Spreading the Good News
Charity Dinner for CAFOD
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The Pursuit of Virtue By Alex Balzanella The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, delivered a keynote speech at St Paul’s Cathedral on 11 April in which he asserted the need for the business world to be of service to human flourishing. In the debate looking at how the City can foster the development of good people Archbishop Nichols argued that businesses should look beyond just profit. Instead, organisations should recognise that they are also communities of people and should seek to further human well being through the goods and services they deliver. From a greater focus on humanity we will see fairer employment and lower risk whilst still providing a fair return to investors.
“The City’s resources must serve everyone’s good if the city is to have any sense of common destiny. Whatever the activity of the City might be, we are all in it together, like climbers tied together by invisible ropes...the institutions of business and commerce, on which the reputation and history of the City of London rest, have as their foundation precisely such bonds.”
The Classical Virtues
Archbishop Nichols went on to say that for the City to operate on such terms we must learn to both practice the Classical Virtues of prudence, justice, courage and temperance and to build institutions which foster their practice. “By pursuit of virtue we act well not because of external constraint, but because it has become habitual for us to do so. The virtues form us as moral agents, so that what we do is People Make the City Speaking about the community of right and honourable irrespective of the City, Archbishop Nichols said: reward and regardless of what we “Community is created and are obliged to do.” common destiny established Importance of Moral Purpose through the vision, commitment Archbishop Nichols then considered and relationships which good examples of what happens when we people form.” fail to develop the Classical Virtues
The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, at St Paul’s Cathedral © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
referring, in particular, to the recent help create the common goods that at ‘The City and the Common Good: Francis Review of Mid-Staffordshire serve to reduce inequality. ” what kind of City do we want?’ NHS Trust: Potential for the Future The debate was chaired by Stephanie “The staff – good people in the main Archbishop Nichols concluded by Flanders, BBC Economics Editor. Other – were led by a catalogue of failings considering the importance of panellists included Baroness Helena to collude in a catastropic failure, the leadership in promoting the virtues in Kennedy, Labour Member of the head of the professional standards order to create a moral standard House of Lords; Tracey McDermott, authority spoke of leaders having lost throughout the City: FSA Director of Enforcement and “Humanity has the most sight of their moral purpose. They had forgotten they exist to do good. extraordinary capacity for good, and I Financial Crime and Bishop Peter deeply believe there are great Selby former Bishop of Worcester and Concern for finances had taken wellsprings of renewal for this City, priority over care, compassion for every city, of how we organise the St Paul’s Institute Interim Director. and respect.” world at work in the service of the FOR MORE INFORMATION “We have seen what happens when common good.” businesses simply focus on profit as The debate is part of a series looking www.rcdow.org.uk/archbishop an end in itself and exploit every situation for that end. The true justification of business, I suggest, is when profit is made through delivering a purpose that genuinely adds to human well-being.” “The architects of lasting business success learn to understand and control their own self-interest...by acting consistently, do what they say, setting and acting on high expectations, they create a culture that actually strengthens good practice.” He said this behaviour “will nurture, attract and reward good people. It will inspire the good in people and
Editorial
Westminster Record May 2013
The Challenge of the Gospel...
Bishop John Arnold
In the readings at Mass since Easter we have seen the struggles of the disciples. First of all they have to learn to accept the reality of the Resurrection. If only they had been listening more carefully to what Jesus had been telling them during His ministry, the Resurrection would
not have come as such a shock and they might have understood something of its meaning from the moment that it happened. Second, as they come to an acceptance of the Resurrection and its real meaning begins to be understood, the disciples have to start to shape the community and to find their priorities for the task of building the Church which has been entrusted to them. It is not an easy business, and St Paul will, on his own journeys, learn that different communities will develop in different ways and there will be different ways of evangelising. But this flexibility and need for reflection and renewal is part of the life of the Church. The bishops of England and Wales have just spent time together in retreat, just outside Rome. Almost all the bishops were able to be present. During the retreat we were privileged to meet Pope Francis. The preacher of the retreat Fr Paul Murray O.P. reminded us of the need to reflect carefully on our priorities and to listen carefully to all that our new Holy Father is saying to us about the need to centre our prayer and our mission on the Gospel and the person of Jesus Christ. How, in
these days of 'The New Evangelisation' are we to connect the truths of the Gospel with the growing secularity of the world in which we live - so that the Gospel may be relevant and useful in meeting the challenges that face our world and our society? We cannot leave it all to the bishops to provide the answers! They will certainly have their own ideas and initiatives but Pope Francis is making it very clear, time and time again, that it is for each one of us in our daily lives to seek to put the truth and the good news of the Gospel into action and to show the people around us that we have good things to say from which we may all, those of every faith and none, benefit. The challenge to each of us to live the Gospel is there today, as it ever was. How best will you and I find to live it now?
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The View from Rome: The Darling Buds of May May begins in Italy, as in many other countries, with a Bank Holiday, and in Rome that means a mega-concert in the square outside St John Lateran, performed by what one critic calls “an Italian line-up with a smattering of international hasbeens”. If you like that sort of thing, it is great, but for most of us it brings huge disruption to transport, access, and the general tranquillity of life. A much more stately affair takes place on 6 May, when the new Swiss Guards are sworn in at the Vatican – a ceremony recalling their courage when in 1527 many of them gave their lives to defend the Pope during the Sack of Rome. That Sack placed Pope Clement in the power of Emperor Charles V, and he was therefore not inclined to grant Henry VIII a divorce from his wife, who happened to be the Emperor’s aunt. You see, all history is connected. There is no chance of the current Holy Father being chased into hiding, except by adoring crowds. The Romans are in love with Pope Francis, particularly – as one shopkeeper explained – since he chose the name of the Captain of the Roma football team, Francesco Totti. Never ones to let an Page 2
opportunity pass by, many Roman restaurants are now offering an “Argentinian menu”, while portraits of the Holy Father are displayed on many streets and even the back of ‘buses. His decision to reside not in the magnificent Apostolic Palace, but in the modest Vatican residence, Santa Marta, has provoked much comment, not least from many of the Vatican staff who have been invited to join the Holy Father for morning worship. A cashier at the Vatican Post Office, with tears in her eyes (which was probably why she gave me the wrong stamps) told of her meeting with Pope Francis on one of those Masses – and her words have been echoed by many, “He has truly touched our hearts”. Crowds at the weekly audiences have swelled, and are notably lively affairs. In one respect, however, Pope Francis cannot match his predecessor – he speaks little English, and prefers not to try it in public. That means that Curial officials (including our own Monsignor Philip Whitmore) have to translate what he says for the vast crowds, and while the officials are supplied with a script, the Holy Father’s penchant for extemporising creates some bloodcurdling moments for them.
In the ecumenical world, May brings the third meeting of ARCIC III, the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue, headed on our side by Archbishop Bernard Longley. The cause of unity between Anglicans and Catholics might seem a hopeless one, but the dialogue has much to explore, and is responding faithfully to its Papal mandate to work tirelessly for Unity. Soon afterwards, a new representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury takes up residence in Rome. Archbishop David Moxon, formerly Anglican primate of New Zealand, has grown to love the city, and promises to be a lively addition to its English speaking community.
Mgr Mark Langham works for the Vatican Department for Christian Unity.
Westminster Record May 2013
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Tring Parishioner Wins Award
St Mary’s launches Pete Postlethwaite Picture House A new state-of-the-art cinema screen was unveiled at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham during a celebratory evening with more than 100 staff, alumni and guests in attendance. Named after the late actor and former St Mary’s student, Pete Postlethwaite, the cinema screen has been installed at the University College’s Strawberry Hill campus as a way of enhancing the student learning experience, as well as offering an additional facility to the local community. The event celebrated the life of Pete Postlethwaite, who graduated from St Mary’s in 1968, and guests were able to watch a screening of one of Pete’s most notable performances In the Name of the Father. Alumni Relations Manager Sarah Hood commented: “It was a delight to see so many of Pete’s friends and co-students attend this event. It is a fitting tribute that St Mary’s names this new screening facility after our most famous and successful acting alumnus, especially as he played a part in establishing the drama department at St Mary’s back in the 60s.”
Great Mission in the Public Places of London and the World
A Great Mission in this Year of This work of evangelisation in our Faith is taking place in 10,000 diocese received the blessing and public places all around the world. sending out of those involved by Archbishop Vincent Nichols. The In Westminster, the mission is being evangelisation, taking the Gospel given on the Sundays of Eastertide out into the streets, is not only part until 5 May by members of the of the New Evangelisation proposed Neocatechumenal Communities of Guardian Angels (Millenium Park, Mile End), St Charles Borromeo (in the Park opposite Heals, Tottenham Court Rd), Ealing Abbey and the Polish Parish of Ealing (Haven Green, opposite Ealing Broadway Station). Other missions in Great Britain include Glasgow, Blackburn, Carlisle, Bedford and Brixton. The missions include personal witnesses to the mercy of God, and catecheses – for example on Who is God for you? What is the meaning of your life? And the Kerygma – the announcement of Christ, the Son of God, sent to to save all men from the power of death and sin, giving back to them a life of communion in the Holy Spirit.
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by Pope John Paul II and endorsed by Pope Benedict XVI, but also very close to the heart of Pope Francis, who as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio asked Catholics that they be not afraid to evangelize the city.
Lourdes Reunion Masses Pilgrims and volunteer helpers are specially invited to the Lourdes Reunion Masses held on the first Tuesday of each month except August and January. Mass is at 6.30pm in the Crypt Chapel at Westminster Cathedral. Entrance to the Crypt is via the Choir School gate in Ambrosden Avenue. The next Mass on Tuesday 7th May will be celebrated by Fr Dennis Touw the Lourdes Pilgrimage Director, followed by a social gathering in the Windsor Castle pub. For further details please contact Gerald Daly in the Pilgrimage Office on 020 7798 9173 or geralddaly@rcdow.org.uk.
On 15 April 2013, the Mayor of Tring, Cllr. Nick Hollingsworth, presented the Town’s Community Award to Wendy Hinds, a parishioner of Corpus Christi Church, Tring in Hertfordshire. Wendy has lived in Tring for over thirty years and became a member of the parish community of Corpus Christi Church in Langdon Street. Her concern for the people of Tring was not limited to Corpus Christi. She visited local schools to teach part time, using her skills in music and drama. Her contacts there led her to be involved with the families away from school activities. It is as a parishioner of Corpus Christi that she is perhaps well known. When a former parish priest, Father Tony Potter, became ill in 2001, she took him into her home and nursed him until he died. During the interregnum, she and a group of parishioners kept the parish going. When his successor also died within a year, she did the same, ensuring that visiting priests came each weekend. There was never a weekend when no priest arrived. Even the local bishops, first James O’Brien and later George Stack, were “persuaded” to respond to her invitation. For all this work, always voluntary, she was awarded the title of Catholic Woman of the Year. She continues to give support to the present parish priest, Canon Vincent Berry. She represented the Corpus Christi community when the churches of Tring united together to form Churches Together in Tring and continues to do so. She is involved in the monthly prayer breakfasts, the Lent lunches and above all the Good Friday Procession of Witness which travels from St Martha’s Methodist Church to St Peter and St Paul’s Parish Church. Her Christian faith means a great deal to Wendy. Her home is and always has been an open house to everyone, regardless of colour or creed. There are numerous stories about people who were down in their luck, homeless or who had just fallen on hard times. She would take them in from the street, give them food and sometimes a bed for the night. They were always treated as one of the family. There are people all over Tring who have been touched by Wendy sometimes just to do their shopping, sometimes to give wise counsel in their moment of need. Nobody will ever know the good she has done because she has never sought recognition or praise. She is one of a number of unsung heroes who just get on with the business of daily living and somehow enrich the lives of the people they encounter.
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Westminster Record May 2013
The Feltham Passion by Fr Chris Vipers, Parish Priest of St Lawrence’s, Feltham This Palm Sunday will be engraved on my memory forever. Sitting in the Chapel of Feltham Young Offenders Institution, nestled alongside family members of eight of the young inmates, along with the prison officials and guests from local churches, we witnessed a unique and moving presentation of the Way of the Cross. It had started as a dream of the local ecumenical community (Anglican, Methodist, United Reformed and Catholic) staging a production of “Born for This”, an inspired and inspiring imagining of the Stations of the Cross by CJM Music, and then somehow to bring this into the prison. The first part of our dream was realised with a production staged at local Catholic and Anglican churches which brought local Christians together for the first time, combining local talent and the opportunity for great local witness.
The second part of our dream, of involving the local community with the prison community, started on Ash Wednesday. Members of local churches were invited to work alongside the team from TenTenTheatre in taking the eight prisoners involved in the project, lads between the ages of 16-21 who have been sentenced or are awaiting trial for serious crimes, on their own journey. Through weekly sessions in the Chapel those lads reflected on their own journey, reflecting on, praying through and responding to the Stations of the Cross as seen through the prism of their own young lives, from Condemnation to Resurrection, using drama, words, music, action, mime, sign-language and dance. Their enthusiasm, imagination, commitment, dedication and talent was breathtaking. The result, the Palm Sunday Stations, was simply beautiful, not so much a
performance as a celebration, an act of worship not a show. The only applause was at the end, a standing ovation! By all accounts it was quite a journey to get to that moment – but it was a journey worth taking and, please God, their journey goes on. I will never see or pray the Stations in the same way again. Martin O’Brien, Artistic Director of TenTenTheatre, wrote on his Holy Week blog, charting the Lent journey at Feltham: “A member of the local community came up to me at the end of the Palm Sunday service, utterly moved to tears. She couldn’t quite believe what she had witnessed by the lads. I think it was because something deeply spiritual had been shared by all those taking part and participating. I knew then, despite the many difficult loopholes we had to jump through to make it happen, this kind of collaboration really had been worth it.”
So what lessons do I take away surprising – but God-given – from this whole experience: talent and immense gifts. • Prisoners at Feltham (and • Groups like TenTenTheatre are anywhere) are more – much amazing and need our support. more – than their crimes. • Ecumenical adventurousness • Prison Chaplaincy needs our gives great witness and bursts prayers and, where possible, with promise. practical partnership with the local church. FOR MORE INFORMATION • Performing Arts have the www.tententheatre.co.uk capacity to touch and release
HCPT-The Pilgrimage Trust dances. In the congregation was Brother Michael Strode, who as a young doctor brought a group of disabled children to Lourdes 58 years ago and founded HCPT. At the end, he came to the altar amidst a standing ovation - to thank Bishop Rawsthorne for his dedication as President of the Trust being a “devoted ambassador of HCPT”.“You have walked many miles for the Trust and we thank you” said Brother Michael. In response, Bishop Rawsthorne related that another bishop once asked him: “How come you have two of the best roles in the Church - being chair of CAFOD and President of the HCPT?” He said he felt “privileged” to have been involved with both for so long.
A smiling HCPT group
Groups from around Westminster Diocese participated in this year’s annual Easter pilgrimage to Lourdes of HCPT – The Pilgrimage Trust. Overall, the pilgrimage involved more than 200 groups from many UK and Irish Dioceses and from as far afield as Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, and from the Diocese of Westminster parishes included Chiswick, Tottenham and Allen Hall Seminary. Page 4
The lively Trust Mass on 4 April was celebrated by Bishop John Rawsthorne, the out-going President of the Trust. The congregation of around 5,000 included 1,500 children with special needs. ‘We are the hands of the Lord’ was the Mass theme and hands were raised throughout the Lourdes Underground Basilica, waving in time with hymns. Hundreds of young people sang in the choir and performed liturgical
HCPT – The Pilgrimage Trust brings disabled children to Lourdes annually during the week after Easter, organised in small family groups and each group with a chaplain, a nurse and distinctive sweatshirts. It is the biggest children’s pilgrimage to Lourdes from the UK, and attracts thousands of young helpers. FOR MORE INFORMATION HCPT Trust Mass 2013 is available online and may be viewed at: http://en.lourdes-france.org/tvlourdes/?vid=hcpt
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Westminster Record May 2013
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New Christian Meditation Centre Opened Fr Laurence Freeman gave a short talk and led a meditation session for a group of about 100 people at the opening of the Meditatio Centre in Islington, north London, on Tuesday 19 March. Afterwards there was a reception attended by members of the World Community for Christian Meditation, including leaders from Switzerland, China, America, Australia, Ireland, Belgium and Poland. The Centre will offer a rich programme of workshops, talks and groups. Fr Laurence said: "When I was a little boy I was fascinated by the idea of centres. I started to keep a list with all the centres in London. So I am very happy to be here with you to celebrate the opening of this new Meditatio Centre. I am sure it will lead us, and those who come here, to their own personal centre. Because any physical centre is simply a symbol of that." Briji Waterfield, special projects coordinator for WCCM said: "We all hope the Meditatio Centre will provide a space for people to offer and share gifts and talents, so we can develop our work in different outreach programmes."
The World Community for Christian Meditation is inspired by the vision of John Main, a spiritual teacher and Benedictine monk, and was formed in 1991. Fr John revived the contemplative prayer of the desert tradition of early Christianity and made it available to everyone. Today, people from all walks of life, of all ages meditate in weekly groups in over 100 countries. Groups meet in a variety of places - schools, universities, churches, homes, workplaces, prisons, hospitals. The Community is a kind of 'monastery without walls' which has as its spiritual foundation the local meditation group and the daily practice of meditation. Fr Laurence Freeman a Benedictine monk and spiritual successor to John Main is the Director and spiritual guide of the community. He is the author of many books and leads retreats world wide. He launched Meditatio in 2010 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the community. The Mission Statement of the Community is to 'communicate and nurture meditation passed on through the teaching of John Main in the Christian tradition and in the
We Need You Assumption Volunteers
spirit of serving the unity of all.'
Assumption Volunteers is run by the Religious of the Assumption, a Catholic religious order of women, to offer young adults an opportunity to share their gifts and skills in poor communities, especially with the young, alongside Assumption communities overseas and in the UK. We can place people with teaching qualifications and also those without professional skills. The type of work that volunteers do depends on the skills and talents they have to offer. All of our projects are broadly education-based. Whether you want to work as a teacher in Rwanda, in a creative arts centre in Newcastle or in one of the many community development projects in the Philippines, your role will be to empower the poor, the young and the marginalized. Since 1999 we've enabled young adults to live and work in the Philippines, Thailand, Rwanda, Tanzania, Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, USA and the UK. For more information contact: Assumption Volunteers 20 Kensington Square, London, W8 5HH
The Centre is located in St Mark’s, Myddelton Square, London EC1R 1XX Tel + 44 (0) 020 7278 2070. FOR MORE INFORMATION see: http://www.wccmmeditatio.org/ or contact meditatio@wccm.org
First Sunday Reflection Anniversary
Siobhan Totman
The First Sunday Plus Young Adults Community celebrated their tenth anniversary with Mass at the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception in Farm Street, Mayfair, followed by a social in the hall. Siobhan Totman, a founding member of the Community reflects on the past ten years: I remember with great fondness about ten years ago now when Fr Dave Stewart SJ initiated the first 'First Sunday' Mass and invited a few of us from CLC groups to share in the planning of the liturgy for this Mass. It was a very special and memorable Mass, gathered as we were - a mere
20 of us - in the Ignatian Chapel of Farm Street, clutching our palms for Palm Sunday. What a great welcome to London it was, and how I'd been searching for such a community! From that initial Mass, FS just moved from strength to strength, until one day I recall with humour when Dave approached me looking worried, saying: "You know Siobhan, there seems to be almost too many people for the chapel. We may have to move permanently into the church and reinstate a second, quieter Mass!� His apparent concerned manner disguised his great delight at the growth of this community and its huge expansion in numbers! From there. the Third Sunday was born, and linked to it later came other YA initiatives such as Theology on Tap, pilgrimages to Ignatian-Rome, a Reading Club and the MAGIS (Jesuitled international projects before World Youth Day) - eventually all coming under the FSPlus umbrella. The greatest fruit this amazing Jesuit project has borne is the sense of community in the heart of London and the group of diverse people it draws together. Several of us are members of CLC (Christian Life Community) groups and this has allowed the seeds of friendship to
germinate even more. I personally was a member of a CLC group for eight years and it has showered me with unnumbered graces. The fact that so many of the original members remain involved at some level or another with FSPlus bears testament to the great community feel it has fostered. Particularly fond memories of mine include many a music practice prior to the monthly Mass fuelled by good jokes and even better doughnuts! I have also enjoyed the vast range of liturgies planned and shared - from the lively Advent parties through to the more sombre and moving Way of the Cross on Good Friday. Nevertheless, my favourite time (aside from the monthly de-briefing and relaxing in the pub after Mass) was probably our pilgrimage to Rome with Fr Dave and Br Alan Harrison SJ - both of whom led a fantastically inspired and joyful week around the beautiful Ignatian sites in Rome. I will be forever grateful for the deep and wonderful friendships that this community has offered me, and I have felt truly fortunate to journey alongside such inspirational and joyous fellow-Catholics. Due to this and due to some very moving and thought-provoking homilies, I have
Organising team: Owain Cleary, Sarah Teaher, John O'sullivan, Hanna Milly, Siobhan Totman, Una Buckly, Dominique Crowley, Dave Stewart, Meredith Kaye, Sholka Adegoye, Simone Raye, Fr Paul O'Reilly, David Furey, Francisco, Anouska Biggins
felt my faith in Christ deepen this last decade. We have been really blessed with our celebrants, who invariably address our needs and preach to our age group, and also to have worked and laughed alongside several Jesuit scholastics from all over the globe each one bringing their particular gifts as different as their nationalities. I feel my awareness of Ignatian spirituality has grown and developed, largely due to the inspiring Jesuits, religious and laity who work with us. This last year has seen me distanced from FSPlus, since I spent a spell abroad and then lived out of London for a while. This distance in a way has been beneficial for me - as it's helped me reflect on the graces and
wonderful fruit this community has offered me. Now I am back in London I feel thirsty again for my FS 'fix' and look forward very much to attending again. What better way to beat the Sunday night blues, than to celebrate a beautiful Mass in the heart of Mayfair and then share a pint with friends in the Barley Mow? FS helps you face the worst Monday has to throw at you! My heartfelt thanks to the gracious hospitality of the parish priest and team at Farm Street who have allowed us to celebrate Mass in their church for a whole decade! And to all the wonderful Jesuits and friends who've been so inspiring to walk alongside. Page 5
Marriage and Family Life
Exploring Marriage
Year 8 pupils at Sion Manning School were given a fascinating insight into married life when they listened to a married couple’s testimony of the blessings of lifelong faithful marriage. The couple were volunteers with “EXPLORE” – an educational charity committed to inspiring young people to aspire towards lifelong exclusive marriage. They gave a very brief run-down of their life together, highlighting the ups and downs and the experiences with their own children. Their summary gave ‘hooks’ for the pupils to ask questions such as: “How do you know when you’ve found the right person? ..... How do you make a relationship work long term? ...... Why don’t you just live together, why get married?..... Doesn’t marriage get boring after a long time together? ...... What would happen if one of you died?....... How do you sort out arguments?” What is progressive about EXPLORE’s approach is that it is led by the young people who explore and reach their own conclusions about marriage and lasting relationships. As they share, the mutual encouragement and positive atmosphere vividly illustrates to everyone the real power of God’s grace at work between the spouses which in turn inspires the young people to trust their intuition more. It becomes evident that to want to find love and be accepted by another for life for who they are and not what they can achieve is true and to reject the negative and cynical attitudes about marriage in popular culture. The girls from Sion Manning had some interesting feedback such as: “I have discovered that marriage is nothing to be scared of,” and, “I discovered how deep the love is between some married couples…. People enjoy marriage more than I thought.” The EXPLORE aim of enabling this student-led method fits well with the objectives of PSHE, RE/Humanities or Citizenship days. The hope is that more schools in the Diocese will take the opportunity to work with EXPLORE. For further information contact Edmund Adamus at edmundadamus@rcdow.org.uk or 020-77989363 or Gay Mallam EXPLORE Coordinator on gaymallam@uwclub.net
Christopher West: Fill These Hearts! God, Sex and the Universal Longing
A series of talk Series organized by the Marriage and Family Life and Vocations Departments at the Diocese of Westminster is continuing at St Mary of the Angels on Moorhouse Road in Bayswater. Christopher West is one of the speakers on the Catholic Church’s teaching on sexuality. Whether you are a seeker, a dissenter, a teacher or chaplain, a youth worker or just someone who wants to know more, bring yourself and your friends and you’ll have plenty to talk about afterwards!
challenging and entertaining teaching style, full of references to popular culture and deep theological truths about the meaning of our sexuality, which our culture has simply missed. In a secularised culture that may be on the verge of naming same sex relationships “marriage” and in which polygamy may be the next “innovation”, through lack of essential criteria in the legislation, there has never been a more urgent time to understand deeply the beauty and dignity, passion and intimacy that Christ is offering us through authentic discipleship. Followed by Cheese and Wine (£5 on the door) All Welcome. Wednesday 15 May at 7pm Feedback and Foment Meeting or all those who have been inspired and provoked by what they’ve heard and want to go further and wish to decide where to go next (Theology of the Body groups, Endow groups, Encourage groups etc). The evening will be facilitated by Edmund Adamus and Fr Richard Nesbitt and Sarah de Nordwall. Registration is essential as places are limited. Call Catherine Macgillivray on 0207 931 6064 or email cathmacgillivray@rcdow.org.uk.
TYBURN NUNS LIFE OF PRAYER Wednesday 1 May at 7pm “The Catholic Church’s teaching on Sexuality is What Every Man Needs” Two talks for Men Only: Fr Sam Medley of the S.O.L.T community and James Parker of Encourage, a support network for those with Same Sex attraction and gender confusion. Saturday 11 May at 6pm “Fill these Hearts – God, Sex and the Universal longing “ Christopher West will be launching his new book. This is a unique opportunity to experience his
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Westminster Record May 2013
• Contemplative • Monastic • Eucharistic • Ecclesial
Encourage James Parker is the director of Encourage which is a group that helps those with Same Sex attraction to seek a truly equal standing in society, find their own dignity and peace and engage positively with the teaching of the church. Here is a quote from an article he wrote for the Times Online about his journey to faith and to understanding the gift of the Catholic Church’s teaching on sexuality: “My life calling, I wholeheartedly believed, was to challenge the leaders of religion that homosexuals should be treated with the same dignity and rights as everyone else. This was especially true of the Christian community in which I had been raised. The more senior the religious leader’s role, the more I rose to the challenge.” “Along the journey of acrimonious engagement with different expressions of Christianity, I came across some startling, dare I say life-changing, revelations. In short, I came to understand that some of the people and organisations that I had consistently learned to blame and finger-wag for my despair were in fact conduits of my discovering an equal standing with others. This in turn led to a deeper sense of self-acceptance and my despair metamorphosing into a rich hope.” Considering Religious Life?
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Vocations
Westminster Record May 2013
Rediscovering the Rosary by Fr Richard Nesbitt The Year of Faith is a time of anniversaries: 50 years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council and 20 years since the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But there is one other anniversary which has particular meaning for me. This is the tenth anniversary of the Year of the Rosary (October 2002 – October 2003) which Blessed John Paul II proclaimed and introduced with his outstanding Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. In this letter John Paul II, in calling for a renewal of devotion to the rosary amongst Christians, lyrically set forth a vision of the rosary as a deeply contemplative, Christ-centred prayer in which we “sit at the school of Mary and are led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love.” It was also in this letter that John Paul II surprised the world by suggesting that the almost millennium-old tradition of praying the three mysteries – Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious – could be adapted by introducing the Mysteries of Light or Luminous Mysteries, which would focus on Christ’s years of public ministry from his baptism to the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper so as “to make the Rosary more fully a compendium of the Gospel.” I remember vividly hearing of the Pope’s announcement – I was in my second year at Allen Hall seminary. The invitation to make this a particular Year of the Rosary struck a real chord with the seminarians for whom Mary always has a special place in their devotion. We decided that we would make the commitment to pray the rosary every day in the seminary throughout the entire year. So a plan would go up on the notice board at the start of every week on which a seminarian would write a time and a place on each day where others could join them for the prayer. I think throughout the year almost the entire seminary was prayed in – from the laundry room to the green-house! Although the rosary had been a part of my prayer life before then, it was really that year which totally transformed my love and devotion to this most “userfriendly” of prayers, at once so simple and so profound. That daily commitment to sit down with Mary and contemplate her Son became a daily oasis from which I have continued to draw life ever since. Indeed as life has often become over-busy and
chaotic, the rosary has literally been a life-saver which has kept my prayer life alive! Re-reading Rosarium Virginis Mariae recently, I am struck afresh by its poetry and profundity – I think it contains quite simply some of the most beautiful and personal words which John Paul II ever wrote. It is still available as a CTS booklet and I recommend it whole-heartedly, particularly to anyone who perhaps is unfamiliar with the rosary or who perhaps feels a little luke-warm towards it. And I particularly recommend the daily praying of the rosary in the way which John Paul II envisages to all those who are discerning their vocation. As Blessed John Paul writes: “The rosary offers the ‘secret’ which leads easily to a profound and inward knowledge of Christ. We might call it Mary’s way. It is the way of the example of the Virgin of Nazareth, a woman of faith, of silence, of attentive listening.” Mary herself came to understand the mystery of Christ and of her own life gradually, step by step just as she watched the steps of her growing Son. As Archbishop Vincent has written: “We hear how “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” The original words say that Mary “pieced together” these things – like clues to a mystery to be discovered one by one. It is only through pondering in the heart, in other words, by “piecing together” and finding connections, finding unity in all that we experience that, following Mary’s example, we can penetrate the mystery of our God who has made each one of us out of love and Who calls us to follow Him on the path of love. Mary’s vocation is to be the Mother of the Redeemer, the human creature chosen by God to make possible His plan of salvation through the Incarnation of His Son. Each one of us, as children of God, has our own unique vocation – that particular calling of how we are to make God’s love real in our time and our place. Mary is a faithful guide and protector whose continuing vocation is to lead us to her Son so that we might know His will.” So in this month of May, my hope and prayer is that united with Mary in this great form of prayer which is the rosary, each one of us may come closer to Christ her Son and our Saviour and so come closer to the deepest will and calling of God for our lives – our vocation.
You are warmly invited to join the annual Vocations Pilgrimage to Walsingham on Saturday 15 June - a day for young people discerning their vocation and for those who are praying for them. A coach will be leaving from Westminster Cathedral by 8am and returning by 8pm cost £12. There will be a full pilgrimage programme at Walsingham including the Hole Mile Rosary procession, Mass, adoration as well as time for personal prayer and fellowship. There is a limited number of spaces so if you want to reserve a space, contact Fr Richard by 30 April at richardnesbitt@rcdow.org.uk
Praying the Rosary for Vocations In recent years over 10,000 "Praying the Rosary for Vocations" prayer cards have been distributed across the diocese. The prayer card is widely used by individuals, in schools and by parish rosary groups. We are now preparing a new version of the prayer card, which encourages us to pray for those living or discerning a whole variety of vocational paths - marriage and family life, priesthood, diaconate, consecrated life and our shared baptismal calling to holiness. The new prayer cards will be distributed to parishes and schools in the coming weeks but if you would like your own copy simply email me at richardnesbitt@rcdow.org.uk/tel: 02073495624. This initiative is funded by the Growing in Faith initiative.
Caring for the Capital For more information on vocations please contact Fr Richard Nesbitt richardnesbitt@rcdow.org.uk or 020 7349 5624 If you have a story or an event you would like to have featured on this page, please contact communications@rcdow.org.uk or 020 7798 9030
WESTMINSTER PRIESTS To explore if the Lord is calling YOU to join us contact the Vocations Director Fr Richard Nesbitt: Tel: 020 7349 5624 Email: richardnesbitt@rcdow.org.uk Page 7
School News
Westminster Record May 2013
Faith Cards spread Good News
Year 6 children from St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Bishop’s Stortford continued to ‘Spread the Faith’ in April when they visited their secondary neighbours at St. Mary’s. Students gave a PowerPoint presentation to Year 7 pupils explaining the origins and meaning of special faith cards the children had prepared as gifts for their fellow students. Part of the ‘Year of Faith’,
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originally instigated by Pope Benedict, this ‘sharing of the faith’ was particularly significant for pupils witnessing the historic ‘passing of the Papal baton’ to Pope Francis. The faith cards started at St. Joseph’s with each Year 3 child being given a card made by the staff and governors of the school. They were also given two blank cards, which they completed, one to take home to a parent, carer or someone in their parish, and one to give to a child in the next class. So the message of faith has spread through the school, local parishes and out into the wider community. Peter Coldwell, Head of St Joseph’s said: “As a school community we have relished the opportunity to take an active part in the Year of Faith. This project has really inspired our children to spread the Good News of Jesus in a wonderfully practical way.”
Kenya: building peace through education Fr Steven Ochieng, a priest from Kenya was in London recently to describe a radical new project that his mission has begun, which brings children from warring tribes together, in a boarding school, where they live, learn and play. This new initiative from the St Paul’s Missionary Community came about because of the sudden outbreak of inter-tribal violence just before Easter in 2011. Fr Steven and his colleagues had the sad job of collecting the bodies of 31
people who had been killed in a sudden outbreak of inter-tribal gun violence. Several more people were injured and the missionary compound was inundated with more than 1,200 men, women and children who had fled their village for fear of further attacks. The clashes between the Turkana and Dassanech people were caused by increasing competition for scarce resources: pasture, water and fish. When the dry season comes, most of the Turkana in the area have to get close to the Omo River Delta. Insecurity now prevents people from carrying out other activities,
such as herding, fishing, trading, learning etc. It also hinders investment and any kind of development, stealing people’s future as they end up trapped in a spiral of marginalization and violence from where they do not seem to find the way out. Fr Steven Ochieng, parish priest in Todonyang, (which is twinned with Holy Apostles, Pimlico) says the mission is looking at ways of building peace and co-operation between the communities. They have organised symposia between the elders of both tribes. They have now set up a boarding school for children from both the Turkana and Dassanech tribes. "If the children live and grow up together, they will no longer see each other as strangers. We believe co-education of children from the different tribes will help the communities to grow together" Fr Steven said. New Ways, a charity which funds the mission, has now set up a special fund to provide educational resources and facilities for the school. If you would like to make a donation to this project please go to: http://mydonate.bt.com/events/tod onyangeducation/96099 or post a cheque to New Ways, 47 Cumberland St, London, SW1V 4LY
Profile
Westminster Record May 2013
The Slovakian Catholic Mission Cyril and Methodius
By Br Barnaby Johns The Church of Our Lady of La Salette and St Joseph sits in the shadow of the tallest building in the European Union, the Shard. Under this flagship of modernity the Church is home to the Slovakian Catholic Mission (SCM) who will this year celebrate the 1150th anniversary of Saints Cyril and Methodius bringing Christianity to the Slavonic people. Something old, something new. The chaplaincy is run by Fr Tibor Borovsky who came to London in 2010 without ever studying English. Fr Tibor, ordained in 1988 in Bratislava and keen on travel, sport and music, muses on the character of the Slovakians living here in London: “When we come here we try to learn the language first and then to get to know the native culture and integrate ourselves in it. However, there’s something special about being a Slovak so we preserve our own identity and culture and we are proud of being who we are. Most of the Slovaks living in the UK, especially our SCM, are young people. Each of us has our own story to tell why he or she came to the UK. Some people came without any knowledge of the language and felt down. Now most of them speak fluent English and they have good jobs. I would say that Slovaks are hard-working, ambitious, open-minded, reliable, responsible and very friendly people. That is why I think they make good employees. We cover quite a wide range of working spheres - IT, cooks, waitresses, doctors, nurses, lawyers, managers, builders, hairdressers.” The SCM carry out strong faith formation programmes outreach work. At present five children and 16 catechumens are preparing to receive the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. There are also several Bible groups, regular Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, lectures and retreats.
1150 Years of Christianity
Our Lady of La Salette and St. Joseph which is home to the Slovakian Catholic Mission
Those wishing to be confirmed by a visiting Slovakian bishop are on a two year preparation course. Although the main residence for the SCM is in London, there is a pastoral outreach for Slovak as well as Czech people throughout the whole Great Britain. At the moment they have a new centre for the Slovak community in Peterborough, one in Birmingham and one opening in Manchester on 18 May. The SCM had an early evolution. A Jesuit, Fr Jan Lang, established the Czech-Moravian-Slovak Catholic Mission in London in 1949. It wasn’t until 2004 that the first Slovak priest Fr Jozef Vojtek joined the Chaplaincy. In 2007 the new and independent Slovak Catholic Mission (SCM) was set up in London by the Bishops’ Conference in Slovakia out of necessity for the Slovaks living here. Now about 200 people attend Mass every Sunday and 600 are
regular visitors. On 6 May the Dioceses of Westminster, Brentwood and Southwark celebrate the Mass for Migrants at Westminster Cathedral in which the Slovak community will play a significant role in the opening banner procession joining other communities in singing and bringing the gifts in our national costumes. “The Mass of Migrants is a unique opportunity for people of all nations, cultures and language to praise and worship Our Lord in one voice and in one spirit and present their culture and tradition,” explains Fr Tibor, “Here we can see that the Holy Spirit has no boundaries and the SCM is proud of to be part of it.” “We are also hoping to organise the first conference of ethnic minorities in London called ‘The Mission’ in October at Westminster Hall. This conference aims to unite all the ethnic minorities in faith and it
The Slovak Catholic Mission welcoming party when Pope Benedict visited Britain in 2010
In the effort of gaining the greatest possible autonomy from the growing influence of the Kingdom of the East Franks Prince Rastislav, ruler of Great Moravia, decided to establish his own Church in Moravia. He asked Byzantine emperor Michael III to send out Christian missionaries having knowledge of the language of the Slavs. He was granted that request and in 863, two learned brothers from Greek Solun (present-day Thessaloniki) reached Great Moravia – Constantine (later he adopted the monastic name of Cyril) and Methodius. And thus an important chapter of Slovak history began to be written. Cyril and Methodius became teachers and they showed the Slavs the way to wisdom, by teaching them reading and writing. They put together the first Slavonic system of writing, the Glagolitic script, and based on Slavonic dialects Cyril created the ecclesiastical language – Old Church Slavonic. Into which both brothers translated important parts of the Bible. Thanks to these advances church services began to be conducted in the Old Church Slavonic. Thus, for the first time, Slavs could understand the words said during Mass because until then, priests said the Mass exclusively in Latin.
intends to create a platform where Catholics will be able to come together and share their missionrelated knowledge and experience. Then the big celebration of the year will be for Ss Cyril and Methodius between 28 June – 9 July. We have a visiting Slovak professor from Bratislava to talk to us about the Saints, as well as a group of talented young actors who are preparing a theatrical performance about the life of Ss Cyril and Methodius, which they are going to perform in English parishes as well. It is very exciting and all are looking forward to it. See the website (www.scmlondon.org) for more details.” The SCM has very much an atmosphere of being a family, which is summed up in their Family Picnic which they will be organizing for the second year running. Page 9
In Pictures
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Westminster Record May 2013
Diocesan Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Francis The Diocese of Westminster’s Mass of Thanksgivingfor Pope Francis was held on 10 April and celebrated by Archbishop Vincent Nichols. Bishop Alan Hopes concelebrated the Mass which was also attended by Fr Dermot Preston SJ, the Jesuit Provincial of the British Province.
Chrism Mass
Chrism Mass: The annual Mass which sees the blessing of the three Holy Oils: the Oil of Catechumens, the Oil of the Blessing of the Sick and the Oil of Chrism. The blessing of the Holy Oils is one of the most ancient ceremonies in the Church. It is always celebrated in the Cathedral by the bishop surrounded by the priests, deacons, religious and lay people from his diocese.
Palm Sunday Palm Sunday: His Most Reverend Excellency Antonio Mennini, celebrated Palm Sunday Mass with the congregation of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
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Westminster Record May 2013
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In Pictures
Maundy Thursday This year, in continuation of Christ’s example of service, Archbishop Vincent Nichols washed the feet of twelve Chelsea pensioners during the mass.
Good Friday Archbishop Vincent Nichols joined the Mayor of Westminster and many others who walked between Parliament Square and Westminster Cathedral in the annual Walk of Witness which was followed by a performance of the Passion of Christ held in Trafalgar Square.
Easter vigil
We want your News “This Easter Vigil is a celebration of light and life: the triumph of light over darkness and life over death” was the message of hope shared by Archbishop Vincent Nichols at the Easter Vigil at Westminster Cathedral on 30 March.
You can send us your latest news online, just visit our website at: www.rcdow.org.uk/wrecord Page 11
CAFOD News
Westminster Record May 2013
Westminster’s First Live Simply Parish!
Pedal Against Poverty with Team CAFOD! There’s still time to register for CAFOD’s sponsored cycle ride, Pedal Against Poverty. Now in its seventh year, CAFOD’s annual ride will again take riders alongside the River Lea through the scenic Lee Valley Regional Park. Riders can choose between a family-friendly 10 mile route beginning in Cheshunt, or a longer 18 mile route beginning in Ponders End, both of which follow smooth, wide towpaths alongside the river and are entirely off-street. Everyone is also welcome to join in a community picnic at the ride’s midway point in Broxbourne. We’d love to see a team from your parish or your school take part!
Last year, nearly 200 people enjoyed a fun day out on a spectacular summer’s day and helped raise over £7,600 for CAFOD’s poverty-fighting work overseas. Why not bring your friends and family this year and gear up to make a world of difference?
Congratulations to the parish of St John Vianney, West Green, on earning the LiveSimply Award! The parish is the first in Westminster— and only the fifth in the UK—to receive the award. The LiveSimply award gives national recognition to Catholic parishes making a difference to both their community and the world. To win the award, a parish must put into action the three LiveSimply principles: to live simply, to live in solidarity with people living in poverty, and to live sustainably with Creation. Volunteers Mariantha Fomenky and John Mooney helped design the plan for the parish, which included helping parishioners to measure their own carbon footprints and learn how to take action against climate change. More information on living simply and earning the LiveSimply award can be found on the LiveSimply website: livesimplyaward.co.uk. Volunteers Mariantha Fomenky and John Mooney, organisers of the LiveSimply action at St John Vianney, West Green.
There is a £6 registration fee per rider, which covers the cost of a CAFOD cycling vest as well as all of the administrative costs for the ride. For registration forms and more information, contact CAFOD Westminster: westminster@cafod.org.uk or 0208 449 6970.
Twickenham and Puentecitos Grow Together with Connect2
We Need YOUR Help in Making IF Happen!
This just in! As part of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign, CAFOD and This nearly 100 other agencies will be rallying together in Hyde Park in Central London t on Saturday, 8 June, and we’re looking for your help to make IF happen! a h t Tens of thousands of people from all over England and Wales will be calling on mon world leaders to use this year’s G8 Summit to end the scandal of global hunger. does produce enough CAFOD foodThetoworld feed everyone, but the way food is shared and distributed is not working for the world’s poorest communities. There can be Enough Food for Everyone IF we take action right now! The rally will start at 11am with faith services and other events across London. Gates for the main rally in Hyde Park will open at 1pm, with the main event starting at 2pm and finishing at 5pm. You don’t have to wait until the 8th to take action though! Visit cafod.org.uk/if to send a message to world leaders, find out more about the campaign, and sign up for updates about the IF event in London!
Fidel Ramos Gonzales, a farmer from El Salvador, and Erasmo Valiente, agronomist also from El Salvador, with volunteers at St Margaret's parish community garden - Sean and Dorothea Rose, Katherine RichardsBryant. Front, Elona Doci and Rachel Aquino.
More House holds a Charity Dinner for CAFOD Many thanks to everyone at More House Chaplaincy in Kensington for a smashingly successful charity dinner for CAFOD! Sixty one dapper CAFOD supporters attended the black-tie evening to help raise money for CAFOD’s ongoing Hungry for Change campaign. The night’s events included a charity dinner and an auction for donated items such as a painting, wine tasting vouchers and a pendant and earrings. The dinner was organised by Angelica Angles and Anthuanette Hidalgo, with help from a very hard-working and supportive team. “Year after year the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady Page 12
The team of organisers: Anand Luke Thachettu, Chee Yan Shek, Matt O'Dwyer, Anthuanette Hidalgo, Alphonsus Liew, and Angelica Angles.
(Canonesses of Saint Augustine) support CAFOD unconditionally” said Anthuanette. ”They encourage all the More House students to participate in the different fundraisings during the year to benefit CAFOD. We thank them for
their love and dedication towards it. We also thank Isabelle Bourette and Paola Batori for all their help to get donations, Chefs Edoardo Fenati and Chor Fai Shek and all the students of More House for making this event possible!”
The parish of St Margaret of Scotland, Twickenham, had the wonderful opportunity to welcome Fidel and Erasmo to their parish earlier this spring. The two men travelled from El Salvador to visit parishioners and see first-hand the kitchen garden that the parish runs to support CAFOD’s Connect2 programme. The two communities share a common interest in gardening. Inspired by the kitchen garden at St Patrick’s, Wapping, volunteer Judith Berman transformed a derelict patch at her parish into a flourishing vegetable garden, growing produce such as pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes and squash. By giving the produce to parishioners in exchange for donations, the parish has raised over £1000, which it is dividing between the parish’s building fund and supporting CAFOD’s overseas work. During his time in Twickenham, Fidel shared with parishioners how gardening and farming have helped Puentecitos to flourish. Working with the Jesuit Development Service, one
of CAFOD’s El Salvadorian partners, many in the community have been able to establish their own farms and small businesses. Fidel has helped to organise many of the farmers into cooperatives, who work together to sell their produce in London! surplus crops for a fairer price at market. Fidel has also worked to sustain his community’s biodiversity by establishing a seed bank of indigenous crops. The two men thanked the community for their dedication, speaking of how their support of CAFOD has helped them through the most difficult times of civil war, earthquakes, and hurricanes. “Sowing love is how we harvest love,” said Fidel. “You are in our hearts and prayers. Your support…makes us feel that we aren’t alone. We know that you share our dream, and we want you to continue accompanying us on our journey.”
Dates for your diary Saturday, 8 June - Enough Food for Everyone IF – Add your voice to the powerful call for G8 leaders to act and end the scandal of hunger. Held in Hyde Park, Central London, from 11am to 5pm. For more information, contact westminster@cafod.org.uk. Sunday, 23 June – Pedal Against Poverty – see above Saturday, 14 September – CAFOD Volunteer Day –Hear a guest speaker with first-hand experience of CAFOD’s work in Nicaragua and Guatemala speak at the Benedictine Centre for Spirituality. To book a place, contact CAFOD Westminster: 0208 449 6970.
Justice and Peace
Westminster Record May 2013
Caring for God’s Creation ACT
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While we worked for peace and the 2012 Games last year, our environmental work took a back seat. The seeds of our diocesan effort, as it were, lay more or less dormant. However, climate change moves inexorably on. Carbon increases its percentage of the atmosphere year on year. We read, for instance, that: “The observatory near the summit of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii has been recording the amount of carbon dioxide in the air since 1958. This is the longest continuous record of direct measurements of CO2 and it shows a steadily increasing trend from year to year; combined with a saw-tooth effect that is caused by changes in the rate of plant growth through the seasons. Source, www.skepticalscience.com This interesting website challenges many climate change myths. There is, however, no room to go into the climate change argument here: that is, whether it is man-made or not. Instead we should heed a warning which came from an unlikely voice recently. While the G20 summit in Moscow this year seems to have a mainly financial agenda, the President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, warned a G20 Meeting in Moscow on 16 February: "I would be remiss in not highlighting the serious consequences to the economic outlook of failing to tackle the serious challenges presented by climate change. These are not just risks. They represent real consequences. I also know that issues around climate change do not typically come before Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors”. He continued,
“This, I firmly believe, is a mistake. And to underscore my point, we need to look no farther than what is happening in our host country. This winter, for instance, Moscow has had record snowfalls. Climate scientists tell us that as the earth warms up, we will have more and more bursts of precipitation and other periods of extreme weather. Just two-and-a-half years ago, an extreme heat wave in Russia led to 55,000 deaths. So the people of Russia have experienced two once-in-a-lifetime extreme weather events in the last few years. One hot, one cold. We’re not talking about a risk that is 50 years away. We’re talking about risks that are here today. No country – rich or poor – is immune from the impacts of climate-related disasters. In Thailand, for example, the 2011 floods resulted in losses of approximately $45 billion or about 13 percent of GDP. The impacts of this disaster spread across borders disrupting international supply chains.
Damages and losses from natural disasters have more than tripled over the past 30 years. Years of development efforts are often wiped out in days or even minutes. While we've seen developed countries struggling to cope with blizzards and events like Hurricane Sandy, developing countries have even less resources to mitigate the economic and human costs of these disasters. At the World Bank Group we are stepping up our mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk management work. I would welcome more attention from the G20 on what we need to do to face climate change, which is a very real and present danger."
• Obtain and read the Diocesan environment leaflet, Our Environmental Mission • Incorporate more environmental elements into prayer and liturgy • Audit the parish’s energy output and work towards the parish Livesimply Award (www.livesimplyaward.org.uk) • Get ready to celebrate the ‘Creation Season’ in SeptemberOctober, with prayers and actions for the environment
Pupils at St Gregory's Kenton, gathering their produce. The pupils are led through practical action, to see care for the environment as part of their faith and RE.
JUDGE
It is against this background that we as Christians must renew our efforts to care for Creation, and definitely time that the Justice and Peace Commission revives the dormant seeds! Let us reexamine Church teaching and Scripture.
Pets are blessed at Our Lady Help of Christians in Kentish Town on the feast of St Francis of Assisi, 4 October.
Solar Panels: Pope Benedict gave a great lead through installing these, and declaring that to obtain peace we must care for the environment. Pope Francis reinforced this in his inaugural sermon, exhorting the church to protect the environment.
Pope Francis, at his inaugural Mass, made a passionate plea for all humanity to take the care for Creation seriously. On the feast of St Joseph, the protector of the universal Church, he said, ‘The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all Creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live… Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of Creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in Nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.’ By choosing the name of Francis, who was so well-known as a lover of God’s Creation, the Pope inspires us to press on with this vital task. Page 13
Youth
Westminster Record May 2013
Get involved and keep in touch!
Director’s Spotlight
You can find out more about the Diocesan Youth Service and the experiences of our young people by going to www.rcdow.org.uk/youth The site includes coverage of events, interviews and photos.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and as our thoughts turn towards the warmth of Spring and Summer nothing halts the progress of our youth ministry. The great news that Pope Francis will join us at World Youth Day in Rio has given us further enthusiasm to get our Pilgrimage plans in shape. The next Pilgrim Meeting is on 23 June at the Centre for Youth Ministry and provides opportunities for the pilgrims to meet each other ahead of our adventure in Rio. During the meeting we’ll also provide a flavour of what to expect, vital information and provide some spiritual input for our young people.
Events We continue to raise the profile of events throughout the Diocese and World Youth Day @ Home [Brightlights] and World Youth Day at Chelsea. These two events both provide the widest possible opportunities for our young adults to join in with the underlying spirit of WYD Rio. Details can be found on the main Westminster Youth Ministry website and Facebook and Twitter. The WYM Website section is of course a fantastic resource for all the youth activities and events occurring in the Diocese. We have begun our Parish Youth Training programme and by the time you read this we’ll have completed the inaugural session. We start with Tish Nicholl, the renowned voice coach, leading a group of youth and young adults aged 15-25 through the turbulent waters of public speaking. Later in the year we turn to Music Ministry and Eucharistic Ministry (Extraordinary); both sacred liturgical acts and we’ll ensure that the sessions are led with great sensitivity and by inspirational speakers.
Life changing SPEC, the Westminster Retreat Centre, is now recruiting volunteers for the school year commencing September 2013. If you are aged between 18 and 25 (or know someone who is) and are looking to spend a truly fulfilling volunteering year, then why not get in contact? The experience is life-changing and time in a Catholic residential community offers a unique opportunity to support the Diocesan Vision Plan for Youth Ministry. Our work in parishes is moving into a higher gear as we get into the field to provide active help with the development of Parish Youth Communities. We’re working with a number of existing groups and helping with the launch of others – we’d like an identifiable youth community integrated into every parish.
Recruitment To help with this work we’ve just completed some recruitment and I’m pleased to welcome Rebekah Curran into the Youth Ministry Team. Rebekah has just completed two years as a volunteer at SPEC, so she is ideally placed to help us move our work to the next level. Rebekah’s experience and positive outlook suggest to me that she will have so much to offer in supporting our many parishes. We are shortly to announce another Youth Ministry appointment and this will complete our immediate recruitment and provide us with the scope to engage even more with our parishes and keep youth ministry high on the diocesan agenda.
If you want to develop a Youth Community in your parish, just call us and we’ll be there to support your Youth programmes The Resource Library within the aspirations and provide energy and Centre for Youth Ministry is being experience. filled with a wide range of books, Take care and welcome to Spring! programmes, DVDs and CDs and I’d Phil encourage those who have an interest in getting a youth programme going Phil Ross is Director of Youth in their parish to visit us the centre to Ministry for the Diocese of have a look around. We intend to keep Westminster philross@rcdow.org.uk it relevant and current. Page 14
You can also keep in touch online with the latest youth activities at http://on.fb.me/15fzuXE
twitter.com/ RCWestminster or WestminsterWYM See photos of youth events at http://tinyurl.com/5vqohvo If you have a story for the blog or for Westminster Record email us at: communications@rcdow.org.uk
St Benedict’s Ealing hosts Refresh and Renew seminars for Young Adults There's a warm welcome for young adults (18-35) at St Benedict's in Ealing. On Fridays the centre is hosting Refresh and Renew: a series of Life in the Spirit Seminars for young adults which began in April. There are eight Friday evening sessions (not including First Fridays where the parish’s young adult group hold Eucharistic Adoration). The evening begins at 7:30pm with a light supper followed by prayer, music, talk and group discussion. It finishes at 9.30 in the in-house bar: The Benet Club 10 May: Charles Whitehead will talk on The New Life - God offers us New Life through the Holy Spirit. This session centres on the promise of new life given to us by and in Jesus. Here, we realise that to be baptised is the greatest gift we could be given to live our lives according to the Gospel! The music will be led by Youth 2000 UK. 24 May: Maria Rodriguez-Toth will talk on Receiving God's Gift - Surrendering to Repentance. Here we discover what it takes to turn back to the Lord and rediscover what it means to live a Christian life today. This is going to help us embrace the life of conversion in total freedom and in respect of our dignity. 31 May: Fr. David Gummett will talk on the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit We experience a renewal of our Baptismal Vows and are prayed with for a baptism in the Holy Spirit. This will happen between the main hall and in a Chapel where Jesus will be present. Thc music will be led by Soul Food. 14 June: Wisam Khadouri will talk on Growth - Prayer. Community. Scripture. Sacraments. Service. Yes... we persevere... and no, it isn't going to be easy!! So here, we will discover how our refreshed and renewed faith can grow roots that are deep and strong! Music will be led by Edwin Fawcett. 21 June: Paschal Uche will talk on Transformation in Christ - Bearing Fruit for the Kingdom of God. Our penultimate session, but the last session in terms of the talks. Everything that we have experienced, everything that we have shared since the first session is brought to this climax where we will be sent out on mission transformed by the Light and Love of Christ in the Holy Spirit. The music will be led by Gabriel Sedda. 28 June: Feedback & Testimonies Here we will have a session where we can really share highlights of our journey together, and hear how God, in both small ways and big, has touched our lives and our hearts. 29-30 June is the Celebrate Conference in Twickenham, which is optional, but would be a great way to finish off the programme. For more info, and to pre-register, please contact Claz Gomez, Parish Youth Coordinator at: parishyouthworker@ealingabbey.org.uk
Youth
Westminster Record May 2013
Testimony
Rebekah Curran is the latest addition to Westminster Youth Ministry staff, she will be part of the Youth Support Team which was set up to support parishes in their ministry to Young People.y staff,
I grew up in a Catholic home, went to Mass regularly and had a Catholic education. My faith therefore has always been a part of my life and in many respects part of my identity, but it took my time at University to begin the process of a deeper inner conversion.
At University it was being removed from my Catholic bubble and being asked the ‘big questions’ from people who held many different beliefs to mine, that made me realise that I didn’t really know all that much about my own faith. Spurred on by this I began to seek the Lord throughout my University years with a greater intensity and I started to rediscover the Bible and the beauty of the Mass in general. After graduating I ended up spending two years being part of the SPEC Community at the diocesan youth retreat centre. A ‘year out’ of the education system working with young people and learning more about God could only be a good thing, I figured; little did I know the adventure the good Lord had planned for me! During my years at SPEC I encountered and experienced God in a profound way, simply put I encountered the person of Jesus
Christ. I met Him in the young people we witnessed too and in the other members of the SPEC community, but most of all I met Him in prayer at Eucharistic Adoration and in the Holy Mass. As with all our encounters and experiences of God, nothing is quite the same afterwards. Learning to discover the whole breadth of the intellectual riches of Catholicism is exciting and vitally important, which includes ‘What the Church teaches and the why’. However, unless there is eventually an authentic life giving personal relationship with the Son of God at the foundation of who we are, it is all meaningless. I want in on the life that Jesus Christ makes available to each one of us; ‘Life in all its abundance’ (John 10:10).
Spirit in the City – 12-15 June Spirit in the City celebrates the Good News of Jesus Christ and welcomes people of all faiths, ages and walks of life. It gives an opportunity to raise deeper questions about life and to enable people to meet with Christ through His Church. This year’s programme runs from Wednesday evening 12 June until the evening of Saturday 15 June with inspiring evening programmes and speakers. This year will include talks by Mgr John Armitage VG (Brentwood) and Magnus McFarleneBarrow, Founder of Mary’s Meals. The main outdoor festival will take place in Leicester Square Gardens on Saturday afternoon. Spirit in the City enables Catholics to witness to their faith, principally through their presence as a community of believers during the event. This faith is expressed through the liturgy: Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and evening prayer, all
taking place in the local churches, as well as public displays of praise and worship such as processions through the streets, the prayer tent and various music groups performing in the Square. The public are engaged through welcome teams, information stalls and some street witness. Spirit in the City is currently the largest Catholic evangelisation festival to be found in the heart of London. For those who are about to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation or have recently received this Sacrament, this is a great way of remembering that the gifts of the Spirit are strengthened in us not only to unite us more closely to Christ but also in a life of service and witness to others. If you are a parish priest, catechist or youth leader/worker please encourage your young people/youth group to attend or volunteer and develop a deeper sense of belonging to the diocese.
More specifically young people in our parishes can support this initiative by volunteering to: • Join the mission team and help organise the street outreaches, workshops • Take on specific ministries e.g. logistics, catering, welcoming, hospitality • Publicity – invite other young people to come along and get involved • Share the vision of the evangelisation festival as an opportunity to share and celebrate our faith publicly in the city of London Can you and your young people help? Please contact Anne Marie and the Team. E: info@spiritinthecity.org T: 020 7440 2663
Resources at the Centre for Youth Ministry
Part of the restructuring of Westminster Youth Ministry has been the development of a Youth Support Team (YST). The primary purpose is to support the development of parish based youth ministry and our young adult network. In the forthcoming years our aim is to help parishes own and develop their own pastoral plans for their young people and to support them in the implementation of their pastoral plan by providing training for volunteer youth leaders and developing resources for them to use. With the opening of the Centre of Youth Ministry, we also have been busy establishing a Youth Resource library, drawing together a wide spectrum of the latest Catholic Youth Ministry resources available, including youth ministry resources from other Christian traditions. The resources also include a wide breadth of magisterial documents to provide further references to the official mind of the Church on a variety matters. The setting up of a youth resource library is fulfilment of the Diocesan Vision for Youth Ministry Plan (2010) which states that the YST “is to provide resources for youth leaders and young leaders to work with, establishing a youth resources library at the Centre for Youth Ministry for users to consult”. The establishment of a youth library it is hoped will be one that is in continual development. At present the library in its infancy
includes books that cover topics as diverse as: • Catechesis • Devising a Youth Ministry Programme for Young People • Establishing a Small Group • Evangelisation • Gender Issues • Icebreakers and Games • Leadership • Liturgy • Mass • Mission • Morality • Practical aspects of Youth Ministry • Public Speaking • Sacraments • Safeguarding • Scripture • Setting up a Website • Social Justice • Spirituality • Vision The library also contains a number of DVDs and Audio CDs. The library is not intended to be a ‘lending library’ but rather a forum for paid and volunteer youth workers and leaders to browse any resources before they purchase them directly from stockists themselves. It is hoped that the area becomes a space for parish groups and individuals to brainstorm on how they can plan activities for young people. If you would like to make use of the library do get in contact: youth@rcdow.org.uk
FOR MORE INFORMATION www.spiritinthecity.org Page 15
Evangelisation
Westminster Record May 2013
Faith Sharing: Vatican II The Year of Faith we are now celebrating marks the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the Second Vatican Council in 1962. This Council, which brought together bishops, experts and observers from across the globe and with many different experiences sought to address the relationship between the Church and the modern world. Its impact was so profound that it affects the life of the Church today in ways unimaginable a century ago. The four main focuses of the Council, from which the four main constitutions came, were: the liturgy, Scripture, how the Church sees itself and the interaction of the Church in the modern world. Each of these documents can and should be read and ‘owned’ by each generation in the Church. During the season of Lent, many people gathered in faith-sharing groups in parishes across the diocese. These groups have been present in Westminster for a number of years and draw their inspiration from the early Church. In particular we see in these groups what we see in Scripture, particularly in the Acts of the Apostles. It is clear that the followers of Christ , guided by the Holy Spirit, gathered in each other’s homes to ‘devote themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers’ (Acts 2:42). Alongside this clear Scriptural inspiration, the four constitutions of the Second Vatican Council (Dei Verbum, Gaudium et Spes, Lumen Gentium and Sacrosanctum Concilium) provide us with a different but complementary way of looking at these groups. …devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. Just as the early Christians came to know Christ through the Good News via word of mouth within the community and then through written texts, the twentiethcentury Council Fathers opened the study of Holy Scripture to all: ‘In the sacred books the Father comes lovingly to meet Page 16
What is a catechist? A catechist is... • A person who faithfully believes in Jesus and is a witness to His message....
his children and talks with them’ (Dei Verbum, 21). Faith-sharing groups are deeply rooted in Scripture and those gathered are invited to read and reflect on bible passages at the outset of each sharing session. Moreover, the accompanying reflections help to provide an ‘authentic interpretation,’ passing on what has been handed down from the apostles (DV, 10).
• A person who enjoys the company of children, youth and adults.... • A practicing Catholic willing to commit to spending a couple of hours a week sharing the Faith they have received... • A person who is spiritually alive, committed to prayer and willing to share enthusiastically the faith of the church…..
Fellowship Though baptism, we become part of the body of Christ (Lumen Gentium, 10) and while it can be quite easy to slide anonymously into the pew each week ‘Christ did not come to save individuals without any bond between them’ (LG, 9). Group members often see the friendships made within their groups to be a great blessing.
• A person who wants to learn more about the Bible and Christ's teaching...... • A parent, grandparent, single person, college student or secondary school student...
Breaking of the bread
A catechist is not necessarily....
In the celebration of the Eucharist, those present are transformed. At the end of Mass, they are charged to ‘go in peace, glorifying the Lord by [their] lives’ to transform the world in which we all live – ‘to love in all the circumstances of ordinary life’ (Gaudium et Spes, 38). Group members learn from others how to live their faith today. Confidence is gained from faith sharing and enables members to speak about their faith in their homes, workplaces and communities.
• A person who has studied theology and Scripture... • An experienced teacher.... • A "perfect" person....
Small Community Resources
Prayers Besides time of quiet reflection, each session begins and ends with common prayer, frequently derived from the psalms, Christ’s own prayer book. In this way the prayer and life of the small faith-sharing group nourishes its members in between Eucharistic celebrations helping sustain us as ‘dwelling places for God in the Spirit’ and prepare our minds and hearts for worthy and ‘active participation’ (Sacramentum Caritatis, 2 and 14). In these groups we find a faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed. The pattern we find in the early Church can easily become an integral part of parish life and mission today.
In support of small communities (groups) the Diocese of Westminster produces two principal resources each year. Every Lent and every autumn groups meet to reflect on and pray with materials that are both though-provoking and visually stimulating. Many groups also wish to continue meeting outside of these two ‘seasons’ so to serve this need, starting from the last week of April, monthly thematic sessions will be available from: http://dowsmallgroups.wordpress.com To view the letter from the The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Wesminster, to leaders of small groups go to : http://rcdow.org.uk/faith/small-groups/news/archbishop-letter-easter-2013
If you decide to offer your parish some of your time to be become a catechist, you have answered God’s call, the call of your baptism. You will be making a decision that will enrich your life and the life of the people you share the teachings of the church with in your parish. You will be successful! We will provide with detailed, stepby-step training and materials and all of the resources you need, ready-to-go. The diocese offers catechists training and support sessions so that you will be familiar with the catechetical programmes used in parishes. We also provide training that can make you feel more confident, more knowledgeable about the faith—and can lead to the Archbishop’s certificate in catechesis. If you want to be a catechist contact your local parish priest for a chat or Mary Crowley in the Diocesan Catechetical Office by calling 0207 798 9026 or by e-mail: marycrowley@rcdow.org.uk
Arts
Westminster Record May 2013
FILM REVIEW:
BOOK REVIEW
Alain de Botton Religion for Atheists
By Fr Peter Wilson
By Alex Balzanella During the Papal visit to the UK in 2010, Pope Benedict spoke of the need for “clear voices which propose our right to live, not in a jungle of self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms, but in a society which works for the true welfare of its citizens and offers them guidance and protection.” The growing recognition that secular society has not provided the conditions to foster human flourishing is what Alain de Botton’s latest book, Religion for Atheists, is based on. His prescription to address this is for non-believers to take another look at religious practice. Basing his study primarily on Christianity as well as Judaism and Buddhism, Botton argues, regardless of whether one holds religious belief, that religious practice and ritual has provided a means to keep members of the community in harmony with one another and to provide nourishment to those in pain. Looking in turn at different characteristics of religion Botton begins by talking about the benefits they offer and then goes on to consider how they may be adopted in secular society. Botton’s work certainly has within it some interesting ideas and reasoning behind why religions have a particular practice. A case in point is Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which insists believers seek out those whom they have injured and make amends. With the
initiative for apologising being seen to come from God, a third party in the act, Botton argues people are more inclined to redress the harm they have caused. Indeed Botton is so keen on the concept of a Day of Atonement he believes that the secular community should hold one every quarter! Botton also speaks about art, which in a religious environment encourages interaction through prayer, drawing of strength and even emotional outpouring. Museums, by contrast, Botton labels as “dead libraries for creations of the past” which offer us little opportunity to meaningfully connect with the artworks. Instead, he proposes galleries be organised according to expression of the emotions the artist hoped to encourage. Religion for Atheists is interesting in that it differs from typical books on atheism and spirituality providing instead a secular, yet sympathetic, lens to look upon religious practice. The book offers readers a glimpse of how religious ideas could help address problems of consumption, isolation and conflict in the secular world. Ultimately much of what Botton argues for, such as a Temple of Atheism, seems unlikely to be successful. However his work does show the benefits religious practice has and encourages us to explore the benefits of bringing them more into the secular world.
The human heart and conscience are strange beasts. We long to do what is right and good and true, and yet seem so easily to succumb to the opposite. St Paul put it succinctly: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do”. (Romans 7:19). And what do we do once we do that which we know to be wrong? We seem almost programmed to find a fig leaf behind which to hide, hoping we are never discovered and our wrongdoing never exposed. It is the primeval battle between good and evil which wages within each of us. When it comes to the wrongdoing of others, we are usually much less compromised: we want them to be exposed, we want their sins revealed, and often we indulge in that least attractive of vices, schadenfreude – pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. There is a lot of this about at the moment, and indeed for decades a Pullitzer prize has gone to journalists who manage to uncover the vices of others, particularly the rich and powerful. Jesus had much to say about such behaviour and the Gospels are replete with warnings about being too ready to cast the first stone, removing the beam from our own eye before noticing the speck in others, forgiving seventy times seven times. However, where someone has committed a grave evil it is sometimes necessary, indeed a moral duty, to make sure that the perpetrator is stopped and brought to justice. That is rather a different scenario from simply taking pleasure in another’s downfall. We cannot be complicit in the evil committed by others, including complicity by shielding them from justice. Indeed, the guilt is often multiplied upon the one who is thus complicit if they do nothing to bring a guilty perpetrator to justice. But what happens if, in so doing, one
of our own dark secrets needs to be revealed? What if bringing someone to justice means we will also have to face justice? Do we duck again behind the figleaf in order to protect ourselves, even if it means someone guilty of a great crime evades justice? That is the central dilemma at the heart of the film Broken City, starring Mark Wahlberg, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell Crowe. Wahlberg stars as Billy Taggart, an NYPD detective turned private investigator, with Russell Crowe as the mayor of the city. The film opens with a number of sequences showing Taggart as a young policeman being acquitted of the murder of a young man on the grounds of self-defence, with the assistance of the mayor. The film then jumps seven years when the mayor calls on Taggart to investigate whether his wife, Catherine ZetaJones, is having an extra-marital affair. The bulk of the film then unfolds as a crime thriller, with all that one would expect of such a film: flashing blue lights, panoramic views of Manhattan,, an unfolding plot to keep one guessing, car chases and the moralistic story of a powerful, corrupt man pitted against the tough honest-to-goodness determination of a streetwise working-class hero. So far, so predictable. We know that, in the end, the goody cop hero will bring down the baddy mayor. There are dozens of films with the same theme, and though Broken City is credible and enjoyable, there are plenty more of the same genre which are much better. What made the film interesting for me, however, was that final moral crunch-question. Taggart does bring down the mayor, but of course the mayor has always had an ace up his own sleeve: video footage which shows that Taggart as a policeman was guilty of the cold-blooded murder of the young man, the crime for which he was acquitted in the opening sequences of the film.. So if Taggart does the right thing and
brings the mayor to justice, he too goes to jail for a serious crime. Does he do the right thing, or does he do the convenient thing, to save himself? The film has several Catholic allusions. I particularly liked the scene in which Taggart speaks of faithfulness to his girlfriend and someone asks him “Are you crazy? Or Catholic?” His reply is “Both”. Mark Wahlberg is himself an interesting character, having grown from being a wild young man with a string of violent crimes and jail sentences to his name, to being a committed family man and committed Catholic. As a teenager he was part of the “New Kids on the Block” pop group, then went solo as a rapper, adopting the moniker “Marky Mark”. His physique led to a stint as an underwear model before he turned to film. In a recent television interview he spoke of his wild youth and the fact that, having neglected his studies, he now feels at a disadvantage in some circumstances. Rather than feeling sorry for himself, however, he now carries a dictionary with him, so if he does not understand a word he looks it up. The interviewer asked him the most recent word he had looked up. “Consubstantial” was his answer. “They recently changed the texts we use at Mass, and I did not know what consubstantial meant. I know what substantial means, but I had to look up consubstantial”. The interviewers were clearly intrigued, and asked what else he carried with him, and his reply was “My prayer book. It gives a scripture passage for each day and a suggestion of something to do to act out what the scripture teaches”. Highly impressive, and an example to us all of bearing witness to our faith in an honest, down-to-earth manner without being preachy or hectoring of others. Wahlberg is a committed member of his local parish of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills and especially active in its charitable work, most notably its “Center for Homeless Women and Children.” Page 17
Obituaries
Westminster Record May 2013
May Feast Days Saint Rita of Cascia 22 May Augustinian nun. Patron of desperate cases and difficult marriages. St Rita was born in 1377 at Roccaporena in Umbria. She was to become a nun but her parents made her marry. Her husband was violent and unfaithful. They had two sons. She endured the marriage for 18 years, until one day her husband was killed in a vendetta.
Fr Jim Brand RIP Fr Jim Brand died on 27 March at the Peace Hospice, Watford. He was seventy-seven years of age and had been a priest for forty-eight years. May he rest in peace. James Henry Brand was born in Kensington on 8 June 1935 the eldest of four children of Francis & Anne Brand. He is survived by his sisters Alison and Monica – his sister Marion predeceased him. He was educated by the Jesuits at St John’s Beaumont and Stonyhurst College; he then did National Service in the Army before going up to Oxford where he read Engineering Science at Magdalen College. After acceptance as a candidate for the Diocese he was sent to the Venerable English College in Rome in 1958. He was ordained to the Priesthood in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows, Villa Palazzola, on 12 July 1964 by Cardinal William Theodore Heard. Following ordination and completion of his S.T.L. at the Gregorian University, Fr Jim was appointed to Ogle Street and Middlesex Hospital, Our Lady of Victories, Kensington, the Westminster Religious Education Centre (WREC) from 1977- 84. He was also Pastoral Director at All Saints Pastoral Centre from 19841990 and Spiritual Director at Allen Hall from 1990 – 2000. From there be returned to Parishes in Garston, Ashford and after a brief time at The Beda College in Rome as Spiritual Director in 2005 he was at Chorleywood. Jim was a unique, bubbly character with an infectious sense of fun. He Page 18
was a gifted musician, using his talent as a pianist and organist in many settings from Gilbert and Sullivan to the Sacred Liturgy. His upright piano was always in close proximity to the altar – and it was not unusual for him to play it while fully vested during Mass! Many have benefitted from his immense kindness and thoughtfulness as a spiritual director, counsellor and confessor. He loved gardening, cooking, stargazing, candle-making and much else besides – in fact he urged his brother priests to take up hobbies so that we might see and taste the fruits of our labours – an outcome which pastoral work seldom provides! I remember him once saying that anyone who planted a tree deserved to be a saint! There were many such bons mots and there are many humourous tales to be shared. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him well – not least his own close family. His Funeral Mass was at the Church of Our Lady and St Michael, Garston, on Thursday 11 April. In his homily Archbishop Nichols said, “The simple thought of Fr Jim Brand raises a smile on our faces even today in the midst of our sadness. His was an infectious joy in life, and he had so many talents through which he shared that joy.” The Archbishop, the Cardinal, Auxiliary Bishops, Priests and Deacons of the Diocese offer their condolences and prayers to Fr Jim’s sisters Alison and Monica and his other relatives and many friends at this sad time.
In 1407 Rita became a nun. She prayed and meditated on the Passion of Christ with such intensity that wounds of the crown of thorns appeared on her forehead. Rita devoted herself to caring for the sick. She was also known as a good listener and people would go to her with their problems. She had a reputation for great holiness and many miracles were attributed to her. Rita died of tuberculosis in 1447. She was beatified in 1626 and canonised in 1900. A basilica with a hospital, school and children's home was built by her shrine in 1946. She was very popular in many Latin communities around the world. More recently in Italy she is now considered, like St Jude, to be a patron of hopeless cases and difficult marriages. At Cascia and Roccaporena, roses are blessed in her honour on this day.
In Memoriam: May Mgr Canon John Bagshawe (1971) Fr Edward Bilsborrow (2007) Fr Peter Boshell (1993) Canon Denis Britt-Compton (2002) Fr Matther Burrows (2010) Fr Bernard Bussy (1992) Fr John Coughlan (1997) Canon Reginald Crook (1990) Fr Kenneth Dale Roberts (1972) Fr John Farrelly (1990) Fr Francis Finnegan (1999) Fr Michael Garvey (2002) Fr Kevin Greene (2004) Fr John Hathway (1995) Fr Thomas Kean (1981) Fr Patrick Keegan (1992) Mgr Canon Oliver Kelly (1995) Fr Bernard Lagrue (1995) Fr Peter Lowry (1972) Fr Denys Lucas (1995) Fr John Luke (2003) Fr Charles MacMahon (2003)Fr Hugh McAleese (1994) Fr Dominic McEwan (1969) Mgr Denis McGuiness (1993) Fr Charles Mercer (2005) Canon Patrick J Murphy (1974) Fr John Murray (1995) Fr Denis Nottingham (2002) Fr William O’ Brien (2004) Fr John Oldland (1995) Fr Anthony Potter (2003) Fr Albert Purdie (1976) Fr Ronald Richardson (1999) Fr Philip Rogers (1995) Fr Alistair Russell (1997) Fr Stanislaus Savage (1975) Mgr Stephen Shaw (1998) Fr Raymond Tomalin (1996) Fr Denis Ward (1978) Canon Herbert Welchman (1982)
Liturgical Calendar 1 St Joseph the Worker 2 St Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor 3 SS Philip and James, Apostles 4 The English Martyrs 5 Fifth Sunday of Easter 12 Ascension of the Lord 14 St Matthias, Apostle 18 St John, Pope and Martyr 19 Pentecost Sunday 21 St Christopher Magallanes 22 St Rita of Cascia 25 St Bede the Venerable 26 The Most Holy Trinity 27 St Augustine of Canterbury
We want your News You can send us your latest news online, just visit our website at: www.rcdow.org.uk/ wrecord
Westminster Record May 2013
Diary
REGULAR EVENTS If you have an event, please email us at communications@rcdow.org.uk SUNDAYS
Taizé at St James’s Piccadilly Every third Sunday 5pm. Call 020 7503 5128 for details. Ceilidh at Camden Irish Centre Real Ceilidh dancing every Sunday from 8pm, with lessons for newcomers until 8.30pm then on with the dance! All are welcome. £4 per session with great music from Tony Kearny. Partners not needed. Contact 020 7272 5815 Tyburn Benedictines Monastic afternoon First Sunday of the month 2pm-5pm Martyrs’ Crypt, Tyburn Convent, Bayswater Road near Marble Arch. Westminster Cathedral Young Adults Young adults meet socially after the 5.30 and 7pm Masses on Sundays. on the steps of the Cathedral, then a pub. Deaf Community Mass First Sunday of the month 4.30pm in Westminster Cathedral Hall Ambrosden Ave. SW1P 1QW
Catholic tours in London Qualified Catholic tour guide leads ‘Saints and Scholars’ walk every Sunday including Mass. Contact Peter on 07913904997 or circlingthesquaretours@ hotmail.co.uk
Young Adults Mass - First Sunday of the month At Mount Street 7pm. Quiet prayer at 7.15pm, Mass at 7.30pm. Social gathering afterward. Contact: organise@ fsplus.info or visit www.fsplus.info. Young Adults Mass - Third Sunday of the month At Mount Street. A quieter version of First Sunday. Contact team@fsplus.info St Francis of Assisi Catholic Ramblers’ Club Every Sunday throughout the year walkers meet for a ramble in the Home Counties. Contact Antoinette 020 8769 3643 or visit www.stfrancisramblers.org.uk.
MONDAYS Mothers’ Prayers at St Dominic’s Priory, Haverstock Hill Every Monday 2.30-3.30pm in the Lourdes chapel. All are welcome. Prayer Event for people in the arts and media Third Monday of each month 6.30pm. For more information see www.artisaninitiatives.org
TUESDAYS Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesdays 6-9pm concluding with Benediction at Newman House, 111 Gower Street. Details 020 7731 3367 Mass at Canary Wharf Tuesdays 12.30pm at 2 Churchill Place E14. Organised by Mgr Vladimir Felzmann, Chaplain to Canary Wharf Communities. Details
www.cwcc.org.uk Prayers for London at the Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden Tuesdays 7.30pm Organised by the Guild of Our Lady of Willesden, Nicholl Road, London NW10 9AX Vocations Prayer Group Second Tuesday of the month 8pm at 47C Gaisford Street, Kentish Town, NW5
WEDNESDAYS Wednesdays on the Wall (WOTW) First Wednesday of the month 6pm. At All Hallows on the Wall 83 London Wall, EC2M 5ND. A short service of prayer and reflection at 6pm, coffee at 6.45pm followed by discussion. Youth 2000 prayer group Wednesdays 7.30pm at Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden.
THURSDAYS
Jesus Christ the Fullness of Life JCFL First Thursday of the month. Young adults from all Christian denominations pray and share a meal. Details www.jcfl.org.uk. Soul Food A Catholic charismatic prayer group for young adults meets from 7 to 9pm at St Charles Borromeo, Ogle Street, W1W 6HS Details www.soulfoodgroup.org info@soulfoodgroup.org
FRIDAYS
Association of Divorced and Separated Catholics Third Friday of the month. All divorced and separated
Catholics, are welcome. Call Frank or Christine 020 8422 1591 Divine Mercy Prayers and Mass First Fridays 2.30-4.30pm at the Church of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, 2 Windsor Road, Ealing. St Albans Fridays at 12 noon. Mass is celebrated every week at St Alban’s Abbey, one of the oldest Christian churches in England. Westminster Cathedral Charismatic Prayer Group 7.30pm Prayer, praise and teaching. First Friday is a healing Mass. Details 020 8748 2632 Vocations Discernment Group 7pm, Hinsley Room, Westminster Cathedral. Meetings for young adults aged 18-38. Visit www.free2become.org or call 01277 373 848
SATURDAYS Aylesford Friary - All night vigils First Saturdays 10pm - 6am. Night vigils take place May-October on the first Saturday of each month. Call Mrs Tugadi 020 7352 4478 or Miss Ogbeni 07847 532199 or 01733 553762. Taizé at Notre Dame Church Leicester Square 7.15pm. Call 020 7437 9363 Catholic Under 35s Catholic Under 35s aims to help young catholic adults in London meet like minded people via regular social events, such as meals and days out. For further info please email Elroy at elroyf@gmail.com or visit our Facebook group: http://catholicunder35s.com
LATIN MASS Sundays Low Mass 9.30am, St James’s Spanish Place, W1 Low Mass 9am, High Altar, the Oratory, Brompton Road, SW7 Sung Mass 10.45, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Low Mass 6pm St Thomas Aquinas, Ham Common, TW3 Mondays Sung Mass 6.30pm Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, WC2 Low Mass 7am, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays Low Mass 7am, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Low Mass 12.30pm, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Fridays Low Mass 6pm St Etheldreda, Ely Place EC1 First Fridays only. Low Mass 7am, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Sung Mass 6.30pm St Mary Magdalen, East Hill, SW18 Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Mass St John the Baptist Church, King Edward's Rd Hackney E9 at 6pm. Every Second Friday Low Mass 6.30pm, Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, WC2 Saturdays Second Saturdays at 4.30pm, Low Mass Side Chapel Westminster Cathedral Low Mass 12.15 St Wilfrid’s Chapel, The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7
FORTHCOMING EVENTS 1
May
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The Mass for Matrimony will be celebrated in Westminster Cathedral at 3pm.
‘The Catholic Church's teaching on sexuality is what Every Man Needs!’ A talk for men by Fr Sam Medley and James Parker. St Mary of the Angels Moorhoue Road, Bayswater, W2 5DJ at 7pm
The annual Mass for Migrants will be celebrated in Westminster Cathedral on Bank Holiday Monday at 11am. All welcome to attend.
To register email Catherine Macgillivray: cathmacgillivray @rcdow.org.uk
For more information visit the Diocese of Westminster website: www.rcdow.org.uk
9,16,23 & 30
'Making Room For Others – Saturday 11 May at 2pm
May
Faith Matters Lecture Series: This series focuses specifically on Catholic moral & social teaching
Register at http://rcdow.org.uk/faith /faithmatters or telephone 020 7931 6078. Suggested donation £3.
25
May
‘Unbelievable? The Conference’ is the leading UK event for apologetics hosted by Premier Christian Radio.
For more information & to register visit: http://www.prem ier.org.uk/unbelievable
May
Archbishop Vincent Nichols will be blessing couples celebrating significant weddinganniversaries in Westminster Cathedral.
Individual subsription costs include postage and packing and are valid for one year. £10 per annum. Europe - £12 per annum. You can subscribe online at http://bit.ly/cePGGE Otherwise please fill in the coupon below.
St Augustine's Priory, 55 Fulham Palace Road, Hammermith. Fr Paul Graham, the Provincial of the Augustinian friars in Britain will present his new book 'Making Room For Others'. a collection of reflections on Augustinian spirituality published by St Paul's. The author will give a talk, refreshments will be provided, and participants will be able to purchase a signed copy of the book. For more information, please contact 0207 739 5006.
Big Night Out at London Irish Centre On 23 May, the London Irish Centre is host the Big Night Out. With MC Ray D’Arcy, Mitch Winehouse’s Big Band, there will be many more special guests, fine food, live music, and a range of stunning auction prizes. Tickets are £95 or £900 for a table of 10. Dress code is Black Tie. Proceeds will be split between the London Irish Centre’s work with vulnerable Irish Youth in London and the Irish based LauraLynn Foundation, Ireland’s only children’s hospice. For further information, enquiries, sponsorship opportunities and to RSVP email gerrycarty@londonirishcentre.org
Please send a cheque made payable to 'The Universe Media Group Ltd.' to Andrea Black, Westminster Record, The Universe Media Group Ltd. Alberton House, Ground Floor, St Mary's Parsonage, Manchester M3 2WJ. Alternatively please telephone 0161 214 1216 or email andrea.black@thecatholicuniverse.com
Page 19
Spotlight
Westminster Record May 2013
Waxing Lyrical About Bees By Alex Balzanella High above the pews of Westminster Cathedral, which sees thousands of visitors and pilgrims visiting each day, there is a further buzz of activity, although of a very different sort. Since June 2012 Westminster Cathedral has played host to a bee colony which now totals over 50,000 bees and is managed by a team of volunteers. The person responsible for setting up and managing the hive is Sarah Dorgan, manager of Westminster Cathedral. Although a rooftop in the centre of London is not the typical environment where you would expect to see a bee hive, Sarah told me that there are, in fact, a number of neighbouring colonies nearby. Hives are also based at sites on top of John Lewis Headquarters and Grosvenor Estates in Victoria. The long winter and cold spring we have had, however, has been detrimental to many hives, leading to some of these colonies to die out. Fortunately the Westminster Cathedral colony has survived and is showing remarkable health. Throughout 2013 the volunteers have a number of exciting plans for the hive, the first of which happening very soon is a “managed swarm”. Whilst this sounds to me like a contradiction in terms Sarah explains it is a well-practiced method for when the bees wish to form a ‘child’ colony. The bee keepers set up a second hive in the vicinity and the bees are encouraged to move there rather than search for a new location further away. In the past year the colony has become well established and there is
hope that up to 30kg of honey could be produced by the bees over the coming year. However Sarah is keen to stress that, whilst the colony is doing well, all manner of ills can befall a hive, including Deformed Wing Virus and Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus, so we should remain cautious in our expectations. Much of the success of the colony is thanks to the hard work of the volunteers who meet regularly to monitor the bees and to make sure their environment helps them to flourish. The “Bee Gang” of volunteers come from a number of other organisations including Victoria Palace Theatre, Cambridge Associates and Westminster City Hall. Both the volunteers’ and Westminster Cathedral’s involvement with the project came about because of funding and support for organizations interested in beekeeping from Victoria Bid, a business-led & funded body to improve the Victoria area. The Westminster Cathedral bee colony does seem to have taken on a clerical character starting with its name: “The hive is named Gobnait (pronounced GAWB-net) after St Gobnait who was born in Ireland in the 6th Century. As a nun she had a strong relationship with bees and used the properties of honey in the treatment of illness and healing wounds.” Indeed, bees have a long ecclesiastical history, having been kept by monasteries and religious communities since medieval times and even featuring on the crest of Pope Urban VIII. Their importance was
Sarah Dorgan, Harry Dunbar, Dianne James and Monika McQuillan
because of their ability to produce honey as well as beeswax for candles. It was also common for honey to be used to produce mead where the climate was inhospitable for growing vines, such as in the UK. Today bees continue to be kept by a number of religious bodies, the most well known being Buckfast Abbey which through cross-breeding programmes developed the Buckfast Bee, a strain which is a good honey producer as well as being welltempered. Although the Cathedral bees are not Buckfast Bees Sarah was reassuring of how unaggressive they are, although with half the “Bee Gang” being stung I remained somewhat apprehensive. However, after overcoming my initial anxiety I found that they were only too happy to ignore me and get on with their business of collecting and harvesting
pollen after the long winter months. Sarah reminded me of their importance to our food system, with 80% of our food relying on bees for
their work on pollination. With such important work to be getting on with, it’s not surprising they weren’t interested in me or my camera!
Interested in finding out more bees or supporting bee keeping in the UK? Check out the organisations below: British Beekeepers’ Association www.bbka.org.uk. Founded in 1874, today it represents, at national level, the interests of 24,000 amateur beekeeper members. Membership is a must for any amateur beekeeper as the BBKA provide a monthly newsletter, public liability insurance (£5m), product liability insurance (£2m) and bee disease insurance for its members’ hives. London Beekeepers’ Association www.lbka.org.uk. Local association of the BBKA. Their website shows the different ways that non-beekeepers can still support bees in their own garden. The LBKA also host a number of talks and events in central London about keeping and caring for bees. Urban Bees www.urbanbees.co.uk: A fantastic website to find out more about bee colonies in central London with articles and short videos, It also acts as a portal to a wide range of other beekeeping related websites and products.
Page 20 Published by The Diocese of Westminster, Archbishop’s House, Ambrosden Avenue, London SW1P 1QJ. Printed by NWN Media Limited, Mold, Flintshire. All rights reserved.