The Catholic Post August 2023

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Lisbon gears up for WYD 2023

lisboa2023.org

Youth Day (WYD) 2023

World Youth Day (WYD) is the gathering of young people to have an audience with the Pope. It is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world. Although its Catholic identity is clearly evident, WYD opens its doors to everyone, no matter how close to or distant from the Church they are.

It is celebrated at the diocesan level on Palm Sunday, and every two, three or four years as an international gathering in a city chosen by the Pope, with the presence of the Holy Father. It brings together millions of young people to celebrate their faith and sense of belonging to the Church.

Since its first edition in Rome in 1986, World Youth Day has proven to be a laboratory of faith, a place of birth for vocations to marriage and consecrated life, and an instrument for the evangelization and transformation of the Church.

It aims to provide all participants with a universal Church experience, fostering a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. It is a new stimulus to the faith, hope and charity of the entire host country community. With young people as its protagonists, World Youth Day also seeks to promote peace,

unity and fraternity among peoples and nations around the world.

Over the course of a week, young people from all over the world are welcomed, mainly in public (gymnasiums, schools, pavilions …) and parish facilities or family homes. In addition to the moments of prayer, sharing and leisure, the young people enrolled in this celebration participate in various initiatives organized by the WYD team, in different locations across the host city. The highlights are the celebrations (central features) for which the Pope is present, such as the welcoming and opening ceremony, the Way of the Cross, the vigil and, on the last day, the closing Mass.

Founded by Pope John Paul II in 1985. WYD has been, since then, a time of encounter and sharing for millions of people throughout the world. The first edition took place in 1986 in Rome, and since then WYD

has passed through the following cities: Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Czestochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), Rome (2000), Toronto (2002), Cologne (2005), Sydney (2008), Madrid (2011), Rio de Janeiro (2013), Krakow (2016) and Panama (2019). On 27 January 2019, at the closing ceremony of World Youth Day in Panama City, it was announced that Pope Francis had chosen Lisbon to host the next World Youth Day. WYD Lisbon 2023 will be held from 1 to 6 August 2023.

The boys are back in town page 5

A new Bishop for Hexham & Newcastle

Dear Grandparents page 3

Lisbon is preparing to welcome hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the world to celebrate World

All pilgrims - including Pope Francis, are issued with their own WYD backpack

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“Sixpence in the Slot” Priests

they can ignore the basic stuff with impunity, where does it end? In one of the presbyteries where I used to live, built in the late 1700s, there was hardly a straight wall because they seemed to have been built at will without any attempt to align them on a cornerstone. Our foundation, our cornerstone, has constantly to be Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church he founded for our salvation.

I don’t know if amusement arcades still have the “Aladdin’s Cave” machines they used to have when I was a youngster. The glass-sided machine was full of “trinkets and treasures” and when you put your sixpence in, an elephant moved round a track into a cave and emerged with a box on its back which then tipped into a chute and inside was your sixpenny “treasure”. Sometimes I think people expect their priests to be like that. They put their money in the Sunday collection and all they want is for the priest to come out, “say” Mass, disappear again, and leave them in peace.

Though it would make for a quiet life, we are not meant to be “sixpence in the slot” priests. Apart from being ministers of the sacraments, priests are also required to be spiritual and pastoral leaders and teachers. Every year at the Chrism Mass we stand before God and our bishop to renew the promises we made at our ordination, one of which is:

Are you resolved to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God… and to discharge faithfully the sacred office of teaching, following Christ the Head and Shepherd, not seeking any gain, but moved only by zeal for souls?

To which we reply: “I am”, but what exactly does that commitment involve?

It would be very easy for a priest to settle for a quiet life, keeping his head down, avoiding all the hassle, being the nice guy liked by everyone. But what good is he doing the people he is supposed to be leading and teaching and, when necessary, challenging? In that regard I often return to the words of Pope St Gregory the Great:

A religious leader should be careful in deciding when to remain silent and be sure to say something useful when deciding to speak… Illadvised silence can leave people in their error, when they could have been shown where they were wrong. Negligent religious leaders are often afraid to speak and say what needs to be

said – for fear of losing favour with people. Similarly, St Augustine, in a sermon on the responsibility of shepherds (religious leaders) points to the fact the priesthood is not a popularity contest and that, for the spiritual good of the people, a priest must be faithful to his teaching mission.

There used to be a time when “hell and damnation” sermons were commonplace and some of us will still remember priests who were renowned for them. They may not have made themselves very popular at the time – though I think they were respected just the same – but you couldn’t really argue with what they said because by and large they were right. These days we priests are fairly restricted when it comes to sermons (or “homilies” as they are now called) because they are supposed to be based on the readings of the day, especially the gospel. As a result, all sorts of other spiritual and pastoral matters that really need to be addressed tend to go by the board. That is why, a couple of parishes ago, I began writing pastoral reflections like this one which I attached to the parish newsletter so people could read, in their own time, things I felt needed to be addressed when the readings didn’t offer the opportunity. The alternativeto ignore the issue - would be an inexcusable failure and a disservice to the people for which the priest will one day be held to account.

Sadly I’ve seen parishioners quite deliberately detach those papers from their newsletter and leave them on the table unread - presumably because they not only don’t want to hear what I have to say, but don’t particularly want to hear anything that’s being said because it just might have implications for the practice of their faith and they’d prefer not to know about it. Some of those things may not seem very important in the overall scheme of things, but others certainly are and involve matters of Church law and Church teaching - not to mention God’s law and teaching. If people feel

There is a story, a parable if you will, taken from an episode of the U.S. drama series The West Wing. It concerns a man clinging to his rooftop as the rain poured down and the floodwaters rose around him. He prays to God to save him but the waters continue to rise. A man in a boat comes by and offers to help him but the man replies that he is a religious man and has every confidence that God will save him. Still the rain pours and the waters rise. A helicopter arrives on the scene but again he refuses their assistance explaining once again that he has every faith in God to save him. The rain continues to pour and the waters continue to rise and eventually the man drowns. When he arrives at the Pearly Gates he asks God how come he didn’t save him and God replies, ‘I sent a man in a row boat and I sent a helicopter, what more did you want?’

One day we are going to find ourselves standing before God and being asked to give an account of ourselves and of our lives. My fear is for those people who may be found wanting and who will then try to offer the same excuses they used in life and, in particular, trying to claim they didn’t know - which isn’t going to wash with God. Just as in that story God will say to them, “I sent Fr So-and-so to tell you about that; don’t you remember what he said? Don’t you remember all those times he explained that to you?” At that point it will be too late to do anything about our situation. There’s also the parable Our Lord himself told in Chapter 16 of St Luke’s gospel and in particular how the story ends (verses 27-31).

While everyone else may only have to give an account to God of themselves, we priests will also be accountable for how well (or otherwise) we served (or failed to serve) the many thousands of people for whom God gave us spiritual and pastoral responsibility throughout our ministry, and that’s precisely why we can’t afford to be “sixpence in the slot” priests.

From the presbytery.............. by Fr Neil McNicholas

They put their money in the Sunday collection and all they want is for the priest to come out, “say” Mass, disappear again, and leave them in peace.

Path to peace lies in truth and charity

It discusses the contribution of scientists to peace, with a keynote speech by the vicechancellor of the Academy, Monsignor Dario Edoardo Viganò.

Being men and women of science is a form of charity

Indeed, “being men and women of science is a vocation and, at the same time, a mission, a specific form of charity: an intellectual one,” Pope Francis said in his message addressed to the Bishop of Teramo-Atri Lorenzo Leuzzi.

Let the Little Children Alone

Whatever our background, we will have had some issue or another that has affected us in upbringing. In most cases, our parents did their very best to negotiate their own worries and fears and to bring us up as best they were able. This something we were probably not fully able to understand until adults ourselves with children of our own, or maybe with further knowledge of the experiences that our parents had lived through. Our children today are suffering in a new way.

Pope Francis sends a message to the Second International "Science for Peace" Meeting in the Italian Diocese of Teramo-Atri, and recalls that the search for truth in charity is the foundation for the construction of a peaceful society.

“The path to peace lies in truth and charity,” Pope Francis said in a written message sent Friday to participants in the Second International Meeting entitled: "Science for Peace - New Disciples of Knowledge: the Scientific Method in the Changing Era” held in the Central Italian city of Teramo.

“Enlightened search for truth in charity will lay ever more solid foundations for the construction of a peaceful society because it is harmoniously ordered towards its end, with respect for the person and in grateful correspondence to the gifts of God”, the Pope told participants in the meeting.

The event is organized on 30 June-1July by the Diocese of Teramo-Atri, in collaboration with the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, on the occasion of the 9th centenary of the death of the Patron Saint Berard.

The Pope recalled the words of Blessed Antonio Rosmini, the 19th-century Italian Catholic priest and intellectual, who affirmed that “truth and charity are linked by a fundamental bond”.

“The search for and study of truth are an essential part of an authentic service of charity and, at the itself, charity lived and exercised leads man to an ever fuller knowledge of the truth.”

Thinking big in changing times

However, the Pope noted, in the face of the “change of epoch” the world is currently experiencing, intellectual charity cannot be confined within the enclosures of research centers or reserved only to "insiders", but must animate and support the construction of a renewed proximity, as indicated in the encyclical Fratelli tutti.

“It is therefore urgent," he stressed, "that those involved in scientific investigation discover the historical responsibility of their commitment in the various fields of knowledge, overcoming the temptation to isolate themselves in particular spheres, to promote a new culture of knowledge.”

Dear Grandparents

lisboa2023.org

His mercy is from age to age" (cf. Luke 1:50): this was the theme of the 3rd World Day for Grandparents and Elderly, celebrated on July 23, 2023. This theme takes us back to a blessed encounter: the meeting between young Mary and her elderly relative Elizabeth (cf. Luke 1:39-56). The latter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed the Mother of God with words which, two millennia later, set the tone of our daily prayer: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" (Luke 1:42). And the Holy Spirit, who had already descended upon Mary, prompts her to respond with the Magnificat, where she proclaims that the Lord's mercy extends from generation to generation.

This year's celebration of World Day for Grandparents and Elderly and World Youth Day are remarkably close to each other. Each theme reflects Mary's "haste" (cf. Luke 1:39) when she visits Elizabeth, thus leading us to meditate on the connection between young and old. The Lord hopes that when young people meet the elderly, they will welcome the call to cherish memories and recognize the gift of belonging to a greater history thanks to them. The friendship of an elderly person helps young people not to limit their lives to the present and to remember that not everything depends on their abilities. For older people, the presence of a young person opens them up to hope that all they have experienced will not be lost and that their dreams will come true.

Citing the words of St. Paul VI when he started his mission as Archbisop of Milan in 1954, Pope Francis said that “intellectual charity must inspire 'to think big".'

Search for truth in charity a solid foundation for building peace

Concluding his message, the Pope renewed the call which Pope Paul VI addressed to scientists and intellectuals in 1965 at the close of the Second Vatican Council.

Pope Francis urged them to "continue to seek, without tiring, without ever despairing of the truth” as called for by St. Augustine, insisting that “an enlightened search for truth in charity” will lay an “ever more solid foundations for the construction of a peaceful society.”

Monsignor Viganò's address

In his key note address on Friday morning, Monsignor Viganò focused on the challenges and serious risks for humanity associated with the the latest technical-scientific developments: the Anthropocene (a term now used to indicate a new geological era marked by the impact of human activity on the Earth's ecosystems, including, anthropogenic climate and loss of biodiversity) and the rapid development of artificial intelligence. (AI).

By Lisa Zengarini

It is greatly confusing to children, particularly of a very delicate and impressionable age, to be subjected to some issues, seen by adults as important.

Two fathers approached us recently, each having seven year old daughters in secular schools. Both men hardworking tradesmen, neither churchgoers, though respectful of faith. Neither from the same county. The first had been horrified that his daughter had been addressed by a guest gay couple in class, apparently regarding gender choice. The second father was furious to find that his daughter, in another school, had been in a class addressed by a lesbian couple. Both children came home both deeply confused and very disturbed.

Tolerance and love are essential Christian values. Yet can we recognise a fickle line between necessary education and love and that of possibly enabling grooming for a cause?

It is time for parents, particularly of small children, to ask questions as to what is being taught, when and how.

Christ said “Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them!” Are we being watchful as Christ asked? (Luke 17: 1-3) “Let the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

(Matthew 19:13-15)

www.crownofthorns.org.uk

email: office@crownofthorns.org.uk

Crown of Thorns Mission of Hope

In 2021, when the Pope announced the celebration of World Day for Grandparents and Elderly, a group of grandparents came together to strengthen their connection with their grandchildren and created the "Dear Grandparents" project.

The aim of the 'Dear Grandparents' project is to create a strong chain of prayer for World Youth Day, especially for the leaders and their mission in this great world meeting. To find out how you can be involved with adding your prayers to the chain, visit lisboa2023.org/en/wydgrandparents

Promoting the Holy Rosary in the U.K. & throughout the world to bring hope, comfort and peace to the marginalised, the oppressed and the imprisoned, enabling wounded hearts to find healing and shattered lives to find breath and space to renew.

Supporting priests and chaplains in their ministry, outreach and welfare.

Response from parish priests: “The rosary cards that you sent me have had a tremendous effect on the devotion and prayer life of the parish.”

www.crownofthorns.org.uk

email: office@crownofthorns.org.uk

Phone: 01342 870472

Registered charity no: 1042751

“The search for and study of truth are an essential part of an authentic service of charity and, at the itself charity lived and exercised leads man to an ever fuller knowledge of the truth.”

vaticannews.va

Former Anglican Bishop of Monmouth to be received into the Ordinariate

rcadc.org

The call to Catholicism seems natural and spiritual at the same time

The Right Revd Richard Pain, former Anglican Bishop of Monmouth, has been received in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham on Sunday 2nd July at Ss Basil & Gwladys Church, Newport, by Mgr Keith Newton.

Bishop Richard Presents 2023's Charles Plater Trust (CPT) Awards in Liverpool

plater.org.uk

The Trust, which was established in 2006, has awarded more than £3 million to UK charities to date

The Charles Plater Trust (CPT) announced 15 new charity partnerships at its annual Grant Awards Celebration held at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral yesterday. The Trust, which was established in 2006, has awarded more than £3 million to UK charities to date, with its Trust Manager and Board of Trustees working collaboratively with grant recipients. Speaking shortly after the awards celebration, The Trust’s Manager, Philomena Cullen said: “Charities and churches are at the frontline of the challenges facing our country, so we are delighted to welcome 15 new charity partners to the Plater Trust family.

“The Trust is awarding £442,800 in grants this year, supporting a range of vital inspiring initiatives tackling urgent social need with projects including ex-offender rehabilitation, homelessness, food poverty, mental health, modern slavery, and domestic violence. But what our most popular grant round ever has also taught us is that while charities are doing incredible work, they are also struggling with rising operational costs, more demand for their services, growing societal inequality and apathy for structural changes needed. We stand alongside our charity partners delivering social justice against these odds.”

The Jericho Foundation is one of nine large grant recipients, with their Birmingham based project receiving £49,000 to support vulnerable women and girls affected by

modern slavery. Speaking about the impact of CPT’s grant, Louise Gore, a Senior Manager at the Foundation said: “[CPT’s] award will make a valuable contribution towards our employment-focussed work supporting survivors of modern slavery to recover, reduce their risk of re-exploitation and begin to look forward to their future with hope”.

Tempus Novo have also been awarded a large grant from the Trust, receiving £50,000 to support offenders and ex-offenders living in the East Midlands into employment. Steve Freer, the charity’s CEO said: “[CPT funding will] further our mission to remove barriers to employment for people with convictions. This funding will allow us to help so many more people, and in doing so, the partnership will have a positive impact on society in so many ways. Having a good job means more than a salary to an ex-offender, it means stability, security, the feeling of self-worth and the ability to support your family. Put simply it’s life changing”.

Bishop Richard Moth, Chair of The Charles Plater Trust said: "Life is really tough for far too many of our brothers and sisters across the country. Millions are struggling with the everincreasing cost of living, while the vast majority of families on Universal Credit cannot afford even basic items like food and clothing.

“If Fr Charles Plater were around today, he would be challenging us to do something about our unacceptable domestic poverty figures and rising social inequality trends. So, this year, our funding is focused on making a positive difference to the lives and life chances of hundreds of very marginalised people. Everything we do at The Charles Plater Trust is powered by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and ultimately the dignity of each and every person in our society.”

Revd Richard Pain has been a Vicar in the Church in Wales for 37 years. He was elected Bishop of Monmouth in 2013, before retiring in 2019.

Revd Richard said: ‘Having retired from episcopal ministry three years ago, I have had time to reflect on the retiree’s perennial question- what next? The process of discernment continues throughout life and is constantly shaped by context but more importantly by the whisper of God’s voice.

The Benedictine understanding of obedience – hearing the Lord- has been significant to my personal formation. The call to conversion which follows has led me to becoming a convert to the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate.

I have much to be grateful for the experience gained over a lifetime as an Anglican. Yet the call to Catholicism seems natural and spiritual at the same time. To start afresh will be a welcome challenge and I come – as we all do – as a learner and a disciple. The Ordinariate, through the vision of Pope Benedict, provides a generous pathway to walk a pilgrim way and I ask for your prayers.’

Mgr Newton said: ’We are delighted that after much prayer Richard has asked to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church. He will be the first bishop from the Anglican Church in Wales to be received into the Ordinariate since its creation in 2011. Richard has a long and distinguished ministry in the Church in Wales. He has many gifts which he will continue to use to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Wales.’

Catholic Union welcomes Holy See Ambassador to Parliament

catholicunion.org.uk

The Catholic Union welcomed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Chris Trott, to Parliament on Monday 10 July.

Former Catholic Union President, Lord Brennan, welcomed the Ambassador, for his first visit to Parliament since taking up the post in September 2021.

The Ambassador visited Parliament to address the All Party Parliament Group (APPG) on the Holy See, a cross party group of MPs and peers who take an interest in relations between the UK and the Vatican.

During the well-attended meeting, the Ambassador reflected on the international impact of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the Coronation of King Charles, which was a powerful reminder to the Holy See of the Christian origins and traditions of the United Kingdom. He focused on the areas where the UK and Holy See were able to work together including on tackling sexual violence in conflict, and interreligious dialogue and “inclusive citizenship” in the Middle East. He also mentioned that his new Residence was within Vatican territory and close to the Embassy which demonstrates the UK’s commitment to our bilateral relationship.

The Ambassador remarked: “I was very pleased to have this opportunity to meet parliamentarians from both Houses and to discuss with them the current UK relationship with the Holy See. I look forward to meeting them again on their next visit to Rome.”

The Catholic Union helped to arrange the meeting, which was convened by the Chair of the APPG, Alexander Stafford MP. Former FCO lawyer and Catholic Union Director, Nigel Parker, also attended the meeting in Parliament’s Portcullis House, along with staff from the Bishops’ Conference.

Nigel Parker comments: “This was a useful meeting and parliamentarians clearly enjoyed discussing current developments in Rome and the UK’s important relationship with the Holy See.

Appointment of a New Bishop for the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle

diocesehn.org.uk

other relevant appointments will be made by me after consultation with the safeguarding team and after any advice is received.

On Wednesday 14th June 2023, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed Rt Rev. Stephen Wright as the Fifteenth Bishop of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.

On hearing the news of his appointment Bishop Stephen said: “My grace is enough for you” (2 Cor 12:9) were the words of Scripture that I prayed most about when I was first appointed a Bishop. Those comforting words of St Paul reflecting on his own weaknesses have been in my heart and mind again, as I accept the Lord’s call to serve the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. I confess to being somewhat daunted. The ministry of a diocesan Bishop is onerous. I will be serving in an area I am not familiar with, and I am painfully aware that you have suffered hurt and shock in recent months. But I trust that God’s grace is indeed enough for us all when we accept it into our hearts and minds, co-operate with it and serve. The Lord sends us all out to be his missionary disciples. To serve as he served. Please, your prayers are a powerful part of that grace. Please pray for the whole diocesan family every day. Please pray for me each day as I will pray for you all.

A Bishop is called to care for the People of God entrusted to him like Christ the Good Shepherd. My first acts are to listen to you, to learn from you and discern with the whole diocesan family how we worship the Lord and serve in our local communities. I look forward with joy to meeting you all in the weeks and

months ahead; to see how the grace of God is alive in our parishes, our schools, our religious and lay communities, our youth ministry, our Caritas work, and in all the many ministries and communities across the Diocese. I want to discern with you how the Holy Spirit is calling us to be a synodal Church. I look forward to meeting and working with our sisters and brothers of other Christian traditions, of other faiths and none and the wider society here in the North-East.

My heart and mind will always be a Parish Priest. Although the ministry of a Bishop is different with other burdens and joys, I am delighted that at its heart a Bishop’s ministry is like that of a Parish Priest. Stand with your people. Know them, serve them. Do not lord it over them. In November 2021, Pope Francis preached, “Blessed is the Bishop who considers his ministry a service and not a power, making meekness his strength, giving to all the right of citizenship in his own heart, so as to inhabit the land promised to the meek.” Please, pray that I will be faithful to that call to serve you.

As your Bishop it is essential that I model best practice in safeguarding matters in my personal conduct and by following the national safeguarding policies. I welcome the diocesan safeguarding team and committee and the CSSA holding me to account in all the safeguarding work I am involved in. I will follow their expert informed advice. All clergy and

I accept Pope Francis’ appointment to Hexham and Newcastle with joy, albeit a nervous joy at present. I look forward to being at home here with you soon and serving you. Please keep me in your prayers as you are in mine.

Our Lady, pray for us. St Cuthbert, pray for us.

Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP, Archbishop of Liverpool and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle said: “I am delighted with the appointment of Bishop Stephen Wright as the new Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. As the former Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, Bishop Stephen brings pastoral experience and leadership skills to the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Alongside Archbishop Bernard Longley, Bishop Stephen has played a senior role in safeguarding reviews in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. His time as Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop has prepared him for this challenging role and he will bring vitality to the diocese.

Bishop Stephen has my full prayers and support as he starts his new journey.

Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham who ordained Bishop Stephen as a Bishop and has worked with him over many years as priest and Bishop said: “I know that Bishop Stephen will miss his home diocese, having grown up in Staffordshire and served as a priest here since his ordination in 2000 and since 2020 as Auxiliary Bishop. He will be greatly missed by his brother priests and by the communities that he has served across the

Universities Minister “disappointed” by treatment of Catholics on campus - Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth

portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

The Minister responsible for higher education in England has expressed his concern at the results from a recent Catholic Union survey on faith in the workplace.

Writing to the Catholic Union, Robert Halfon MP, said “I was very disappointed to read about the poor experiences some Catholic employees face in HE [higher education].”

A survey carried out by the Catholic Union earlier this year found that almost one in three people had experienced disadvantage because of their faith, while half of

responders said they did not feel able to talk to colleagues about their faith.

There were particular concerns raised about the situation in universities. One responder said: “I work at a university and public statements relating to my faith have been questioned in a threatening manner by my line manager”.

The Catholic Union wrote to a number of Ministers to highlight the survey and call for action to promote and uphold freedom of religion or belief in the workplace.

Commenting on the findings, Mr Halfon said “No one should experience unlawful discrimination or harassment for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief.”

In another response, the Policing Minister, Chris Philp MP, said “The Government is committed to ensuring policing is an inclusive workplace which reflects all the communities it serves, including our faith communities…”

The Catholic Union has also shared the findings from the survey with Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, which is carrying out an inquiry into human rights at work.

Catholic Union Director, Nigel Parker, comments: “I’m pleased that Ministers are engaging with us on this important matter. Our survey revealed that there is a lot of work to do when it comes to upholding legal protections for freedom of religion and belief

Episcopal Area of Staffordshire, the Black Country and Wolverhampton. With his considerable pastoral experience and wisdom, he will approach his new responsibilities in Hexham and Newcastle with energy and enthusiasm, but always sensitive to the history and character of his new diocese. As he prepares to leave the Midlands of St Chad for the North-East of St Cuthbert, I wish him every blessing in his apostolate and assure him of our gratitude and our prayers.”

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said on the news of Bishop Stephen’s appointment: “I welcome the appointment of Bishop Stephen Wright as Bishop of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. This appointment is both timely and most fitting. Bishop Stephen brings a wealth of diocesan pastoral experience to his new role. He also brings a sharp awareness and knowledge of the legal frameworks, both canonical and civil, within which a Diocesan Church carries out its mission.

With the publication of the CSSA Report, and with this appointment, the people, priests and religious of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle can look forward with hope and confidence. Please remember the new Bishop in your prayers.

in the workplace. While the initial responses from the Government are encouraging, people will rightly be looking for more than warm words. The scale of the problem uncovered by our survey should make politicians look again at the law and how these basic freedoms can be properly upheld. We’ll continue to do everything we can to help Catholics be true to their faith at work.”

Please pray for the whole diocesan family every day. Please pray for me each day as I will pray for you all.

Half of survey responders said they did not feel able to talk to colleagues about their faith

Thank you John and Happy Retirement

John Clawson has been the editor of the Catholic Post since it began in December 2021. He is retiring from this role and his role as editor of the Nottingham Catholic News which he has held since the paper started, over 24 years ago. John edited 313 editions of Nottingham Catholic News and 19 editions of Catholic Post. Bishop Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham said: ‘Catholic journalism is such an integral tool for mission; indeed, Pope Francis puts it well in noting that “Journalism is not so much a matter of choosing a profession, but rather of embarking on a mission”. Our heartfelt thanks go to John, for his mission and for giving so fully of himself in this vital field of work for more than 24 years. In recognition of such work, Bishop Patrick will present John with the diocesan 'Saint Hugh Of Lincoln Award'. We assure John of our prayers as he embarks on this next step of his journey."

OVERFLOW –an inspiring Conference

The re-awaking of Catholic Charismatic Renewal

Can you offer a Gift of Faith to Syria’s Christians?

After more than a decade of war, persecution, a crippling financial crisis and the recent earthquake – displaced Christians in Syria are destitute and in urgent need. Thousands upon thousands have been displaced with at least 90 percent of the population living below the poverty line.

Syria’s suffering Christians need your prayers and support today. Yasser, a Christian father of four from Marmarita whose family is receiving help from ACN, told us: “Our situation is at rock bottom... We don’t have food, only bread, and we are struggling. The Catholic Church is the main caretaker of our family.”

With your help, ACN can provide Syria’s Christians with emergency aid and pastoral assistance. Your Gift of Faith can offer a lifeline to displaced Christian families in desperate need and help them keep the Faith alive.

July 1st 2023 will be remembered as the day Catholic Charismatic Renewal in England and Wales, now called CHARIS, was awakened from its long Covid sleep. Representatives from parishes, communities and groups from around the two countries, together with friends from Scotland and Ireland, responded to God’s call “to be open to the overflow”, quoting from Psalm 22: You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my enemies. You have anointed me with oil, and my cup overflows.

A thousand of us on the Conference, including a large number of teenagers and young people, were reminded that our Baptism authorises us to go and evangelise. Our Baptism was when we were anointed as priests, prophets and kings, to praise our God, proclaim his Word, and serve the poorest of the poor. We were warned that “some people look as if they’ve been baptised with lemon juice!” And again, “Some people are living, but barely alive!” So, now is the time, at this Conference, for us to fall on our faces and repent as a prerequisite for a revival. Otherwise, the “overflow” of Psalm 22 may pass over our heads.

In response, we repented and the whole Conference spent over an hour in lively praise, even with loud shouts to silence the temptation to despondency. There is a new season upon us! We started a pandemic of praise. We heard inspired preaching remembering that when the Word of God is proclaimed effectively, when we don’t shy from preaching the Jesus whom we know and love deep in our hearts, then the Holy Spirit can fall upon us anew, as on that first Pentecost day. And we cried out so many times, “My mind is clear! My eyes are open! My heart is ready!”

And finally, our hearts were filled with hope as we listened to humble and uplifting testimonies both recorded and live on the stage. In particular, a whole team of young people, mostly teenagers, shared testimonies of their renewed Catholic faith as a result of participation in the ASCENT programme of formation, and then they stretched out their hands over the whole Conference participants and called down God’s blessing on us all. It was as if the colourful display behind the young people, representing the colours on the CHARIS Banner, had come alive and was overflowing on us all. What a memorable day, equipping us for our Mission, to take up Pope Francis’ three-fold call for us: to share baptism of the Holy Spirit; to build greater Ecumenical Unity; to serve the poor.

We thank God for the many who ministered to us on the day, both up front and behind the scenes, including the stewards, the sacristans, the Tech Team, and the many who had stalls in the Market Place & others who provided refreshments. Dr. Maria Heath welcomed us on behalf of CHARIS. Fr. Simon Penhalagan and Jasmine de Krester co-ordinated the various parts of the day. Our morning speakers were the powerful evangelists Deacon Larry Oney and his wife Andi, who had flown in from the USA. Nicky Gumbel, from Alpha, provided an ecumenical perspective. Michelle Moran urged us to seek God’s presence today and not to dwell on the past. The music was led by Fran McLean and Band. Bishop David Oakley gave us an inspiring address during the final Mass, sending us out, ready for our mission.

Keep in touch and find out more at: www.ccr.org.uk.

One thousand people at the Bethel Conference Centre, West Bromwich.

Fr. Jonathan Cotton

The red and yellow flames of the Holy Spirit descend upon us, “the power from on high”, offering us a new Pentecost experience

Thank you John for being our editor – we wish you all the best for your very well deserved retirement

First secondary school in the East Midlands to achieve CAFOD’s LiveSimply Award

robertsutton.srscmat.co.uk

A Burton school has achieved a prestigious award in recognition of its efforts to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the world’s poorest communities.

Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy has become the first secondary school in the East Midlands to achieve CAFOD’s LiveSimply Award.

At the centre of the school’s efforts to earn the award is a new Eco Prayer Garden, which was funded as part a project run by East Midlands Airport.

The airport asked schools to submit designs for gardens or green spaces that substantially boost biodiversity and lead to improved wellbeing.

Pupils created the garden design and considered the local wildlife and how they could incorporate the school values of Love, Respect, Hope, Kindness and Resilience, whilst looking after nature.

Students also identified the need for the school community to be recycling, composting, growing their own herbs and vegetables to be used in Food and Nutrition lessons and considering the packaging of food in the canteen, which was reviewed to ensure it was more sustainable and able to be recycled.

Iraqi cardinal urges global unity in Walsingham visit

Locally, regular food bank collections were held, students made ceramic poppies for local care homes and delivered and installed them for Remembrance Day, sent Christmas cards and regularly raised money for local charities.

Globally the school has helped to raise £15,000 over the years to build 15 freshwater wells in Africa. Other annual events to support CAFOD, the official aid agency for the Catholic Church, are the sharing of simple lunches for family fast days and taking part in the Big Lent Walk.

This latest accolade follows the school being shortlisted in the Secondary School of the Year category at the upcoming TES awards and being judged ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted earlier this year.

Laura O’Leary, Headteacher at Blessed Robert Sutton, said: "We are extremely proud to have received the LiveSimply Award, as it validates the remarkable efforts of our pupils and staff in promoting sustainable living and supporting those in need.

“Our school community has shown great dedication and commitment to creating a better future for all. We are grateful to CAFOD for their recognition and to East Midlands Airport for their invaluable support. Together, we will continue to strive for excellence in our pursuit of a more just and sustainable world."

Siobhan Farnell, CAFOD LiveSimply Award Assessor was delighted to confirm Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy is the first secondary school in the East Midlands and in the Nottingham Diocese to achieve the LiveSimply Award.

She said: “The pupils and staff have truly embraced living simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the world’s poorest communities. Their inspired actions have and will continue to make a real difference to the lives of others in their school, local community, and our global neighbours. We wish them continued success in all they do.”

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of Babylon and Head of the Chaldean Church, underscored the urgent need for global Christian unity and solidarity during a recent significant visit to Walsingham on Saturday June 17, accompanied by Bishop Peter Collins and several Iraqi clergy.

Their visit to Walsingham began with a stop at the Orthodox chapel, St Seraphim’s in Walsingham. They then visited the Abbey grounds, which is the site of the original Holy House. They were given a tour of the site, accompanied by a comprehensive talk on the history of Walsingham by Fr Michael Rear.

After their tour, the group shared a meal, followed by a visit to the Slipper Chapel at the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady.

A notable moment during the visit was Cardinal Sako’s in-depth interview with EWTN GB, where he addressed the challenges faced by Christians in Iraq and called for support from Western Christian communities.

The Cardinal began by expressing the hopes and aspirations of his clergy for the future, saying: “All the Iraqi bishops are with me, trying to keep our people busy, and also hoping for a better future, and I am sure the future will be different from this situation and the future will be much better than now. What we need is the proximity of our sisters and brothers, Christians in the West, and also this solidarity to support Christians there, and to support them morally, humanly, and spiritually, especially because in Iraq and other oriental countries the system is tribal, but Christians only have the Church, so their force is the Church.”

He went on to stress the significance of the Church to the Christians in the East: “The real shelter for them is the Church. What we need is this proximity, closeness, but also support. I mean, by visiting them and staying with them for a while to see their situation, to give them more hope, to raise their spirit. That is what we need.”

Turning to the role of Britain in Iraq, he said: “First of all, the British have a responsibility towards Iraq, because we were a British colony for years, and also the British were a part of the coalition to change the old regime. I think the duty of Britain and other Western states is to establish one standard of human rights, not a double standard. We have rights, all Iraqis, Muslims and Christians to live in freedom and dignity. This kind of conviviality cannot be done without a state of citizenship and a state of equality and justice.”

He then suggested the idea of partnerships and dialogue: “Maybe there are two ways to influence political leaders, but also Church leaders. Maybe at the beginning you can invite deputies or prime ministers, or the speaker of the Parliament, to speak to them directly here in Britain, a kind of symposium or a conference on how to develop Iraq, how to help Iraq to be a real state with its own sovereignty.”

Reflecting on the contribution of Eastern churches and the need for peace, he said: “We can give a lot to the Church because our spirituality, our liturgies, our theology – it is a richness for the whole Church… We have many goods to give to the West, oil and other products. So that should be really in a civilized way and not always tensions and conflicts and dead people – that is a pity.”

Regarding the future of his Church and Iraq, Cardinal Sako remained optimistic: “I am hopeful not only for the Church, but also for the Iraqi people. Overcoming the evil doesn’t remain impossible. The good is a little bit slow, but it remains. And this kind of situation cannot continue. There will be a change, a positive change.”

This visit marked a significant moment for the whole Christian community. It brings to the fore the pressing need for unity and support, echoing Cardinal Sako’s call for solidarity among Christians globally, irrespective of geographical boundaries

Incorporating the school values of Love, Respect, Hope, Kindness and Resilience, whilst looking after nature

Bishop Peter Collins (left), with His Beatitude, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako at the Abbey Grounds site.

All the Iraqi bishops are with me, trying to keep our people busy, and also hoping for a better future

View from the Pew

Oil and Water: a cautionary tale

had continued to play a large part in the life of the Russian émigré families in France.

I’m not sure where I stand on whether human social history develops in a linear or cyclical fashion. Is the direction of travel like an arrow, you can’t reverse the trajectory, you can’t undo time, or is it more like a boomerang, like some merry-go-round? In the latter case, it’s just a matter of time - I might even say ‘confusion’before a previous predicament or situation comes round full circle and re-presents itself. I think I remain sitting firmly on the fence in this debate. However, nowadays it seems agreed that time is  linear And suffice it to say that linear time prevails in the three religions deemed as descendants of Abraham:Judaism, ChristianityandIslam. Yet such development, more often than not throughout human history, has been considered  cyclical and rhythmic, mirroring the seasons. Perhaps the schism in 1534 (Henry VIII) could not have been so totally unpredictable nor unanticipated, particularly in the light of the great Schism of 1054.

1054 saw the mutual excommunication between Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cerularius. So started the ‘Great Schism’ splitting the two largest denominations in Christianity: the Roman Catholic, with its basis in Roman law, and the Eastern Orthodox, rooted in Greek philosophy. The excommunications were not revoked until 1965, when Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I, following their historic meeting in Jerusalem in 1964, presided over simultaneous ceremonies.

A highly respected member of the Eastern Orthodoxy of late has been The Very Reverend Archpriest Michael Fortunato (19 May 1931 -19 February 2022) who, for 45 years, was choirmaster and priest at London’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, the Moscow Patriarchate being an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian church. Born in Paris, the eldest of three sons of Russian émigré parents who had lost everything in the Revolution, Fr Michael

Fr Michael and I met once. We had been asked to attend the London HQ of a global mining company. The company was looking ‘in common accord and to mutual benefit’ at how best to engage both in spirit and in practice with the local village community of some farflung region of the Russian hinterland where drilling was about to commence. Fr Michael and I had arrived in good time and had just been ushered into the atrium: ‘A Temple to Mammon’, he called as he opened his arms wide and looked around at the structure dwarfing us. A secretary hurriedly announced that, due to unforeseen circumstances, our meeting had to be put back by half an hour or more. So we just sat there. And we got to talking. About this and that. And more besides. Notably about 20th century history.

He explained that his compatriots who had left Russia in the wake of the Revolution (1917) were of one of two types of political refugee fleeing persecution. There were those who had left a lot behind and who wanted to stay close at hand, hoping against hope that they could one day return to recoup what they had left behind. ‘Heavy fruit never falls far from the tree’. Conversely there were those for whom Mother Russia offered little promise and who, with little or no ‘ballast’, might as well pick up sticks, move away and look for a new life much further afield. A high percentage of each group remained loyal, yet in varying degrees, to their Christian faith, be they in Paris, London, the Americas or points beyond.

Fr Michael continued, explaining that, with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, there had come a new Russian exodus, a new diaspora bringing a tide of different Russian refugees looking to better their lot with their worship of the dollar in a new, brave post-Soviet world. They had been born and educated under Communism in an otherwise Godless society. For them preSoviet Russia and all it stood for was considered anathema, despite some among their number coming round to renouncing the

Evelyn De Morgan: The Worship of Mammon (1909)

religion of ‘the dollar’, ultimately to revert to the religion of their forefathers.

In short, the stage was set with the ageing wave of political emigrés and their direct modern-day descendants to meet with their latter-day fellow countrymen and women, latter-day economic migrants. Such was the issue which we now see reflected on a different and even broader canvas.

Perhaps I should look at life more ‘cyclically’ than I once did.

Attribution: Evelyn De Morgan. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Texts adapted and/or images adopted from http://en.wikipedia.org under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/

Dr J L Kettle-Williams is an experienced business communications consultant and wordsmith (tutor, writer, translator).

‘Heavy fruit never falls far from the tree’

Dr Jay Kettle-Williams

Catholic Union launches campaign to “scrap the cap”

schools to open as the policy is incompatible with Church law.

The Catholic Union, along with the Catholic Education Service and others, has been calling for the policy to be reversed since it was first introduced. The 2017 Conservative manifesto committed to lifting the cap, but this was never achieved.

The Catholic Union has launched a major new campaign to lift the 50 percent cap on faithbased admissions to new free schools.

People are being asked to sign an open letter to the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan MP, to “scrap the cap”.

The letter is available for people to sign on the Catholic Union’s website and will be delivered to the Department for Education after the summer holidays.

The 50 percent cap on faith-based admissions applies to oversubscribed free schools with a religious character in England. Introduced by the Coalition Government in 2010, the cap has made it impossible for new Catholic free

As well as making Catholic education more widely available, the letter to the Education Secretary says that lifting the cap “would help boost morale” in a sector that has struggled with pay and conditions and the pressure of inspections.

Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh MP, President of the Catholic Union, comments: “The 50 percent cap is a source of huge frustration to the Catholic community in this country. There has never been any justification for the policy or any evidence to support keeping it in place. I have raised this matter with successive Ministers in the Department for Education. We have come close to getting the cap lifted in the past and with the help of Catholic teachers we can make the Government see sense. Lifting the cap would be a huge vote of confidence in Catholic schools in this country and I know

would be welcome by people from other faiths.”

Professor John Lydon, Chairman of the Catholic Union’s Education Committee, adds: “This letter is a very important initiative from the Catholic Union. There is a bright future for Catholic schools in this country, but we need to be honest about the challenges we face. One of those challenges is the cap on faithbased admissions. It has without doubt restricted access to Catholic education in England and prevented the Church from realising the benefits of the academisation programme currently underway. The letter to the Secretary of State is a timely intervention and I encourage everyone involved in Catholic education in this country to add their name in support.”

We have come close to getting the cap lifted in the past and with the help of Catholic teachers we can make the Government see sense

catholicunion.org.uk

for magis- even when no one is watching.

Rare prayer book owned by priest who helped save the life of King Charles II goes on public display

nationaltrust.org.uk

A 400-year-old prayer book that once belonged to a priest who helped save the life of King Charles II, has gone on public display after being bought for the nation by the National Trust.

Father John Huddleston’s (1608 – 1698) personal missal can now be viewed at Moseley Old Hall, near Wolverhampton, the house where he was Chaplain when Charles sought refuge after escaping Cromwell’s troops following the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

The book, bearing Fr Huddleston’s signature, was purchased by the conservation charity at auction thanks to a generous donation from a volunteer and support from the Friends of the National Libraries. The successful bid means this important piece of history has been saved for the nation and has returned to Moseley permanently, some 363 years since it was first there.

Published in Paris in 1623, the rare copy of the Missale Romanum was possibly used to convert Charles II to Catholicism on his deathbed.

Fr Huddleston was a Benedictine priest who lived at Moseley Old Hall, dressed as a servant, with the Catholic Whitgreave family, who had stayed loyal to the Royalist cause following the execution of Charles I.

Following defeat to the Roundheads at Worcester, Charles fled to Boscobel House in Shropshire, where he hid in an oak tree, before arriving at Moseley Old Hall the following night. Flanked by a small group of supporters, he entered via the studded oak back door, still in place today, and given shelter.

Fr Huddleston helped Charles to seek refuge in his first-floor room, which had a view of the approach road as well as an escape route via a back staircase. A priest hole, accessible by a trapdoor beneath the floor of a cupboard, provided a hiding space for Charles when armed soldiers turned up at the house. The ‘King’s Bed’, upon which Charles managed to get some sleep, fully clothed, also remains in the hall today.

The King is understood to have consulted books in Huddleston’s library and it is likely that the missal – now complete with evocative drops of candle wax on some pages – would have been one of them. Following nine years of exile and the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, Charles made Huddleston chaplain to his Catholic mother, Queen Henrietta Maria, and later to his Catholic Portuguese wife, Catherine of Braganza.

Charles summoned Fr Huddleston to his bedside at Whitehall Palace in London in 1685, as he lay dying. Huddleston heard the king’s confession, administered the Eucharist and received him into the Catholic Church. The Duke of York is believed to have said that Huddleston saved the king’s life twice: first his body, then his soul.

The missal joins a collection that includes portraits of Thomas Whitgreave, the owner of the hall at the time, and of Fr Huddleston, as well as a letter King Charles II sent to a young local woman, Jane Lane, thanking her for helping him escape to France.

Sarah Kay, Cultural Heritage Curator, said: “We’re delighted to have secured this important book which is central to the story of Moseley. If we hadn’t acquired it, it is likely to have gone into private hands and not been accessible by the public. Displaying and interpreting the missal will provide a compelling focus and renewed impetus for telling the story of Charles II’s remarkable escape.”

Tim Pye, National Curator, said: “The Huddleston Missal is a wonderful acquisition for Moseley Old Hall. Not only is the 1623 edition of the Missale Romanum a rare book –just one other complete copy is recorded in UK

libraries – it is also crucial for our understanding of how Roman Catholic books were used and circulated at a time when it was dangerous to be anything other than Anglican.

“The way in which Huddleston has inscribed and annotated his missal highlights just how precious and personal this book would have been to him.”

The Missal was previously owned by Joseph J Procter who paid a Liverpool bookshop just sixpence for it, in the late 1950s. Mr Procter’s family have visited Moseley Old Hall to view the book and expressed their delight at it now being on public display.

Carmel College student wins debating competition at Hope University

“I hate football” is an assertion bound to spark discussion in a city like Liverpool – and fittingly enough, it was the title of the winning entry in a recent schools’ debating competition at Liverpool Hope University.

Schools from the archdiocese and beyond came together to take part in the competition and the winner was Keira Smith of Carmel College from St Helens, with her football-related speech.

Organised by the Catenians, the event took place on Friday 24 March at the university chapel with speakers addressing an audience of around 100 – including Archbishop Malcolm McMahon and the Bishop Emeritus of Hallam, John Rawsthorne.

Archbishop Malcolm presented the prizes with the assistance of the Catenians’

provincial president, John Gannon, and Keira Smith, the above-mentioned winner, received from the Archbishop the prize of the Hope Shield along with a cheque for her college.

The runner-up was Kostas Kuklys of Cardinal Allen Catholic High School with Addiction is not a choice. Meanwhile, third place went to Aymon Han of the Chester Catholic High School, who gave a speech titled ‘A country’s policy on educating girls impacts it's political, social and economic outcomes’.

The other competing schools were Archbishop Beck Catholic College, St Francis Xavier’s College, St Edward’s College and St Anselm’s College, Birkenhead. All contestants received a certificate and Amazon voucher.

The judging panel comprised Brother Bernard Fyles of St Helens circle, Judith Daley, a retired circuit judge, and John Dove, a senior crown prosecutor.

Charles Boulton, organiser of the event, said: ‘As always, the quality of the speeches was high and they provided a broad range of topics for our appreciative audience.

"Thanks are due to the Archbishop for his encouragement to the speakers and his enthusiastic support of circles throughout Province 4, and also to our sponsors, Mike and Anne Vickers of Chester circle, who generously sponsored the competition through their building company, Leverage Projects."

“The Huddleston Missal is a wonderful acquisition for Moseley Old Hall”

“I hate football’’ is an assertion bound to spark discussion in a city like Liverpool

liverpoolcatholic.org.uk

Performing priests raise thousands for Caritas Ukraine

dioceseofsalford.org.uk

Clergy rock band The Mercy Brothers is a group of priests from Salford and Shrewsbury Dioceses

Priests from the Diocese of Salford raised the roof last Friday night after resurrecting their band in support of Caritas Ukraine.

Clergy rock band The Mercy Brothers is a group of priests from Salford and Shrewsbury Dioceses who use their musical talents to share Gospel values and raise vital funds for charity.

Since its humble beginnings in the Year of Mercy (2015-2016), the band has raised a whopping £10,000 on average each year for various causes and this year, the boys were back in town to raise funds to buy electrical generators for schools and nurseries in Ukraine.

Taking to the stage at St John Fisher’s in Denton on Friday 9th June was parish priest Fr

Joe Gee on guitar, Fr Chris Gorton from St Cuthbert’s in Bolton on keys, and Fr Mark Harold, from St Mary’s in Bamber Bridge, performing as the band’s lead singer.

They were also delighted to welcome Fr Nick Kern from the Diocese of Shrewsbury and lay member, Tom, as the band’s drummer.

Almost 200 people crowded into the parish hall to hear all their favourite classics, such as “I’m a Believer”, “Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, whilst enjoying the opportunity to taste some delicious Ukrainian cuisine.

Fr Joe Gee was delighted to host the event following a request from a parishioner.

He said: “I was approached by a member of the parish with links to the Manchester Ukrainian community about the possibility of a parish fundraiser.

“I told him that I actually had the clergy band lined up for a parish event but we could put the two together.

“A member of the Ukrainian community then came and spoke at all the parish masses one

Frank Goulding

Supplying more people than ever this year

The month of August coincides with most school holidays and for many it is usually the period for a break. With the rising cost of inflation in recent times there will be instances of families who in past years have always got away but simply cannot afford the cost this year. Whilst some are just about managing many for the first time are resorting to using food banks.

Many of our MPs do not comment much about food banks but their presence is well known in many towns and cities. I live in a small but rapidly growing town which forms part of a district known as Newark and Sherwood. Earlier this year the Trussell Trust advised me that in my area last year the food banks gave out 4,570 emergency food parcels of which 1,521 were provided for children. The Trust stated that many are living in crisis.

Clearly the use of food banks cannot be promoted without the support of a good number of volunteers who are succeeding

with enthusiastic teamwork and relevant communication. as to which items they specially need. My local team say they are supplying more people than ever this year and remain committed to keeping people, families and children supplied when they need it most. This support of our churches is surely an example of what can be achieved if Christians work together.

There are so many other areas where good teamwork would clearly make life more tolerable or easier for those in greatest need. Those in positions of authority must realise that only by working together with good will can progress be made. The pandemic and cost of living crisis has made life much more challenging. The Government support is unlikely but can anything be achieved?

In last month’s article I said that I am not a theologian or historian but we are all aware of the care and compassion that is needed today. We are also aware that Peter, Andrew, James and John left everything and worked together to follow our saviour.

weekend, and as they had already raised money for electrical generators for schools and nurseries via Caritas Ukraine, we said we’d donate our funds to the cause.” Together with funds from the raffle, the evening raised a total of £2,200.

If you are interested in holding your own parish fundraiser, please contact communications@dioceseofsalford.org.uk and we will put you in touch with the band.

Success for social worker pilot scheme in women’s prisons

prisonadvice.org.uk

All women’s prisons should have social workers dedicated to supporting mothers in custody to stay in touch with their children, where it is in the child’s best interests, according to the charity Pact (the Prison Advice and Care Trust). The call coincides with the publication today of an independent evaluation report that shows how social workers in two prisons have helped to keep mothers in touch with their children and have supported in managing incidents of self-harm, which are at record levels in women’s prisons.

The Together a Chance pilot project, run by Pact and funded by the Sylvia Adams Trust, employs two prison-based social workers to support mothers in HMPs Send and Eastwood Park. Their role is to bridge the gap between the prison and social services in the community, keeping mothers in touch with their children where it is in the child’s best interests.

The pilot project in HMPs Send and Eastwood Park followed Lord Farmer’s landmark review in 2019 about the importance of maintaining family ties in women’s prisons. The report recommended that the Ministry of Justice fund on-site social workers as part of a multidisciplinary team within each prison.

A new second independent interim report on the evaluation, published today by Cardiff University, shows that the Pact social workers:

* Support more frequent and positive contact between mothers and children, where it’s in the child’s best interests, dealing with dozens of local authorities across England and Wales. * Promote mothers’ rights and give them more of a say in key decisions affecting their children.

* Instil hope in women to remain positive and play a significant role in managing self-harm and the risk of suicide among women in prison.

* Bring new, specialist knowledge of safeguarding and social services’ processes which does not just benefit the women in prison but also helps to upskill other prison staff, allowing them to deal more effectively with mothers in the establishment. Prison officers report lacking the relevant expertise to deal with complex cases that involve social services.

Andy Keen-Downs, Pact CEO, said: “The report published today shows the vital role that prison-based social workers play in bridging the gap between mothers in prison and social services on the outside. This is a win-win –keeping mothers in touch with their children

where appropriate, supporting efforts to tackle the worryingly high levels of self-harm in women’s prisons and reducing the likelihood that they’ll reoffend.

“It’s been over three years since a Government-commissioned review recommended that every women’s prison should have dedicated social workers. We have the evidence that it works; now it’s time for Ministers to invest in this simple, commonsense measure.”

Katia Parent, Social Worker, HMP Send, said: “We’re giving the mothers the chance to be there for their children and to show their children that they still have parents who love them and will do everything for them from prison. It’s about giving women hope for the future and their children the opportunity to have a relationship with their mother where that’s appropriate.”

Quotes from mothers in prison

“She never ever lets me down or doesn’t turn up. She always delivers. If she says something, she follows through. She’s amazing and helped me so much and impacted my life greatly in a good way. She’s the best social worker help I’ve ever had. I’d have not coped without her at all.”

“She has been able to make the contact with the people I couldn't. This is invaluable to me.”

“She has supported me through all my court hearings and emotionally after my hearings, keeping me involved in meetings and helping me to read and write.”

“It reminds me that I’m a mum, and I need to act a certain way. So it’s really helped me with my growth in here and my progression.”

Facts about women in prison

* Two-thirds of women entering prison to serve a sentence have committed a non-violent offence

* Rates of self-harm among women in prison are at record levels. Last year there were more than 16,000 incidents – a rise of 37% on the previous year. Although women make up only 4% of the prison population, they account for 29% of all recorded self-harm incidents.

* Around three in five women in prison have a child under the age of 18. An estimated 17,000 children are affected by maternal imprisonment every year. 95% of children have to leave their home when their mother goes to prison.

* Almost two-thirds of women in prison are reported to be survivors of domestic abuse, and half report having experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse as a child.

People who receive visits when they are in prison are 39% less likely to reoffend - 58% of women are reconvicted within one year of leaving prison.

Family contact can help address the causes of reoffending on release. But keeping in touch is often made more difficult by being held in prison far from home. The average distance for women is 63 miles, but it is often significantly more.

For more information, references and to read the full report, go to prisonadvice.org.uk

Annual Padley Pilgrimage, Derbyshire

The annual inter-diocesan Hallam Nottingham Padley Pilgrimage, which started in 1898, took place on July 9th.

Led by the bishops of both dioceses, Ralph Heskett (Hallam) and Patrick McKinney (Nottingham), the pilgrimage from Grindleford Station to Padley Chapel honours the martyrdom of Robert Ludlam and Nicholas Garlick, Catholic priests from Derbyshire, who, while staying overnight with a Catholic family at Padley Manor, were arrested for treason on the basis of being Catholic priests and were executed in Derby in 1588. Thy were beatified in 1987.

“We’re giving the mothers the chance to be there for their children and to show their children that they still have parents who love them and will do everything for them from prison.”

Procession from Grindleford Station to Padley Chapel

Bishop Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham Bishop Ralph Heskitt, Bishop of Hallam

Our Global Community School massacre follows bishops’ dire warning

John

Just weeks after bishops warned that militant attacks in central Africa were spiralling out of control, an armed group killed children at a school in Uganda as they were singing their evening prayers.

Extremist rebel group ADF-NALU (Allied Democratic Forces – National Army for the Liberation of Uganda) ransacked an educational institute near the border with the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) last Friday (16th June), killing 38 students, a school security officer and three others. Six pupils were kidnapped.

The massacre at Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School followed the Provincial Episcopal Assembly of Bukavu, DRC issuing a statement at the end of May, highlighting the suffering caused by extremist groups.

The bishops said: “Pastoral work is being disrupted by the activity of ADF-NALU and

other armed groups which are cruelly massacring peaceful citizens, even close to the positions of the security forces which are supposed to be protecting them.”

The statement highlighted the worsening security situation in the region – which has left almost a quarter of a million people in displacement camps – and called on the government to take steps to address it.

The bishops said: “The result is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis – famine, disease, death.”

The affected areas are rich in natural resources such as coltan, a mineral used in the manufacturing of mobile phones, electric cars and other electronic devices.

According to the bishops, armed militias have captured key territories and are exploiting valuable resources.

The bishops said: “Misery has taken up residence everywhere in a country that is potentially very rich… but with a truly miserable people.”

The signatories also condemned companies which are profiting from the exploitation of the DRC’s natural resources.

According to witnesses interviewed by the BBC, loud noises interrupted the Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School children’s singing at around 10pm, and initially they thought the pupils were playing a prank.

ADF-NALU entered the boarding school and started setting fire to dormitories. Some pupils died in the fire while others were killed by machete blows.

The militants are widely reported to have pledged allegiance to Islamist group Daesh (Islamic State).

The school massacre comes at a time when another rebel group, the March 23 Movement, has stepped up its insurgency in mineral-rich regions around Goma, the capital of DRC’s North Kivu province.

WYD Lisbon 2023 planted over 8,000 trees on this World Environment Day

The worldwide Global Tree Initiative platform has already planted 8,239 trees dedicated to World Youth Day (WYD)

www.lisboa2023.org

Lisbon 2023. On this World Environment Day, this is a way to reaffirm the commitment to sustainability that has been the focus of this initiative by Fundac�a� o JMJ Lisboa 2023 from the beginning.

The numbers, which will grow as we advance along the path to the world's largest meeting of the Pope with young people, to take place in Lisbon between 1 and 6 August, already represent an increase of 20% compared to the last assessment made in early June and shared with all the media.

According to data from the Global Tree Initiative, new trees have been planted and dedicated to WYD Lisbon 2023 all over the world, from Portugal to Spain, and including France, India, Australia, Angola, Guinea and Brazil.

Newton and Amy Balog

“The result is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis –famine, disease, death.”

Book Reviews Book Reviews

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Barbara Reed Mason

£3.95

CTS Product Code: DO963

Please refer to this code when ordering over the phone

ISBN: 9781784697556 www.ctsbooks.org

Every time the Mass is celebrated something astonishing occurs: the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is made truly present.

Drawing on Sacred Scripture, the Catechism, and the words of saints and popes, this book explains how the Sacrifice of the Mass unites the faithful with God.

Every time the Mass is celebrated something astonishing occurs: the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is made truly present. The Mass is the sacrifice of Christ. In this way, it offers all Catholics a powerful and personal encounter with the loving Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave his life for the salvation of sinners. Drawing on the sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the wise words of saints and popes, this book explains how the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass unites the faithful with God.

Behold Your Mother

Peter Kahn

£6.95

CTS Product Code: D847

Please refer to this code when ordering over the phone

ISBN: 9781784697563 www.ctsbooks.org

Behold Your Mother tells stories about ways the saints encountered Our Lady, not necessarily through the miraculous, but rather as their spiritual mother in everyday life, showing that any growth in our awareness of Mary’s presence and care for us deepens our relationship to Christ.

"When God provides our necessities through Mary’s hands, then we become more

affectionate towards our spiritual mother, and our trust in God grows."

What is it like to have a close relationship with Mary, the Mother of God? Our Lady is the spiritual mother of all Christians, but it is the saints who know her best.

This book tells stories about ways the saints encountered Our Lady, not necessarily through the miraculous, but rather as their spiritual mother in everyday life.

The saints’ experience shows us that any growth in our awareness of Mary’s presence and care for us deepens our relationship to Christ. It is their testimony that an everdeepening relationship with the Mother of God is a path to sanctity.

Reflecting on the wisdom of the saints who so loved Our Lady shows that this path through Marian devotion to holiness is one open to all Christians. She is our mother and she seeks always to lead us to her beloved son, Jesus.

Brothers in Arms

Brendan McManus SJ

€12.95

ISBN 9781788126144

www.messenger.ie

‘I absolutely loved this book – the reflections, the songs, the stories of people you met along the way. I’ve no doubt it will help many people make the right choices along their chosen path in life.’

Patricia McCann, Playwright and author of Bring Me Back Alive

The summer of 2022 saw an unprecedented heatwave in Spain and the author, a Jesuit priest was accompanying a Dublin taxi driver on a walking retreat on the Ignatian Camino to Manresa, near Barcelona. This book tells the story of that testing pilgrimage: trying to find a way through severe heat; the challenges of walking together, finding accommodation and negotiating unexpected hurdles; and the retreat that they did together that looked at faith, prayer and blocks to progress. On one level it is a story of friendship between two very different personalities, and also a story of two souls on a spiritual search for God.

As in his other books, Brendan highlights the Ignatian learning points and narrates the many adventures they went through to cope with exceptional circumstances. The pressure of the intense heat forces them to adapt their walking and find balance and discernment in

making good decisions on the road. The pilgrimage took in some key Ignatian sites such as Montserrat and Manresa, but readers are given a unique perspective on the experience of St Ignatius Loyola through the eyes of these two pilgrims’ unique journey, as well as illustrating how a customised Ignatian retreat works. This is a pilgrimage story of finding God in the messiness of less than ideal situations, developing a heart-warming friendship, and finding a way through using Ignatian principles of reflection and flexibility.

Brendan McManus SJ works as a Spiritual Director and retreat giver in Belfast. He has published a number of books with Messenger Publications including Channelling the Inner Fire, Contemplating the Camino, Surviving Suicide Bereavement and, co-authored with Jim Deeds, Discover God Daily, the best-selling Finding God in the Mess and Deeper into the Mess.

Living with Ignatius: On the Compass of Joy

Nikolaas Sintobin SJ

€9.95

ISBN 9781788125987

www.messenger.ie

What makes a successful life, and how do I decide what do with mine? What does it mean to believe in God? Does God still hold the same meaning and relevance in our time, and if so, how can I tap into that meaning?What makes a successful life, and how do I decide what do with mine? What does it mean to believe in God? Does God still hold the same meaning and relevance in our time, and if so, how can I tap into that meaning? These are just some of the questions addressed in this new book on how the lived experience of St Ignatius Loyola can be used as a guiding principle towards a more intensely and consciously lived life in today’s world.

It provides an insight into the life of Ignatius, as well as an introduction to Ignatian spirituality, presenting it not as a doctrine, but as a spiritual toolkit from which we can draw strength and knowledge. An illuminating read for those familiar with Ignatius as well as those new to Ignatian spirituality.

A Flemish Jesuit priest, Nikolaas Sintobin SJ has been a teacher and a chaplain in the Jesuit high schools of Paris and Antwerp, specialising in Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy. He has worked as an internet chaplain for the past 10

years, sharing the Gospel in our current secular and multi-religious culture through humour, podcasts, reality TV, YouTube and blogging.

Robots, Ethics and the Future of Jobs

Seán McDonagh €19.95

ISBN-13: 978-1788123068 www.messenger.ie

Well-known environmentalist and author Seán McDonagh was ahead of the game in his 2021 book, Robots, Ethics and the Future of Jobs when he urged against developing technology in an ethical vacuum. Today, as we scramble to assess the social, economic and political impacts of rapidly-evolving AI systems such as ChatGPT, the wider implications of their broadening capacities are gradually beginning to dawn.

AIs, by taking on mundane, repetitive tasks have the capacity to transform the workplace, enabling staff to take up more creative, interesting roles – or they could generate redundancies on an unparalleled scale. Three years ago, as he was writing the book, McDonagh noted that without regulations, policies and worker protection, the same tools that we use to connect, protect and support us can also be put to use in ways that have a huge negative impact on our privacy, our freedom and our life choices. Across the fields of education, industry, commerce and politics, this fact is filtering through to the extent that many working in emerging technologies are now calling for a halt to ongoing research and development.

Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament (2004-2007) summarised Robots, Ethics and the Future of Jobs as ...a wakeup call for political, civic, media and church leaders, urging a response to the deepening and accelerating pace of technological change and its potential consequences.

Maybe it’s time to revisit this accessible and thought-provoking book and its call to place a respect for human rights front and centre of discourse and decisions about the future of AI?

Robots, Ethics and the Future of Jobs by Seán McDonagh, with a foreword by Karlin Lillington is published in Ireland and the UK by Messenger Publications.

302,158 children living in poverty in the Diocese of Salford

caritassalford.org.uk

Tragically, these appalling figures don’t come as a surprise as our staff and volunteers are seeing first-hand every day the impact of poverty on the lives of people we work alongside

A diocesan charity is calling for urgent action to support local children experiencing poverty, as latest figures show a 24% rise in child poverty in the Diocese of Salford compared with the same time last year.

Caritas Salford, which works alongside people across Greater Manchester and Lancashire, is launching its summer appeal and demanding immediate action from government, as need for its services supporting families experiencing poverty in the area rises significantly.

The new figures, taken from research by Loughborough University on behalf of the End Child Poverty Coalition and published earlier this month, show that a staggering 302,158 children in the Diocese of Salford (which covers Greater Manchester and parts of Lancashire) are living in poverty. This figure is up by 73,303 when compared with the same time last year – a shocking increase of 24%.

Patrick O’Dowd, director of Caritas Salford, said: “We’re urging local and national government and other key decision makers to act immediately to try and reverse this near catastrophic situation many people are finding themselves in. There’s so much talk and rhetoric, but that isn’t going to help people on the ground – the hardworking people we see every day struggling to feed their family three meals a day or keep a safe, secure roof over their heads.

“This should include changes to policies that support real families who need help immediately, for example by ending the twochild limit on benefits, increasing the number of children with access to free school meals, encouraging employers to pay the real living wage, and addressing other issues at the root cause of poverty experienced by so many.

“In 2023 this shouldn’t need to be said, but we’ll keep saying it until real change happens. We have to, before it’s too late for many hardworking parents and their children.”

Patrick added “Every day, families come to us who are struggling and having to make heartbreaking decisions on what they can and can’t afford to provide for their children. Often, people who work one or two jobs are having to come to us to use our showers, for example, as they aren’t able to afford the utility bills to wash at home. Those who can’t afford shampoo for their young children, or those going without a meal to enable their youngest family members to eat instead.

“While we’re always here for people in Greater Manchester and Lancashire who need our help, it shouldn’t be down to charities to ensure people are able to have basic human rights and the dignity we all deserve. Please join us in shouting loudly for immediate tangible change and get in touch if you’re able to help support our charity as we work alongside families locally too.”

Bishop John Arnold, said: “Sustaining and ensuring the human dignity of every person, whether young or old, is upheld, respected and honoured should be fundamental in all of our lives.

“That so many children are experiencing such poverty, suffering and hardship in 2023 is absolutely unacceptable and every one of us, whether we’re a decision maker, employer, neighbour or friend should be doing everything we can to urgently right this terrible situation.

“These latest statistics from our diocese are truly heartbreaking and, while Caritas is working hard on the ground to support people in our communities who need help at this extremely challenging time in our history, true change will only happen by everyone coming together for the greater good and driving forward immediate change. It’s imperative that happens now to ensure that hard-working families across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and beyond can live in a way that is dignified –a way that every adult and child deserves.”

How Caritas Salford can help

Since its launch in 2020, the Caritas Bishop’s Fund has been awarding small one-off emergency grants to families and individuals in crisis. Access to these grants is promoted via Caritas frontline workers and partnership organisations, as well as the diocesan network

of schools and parishes. The fund has helped people in many different ways, ranging from supermarket shopping vouchers through to replacement white goods and children’s beds, supporting people experiencing difficulty and poverty.

As well as providing accommodation to support young parents and their infant children experiencing homelessness, Caritas Salford provides tailored support services to school children and their families as they experience difficulties. This work has included working with bereaved children, supporting families where there is young offending and providing counselling services.

The charity also runs a range of other services across the area, including community pantries to support those experiencing food poverty.

Caritas Salford is a member of the End Child Poverty Coalition alongside other charities, child welfare organisations, social justice groups, faith groups, trade unions and others – all united in a vision of a UK free of child poverty.

To donate to the Caritas Salford appeal, or find out more about the figures for your local authority area, please visit https://www.caritassalford.org.uk/poverty

South Shields school is basketball champion for third consecutive year

diocesehn.org.uk

A South Shields school basketball team has won a South Tyneside competition for the third year running. Pupils at St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, which is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, were crowned South Tyneside Basketball Champions 2023 at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle.

This is the third consecutive year the primary school has claimed the title. The St Bede’s Y5 team won seven games in a row initially to qualify for the finals night in Newcastle, where the four best teams met in South Tyneside.

Team coach and Y3 teacher Brian McVittie said: “We beat an excellent Cleadon side in a tense semi-final. Our team showed its

defensive qualities for long periods with Cleadon applying a lot of pressure; but the pupils still had the quality to create and convert the only basket of the game.”

The District final was played in front of a huge crowd at half-time in the Eagles game against London Lions.

St Bede’s got off to a flying start in the final, as they scored two baskets in the opening minute. The St Bede’s players continued to play superbly and added a third basket to claim the title with an impressive 6-0 win.

Captain Alice Queenan, nine, said, “It was amazing playing at the Eagles home ground in

Newcastle and a proud moment to lift the cup with my family watching on in the crowd.”

Mr McVittie added: “I couldn’t have been prouder of the children for how they showed their wonderful ability on a big stage. They were cheered on by brilliant family, staff and school community support in Newcastle on a special night. It is great to see many of our children continue to stay active and join local sport clubs such as South Tyneside Basketball Club. Hoops4health basketball competitions are also great in the early stages, as schools

2-in-1 Crossword

by Axe

You can use both sets of clues to solve the puzzle: the solutions are the same.

CRYPTIC Across

7 Book about a Norseman on Latin (6)

8 Philistine town where a quiet religious academic's hosting a ball (6)

9 A-lister, one that shines, wise men follow (4)

10 Woman's bad times with those in an early sect (8)

11 King of Jerusalem's barren victory (7)

12 Draw a holy place for Muslims (5)

15 Promote Tottenham's home theme (5)

17 Two containers I split are for the church in Rome (7)

20 One with a Uniat community girl returns, staying in touch (8)

22 Council beginning at Arles gets Dijon epilogue (4)

23 Get girl, university student, in a classical bear hug (6)

24 Syrian soldier's cured Indian bread mother tucks into (6)

CRYPTIC Down

1 National Theatre-Shakespeare character's elevated South American saint (8)

2 Abbot of Rievaulx's distress, getting flushed (6)

3 Chap's name's changed by Necho; the priest's goal is protecting the king (7)

4 The bridge between Ruth and 2 Samuel? (5)

5 Site of homage at quiet river in Spain (6)

6 Spare St Thomas? (4)

13 Abraham, for example, had clean resolution (8)

14 Women on right to be brought up in a 6th century archbishopric (7)

16 Book for the going... (6)

18 ...and the coming? (6)

19 Had Ulster divided, all over Jacob's daughter (5)

21 Account about a battle in the Crusades (4)

QUICK Across

7 One of the four Major Prophets (6)

8 Philistine city taken by Uzziah and later restored by Herod the Great (6)

9 ---- of David, insignia of Jewish identity (4)

10 Early Christian sect members who aimed to return to innocence through nudity (8)

11 Archbishop of Canterbury, 1184-90, who died on the Third Crusade (7)

12 Muhammad's birthplace (5)

15 Sacred choral anthem (5)

17 ------- City, the world's smallest country by area (7)

20 One of a Syrian Uniat community, in formal communion with the RC Church since 1182 (8)

22 Council of 560, from which 47 genuine canons are preserved (4)

23 Romano-British 'saint', removed from the Catholic calendar of saints in its 1969 revision (6)

24 Syrian army officer healed of leprosy by Elisha (6)

QUICK Down

1 South American capital named after one of the apostles (8)

2 Abbot of Rievaulx, 1147-67 (6)

3 Steward n the household of Hezekiah (7)

4 Woman raped by Amnon and avenged by her brother Absalom (5)

5 Site of homage on a pilgrimage (6)

can enter multiple teams (we entered four) which means a wide range of children of all abilities can take part. This gives lots of children a great experience which develops their character and self-confidence.”

In October, St Bede’s will represent South Tyneside in the Champion of Champion Regional Finals, which promises to be an exciting occasion for the South Shields children, as they head back to the Vertu Motor Arena.

6 Saint (1478-1535), Lord Chancellor of Henry VIII's England (4)

13 Relating to Aramaic-speaking people of Babylonia (8)

14 Italian city, overrun by invaders after the fall of Rome, made an archbishopric in the 6th century (7)

16 Second book of the Pentateuch (6)

18 Major OT prophet (6)

19 Daughter of Jacob and Leah (5)

21 Important Crusader base experiencing sieges in 1189-91 and 1291 (4)

SOLUTION

Eliakim, 4 Tamar, 5 Shrine, 6 More, 13 Chaldean, 14 Ravenna, 16 Exodus, 18 Isaiah, 19 Dinah, 21 Acre.

The Year 5 basketball team at St Bede’s Catholic Primary School in South Shields pictured with Newcastle Eagles.

The pupils still had the quality to create and convert the only basket of the game