with them about the contribution that the religions can offer to the development of a healthy pluralistic society. ",Naturally",, he added in conclusion, ",my visit was directed in a special way to the Catholics of the United Kingdom. I treasure the time spent with the bishops, clergy, religious and laity, and with teachers, pupils and older people. It was especially moving to celebrate with them, here in Birmingham, the beatification of a great son of England, Cardinal John Henry Newman. With his vast legacy of scholarly and spiritual writings, I am certain that he still has much to teach us about Christian living and witness amid the challenges of today`s world, challenges which he foresaw with such remarkable clarity",. At 6.45 p.m. the Pope boarded his flight to Rome. The plane landed at 10 p.m. local time in Rome`s Ciampino airport whence he travelled by car to the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo Photo courtesy of Mazur_www.thepapalvisit.org.uk

Read in full

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