Responding to the Call

dioceseofsalford.org.uk and former Rector and Director of the National Shrine of Our Lady, Walsingham. Also present was Theo, a seminarian for our diocese who is studying for the Priesthood at the Venerable English College, Rome but who is currently on a pastoral year in St Matthew’s, Manchester. We welcomed young people and staff from St Augustine’s RC High School, Billington, Clitheroe who proclaimed the readings and bidding prayers and took part in the Offertory Procession – thanks to them for their participation and for enriching the Mass. man named Matthew sitting by the customs house; and he said to him, “Follow me”. And he got up and followed him”.

The beautiful Grade II listed St Mary’s, Brownedge Church, Bamber Bridge recently hosted a Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life for the Deanery of St John Southworth, the most northerly of the nine deaneries in the Diocese of Salford.

St John’s Catholic Specialist School in Boston Spa has gained the National Autistic Society’s Accreditation Award!

The Autism Accreditation Programme is the UK’s only autism-specific quality assurance programme of support and development for those providing services to autistic people. In an application process taking two years and involving audits, observations, interviews and other information collecting, St John’s School has achieved the accreditation necessary for proving that an organisation is committed to understanding autism and setting the standard for autism practice.

Head Teacher Ann Bradbury said: ‘We knew we were evolving as a school, and wanted to ensure we were providing the best experience for all our students. We decided to apply for accreditation through the National Autistic Society to help us identify areas for improvement and seek advice on how to develop further. Overall, this has helped us to become a more autism focused school with an increased expertise in supporting our autistic young people. This is an ongoing programme and we will continue to learn, and develop. We are very grateful for the commitment and hard work that went into achieving this award from all of the staff at St John’s. Everyone had a part in the journey we undertook, and everyone should celebrate this achievement. We would also like to thank our parents, governors and, of course, the students themselves for their contributions.’

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Fr Mark Harold, who, in addition to being Parish Priest is also the Dean, presided and Mass was concelebrated by Fr Colin Battell OSB, Assistant Priest, together with Fr Mark Paver, Diocesan Vocations Director; Fr Michael Deas, Diocesan Vocations Promoter; Monsignor John Corcoran, former Dean and former Parish Priest, Our Lady of the Valley (Clitheroe, Sabden and Dunsop Bridge); Fr Tim Curtis SJ, Parish Priest, St Peter’s, Stonyhurst and St Joseph’s, Hurst Green; and Fr Noel Wynn SM, a member of the Marist Community in Blackburn

The Proper of the Mass and the readings, with the exception of the Gospel (which was proclaimed by Fr Mark Paver), were taken from the Memorial Mass of St Bede, whose Memorial fell on the day, and the Mass setting was the ‘Mass of Christ the Saviour’ by Daniel L Schutte. Fr Mark gave a purposeful and humorous homily reflecting briefly on the gifts, experience and background of the concelebrating Priests and Theo and that: “One of the things that joins the thread is that these people responded to what God wanted them to be, God formed them to be”

Fr Mark also reflected on his alternative choice for the Gospel which was the Call of St Matthew, in St Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 9, Verse 9: “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a

St Bede wrote a commentary on this Gospel passage which, Fr Mark, explained, had encouraged Pope Francis, as a 17 year old, having been to confession on the Feast of St Matthew, to read and which encouraged him in his vocation. Years later, Pope Francis was inspired by St Matthew in his choice of motto when he became Archbishop of Buenos Aries. At the end of Mass, Fr Michael Deas gave a brief address in which he emphasised that those expressing an interest in a vocation be encouraged and supported.

Thanks also go to our organist, Mr Raymund Livesey, and to our team of six Altar Servers and to all those involved in organising and preparing for the Mass