Walking El Camino de Santiago
Dear Friends…
Editorial selected by Fr. Stuart Chipolina
…even the Pope slows
Pope Francis once again spent his summer holiday at the Vatican. But the month of July was a time of increased rest, as the Holy Father did not receive any official guests or give his weekly catechises during the General Audience.
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down during the Summer!
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he Pontiff’s only public appearances in Rome, as we went to print, were on Sundays, when he prayed the Angelus at noon. The pope only had two official events planned for the month. The first was a two day conference on his encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ on 5 July. In a private audience with event participants, he warned of the “real danger that we will leave future generations only rubble, deserts and refuse.” In his address, the Pope stressed that the scientific community has increasing evidence of the urgency of changing development processes. “The planet needs to be repaired, and a sustainable future guaranteed,” he said.
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People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” Several of these young people came from parts of the world that suffer from environmental degradation, such as the Pacific islands and the Amazon. Then, on July 7, the pope travelled to Bari, a southern Italian city where he convened an ecumenical prayer encounter with Christian leaders from the Middle East where he was accompanied by Patriarchs of Churches of the Middle East and their representatives. During his remarks he said “I give thanks to God for this meeting, which was an eloquent sign of Christian unity, and saw the enthusiastic participation of God’s people.” Pope Francis once again thanked his “Brother Heads of Churches”, their representatives, and Archbishop Francesco Cacucci of Bari for his welcome. The Holy Father said he was “edified by their attitude and witness.” Finally, the Holy Father thanked the many faithful who accompanied and supported the Pope and the Patriarchs “through their prayer and joyful presence”. ‘May the Middle East be an ark of peace, not war!’ Nineteen heads and representatives of Christian Churches prayed with the Holy Father and held a closed-
door dialogue with him in the Pontifical Basilica of St. Nicholas. The Pope also took time to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas, a saint who recalls a time before the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Eastern and Western Churches. At the prayer meeting, Pope Francis denounced the “murderous indifference” and “complicit silence” of the world regarding the tragedy taking place in the Middle East. There, they prayed for a peaceful end to the many wars and conflicts in the region. For the remainder of the month, Pope Francis mostly took advantage
of an opportunity to work in the tranquillity of his home.
It is right that we too ease off our stringent work regimes during these months, but following the Holy Father’s lead, remain mindful of any way we can improve the way we care for our environment and help those around us who are going through difficult times. Hope you are having a good summer... ...God Bless you Fr. Stuart
Pope Francis prays before an Icon of Mary in Bari ©Vatican News
Vulnerable Pacific Islands © Global Environment Facility
He cited paragraph 161 of his encyclical, which states that “the pace of consumption, waste and environmental change has so stretched the planet’s capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes, such as those which even now periodically occur in different areas of the world.” “Laudato Si’” played a crucial role at the time of its launch, in May 2015, in influencing the international debate on global warming and environmental protection that resulted in the Paris Agreement. In the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 195 countries pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. A follow-up conference in Katowice, Poland, this December is expected to review, modify and renew the agreement. The Pope said the Katowice conference “could prove a milestone on the path set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement.” “All governments should strive to honour the commitments made in Paris, in order to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis,” he said. In addition to environmental and climate change experts, the conference included young people who are preparing for the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the theme, “Young
Sources: tinyurl.com/UTRlaycentrearticle tinyurl.com/UTRvaticannewsarticle
Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media, Gibraltar. Editor: Fr. S. Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.gi. Production Editor: A. Sargent: angela@europeaxess.com. Upon this Rock magazine is 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 handdelivered 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: +350 200 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. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media Ltd. reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements. Efforts have been made to establish copyright owners of images, but if we have used your material, and have not credited you, please contact us to discuss restoration. The magazine is online at uponthisrock.gi. Cover Photos by Victor Hermida
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Lest we forget
75th Anniver sar y of the Death of General Sikor ski
Liberator Mk II AL522 identical to the AL523 in which General Sikorski flew, with his daughter Zofia and other Officials to visit Polish troops fighting with the Allies in 1943.
The 4th of July is among the most difficult dates in Polish history, especially in the 20th century.
This year marked the 75th Anniversary of the Catastrophe in Gibraltar in 1943. The main events commemorating this anniversary took place in Gibraltar on the 4th of July 2018. A Polish Delegation including War Veterans, Combatants, Representation of the Polish Authorities and members of the Anti-Communist Opposition took part in the commemoration of the General’s death and those people who died with him. The Governor and the Mayor of Gibraltar represented the British Delegation. The Steward of the day was Józef Kasprzyk, the Head of the Polish Ministry of Combatants and Victimized Persons.
Several locations around the Rock of Gibraltar were visited on the day. Firstly at North Front Cemetery, the Polish Delegation laid flowers on the graves of the people who died in the plane crash. Here lie the bodies of John Gralewski, the Polish soldier of the Second War World Home Army, and the bodies of two British soldiers, Brigadier J.P. Whiteley and Colonel V.A. Cazet. The next location was the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned where a memorial Mass was held for the Polish and British Delegation and the most important people, the veterans of the World War II. Polish people, patriots who
Colour photos © Fr. Peter Gasiorek
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his day marks the tragic death of General Władysław Sikorski, the Head of the Polish Army and Prime Minister of Republic of Poland in Exile, during War World II.
live in Gibraltar and Spain also attended. The main celebrant was Fr. Krzysztof Tiliszczak, the chancellor of the Polish Catholic Mission in England and Wales. Fr. Krzysztof emphasised about the difficult situation Poland was in and spoke about Polish affairs during the War. The Bishop of Gibraltar, The Most Revered Carmel Zammit, and the parish priest Fr. Mario Tong also participated in the service at the Cathedral. After the Mass the whole congregation gathered at Europa Point where,
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thanks to the Polish and British Authorities, a Monument commemorating general Sikorski and his companions has been built. Józef Kasprzyk led the official part of the celebration here. Then a member of the Polish Parliament, Maria Koc gave a talk. The last speaker was Kaiane Lopez, the Mayor of Gibraltar. She quoted a phrase very well known to Polish soldiers of the World War II era: “when the sun is higher, then Sikorski is closer...” Then all the delegates and veterans laid flowers at the monument. When the ceremony was finished I had the opportunity to talk with the Polish soldiers, those who fought in Europe and during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. I said to them, thank you for your heroism and sacrifice. They said, “The merit is not ours.” It was an answer full of humility and commitment for Poland and for the peace of the World. One of the soldiers said, “Please continue to
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75th Anniversary of the Death of General Sikorski
1943- General Sikorski’s coffin draped with the Polish flag is carried shoulder high into the Cathedral, the Governor follows the coffin bearers.
commemorate this anniversary, especially when we, the witnesses of those times, have passed away.” The last event at the end of the day was held at the beach near the Gibraltar runway at 23.06pm, the time of the plane crash in 1943. The Polish Delegation cast red and white flowers into the sea.
Background
On the 4th of July 1943 General Sikorski was in Gibraltar having arrived from the Middle East. On the evening of the same day, heading for the UK, Sikorski and his companions died. The British Liberator had
ditched in the sea, 16 seconds after take off, several hundred meters off the runway. The staff travelling with the General, the soldiers and his daughter died. The only, person who survived was a Czech pilot. The body of the General was exposed in the Gibraltar’s Catholic Cathedral, and on the 5th of July Bishop Fizgerald said Mass for the soul of General Sikorski. Afterwords, the body of the general was transported to London, where it was buried. In 1993 his body was exhumed and moved into the Cathedral of the Polish Kings in Cracow. Previously, during the communist era in Poland, until
1989, that would have been impossible. Bishop Charles Caruana wrote a book about General Wlasyslaw Sikorski, a copy of which he presented to Pope John Paul II. In December 2011 Polish President Bronisław Komorowski posthumously awarded Bishop Caruana the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, at the Polish Embassy in London. 75 years after the catastrophe, we still do not know why the aircraft crashed in 1943. As time passes more information is available on the internet:
according to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives another Liberator crashed during take-off in Gibraltar in May 1943, there were no casualties. The British Archives from the time are sealed to Polish historians and the documents concerning the death of General Sikorski are to remain classified until 2050. But as a Polish Nation we still believe that the day will come when we will know the whole truth about the catastrophe in 1943. Fr. Peter Gasiorek, July 2018
Those who perished when the Liberator crashed, 4th of July 1943 General Władysław Sikorski
6. W.H. Lock, Civillian
Passengers:
7. Andrzej Marecki, Polish British Soldier
1. Victor Cazalet, British Soldier
Members of crew:
2. Jan Gralewski, Home Army Soldier
1. C.B. Gerrie, Radio Operator
3. Tadeusz Klimecki, Polish Soldier
2. W.S. Herring, Co-pilot
4. Adam Kułakowski, Polish Soldier
3. D. Hunter, Radio Operator
5. Zofia Leśniowska,
4. F. Kelly, Mechanic
General Sikorski’s Daughter 6
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5. L. Zalsberg, Navigator @uponthisrockmag
Lest we forget
75th Anniver sar y of the Death of General Sikor ski
After the Mass commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the death of General Sikorski the whole congregation gathered at Europa Point where, thanks to the Polish and British Authorities, a Monument to General Sikorski and his companions has been built according to a design by Bishop Charles Caruana. Photo above Courtesy J. Bugeja, The Gibraltar Chronicle. Insert Fr. P. Gasiork
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El Camino de Santiago My Journey S
Manolo Galliano ©UTR
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antiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous region of Galicia and owes its origin and renown to the shrine of St. James the Great, whose remains are purported to be interred in the city’s magnificent cathedral. The devotion to this saint, James the son of Zebedee, and one of the Lord’s first Apostles, led to the place becoming a leading Christian pilgrimage route and destination since the 9th century and became known as El Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James). For some time now, I had been considering undertaking the Camino, until finally, this year, I approached some of my friends and invited them to accompany me on this adventurous challenge, with special spiritual and personal connotations to all who participate in it. Prior to setting off, we decided to make arrangements with a specialised firm which would book our flights and accommodation, including conveying our luggage from hotel to hotel and transport us to the start and end of each leg of the route. Furthermore, we went on individual and group treks around the Rock and even further afield in the Campo Area in order to build up our stamina, for what we considered would be a strenuous undertaking over six consecutive days. At long last, the departure date approached and two of the participating group, Andrew and Victor Hermida set off by car up to Galicia, whilst, the following day, Clive Martinez and myself left by plane from Málaga for Santiago de Compostela. There, a taxi would be waiting to take us to Sarria, our starting point, where we were scheduled to
Part One
meet up with Andrew and Victor. Unfortunately, and to paraphrase Robert Burns ‘Ode to a Mouse’, the best laid schemes o’mice an’ men often come to nought for as my companion, Clive, stepped off the plane he suffered a sudden attack of sciatica which precluded him for walking. This was so severe that despite holding on for some days to see whether the symptoms would clear, he was finally forced to return to Gibraltar and seek medical advice. This unfortunate turn of events certainly spoiled the friendly spirit of teamwork that we had all been experiencing prior to setting off, but the Camino had to be tackled, despite the absence of one of our small group.
Sunday 27th May
Early in the morning, on a grey and misty day with threatening rain clouds overhead, we set off from our hotel in Sarria, duly equipped with rain jackets, trekking boots, hiking poles and haversacks stuffed with rain capes, spare socks and paraphernalia such as ointments, plasters, and general remedies for possible blisters. We soon joined a veritable stream of pilgrims from all over the world, with the customary greeting of ‘Buen Camino’ (‘Have a good or safe journey’) ringing in our ears. We walked on and on and constantly exchanged salutes and short conversations with people of all ages, men and women from the far-flung corners of the Globe; Argentinians, Canadians, Australians, French, Americans, Koreans, Cubans and Japanese to mention just a few of the many nationalities we met or passed on our way. As we went along, kilometre after kilometre, we tried our best
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Text: Manolo Galliano There were also wayside cafÊs and restaurants where we could stop for refreshments and quick meals and where we could stamp our personal Pilgrim’s Passports. These were issued to all pilgrims at the start of the journey and required to have a minimum of two stamps from each stage of the Camino, thus validating that the person had duly participated in the whole of the distance prescribed. This passport would, on arrival in Santiago de Compostela, be presented at the Oficina de Acogida al Peregrino (International Pilgrim Centre), where after ascertaining that the pilgrim had undertaken a minimum of 100 kilometres of journey, a certificate would be issued. In the case of cyclists doing the Camino, they were required to have cycled a minimum of 200 kilometres. After trekking on this first day for almost 25 kilometres, we finally reached the Rio Miùo and caught sight of our first
to skirt the many potholes and eddying streams we came across and endeavoured, sometimes without success, not to step in the muddy mire and constant cowpats. Nevertheless, despite our growing tiredness and sore feet, we were elated by the vistas of beautiful countryside, the green pastures with grazing cattle and sheep and the tall eucalyptus and oak trees surrounding us, with their branches almost forming arches over our heads. We travelled through narrow country lanes, hemmed in by the typical stone walls all covered with
Photos: Victor M. Hermida
destination - Portomarin. Our overnight stay in the hotel of this small town, would give us the opportunity for a good long soak in the bath and to recover our ebbing strength with a hearty Galician supper. To be continued.
lichen, moss and wild flowers and we were serenaded by the sounds of so many birds, swooping in front of us or nestling unseen up in the tree branches. Once in a while, we came across small villages and hamlets, all having at their centre modest Romanesque chapels and churches; there were many small cottages with neat verges planted with climbing roses and a great number of tumbledown stone houses, all becoming an exceptional boon for photographers wishing to immortalise their quaintness.
FUNDING AVAILABLE
The Christian Mission Trust provides local Christians with donations for evangelistic initiatives and outreaches. The Trust is ecumenical and has provided money to many groups, individuals and churches during the last 12 years. It is run by a Board of Trustees.
We invite applications for funding from anyone who wishes to launch an evangelistic initiative or who needs support for an existing Christian missionary activity. Please write to: The Chairman, Christian Mission Trust, 4 South Pavilion Road, Gibraltar.
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Bishop Carmel Zammit’s Appeal
We would be lost without our
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W
ith latest reports stating that about half of the inhabitants have gone back to the Christian-majority town of Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), Fr. George Jahola said “a lot” of people were now returning there from Lebanon, Turkey, Erbil and other displacement centres in Iraq. The Syriac Catholic priest, who has led the resettlement of about 25,650 Christians back to Qaraqosh, said the support by Christians in the West for a massive house-repair project in Nineveh had been vital to the survival of the community. In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, one of the Christian organisations backing the houserepair scheme, Fr. Jahola said: “If it weren’t for the houses, there would already be no one left.” With 2,187 of the 6,826 damaged houses in Qaraqosh
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Fr. George Jahola ©ACN
CHRISTIANS in the West have played a crucial role in reviving communities in Iraq ravaged by extremists in the ancient Nineveh Plains – according to a Church leader who has helped pioneer their resettlement in towns and villages which have been their home for thousands of years.
now repaired, Fr. Jahola said: “We would be lost without our fellow Christians in the West.” Since Daesh (ISIS) was forced out of Nineveh almost two years ago, according to ACN’s latest figures more than 8,700 families have returned to Nineveh, with 4,300 houses now made habitable again in Christian towns and villages across the region. Fr. Jahola said that, while security and jobs were vital for people looking to return to
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Nineveh, the importance of the house-repairs was critical. Stressing the community’s dependence on aid from Christian organisations, he said: “The [Iraqi] government has no money and other priorities. No one shows their face here.” Meantime, Archbishop Timotheos Moussa Al-Shamani, Abbot of the Syriac Orthodox Mar Matti Monastery near Bartella town in the Nineveh Plains, said the international community have largely failed
Murcadha O’Flaherty
fellow
Christians in the West Above: Fr. George Jahola (2nd right) with family at repaired home; Left, Fr. George Jahola in front of a desecrated church tower © Aid to the Church in Need
The world is largely silent in the face of Christian persecution. The scale of the problem is so great, silence is no longer acceptable. Persecuted Christians need YOU - and all of us! Together our prayers and actions can make a difference. You can PLEDGE YOUR SOLIDARITY by: • Praying ACN’s Prayer found in leaflets in your local Church, or your own prayers for Persecuted Christians in danger. • Sharing this article and Christian Persecution facts with others so that all understand the need.
Donation Details:
Bishop Carmel Zammit Lenten Appeal for‘Aid to the Church in Need’, Gibraltar International Bank, Account Name: ‘Trustees RCC/CAN’ Account Number: 00812022, Sort Code: 60-83-14.
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to provide much-needed help. He said: “We don’t need words. I can’t even begin to tell you just how many western ambassadors and politicians I have already spoken with. “What we Christians in Iraq need is action.” Such concerns about the lack of international aid echo comments by Stephen Rasche, the Archdiocese of Erbil’s programme coordinator for the displaced Christians from Nineveh and nearby Mosul. Speaking at Aid to the Church in Need UK’s national Westminster Event in London last October, Mr Rasche highlighted the importance of aid, saying: “I can tell you in northern Iraq, it’s everything – everything. “Without the Christian charities – with ACN far, far in the lead – the displaced Christians of northern Iraq would not have survived these last three years.” Mr Rasche added; “We had no help coming to us from the institutional bodies – despite whatever protestations they make… ACN made the difference… so thank you for it.” Aid to the Church in Need is a Pontifical Foundation directly under the Holy See. As a Catholic charity, ACN supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in need through information, prayer, and action.
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The Cursillo Team Leaders write...
Jesus waits for us A
When we open ourselves to an encounter with Jesus, we will not be disappointed. Jesus is always waiting for us, ready to welcome us into his open arms.
ll we have to do is go toward him.
Jesus is like the Prodigal Father in his parable. He looks for us to look for him, longing for us to come down that road to home. When we round the bend, he runs to meet us and lavishly welcomes us back into his Life. He showers us with graces and celebrates our return. To become a true disciple of Jesus Christ, we must first open ourselves to experiencing Christ present in and with us. This starts with an awareness of Jesus’ presence and a commitment to opening our hearts to him. We recently held a weekend retreat at the Retreat Centre and this is exactly what the participants experienced. Jesus waiting for them with open arms and a realisation that Jesus had always been there at their side
waiting for them. Once you open up your hearts to Jesus your lives will never be the same. You will continue to experience the joys and difficulties that we all experience in life but the good times will seem even better when you enjoy the full love of God and you will experience a level of peace to confront the difficult times that you will never have felt before. Whether you experienced your Cursillo last year, 5 years ago or 40 years ago you will remember the joy you felt at the time. It was no less than a face-to-face meeting with Jesus. For many if not most, it was the first time you realised how much you meant to Him, how really important you were to Him. It was the first time you understood why He died on the Cross for you, it was because He loved you totally, without any conditions, holding
nothing back. How happy our hearts were when we left after that special weekend. Pause for a few minutes in silence, and recall all those lovely feelings you experienced, all those things you were going to change for the better. Someone who experienced his Cursillo nearly 40 years ago commented “I still thank Almighty God for having invited me to go. Time has gone by, but all that I experienced at my Cursillo is still fresh and valid today just as it was so long ago. What we are told in the Cursillo are eternal truths, valid for yesterday, today and forever. Also in the Cursillo we are taught how to persevere in our determination to follow Jesus. I remember vividly the TRIPOD on which our faith is built upon, PIETY, STUDY and ACTION, on these three pillars rests our life with Jesus and everybody else after the Cursillo.”
THE TRIPOD PIETY is our relationship
with our Lord, based on prayer, obedience, the sacraments, holy mass and all those other practices that, if taken sincerely, will deepen our love and knowledge of Jesus, for example visits to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
STUDY is the use of the
Bible and other religious media to deepen our knowledge of Jesus and His church so that we understand and appreciate Him more.
ACTION is the putting into practise all that Jesus expects from us. Look around you, what an awful world it sometimes is. We are not going to stop the violence in Syria, but we can
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WITH OPEN ARMS
make our own world a bit better every day, forgive, be extra pleasant to all around you, family, friends, workplace. Do not spread false rumours, go out of your way to visit lonely people or those in hospital or Mt. Alvernia who have no family to talk to. So many things we could do to make things better. In the Our Father we pray “Your Kingdom come Your will be done”. Jesus expects that we bring His Kingdom and do His will, He expects all of us to do this work, if we do not do it, nobody else will. We should wake-up every morning looking forward to spreading peace, joy, and understanding all around us, perhaps it is only a nice warm smile when we say “Good Morning”. If we just stop to think and apply a bit of effort, there are many things we could do to improve the environment around us, the more we try the closer we get to Jesus and the more we bring a bit of happiness
to others. The TRIPOD is not something mechanical, not like a computer that will behave according to what keys we press. The TRIPOD is a simple way of recalling the things we have to be conscious of if we are to develop a loving relationship with Jesus and with all those people around us.
During the Last Supper, Jesus gave us the
NEW COMMANDMENT “Love one another as I have loved you”. In fact He said, “By this love you have for one another everyone will know you are my disciples”. Love for one another is the only way we can tell that someone is a disciple of
Jesus, love to the end, no matter what it costs. Jesus was not saying that it was going to be easy, He tells us “Pick up your cross and follow me”. What Jesus has done is to give us a lot of tools that will strengthen us to help us on our way of love. All these are summarised in the TRIPOD. Take a couple of minutes to consider what YOU can do to make your relationship with Jesus more meaningful, how best you can improve on your TRIPOD. No matter what your friendship with Jesus is, there are always ways and means to improve it. Nothing is more worthwhile doing than to live your life more closely to Jesus, in this way, you will experience life differently, an exciting and marvellous experience, as you did in your Cursillo. If you would like to attend one of our weekend retreats or if it is many years since you attended and you would
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like to relive this wonderful experience, please contact us on 58008885 or send us an email at cursillogibraltar@gmail.com and we will send you an enrolment form. The next scheduled weekend retreats will be held on the following dates, retreat for women from the 15th till the 18th November this year and the next retreat for men will be held from the 21st till the 24th March next year. We look forward to hearing from you. God Bless, Cursillo Team Leaders ERRATUM this article should have been printed with the above photograph in the July edition of Upon This Rock magazine, Issue 205, when we repeated the text of a previous Cursillo article by mistake. The production editor apologises for the mix-up.
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Legality is not Morality
U.S. CARDINAL calls all to pray that Supreme Court will move to protect life in law
N
ew York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called July 19 for a national prayer campaign effort that “the change in the U.S. Supreme Court will move our nation closer to the day
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when every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life.” “As soon as Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, proabortion groups began lobbying the U.S. Senate to reject any nominee who does not promise to endorse Roe v. Wade,” the cardinal said in a statement. “While the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops does not support or oppose the confirmation of any presidential nominee,” he said, “we can and should raise grave concerns about a confirmation process which is being grossly distorted by efforts to subject judicial nominees to a litmus test of
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support for Roe v. Wade. And we must pray.” He invited all people of goodwill to pray each Friday from Aug. 3 to Sept. 28 in a “Novena for the Legal Protection of Human Life.” The USCCB said “Call to Prayer” materials will be accessible online. Materials include prayers and educational resources and an invitation to fast on Fridays for this intention. Those wishing to join this nine-week prayer effort can sign up at www.usccb.org/pray to participate in this and subsequent Call to Prayer initiatives via email or text message. “May Our Lady of Guadalupe intercede for the healing of our
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nation and our people from decades of abortion on demand,” Cardinal Dolan said. President Donald Trump announced July 9 that his nominee for the Supreme Court is Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge in Washington and a Catholic who once clerked for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. In remarks at the White House after his nomination, Kavanaugh said if he is chosen to be on the Supreme Court, he would “keep an open mind in every case” and “always strive to preserve the Constitution of the United States and the American rule of law.” Crux- Catholic News Service tinyurl.com/UTRcruxarticle
Mothers give their testimonies after receiving help from Good Counsel Network Women’s Centre
The Abortion Issue
D
ear Clare, first of all I would like to say, may God bless you all and the staff at The Women’s Centre for the awesome work you are doing in helping the needy. Words are not enough to express my profound gratitude towards the support you gave me and my 3 children for 2 years. Amazing love! From the very first day I walked through the doors of your office, you received me with warmth and I felt very accepted and welcomed. Since then, any support I needed, from financial to legal advice or
clothing, you tirelessly offered me. I was going through a lot at that time and your support meant everything to me. I can never thank you enough, but may God be Glorified for using you all in this great work of His. Thank you for not choosing whom to help. I was afraid you would turn me down for not being Catholic, but you didn’t. While other organisations couldn’t support me and my kids because I had no status and no recourse to public funds, you picked me up and gave us the support we needed. To some £30 a week is not a lot but to me and my family, it meant everything. This money helped us quite a lot and made our lives easier. Thank you so much. Clare thank you for texting me back in the middle of the night when
I asked for some more help financially. I honestly didn’t expect you to respond to my text as late as it was that 24th March 2015 at 10:18pm. To my surprise, you did. Your selflessness and humility has taught me how to serve other people who are in need when my opportunity comes. You are doing a very noble job by making yourself available to those who need to get through
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to you any time of the day. That is the heart of a real servant of God. May God Bless you! So on behalf of my kids and all the people you are helping out there, I say THANK YOU so much. Keep doing the great job. May Goodness and Mercy for the Lord follow you all the days of your lives. Joaquina. Source:goodcounselnetwork.com
New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan at a Mass for the National Prayer Vigil for Life © Gregory A. Shemitz/CNS
LONDON mothers thank Charity for all the help to keep their babies
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