Catholic News 20p 20p WHERE SOLD WHERE SOLD ISSUE 292 ISSUE 292 September September 2021 2021 MORE THAN 22 YEARS OF BRINGING THE NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE TOGETHER MORE THAN 22 YEARS OF BRINGING THE NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE TOGETHER Published by Published by Bellcourt Ltd, N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN Bellcourt Ltd, N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN Telephone: 01440 730399 Telephone: 01440 730399 Editor John Clawson. Tel: E-mail johnclwson@icloud.com or david@bellcourtltd.co.uk Editor John Clawson. Tel: E-mail johnclwson@icloud.com or david@bellcourtltd.co.uk Let us dream. By Canon Jonathan Cotton Page 3 Vital part of our cultural story being casually thrown away - Huw Edwards Page 6 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, When we look back upon the last 18 months, and consider the magnitude of what has occurred across the diocese, the country and the world, it evokes within each of us many thoughts and emotions. For me, while I am deeply saddened by the suffering, loneliness, and loss of loved ones, which so many of you have endured, I am also greatly heartened by the response of love and generosity, which so many of you have shown. I want to say now how grateful I am to all of you who continued to serve your parishes and wider communities with selflessness and creativity, despite exceptionally difficult circumstances. Thank you to all who offered your technical expertise to ensure many could access online services. Thank you to those who gave of your time stewarding and cleaning our churches, and thank you to those who, throughout the pandemic, helped your parish, school, and wider community, in countless other ways. That memorable passage from Ecclesiastes (3:1-8) comes very much to my mind, ‘,For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.’, We have indeed lived through ‘,a time to mourn’,, ‘,a time to weep’, and even a time to ‘,refrain from embracing.’, But now a new season, filled with hope, is upon us. Now is the ‘,time to heal’,, and now is the time ‘,to build upon’, the spiritual foundations of the Diocese: that each of us is personally invited to encounter Christ’,s love and mercy, to walk in his footsteps as his disciples and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to share with others the difference that knowing Christ makes to our lives (Encounter, discipleship and Missionary Discipleship). But we cannot do this without the sacramental life of the Church. It is, after all, the reception of the sacraments that gives us the grace we need to live the kind of life to which God is calling us. Prior to the pandemic it was easy to take for granted our access to the sacraments, but these past 18 months we have experienced restrictions in the way we have been able to celebrate Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders, Sacrament of the Sick and, of course, the Eucharist. But we can now fully participate in the sacramental life of the Church, and I would encourage us all to do so with renewed appreciation of, and gratitude for, these God-given gifts, and especially the Eucharist which is integral to our Catholic faith. As the Bishops of England and Wales recently said: “,we can do no better than to rekindle in our hearts, foster and encourage a yearning for the Real Presence of the Lord and the practice of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.”, St John Vianney, champion of the poor and patron saint of parish priests, tells a story: “,When I first came to Ars, there was a man who never passed the church without going in. On his way to work, and in the evening on his way home, he left his spade and pickaxe in the porch, and he spent a long time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. I asked him once what he said to Our Lord during the long visits he made Him. Do you know what he told me? ‘,Eh, Monsieur le Cure ´,, I say nothing to Him. I look at Him and He looks at me!”, The simplicity of this accounts reminds us that, in the presence of the Eucharist, it is enough to gaze at the Lord and allow him to gaze upon us and to feel his love overwhelm us. Now is the time to come back to adore Him, now is the time to receive Him in Mass, and now, once again, is the time to allow our encounter with Christ in the Eucharist to shape the way we live our daily lives as his missionary disciples. It is, after all, because we see in others the face of Christ, whom we encounter in the Eucharist, that we reach out to them with love, compassion and respect. The Eucharist is at the very heart of all our missionary work, so let us treasure it! With prayer and good wishes, +Patrick Bishop Patrick McKinney Message from Bishop Patrick Janet Myers has produced lovely fabric rosary and pix purses by up-cycling redundant vestments. Page 3 P L E A S E D O NOT L E A V E T H I S I N T H E C H U R C H once you have picked up the paper please take it with you

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Editor: John Clawson Editorial Office: Bellcourt Ltd, N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN Telephone: 01440 730399 email: johnclwson@icloud.com or david@bellcourtltd.co.uk Website: www.bellcourtltd.co.uk Distribution enquiries: Nick Layton e-mail nick@cathcom.org, Bellcourt Limited, Publication date: Fourth Sunday of the month for the following month. Opinions ex - pressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Diocese. P ublishers and Owners : Bellcourt Ltd, N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN Advertising: tel: 0207 112 6710 Parental permission should be sought before submitting photographs of minors. Views expressed in The Catholic News are not necessarily those of the editor MORE THAN 21 YEARS OF MORE THAN 21 YEARS OF BRINGING THE BRINGING THE NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE TOGETHER TOGETHER The The Catholic News Catholic News The monthly paper for the The monthly paper for the Diocese of Nottingham Diocese of Nottingham Wanted - Parish Correspondents The Catholic News is looking for a Parish Correspondent in your parish to send in local news for publication in this newspaper. All items to be emailed to johnclwson@icloud.com before 10th of the month FRANKLY SPEAKING FRANKLY SPEAKING Page 2 The Catholic News. September 2021 The birth of the Virgin Mary is celebrated universally on 8th September In the case of saints, the Church commemorates their date of death, with Saint John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary being the two whose birth dates are commemorated. The reason for this is found in the singular mission each had in salvation history, but traditionally also because these alone were holy in their very birth. The Diocese of Nottingham joins the National Schools Singing Programme The Music Department are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the first year of seed funding for the creation of two hubs of excellence here in the Diocese of Nottingham around its Multi-Academy Trusts in Derby and Nottinghamshire. Bishop Patrick McKinney commented that he was ",delighted that our Diocese is joining the National Schools Singing Programme and grateful to the Hamish Ogston Foundation for supporting the Church in this important area of evangelisation.", Diocesan Chief Operating Officer David Lawes said ",Under the leadership of our Director of Music Gregory Treloar we will be working with children in our schools to develop musical excellence and create choirs. This financially sustainable programme allows the transmission of musical opportunities over many years to large numbers of boys and girls in our two biggest population centres.", Here in Nottingham we will be looking forward to establishing our two new choirs for boys aged 7-13 and Girls and 7-13 in September to work alongside the Youth Choir for children aged 13-18. All these choirs are free and un-auditioned. If your child is interested in joining the Youth Choir, please do get in touch. For more information about the National Schools Singing Programme visit: National Schools Singing Programme | Catholic Grant Funding (nssp.org.uk) St Mary’,s Academy Derby says farewell to Year 6 Despite a deeply traumatic year for pupils and staff of St Mary’,s Catholic Voluntary Academy, Derby, which included not only deal - ing with the Covid pandemic but also the destruction of the school building by arsonists in October 2020, which resulted in the children being educated in halls, a theatre and a church, the SPIRIT of St Mary’,s prevailed. The children showed inspiring resilience and made the best of a challenging situation. At Easter 2021, the school were finally all able to come together in a temporary building near St Mary’,s Church - a sense of coming home to their roots. It was with a great sense of pride that the staff were able to award the usual end of year prizes to Year 6, with new trophies being cre - ated in place of the old ones that had perished in the fire. It was dif - ficult to choose the winners as all of Year 6 have truly been amazing and deserved recognition. The Chaplaincy Team were also given a rosary and thank you certificate for the work they did in keeping the faith strong during the year. We wish them all well as they begin their Secondary education.”, The Catholic community of the Nottingham Diocese will welcome this return as an opportunity to read and participate in the Diocesan newspaper. This diocese covers a large area of central England and, whilst the cities of Derby, Nottingham and Leicester are different in their own right, the diocese also includes amongst many other areas, the Peak District and the popular holiday resort of Skegness. There is one particular observation that has concerned me (amongst many others) during the last 18 months of the consequences of Covid-19. I do wonder what will be the effect of recent times on our young children. As the new academic year commences the children of today, particularly those at primary school, will be influenced by all sorts of information and possibly distracted in addition to the school curriculum. My own primary schooling lasted a rather miserable 10 years and there was never the slightest opportunity of academic achievement. Despite this I was influenced greatly by particular events of the 1950’,s even if my teachers were not. My father worked in the local coal mines in industrial Lancashire. A staunch Labour Party member the only daily newspaper in the house was the Daily Herald which sadly folded 57 years ago this month. From that source and the radio news I learned of the Suez Invasion and of the Soviet inspired intervention in Budapest - both in 1956. In Britain the debate on Capital punishment raged resulting in its abolition after the last executions in 1964. These major news items clearly influenced me to spend 28 years active in politics and 14 years in Amnesty International. Today’,s young children are going to observe the dramatic change that computers have brought about in the 21st century. Many will know about Sky Brown’,s recent Olympic Medal at the age of 13 and, as we approach the Glasgow world conference on climate change, will be aware of another teenager - Greta Thunberg. It is also most likely that they will be more familiar with predictions of extreme weather in our country during their life. One final note on education, it is estimated that by 2025 one million students will apply to go to university, an increase of around 40% on the current figure. The pressure on our children to “,succeed”, has perhaps never been greater. The importance of our primary schools and their influence to so many young lives cannot be over emphasised. This cannot be left to just our teachers and priests. We need all the communications we can obtain from our parishes. When problems or challenges occur we seem to know all about them quickly. Surely for our children’,s future it is time we speak out for all the achievements and academic opportunity that can be obtained by Catholic education. As our country faces a difficult Autumn let us pray and hope that all our children will get all the encouragement they need in our Diocese and beyond. Frank Goulding Holy Trinity Parish, Newark

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More than 200 pupils took part in a live performance at Derby Theatre as part of a project to unite 25 schools across the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust. The Covid secure Stronger Together event saw pupils arrive at the theatre on a carousel basis, performing in their school bubbles and taking part in workshops with professional artists. Continued on page 6 The Catholic News. September 2021 Page 3 Carmelite Monastery Cader Road, Dolgellau, Gwynedd LL40 1SH, North Wales, UK. Following in the footsteps of St Teresa of Jesus under the Guidance of St Joseph Google Calendar ICS A zoom weekend on 8-10 October, 2021 for single Catholic women discerning a call to the contemplative religious life, led by Carmelite Sisters from Dolgellau. Book through the website https://www.carmel-dolgellau.uk/contact St Stanislaus Vestment Here at the Good Shepherd Parish, Arnold one of our parishioners has been hard at work converting an oversized vestment into a more user friendly item for our parish priest. Up cycling this item involved reduc - ing it’,s size, sourcing beautiful appliqué,s and braiding, suturing it all in place resulting in an unique Saint Stanislaus chasuble. Her talent didn’,t stop there.. Janet Myers has produced some lovely fabric rosary and pix purses, unique small bags as well as fabric face masks which have all sold well boosting the parish coffers during this difficult time. Keep up the good work, a very grateful thank you. Submitted on behalf of the Good Shepherd Church. Pupils unite for Derby Theatre performance as part of Trust-wide Stronger Together project LET US DREAM The post pandemic disciple The Chapter Corner The Provost ‘,This is what I will do in the last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit on every - one. Your sons and daughters will pro - claim my message, your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams.’, Acts 2:17, quoting Joel 2:28. Just as I was preparing this reflection on a post-pandemic Church for last December’,s issue - an issue which didn’,t happen - help - fully Pope Francis published his book “,Let us Dream –, the path to a better future”,, written in collaboration with Austen Ivere - igh. This has prompted me to recast my original reflection, and in the light of my now “,change in ministry”, [my way of ex - plaining my retirement] I will share with you some of my dreams, in the hope that younger people than me will see visions and boldly proclaim Jesus and his Good - news in concrete actions, preparing the path for the coming Kingdom. This is my last reflection as Provost. My first dream is that you will read and re - flect on Pope Francis’, book. The book is in three main parts following an updated ver - sion of the see, judge and act process pro - moted by the Young Christian Workers movement [YCW] founded a hundred years ago by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn. It was a way of applying Catholic Social Teaching to concrete situations that cry out for justice and solidarity. Pope Francis de - velops this three-fold approach for us today as we move into a post pandemic world to: contemplate, discern, propose, or as the book puts it: to see, to choose, to act. I dream of Pope Francis’, preferred way for the Church to come together to reflect and discern the way forward. It is through the ancient Church process called Synod, which Dioceses and parishes can adopt as well as the world-wide Church. With the help of Church Teaching and Tradition, and with an openness to the sometimes surprising direction of the Holy Spirit, the Synod gathering can ask: What have we discovered builds us up, humanises us? For example, the heroic self-sacrifice of our front-line workers. And conversely, what dehumanises us and destroys us? For example, the divide between the haves &, the have-nots, between the rich &, the poor, between the privileged &, those on the mar - gins. This process can hold different, even con - flicting points of view, in a fruitful tension. It is a way in which all of God’,s People can work together at a way forward, seeking God’,s will together, acting for the common good. Lasting change does not come from above, imposed, for example, by the lou - dest voices, or the majority opinion, or by the clergy on the people. Change, says Pope Francis, comes from the margins where Jesus Christ lives. Therefore, those on the margins are included &, have their say in the Synod gatherings. Without rush - ing out of Lockdown, all of God’,s People discern together the way forward. Finally, I dream that you will meet regu - larly with a few friends or your family group in a sort of mini-synod. It is time for us to come together in small gatherings to take responsibility as church family for the human family. Jesus is waiting to meet with you: “,For where two or three come to - gether in my name, I am there with them.”, You don’,t need anybody’,s permission to meet like this. Learning from your Lock - down experience, in what new and creative ways can you be a good neighbour to all, with acts of kindness &, mercy, especially to those on the margins? How can you build on our new awareness of our dependency and inter-dependency as a human family? Pope Francis calls us to discover new ways to build fraternity &, solidarity, bonds of trust &, belonging for the whole human family. How? Go and awaken the best in yourself! Provost Jonathan Cotton jonathan.cot - ton@dioceseofnottingham.uk.

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Page 4 The Catholic News. September 2021 THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAY’,S DEVOTION THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Are you fed up with turning on or reading the news to see and hear nothing but crime, violence, natural disasters,war and pandemic? I think everyone feels saddened and even at times overwhelmed with bad news from within our own country and across the world and even within the Catholic Church. Our Lady appeared to Servant of God Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto in Fatima in 1917 giving the remedy for peace in the world: You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. …, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace…, . Our Lady appeared to Sr. Lucia on 10th December 1925 and said: See, my daughter, my Heart encircled by thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Do you, at least, strive to console me. Tell them that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation all those who, in order to make reparation to me, on the First Saturday of five successive months, go to Confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for a quarter of an hour, meditating on the …,. mysteries of the Rosary. In exchange for the consecration of Russia and for the practice of the Five First Saturday’,s Devotion, Our Lady promises that her Immaculate Heart would triumph and an era of peace would be given to the world. She didn’,t ask for much did she? But how many of us have made the First Saturdays? Why have so many Catholics never even heard of the Five First Saturday’,s Devotion? Or some of us may have heard of them but don’,t fully know what is required of us. Our Blessed Mother gave us the remedy for the state of the world today but this remedy is being ignored or neglected. Our Lady appeared to Catholics at Fatima! She made specific requests! We have a responsibility! If we had listened to what she asked and responded to her requests there would be peace in the world! She asked for us to pray the Rosary every day for peace in the world, for the consecration of Russia and that each of us make an individual consecration to her Immaculate Heart, to carry out our daily duties out of love and dedicate everything to God, to make reparation for sins against her Immaculate Heart by means of the Five First Saturday’,s Devotion. Why are there five First Saturday’,s? Jesus explained to Sr. Lucia in May 1930 that there are five offences and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary: 1. blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception 2. against her Virginity 3. against the Divine Maternity and refusal to accept her as the Mother of mankind 4. those who seek publicly to implant in the hearts of children, indifference, disrespect and even hate for this Immaculate Mother 5. those who revile her directly in her sacred images At the Church of the Good Shepherd, we have started to have a First Saturday’,s Devotion as part of our community life. After the Saturday morning Holy Mass, we have a Eucharistic Holy Hour of Adoration in which we recite the Fatima prayers, pray five decades of the Rosary, meditate privately for 15 minutes on the Rosary mysteries, make a consecration to her Immaculate Heart, all with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Sacrament of Confession is also offered during the Holy Hour. We place a notice in the parish newsletter a week before the date to remind people. So making this devotion is straight forward. On the first Saturday of five successive months: Go to confession Receive Holy Communion Say five decades of the Rosary Keep Our Lady company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary…,. All with the intention of making reparation to her Immaculate Heart…,.. and then we can continue to make the Five First Saturdays more than once. “,Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently, especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in Heaven”,. (Sr Lucia, 19 March 1939) If you live nearby, you are welcome to join us (we are also on livestream) or why not set something up in your own parish! “,Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them”, (Child Jesus to Sr Lucia) Submitted on behalf of Caroline Smith, parish representative. Woodthorpe Jumble Sale Safari Prompted by the parish secretary, Carmel Ryan we booked our place on the local Woodthorpe Safari Jumble Sale walkabout. The Good Shepherd parish centre in Arnold, was now on the map for potential visitors with stalls at the ready from 10.30am. Throughout the day there was a fair attendance of people browsing and purchasing eventually raising a sum of £,219-50. People were keen to linger, enjoyed a hot drink before moving onto their next stop, This was the first time we had participated in this event and we are definitely keen to do so again next year. A big thank you to the organisers, “,Mind”, charity. Submitted on behalf of the Good Shepherd Church.

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Earlier this year a supermarket ran a campaign called “,Seeds of Hope”, and gave away packets of sunflower seeds to customers. A visit to that supermarket, by a parishioner, started a journey which, thanks to the agreement of Canon Hunton and Canon Jarosz, culminated in an initiative called “,Grow and support your Parish”,. With parishes gradually reopening after the initial shock of the pandemic, the need to renew our personal faith and to grow in holiness, together with the need to rebuild the parish community and the opportunity for parish renewal was evident. Prayer is the foundation for all such activities and was the basis for the initiative. Sunflower seeds were planted and parishioners were encouraged to ‘,plant a prayer’, and assign to the four sunflower plants one or more prayer intentions, to be prayed for from Pentecost Sunday to the Feast of the Assumption, for presenting as a prayer bouquet to Our Lady, who like a sunflower, always directs us to the Light. Prayer intention cards were distributed at the start, then housebound parishioners were especially invited to pray for all taking part, children were encouraged to join in (resulting in a lovely prayer board created by the first Holy Communion children) and all parishioners with craft skills invited to create sunflowers for a Marian display. Alms giving is another form of prayer and the opportunity was given to parishioners to raise funds for the parish and the charity Samaritans. The sunflowers also afforded the opportunity to offer prayer inspiration to support parishioners of the other two nearby Catholic Churches. The challenges to our faith and parishes remain. Seeds of prayer have been sown and what fruit they will bear, both individually and collectively, will become clear in due time, though we can be sure that ‘,nothing done for the Lord is ever wasted’, (1 Corinthians 15:58). For photographs of the sunflowers and inspiration for prayer, and/or to make a donation to the Samaritans please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ho pe-in-hard-times Jo, SSPP Church, Lincoln The Catholic News. September 2021 Page 5 Grow and support your Parish Diocese of Nottingham LGBT+ pastoral ministry It was a great delight to welcome about 30 people to mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Bulwell on 17th July organised by the diocesan LGBT+ pastoral ministry team. Our first diocesan mass in 2017 was celebrated by Bishop Patrick in the cathedral and that mass set the standard of being a dignified, joyful and prayerful occasion, so too this latest mass followed this celebratory pattern of experiencing our Lord’,s presence in the blessed sacrament. A powerful homily from long-time member of ACTA, Biblical scholar and author, Rev Dr Joseph O`Hanlon inspired the diverse congregation of people whose ages ranged from early 20s to 70s. The text of the homily was based on the story of Joseph from Genesis, the one cast out who became the righteous one, the exiled one who became host to the world, the story of the leper in Mark`s Gospel who doesn`t ask to be ",cured", but ",cleansed",, and Roman’,s ",I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.", Refreshments were served after the mass which allowed for people to catch up and meet new friends –, a great delight following 16 months of Covid-19 restrictions. All the masses since 2017 supporting LGBT+ families and friends have been possible because of the vision of Bishop Patrick that ‘,the Gospel joy which enlivens the community of disciples is a missionary joy’, (EG21). and his commitment to Pope Francis’, statement that ‘,The joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be excluded’, (EG23). The bishop’,s vision has also enabled the setting up a specialist pastoral network within the diocese to give advice or offer support to priests, families or individuals who might need help. The team consists of a priest or skilled lay person in all the cities of the diocese. These people have experience in accompanying LGBT+ Catholics, their families, and friends. The bishop’,s coordinator of the team is happy to put you in touch with someone from the team either by phone or through the internet. To get in touch please email in confidence: lgbt.pastoral@dioceseofnottingham.uk We look forward to our next diocesan mass celebrated by Bishop Patrick at 1pm on Saturday 23rd October at Corpus Christi Cleethorpes DN35 7AF - this will not only be a spiritual event but a wonderful opportunity to spend time on the beautiful coast of Lincolnshire. The John Bradburne Memorial Society PO Box 32, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0YB, United Kingdom 01568760632 | info@johnbradburne.com | www.johnbradburne.com

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Huw Edwards has called for action to safeguard the UK`s church and chapel organs. Writing in the National Churches Trust`s 2020- 2021 Annual Review, published last month broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, Vice- President of the Trust, said: ",The installation of high-quality organs in villages, towns and cities throughout Britain is truly one of Britain`s cultural glories. For some years, this rich heritage has been casually thrown away as places of worship close and the contents are stripped for cash. That process has now gathered momentum as the rate of closure of chapels and churches has soared.", ",This is a vitally important part of our cultural story. These church and chapel organs are a direct link with previous generations - our ancestors - whose cultural values and priorities are reflected in the buildings they funded.", ",A strategy - probably on a devolved basis given the cultural responsibilities - would at least safeguard the organs in a state of decay right now, making some of them available for future generations to enjoy. A pipe dream? Maybe. But the time to act is now, before we lose so much more.", Page 6 The Catholic News. September 2021 CAFOD Harvest Family Fast Day Friday 1 October This Fast Day we are focusing on the climate crisis, which is here and now for so many communities we support. People in the lowest-income countries have done the least to cause climate change but are being hit hardest. In the Amazon rain - forest, our local experts are working with communities like Ivanilde’,s (pictured with her family) to replant and restore damaged forest –, their home. To prepare for this we are offering two online sessions: Faith in Action Day Saturday 11 September, 11am Join us online for a day of inspiration and action. Learn about the COP26 climate talks, how environmental defenders are fighting for the Amazon, and how these issues are linked to our Climate Crisis Appeal. Wednesday 15 September 7pm to 8pm We would particularly like to reach out to young families in our Diocese. Could you get involved by talking about the climate crisis in your church, creating a dis - play for the noticeboard or recording a video for the parish Facebook page? This online workshop in September is to help families prepare. To take part please email nottingham@cafod.org.uk for more information 10th Anniversary of the Syrian conflict How your donations have helped the Syrian people “,Thanks to your donations, CAFOD has been helping people in Syria since the cri - sis began 10 years ago. Over 12 million people have left their homes, 5.6 million are refugees in neighbouring countries and within Syria, 13 million people need help. At the beginning, our focus was on delivering food and blankets through our local church partners. Then we started providing education, health and legal ser - vices and helping people earn a living. Our latest projects are supporting children, lonely elderly people, helping women learn to read, and helping people restart their small businesses. We’,ve always planned for the long term, standing along - side people who lost everything. None of this work would have been possible without your support of CAFOD.”, Please remember to keep the people of Syria and all those affected by conflict in your prayers. News From..... Huw Edwards calls for action to safeguard UK`s Church and Chapel organs Organ in Holy Trinity Church, Clapham Continued from page 3 Footage from each performance will be part of a film which will be shared across the Trust to celebrate the culmination of the Stronger Together project. In the lead up to the event, pupils and staff across the Trust worked together online and considered what it means to be stronger together. Students created artwork and participated in online meetings with their peers in other Trust schools and discussed ideas for a song that could be created for the Trust. Staff in schools worked with music production company Baby People to create an original song based on the children’,s ideas. This has been made available to download to raise money for a fund created by the Trust to support families in need. The download is available here: https://srsstrongertogether.bandcamp.com/track /isaiah-flow-hallelujah Professional artists also ran dance, music and drama workshops in all 25 schools and pupils took part in Stronger Together days in their own school. The project was led by Anna West, Trust Performing Arts Lead, with support from Alix Manning Jones, Derbyshire Cultural Education Partnership producer, Caroline Barth from Derby Theatre and Allie Spencer from Buxton Opera House Platform 3. She said: “,The day at Derby Theatre was wonderful. It was joyous to see the excitement on the children`s faces walking into the theatre and then to see them performing on stage with other children within the Trust was just magical. “,It has been a huge year with so many challenges, but I`ve always believed that the arts can overcome anything and we showed that yesterday. The teamwork that went on from teachers, artists and the theatre staff embodied the whole project and the notion that when we come together and work together we are #StrongerTogether! I think each child grew about an inch taller as they left the theatre.”, Sean McClafferty, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin CMAT, said: “,This last year has been more challenging than ever for all our schools, however having an event like this encouraged collaboration, teamwork and a sense of community. To see our young people performing on stage at Derby Theatre was very special and we hope to build on the success of this event next year by doing something even more ambitious.”, Patricia Chapman, Headteacher at St Mary’,s Catholic Voluntary Academy in New Mills, said her pupils had thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with other schools. She said: “,It truly identified and consolidated the trust as one entity. As a school, we felt connected linking to the one body in Christ underpinning Catholicity at the centre of our mission. We all feel we belong as one, with a common goal and vision to share. It felt very poignant and relevant to current times, which were reflected in the pieces that all the pupils were involved in.”, Graham Lobb, Headteacher at St Thomas’, Catholic Voluntary Academy in Ilkeston, said the children involved felt a great sense of achievement and community. He said: “,The Stronger Together project has been a great opportunity for children and staff to think about the wider school community and our place within the Trust. “,The Year 6 children worked on a drama project where they thought about examples of how people have been stronger together during the pandemic and felt a great sense of achievement and community when they went to Derby Theatre to perform it alongside two other primary schools. “,They had an amazing time learning how to work in a bigger team and really demonstrated the ethos of the project completely. We are looking forward to watching the final, full production together soon. “,We certainly feel that the children in the school feel part of something bigger than just our school as a result of the project!”,

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The Indwelling Trinity St Elizabeth of the Trinity’,s great gift to the Church is her profound awareness of the Trinity dwelling within her soul: ‘,It is there, right in the depths, in the Heaven of my soul, that I love to find Him since He never leaves me. ‘,God in me, I in Him’,, oh! That is my life!’, (L62). St Elizabeth loved this teaching of Jesus from the Gospel of St John: ‘,Those who love me will... win my Father’,s love and we will come and make our home in them’, (Jn 14.23). ‘,To every soul in the state of grace may be repeated in all truth the words which made such an impression of St Elizabeth of the Trinity, ‘,The Father is in you, the Son is in you, the Holy Spirit is in you’, (Fr Gabriel of St Mary Magdalene, Divine Intimacy). ‘,He is always there, although you don’,t feel it, He is waiting for you and wants to estab - lish a ‘,wonderful communion’, with you’, (L249). ‘,Love.... Dwells within us, and my only exer - cise is to enter within once again, to lose my - self in Those who are there!’, (L 179). ‘,In that little inner sanctuary [of my soul], ... I find Him at every hour of the day and night. I’,m never alone: my Christ is always there praying in me, and I pray with Him’, (L123). The Virgin Mary –, Our model Elizabeth allowed Our Lady to be the model and guide of her interior life. She writes: ‘,In what peace, in what recollection Mary lent herself to everything she did! How even the most trivial things were divinized by her! For through it all the Virgin remained the adorer of the gift of God! This did not pre - vent her from spending herself outwardly when it was a matter of charity’, (HF 40) Elizabeth’,s Way of Prayer Once, while still a teenager, Elizabeth was asked by a family friend what she said to God during the long hours of prayer. ‘,Oh Madame, we love each other’,. Elizabeth’,s beautiful ‘,Prayer to the Trinity’, invites us into her experience of prayer, one that encompasses gazing, listening, being loved, companionship: an experience of the Three Divine persons dwelling within her soul: ‘,O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to become entirely forgetful of self, that I may establish myself in You... May nothing dis - turb my peace nor draw me from You, O my immutable Lord! But may I penetrate more deeply every moment into the depths of Your mystery. Give peace to my soul, make it Your heaven, Your cherished dwelling place, Your home of rest. Let me never leave You alone, but keep me ever there, all absorbed in You, in living faith, adoring You and wholly yielded up to Your creative action. O Eternal Word... I want to spend my life in listening to You... that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. O my be - loved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance. Give peace to my soul, make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone’,. Friendship with Jesus A recurring theme that we find in St Eliza - beth is that of prayer as conversation with a friend who loves us: ‘,I pour out my heart [to Him], I catch myself saying all sorts of foolish things ... but He likes me to be uninhibited and to speak to Him heart to heart’, (D 135). ‘,We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our heart go’, (L 123). ‘,[Find God] right in the depths, in the Heaven of [the] soul’, (L62). ‘,You must build a little cell within your soul as I do. Re - member that God is there and enter it from time to time’, (L123). ‘,He wants to be the Friend you can always find. He is standing at the door of your heart.... He is waiting... Open to Him’, (L 174). ‘,If you’,d prefer to think that God is close to you rather than within you, follow your at - traction, as long as you live with Him’, (L273). Distractions and Dryness Let us not think Elizabeth was a stranger to distractions in prayer: ‘,How hard and difficult prayer ordinarily seems. You have to work hard to gather all your powers together –, how much it costs and how difficult it seems!’, (D 14). However a prayer made in aridity, without ‘,pay’, (so to speak), may be of more value in the Lord’,s eyes than one in which we are filled with consolations: ‘,in the hours when you feel only oppression and lassitude, you will please Him even more if you faithfully believe that He is still working, that He is loving you just the same, and even more ... and you will let yourself be loved’, (LL6). Pray as you work Much of Elizabeth’,s teaching on prayer comes to us from her letters to her sister, Guite, who was living in the world –, a wife and mother. What she says can be practiced by anyone in any walk of life, not simply by those living in the monastery. ‘,I would advise you to simplify all your read - ing, to fill yourself a little less, you will see that this is much better. Take your Crucifix, look, listen... . Don’,t be troubled when you are occupied like you are now and can’,t do all your exercises: you can pray to God while working, it’,s enough to think of Him’, (L 93). ‘,We find God at the wash, just as at prayer’, (L 89). Let yourself be loved Essential to our life of discipleship is the growing realisation that the Lord loves us so deeply, and so personally. Elizabeth wrote to her Prioress, Mother Germaine: ‘,You are uncommonly loved... [Jesus] does not say to you as to Peter: ‘,Do you love me more than these’, Rather his invitation is: Let yourself be loved’, (LL2). ‘,It is so good to give when one loves, and I love Him so much, this God who is jealous of having me all for Himself. I feel so much love over my soul, it is like an Ocean I im - merse and lose myself in: It is my vision on earth while waiting for the face-to-face vi - sion in light. He is in me, I am in Him. I have only to love Him, to let myself be loved, all the time, through all things: to wake in Love, to move in Love, to sleep in love, my soul in His Soul, my heart in His Heart, my eyes in His eyes, so that through His contact He may purify me, free from my misery’, (L 177). Our Call to be another Incarnation of Christ Elizabeth: ‘,Lord my heart rejoices when I consider that You have deigned to associate me to the great work of Redemption that in my You may undergo, as it were, an exten - sion of Your Passion. You have taken me, and You will that I be as another humanity in which You can still suffer for Your Father’,s glory and for the needs of Your Church. O Lord, You called the hour of Your Passion ‘,Your hour’,, the hour for which You had come, the hour You welcomed with all your desires. When a great or even a very small sacrifice presents itself to me, I want to think quickly that this is ‘,my hour’,, the hour in which I can give a proof of my love to You, who have loved me ‘,exceedingly’,’, (Prayer to the Trinity). ©, Dolgellau Carmel. The Dolgellau Sisters are running a zoom weekend for single Cath - olic women discerning a vocation to relig - ious life: ‘,Following in the footsteps of St Teresa of Jesus under the Guidance of St Joseph’, on 8-10 October. For more resources on prayer or to book please visit our new website: www.carmel-dolgellau-uk The Catholic News. September 20211 Page 7 St Elizabeth of the Trinity on prayer Brooksby Melton College has received a gift of three beautiful sets of foetal models for use at all three of their campuses: Brooksby, Melton and Coalville. The model sets, which are each worth £,80, were a free gift from the local branch of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), which has been a vibrant group in the Melton parish for more than 30 years. The photo shows Rutland and Melton Branch Chairman Frances Levett and branch member Jean Garrett presenting the models to Carol Barker of Brooksby Melton College. Carol said, ",I could hardly believe it when I received a phone call saying that these models were being offered free of charge, and we could have three, one for each campus! They will be used by all our students, a total of about 2,000, in tutorials, they will be available to Progress Coach Leads, and also Health and Social Care and Early Years students as part of their courses. The College is really very grateful to the SPUC group for such a high quality resource which will be immensely helpful and well used.", There are five models in each set, showing the unborn baby at different stages of development. Frances Levett said, ",We are delighted to be able to help our local college in this way. We have also donated sets to three local schools. Many colleges and schools do not know we have these marvellous accurate and detailed models available, and we would like more educational and other establishments to contact us if they would also like to receive a set to help them teach about the miracle of life. We are immensely grateful to parishioners and other supporters for their financial help which makes these donations possible.", The models are available, completely free of charge and with ",no strings attached", by emailing franceslevett|@gmail.com. ",It`s not often you get a genuine free offer,", said Frances, ",But this really is one! Story and picture by Francis Levett Free Resources from Melton Mowbray parish SPUC branch for Brooksby Melton College Jean Garrett, Frances Levett, Carol Barker

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The Leaven Carmelite Secular Institute Single and widowed women Seeking to dedicate their life to God Through vows in secular society Contact: The Secretary, The Leaven, c/o The Friars, Aylesford ME20 7BX Tel: 01582 766580 Email: theleavensi@gmail.com Website: www.theleaven.org.uk CALLING ALL The Catholic News. September 2021 Page 8 Irish Chaplaincy gifts to Nottinghamshire Irish Prisoners Along with the daily working behind the scenes on supporting Irish prisoners in Britain, the Irish Chaplaincy Irish Travellers Lead Ellena Costello found time to collate and deliver to Nottingham gifts to the Irish Prisoners in the city and county. Each package contains a short history of Ireland, a CD of motivation devised by `Penal Reform Solutions` , a book of Irish Reflections and poems edited by Father Gerry Mc Flynn, a colouring book and wordsearch. Unable to visit the prison the volunteers in Nottingham were pleased to deliver these boxes to Faz Mohammed (Managing Chaplin) on behalf of John Seeney (Roman Catholic Chaplin) Gerry Molumby Visiting Volunteer Nottingham Prison St Mary’,s Derby Restoration Project: The Jesse Tree Sanctuary Window St Mary’,s Church Derby are fortunate to be blessed with exceptional artwork, and the crowning glory is probably the stained glass in the main sanctuary windows. It shows the Jesse Tree –, an ancestral record of Jesus’, family tree that establishes he is a descendant of Jesse, King David’,s Father, and thereby fulfills Isaiah’,s prophecy about the coming Messiah: “,And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.", Isaiah 11:1 The window was installed in 1854-5 as part of Edward Pugin’,s alterations to his father, AWN Pugin’,s 1839 church. The window was made by Hardman’,s, the leading stained- glass manufacturer in the country at the time, and was designed by John Hardman Powell. Unfortunately, recent surveys revealed that the window was in a serious state of disrepair –, with areas considered critical and a danger of the glass falling out. Extensive restoration work has now begun, with the window being removed by Chapel Studios of Hertfordshire, experts in historic stained glass preservation. During the next year they will painstakingly re-lead and clean the windows. The stonework and tracery work will be renewed by local stonemason, Mark Eaton, and decorative work will be undertaken by Sue Lee from Eskdale Restoration, Lincoln. Understandably, the project will cost a considerable amount of money and the pandemic has not been the easiest time to raise funds. Parishioners have already generously contributed over £,6000, and the parish is grateful for any further contributions towards preserving what is regarded as one of best examples of a Jesse Tree Window in the country. Donations can be made via the parish website www.stmarysparish.co.uk Fran Hazel For all your advertising requirements please contact Charlotte on 01440 730399 charlotter@cathcom.org

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The Catholic News. September 2021 Page 9 What COP26 means and why the UN climate summit matters A guide from CAFOD to COP26 , the UN climate summit which is due to take place in Glasgow in November 2021. What does COP26 mean? COP26 is the annual UN climate conference. A ‘,COP’, means ‘,conference of parties’,. Governments and negotiators from across the world will travel to the meeting to discuss how to keep temperature rises below dangerous levels and prevent the climate crisis from causing even worse catastrophes for the world’,s poorest and most vulnerable people. The COP is a summit of all the countries which are part of the UN’,s climate change treaty, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change or ‘,UNFCCC’,. There are 197 members of this process and they are known as ‘,parties’, to the treaty. Countries pledged at the Paris climate talks to work to keep temperature rises below 1.5C. If the world warms more than this threshold, millions more people in the most vulnerable communities around the globe will suffer from devastating droughts, storms, floods and other impacts of climate change. Where and when is COP26 being held? The COP26 location is the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, Scotland. The conference has been rearranged to take place between 1-12 November 2021 following the coronavirus pandemic. The UK, as the host country, will hold the COP presidency. A number of events are scheduled to be held ahead of the COP, including in Italy, which is co-hosting the summit with the UK. The Glasgow COP climate talks will be the 26th of these conferences. Why is COP26 important? COP26 is critical because it is the first COP since the coronavirus pandemic began. Governments are now planning how to rebuild from the pandemic and it is vital that these plans are based around the need for a global green and just transition. Pope Francis has warned that it would be ",a scandal", if the money governments are spending to rebuild economies and save businesses ",were to focus on rescuing those industries that do not contribute to the inclusion of the excluded, the promotion of the least, the common good or the care of creation",. Governments are also obliged to set out more ambitious goals for ending their contribution to climate change under the Paris Agreement. A number of countries have begun to do so, including the UK. Countries agreed to do this at COP21, the climate conference which took place in 2015 in Paris. Governments` climate commitments are known as ‘,nationally- determined contributions’, or ‘,NDCs’, and are pledges made by countries themselves on the size of the cuts in emissions they will make themselves. Around 30,000 people were estimated to have taken part in COP25 in Madrid More than 500,000 people took part in a march through Madrid during the COP25 climate talks T R A V E L I N S U R A N C E Arranged for readers of the Catholic News for trips departing up to 30th April 2023 T O P Q U A L I T Y S I N G L E T R I P A N D A N N U A L T R A V E L I N S U R A N C E With no maximum age limit and most pre-existing medical conditions excepted REPATRIATION AND COVID COVER INCLUDED CRUISE COVER AND UK STAYCATION COVER AVAILABLE CALL OUR NEW NUMBER FOR DETAILS AND PRICES 01858 681496 Real people –, not machines Final Touch Travel Services. Authorised and regulated by the FCA FT TRAVEL INSURANCE UK BASED Solicitors to the Diocese of Nottingham Offering you a full range of legal services: , Wills &, Power of Attorney , Probate &, Trusts , Company &, Commercial Law , Commercial Property , Commercial/Property Litigation , Residential Conveyancing , Employment Law, and more Telephone: 0115 851 1666 At 15 Victoria Street, Nottingham &, Tudor Square, West Bridgford E-mail: law@massers.co.uk Please support our Advertisers

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Page 10 The Catholic News. September 2021 From Waterford to Leicestershire permanently Story and picture Gerry Molumby I remember fondly those Sunday afternoon trips when my dad would load us all in to his ",Thames", lorry and we would set off from Thurles for a spin. One of those regular trips would be down through the Vee and its wonderful views over Tipperary and Waterford with a stop off at Mount Melleray Abbey near Cappoquin, Co. Waterford. Situated on the slopes of the Knockmealddown Mountains (or as we called them `the knock me down mountains`). I live now in Nottinghamshire, not far from the Cistercian Abbey of Mount St. Bernard, which is near Loughborough. Cistercian abbeys in Ireland and England had a turbulent period with the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry XIII. Facing the Music by Julia Beacroft In the bleak mid-winter Mount Melleray in high summer Most of us are familiar with the expression ‘,Money makes the world go round’, but ac - tually I believe that it’,s music that makes the world go round and in this technologi - cal age it is readily available and easily ac - cessed whenever we want to listen to it. We’,ve certainly travelled a long way since the days of the old gramophones and vinyl records! In fact being able to watch and listen to what we want has become as much a part of our normal everyday lives as breathing. Special Way Prayer and praise, Thanksgiving, Hymns, Chants and Psalms. Some of us are fam - iliar with these terms and very often the common factor in all these is, yet again, music. There are times when music touches our hearts and minds and ‘,speaks’, to us in a special way. If you’,ve visited Medjugorje, Fatima, Lourdes or any other pilgrimage site and have been to Mass and/or experienced adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, you will also have ex - perienced some of the most beautiful and moving music which makes the soul sing! There’,s another saying which states that when we sing a song of praise to the Lord, it’,s like praying twice - and so it can seem. Today we are able to seamlessly weave both contemporary and religious music to - gether and use modern technology to help facilitate this to great effect. During the lockdown, our parish was even able to rec - ord our hymns and psalms to enable our priest to play these during the Sunday Mass! Liberation Most music has some merit, but personally I love it when a modern day artist records a ‘,catchy’, song with a spiritual message –, a marvellous evangelization tool! A great example of this is the song ‘,Shackles’, by Mary (2000). In the song the duo sing of being released from their chains and set free. We’,re not exactly sure what they have been released from, but without doubt this is highly reminiscent of the Gospel account of the raising of Jesus’, friend Lazarus, who had died and was already buried in the tomb. Jesus called out to Lazarus, who, to everyone amazement emerged from the tomb, resurrected to new life by the power of Jesus’, miracle. As he appeared with his burial bindings still in place, Jesus instruc - tion was to ‘,unbind him’, and set him free. And of course this has a twofold meaning: the physical release from the cloth bind - ings and also a liberation of new life, both literally and in the Lord. The notion of being unbound and set free equally applies to each one of us today, as we can be set free by our faith and trust in the Lord, who came to do just that –, to set us free .In fact, when we do so, we feel we could dance with joy and raise our hands in praise! New Life It seems truly amazing that a song with such a message as “,Shackles”, could be - come a top-ten hit in several countries around the world, including Australia, Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, and also charted well in other major music markets. The artist says of the song: ‘,I made up a funny dance to this song, it’,s my miracle warning song. It always plays just before a miracle happens’,. Our miracle is in the Lord Jesus Christ who we can praise with song and joyful dance. Joy at the new life we have in God. Copyright ©,2020 Julia Beacroft. All rights reserved. Julia Beacroft is an author, editor, workshop leader and presenter in Catholic faith formation. Her book ‘,Sanctifying the Spirit’, is available to buy from AMAZON, www.waterstones.com or Book Depository. Her first children’,s book ‘,Monsieur Claude’,s Great French Adventure’, is also out NOW! Follow Julia on Facebook &, Twitter. There is an interesting connection between these Irish and English monasteries. Before the end of 1835, six monks, led by Fr. Odilo Woolfrey as Superior, were established at Mount Saint Bernard, Leicestershire. The mother house of the new monastery was the Irish abbey of Mount Melleray, Co. Waterford. The monks settled in and from these humble origins, Mount St. Bernard, Colville, Leicestershire was designed by Augustus Pugin. He also designed the interior of The House of Commons and St. Mary`s Church in Derby. Pugin’,s Irish structures included St. Aidan` Cathedral and St. Peter`s College, Wexford. Melleray has an in-depth museum on site and both abbeys are open during the day for visitors to walk the grounds and listen to their prayer services. In 2005, the skeletons of more than six hundred medieval Trappist monks were re- buried in the grounds of Mount Saint Bernard. The remains had originally been found by workmen excavating an extension to London Underground`s Jubilee line in 1998, on a site which had once been occupied by the Abbey of Stratford and Langthorpe. This had been one of the wealthiest monasteries in England, closed in Henry VIII`s dissolution in 1538. Cistercian Trappist monks are buried in their habit but without a coffin. They are laid out in a wooden coffin shape bier without a lid but lowered into eternity with just the simple daily clothing habit of the monk and the wooden bier is returned to the monastery attic for next time! Keep in mind that both abbeys have guest houses and websites to book if you wish to visit. From Waterford to Leicestershire permanently ~ MH Catenians Presents cheque to British Heart Foundation The Market Harborough Circle of the Catenian Association presented a cheque for £,1,100 to the British Heart Foundation. Hannah Pennock, Area Manager of the BHF, thanked the group for it’,s donation saying it would go towards some of the life saving research work it sponsors including locally at Glenfield Hospital. In addition to supporting cutting edge research, the charity also funds and delivers training in CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) so that those suffering cardiac arrest can survive until expert help arrives. The organisation has also successfully campaigned to have this training delivered to all secondary school pupils. Anyone watching the recent European Championships (Euros) would recall with astonishment the collapse of a young, fit, Danish footballer, Christian Eriksen. He suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, an electrical problem with the heart, which frequently leads to death. The quick thinking and actions of the referee and medical team meant that Christian has made a superb recovery and has been fitted with an internal defibrillator. He may well be able to continue with his career in professional football. Bill Kerr, President of Market Harborough Catenians, presenting the cheque, shares the experience of being a sudden cardiac arrest survivor and has a similar device to Eriksen. Bill said he was thankful for the generosity of his colleagues in raising this substantial sum during the pandemic. Nick Oyugi - Publicity Officer, Market Harborough catenians.

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Bishop blessed the new nursery at St Edward’,s Catholic Voluntary Academy ahead of its opening this month. Bishop Patrick McKinney led a short, socially distanced church service before blessing the new nursery and parish centre in Swadlincote. He was joined by Father Neil Peoples, parish priest at St Peter and St Paul’,s in Swadlincote, staff and pupils from St Edward’,s and representatives from the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust. Jayne McQuillan, Headteacher at St Edward’,s, told those gathered for the service: “,This is a truly wonderful day as we see the culmination of parish and school working together to achieve a bespoke parish centre and the wonderful addition of a nursery for St Edward’,s. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible. To Bishop Patrick and the Nottingham Diocese, to the Trust Board, our CEO and all the executive team who have supported us every step of the way, thank you. A huge thank you to Fr Neil and the Parish for finding the funds to develop the car park, without which the inside refurbishment could not have taken place. Most of you know that I have a very long association with St Edward’,s having been one of the first pupils through the door back in 1972. The addition of the nursery fulfils a long-held dream to expand our Catholic provision at St Edward’,s to younger children. “,I’,m pleased to say that together we have continued this good work allowing us to protect and sustain the gift of Catholic Education in this small corner of Swadlincote for many more years to come.”, Sean McClafferty, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said: “,This is a truly momentous day for St Edward’,s and the St Ralph Sherwin Trust. As a Trust, our ambition is to have a nursery for each of our 20 primary schools, to ensure the best possible start for all our children. This nursery is a wonderful example of how a Trust and parish can work in partnership to achieve something very special.”, The new nursery will open in September and will cater for 3 and 4 year olds. The Catholic News. September 2021 Page 11 Encouraging Big Ideas Open Morning Saturday 25th September 2021 | 09:30-12:00 Book your place online now www.ratcliffecollege.com/visit New nursery at St Edward`s CVA blessed by Bishop of Nottingham

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Page 12 The Catholic News. September 2021 OBERAMMERGAU AND DANUBE CRUISE 12 DAYS FROM £,3,395 Discover the world-famous Oberammergau Passion Play before unco vering the musical and cultural heritage of the magniﬁ, cent Danube River on a superb 7-night cruise. Oberammergau Passion Play UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES Watch the world-renowned Oberammergau Passion Play , a wonderful theatrical extravaganza held only once every ten year s. Enjoy an exclusive recital from members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, a truly exceptional experience. Explore the elegant cities of the Danube , with insightful guided tours in Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna. INCLUDED IN THE PRICE 7 nights luxurious cruise 3 nights’, in 3 and 4-Star hotels Fully escorted return rail 2022 DEPARTURES Sail through the Wachau Valley , a scenic area with green valleys and vineyards rising up from the river, dotted with picturesque riverside towns. Visit the stunning Austrian Lake District , or head to Salzburg for a guided tour of the birthplace of Mozart. Jul 10 from £,3,395 Jul 31 from £,3,395 Dates and prices are subject to availability. Prices shown are per person, based on 2 people sharing. Prices may change prior to and after publication. TRAVEL SAFE Working with our partners to make sure you feel safe 48 YEARS OF EXPERTISE With ﬁ, ve decades of experience at our ﬁ, ngertips we’,ll ensure your holiday goes without a hitch. Order your free brochure now Call 01904 730935 •, Visit GreatRail.com/OER FULLY ESCORTED Professional UK Tour Manager with you from start to ﬁ, nish London Stuttgart Oberammergau Bratislava Passau Stuttgart Salzburg Regensburg Vienna Budapest London 5-Star onboard dinning and drinks with dinner UK Tour Manager Choice of cabins Holy Communion Jim is my friend. He is from Northern Ireland, proud of his people, loyal to their community and their traditions, a true Orangeman. He became my friend through his love for his lovely wife, Veronica, whom he nursed with love and devotion in the final years of her life and after more than sixty years of happy marriage. Jim phoned: “,Fr John,”, he said, “,I know that I must prepare to say goodbye to Veronica. You will come for the final prayers and blessing, won’,t you.”, “,I’,ll come tomorrow,”, I said. We came into the bedroom. Veronica was lying there, peaceful and comfortable. No words now, but her eyes lit up as she saw Jim, and she turned to me. Jim explained everything to her (have you ever heard a loving husband talk to his wife who is ill and totally dependent on him –, the tones of voice are wonderful), reassuring her. He understood her every look, the small sounds she could still speak, and already I was blessed. I wondered about Holy Communion. She could take no solids now, he told me sadly. No solids. But yoghurt? I told him of my taking Holy Communion to someone and placing the sacred host on a spoonful of yoghurt and of his reverently and joyfully receiving the sacrament. “,Veronica loves ice- cream,”, said Jim. So ice-cream it was. We prayed together the service of Holy Communion. At the moment of reception Jim went to the fridge, brought back half-a- teaspoon of Veronica’,s favourite ice-cream. I carefully placed a fragment of the host on the ice-cream and Jim gave Veronica Holy Communion. Jim and I completed the prayer together (I told you he is a man of faith) and then we chatted. He shared stories of their courtship, happy marriage, family holidays, work-life –, and that was the pattern over these recent years. Picture us: Jim, a man of faith, an Orangeman, on one side of the bed, his lovely wife who had brought us together, lying there and knowing how loved she was, and I, the Catholic priest, who had brought Holy Communion, the other side. An Orangeman and a Catholic priest praying together, brought together in Holy Communion by Veronica in whose name we prayed. I told a friend about the beauty of those visits and of the friendship and understanding that has grown. You have to tell that story, exclaimed my friend: a loyalist and a Catholic priest praying together, sharing the giving of the sacrament of Holy Communion and the regular Anointing of the Sick. I agreed. I also told him that if through some extraordinary circumstance I found myself at the “,Peace Line”, in Northern Ireland and I saw Jim on the other side I would cross the line to stand with him. And after a while I would ask him to cross the line with me and stand with me. I know he would. If such a possibility as “,a middle”, could be there –, that’,s where we would stand together. I love Jim’,s loyalty to his people and their traditions and he understands my Catholic ways of thinking. We share ideals and long for true peace. Jim said one day “,If people could only be friends in Northern Ireland, as you and I are friends, what a country we would be.”, Another day, he said,laughingly, “,If my Orange friends could see me praying with a Catholic priest –, they would lynch me!”, He stopped: “,No, they wouldn’,t,”, he said –, “,they would understand.”, Some years ago, in the early 1990’,s, I gave two nine-day missions in St Agnes Parish, Andersonstown in West Belfast, in succeeding years. They were wonderful visits. The welcome, the prayer, the longing for peace, I was at home. But the tensions and acts of violence were hard to bear. The Sinn Fein headquarters were nearby and just after mass on a Saturday morning they were attacked with mortar shells. I was in the kitchen having a cup of tea and the housekeeper told me how difficult her growing-up years had been and added “,My daughter is fifteen now and I don’,t want her to go through what I’,ve been through.”, I became friendly with the sacristan at the church. “,Tell me about the North,”, I asked him. He’,d lived there all his life. “,I’,ll tell you this, Father,”, he said: “,At work my best friend is a Protestant. We get on so well together. There is the problem and the solution –, he is Protestant, I am Catholic, but we are friends. Friendship is the answer.”, Jim and I have discovered this for ourselves, drawn together by his love for Veronica. I asked Jim if I could write our story. “,Go ahead,”, he said, “,you tell the people what has happened.”, “,And when I do, Jim, may I use your name and Veronica’,s name rather than make up two names?”, “,Of course,”, he said. John Daley IC A teacher at St George’,s Catholic Voluntary Academy walked from Derby to Nottingham to raise money for a pupil who is battling leukaemia. Shazad Hanif took on the 16- mile challenge, walking from the Royal Derby Hospital to Queen’,s Medical Centre in Nottingham in May. When he tackled the walk, Mr Hanif was unable to take on any food or drink as he was fasting during Ramadan.

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