JOY TO ALL MEN AND PEACE TO MANKIND
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Dear
F
Friends... What does Jesus’ name mean?
or the Jewish people the giving of a name had great importance.
When a name was given it represented what that person should be in the future. An unknown name meant that someone could not be completely known. To not acknowledge someone’s name meant both denial of the person, destruction of their personality, and change in their destiny. A person’s name expressed the reality of his or her being at its deepest level. A Jewish child was named at the time of circumcision, eight days after birth. This rite was instituted by God as an outward sign Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media, Gibraltar. Editor: Fr. Stuart Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.eu Production Editor: A. Sargent angela@europeaxess.com Cover Photo: “The Nativity” by French artist Noel Coypel, Features an Adoration of the Christ Child. Upon this Rock magazine is
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to single out those who belonged to the chosen people. It was a sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham and his posterity. In fulfilment of this precept, Mary’s newborn child is given the name Jesus on the eighth day according to the Jewish custom. Joseph and Mary gave the name Jesus because that is the name given by God’s messenger before Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb. This name signifies Jesus’ identity and his mission. The literal Hebrew means ‘the Lord saves’. Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus, his eternal Son made man, will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). In the birth and naming of this child we see the wondrous design
entirely supported by advertising and donations. It is run in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar by EuropeAxess Media Ltd. as a not-for-profit project. For Advertisers: This magazine is hand-delivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. To discuss your advertising requirements, or promote your church group or charity, call Tel: 200
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79335 email: angela@europeaxess. com Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views and opinions of either party.
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and plan of God in giving us a Savior who would bring us grace, mercy, and freedom from the power of sin and the fear of death. The name Jesus signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son who became man for our salvation. Peter the Apostle exclaimed that there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved (Acts 2:12). In the name of Jesus demons flee, cripples walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised. His name is exalted far above every other name (Philippians 2:9-11). The name Jesus is at the heart of all Christian prayer. It is through and in Jesus that we pray to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit Happy New Year to you all Fr Stuart On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at 5.00pm His Lordship Bishop Heskett blessed a new crib at the Piazza. Members of the Third Order of St. Francis had been building the highly detailed nativity scene for almost a year. Christine Frendo sfo explained that they had incorporated the scene from the Annunciation, so the whole Nativity history is displayed.
Year of Faith Pilgrimage to Fatima
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n conjunction with the Year of Faith called for by the Holy Father, there will be a Diocesan Pilgrimage and Retreat to FATIMA next year led by His Lordship the Bishop and Fr Stuart. The full programme will be available soon, but the itinerary will include a visit to the Church of the Eucharistic Miracle in Santarem. The pilgrimage will be between the the
21st and 25th of February next year, and it will cost 240 Euros per person (with a 50 Euro Single Supplement) If you are interested contact either Fr Stuart or Richard Martinez on Tel 20077135
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On
Retreat: Reading
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ouis Pittaluga This is my second retreat, I have enjoyed it a lot, it has been better for me than the last retreat because now I know how it works, with the confessions, talks, workshops and adoration and everything. I started coming to prayer meetings on February the 6th 2012 and I have been coming to every one since then, except when we have been away on holiday. I have been brought up with prayer as an important thing in my life, all five of us go to Mass every Sunday, either St. Joseph’s or the Cathedral, but you have to spend that extra time praying with the Body of Christ, the Church is the Body of Christ. In the adoration we have the opportunity to spend time adoring Jesus, telling him thanks. Feeling better, it’s about him giving love back to us and praying about any questions we have. At the end of the adoration I felt much better, I felt a weight had been lifted from my shoulder. I’d suggest to other young people if you start young you have a good relationship with Christ and it is he first weekend in Decem- more natural, it gives a good foundation for your life, ber Emmaus Youth Group and that would be a goal in itself. But also to make met on Retreat to prepare friends with other young Christian people, to be for Chrismas. A team of seven around so many other young people who believe in worked with 45 young people aged Jesus, bringing the problems that we all have to him between 13 and mid 20’s. Here are and to have them lifted off your shoulders. three testimonies.
T
Others gave facebook tesimonies, see page 12
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the Signs A
roa Nuñez I have been on a couple of retreats like this one, but this one was different for me, the talks were very inspirational, the metaphors for God were, like really good, I would never think of God like that but it really works, really makes you think. In Chris’s talk he said when we come to a reteat, it’s like removing all the layers of our lives, like Facebook, superficial distractions, and that is our outside coat, and you work down through the layers and the last layer would be your conscience until there is nothing between you and God. It was very helpful, it made me think. I started coming to prayer meetings in September 2011, this is, like, my 5th retreat, I would say to other young people to come if you are curious. I would say to go to confession, at first it feels really scary but the priest is not going to eat you, he knows it all, and he is your friend, you can speak to him, and like that you get closer to God, it gets the wall down, and if you go often you come to look forward to it, as it gets all the baggage off you. We are all affected by lies, back-stabbing and jealousy, but you can take all that to Jesus, and he will help you and you can go out and start over, like turning over a new leaf. The leaders in the retreat are really helpful, they help you loads in the workshops, each retreat it’s a different leader, Corrianne Brooks has really helped me and transmitted a confidence to me, and I have felt I can approach her with my problems. Like I would like to read more, to read books, but I’ll pray about that, my first reaction with any problem is to pray, to calm myself down, because all the stress and worry is not from God, he works in you when you calm down, and pray and then the answer comes to you, and you just have to give thanks for that. This retreat has really made me think differently about Christmas, not to take it for granted. Whatever you have, there are people out there, like in Africa, who have nothing, like maybe if the food during the retreat is not what we are used to, to maybe think that there are people out there and they don’t have enough money even to eat and to be thankful. I think it really makes you think and appreciate what you have. And maybe at Christmas, only to ask for one thing you really want. And then maybe donate money to charity. I am going to ask my family to come with me to Mass this year as a present. I like St. Theresa’s maybe I will ask them to come to the Mass on the 24th there.
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Sebastien Fournier I was born in the UK but I have lived in France and Spain and now we are living in Gibraltar. I was invited to do a Men’s Coursillo in October, and it was a really eye opening experience about God and his love for us. There were five intensive talks and the end of the second day it started to sink in, I had been taking notes and after each talk there was time to think about it. While I had previously had a relationship with God I had not opened myself fully to Him. But the Cursillo answered a lot of questions, like the existence of the Holy Spirit, that he really exists and how to know if he has come down on you, and how God can help you in your life. The Cursillo is much more intense than the retreat, much more taking notes, the talks were going into a deeper meaning, things were explained quite thoroughly. On this retreat we are woking on the Nativity. The Three Kings, how they basically crossed half way across the planet to follow that star. And there are different talks and testimonies including my own on the cursillo. There are different workshops to make sure we all understood the talks clearly. The adoration last night was led by Andrew and he prayed over me, I felt the very presence of the Holy Spirit working within me, there was a great weight coming off me, a great weight lifted from me. I’m so glad the youngsters from outside have come to this retreat, there was a big change in attitude from the Friday to the Saturday. The mood changed so much, during the retreat a lot of people were in tears, as they felt something new, they started to see the bigger picture, how doing small things can help God do big things, like Henry Earle Jnr. said in his talk, God will do 90% of the work in our lives but we have to do that 10%.
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The Four Evangelists
Julio Alcantara’s scholarly notes
St Luke -
extraordinary narrator of the Word
“They gave him the name of Jesus”
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n Sacred Scripture, the Gospels of Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John, have a “special preeminence” (DV18); for in them are revealed “God’s power for the salvation of everyone who has faith” (Rom 1:16)
In Christ the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us; manifesting His Father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit through the deeds and words they record. Their evangelium, a name borrowed from the Roman emperors, is endowed with very special authority, with a subtler meaning than ‘Good News’. As most of us know in our liturgical calendar we have three cycles, A, B and C. In Cycle C, we listen to the gospel of Luke. Luke’s Gospel is the third of the Synoptic Gospels. Written as one complete work, together with the Acts of the Apostles, it fills close to one-quarter of the New Testament. An extraordinary writer, Luke offers the most cherished stories about Jesus – e.g. the Nativity, the ‘Good Samaritan’ – as well as the glorious Magnificat, Benedictus, and Nunc Dimitis. Some of the New Testament’s most memorable characters are also found in Luke: the diminutive but resourceful Zacchaeus, the astonished Elizabeth and Zechariah, Martha and Mary…... The early Fathers, like Irenaeus, upheld Luke’s authorship. Though thought originally to have been written in Rome, there is a much stronger, more recent claim to Ephesus as the location. St. Luke was a Greek-speaking Syrian from Antioch, a convert and
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Luke 2:21
St. Luke, pen in hand, stands immortalised on the West Front of Salisbury Cahtedral. Photo Richard Avery Left: The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Van de Eeckhout Gerbrand
quite likely ex-slave, as were most physicians in those days. Though not an Apostle, he was nevertheless very close to “those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning” (Lk1:2), and, after “investigating everything accurately anew,” (Lk 1:3) he set it down “in an orderly sequence.” It is Luke who says that “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” (Lk 2:18) and possibly related them directly to him. Further, tradition holds that “my dear friend Luke, the doctor,” (Col. 4:14) was a companion of St Paul in many of his journeys . There is also a tradition that he was an artist. (Curiously, Nuestra Senora de los Angeles in the Estacion de Jimena is claimed to have been sculpted by Luke and rescued by monks when the Moors captured the Rock. Whatever the facts, certainly the base of this statue is Gibraltar limestone.) St Jerome records Luke died in Achaia, Greece, unmarried, aged 84 . The Church venerates him on October 18th. Luke wrote for the increasing number of non-Jewish converts as the ‘evangelium’ had spread beyond the original communities in Palestine. Although there were “many others” drawing up “accounts of the events” there was a need for “an ordered account” (Lk 1:1-3); especially for those whose culture and background made Palestine’s own culture foreign and remote . The dispersal and scattering of the witness generation, witness to the life and teaching of Our Lord, added urgency to the matter. Unlike Matthew, the more Jewish of the Gospels , Luke set out to present the universal message of salvation for Gentile and Jew alike. In the words of St Paul : “..the gentiles now have the same inheritance ..” (Eph 3:6) But, above all, his Gospel speaks of God’s Mercy and Love, presenting Our Lord, particularly, as the Salvation of the repentant sinner , the poor, and the marginalized.
Year of Faith: Twelve Holy Hours
January 30th: Working towards unity
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is Lordship Ralph Heskett launched the first of twelve Holy Hours reflecting on the 2nd Vatican Council documents at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned on the 28th November 2012, this was led by the Cathedral parish. The next Holy Hour will be led by Sacred Heart Parish. The subject of the meditation will be Unitatis Redintegratio: the Decree on Ecumenism. This document went further than any in 1000 years to advance the work of unity, not only between Christians, but also making a new declarations to Non-Christian religions. The third Holy Hour in the series will be at the Cathedral on Wednesday 30th January, at 7.00pm.
Partners in the Gospel: The Alpha course
T
here can’t be too many Christians left in the world who haven’t heard of the Alpha Course.
Ok, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but what is true is that since 1993, more than 19 million people have completed Alpha in 169 countries around the world. There are over 9,000 courses running in the UK and over 60,000 world-wide. These courses have been run in churches of all denominations, in prisons, in coffee shops, in bars and in homes. Here in Gibraltar the Alpha Course has been running
at different locations for at least 12 years, St Bernard’s Church being one of the first to register an official course in 2000. One of the great strengths of
Alpha is its clear, uncomplicated presentation of the Good News of Jesus Christ - the message that lies at the heart of every Christian denomination. Research has shown that, whilst people in the West are increasingly turning away from institutional church and formal religion, there is paradoxically a growth in spiritual hunger - a
search for meaning that only faith in Jesus Christ can truly satisfy. This is just as true in Gibraltar as anywhere else in the Western world. Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has described Alpha as giving “... opportunities to strengthen continued on page 11
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2013 It’s time to turn over a new leaf HAPPY NEW YEAR!
A
s soon as the clocks strike midnight on 31st December gone are 365 days, (366 last year) and we welcome another lot with excitement, fun and fireworks. For way over four thousand years, back to the times of Ancient Bablylon the world
portant than God. “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. Luke 12; 15. Greed leads to one becoming mean-spirited and obnoxious. Do we really want to emulate Scrooge, even King Midas, he of the golden touch, a kindly but
greedy man who, having had his wish granted, could not in the end eat or drink as everything he touched turned to gold, and sadly his beloved daughter was killed this way, all because of a greedy wish being fulfilled. In our world of seven billion people it is without doubt avarice that accounts for the huge disparity that exists between rich and poor. It has become a war of God versus Mammon, which is a biblical term referred to in the New Testament to describe material wealth or greed. This past year we have watched the Eurozone lurch from crisis to crisis leaving nations beleaguered and on the verge of anarchy as their citizens way of life come under threat. Three years ago this week Greece’s finance minister revealed a black hole in the country’s budget – the first sign of a debt crisis that has shaken markets and sparked unprecedented austerity and protests. Families struggle to eat healthily amid rising food bills and shrinking budgets As more people are unable to afford food, experts are warning that Britain’s nutritional reces-
have celebrated New Year with festivals and the making of resolutions, so very easily broken. I found this little prayer; “Dear Lord, so far this year I have done well. I haven’t gossiped, lost my temper, I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over indulgent. But in a few minutes Lord I am going to get out of bed, and from then on I am going to need a little help. Amen”. Mmmm, greedy, grumpy, nasty, over-indulgent and it is only the first of January. Let us start with greed or avarice, listed in the seven deadly sins. It is an inordinate desire to possess wealth or goods or objects of abstract value with the intention to keep for oneself, far beyond the dictates of basic survival and comfort. It is making temporal things that pass away more im-
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Anne Mesilio sion is going to get worse. Breadline Britain: councils fund food banks to plug holes in welfare state. Local authorities asking ‘big society’ to deliver crisis aid to vulnerable people after social fund budget is cut next April. These headlines are the very tip of a huge global iceberg. The demonstrators who encamped outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London were mirroring similar actions across the USA as they protested against the corporate greed of big businesses, capitalist excess, economic inequality, social injustice and rampant greed and corruption. This demonstration ended with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan and other high-ranking bishops being criticised for not intervening and accused of not practising what Jesus preached, caution against greed and the furtherance of distribution of wealth. Sobering words indeed.
The Environment is suffering too. The environment too has been suffering, not helped by the failure of the US government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on the emission of greenhouse gases of which the US is the biggest offender. But we are guilty too, to some extent. We hear a lot about storm surges which accompany huge storms worldwide causing immense devastation and it seems to me this could be equated with a storm surge of selfishness as we see ice-caps melting, oceans polluted, erratic flooding, heat-waves and so on, due in some measure to our greedy, careless attitude to our world. Indigenous peoples are being displaced making of them climate migrants, migratory animals are losing ancient patterns, famines are being caused by this shift in global weather patterns, and we cannot allow greed to become the measure and limit of our right to a clean and healthy environment.
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Apart from the greed which is destroying the world, our souls are not left unscathed. Judas suffered for his betrayal of Jesus for the (in) famous thirty pieces of silver. Consumed with grief, guilt and anguish he hanged himself. Charlie Chaplin in his first talking movie, was very eloquent in “The Great Dictator”, as relevant now as it was seventy-three years ago; “Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost”. However, the New Year is a time to reflect and think about what the past year has wrought. It should be a time to take stock of our priorities, values and goals. Our life is a stewardship for God of our time, talents, and maybe we need to ask a question or two like “Who am I, what am I doing with my life?” There is a down side to materialism which manifests itself in boredom and related to greed are bribery and hoarding. “What doth it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul”? (Mark 8; 36.) Avarice is very possessive, it is selfserving, we can very often end up coveting things that belong to others, our attachments to the things of this world ensnare us, no man can serve two masters and greed can make us do a lot of wicked things. This is a Year of Faith for all the faithful and our world will become poorer if we do not share our spiritual blessings as well as our temporal ones. David Thoreau, American philosopher (1817-1862) wrote of his “days when idleness was the most attractive and productive industry,” and he insisted that he was “rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days”. Here we have it, a New Year, a fresh beginning to change destructive habits, to develop different priorities, use our time better, the choice is yours, and mine.
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Dream The Infertility Industry’s Dirty Little Secret – a review of Eggsploitation by Fiorella Nash (SPUC)
O
ne of the most neglected ethical issues both here and abroad is also one which arguably involves the greatest threat to human life and the most blatant exploitation of women.
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Like the abortion industry, it treats early human life as property to be used or destroyed, it is highly lucrative for the professionals involved and it quietly abuses and manipulates the very women it claims to be helping. I am talking of course about the multi-million dollar IVF industry, which cashes in on the desperation of infertile couples by promising to make their dream of having a child come true. In a world where thousands of unwanted children are killed through abortion every day, the abortion industry’s alter ego is creating, screening and destroying thousands of embryos in the name of supplying other women with ‘wanted’ children. In many ways, the IVF industry has been a great deal more successful than the abortion industry in terms of its public image. Associated as it is with smiling couples holding beautiful babies, IVF has become mainstream and people talk openly and positively about IVF in a way that they would never talk about abortion. This is partly because the destructive aspect of IVF is less obvious and many people do not appreciate the amount of embryo wastage that occurs as a result of artificial procreation. It is also easier for scientists to provoke confusion and doubt about the humanity of an embryo under fourteen days than that of a baby of much later gestation. However, whereas pro-
abortion forces try to ridicule, trivialise or silence the stories of the many women who regret their abortions, those involved with the fertility industry have not even bothered to acknowledge the existence of women who have been hurt and indeed killed by the risky procedures involved in the harvesting of eggs. Eggsploitation exposes the manipulation of young women – usually students – by a fertility industry reliant upon a continuous supply of eggs from ‘suitable’ donors and the callous disregard shown to donors when their health is severely compromised. The women interviewed had all had a desire to help an infertile couple to have their dream baby and they were notably all struggling financially at the time, meaning that their decision to go through with the egg-harvesting process was heavily influenced by promises of thousands of dollars in remuneration. The documentary charts the brutal process egg donation involves; the self-administration of powerful drugs to block normal menstrual cycles, yet more drugs to hyper-stimulate ovulation and
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Babies? the final operation to extract the eggs when they have matured. The women interviewed included one woman who suffered a stroke following the egg extraction surgery which left her paralysed and unable to have children of her own, and a PhD student who was repeatedly instructed to carry on injecting herself with drugs in spite of her concerns for her wellbeing and who went on to suffer a pierced artery and severe internal bleeding. The saddest story of all was from another former student named Alexandra who collapsed in excruciating pain following egg extraction. She was sent home from the fertility clinic twice before her condition was taken seriously and her life was saved with the loss of an ovary. A risk I had not come across before but which was mentioned almost in passing was that in her early thirties, Alexandra was diagnosed with breast cancer and, she noted, two of the other young women in her breast cancer help group had been an egg donor or undergone IVF treatment, with
her doctor acknowledging that a disproportionate number of young women diagnosed with breast cancer had been exposed to high doses of hormones that way. Almost as appalling as the descriptions of serious medical emergencies (and I warn you that this documentary is not for the squeamish) were the women’s accounts of the way they were treated by their fertility clinics/ agencies when they suspected problems or became ill. One woman had her concerns about an underlying health problem dismissed by fertility specialists keen to stop her backing out of donating her eggs and she only refused to go ahead when her own doctor warned her that she was at risk of seizures if she took the prescribed drugs. Another spoke of being contacted by the fertility clinic when she was seriously ill in hospital recovering from a stroke, to be told that she had not produced enough eggs and would be paid less than originally agreed. Most heartbreaking of all were
The Alpha course continued from page 7 ecumenical togetherness among Christians, and a joint proclamation of faith in Christ in today’s world.” One of the most common stumbling blocks people come across when talking about Christ to those without faith is precisely the lack of unity among those professing to believe in the same message. Some years back a group of likeminded Christians in Gibraltar came together convinced that a joint proclamation of faith in Christ’ would be the most
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effective way of presenting the Gospel to a generation which is steadily drifting away from even the most basic knowledge of Christianity. Since the beginning of 2012 this group of Christians from a range of different Christian traditions have been running Alpha at the Gladys Perez Centre with the sole intention of reaching out to those who are searching for answers, and doing it with one voice. Unlike other Alpha courses which have been held in Gibraltar, these sessions use live speakers instead of the well known Nicky Gumble
Fiorella Nash: Society for the Protection of Unborn Children the interviews with the mothers of two young women who did not live to tell their own story and the video footage of one of them dancing in front of the camera, the picture of health, was almost unbearable to watch. The fertility industry has a serious case to answer. As one of the interviewees said towards the end of the programme: “My case does not show up in any statistics.” It is
astonishing that these procedures should be being carried out on women when the studies to gauge the serious long and short term risks have not been carried out. The exploitation of women and the terrible suffering they have endured needs to be publicly recognised and this grotesque industry stopped from doing any further harm.
videos, this way each talk is made personal and relevant to Gibraltar. Why the Gladys Perez Centre (GPC), some might ask, why not a church or similar location? It was thought that a non-religious space for people to explore some of the most important questions of life would better serve the vision, and the Gladys Perez Centre provides this. At each course we have been blessed to see people either come to faith for the first time, or renew their commitment to Christ, embarking on an exiting life with a living faith. A typical Alpha evening starts with that very Gibraltarian essential – food. After the eating
is over a talk is given on a range of subjects, eg ‘Who is Jesus?’, ‘How can I have Faith?’ and so on, followed by a time of relaxed discussion. But whatever else happens we always have fun, food and fellowship – the main ingredients of Alpha. The next Alpha Course will start on the 16th January at the Gladys Perez Centre, if you are interested or know someone who might be interested in taking part, call Andrew Abrines on 20072392 or Michael Cumming on 54011540, alternatively visit our website on www.alphagibraltar.org and fill in the online form.
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GIBRALTAR CATHOLIC PRISON MINISTRY
Praying
with our
Senses
OnRetreat:
TESTIMONIES
Joey Pitaluga It was a great retreat guys, loved every minute of it! thanks to all the leaders for all their organising and talks, and for everyone who gave testimonies which were all inspiring. God bless you all :] xxxxxxxxx Louis Pitaluga just wanted to say thanks to everyone for making this an amazing retreat :) thanks to the music ministry, the cooks, all the leaders especially ronnie and everyone who was there :) couldn’t stop laughing and had an amazing time :) thanks again and GB xxx Joelle Tellez Excellent retreat, once again! Thank you all soo soo much! Vanessa Page What a lovely retreat, I had so Much fun with all the lovely persons in the retreat. Thanks to all the leaders and to big Henry and Father. Love u all. Melanie Martinez Well this was my first retreat , it was simply amazing couldn’t stop laughing, never got bored and the talks were quite interesting :) thank you very much :) cannot wait till the next one :) xx Lawrence Ramagge Amazing retreat thank your everyone!
M
embers of the Gibraltar Catholic Prison Ministry lived a one-day Spiritual Retreat at the Europa Retreat Centre, the theme of which was “PRAYING WITH OUR SENSES”. The programme was prepared and imparted by Fr Pedro Fernandez Alejo from Algeciras of the Trinitarian Order, who specialise in prison work in the field of evangelisation and preparation for re-insertion of prisoners back into society. The Lord was as always, very generous with all who were able to attend and certainly everyone derived great spiritual benefits and encouragement for the work programme of the year ahead. The Gibraltar Catholic Prison
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Ministry was officially established under the patronage of His Lordship the Bishop of Gibraltar, Mgr Ralph Heskett on 1st October 2011, as a continuation to what had previously been the quiet work of Mr Louis Lombard JP and numerous Church Chaplains over the last thirty years. Louis is himself the chairperson and Fr Jonathan de la Santa Cruz is the Chaplain. The Ministry’s main aim is centred in the evangelisation of those who are temporarily deprived of their freedom.
“FOR I WAS IN PRISON AND YOU VISITED ME”
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F R O M FAC E B O O K
Megan Cassar Great retreat :) cant wait for the next! Thanks to all you guys who were involved in making it special :) see you all tommorow night GB xx Brian Devine this retreat has been the best retreat that i have been to, especially with the adoration last night, i want to thank all the leaders, Father and Henry as well as the cooks for making such an amazing retreat and of course all those who gave their talks it was amazing ;) Claire Pitaluga simply amazing! thanks so much to all those involved, much appreciated! xxx
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Diocesan Pilgimage to
LOURDES to celebrate the feast of
OUR LADY OF
EUROPE By AIR: 29th April- 3rd May
€850 p/p – Single Supp: €80 p/p. Flights from Malaga 4 nights Lourdes on Full Board Deposit by 30 Nov ’12 ...........€250 p/p Payment by 31 Jan ’13 . .......€ 300 p/p Balance by 28 Feb ’13.. € 300 p/p twin ................................... € 380 p/p single
By COACH 28th April- 4th May € 525 p/p – Single Supp € 175 p/p 2 nights Madrid in Bed & Breakfast 4 nights Lourdes on Full Board Deposit by 30 Nov ’12 ..........€ 125 p/p Payment by 31 Jan ’13 . .......€ 200 p/p Balance by 28 Feb ’13 . € 200 p/p twin ................................... € 375 p/p single MORE INFO: Bishop’s Office: Tel 20046178 St. Paul’s Church: Tel 20077135 bishop@gibdiocese.org
24 enero del 2013 a las 7:30 p.m. Free entry by programme only. There will be a retiring collection. Programmes available from Sacred heart Church
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Ten Hours Free Support!
W
e can help! Grand Home Care are donating 10 hours of free support for the first 10 individuals to claim. At Grand Home Care we offer a unique combination of premier home health care and community-based palliative, social and hospital based services to Gibraltar. GHC opened on the 4th July 2011 and have since provided a wide range of services aimed at helping those in need of care or assistance. These include domiciliary support, help in accessing the community ( for example, assisting members of the community to attend meaningful activities such as attending church ), support in hospital and respite for family members who are otherwise engaged, either away from Gibraltar or on a social call. Coincidentally, although most of our clients pay for our services privately, Grand Home Care was offered its first Government contract on the day of its first anniversary. This is testament to the company’s work ethic, focus and desired direction. Bridging gaps between management, support workers and service users, we pride ourselves on responding to our client’s needs and are not afraid to go that extra mile. GHC is also a member of The United Kingdom Homecare Association and are already meeting UK standards. None of our employees work without a police check and we offer a good system of shadowing before a new carer commences employment and we always try to match the client with the support worker. Call us Monday to Friday from 09:00-17:00 on 20065577 for a free assessment and your one hour of free care. If you feel this offer can help you or someone you know, please do not hesitate to contact us! You can always visit us in the ICC, Unit S3F, Second Floor, Main Street and our website is Web: www.ghc.gi.
Catholic charismatic renewal retreat Last weekend in January 2013 With PAdre ‘Chus’
C
hus Villarroel OP is well known in the Spanish speaking world for his special gift of preaching which has developed over more than 35 years in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Father Jesus Villarroel (Chus) was born in Tejerina, León, in 1935. He entered the novitiate of the Dominicans of Ocaña. The studied Philosophy and Theology at Avila, in Germany and Switzerland. He completed his studies with a doctorate of philosophy in Rome. He has devoted many years to teaching in the faculty of the Dominicans of Alcobendas, and some courses at the Pontificia de Salamanca. For the past 18 years he has
worked intensively with the Charismatic Renewal, especially in preaching and retreats, and for 8 years as the National Coordinator. Padre Chus has been busy, too, with other pastoral work in the parish of Jesus in San Blas for 3 years. From 1987 until recently he was a parish priest in the parish of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Madrid. For more information contact Frances Moreno 5422000 or Susan Goldwin 20078212.
ICC, Unit S3F, 2nd Floor, Tel: 200 655 77 www.ghc.gi, email: info@ghc.gi
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Old MObile Appeal nets a haul of 82 phones so Far he first text messages came old phones for some time and is
T
in soon after the appeal was launched and so far 82 phones have been collected. This is largely due to Daren at the Games Exchange on Irish Town who has been collecting
now sharing them between our appeal and another for a charity in Morocco. Darren’s generosity gives readers an optional drop off point, as we have a collection box at his shop.
CHRISTIAN FAMILY MOVEMENT
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS The Annual Wedding Anniversary Celebrations are scheduled for the 1st of February 2013 at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned at 7.30pm.
Couples who celebrated their 25th, 40th, 50th or 60th wedding anniversary in 2012 are invited to join in this celebration and renew their vows. Cut out (or photocopy if you prefer) the form below and hand it in to the Catholic Bookshop next to the Cathedral not later than the 11th January 2013. Mr. & Mrs._ _________________________________________ Forenames: Husband _ ________________________________ Forenames: Wife_____________________________________ Neé_________________________________________________ Address_ ____________________________________________ _ ___________________________________________________
TEXT ‘OLD MOBILE’ TO 56000766 IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE A PHONE
e-mail_______________________________________________ Tel. No. Home________________________________________ Tel. No. Work _ ______________________________________ Mobile_ _____________________________________________ Date of Marriage _____________________________________ Church______________________________________________ N.B. If marriage took place outside Gibraltar please produce a copy of the marriage Certificate when handing in this form This form should be handed in at the Cathedral bookshop as soon as possible and not later than Friday 14th January. You can e-mail above detail/form to: duos@gibtelecom.net
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