The Catholic Pic May 2020

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:21 Page 1

Issue 188 May 2020

‘With the Church in prayer at home’

Easter Blooms in Mossley Hill INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Remembering the National Pastoral Congress

Cathedral bells ring out for carers

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:21 Page 2

Inspiring excellence personal and academic

Welcoming students from all areas of Liverpool & beyond Bellerive is a very popular choice for girls from across Liverpool.

Contact us for a guided tour and ďŹ nd out why we are such a unique, ambitious school.

Bellerive FCJ Catholic College 1, Aigburth Drive, Sefton Park, Liverpool L17 3AA Tel: 0151 727 2064 www.bellerivefcj.org Specialisms in Sciences, Applied Learning and Maths & Computing

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:22 Page 3

contents Welcome In these last weeks life has changed, it is different and difficult with necessary restrictions so that we can literally save lives. Our churches remain closed and were closed through the days of Holy Week and Easter and yet Easter offers us light in our darkness.

It would be easy for us to think of the Risen Lord hidden and silent in our closed churches, yet He is not. He is alongside us every day whenever we pray and wherever we are. This month Monsignor John Devine reminds us of the words of St Paul in his Letter to the Romans, ‘I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord’.

(Romans 8:38-39) This month we look at some of the initiatives taking place to help others in our parishes and we also look back to the days of the National Pastoral Congress held in Liverpool exactly forty years ago.

With churches closed it may be difficult for you to get a copy of the Catholic Pic, details of a new subscription service are in this edition. Thank you for your continuing support in these times.

From the Archbishop’s Desk Due to the lockdown not as much work has crossed my desk in the last few weeks, even the emails have slowed down.

When the lockdown was first enforced and new restrictions and advice to clergy were enacted I was very busy with conference calls and social media but later I felt quite disoriented as my everyday life is largely guided by my diary.

Keeping safe meant that I was able to slow down and organise my day so that I could pray, read, walk and eat, and most importantly to sleep properly at night.

My thoughts were filled with a great sense of loss for the families of those who had died because of the coronavirus, and this sense of grief is still with me and is the focus of my prayer. Now during the Easter season, I am finding some calm and rhythm in my life again and planning for the future. That’s a personal blessing, but I am aware that many people are anxious about the future of their jobs and not meeting with those closest to them, especially when they are ill or dying. My prayer is that when we get back to normal, we will be in a better place where all those acts of selfless love and neighbourliness we have witnessed somehow become a fixed part of how we behave. My hope is that our post-coronavirus world will be a safer, calmer and kinder place where God’s love is visible for all to see.

Editorial Catholic Pictorial Magazine Liverpool Archdiocesan Centre for Evangelisation, Croxteth Drive, Liverpool L17 1AA Tel: 0151 522 1007 Email: catholicpictorial@rcaol.co.uk Picture credits: Cover: Gemma Lewis, Profile: Cafod Advertising Sales team 0151 709 7567 sales@cpmmmedia.com Copy deadline June 2020 Monday 18 May 2020 Website: www.catholicpic.co.uk Twitter: @PicCatholic

Contents 4

Main Feature Remembering May 1980 40th anniversary of the National Pastoral Congress

8

News From around the Archdiocese

14 Sunday Reflections Liturgy and Life 15 Nugent Feeding people during the crisis 19 Profile Christine Allen Director of Cafod 25 Animate My Animate experience 26 Pic Extras Mums the word News from the KSC 27 Cathedral Record Cathedral music on lockdown

Most Rev Malcolm McMahon OP Archbishop of Liverpool Editor Peter Heneghan

Cover: Gemma Lewis from St Anthony of Padua, Mossley Hill

Youtube: CPMM Media Subscriptions To take out a subscription please email Kim O’Brien at kim.obrien@cpmmmedia.com or call 0151 709 7567 or contact Barbara on 0151 733 5492

28 Pic Life Now is the time to cling to Jesus 30 Justice and Peace Will this topsy turvey world last?

Publisher CPMM Ltd Suite 4 Pacific Chambers, 11-13 Victoria Street, Liverpool L2 5QQ CPMM Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in any information storage or retrieval system without the publishers written permission. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, Catholic Pictorial Ltd. can accept no responsibility for the veracity of the claims made by advertisers.

Catholic Pictorial

3

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:22 Page 4

Remembering

May 1980 40th anniversary of the National Pastoral Congress

By Pat Jones, a member of the Congress National Committee in 1980 Forty years ago this month, the Catholic community of this Archdiocese provided an amazing feat of hospitality. The National Pastoral Congress took place from 2nd to 6th May 1980, and has never been repeated. Around 2,000 people took part in this five-day conference, including 200 local delegates. All those who came, representing parishes, lay organisations, religious communities and chaplaincies, stayed in the homes of Liverpool Catholic families. As hosts, the people of this diocese provided all that was needed to make the Congress work.

This was a stunning piece of generosity and organisation. The local organising committee drew deeply on the strengths of the diocese at that time. The wellorganised groups of the UCM, the CWL and others were crucial. So too were our schools. Six Catholic secondary schools around the city, and what was then Christ’s College, now Liverpool Hope University, provided the venues.

The great opening and closing liturgies were in our Cathedral, and the final plenary session took place in the Philharmonic Hall. Around the Congress, the ‘fringe’ of concerts, exhibitions, musical events and a 4

Catholic Pictorial

floating disco cruise on the Royal Iris for the youth delegates, all celebrated Liverpool’s strengths.

In one of the special editions of the daily newspaper provided for the Congress by Catholic Pictorial staff, a delegate from London was interviewed.

Michael Whyte is reported as saying ‘There seems to be so much enthusiasm among everyone I’ve met. I don’t think Londoners would have reacted in the same generous way as the people of Liverpool. They have opened their hearts to us as well as their doors’.

It is hard to imagine this happening today. People would want en-suite rooms, and their own cars. In 1980, all the diocesan coaches arrived at Burtonwood Services on the M62, where the local organising chief, Michael Sampson, ensured they were decanted onto other coaches taking them across the city to their local venues. Bishops travelled with their delegates and participated alongside everyone else. The leadership at every level was in the hands of collaborative teams of laypeople, priests, religious and bishops, with laypeople in the majority.

The hospitality and spirit of the Catholic

‘The leadership at every level was in the hands of collaborative teams of laypeople, priests, religious and bishops, with laypeople in the majority.’

community here was vital as a backdrop and support system for an event that is still a landmark in the life of the Church in England and Wales. It took place just 15 years after Vatican II, when we were just beginning to understand its teaching. Cardinal Hume spoke about the Congress as a way to ‘absorb the lessons of the Second Vatican Council and put them into practice’. It was only two years since John Paul II had been elected pope, bringing fresh energy and generating excitement and hope. Cardinal Hume himself had only been at Westminster for four years, and Archbishop Worlock had come to Liverpool around the same time. The city of Liverpool was yet to endure the difficulties and painful experiences of the decade ahead. Mrs Thatcher had just been elected.

The Congress was not just the six days in Liverpool. In the two years beforehand, there was consultation in which every member of the Catholic community was invited to take part. Eight discussion leaflets were widely circulated and diocesan reports were drawn up.

Delegates were elected, proportionately according to the mass-going population in each place. Over 100,000 replies to a survey about priority themes were received. Dioceses held local meetings of their delegates before they came to Liverpool.

Throughout the preparation, and in the Congress itself, prayer was a

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:22 Page 5

feature It’s never that simple. The Congress was not a parliament, even though we made resolutions and voted. It was more like a pilgrimage, a journey of conversion, in which we see new possibilities.

Undoubtedly there were changes that happened as a result of the Congress. It led to the process by which the Catholic Church became fully part of ecumenical bodies for example. But the larger effect was in spreading and validating many of the practices we now take for granted: more lay ministries; more pastoral work in support of marriage and the family; more attention to how we share our faith with others; and more confidence in our public social mission.

The Congress taught us that we could be a synodical Church. I recall how easily bishops, priests, religious and laypeople listened deeply to each other, on equal terms. In the years following the Liverpool Congress, many dioceses organised similar processes locally, usually building up to a diocesan assembly. Part of the purpose in any process of this kind is to seek practical outcomes, changes we can make. But change doesn’t happen in the Church just because a resolution is passed. We have to work for the outcomes we hope for.

Archbishop Worlock lights the Congress Candle held by the youngest delegate

vital element, as were the magnificent liturgies.

In many ways, the Congress was an experience that parallels the current Synod process in this Archdiocese. It was a process in which we were learning how to reflect and form views together about the path ahead that we should take as a Catholic community. We were not familiar with the idea of synodality then, but looking back, it feels accurate to describe it in these terms.

For many laypeople, it was an amazing experience of feeling that our voices mattered, and our collaboration was welcomed. There were diverse views of course, but even sensitive issues were

explored. The reports and resolutions, as well as the voting figures, were all public.

Afterwards, as the high notes of the Liverpool experience slipped into memories, the inevitable challenges came. Talking about the renewal we desire and the mission we dream of accomplishing doesn’t make it happen.

It is a daily task, involving everyone, to seek the change we reach for when we set a fresh vision. A few months after the Congress, the bishops published a reflective response called ‘The Easter People’. In the first year or two, there was perhaps some puzzlement, some sense that what we had discussed should now be happening.

At the closing Mass, Cardinal Hume spoke about the Holy Spirit. He said ‘We might have expected that we would have heard the sound of a mighty wind and have seen descending on our heads tongues of fire. It can be thus, but it is rarely so. Most often the coming of the Holy Spirit is more akin to the gentle breeze which refreshes and enables as we toil and sweat, using the gifts and talents given to us by our father. And yet – I cannot refrain from saying this – his presence has, I believe, been sensed by us all, and in a quite remarkable way’.

The Liverpool Congress of 1980 deserves to be remembered and celebrated. It was a great gift from Liverpool Catholics to the wider Church. It is impossible to imagine it could have been done anywhere else quite so well. It was where we discovered much more than we knew about the kind of Church we could be. Undoubtedly there were critics, and there are debates about its legacy still to explore. But as Liverpool Archdiocese yet again treads the pilgrimage path of a Synod process, it is a memory of which we can be proud.

Catholic Pictorial

5

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:22 Page 6

feature

Above: Bishop Anthony Hitchen with young delegates on the Royal Iris Below: Members of the local organising people at the thanksgiving Mass following the Congress

‘For many laypeople, it was an amazing experience of feeling that our voices mattered, and our collaboration was welcomed.’ 6

Catholic Pictorial

A personal note I had the privilege of being a member of the Congress National Committee. At 22, I was the youngest member and very green. Now, after many years working in this diocese then at the Bishops Conference and in Catholic charities, I look back with great gratitude. I recognise that I am biased in favour of the value of the Congress. Nevertheless, I hope to do some research to build a fuller and objective picture of what it meant. Part of this involves asking whether others can remember the Congress, and if so, how you see its significance. If you have any relevant memories, or would be interested if further research does happen, please email me at pastoralcongress@gmail.com

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:22 Page 7

Pray through play

by Joanne Wallace Pastoral Associate for the Parish of St. Marie’s Our Lady of the Annunciation and Saint Bernadette and St. Teresa’s, Upholland ‘Pray Through Play’ is a new initiative which has been launched in the Upholland Pastoral Area to engage our families with young children at home during the current lockdown. With families unable to connect with their parish community and with time to fill at home, there is a need to support our parents in sustaining faith in the home and still feeling connected with their fellow parishioners. During this crisis, some parishes are just discovering that social media is a great way to connect and share as a community but this is something that we had already begun to develop at St Teresa’s and St Marie’s and St Bernadette’s through the use of Facebook and Twitter. With these in place, it has made it an obvious place to share weekly ‘Pray Through Play’ videos.

The purpose of the videos is to provide parents with short, fun activities which are related to each week’s Gospel or liturgical season. These activities should be accessible, make use of resources likely to be in the home and be creative. By encouraging parents to spend time with their children on a faiththemed activity, we hope to convey the message that family time can be a form of prayer too and offers opportunities to open a conversation about faith in a fun and relaxed way. To help provide ideas and activities, I have enlisted the help of Children’s Liturgy Catechists across the parishes too. This is a great way of sharing the wealth of experience our catechists have and to make links between parishes. The long-term aim is to continue this after lockdown and for catechists to take ownership of the

project themselves, although some are a little camera shy at the moment.

It has been wonderful to have parishioners sending in photographs of their creations at home which have been shared with the wider community. St Teresa’s school sent a video of their version of Lego Holy Week and we have even discovered a future TV presenter in one of our pupils from St Marie’s School, who scripted and delivered her own ‘Pray Through Play’ video for us.

For videos follow: facebook/jointparishes, facebook/stteresasupholland or twitter @StMStB They are also available via https://thegodwhospeaks2020.org.uk/ Family Resources

Catholic Pictorial

7

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:22 Page 8

News diary If you’ve got any news from your parish that you’d like featured e-mail us with the details at: catholicpictorial@rcaol.co.uk

Easter Blooms in Mossley Hill

by Helen Jones, Pastoral Associate in Liverpool South Pastoral Area Gemma Lewis, a kind-hearted parishioner at St Anthony of Padua, Mossley Hill, came up with an idea of placing Easter flowers and prayer cards on the corners of local streets for passers-by to take to spread the joy of Easter.

She contacted Father Kevin Hanley, the Parish Priest, who thought it was a great idea and together with her fiancé, Carl and support from the Pastoral Associate, Helen Jones, who got publicity on BBC Radio Merseyside, she contacted the Tesco store on Mather Avenue.

They generously donated flowers which were then left on Penny Lane, Dovedale Road, Queens Drive and Calderstones Park together with prayer cards. The flowers and cards were taken even before all the four locations had been reached. ‘Even our smallest actions can lead to great things’ wrote Saint Therese of Lisieux. Gemma is looking forward to trying it out again next year.

How to get your Catholic Pic In normal times you would pick up your Catholic Pic at Mass but in the current crisis churches remain closed as the necessary government restrictions are followed.

There is still a print copy of the magazine available and some parishes are able to distribute them through their volunteers, but this is not always possible.

If you wish to receive your copy of the Pic through the post short term subscriptions are now available. The magazine is, of course, free but the costs of postage and packing have to be covered, so inevitably there has to be a charge.

Subscriptions are available as follows: £9 for 3 issues (3 month subscription) £18 for 6 issues (6 month subscription) £36 for 12 issues (annual subscription) To take out a subscription please email Kim O’Brien at kim.obrien@cpmmmedia.com or call 0151 709 7567.

8

Catholic Pictorial

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:23 Page 9

news diary

Hospice hosts first Virtual Ladies Day

Thursday evening Masses in spiritual solidarity In order to show a spiritual solidarity with the Sick and their Families, NHS Front-Line workers and those working in Social Care, a Catholic Bishop will celebrate a livestreamed Mass in their Cathedral each Thursday at 7.00 pm.

The following are scheduled during May: 14th May with Bishop Robert Byrne CO in Newcastle Cathedral 21st May with Bishop Mark Davies in Shrewsbury Cathedral 28th May with Bishop Terence Drainey in Middlesbrough Cathedral The livestreams can be found by visiting the Cathedrals’ webpages.

Cathedral Bells ‘Clap for Carers’ St Joseph’s Hospice was due to host its annual Spring Ladies Day at Formby Hall in April, one of the biggest events in its fundraising calendar, but due to the coronavirus crisis and social distancing measures, the event was cancelled.

In order to mark the occasion, engage with valued hospice supporters and attempt to raise some money along the way, the hospice’s fundraising team decided to host its first ever Virtual Ladies Day. Maxine Armstrong, head of fundraising, said: ‘We had to cancel our Spring Ladies Day, but we decided that we couldn’t let the day go by without making something of it. It was also a great opportunity to test out new technologies that we hadn’t used before.

‘We contacted all the performers: two singers, Scott Chapman and Samantha Leslie, and magician, Dan Mission, and they all agreed to record a mini-

performance from their own homes.

We also held a raffle from the hospice grounds and broadcasted everything through Facebook Live.’

The virtual event was a brilliant success raising over £1,000 for the hospice with 4.6k views and hundreds of people engaging with the event through likes and comments.

Hospice fundraiser, Zoë Furnivall, added: ‘We’d like to thank everyone for supporting us. This was something we had never done before but it was a fantastic way to engage with a really important group of our long-term supporters and the response we had was incredible.

‘We have launched lots of new ways for our supporters to get involved and show their support including some fantastic new virtual events. Details are at www.jospice.org.uk click on fundraising.

Tel: 0151 932 6044 or email fundraising@jospice.org.uk ‘

The bells of Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King have been ringing out every Thursday evening at 8.00 pm to support NHS Front-Line workers and those working in Social Care.

The bells also ring on behalf of Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral to offer their support. The Royal Liverpool Hospital is in the Cathedral parish and Father Stephen Lee, Hospital Chaplain, is based at the Cathedral. The bells can be heard live each Thursday evening on the Cathedral’s Facebook page.

Catholic Pictorial

9

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:23 Page 10

news diary

Being a Pastoral Associate Last year we profiled the new Pastoral Associates who were taking up their posts in the archdiocese. Over the next few months they will be updating us with their progress.

One year on by Helen Jones, Pastoral Associate in Liverpool South Pastoral Area Looking back over the past 14 months, I am filled with a sense of deep belonging.

Supporting six of the parishes in the Liverpool South Pastoral Area and yet not belonging to one specifically, was something I initially struggled with. But having fostered relationships with the parishes, not least during Synod events, the feeling of a wider connection has been heightened in a way I had never appreciated fully before.

In this time of Covid-19, the unity across Pastoral Areas, dioceses and indeed, beyond has never been more marked with geographical boundaries ‘virtually’ broken, and collaboration and communication being fulfilled in very different ways. The Liverpool South Pastoral Area website (www.liverpoolsouthpastoralarea.org.uk ) developed on the request of the Liverpool South Ministry Team now, more than ever, has proven to be an essential tool, connecting communities and enabling sharing of information, spiritual resources and encouraging a sense of belonging.

Some other highlights: three parishes trialling the ‘First Communion Passport’ children received stickers of saints when they attended Sunday Mass. The Passport reflects liturgical seasons, highlighted feast days, broadened knowledge of saints and was designed as an incentive not a ‘register’. The children love receiving their stickers and are now asking what happens during lockdown.

Pastoral Area Meetings of Eucharistic Ministers, Readers, Catechists and Musicians for training and enhancement days have been successful and will be built upon.

The Pastoral Area Lenten Stations: starting with Mass at Carmel, we prayed the 14 stations across eight churches/parishes.

At St Patrick’s we commemorated those who had died during the typhus epidemic of 1847 including the clergy remembered on the memorial cross, with a special prayer. This was the most poignant and unifying moment of my ministry.

Throughout the day over 50 participated, 10

Catholic Pictorial

Helen Jones with clergy accompanying us or welcoming us generously. The deep, prayerful stillness which we experienced as one community in this time of uncertainty was profound.

I feel so very privileged to serve this diverse, warm and welcoming Liverpool community and thank them sincerely for their support and love. I look forward to meeting the challenges ahead as we journey together, becoming the Church that God is calling us to be.

A Pastoral Associate for the Parish of St Marie’s Our Lady of the Annunciation and St Bernadette and St Teresa’s, Upholland by Joanne Wallace Often, I have been asked, ‘What exactly does a Pastoral Associate do?’ One focus of the work within the parishes of St Marie’s and St Bernadette’s and St Teresa’s, Upholland is engagement with children, families and developing existing links with primary schools. For young families, we created Family Mass bags, updated seasonally, containing a mixture of bible stories but also ‘What can you see?’ resources to help our parents feel confident to teach children about the Mass and their surroundings. The introduction of a Family Mass with music led by the school’s newly formed music ministry at St Marie’s is also proving fruitful.

At St Marie’s and St Bernadette’s, Baptism sessions have been re-structured with additional resources and new ways to remain in contact with families. A new session for First Holy Communion parents

Joanne Wallace was delivered with an emphasis on using digital media to enable parents to feel confident during family catechesis.

My work has reached the wider pastoral area such as the Reconciliation services in Lent and Advent at St Teresa’s and also the May Procession. St Teresa’s also held a ‘Planning Your Last Goodbye’ day, to open the conversation about death, offering practical/legal advice and suggestions for funeral readings and music. On a diocesan level, I have been involved with the Northern Scripture Festival, The God Who Speaks, the Rite of Election and composed a song for Synod 2020 discernment.

With Coronavirus now restricting us to home working, I have had to quickly rethink how we can still be effective in a pastoral role but from a distance. With technology and social media, I can maintain a presence in the parishes and one big success for supporting family catechesis has been the Pray Through Play videos which did not exist before ‘lockdown’ - creative activities that families can do together that support prayer and faith at home. These videos are posted on the parish Facebook pages and on the website for The God Who Speaks https://thegodwhospeaks2020.org.uk / So, ‘what exactly does a Pastoral Associate do?’ It seems that being a Pastoral Associate constantly challenges you to think on your feet, identifying needs, so we can support each other and get through the most challenging times.

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:23 Page 11

news diary

Synod2020 update

by Father Philip Inch and Father Matthew Nunes Like many people we have been asking what will happen in the next few months. It is very difficult to say. BUT we wanted to make clear that the Synod is not cancelled. We don’t know if we can meet as we had planned, but what we do know is that the work of the Synod is continuing.

We have been given an opportunity and a new impetus to ponder our fundamental question: In the Archdiocese of Liverpool what kind of Church is God calling us to be.

Our initial response to this was to produce a leaflet (in a similar style to the 4 theme leaflets) that would begin to ask that question in the light of our present (and future) pastoral experience. (You can find this leaflet on the Synod web site.)

We began this using the scripture that Pope Francis chose for his extra-ordinary Urbi et Orbi Holy Hour and Blessing at the end of March. His powerful reflection gave us the insights for the things to ponder as we try to ask ourselves what is God saying to the Church in the Archdiocese at this time and what is it helpful for us to take to the Synod in the form of a proposal.

The Synod web site gives you the chance to make a proposal having discerned and reflected on the present situation. The deadline for this is Monday 18th May. (There may be other opportunities as the situation evolves and develops.) Please do not hesitate to listen to what God is saying to you and then to think about this in terms of a Synod proposal.

We asked one Pastoral Area to share with us their experience of Synod at a time of Pandemic: Zooming Synod during Covid-19 Over 30 participants from the Liverpool South Pastoral Area came together in two Zoom sessions, one during the day and one in the evening, to reflect on Synod during Covid-19.

I am no expert on Zoom, but together with my co-host Margaret Thelwell chair of the Liverpool South Pastoral Area Ministry Team we had a dry run or two before the session.

After a reassuring welcome and introduction to the virtual environment, we reflected together using a PowerPoint created from the Synod leaflet with individuals reading the gospel and praying

together. As participants had preregistered, they were then assigned to break out rooms (a smaller virtual environment) for small group discussions sharing their current experiences and, after a break, discussing the questions from the Synod leaflet before returning to the main room to give feedback.

What struck me was the opportunity for so many to come together so easily from across the geographical area, some tech savvy, others first time Zoomers, younger and not so young, laity and clergy.

Together we were able to pray, reflect and discern in a virtual environment in a deep and meaningful way.

Zoom is not a replacement for face to face meetings but virtual technology can provide a forum for parishioners who are not so mobile, those with family commitments, working people– the flexibility is enabling: one Zoom participant had never managed to attend a Synod session due to work until now.

The participants were genuinely enthused and energised by the experience as well as extremely grateful for the opportunity to reflect on these questions. The ability to connect deeply with parishioners and clergy from other parishes was enriching and fulfilling which was mirrored in the feedback survey sent after the session.

All who had completed the survey unanimously wished to have more of these opportunities. Using these tools will challenge us all in new ways in building and nurturing community, as we journey to become the church that God is calling us to be.

Helen Jones, Pastoral Associate May 2020 One Synod Member, Margaret wrote this: ‘I just wanted to say a sincere Thank You for producing the material for reflection on Synod during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a co-host with Helen Jones (Pastoral Associate), we have had two “zoom” meetings for Pastoral Area Synod Members and other interested people.

‘I found the material really engaging. It's been a privilege to be able to reflect and share in this moment in time, neither looking back nor looking forward, but recognising the challenges and opportunities of this extraordinary moment in time. It was a very deep and spiritual experience.’

The journey towards Synod continues 1. Over 3,100 proposals have been sent in across the 4 themes. These will be added to in the light of the present situation.

This is a tremendous response. Thank you.

2. The Synod working party have been discerning the proposals and have set in place a process that means we do not miss any voice that has spoken. We are working to discern what is being said and to present this in a way that Synod members will have the final say in what is presented for the Synod.

3. There is a re-invigorated Synod Facebook Page, Twitter account and Instagram post. If you look at one of these forums you will see some new reflection videos that help to keep at the forefront of our minds and in our hearts the Synod themes. If you have never looked at these social media opportunities then be brave. The easiest way is to go to the bottom of the home page of the Synod web site and click on the icon – it then takes you straight these.

4 The Synod Facebook pages can be accessed at: https://www.facebook.com/SYNOD2020/ Thank you for all you are trying to do in these different times. Please keep the work of the Synod in your prayers. St John Henry Newman, pray for us.

Catholic Pictorial

11

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:23 Page 12

Hope for the hopeless?

Dr Anne Merriman MBE, founder of Hospice Africa, reflects on the possible impact of Covid-19 on her charity’s work in Uganda The sun rises in glory each morning over Lake Victoria. The birds start their dawn chorus, now louder than ever with no sounds of traffic to deafen the beauty of their songs – all in different keys yet in perfect harmony. The traffic has nearly stopped except for ambulances and police vehicles out to catch anyone breaking the strict regulations now in place to harness Covid-19.

Africa waits in suspense, in silence, for the virus to break out in our low-economy countries where many are malnourished and yet cannot reach a health worker.

Expectant women go into labour without assistance and some have delivered at the side of the road trying to reach help. At least one mother has died.

Here in Uganda there have been no deaths at the time of writing, and 38 recovered. Many of the cases so far involved people who had flown in from abroad. But we do fear that once the virus gets into the rural communities and urban slums, it will pass like wildfire among those who cannot reach a health worker. So we are in lockdown, waiting with baited breath for the long incubation period for Covid-19 to end and the explosion to occur.

The divide between the rich and poor is getting wider with the loss of jobs and loss of ability to buy food. The farmers in the villages are growing crops and God has been sending us enough rain, though even this seems to have become restricted in the past week. Our fruit and vegetables are available where grown, but the transport to bring them to the vendors has stopped. Local shops – dukkas – are suffering and the poor, living without fridges, need to get their fresh food every day. Families have extra mouths to feed with children sent home from school as part of the strict isolation now demanded.

Hospice Africa has an ethos which puts our 1,500 patients at the centre of all we do. With emergencies and visits to the dying, we use our very limited PPE to protect those dedicated nurses who are going into homes in need in the communities.We have received a donation of disposable gowns and have home-made masks, stitched together with local cotton lined with fabric from old T-shirts and dresses, which cost 20p each from a dressmaker.

The Irish embassy is giving us some funds and the local World Health Organisation office has offered us equipment when it arrives but there is no sign as yet. Meanwhile, our charity shops back in Britain and France have had to close. Our wonderful, selfless volunteers in our shops in Old Swan and Ainsdale are all over 70 so have to stay at home.

Will Hospice Africa survive this crisis? Will our 27 years of care and our vision for the future all vanish because of Covid-19?

God is with us and has His own plan for our world. There is encouragement as silence brings nature to our ears. I wake

12

Catholic Pictorial

each morning thanking God for the songs from the nests of the birds in the trees outside my window. Their joyous song is one of hope.

• Even prior to the lockdown, Hospice Africa faced an income shortfall of £80,000 to reach the end of the financial year on 30 June. To help raise funds, Anne Merriman has begun a sponsored walk on the balcony of her home in Kampala, with the aim of completing 20 laps a day for the 25 days leading up to her 85th birthday on 13 May. To make a donation, please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiserdisplay/showROFundraiserPage?pageId=1161652

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:28 Page 13

Northern Star Travel Ltd

' '

Issue 175 April Issue2019 163 April 2018

FREE FREE

READ ONLINE www.catholicpic.co.uk

!" "" "

Easter # Joy # % " $ ! !"

INSIDE

THIS

ISSUE:

Peter Woods appointed High Sheriff

! ! %

Celebrating marriage and family life

#

# %

' '

pro-finish

PLUMBING & MAINTENANCE

&

TAPS TOILETS REPAIRED OR REPLACED

'

'

' '

Telephone Scott on: Freephone:

0800 234 3221 Call Direct:

07985 365 515

Check out my reviews on

# & !"% !"

%%% " !" " $ Catholic Pictorial

13

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:28 Page 14

sunday reflections On a liturgical note Just like March and April, May this year looks as if it will be a month like no other – and the temptation may be to say that there is no liturgy because our ability to physically join together for the Mass and the celebration of the Sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours, the Prayer of the Church, is still so limited.

However, this would be untrue. As troubling as these days may be, the celebration of the liturgy is a constant – together we pray in our homes, we listen and ‘stream’ the Masses and devotions from the parishes, and the religious and the clergy continue to lead us in prayer not merely for their own benefit but for the good of us all and, ultimately, for the glory of God. I remember when I was growing up in Saint Matthew’s parish in Clubmoor, Father Horan, the parish priest, always began the Mass by saying that it was being celebrated ‘for the glory of God’. It is a phrase which has stuck with me, and the current circumstances have made me reflect that, in the midst of all this suffering and uncertainty and anxiety, there is the opportunity for me to consider

Sunday thoughts At the time of writing our churches are closed for the duration of the Coronavirus epidemic; an end to business as usual. What is unusual, however, is that a new virtual church has come alive.

Some 18 months ago at St Mary of the Isle in Douglas we invested in livestreaming equipment. Some thought it extravagant. It soon proved its worth with the housebound every Sunday and with those unable to be present at significant family events such as weddings, christenings, First Holy Communions and funerals. Many of our parishioners in the Isle of Man are accustomed to being separated from their families in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Even more are separated from families further afield.

I never imagined that our livestreaming facility would take off so spectacularly with the Coronavirus epidemic. These last weeks have witnessed an amazing response to our daily Mass. I celebrate Mass each day

Canon Philip Gillespie

this fundamental attitude of my life and then to act upon it; all things are for the greater glory of God, my thoughts, words and deeds, whatever my circumstances and wherever I find myself. As the preface to the Eucharistic Prayer puts it, our giving glory to God, our placing of God as the very centre of all we are and all we do, needs to be Always and Everywhere.

Saint Philip Neri, whose feast is kept on the 26th of this month, was even in his lifetime known as ‘the smiling Saint’. This was not because he was in some way ‘cushioned’ from the difficulties of each day, and nor was it because things always went his way or he was without concern or worry or difficulty in his life; rather, it was because there was a deep wellspring of joy in his heart which expressed itself in resilience, a willingness to help, and a cheerfulness which both enabled and encouraged those with whom he lived.

St Philip – pray for us!

Mgr John Devine OBE

in St Mary’s on my own, behind closed doors with a much wider group of people than I did when the church was open. Each day I receive emails, not just from our own parishioners on the island, but from all over the world: from Cincinnati, Chicago, Indiana, Maryland and Maine in the United States; from Canada, Kenya and South Africa, from India and Australia, from Ireland and from all parts of the UK. It’s a surprising example of how in God’s economy, loss becomes gain; death leads to life.

We are all part of God’s family. The human spirit cannot be crushed. As St Paul tells us in the Letter to the Romans: ‘Neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come … can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

Weekly Reflections are on the Archdiocesan website at www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/reflection 14

Catholic Pictorial

Passion for Jesus In 1990 Pope St John Paul II appointed Father Tom Forrest as the co-ordinator for the decade of evangelisation. Tom was an American from New York who was a larger-than-life character. He had one passion in life and that was Jesus. He loved Jesus. He wanted the world to know that the Lord was alive and so he spent his time and his energy helping people find that truth.

That passion for Jesus is what comes through in the writing of John. He wants the world to know that Jesus is alive and so through his Gospel he constantly reminds people that they have choices to make, choices between light and darkness, good and evil, belief and unbelief. In the accounts of the resurrection of Jesus, there are lots of choices given. We can be like Mary of Magdala, Peter or the other disciple.

Mary of Magdala is presented as someone who is confused and frustrated. She thought she knew where life was leading her and suddenly it was all taken away and she couldn’t see beyond her own pain and her own need. She runs to the Disciples and her pain just overflows as she says, ‘They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they’ve put him.’ How many of us are unable to see beyond our own pain and confusion, caught up with our own worries?

Peter sets out to run to the tomb. He goes in wanting evidence. He checks all the things that he knows he can guarantee, the linen cloths and the cloth over his face. How many of us trust in the evidence around us, but are not open enough to see beyond? Then we have John. He was with Peter but what he saw had a very different effect. The empty tomb helped him to see and to know that Jesus was alive. The person of faith can always see beyond. The person of faith will always believe there’s more. The person of faith will always look for newness and possibility.

These are the choices that John gives us as he ponders the resurrection. Are you going to be weighed down with the cares of your life?

Are you going to put your trust in the material or are you going to be like John who saw and believed? Are you going to see – in the touch of another person, or in the listening ear or in the calming of our fears when they rage within – the truth that Jesus is alive? Are you going to see the hope, when everything seems to be collapsing around us, that the Lord is with us? When we seem to find strength where there is none, or where there is inexplicable peace in the midst of chaos, will you believe that the risen Jesus is there? The person of faith will always recognise the risen Lord, so choose who you want to be.

Fr Chris Thomas

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:28 Page 15

Help us feed people during the Coronavirus crisis Normandie Wragg Chief Executive Nugent

My thanks to all that are helping…

Nugent staff and volunteers continue to help vulnerable people across Merseyside during the Covid 19 global pandemic.

We know we are in good company – many of you reading this, will have given help, or received help during this time.

Easter brings us hope, especially this year. Your continued support and generosity helps us to continue to support families in crisis, in your local community, giving them the helping hand and hope they need to survive.

Caritas in Nugent runs a weekly food market from our Epsom Street centre in Kirkdale and demand is higher than ever due to the Coronavirus. The food market supports people of all ages, including: working families, young mothers and older people from sheltered accommodation and provides supermarket quality food at really reduced prices: a full shopping basket for just over £5, compared to almost £30 at leading supermarkets.

Mrs M from Kirkby comes every week, she says, ‘I can’t afford to shop in the supermarkets, so I come here every week, it’s such good value, I can even buy little treats that I don’t normally have.’

The crisis is also affecting people who cannot get to the market, so we are now running a new delivery service, every Tuesday, across Liverpool, taking food to those that need it, ensuring that isolated older people or people who are ill, are not left without basic supplies.

What can you do to help?

Mrs H contacted us today: ‘I am currently self-isolating, and unable to go to my gym classes, so I thought I would donate the money I would have spent on that to Nugent’s food market, so it can help those who don’t have enough food.’

If you are working from home, or isolating yourself, you may be saving on travel costs, petrol, train and bus fares, gym memberships, even the cost of a night out with friends, so why not donate the equivalent amount to Nugent and we can then help others who are struggling to buy the basics for their families.

Perhaps you could donate £5, £10 or more, every donation helps to put food on the table of those suffering increased difficulties at this time, restoring their dignity and hope.

Donations can be made online at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/epsy We are very grateful for all your support and wish you all a safe, restful and peaceful Easter from everyone at Nugent.

Our staff are keyworkers and have been leaving their own families, to help those in our care or who are in need. Our teachers continue to offer education as well. To all our teams and volunteers, and all others that are helping our communities, please know that you are extremely important and we appreciate that you are all living and working by our shared values, in providing essential services to those in need.

Every day, we are proud of what you are doing, in the way that you are doing it, and the courage and optimism you so openly and willingly share.

In time, when we are living our new reality, we will look back on these days with pride and satisfaction that we gave our all, in a time when all the world, was globally brought together to help others through this shared experience.

Thank you and thank you to your families for supporting you in the work that you do.

Catholic Pictorial

15

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:28 Page 16

news

From the other side of the world

By Jacinta Parsons ‘Guide me, O thou great redeemer Pilgrim through this barren land’ These were words I heard on Sunday as I inadvertently walked through my parents-in-law’s televised church service, words I didn’t want to hear. I wanted to be safe at home, but home was miles and miles away – 11,347 miles, to be precise; I was in Hamilton, New Zealand.

This year had started out so well. This was going to be Our Year. Married for four months, we were excited at moving back to New Zealand, dreamed of scoring great jobs, and had high hopes of buying our first home together and starting a family. At least, that was the plan.

We spent February watching events unfold on the global stage, and trying to settle into an unpredictable climate with dwindling employment prospects. Those jobs remained elusive, as did any notion of finding a house without one. March saw the global wave of concern and crisis ebb ever closer, lapping at the subconscious sense of security one feels in times of peace and calm, treading on the fringes of our dreams.

Things escalated in front of our eyes. We watched as New Zealand barricaded itself.

We scanned the news avidly, a thick blur of 16

Catholic Pictorial

rapidly climbing confirmed cases and death tolls around the world. On Monday 25 March, our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced that the whole country would go into lockdown in just 48 hours. Things were getting serious, life was going to change and we had to act fast.

Legally homeless and unemployed for over three months, my husband’s parents kindly offered us their spare room. Yes, we’d had some dinners together, plus a couple of weekends away, but this wasn’t part of our plan - or theirs! Without realising, this crisis burrowed its way into my mind, creating a sense of solemn despair. I was feeling lonely, lost, isolated and so far away from my family and friends. What was I doing here? Why did we ever move back! I struggled to starve off pangs of homesickness.

When I got the shock news that an old friend, Aileen, an incredible woman from my Lourdes youth pilgrimage days, had passed away, it was too much and I felt even further away from Liverpool. The realisation that her life wouldn’t be celebrated in the way she deserved was heartbreaking. On Sunday, those hymns that drifted up to our room were the last things I wanted to hear. My grief was bubbling angrily and I wasn’t ready for comfort or answers

And yet as I walked through the broadcast service, I was rooted to the spot; I couldn’t leave. I had forgotten that sense of belonging in sharing a service, the togetherness of praise and worship, the restorative power of prayer, the strength that my faith gives me.

I realised with some irony that I was the pilgrim in a barren land, far away from home and navigating through uncharted territory in the darkness, along with hundreds and thousands of others on a similar journey. I was reliant on the goodwill of others to help me along the way, much like our Lourdes pilgrims and, through this, I realised I had more than most: a roof over our heads; our health; our two supportive families; my husband, love and faith.

And most of all, I had hope, the anchor of the soul. Hope in a better time. Hope in the people of the world. Hope in the kindness of strangers. Hope that through the dark times ahead, a flicker of light will always be found.

‘Things were getting serious, life was going to change and we had to act fast’

p01-17_covers 07/05/2020 15:28 Page 17

Support for mental health ‘The coronavirus (COVID19) outbreak is going to have an impact on everyone’s daily lives, as the government and the NHS take necessary steps to manage the outbreak, reduce transmission and treat those who need medical attention.

It may be difficult, but by following guidance on social distancing, or staying at home, you are helping to protect yourself, your family, the NHS and your community. During this time, you may be bored, frustrated or lonely. You may also feel low, worried, anxious, or be concerned about your health or that of those close to you. Everyone reacts differently to events and changes in the way that we think, feel and behave vary between different people and over time. It’s important that you take care of your mind as well as your body and to get further support if you need it.’ (Government, 2020) Guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-forthe-public-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing/guidance-for-the-publicon-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-aspects-of-coronavirus-covid-19 The Hub of Hope https://hubofhope.co.uk/ ‘The Hub of Hope’ is a mental health database bringing grassroots and national mental health services together in one place. Using the location of web browser or mobile devices, the cloud-based web

application allows anyone, anywhere to find the nearest source of support for any mental health issue, as well as providing a ‘talk now’ button connecting users directly to the Samaritans. It is currently the biggest and most comprehensive resource of its kind, with more than 1,200 validated support networks already registered.

Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/ (0300 123 3393) A mental health charity, whose aim is that no one has to face a mental health problem alone.

Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/ (116 123) Operate a 24-hour service available every day of the year. You can also email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org Silver Line https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/ (0800 4 70 80 90) A free confidential telephone helpline offering information, friendship and advice to older people in the United Kingdom, available 24 hours a day Students against depression https://www.studentsagainstdepression.org/ (01635 869754) Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won't show up on your phone bill.

Catholic Bishops offer support to victims of domestic abuse The Domestic Abuse Group of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has issued guidance on how Catholic parishes can support victims of domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the UK-wide COVID-19 lockdown began on 23 March, there has been a 49% increase in calls and online requests for help relating to domestic abuse.

This guidance includes information about how parishes can raise awareness of the issue including a list of helplines and information about how to safely get help. It also includes a step-by-step starter guide for how parishes can work to support their local domestic abuse services with donations.

Bishop John Sherrington, who chairs the Domestic Abuse Group, said, ‘Every person has a right to live their life free from violence, abuse, intimidation and fear. Catholic parishes can play an important role in the fighting the scourge of domestic abuse, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic where we are seeing some shocking statistics from leading domestic abuse organisations. My thanks go to those organisations and individuals already working so hard to ensure that people suffering domestic abuse can live safe lives. Every local situation will differ and so our new guidance is designed to be used as an introduction to start a local project. I hope that Catholics and parishes will be inspired to take this up in their local area. Violence of this kind should never be tolerated or justified. It is an offence against the dignity of the human person.’

The guidance can be found at: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/ourwork/health-social-care/coronavirus-guidelines/domestic-abuse/ If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police - the police will continue to respond to emergency calls.

If you call 999 from a mobile and cannot speak, press 55 to Make Yourself Heard (link embedded to scheme) and this will transfer your call to the police. Pressing 55 only works on mobiles and does not allow police to track your location.

National Domestic Violence Helpline - 0808 2000 247 or www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk Help is also available from: Childline – 0800 1111; Refuge – 0808 2000 247; Women’s Aid; Men’s Advice line - 0808 801 0327 (weekdays 9am-5pm); The Mankind Initiative - 01823 334244 (MonFri 10am-4pm); National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Domestic Violence helpline - 0800 999 5428; Respect Phoneline offers confidential advice and support to help domestic violence perpetrators stop being violent and abusive to their partners or expartners. 0808 802 4040

Archdiocese of Liverpool donates £20,000 for Personal Protective Equipment At the end of March the Archdiocese of Liverpool announced a donation of £20,000 to the Masks4NHSHeroes campaign for the purchase of personal protective equipment for the NHS. Archbishop Malcolm McMahon said, ‘I think we are challenged at this time, to think how we as a Church can put our words into action. Our normal ways of operating and contributing, inspired by our faith, by having our churches open to the whole community, by worshipping and praying, by the immense contribution of our parish volunteers - have been stopped, or at least severely restricted, by the need to stay at home and avoid travel where possible. We are all desperate to play our part. I have concluded therefore that a way we can make a significant contribution to the effort to fight this virus, is to support the medical staff who are, with bravery and selflessness, on the frontline for all of us. At this time, I believe they are truly the hands of Christ.’

Catholic Pictorial

17

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:33 Page 18

McCallum & Tritton & Sons Independent Family Funeral Directors

0151 931 2002

www.mccallumandtritton.co.uk 18

Catholic Pictorial

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:34 Page 19

profile Last year when I started as Cafod’s new Director, I could never have imagined that in less than twelve months, a global Coronavirus pandemic would be unleashed on the world.

We’ve had to change the way we work at Cafod: from remote home working to engaging with our amazing supporters online and ensuring our programme teams around the world have the resources they need to respond to COVID-19 in vulnerable communities.

We now face a global crisis and while nobody knows where it will leave us in a year’s time. One thing is for sure: we will all be changed, but Cafod’s vision and purpose remains.

Spending more time at home than most of us are used to, has led many, including myself, to embrace this pause and enter a period of reflection.

The first time I worked for Cafod, I was in my early twenties, I’d just left a job at Justice and Peace in Liverpool, and I was excited to start my journey working on international development projects.

Exactly three decades on, I’ve returned to Cafod and in my first year, I’ve seen that Cafod’s sense of vision, mission and purpose has never been stronger.

We’ve launched ‘Our Common Home’, a blueprint for our future. Inspired by Pope Francis’s call for an ecological conversion, we are working to create a stronger, more integrated approach to our work, people, communities and the environment.

A few months into my role at Cafod, I travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, I met women who were survivors of violence and abuse – their determination, in the face of their traumatic experiences, an ongoing conflict, and the Ebola epidemic – was humbling. They were focussed on rebuilding their lives determined to succeed at being independent.

The women were part of a programme run by Centre Olame where they learnt skills that they could turn into businesses.

Among these were soap making: a skill and a product that will be vital in fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Growing up in Crosby, Liverpool, I’ve been acutely aware of how we, as Liverpudlians, have always been able to show generosity and compassion towards others, often when we are

Christine Allen Coronavirus is changing the way we work but our commitments to the most vulnerable remain steadfast

by Christine Allen, Director of Cafod dealing with our own hardships. That solidarity, being able to walk with our sisters and brothers in need, is at the heart of putting our faith into action.

The Catholic community across Liverpool and the rest of England and Wales is the backbone of Cafod. The parishes, schools, and individuals trust us, our church agencies and local experts to reach families most in need with the emergency aid, training and resources they need to flourish. This commitment has transformed lives.

To see this interconnectedness and understand how connected we are not only as people but in the issues we face, is absolutely essential and critical in driving Cafod’s work overseas and in our faith communities across England and Wales.

In the past few weeks, we’ve already seen the significant impact that the Coronavirus is having not only here in the UK but in vulnerable communities in the developing world. We know that this situation is becoming an unprecedented crisis which we, our church agencies, and local experts, are already responding to.

Our common humanity calls on us to act and respond to the needs of people in

the best way can.

Cafod sits on the mighty shoulders of the National Board of Catholic Women and four feisty women; Elspeth Orchard, Jackie Stuyt-Simpson, Evelyn White and Nora Warrington, who showed excellence in their commitment to bring about change through innovation, creating Family Fast Days to save the lives of malnourished babies on the Caribbean island of Dominica.

As the first female Director I am acutely conscious of the debt we owe to these women. It inspires us to keep fighting to create a fairer and kinder world that puts the ‘God-given right’ of dignity at the centre of all that we do. I see it daily in the women in communities across the world who are making such a difference.

Of course I also see that energy here at home with the Catholic community across England and Wales. They are the lynchpin that enables us to continue innovative programme work, to reach the most vulnerable and marginalised people in some of the world’s poorer nations. I am constantly humbled by how Cafod is such an expression of the love, solidarity and desire for justice that is what it means to be a Catholic.

Catholic Pictorial

19

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:34 Page 20

education news

St Cuthbert’s say ‘Thank you’ to carers St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School in St Helens have proudly played their part in thanking carers for the work they do in these very trying times.

Headteacher, Catherine Twist, said: “It’s been a period of change at St Cuthbert’s. Almost 900 of our students are adjusting to learning at home and we have welcomed the children of some of our region’s incredible key workers.

“These individuals, working in hospitals, out in our communities and in our supermarkets to keep our country safe, fed and healthy, have been at the forefront of our minds.

“Ahead of the nationwide #ClapForOurCarers, St Cuthbert’s English teacher, Mrs Sharples took a crate of freshly sanitised eye protectors from our science department to healthcare workers at Manchester Royal Infirmary, along with some thank you letters from our students.

“We were pleased to be able to help in a small way and extend the enormous gratitude we feel for their hard work and sacrifice at this time.”

Happy birthday Margie!

Staff and pupils from English Martyrs Catholic Primary School in Litherland didn’t let the lockdown stop them from wishing a happy birthday to one of their favourite key workers.

Margaret Collins who has worked at the school since 2008 was celebrating her 80th birthday and the staff and pupils wanted to celebrate her birthday with her, but due to the Corona Virus lockdown it meant that Margaret could not visit the school.

The school decided that if Margaret could not come to the school and with permission from the pupils' parents, the pupils would visit Margaret as she only lived around the corner. The children visited Margaret and from a safe social distance staff and pupils gave her a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, they made her a special birthday card and also sent her a lovely bouquet of flowers to wish her well.

Headteacher Mr Dinsdale, said: “We went to surprise Margaret at her home as we wanted to give her a special birthday wish, as we would have done so had we been in school together.

“We all sang happy birthday to Margaret who is 80 years young, she is also the eldest member of our welfare staff here at English Martyrs and has been working at our school for over 12 years. Margaret said that she was overwhelmed with joy and that she had had a better birthday than the Queen!

20

Catholic Pictorial

Pupils made their own birthday card for Margie

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:34 Page 21

education news

A teacher’s view Newly qualified teacher Shaun O’Hara explains how one diocesan primary school, St Gregory’s in Lydiate, has responded to the shutdown.

It is fair to say that this is not exactly how I saw my NQT year playing out. Only a term and a half into my first year of teaching and I, like all teachers, have faced a problem that no training course can help you with.

It was on Wednesday 18 March, that confirmation came. Earlier in the day, it was announced that all schools in Scotland and Wales were to close, so it was assumed that we would follow suit.

Later, at prime minister Boris Johnson’s 5pm press conference, what had seemed inevitable became fact. Fortunately, Wednesday is the day of our staff meeting at St Gregory’s, allowing us to have our very own Cobra meeting in preparation.

In that afternoon meeting, we discussed how to help our pupils and we shared resources that could be used for home learning. We made several ‘educated guesses’ at what home learning would look like and, ultimately, decided on a weekly project for each year group incorporating the main skills from all of the different curriculum subjects.

We then went our separate ways to create our learning projects, before regrouping again at 5pm to watch the broadcast together. It was a strange sensation for me. I was anxious but, strangely, excited.

This whole experience felt significant, like we were a part of history. I will probably never forget where I was when we heard the news that we would be closing. As the prime minister uttered the words ‘until further notice’, it became apparent very quickly that this was going to be a marathon and not a sprint. However, the most important task was still to come. We still had two days left with the children in school and, as always, they were our priority. For those two days, we were able to provide some structure and normality for the children before their whole world turned upside down. My school dealt with the initial upheaval superbly and all staff have worked tirelessly since, providing home-learning support as well as supervision of the children of key workers who are still coming into school. A rota has been put in place with several staff members per day coming in to provide this supervision.

As for the children, they will no doubt be scared, unsettled and confused (as we all

are) but you would never know it. They have brought colour into a dark world with their beautiful drawings; rainbows adorning the windows of every street.

They, alongside their parents, deserve a huge pat on the back for all they have achieved so far. We have been keeping in touch over Google Classroom, allowing them to interact and share news of their home activities. They can post whenever they want, and we teachers then comment on their activities and respond to their questions.

I have been setting my pupils challenges around Music and Art mainly, so that parents always have activities at hand to keep their children busy. While this does not make up for the time I have lost with them, it is comforting for all of us – and their continued desire for new learning is

inspiring. It is nice to know too that, even when they are away from school, they sometimes still need their teacher’s help!

I have no idea when I will return to work, nor do I know which class will be staring up at me on our first day back. But I do know that we will come back with a stronger sense of community than ever before. It is important to remember that the brightest of rainbows follow the darkest of storms. The children have known that all along.

Catholic Pictorial

21

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:34 Page 22

education news

Join The Virtual Super Choir!

Calling all teachers and support staff from Catholic schools and colleges in the North West!

The Educate Awards is delighted to launch The Virtual Super Choir to celebrate the fantastic spirit currently being demonstrated to maintain education, learning and support for our young people.

Following the great success of the ‘We Are All Stars’ single for Children in Need

in 2018, the Educate Awards has teamed up again with Formby High and North Star Digital to create a virtual choir and come together in song during these uncertain times.

To celebrate and support the work of our heroes in education, the team is searching for teachers and support staff to sing David Bowie’s iconic hit ‘Heroes’.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a trained professional or you just like to sing in the

shower, The Virtual Super Choir welcomes all abilities.

This exciting collaboration is the first of its kind for education in the North West and the Educate Awards is excited to be leading the way!

Speaking about The Virtual Super Choir, Educate Awards founder Kim O’Brien, said: “We are firm supporters of the arts in schools and colleges and the idea of a virtual choir, especially during this time, felt so right in order to bring everyone together.

“We are encouraging all members of staff to get involved and you don’t have to be a seasoned professional to take part.”

Kim added: “A huge thank you to our friends at Formby High and North Star Digital who will be putting together the final track. We cannot wait to hear it!”.

To get involved, head to educateawards.co.uk/virtual-super-choir/ and follow the simple guidelines and get singing - the deadline to submit videos is Wednesday 13 May! For more information and if you have any technical questions, email: virtualchoir2020@formbyhighschool.com.

New prayer garden for St Bartholomew’s Staffs and pupils at St Bartholomew’s Catholic Primary in Rainhill have been keeping themselves busy during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Teaching assistant Mrs O’Neill and pupils of key workers at the school along with the schools gardener have been doing a tremendous job of creating a new prayer garden for the pupils when the school returns to normal.

Acting deputy headteacher, Helen Forrest, said: “We have been working hard to create a prayer garden and are very excited see it progressing. It is going to be a peaceful reflection area for our pupils and staff!

“It has been a lovely activity for our pupils of key workers to undertake at this time and has enabled them to work as a team to create peaceful haven for the rest of the school.

“We are also placing two new prayer benches in the garden for pupils to relax and reflect.

“As soon as the garden is completed and we welcome the pupils back Fr Philip Swanson has agreed to come and visit us and bless the garden.

22

Catholic Pictorial

Staff and pupils have been busy creating the prayer garden

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:34 Page 23

education news Boost for care home residents and staff Staff and students at Bellerive FCJ Catholic College have shown their appreciation for those working in the caring professions by making care packages for distribution to staff in hospitals and care homes.

Thousands of items have been donated to allow care packages to be put together compromising of toiletries, sweets and other items to give the staff a boost.

So far over 120 packs have been delivered already to care homes in Liverpool and Sefton with more to follow.

Deputy headteacher, Paul McMenamin said: “In the 200th anniversary year of the FCJ society, we believe it is particularly important to reach out to those who do so much for the most vulnerable in society.

“Bellerive, like many schools, has also helped produce numerous items of PPE for use in hospitals and care settings in support of the national emergency. A huge thank you to our staff and an even bigger thank you to those working in the NHS and caring professions for all that they do”.

James rides 26km for Nugent!

Brother James Hayes, Chaplain at St Francis Xavier’s College, Liverpool took on the #TwoPointSixChallenge in aid of Nugent on Sunday 26 April.

Jim, ‘mad keen on cycling’, has completed 15 sponsored cycles for charity and last week completed a 26km cycle, coming 128th out of 264 starters from around the world, which is a fantastic achievement!

However, Brother James didn’t stop there and on Sunday evening he completed a further 26km as part of the Tour of Switzerland Race, and took part in the Fan Race.

All of this from his back garden in virtual races!

This isn’t Jim’s first ride for Nugent, in

2018 Jim rode over 800 miles for Nugent from Liverpool to Walsingham and back, via Lindasfarne off the northeast coast, raising over £3000.

To find out more on Brother James’ personal challenge and to sponsor his fantastic fundraising efforts for Nugent, please visit his online giving page at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BrotherJa mesHayes Brother James Hayes is College Chaplain and part-time teacher of music, RE and film studies in a Liverpool boys comprehensive run by his order, St Francis Xavier’s College.

A member of the Order of De La Mennais Brothers, Brother Jim was born in Southampton but has been based in Liverpool since completing a music degree at Liverpool University, and it was shortly after, in 1990, that he joined the order.

Students visit Maryton Carmelite Monastery Earlier this year a group of eighteen students from Carmel College in St Helens had the rare opportunity to visit the Maryton Carmelite Monastery in Allerton.

It was the first visit, which the college

hoped was one of many, to establish links between the college and the Monastery. It is part of the college’s ongoing effort to explore their heritage, looking at the history and foundations of Carmel.

Head of RE, Sarah Daley, said: “During the

visit the students listened to a talk by Sister Mary Pia. They gained some fantastic insights into the significance of Mount Carmel. This included stories of Elijah, the hermit communities and the move of the Carmelite nuns to England.

“The group had the opportunity to identify key themes from the information they received, including the importance of silence and contemplation. Students and staff also joined the midday prayers with the Sisters in the fantastic chapel at Maryton.

“It was an absolute privilege to visit the contemplative order and we are extremely grateful to Sister Mary Pia and all at Maryton”.

Further visits will focus more on the lives of the Carmelite Saints.

Catholic Pictorial

23

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:34 Page 24

education news

ASFA creates and donates for the NHS Staff at the Academy of St Francis of Assisi (ASFA) have been working hard to create parts for face shields for the Merseyside PPE Hub. Whilst it is closed to students, some members of the team have been in school, being careful to adhere to social distancing rules, to cut out the head band and visor strap elements using the laser cutter in the design and technology department.

So far, the school has cut over 600 parts which have been donated to Merseyside PPE Hub. The hub has been working tirelessly with schools and businesses around the city to collect PPE supplies and donating them to the NHS. Kevin Maddocks, head of school at ASFA, said: “Whilst we continue to adapt to our new way of working, I am incredibly proud of the staff involved in helping make these face shields.

“I am pleased that, as an academy, we can help make a difference to those who are on the front line in this pandemic. If in some small way we can help save lives, that will help us to continue developing our core values, even when the academy is closed.”

Science teacher, Dan Boyle, had a great idea to highlight the wonderful work that was going on by past students of St John Bosco Arts College who are now employed as key workers. This was the school’s way of recognising their fabulous contribution to society especially at this time of crisis.

The college used its social media platforms to reach out to their past students who are key workers. The response was wonderful and there is an increasing number of past students being added to the dedicated webpage.

The reaction from staff and students at the college has been a huge sense of pride.

Many staff have remembered with fondness the students they taught and are so proud of what their wonderful students have gone on to achieve and how they are going the extra mile during this unprecedented time. They are a living example of the ethos of the college and how loving kindness can impact the community in so many ways.

Headteacher, Darren Gidman, says “We are so proud of all our students’ past and present in the way they are coping at this difficult time. We are delighted to be able to share with the whole community the outstanding work of our students who have gone on to become key workers as a small way to thank them for their dedication and hard work”.

Two examples of our ex-students are right:

24

Catholic Pictorial

Key Worker Alumni

Name: Cassidy Dolan Job Role: Neonatal Nurse Current Setting: Liverpool Women’s Hospital Year left school: 2016

Name: Emily Neild Job Role: Nurse Current Setting: Aintree University Hospital (Working with Covid Patients) Year left school: 2014

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:34 Page 25

youth ministry

My Animate experience

By Jonathon, Animate Youth Ministries team member Prior to the lockdown, my time with the Animate team had just flown by.

I joined the team last September and was initially apprehensive about starting here, undertaking the twin challenges of working with young people and living in community. Yet the team were very supportive, helping me to grow in faith while working with over 10,000 young people in the space of one academic year.

My best experience to date has to be the mission week we had at St Gregory’s High School in Warrington.

Spending a week in the school was intense but great fun and highly rewarding. The theme of that week was ‘Stand up and be counted’ and throughout the week we had a

variety of challenges for the young people: they had to come on stage, stand up in front of the audience, and play games or act out dramas with the team. In short, an opportunity for the pupils to stand up and be counted in front of their peers.

Another great day, albeit very different, was spent at XII Apostles RC Primary School in Leigh. The pupils were just fantastic, and the staff too. They were Year 4, so I was a bit apprehensive because we don’t usually work with the lower year groups, but they listened respectfully when we were speaking to them and it was just an amazing day.

Living in community with the team has been such a great experience also. I have made some truly good friends throughout the year so far.

They have supported me in the times when I was struggling with my work, and are always there to help and guide me. Also, the time we have spent together outside of work – such as going to the beach or visiting the Metropolitan Cathedral – has been amazing.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus outbreak, our activities have been put on hold. We don’t have any work with schools at the moment but instead we’ve spent time gardening, relaxing and doing fun stuff around the house. We’ve enjoyed spending this time with each other. We have also prayed for all those who have been afflicted by the virus in any way.

Hopefully it won’t be too long before the world is back to normal and we can return to our usual day-to-day things.

This year has taught me to not shy away from things, to be strong and to embrace life as it comes. My favourite piece of scripture is Jeremiah 29:11: ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’ This helps me to remember that God does have a plan for me, which gives me hope in the times ahead and inspires me to face every challenge that comes my way.

Catholic Pictorial

25

p18-26_covers 07/05/2020 15:34 Page 26

Pic extras

Mums the Word I am writing this column in April but who knows what the future will hold

by May. Nobody of course, but there is nothing to stop us from looking into the past.

A century of service News from the Liverpool Province of the Knights of St Columba

Knights raise over £1,00 to send pilgrim to Lourdes

You may remember that some time ago I was encouraging you all to write down jottings from your life. Well, now is the perfect time to do it, don't you think?

Even those who use computers can join in, but do print them out because computers are bound to be replaced by some other fantastical machines in time to come, but paper and pen (and possibly print on paper) will still survive.

Think of the machines that have largely disappeared in our lifetimes: slide viewers, reel-to-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, floppy discs; lots of things that we kept our records on have gone. So why not get busy writing your memories? Did you wear hand-medowns, toast bread on forks before the fire (which was probably a coal fire), have a relative who worked in service, or was in the Land Army, or had an uncle with a wooden leg? I dare you to do it.

I would like to thank all our clergy for the way they have adapted to the current situation by streaming services on computers, ringing parishioners to check on them, even walking around their parishes and ringing doorbells. We also thank our seminarians, home from their studies, who are helping out in our parishes. Everyone is playing their part.

Those of us who are confined at home well know the power of prayer so we will all be storming heaven. Our Blessed Mother will surely join us. We must also keep moving – so do a samba in your living room or conga down the hall. All meetings and services are cancelled or postponed for now so until the next time, ladies, keep safe and well. May God bless us all.

Madelaine McDonald media officer

26

Catholic Pictorial

Council 12/13 of the Knights of St Columba has raised £1,100 to send a young man to Lourdes.

That young man is Louis Marshall who, seven years ago, suffered a brain injury so severe that doctors were going to switch off his life support, having decided there was no hope he would recover.

However, just before they took this action, one of the medical team noticed a slight movement in his right hand. They agreed, therefore, not to switch off his machine, even if the doctors believed that he would not recover the ability to walk, talk and engage in most normal activity.

Today Louis, 26, is now walking and talking and doing quite a lot for himself. This is down to his family and friends, his physiotherapists and his support team from the charities Natural Breaks and Headway. Louis’ sister Kathyrn and aunt Lynda

Wardale were hoping to raise further funds to send him to Lourdes by running a half-marathon, though this has been postponed until the autumn owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Our photo shows (left to right): Lynda Wardale; Desmond Fraser, council 12/13’s grand knight; provincial warden Peter Cherry; Louis Marshall; council treasurer John Larway.

Finally, the coronavirus crisis is taking its toll on many planned events and the Order has found it necessary to postpone the Biennial National Memorial Mass for deceased members which was due to take place at the Metropolitan Cathedral on Saturday 13 June, though it is hoped that this can be rearranged for a later date.

Websites: www.ksc.org.uk and www.kscprov02.weebly.com Email: dpokeane@aol.com

p27-32_covers 07/05/2020 15:38 Page 27

cathedral

by Dr Christopher McElroy Director of Music, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

Cathedral Music on Lockdown

Cathedral Record Canon Anthony O’Brien – Cathedral Dean All the signs at present are that the restrictions in place regarding isolation and closure of public buildings including churches will remain in place at least until the end of May.

April was a strange month since the government lockdown and suspension of public religious services, the Cathedral Choir has been unable to meet in person on a daily basis to sing.

Considering our choristers spend around 20 hours a week singing together this is quite a drastic change to their routine!

However, thanks to modern technology, the education of our choristers has moved ‘on-line.’ Each day the music staff meet (virtually) with choristers, either individually or in small groups, to work on music theory, vocal technique and keyboard skills. These sessions are vital both for the ongoing education of our choristers, and for the keeping of a sense of community between our choir members and the Cathedral.

The summer term each year is usually dominated by choir recruitment. As our older choristers leave each year (boys whose voices have changed, and girls preparing for GCSE’s) we seek to recruit new choristers. This year's recruitment cycle is going to be rather different from previous years, with two particular factors having a significant impact.

Firstly, unlike previous years, we are now in a position to offer a chorister education without the involvement of school fees to any Catholic boy or girl. Previously, boys were obligated to pay school fees to attend the Cathedral Choir junior school (although many gained scholarships which

substantially reduced the fees payable.)

However, from September 2020, Runnymede St Edward’s Preparatory School will reopen as Runnymede St Edward’s Catholic Primary School, a new Voluntary Aided School.

We are delighted that this means that all Catholic children throughout the Archdiocese will now have the opportunity to audition for a place as a chorister at the Cathedral, without the burden of school fees, and to be educated at our two Cathedral Choir Schools: Runnymede St Edward’s Catholic Primary School (Boys, age 7-10) St Edward’s College (Boys & Girls, age 11-15.)

The second factor that will affect our recruitment this year is that it will be carried out exclusively ‘on-line’ via Zoom video conferencing due to the lockdown/ social distancing measures currently in place. Various experiments are currently underway to redesign our voice trial, to ensure that we are able to offer a fair and balanced test to each applicant using an online platform.

If you know of a Catholic family who might be interested in this wonderful opportunity, please share this information with them.

Full details of choristerships at the Metropolitan Cathedral, alongside application forms and voice trial booking slots can be found on the Cathedral website: https://www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk/

The most harrowing and devastating effects of the pandemic are being felt by those who have contracted the coronavirus and their families but to a lesser degree all sections of our community within all our parishes are having to shoulder the burden. Looking ahead our Cathedral diary is now just a series of erased entries. Weddings arranged here at the Cathedral for the next couple of months have had to be cancelled, First Communions postponed, post Easter choir tour cancelled, Pentecost celebrations doubtful, KSC National Mass cancelled – the list could go on. All that we are able to do at present in the Cathedral is offer chaplaincy support for the Royal Hospital nearby and offer private Mass for the community each day with the technical challenges of live streaming on a Sunday as well as trying to keep in touch with people online.

From the feedback we have received the streaming of Mass has been really appreciated by many especially the services during Holy Week but there is a real feeling of emptiness celebrating the Eucharist without a congregation in such a vast Cathedral building. One of the really positive signs of hope for me has been witnessing how staff and parishioners have been keeping in touch with one another and particularly keeping in contact with those that they know who are on their own and offering support. It is true that when we are most in need and feel unable to do much ourselves the Risen Lord reveals his presence amongst us in different ways. Despite the challenges at present the faith and the care and kindness of others is a real sign of Easter Hope.

Catholic Pictorial

27

p27-32_covers 07/05/2020 15:38 Page 28

PIC Life Now is the time to cling to Jesus

By Moira Billinge

relentlessly through all age groups.

Sebastian was almost beyond consolation when his grandfather died. Nothing seemed to be able to distract him from his all-consuming grief. Despite people trying their best to comfort him, the ache latched on to his first thoughts when he awoke and stayed with him for the rest of the day.

Relatives and friends cannot travel to be at the side of their loved ones, either in sickness or in death, and nor can they meet in a group to comfort one another.

Life as we knew it bears no resemblance to life as it is now.

Churches are closed. We are celebrating Mass and other services and devotions online. Shops, businesses, restaurants, gyms, schools, universities … almost everything is shut and we are on lockdown across the entire globe. Most hospitals are at breaking point and others are gearing up to cope with the sickness which is, almost inevitably, going to come their way.

He was normally a philosophical and upbeat character. There is, however, no rehearsal in life to equip us for the raw pain of the death of a loved one.

Regardless of any previous experience, a death is always a unique occasion.

As the day of his grandfather’s funeral approached, Sebastian, who had hoped to be able to do the Readings at the Mass, was feeling so very unhappy that he confided in advance to the celebrant, Father Andrew. The priest took hold of Sebastian’s hands. ‘Just cling to Jesus,’ he said. ‘Cling tightly to Jesus.’

These simple but profound words sliced through Sebastian’s grief. He repeated them to himself, constantly, during the ensuing days, and again as he climbed up to the lectern to read for his grandfather. In the years since, whenever he has encountered a problem, he calls to mind Fr Andrew’s words and he has indeed clung tightly to Jesus.

We are in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of people have died from it across the entire world, and many more are extremely ill. Covid-19 is all-embracing. It does not discriminate, afflicting people who were previously well and those already sick. It is sweeping greedily, ruthlessly and 28

Catholic Pictorial

History has not seen this happen before and we know not what the future holds.

We have no precedent on which to base our calculations, estimations or predictions, but we have endless examples of utter heroism from countless people: health service workers, police and fire services, delivery drivers, shop workers and so many more individuals across all walks of life.

Regardless of what is happening, and no matter how much better or worse things may become, our wonderful God does not stop loving each of us more than we can ever realise. In these uncertain times, His love for us is our only certainty. We have to continue to trust Him and echo the words of St Peter: ‘Lord, to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life.’ (John 6:68) For many, this has been an opportunity for spiritual growth as we have been afforded this extra time to pray and to reflect on the Scriptures. Extra time to ponder what our faith really means to us, this precious gift of God, and the life and the love of Jesus. In Psalm 26 we are asked to ‘Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord.’ Now, more than at any other time in our lives, we must ‘Cling to Jesus. Just cling tightly to Jesus.’

p27-32_covers 07/05/2020 15:38 Page 29

Catholic PIC retreats and away days 2020 To all our lovely readers who supported our retreat and away days we want to say a very big thank you.

We have due to the Covid19 virus had to cancel our plans for 2020, so we will not be able to meet for a while.

We will let you know through the Catholic Pic magazine when we are able to resume our days out together.

If you want to ring for a chat the number is 0151 733 5492. Please leave your contact number if you leave a message.

We hope you will all stay safe and well and we look forward to being hearing from you soon.

God bless you

Worth a visit - Bala We must now follow the necessary government restrictions and stay at home and not travel, but in other circumstances during the month of Our Lady we would have found joy in days out in the Welsh mountains writes Lucy Oliver.

The picturesque market town of Bala in Snowdonia lies on the shores of the largest natural lake in Wales, Llyn Tegid, and attracts visitors keen on watersports and fishing. Its railway offers a delightful one-hour round trip with wonderful views of the lake and countryside.

Bala’s modest High Street is home to the first church outside of Portugal to be dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. In 1917, as three shepherd children tended their sheep, they were visited by the Mother of God. Their example of penance and prayer inspires Christians around the world and brings comfort in times of trouble. In Bala, more than 1,500 miles from the site of the apparitions, a 17th-century stable building was converted to a church in 1948, the first Catholic church in Wales since the Reformation. Later that year, the church

welcomed the oak statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Blessed by the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, the statue reached Bala in procession, while many walked in pilgrimage.

Catholic Pictorial

29

p27-32_covers 07/05/2020 15:39 Page 30

Letter from Oscott

by Peter Ross We are all living in very strange circumstances at the moment. No matter who we are, our lives have been changed in some way. I am certainly no exception to that reality.

On 17th March, Father Paul Keane, the Acting Rector, announced to us all that for the first time in its 224 year history, Oscott College was to close. We left the College on Friday 20th March and we have yet to return. I remember that immediately after hearing the announcement I felt extremely sad. Sad because this change meant being separated from my brothers for an unknown amount of time. Initially, Father Paul envisaged that we would be back within a few weeks, but this vision faded not long afterwards. The hope is now, that we will be able to return for at least one week at the end of June, in order for the yearly Diaconate Ordinations to take place. If this can’t be realised, then it looks as though we will all be separated until September.

Since leaving College, I have been staying with my Parish Priest Father Ian McParland at St Margaret Mary, Knotty Ash. I’ve been able to help him in his ministry to parishioners through the live streaming of Masses and services on YouTube. We have been praying together and checking in with parishioners each day, so parish ministry continues here, albeit in a different way.

The College staff have also been keen to ensure that priestly formation continues during this time. That’s why, for the past few weeks I’ve been tuning into live streamed lectures. I was also able to take part in a Virtual Retreat, led by one of the College Spiritual Directors, Canon John Udris. So, although we’re all away from Seminary, the work continues.

I have no doubt whatsoever that my difficulties are insignificant compared to those who are working on the front-line of this Pandemic. Our Key Workers need so many prayers to keep them going, let’s continue in our prayerful support of them and let’s pray too that the Risen Lord, who is full of merciful love, will bring consolation and healing to our world.

30

Catholic Pictorial

justice & peace Will this topsy-turvy world last?

By Steve Atherton, Justice & Peace fieldworker The lockdown during the present crisis has made many amazing changes to our lives and the way we view the world.

Almost overnight, humble, low-wage jobs have been revealed as crucial to society. I don’t think that their wages have increased but the stackers of shelves, the drivers of white vans, the staff of care homes have been revealed as essential to us all while it turns out that we can actually manage without the Premier League and hedge-fund managers.

We may not have seen the Churchas-we-know-it on the frontline but a new form of Church is surely evident. God is active in the selfless behaviour of doctors and nurses, the eruption of kindness among people, rainbow messages of support for the NHS appearing in windows and even the Conservative government putting the welfare of people at the top of its priorities.

The Catholic social teachings of The Common Good and Solidarity are being enacted in front of our eyes. I am astonished to see a socialist policy of universal income (ridiculed as an impossible dream during the recent general election) being enacted by the government.

How long will society remain turned on its head? I have just been reading a booklet called ‘Mersey Reflections … on Faith in the City’. It was written in late 1995. Eight years earlier Margaret Thatcher had declared that there was no such thing as society. I was amazed at how relevant it is to our current experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Consider the following: ‘But our churches are surely being called to re-integrate life and faith, to get a feeling for the “secular” as the locus of the sacred.

‘This re-integration will involve a certain redefinition of what it is to be church at all. Many people, inside and outside the churches, think of them as enclaves of the saved, enclaves which at least give the impression that human affairs outside their confines are indifferent to God. Are we not called to affirm the presence of God in all of people’s lives, to acknowledge and indeed to celebrate the creative and redeeming power of Christ wherever it is discernible? After all, we profess a God who creates all people in his image and likeness, and a Word of God who enlightens all people. Our role as churches is to be sacraments of this creative and redeeming God, communities of

those who freely want to be living witnesses to “the one who stands in their midst, unrecognised”.

‘Although notionally we assent to this unfettered presence of God – of God who is always in situations before we get there – yet we confess to finding many of our churchly attitudes, actions and structures in fact belie it. We are humbled by Augustine’s comment: “God knows many whom the church knows not, and the church knows many whom God knows not.”’

I am hoping and praying that when the pandemic has become a memory we will have emerged, reenergised, as the Church that nourishes people in the joys and sorrows of their lives, and that the upside-down world of the Kingdom of God will continue to be evident in the Church we will have become.

p27-32_covers 07/05/2020 15:39 Page 31

Keep up to date with all the news from around the Archdiocese online at: www.catholicpic.co.uk You can now follow us on twitter at:

@PicCatholic

Catholic Pictorial

31

p27-32_covers 07/05/2020 15:39 Page 32

SStt JJohn ohn B Bosco osco ARTS COLLEGE

SE R V E

T H E LOR D W I T H GLADN E SS

ST JOHN BOSCO

FOR AN OUTSTANDING EDUCATION

TTelephone: elephone: e 0151 015 235 1620 1620

ww www.stjohnboscoartscollege.com w.stjohnboscoartscollege.com Storrington St orringt on A Avenue, venue, LLiverpool iverpoo l L11 9D 9DQ Q