2 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + July 2023 CONTACT US: The Catholic Voice of Lancaster is published on the last Sunday of the month previous to publication date. The Catholic Voice of Lancaster is published by its owners. The Trustees of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster, a registered charity, (No. 234331), and is wholly independent of and separate from any previous newspaper published by or on behalf of the diocese. EDITOR: Edwina Gillett 01253 736630 / 07969 967268 edwinagillett@hotmail.co.uk ADVERTISING: Charlotte Rosbrooke / CathCom Ltd. 01440 730399 / 07932 248225 charlotter@cathcom.org www.cathcom.org DESIGN &, LAYOUT: Rob Hotchkiss / Hot Creative 01253 730343 rob@hot-creative.co.uk www.hot-creative.co.uk PUBLISHED BY: CathCom Ltd. N2 Blois Meadow Business Centre, Blois Road, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Su昀,olk CB9 7BN 020 7112 6710 www.cathcom.org Articles to: voicenews@hotmail.co.uk Letters to: voiceletters@hotmail.co.uk POSTAL ADDRESS: FAO Edwina Gillett 99 Commonside, Ansdell, Lytham St. Annes FY8 4DJ Please send articles for publication on CD or by email, supplying any photos separate to the text (i.e. in jpeg format). Otherwise please type double spacing or write very clearly. Last date for copy is the LAST DAY of the month prior to publication. Photographs will be returned if you remember to put your name and address on the back of each and enclose suitable stamped and self- addressed packaging. A new Chief Executive has been appointed at Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi Academy. The Trust, which currently includes its 7 founding schools, serves the Catholic education community in Preston. Peter Du昀,y, who is currently in his second headship at Notre Dame Catholic College in Liverpool, will take up the role of Chief Executive of the Trust in September 2023. The Trust was established in December 2022 and is set to grow over the next 3 years to include all 23 Catholic schools in the wider Preston area. Mater Ecclesiae is one of 3 Trusts established within the Diocese of Lancaster in accordance with Bishop Paul Swarbrick’,s vision for the future development of Catholic education. Peter will take over the leadership of the Trust from Mia Barlow, Headteacher at St Bernard’,s Catholic Primary School, who has been in the post in an interim capacity. Her outstanding work in establishing the Trust means that Peter has a strong foundation CEO Appointment for Preston’,s Catholic Multi-Academy Trust on which to implement the growth plan which will see the remaining Catholic schools in Preston joining in phases over the coming years. Peter, who brings almost 20 years of senior leadership experience to the role, said: “,I am absolutely delighted to be taking up the post of CEO at Mater Ecclesiae. This is an exciting time in the development of the Trust, and I am looking forward to working with our dedicated sta昀, to provide the highest possible standards of learning and development for all our pupils.”, Roger Mason, Chair of the Trust commented: “,We are thrilled that after a rigorous recruitment process, Peter has been appointed to the post of CEO. He brings a wealth of experience and has a vision for how the Trust can play a signi昀, cant role in serving the children of Preston and their families. We are all looking forward to working with him and wish him all the best in his new role”,.

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July 2023 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + 3 C hildren, sta昀,, and board members from Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi Academy Trust (MAT) gathered on Friday 19th of May for a special Mass to celebrate the formation of our Preston MAT. It was so special to come together at the Ladyewell Shrine, and celebrate Mass together with Bishop Paul Swarbrick and Fr. Michael Doherty. It was a joyous occasion, with children singing and dancing throughout the service. In his homily, Bishop Swarbrick spoke about the importance of community and how it can help us to grow in faith. He also thanked the students, parents, and sta昀, for their dedication to MAT. The children also enjoyed spending time together exploring the Shrine. The Mass was a special opportunity for the schools that have formed the MAT to come together and celebrate. It was lovely to see other Headteachers and Chairs of Governors of the schools who will also be joining Mater Ecclesiae. In this way, it was a real celebration of our community and a reminder that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. The Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi Academy Trust Mass was a beautiful celebration of the power of community. It was a reminder that when we come together, we can accomplish great things now and in the future. We were even blessed with beautiful weather too. Anne Charnley Marking the Formation of Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi Academy Trust Mark F H Rae Funeral Directors Dip FD MBIFD Incorporating Rawcliffe and Rae Independent Family Firm A Caring and Personal Service with over 40 years experience Funerals conducted by Mark and Helen Rae Consultant Funeral Director Paddy Keogh Tel: 01253 789000/01253 735269 Wood Street, St Annes on Sea, Lancashrie FY8 1QS Website: www.markraefunerals.co.uk K&,M Maintenance Heating - Electrical - Drainage Established 25 years Telephone: 01772 704530 Fax 01722 798801 Heating, Electrical and Drainage and Plumbing services across the North West of England Gas •, Emergency Boiler Repairs for all makes •, Boiler Installations &, servicing •, Central Heating System repairs/upgrades/leaks •, New fitted Central Heating Systems •, Landlord Gas Safety Certificates (CP12) Electrical •, New consumer units supplied and fitted •, All emergency breakdowns •, Power tripping •, New lighting •, Additional sockets •, Faulty sockets •, Rewiring •, Outdoor lighting/sockets •, EICR - electrial safey certificates Drainage and Plumbing •, Blocked drains, internal and external •, Leaks •, New taps •, Camera surveys Prices Boiler Service - £,49 + VAT plus £,10 for every additional appliance. Tel No: 01772 704530 Mobile: 07941 554730 Fax No: 01772 798801 Address: K &, M Maintenance Services Ltd, Unit 8A, Electron Mill, Brook Street, Preston PR1 7NH More information: www.kmmaintenance.co.uk

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4 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + July 2023 T he best word to describe what’,s happening right now at Castlerigg is busy! We are running back-to-back retreats at the moment with schools from all over the place and we are getting out and about a bit more too. During 2022-23 we have welcomed seven new schools, having welcomed several more in the last few years. We’,ve also got a few more new ones coming next year too: four so far - and counting. So business is booming at the moment and it’,s keeping us busy! Despite being busy, we are in the home straight now as far as this academic year is concerned. Summer is almost upon us and with it a chance to pray for those going to Lourdes and World Youth Day and, for those staying behind, a chance to work with the Keswick Convention Youth team who stay with for a few weeks each July and August. And, of course, the end of the year also gives us a great chance to look back, to celebrate the last twelve months, and to say goodbye to some folks who are sadly leaving us this year. World Youth Day At the end of July, we will be sending 26 people from the diocese to World Youth Day in Lisbon. They will join millions of others for a week of festival fun, liturgy, and catechesis, all culminating in a 昀,nal Mass with Pope Francis. During the 昀,rst weekend in July, the group met together for a prep weekend at Castlerigg. It was a chance to get to know each other, to talk about the mountain of practicalities involved in World Youth Day, and also to prepare ourselves spiritually for the journey. Watch this space for a full report and lots of photos in the months ahead. Goodbye and Good Luck We will be losing six people –, at least from their current roles –, this summer. Paddie has been our Deputy Director for the past two years and Joe has been a Trainee Retreat Leader this past year. We will also be losing Amelia, Sarah, Katie, and Dominic and we lost Katie Flood (another leader, who was on a short term contract) . They are moving on to various di昀,erent things and we wish them well. We’,ve had a really lovely year together with some fond memories! One In, One Out We can never really and truly replace people who leave each year but we can 昀,ll their spots with others, and so in August we will be welcoming Beth and Kylie to the Leadership Team and we will be welcoming Veva, Felix, Helen and Starr to the volunteer team. We’,re also looking for a few more, so if you know of anybody…, (see opposite) Streams and Open Retreats // New Stu昀, for 2023-24 We are excited to be launching some new stu昀, for the next academic year. We will be greatly enhancing our open retreat programme and also be starting some ‘,streams’, so that young people who come to Castlerigg (and even those who don’,t) can journey with us throughout the year. The RISE stream is for anyone in Year 7-9 (or the equivalent age) while the OVERFLOW stream is for anyone in Year 10 up to age 25. Each stream will get together for a zoom every other Monday evening and there will also be regular updates and other activities. Each stream will also have their own programme on our open retreats, and talking of which…, For the past few years, we have run open retreats at Easter and Advent. Next year, we will be extending both the programme and the age range. As well as Easter and Advent there will also be a Summer retreat, and open retreats will be open to anyone in Year 7 or above. On each retreat, the RISE stream will follow one programme, while the older ones will follow another. Open Retreats cost £,65 per person and £,85 for Easter, but we are determined that cost should never be an obstacle for people who want to come. Anyone who wants to come but can’,t a昀,ord to is invited to get in touch. Check our website and social media for more details on open retreats. Bookings for Advent will open in the new academic year! A Reminder about Social Media Talking of social media, we get a few questions about our streams, so it’,s worth reminding people brie昀,y what’,s going on with it…, •, We’,re on facebook atcastleriggmanor // This is the page for everyone and it has the most on it •, We have an Instagram and a TikTok feed speci昀,cally for young people atcastleriggmanor. Although the TikTok feed isn’,t very active at present, we are hoping to change that this year •, We also have two streams for adult leaders on Instagram and Twitter atYS_Castlerigg We put a lot of time and e昀,ort into our facebook and Instagram presence especially, so please feel free to follow us and engage. We are Hiring! Our team for 2023-24 is almost full now but we could still do with a few more folks to pad things out a little. Speci昀,cally we are looking for a few more volunteers and a Senior Programme Leader. For more information check out…, castleriggmanor.com >,>, join the team Sponsor a Youth Minister In last month’,s issue we launched our Sponsor a Youth Minister scheme and we have been delighted by the response. The scheme gives you a chance to get involved in the work of Castlerigg by directly supporting a member of our team. It costs just £,10 a month and you’,ll receive regular updates from the person you are sponsoring. For more info about this or anything else, head to castleriggmanor.com MATTERS YOUTH

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July 2023 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + 5 To advertise please contact Charlotte on 07932 248225 or email charlotter@cathcom.org Independent Catholic Funeral Director Arranging and conducting funerals in the Catholic Diocese of Lancaster since 1986 Lytham Funeral Service Ltd. 42 Clifton Street, Lytham FY8 5EW Tel. (01253) 733909 www.lythamfuneralservice.co.uk David Pope dip FD MBIFD

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6 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + July 2023 What is the vocation of the lay faithful? The lay faithful have as their own vocation to seek the Kingdom of God by illuminating and ordering temporal a昀,airs according to the plan of God. They carry out in this way their call to holiness and to the apostolate, a call given to all the baptised. Further reading: CCC 897-900, 940 How do the lay faithful participate in the priestly o

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July 2023 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + 7 If your parish or school has any news or if you would personally like to submit an article for publication, please send us what you have. Contact details can be found on page 2. would like to hear from you! We would like to thank these schools for always supporting the paper Our Lady’,s Catholic High School St Anthony’,s Drive, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire PR2 3SQ Headteacher: Mr Charnock Tel: 01772 326900 Email: admin@olchs.lancs.sch.uk Web: http://www.olchs.lancs.sch.uk Teacher Training with the Catholic Teaching Alliance The Catholic Teaching Alliance (CTA) is a partnership between 70 Catholic primary and secondary schools, and a post-16 college, led by Our Lady`s Catholic High School with a shared vision and commitment to providing PGCE with QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) courses in partnership with the University of Cumbria. Contact: 01772 326931 Email: CTAschooldirect@olchs.lancs.sch.uk Website: www.catholic-teaching-alliance.org To advertise please contact Charlotte on 07932 248225 or email charlotte@ cathcom.org

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8 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + July 2023 O n 19 April, the Patrimony Committee of the Catholic Bishops’, Conference of England and Wales and Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans, MP hosted an event to celebrate the completion, between 2020 and 2022, of 39 projects of repair to Grade I and Grade II* historic Catholic churches throughout England. These projects were grant-funded by the Bishops’, Conference thanks to a £,6.6m allocation from Historic England’,s ‘,Heritage Stimulus Fund’, –, part of the government’,s Culture Recovery Fund. The event was attended by the Heritage Minister, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, and the Chief Executive of Historic England, Duncan Wilson OBE, both of whom spoke warmly about the success of the grants programme, congratulating all those involved. A new booklet from the Patrimony Committee, entitled ‘,Living Stones: Living Stones - A Celebration of Achievement A Celebration of Achievement’, , was distributed to attendees. Among those churches across the country who have been supported by grants for programmes of major work included: •, St Peter’,s Cathedral, Lancaster •, Syro-Malabar Eparchy Cathedral of St Alphonsa, Preston •, Institute of Christ the King and Sovereign Priest, St Walburge, Preston Living Stones: A Celebration of Achievement The publication illustrates all 39 buildings supported with grants and makes the case for the need for a dedicated grants scheme for the repair of historic churches going forward –, a point reiterated by the Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop Emeritus of Cardi昀, and Chair of the Patrimony Committee. Archbishop Stack said: “,The heritage of Catholic churches in this country is not as well-known as it deserves to be, yet it is a wonderfully rich and varied heritage as the range of projects illustrated in this booklet demonstrate.”, He added: “,Particular thanks go to the Government and to Historic England for making this funding available as part of the Culture Recovery Fund in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”, Following the Archbishop, the Chief Executive of Historic England, Duncan Wilson said: “,The Heritage Stimulus Fund gave a great boost to volunteer morale, and provided very welcome local employment, and these churches are now much better able to deliver the social, pastoral, and practical support that people needed during the pandemic and continue to today in facing new challenges. “,The fact that the Catholic Church was ready and able to respond to the emergency funding o昀,er is a tribute to over a decade of partnership with Historic England and the Catholic dioceses.”, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Minister for Arts and Heritage, also spoke saying: “,It’,s a real pleasure to hear about the di昀,erent projects being supported through government funding, brilliantly delivered through our arm’,s length bodies, including Historic England, to help communities across the country in those challenging times.”, He added: “,As Minister for Heritage I have the privilege of working with listed places of worship of all religions and all denominations, and making sure that all of them which make up the rich fabric of this nation and our shared heritage are being looked after and shared for future generations. Catholic churches are a hugely important part of that heritage.”, The event was attended by more than 50 people including a number of Parliamentarians and others involved in the 昀,eld of historic churches and their conservation. CBCEW ©, Mazur/cbcew.org.uk The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop Emeritus of Cardi昀, and Chair of the Patrimony Committee and Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans, MP.

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July 2023 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + 9 St Peter’,s Cathedral Lancaster W hilst most historic Catholic churches were designed by Catholic architects, Lancaster Cathedral is an exception being designed by the Anglican architect, Edward Graham Paley in 1857. He had a 昀,ourishing church practice in the north west of England. St Peter’,s is a great landmark in Lancaster and its spire a key feature of the skyline. The interior is particularly beautiful with 昀,ne stained glass by Hardman of Birmingham, painted decoration by T. Earley and J.A. Pippet, and a grand carved and painted wood reredos behind the altar added in 1909 and designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The grant in Round 1 enabled the Cathedral to install a much needed new emergency lighting system. This has been very discreetly installed so that the 昀,ttings do not stand out or damage the appearance of the interior. The system required a lot of high level access within the nave and the aisles. This type of work which is largely hidden but very essential is notoriously hard to fund raise for. The grant in Round 1 enabled the introduction of this new system with the minimum of disturbance to the historic fabric. O riginally built by the Jesuits and dedicated to St Ignatius their founder, this church is one of the earliest surviving Catholic churches in Preston and the earliest in the city to have a spire. Designed in 1833 in the gothic style by J.J. Scholes, a favourite architect of the Jesuits who went on to design their great churches, the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street in Mayfair, London and St Francis Xavier in Liverpool, the church was enlarged twice in the C19th. The poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins was a curate at St Ignatius in the 1880s. Following closure in 2014, it was taken on the following year by the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Great Britain and is now their Cathedral. The church has su昀,ered from serious dry rot in its roofs. As at St Walburge’,s, the C19th roof coverings and related leadwork need to be replaced having reached the end of their life. The Syro-Malabar Catholic community originate in Southern India where Christianity goes back to the time of the Apostles when St Thomas the Extracts from: LIVING STONES –, A Celebration of Achievement Grants for Programmes of Major Works 2020-2022 Syro-Malabar Cathedral of St Alphonsa, Preston Apostle sailed to India from the Arabian peninsula in around AD 50. Today, the Eparchy is in full communion with Rome and there are now around 40,000 Syro- Malabar Catholics living and working in Great Britain. This gothic style church with 昀,ne Victorian stained glass by Hardman and Co. now has a new layer of colour and symbolism added with statues of St Alphonsa and St Teresa of Calcutta adorning the church and colourful altar frontals introduced to great e昀,ect. Last year the relics of St Bernadette of Lourdes came on tour to dioceses in England and Wales arriving at St Alphonsa’,s in late September. The grant aided works to the aisle roofs had been completed by then and the internal sca昀,olding and unsightly plastic sheeting limiting dust had been removed. The whole church was then 昀,lled with people to celebrate this important and holy event. Whilst the whole roof needs to be recover ed, the grants awarded in Rounds 1 and 2 have ensured that the worst areas of dry rot have been addressed. This funding has been a life line but there is still much more to be done but the church currently lacks the funds. Our Lady’,s Catholic High School St Anthony’,s Drive, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire PR2 3SQ Headteacher: Mr Charnock Tel: 01772 326900 Email: admin@olchs.lancs.sch.uk Web: http://www.olchs.lancs.sch.uk OPEN EVENING Thursday 5th October 2023 at 6pm until 8.30pm Interested in Teacher Training? The Catholic Teaching Alliance (CTA) is a partnership between 70 Catholic schools, led by Our Lady’,s Catholic High School in Preston, offering early primary, primary, secondary and post 16 PGCE with QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) courses in partnership with the University of Cumbria. Contact: 01772 326931 Email: CTAschooldirect@olchs.lancs.sch.uk

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10 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + July 2023 Extracts from: LIVING STONES –, A Celebration of Achievement Grants for Programmes of Major Works 2020-2022 S t Walburge’,s is one of the most impressive Catholic churches in the country. Built for the Jesuits between 1850–,54 and designed by Joseph Aloysius Hansom, it has the tallest spire of any parish church in Britain (only the spires of Salisbury and Norwich Cathedrals are taller) . At the time it was built, its spire towered over the numerous chimneys of Preston’,s cotton mills. Today, those chimneys have largely gone but St Walburge’,s remains a magni昀,cent landmark in the city. Its interior is no less remarkable with its vast hammerbeam roof decorated with statues of saints. Beautifully built in the mid C19th, the roof covering now needs to be replaced as the nails holding the vast slates have rusted through causing slippage. High level stonework needs repair and repointing and the leadwork in parapet gutters needs renewing to stop water ingress and rot setting in. The church is leased by the Diocese of Lancaster to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Priests of the Institute celebrate the Mass in the Latin Rite. An Expression of Interest request submitted to the National Lottery Heritage Fund in the spring of 2021 was unsuccessful but the announcement of the second round of Heritage Stimulus Fund grants in the summer of that year enabled St Walburge’,s to apply. The tight timescale for completion of work meant that it was only feasible to repair about a third of the roof, particularly given the enormous height Institute of Christ the King and Sovereign Priest, St Walburge, Preston and steep pitch of the roof. An immense amount of sca昀,olding was needed. Once the contractors reached the apex of the roof at the west end it was found that the stone Cruci昀,x was cracked in three places and leaning ominously, about to fall. Luckily the whole structure was taken down just days before Storm Arwen hit in November 2021. The 昀,gures of the Virgin and St John have been repaired but the Cruci昀,x itself needed to be re-carved. The whole sculpture is now back in position. The roofs over the Sanctuary at the east end and the roof on the north side of the church still need to be renewed. The recent work at St Walburge’,s illustrates vividly why grants for major capital works of repair are so essential if magnifcent buildings like this which have so much to contribute to their communities are to survive. Boarbank Hall Contact: Sr Marian Boarbank Hall, Grange over Sands, Cumbria, LA11 7NH Telephone: 015395 32288 Website: www.boarbankhall.org.uk Canonesses of St Augustine of the Mercy of Jesus “,She who accepts the common life possesses God”, St Augustine A Warm Welcome to Everyone Prayer , Community , Hospitality , Care of the poor and sick Our Lady of Fidelity The church needs religious sisters URGENTLY to bring Christ to others by a life of prayer and service lived in the community of Ignation spirituality. Daily Mass is the centre of community life. By wearing the religious habit we are witnesses of the consecrated way of life. If you are willing to risk a little love and would like to find out how, contact Sister Bernadette Mature vocations considered. CONVENT OF OUR LADY OF FIDELITY 1 Our Lady`s Close, Upper Norwood, London SE19 3FA Telephone 07760 297001 090699502 SELF STORAGE Secure Units Available Sizes To Suit All Needs Competitive Rates Open 7 Days Curly Tail Storage Park Lane, Forton PR3 0JX Tel: 01524 791837 E: andrew@curlytailstorage .co.uk www.curlytailstorage.co.uk 10th July is Sea Sunday. Please pray for seafarers and support the Catholic charity ministering to them: Stella Maris (formerly known as Apostleship of the Sea). To donate, go to www.stellamaris.org.uk/donate

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July 2023 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + 11 Dear Editor, ‘,Catholics and God’,s Animals’, In my opinion, the Catholic Church is deserving of strong criticism in one major area: Her disregard for animals as beings in their own right, that we should treat with love and respect. Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’,s Encyclical dealing with mankind’,s treatment of planet earth doesn’,t introduce a new concept regarding animals, he reiterates what the Church has always taught but failed to practice, which is that we should treat animals kindly. Unfortunately, the Church has never conceded rights to animals. Kindness is good, but it is justice that animals want, a recognition that their lives and their su昀,erings matter. Animals ignored In sermons - I was baptised a Catholic as a baby and during the decades that I have been attending Mass, priests’, sermons have urged me to live a life of kindness and consideration, but only towards my own species. In the Catechism - What the Catechism gives with one hand, it takes back with the other. It tells us that we must be ‘,kind’, to animals, but then tells us that we may use animals for our needs –, food, clothing, entertainment, research etc…, very ambiguous –, we need food, but we don’,t need meat. We need clothes, but we don’,t need wool or leather. In pastoral letters- Statements and letters from the bishops with advice on how to vote in the 2015 and 2017 General Elections and the 2016 EU Referendum contained not one word about animals. Things have not changed. Although the environment is mentioned these days, animals are not. On the website of the Bishops’, Conference of England and Wales, there are departments, projects, committees, o

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12 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + July 2023 Philippians 2:1-11, Matthew 5:1-12 Y ou are probably familiar with the words attributed by Shakespeare to Mark Antony “,I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him”, . We might truthfully say “,We come to bury Sr. Mary Joseph, not to praise her”, , yet I feel that it is impossible to bury Sister Mary Joseph without praising her. A faithful child of God through ninety years, a professed religious through almost 68 years, a dedicated teacher, particularly of those less naturally gifted mathematically, a beloved friend to her community, to her wide-ranging family, to her former pupils, indeed to everyone whom she met: how could we fail to praise her? She would, I am sure, object strongly to being praised, which is one of the most praiseworthy attributes of all. All of you will have your own memories of Sister Mary Joseph, which you will be able to share as you mingle afterwards: I shall simply throw in two penn’,orth of my own. (For the bene昀,t of the post-decimalisation generation, I should perhaps point out that two penn’,orth, or pennyworth, was a small measure which could comprise a scoop of Cali and a penny Spanish, a tube of Polo Funeral Homily - for Sr. Mary Joseph of Monastery of Our Lady of Hyning mints, or four Mojo chews—,not something to be sneezed at.) On one occasion, I encountered Sr. Mary Joseph bustling towards the library, a book protruding from the basket on her walking frame. “,I have to be there quickly,”, she explained. “,I borrowed this book, and it is due back at noon.”, Despite my suggestion that the community was hardly likely to impose sanctions if she were to hold onto it for a little longer, Sister’,s sense of duty and propriety, along with her concern not to inconvenience anybody, ensured that she would beat the deadline. Our scripture readings were clearly chosen with Sr. Mary Joseph very personally in mind. In fact, they were chosen by her for her Diamond Jubilee, and I am tempted simply to re-read them, while inviting you to apply them to the SMJ whom you knew. “,Everybody is to be self-e昀,acing”, , we are instructed in the Letter to the Philippians, “,so that nobody thinks of their own interests 昀,rst, but everybody thinks of other people’,s interests instead”, . Does that ring any bells? St. Paul links all of this to the self- emptying of Christ, who humbled Himself to “,assume the condition of a slave”, and who died a slave’,s death. All of us are called to an imitation of Christ the Son of God. I leave it to you to consider how well Sr. Mary Joseph succeeded in that imitation, and in her acclamation of Christ as Lord, an acclamation to which we are also called. Turning to the Gospel, I think that it is fair to say that imitation, or perhaps ful昀,lment, is required of us again by the Beatitudes. “, Blessed are the poor in spirit”, says Our Lord. He is calling us, not to be poor-spirited, but to have a genuine humility. The sisters here groan and start to throw things when I remind them for the umpteenth time that the word “,humility”, comes from the Latin humus meaning “,soil”, or “,ground”, , so to be humble, to be poor in spirit, is to have your feet on the ground, not to have an exalted opinion of yourself. To be gentle, to mourn with those who mourn, to desire and work for justice, to be merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker—,would you agree that Sr. Mary Joseph was all of those? I hope that she wasn’,t persecuted, though having a Jewish father she would have been aware of the reality of persecution. And our prayer today is that she is now rejoicing and being glad, in anticipation or enjoyment of her heavenly reward. Which brings us to the main point of today. We are here for many things—,to remember, to give thanks, to mourn, though not too much—,but above all, to pray. I stand open to correction, but I imagine that if Sr. Mary Joseph ever needed to rebuke a pupil, she would have done so more in sorrow and disappointment than in anger. If we were to neglect to pray for her, that she may be cleansed of any sins she may have committed, and may be brought to share fully in the glory of the resurrection, then she would feel that we deserved a mild rebuke, again more in sorrow than in anger. So let us not neglect that duty, which we owe to Sr. Mary Joseph both today and in the future. Eternal rest grant unto Sr. Mary Joseph O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her, may she rest in peace. Amen.

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July 2023 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + 13 D uring Lent earlier this year a retired priest living in the diocese of Lancaster, Fr Philip Newbold, stepped out to raise money for ‘,Aid to the Church in Need’, to support their project in Ukraine. Fr Philip writes: During Lent 2023 I undertook a sponsored walk for ‘,Aid to the Church in Need’, to support their Ukraine project. This was to provide warm clothing, food and shelter for those in need. The walk consisted of 10,000 paces a day for the 40 days of Lent (in fact I did 10,800 which makes exactly 5 miles per day). The walk was completed on Holy Saturday, then began the job of collecting the sponsorship money. This edition of the Catholic Voice of Lancaster gives me the opportunity to o昀,er a big thank you. Firstly, to the parish pri ests who let me appeal in their parishes for sponsorship, also to thank so many parishioners who supported prayerfully and 昀,nancially. Your response was to the call of the Gospel to help the needy and this response realised £,7,039. The Lord blesses you for your kindness as do the people of the Ukraine whom we will never meet but will be aided by your kindness. Three Masses will be o昀,ered for all benefactors, for your intentions, wellbeing spiritual and physical. In the joy of the risen Lord. Alleluia! Fr Philip Newbold M ark Conroy is a member of the Catenian Province that includes all of the Lancaster Diocese, except North Cumbria, and he was recently installed as the GB National President at the Association’,s AGM held this year in She

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14 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + July 2023 F aith &, Justice worker, Sue Grubic was delighted to return to the school family of St Columba’,s in Barrow to meet the growing number of Laudato Si ‘,champions’, and take part in a day packed full of ‘,care of creation’, activities. Many thanks to Headteacher, Claire O’,Donnell, Year 3, teacher Angela Pope and the whole of St Columba’,s school for making me so welcome! Head Teacher, Catherine Mallard and the pupils of St Begh’,s in Whitehaven declared a ‘,climate emergency’, in their school assembly on Earth Day 2023 and D avid Pope during Vespers in honour of Our Blessed Mother Mary placed his hand on the Bible and made a solemn profession of faith by reciting the Nicene Creed in preparation for his ordination to the Sacred Diaconate. He also a

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July 2023 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + 15 Y ear 6 children at St Maria Goretti’,s, Preston, decided that they wanted their chance to be able to raise money for a variety of charities and spread their faith to the wider community. Faith in Focus meet every Thursday after school for an hour and uses the time to discuss issues that concern them (locally, nationally and globally) . Through a variety of creative activities they are given the chance to be heard and pray for the things that matter to them. Filip (Y6 ICT Technician) told us, ‘,I enjoy being able to show people that everyone is important and that we all have a role to play in helping to be the hands and feet of Jesus- literally everyone Faith in Focus can get involved and play their part!’, So far they have written, directed and performed an Easter Passion Play (named Open the Door) to raise funds for CAFOD. In addition to this they are designing videos to promote Pope Francis’, call for us to be stewards of the Earth and they are hoping to organise a local pilgrimage before their time at St Maria Goretti’,s comes to an end. It was a truly special team event where they used their gifts and talents to design the set, choreograph the music and sing their hearts out. Mrs Kerry Holt “,I enjoy being able to show people that everyone is important a nd that we all have a role to play in helping to be the hands and feet of Jesus- literally everyone can get involved and play their part! ”, S t Edmund’,s, Fleetwood were very pleased to organise an afternoon tea to mark the Coronation of King Charles III, raising £,660 for the Friends of the Holy Land. The FHL Charity has a special place in the hearts of St Edmund’,s parishioners and often bene昀,ts from afternoon teas that they hold from time to time. Marking the Coronation this year coincided with a group of parishioners returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Friends of the Holy Land is a charity that supports the Palestinian Christians. Claire Hewitson Afternoon Tea raises £,660 for the Holy Land

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16 + The Catholic Voice of Lancaster + July 2023 P aul Gardner of Cafod recently met with Bishop Paul Swarbrick to hear more about Cafod’,s current campaign Fix the Food System reported in the June edition of the Catholic Voice . The campaign was launched in Lancaster at St Peter’,s Cathedral &, St Thomas More parish, Lancaster and Bishop Paul was keen to add his name to the CAFOD petition. Paul Gardner said that protecting the freedom of farmers to choose seeds is a right we must all stand up for if we are to tackle global poverty and he was grateful to the Bishop for his support. Paul Gardner Church Supplies –, serving Schools, Business and Homes Our advertisers are great supporters of the Lancaster Voice, so please help them by supporting their businesses To advertise please contact Charlotte on 07932 248225 or email charlotter@cathcom.org For ALL of your Parishioners For some of your Parishioners 100 copies: from £,12 (12p per copy) 200 copies: from £,23.20 (11.6p per copy) 300 copies: from £,32.80 (10.9p per copy) 50 copies: from £,9.60 (19.2p per copy) 10 copies: from £,7.20 (72p per copy) Individual Subscriptions Online Subscriptions 1 Online Copy via Email from £,2.40 per month Annual 1 Copy from £,3.20 per month Subscribe to All prices include delivery www.catholicpost.co.uk subscribe@catholicpost.co.uk 01440 730399

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