St. Mary

Year B: The Year of Saint Mark

2012-01-11T16:53:00.000Z

THE Gospel of Mark confronts us with the person of Jesus Christ. Theologians rely heavily on his writing as their source for their tract on Christology, the study of Christ. Mark faces us with the mystery of Christ and asks us for a response. Each reader must pose this question to himself or herself: "Who is this person?" He or she will respond that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and also the Son of Man. It is round the two natures the unique person of our Saviour that Mark's Gospel revolves.

Mark was not only Peter's companion, he was also his interpreter or catechist. Mark keeps close to Peter who remains the original, if not the only, source of his story. It is this fact which explains why we are given so many episodes in Mark which can only be described as 'eye-witness accounts' or 'narratives based on personal testimony'. Mark begins by introducing his main interest - the person of Jesus himself - and he follows Jesus through his public ministry in Galilee, outside of Galilee and in Jerusalem immediately before his passion. The 'confession of Peter' is the crisis or turning point of his Gospel so that the rest of the Gospel moves from the theme of the 'Kingdom of God' to that of personal attachment to Jesus.

After the 'confession' there follows the 'first prophecy of the passion' and the whole emphasis of Jesus' teaching is that the Son of man must suffer. Jesus directs his teaching exclusively to his disciples so that Mark's Gospel becomes a catechism of the christian life even to the point of suffering and death. We have to take up our cross daily and follow him. Mark so stresses the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ that his Gospel has been described as a 'Passion Story with an introduction'. The main theological theme is, therefore, on the mystery of Christ while the secondary theological themes deal with faith, discipleship and mission.

Mark's Gospel is short and his way of telling a story is direct and simple. He leads his readers directly to the person of Jesus Christ and in doing so is not afraid to depict in all its starkness the humanity of Jesus. While he does not dwell on the Incarnation, he is at pains to show us that God is present and at work in the person and ministry of Jesus. Everything else that he has to say is directed towards our understanding of this basic notion.

There is a series of five Sundays (17-21) when the readings are taken from John 6 to complete and fill out the eucharistic doctrine of Mark. Mark tells us of the compassion of Jesus for the crowds (16) and this is followed by the feeding of the five thousand (17). The expression of the compassion of Jesus is found in the multiplicqtion of the loaves and fishes: at this stage the Gospel of J ohn takes over and presents us with the feeding of the five thousand as a sign of Jesus as the Bread of Life. We move then from faith in the person of Jesus to the plan which the eucharist has in the life of the disciples and of the community. The teaching of Jesus on the eucharist causes a split in the community and some walked no more with him. We see Peter's confession of faith as our own. Jesus asked 'who' do you say Iam?" Peter spoke up and said to him, "You are the Christ". The difference which it makes to Peter's life marks out the life that we are destined to live. Mark asks us to concentrate on Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, so that we will follow him because we know he has the words of eternal life.

STAGE ONE:
THE MYSTERY OF THE SON OF GOD
[SUNDAYS 1 - 24]

1. The baptism of Jesus [Mark 1:6b-11]2. The call of Andrew and friend [John 1:35-42]
3. The call of the first apostles
4. A day in Capernaum (1)
4. A day in Capernaum (2)
6. The cure of a leper
7. The cure of a paralytic
8. The question of fasting
9. Violation'of the sabbath
10. Serious criticism of Jesue
11. Parables of the kingdom
12. The calming of the storm
13. Jairus' daughter and the woman in the crowd
14. Jesus rejected at Nazareth
15. The mission of the Twelve
16. Compassion for the crowds
17. Feeding of five thousand
18. The breao of life (1)
19. The bread of life (2)
20. The eucharist
21. Incredulity and faith
22. Jewish customs
23. Cure of a deaf-mute
24. Peter's confession

STAGE TWO:
THE MYSTERY OF THE SON OF MAN

25. Passion and resurrection prophesied
26. Instructions for disciples
27. What God has joined together
28. The problem of wealth
29. The sons of Zebedee
30. The cure of Bartimaeus
31. The first commandment
32. The scribes; the widow's mite
33. The last things
34. Solemnity of Christ the King

The Baptism of the LORD

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000Z

You are my Son the Beloved.
The Holy Spirit of God came down upon Jesus,
the beloved Son of God at his baptism in the Jordan.
The Holy Spirit comes down on each of us and helps us
to live our Christian lives
so that we are faithful to our Baptism.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

2011-12-31T00:14:00.000Z

"...God sent His only Son born of a woman..."

Mary is the Mother of Christ and the mother of the Church.
By the power of the Spirit she is linked to God in a unique way.
She is also our spiritual mother who encourages
us to say "yes" to God as our Father.

Our Lady of Help
Statue by Sculptor Karl Hoffman
Ushaw College

O God be gracious and bless us

And let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your saving help.

When the appointed time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, "Abba, Father," and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more, and if God has made you son then he has made you heir. [Galatians 4:4-7]

You don't bring me flowers any more...

2011-11-03T01:29:00.001Z

I was asked, "why are there no flowers in church any more?" I answered, because no one thinks to bring any. All through October, the month of the Holy Rosary, and not one flower for Our Lady's Grotto. I am tempted to say 'How sad...' but who knows someone somewhere may have sent a quiet thought, a good deed, even a bouquet of prayers instead...so who are we to judge.

A kindly gentleman has taken it upon himself to clean the carved stone reredos behind the High Altar. And what a job too. We are blessed to have such parishioners, and he a retired gentleman at that. The job's nearly finished. he was there again before Mass this morning, perched high on a step ladder, reaching up to clean the angels, and there are six of them. He has done a grand job.

I think I will end with the first reading for next Sunday, the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, it wont be long before the start of Advent and the unavailing of the New Missal.

First Reading - Wisdom 6:12-16

Wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim.
By those who love her she is readily seen,
and found by those who look for her.
Quick to anticipate those who desire her,
she makes herself known to them.
Watch for her early and you will have no trouble
you will find her sitting at your gates.
Even to think about her is understanding fully grown;
be on the alert for her and anxiety will quickly leave you.
She herself walks about looking for those who are worthy of her
and graciously shows herself to them as they go
in every thought of theirs coming to meet them.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Forgive from your heart...

2011-09-10T13:58:00.002+01:00

The Return of the Prodigal Son

c. 1669
Oil on canvas, 262 x 206 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Christ is the perfect example of forgiveness. He died for us when we were still his enemies by sin and through his death we are brought to life. His life and death have an influence on all of us. Now we must forgive each other as Christ forgives us since we ask God to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lift the City - Preston 2nd June 2011

2011-07-16T16:35:00.004+01:00

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

2011-01-22T22:57:00.001Z

"...Christ is our light and our help!..."

Christ lightens our darkness and helps us to see the real meaning of life.

When He calls us to follow Him we must learn to put aside our differences.

It is in true Christian charity that we are able to proclaim the good news of the kingdom,

and it is for this purpose that Christ calls us to follow him.

Pope Benedict XVI at Oscott College

2010-09-19T23:54:00.003+01:00

Welcome Papa Benedict XVI

2010-09-16T13:05:00.003+01:00

Pope Benedict XVI thanks HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for their kind welcome to the United Kingdom. The Pope spoke briefly at Holy Rood House before being taken in his Pope Mobile through the streets of Edinburgh, which were lined with hundreds of people welcoming him to Scotland.

Christ has risen, Alleluia...

2010-04-04T00:23:00.004+01:00

Psalm 62 (63)
Thirsting for God

Christ has risen and brought light to his people,

the people he has redeemed with his blood. Alleluia.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
    for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
    like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
    to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,
    my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
    in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
    my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you.
    On you I muse through the night
for your have been my help;
    in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
    your right hand holds me fast.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
    world without end.
Amen.

Christ has risen and brought light to his people,

the people he has redeemed with his blood. Alleluia.

Thirsting for GOD

2010-02-05T17:00:00.000Z

“...The person who thirsts for God eagerly studies and meditates on the inspired Word, knowing that there, he is certain to find the One for whom he thirsts...”
[Commentary on the Song of Songs, Sermon 23:3.]

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD)
Doctor and Father of the Church.

Year of the Priest...

2010-01-09T17:42:00.005Z

"...You have not chosen Him...He has chosen YOU!..."

And you frost and snow, O bless the Lord...

2010-01-08T01:01:00.006Z

Photograph used with permission - Sunset at Churchtown

Canticle
Daniel 3:57-88,56
All creatures, bless the Lord

'...The springs of water were made holy when Christ appeared in glory to the whole world.
Draw water from the springs of the Saviour;
for every created thing has been made holy by Christ our God...'

O all you works of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, angels of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, the heavens of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
And you, clouds of the sky, O bless the Lord.
And you, all armies of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, sun and moon, O bless the Lord.
And you, the stars of the heavens, O bless the Lord.
And you, showers and rain, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, all you breezes and winds, O bless the Lord.
And you, fire and heat, O bless the Lord.
And you, cold and heat, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, showers and dew, O bless the Lord.
And you, frosts and cold, O bless the Lord.
And you, frost and snow, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, night-time and day, O bless the Lord.
And you, darkness and light, O bless the Lord.
And you, lightning and clouds, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

O let the earth bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, mountains and hills, O bless the Lord.
And you, all plants of the earth, O bless the Lord.
And you, fountains and springs, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, rivers and seas, O bless the Lord.
And you, creatures of the sea, O bless the Lord.
And you, every bird in the sky, O bless the Lord.
And you, wild beasts and tame, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, children of men, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

O Israel, bless the Lord, O bless the Lord.
And you, priests of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
And you, servants of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

And you, spirits and souls of the just, O bless the Lord.
And you, holy and humble of heart, O bless the Lord.
Ananias, Azarias, Mizael, O bless the Lord.
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.

Let us praise the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit:
To him be highest glory and praise for ever.
May you be blessed, O Lord, in the heavens:
To you be highest glory and praise for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

First Sunday of Advent - Year C

2009-11-29T00:00:00.005Z

Reflection of Today's Readings

"...Your liberation is near at hand..."

We have no reason to fear the second coming of Christ
if we allow God to teach us how to grow in holiness.
We ask Him to help us to love one another with generosity
and integrity. In this way we will be able to hold our heads
high and have the strength necessary to survive all that will
happen in our lives so that when the tume comes we will stand
un confidence before Christ and his saints.

Year C: The Year of Saint Luke

2009-11-28T23:00:00.004Z

THE whole emphasis in Luke's Gospel is to remind us that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the World. Luke's version of the teaching of Jesus is of a Gospel destined for everyone no matter how poor, underprivileged or ill-equipped they might be. Jesus fulfils the words of the prophet Isaiah...

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord's year of favour.
Luke 4:18-19

Luke is often given the title 'Scribe of the Gentleness of Christ' in so far as his portrait of Jesus is of an immensely compassionate and caring person. He balances this image, with an insight into the character of Jesus whose mission is urgent and whose time is short. He expresses this in the total demand which Jesus makes of those who follow him. Luke offers us a catechism of discipleship with all its privileges and hardships. These are two sides of the same coin - compassion and discipline.

After the infancy narrative, Luke's description of the Galilean ministry is basically the same as that of Matthew.and Mark. The whole of the central section describes the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, to death and resurrection. In this 'Travel narrative' we find the episodes and parables, the controversies and miracles of which Luke tells us and nobody else. Luke's vision of the journey is neither geographical nor chronological; since his main intention is that the journey of Jesus Christ should be seen as a journey for the Church and for the individual Christian.

Luke's Gospel is very much suited to express the mood of the Second Vatican Council which saw us all as members of a 'Pilgrim Church'. The special emphasis of his theology is to befound above all in 'the journey' and 19 of the 33 passages used in Year C come from this section. We are reminded that the journey to Jerusalem is the way to glorification and suffering, but Jesus is not alone. His disciples accompany him on the journey, and are drawn by him into a community.

Stage Four of Luke's Gospel is an instruction on the positive qualities required of the followers of Jesus Christ - dedication, charity, the spirit of prayer together with vigilance and humility. Stage Five, which is the 'Gospe1 within the Gospel' gives us the three parables of God's fatherhood and mercy which is the Gospel of reconciliation. Stage Six continues the theme of discipleship and lays emphasis on the temptations, difficulties and obstacles confronting the followers of Jesus.

Luke's character comes out, clearly in his writings when we remember that he wrote the Acts of the Apostles as well as his Gospel. He came from a background and environment very different from the Judaism out of which Christianity grew. This more than anything else makes his Gospel more accessible and relevant to us. Luke's thinking is very close to our own.

STAGE ONE:
THE FIGURE OF JESUS THE MESSIAH

SUNDAYS 1-2

1. The baptism of Jesus - Luke 3:15-16:21-22
2. The marriage feast at Cana - John 2:1-12

STAGE TWO:
LUKE'S PROGRAMME FOR JESUS' MINISTRY
SUNDAYS 3-4
3. The visit to Nazareth (1) Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21
4. The visit to Nazareth (2) Luke 4:21-30

STAGE THREE:
THE GALlLEAN MINISTRY
SUNDAYS 5-12
5. The call of the first Apostles* - Luke5:1-11
6. The sermon on the plain (1) Luke 6: 17,20-26
7. The sermon on the plain (2) Luke 6:27-38
8. The sermon on the plain (3) Luke6:29-45
9. The cure of the centurion's servant - Luke 7:1-10
10. The Widow of Naim*- Luke 7:11-17
11. Jesus' feet anointed by the sinful woman* - Luke7:36-8:3
12. Peter's confession of faith - Luke9:18-24

STAGE FOUR:
THE FIRST PART OFTHE 'TRAVEL NARRATIVE: THE QUALITIES JESUS DEMANDS OF THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM

SUNDAYS 13-23

13. The journey to Jerusalem begins * Luke 9:51-62
14. The mission of the seventy-two * 10: 1-12,17-20
IS. The good Samaritan * 10:25-37
16. Martha and Mary * 10:28-42
17. The importunate friend * 11: 1-13
18. The parable of the rich fool * 12:13-21
19. The need for vigilance 12:32-48
20. Not peace but division 12:49-53
21. Few will be saved 13:22-30
22. True humility 14: 1,7-14
23. The cost of discipleship 14:25-33

STAGE FIVE:
THE 'GOSPEL WITHIN THE GOSPEL: THE MESSAGE OF PARDON AND RECONCILIATION -THE PARABLES OF GOD'S MERCY

SUNDAY 24

24. The lost coin, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son * - Luke 15: 1-32

STAGE SIX:
THE SECOND PART OF THE 'TRAVEL NARRATIVE': THE OBSTACLES FACING THOSE WHO FOLLOW JESUS

SUNDAYS 25-31

25. The unjust steward * - Luke 16:1-13
26. The rich man and Lazarus * - Luke 16:19-31
27. A lesson on faith and dedication * - Luke 17:5-10
28. The ten lepers * - Luke 17:11-19
29. The unjust judge * - Luke 18: 1-8
30. The Pharisee and the tax collector * - Luke 18:9-14
31. Zacchaeus * - Luke 19:1-10

STAGE SEVEN:
THE MINISTRY IN JERUSALEM

SUNDAYS 32-33

32. Resurrection debated - Luke 20:27-38
33. The signs announcing the end - Luke 21:5-19

NOTE: Passages marked * are found only in the Gospel of Saint Luke.

Ushaw College Vocations' Podcast

2009-11-28T22:10:00.012Z

A new vocations' podcast, which has been produced by students of Ushaw College, has recently been launched. It is hoped that this will become a regular occurrence, with one podcast per month according to Dan & Frankie, two seminarians who host the 'The Ushaw College Vocations' Podcast Show'.

The first podcast includes an interview with His Grace, Patrick Kelly, the Archbishop of Liverpool, and also an interview with Rev. Marc Lyden-Smith, and Rev. John Moriarty (both of whom are deacons at Ushaw)...read more

To listen to a recording of the recent Vocations Podcast
CLICK the arrow on the player console above.

We Will Remember Them

2009-11-01T08:30:00.003Z

We Will Remember Them
They shall grow not old,
As we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them.
Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

2009-10-25T01:15:00.000+01:00

Reflections of Today's Readings

"...Master let me see again..."

God's gift of faith to us helps us to see the

world with a new vision. Christ renews our

faith so that we may see more clearly the world

in which we live. We are God's children and

share in Christ's priesthood and must never

lose sight of this great privilege which has been

given to us.

Paul's Prayer

2009-10-25T00:01:00.000+01:00

This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every fatherhood, in heaven or on earth, takes its name. In the abundance of his glory may he, through his Spirit, enable you to grow firm in power with regard to your inner self, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, with all God's holy people you will have the strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; so that, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond knowledge, you may be filled with the utter fullness of God.

Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians [3:14-21]

A Priest forever like Melchizedek of old...

2009-10-14T22:12:00.002+01:00

Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

to mark the beginning of the Year for Priests
19th June 2009 - 19th June 2010

Thérèse of Lisieux - Prayer for Vocations

2009-10-14T01:37:00.007+01:00

Thérèse of Lisieux's
Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood

O Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds of Thy Divine Son bring forth priests like unto the beloved disciple John who stood at the foot of the Cross; priests: who as a pledge of Thine own most tender love will lovingly give Thy Divine Son to the souls of men.

May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy Church, as John was of Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother’s care and thoughtfulness towards Thy children. May they teach souls to enter into close union with Thee through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the treasures of Thy Divine Heart.

Give us priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary, priests who will give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care with which Mary carried the Little Child of Bethlehem.

Mother of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for Thy beloved Son, open in our hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and give Him a generation of priests formed in thy school and having all the tender thoughtfulness of thine own spotless love.

New Order of Mass - I Confess...

2009-10-14T00:52:00.004+01:00

The Order Of Mass (PDF)

The Missale Romanum (the Roman Missal), the ritual text for the celebration of the Mass, was first promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as the definitive text of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. A second edition followed in 1975.
Pope John Paul II issued a revised version of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year 2000. The English translation of the revised Roman Missal is nearing completion, and the Bishops of the United States will vote on the final sections of the text this November. Among other things, the revised edition of the Missale Romanum contains prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Votive Masses and Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass. The English translation of the Roman Missal will also include updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well–known responses and acclamations of the people.
The USCCB website has been prepared to help you prepare for the transition. As the site continues to be expanded, you will find helpful resources for the faithful, for the clergy, and for parish and diocesan leaders. May this process of the implementation of the revised Roman Missal be a time of deepening, nurturing, and celebrating our faith through our worship and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy.

In the new order of mass, some changes are being introduced. One of the changes concerns the I Confess. Our older generation of parishioners will remember the time when we recited this prayer during Mass, striking our breast with a clenched fist and saying the words, 'mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa', (through my fault, through my fault, through my own most grievous fault). Why it was ever dropped I have no idea...but it's back again!

I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

And, striking the breast, we say:

through my fault,
through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;

Then we continue:

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The absolution of the Priest follows:

May almighty God have mercy on us
and lead us, with our sins forgiven,
to eternal life.

The people reply:

Amen.

A Short History of St. Mary's Church

2009-10-04T12:30:00.010+01:00

A Short Account of the history of Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Great Eccleston as researched and recorded by Canon Leo Harrison in 1985 to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the church. It was first published in 1986 in the Lancaster Diocesan Directory.

According to Anthony 'Atticus' Hewitson, '...Great Eccleston, in the parish of St. Michael's-on-Wyre, is now (c.1900) probably the most secluded village in the Fylde...'. Here the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass never ceased to be offered up throughout the dark ages of persecution, either in the village itself, or in the houses or recusants in the neighbourhood, such as Eccleston Hall (later Leckonby House) in the village and in the Desmesne of Elswick, both seats of the Leckonbys, also in Gillow House, Little Eccleston, and in Great Eccleston Hall. There were many other such houses, each with its secret chapel, where Mass was celebrated by itinerant priests.

Then in 1686, in the more propitious days of James II, a chapel was built adjoining Maynes Hall, Little Singleton, and it is possible that about that same time an independent mission was established in the village of Great Eccleston, in a thatched house in the Raikes, though there is no record of a resident until 1701 when the Rev: William Caton arrived.

During the following years, in spite of sporadic outbursts of "No Popery" persecutions, the mission, sometimes without its own priest, appears to have flourished, and in 1784 Bishop Gibson gave Confirmation to 37 persons, with 185 receiving Holy Communion. In 1760, under the initiative of Richard Leckonby, a chapel, dedicated to St. Lawrence, was built near the old thatched house. Later its accommodation had to be increased by the addition of a gallery, and subsequently it became the school. With the addition of two extensions it still serves that purpose.

In 1832 the Rev. Richard Brown began the building of the present church dedicated to Our Lady, which was solemnly opened on July 26th, 1835, and it was the 150th anniversary of this opening that was celebrated last year (1985). The cost of the building, church with presbytery under the same roof, was £1,238.15s and of this £1,109.15s.2d had been collected before the opening.

'Atticus' in "Our Country Churches and Chapels" (A.Hewitson Preston, 1872) describes the building as...

'...resembling a large square gentlemanly residence ... looking out serenely from an arbour of ancient trees..."

...perhaps a reflection of an age when it was still injudicious, at least, to build a Catholic church that too clearly proclaimed its purpose.

"...The chapel has a beautiful interior ... and its sanctuary a very charming appearance. The altar and reredos, put up in 1869 as a gift to the memory of the last of the Leckonbys, are exquisite pieces of sacred art surpassed in no Catholic church we have visited..."

These were in fact the benefaction of Miss Emma Mary Phipps, one of whose family married a Leckonby; she went for a day's visit to Great Eccleston to see the... [Editors Note: missing text here I need to find it!]

It is a source of some satisfaction that over the years, with the demands that age and developing Liturgy make, the character of the church and the message of history which it speaks have been thoughtfully preserved. In 1969 Fr. F. E. Hampson, parish priest for 39 years, and now living in retirement in the School House, faced with an old church invaded by damp, difficult to heat and when the entrance opened directly into the body of the church, and patchily repaired over the years, undertook a radical restoration and cleaning up of the building and its surrounds. There was a new roof with a belfry, a new entrance and porch, and the former entrance became an attractive Baptistery; the church was given a new skin of appropriate brick, and new heating and lighting installed. His work was given a special award by the Civic trust for a "restoration in an area of architectural interest and natural beauty which paid particular respect to the character of its surroundings, and emphasising the essentially good elements of the building", so that "a building has been achieved which adds to the quality of Great Eccleston".

With the fabric of the church made sound and attractive, the 150th anniversary of its opening was seen as an appropriate occasion to provide a permanent altar to meet the modern liturgical requirements. While the fulsome admiration of the altar and reredos made in 1870 might not find acceptance today, they have sufficient merit to justify the resolution that in the re-ordering of the sanctuary, both should be retained, and the character of the church preserved to proclaim its age, and to speak of its place in the history of the development of the Church in the Fylde, and, incidentally, to perpetuate the memory of the Phipps/Leckonby families as benefactors of the parish and district. The altar was successfully separated from the reredos to become a free-standing stone and marble altar and the sanctuary made more spacious and liturgically practical. On September 26th 1985 His Lordship the Bishop Foley, Bishop of lancaster Diocese, consecrated church and altar, and he returned the following week to concelebrate a Mass of thanksgiving with priests who had been associated with the parish. As at the opening and restoration of the church, the work was paid for before its completion. It was particularly appropriate that descendants of the Phipps/Leckonby family were present at the celebrations. The present parishioners looked back with gratitude to God for the great faith and dedication of their predecessors, and pray that God will bless the parish and keep its faith as firm as that of its illustrious past.

Meanwhile the church of 1760 to 1835, now part of the school echoed its academic past when in July it celebrated a "Victorian Day". Teachers, children, many parents, kitchen staff all dressed in the fashion of that age, and with slates, chalkboards etc, the children had lessons according to the teaching methods of that time. A traditional Punch and Judy show ended the day. How will they celebrate 2035?

Leo Harrison
[Parish Priest Saint Mary's Great Eccleston 1983 - 1990]

Send Forth Your Spirit O Lord...

2009-05-29T11:10:00.005+01:00

To God be honour and glory for ever. May He fill us with hope and with power of the Holy Spirit: –Lord You are our help and salvation.

Almighty Father, send Your Holy Spirit to turn our words into prayers and our seeking into finding: –Lord You are our help and salvation.

Send Your Holy Spirit to turn our darkness into light, and our falseness into truth: –Lord You are our help and salvation.

Send Your Holy Spirit to make order out of chaos and love out of hatred: –Lord You are our help and salvation.

Send Your Holy Spirit to change contempt for the weak into reverence for your children: –Lord You are our help and salvation.

Our Father,
who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day
our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Quarant Ore

2009-05-05T18:44:00.002+01:00

This photo must have been taken about 1984, prior to the renovations which took place the following year. As can be seen in this photograph, the original altar is still intact and a wooden altar stands on the top step of the sanctuary. This wooden altar made it appearance in the early 70's, when the changes, in the way mass was said facing the congregation, were made.

O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today...

2009-05-05T18:25:00.009+01:00

Crowning of Our Lady's Statue (1988)

Bring flower's of the rarest, bring blossoms the fairest,
From garden, and woodland, and hillside, and dale.
Our full hearts are swelling, our glad voices telling
The praise of the loveliest flower of the vale.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,
O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,

The Good Shepherd

2009-05-03T01:05:00.007+01:00

JESUS said, "...I am the good shepherd:
the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep;
he runs away because he is only a hired man
and has no concern for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd;
I know my own and my own know me..."

John 10:11-14

Evening Prayer

2009-04-25T20:00:00.000+01:00

Let us pray to Christ, our life and our resurrection.
R: Son of the living God, protect your people
We pray for the Catholic Church:
–may she reveal among the nations your kingdom of justice and holiness.
R: Son of the living God, protect your people
We pray for those who have lost you in the maze of life:
–let them know once more the joy of coming home.
R: Son of the living God, protect your people
We pray for all the living,
–and those who have left this world in the hope of the resurrection.
R: Son of the living God, protect your people

Before and After...

2009-04-16T01:49:00.015+01:00

It has become a source of some satisfaction that over the years, with the demands that age and developing Liturgy make, the character of the church of Saint Mary's Great Eccleston, and the message of history which it speaks, have been thoughtfully preserved.

This is a photograph taken prior to the changes which took place in the mid to late 60's. Note the dingy ceiling, the dark colours of the reredos, the wall paintings of St.Peter & St.Paul (lost now forever). The benches were, I think, quite new when this photograph was taken, and are still in use to this very day, as can be seen in the next photo taken after the ceiling was replaced in the December of 2007. If you look closely at this photo you will see the ingrained building debris in the aisle carpet.

Over the next few weeks I hope to add some new photos of the church as it is now and some old photos of what it looked like over the last fifty years or more ago.

This last photograph, taken by me, of the flower display which I did for Christmas 2007, just after the ceiling had been replaced and the walls repainted and the church cleaned and now looks as shiney as a new pin!

You can read about the history of St. Mary's HERE

Easter Sunday Reflection

2009-04-12T23:27:00.004+01:00

Contact Details

2009-04-01T08:00:00.005+01:00

Rev. Fr. Bryan Irving
St. Mary's Presbytery
Hall Lane
Great Eccleston
Preston PR3 0XN

Tel: 01995 670268

New Year Message from Bishop Patrick

2009-01-05T20:08:00.007Z

The Church is living through troubled times, but it is perhaps reassuring to know that there hasn’t been a time in the history of the Church that has been untroubled! We mustn’t become despondent or angry, but rather, allow the Holy Spirit to deepen within us the virtues of faith, hope and charity, as Pope Benedict XVI invites through his wonderful teaching.

Looking at the persecutions and heresies that the Church has endured, we see the people of God emerging from such suffering renewed with a deeper love and knowledge of Jesus Christ and the dignity and destiny of the human person. To me, this is a sign of the abiding presence of our Risen Lord, the source of our hope. (Matthew 28: 20).

At present the Catholic Church is enjoying a wonderful deepening of the doctrine and appreciation of the sacrament of marriage. I see this as part of a wider development of the Church’s defence of the dignity and destiny of the human person against attack on a variety of fronts, such as assisted suicide, same-sex unions, and experiments on embryonic human beings. What we are discovering is that respect for the sanctity of marriage is foundational to human life.

In his Pastoral Letter for the Feast of the Holy Family, Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds has recently pointed out the hopelessness and despair that dominates our society, where there should be a sense of hope that comes from the realisation that we are all treasured by the Father. We find this same sense of hopelessness and despair about the capacity of men and women to form life-long, fulfilling marriages. It is up to us to witness to the truth that – made in the image of God – women and men are capable of amazing feats of self-giving love and commitment to life.

The break-down of monogamous marriage and the absence of responsible and loving fathers or mothers is the root cause of a range of social problems harming British society, such as teenage pregnancy, knife and gun crime, rising rates of abortion, and the cycle of deprivation that traps so many in poverty.

Without secure, dependable, loving relationships between men and women, children don’t thrive, individuals with a frustrated vocation to marriage become alienated and mentally-ill, and communities become violent and dysfunctional, seen in the rise of alcoholism and drug abuse. Marriage offers society its only realistic hope out of these harmful dysfunctions.

Tragically, the suffering resulting from the credit crunch will be exacerbated by the decline of strong, extended families held together and protected by the commitment and love of wives and husbands. Many people are going to struggle with financial hardship and stress on their own, while before, during other economic depressions, families provided support.

As Pope Benedict XVI points out poverty threatens the peace of the family, and consequently, the peace of society and nations. (World Day of Peace Message 2009) Therefore, in view of the lack of support for marriage from the government and media, the Church, in collaboration with others of good will, must be responsive to the strains that the credit crunch will put on marriage and family life.

Active parishes are basic grass roots communities that can help provide solidarity and mutual support during times of unemployment, increased poverty and racial tensions. As St Francis tells us – in imitation of Christ – where there is despair in life, let us bring hope.

Finally, faced with the failure of successive governments to promote the benefits of marriage, it is up to the Church to step into the breach and promote the goods of marriage to society. One practical step I recommend is that parishes and schools should work closely together to show young people, in a realistic and positive way, the joys and rewards of life-long, permanent, monogamous marriage between men and women.

+Patrick O’Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster

Support for Fit for Mission? Church

2009-01-05T19:38:00.010Z

Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue has received the robust support of His Eminence Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, for his strong defence of the dignity of the human person and the sacrament of marriage in his teaching document Fit for Mission? Church.

Bishop O’Donoghue sees the Pontifical Council for the Family’s endorsement of Fit for Mission? Church as opportune in light of the recent controversy concerning the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s document on the dignity of the person [Dignitas Personae] and the misrepresentation of Pope Benedict XVI’s address to the Roman Curia about the ‘ecology of man’, and the importance of protecting the nature of human beings as man and woman from a distorted ideology of gender.

Bishop Patrick writes...

Now, more than ever, Catholics need to have a confident understanding of the Church’s teaching on marriage and family life. We need to help society resist the reduction of human nature and life to a ‘consumable’ that can be manipulated without restraint, as we see in the homosexual and transsexual culture or IVF and experiments on embryonic human beings, just to name a few. This is one of the reasons why I wrote Fit for Mission? Church, to put the fullness of the Church’s teaching in the hands of the ordinary faithful and all people of good will.

+ Patrick O'Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster

Bishop O’Donoghue is particularly pleased with the following comment made by Cardinal Antonelli in his letter of 5 December 2008:

The section on Marriage and Family Life is also well done and a good response to the perils of the philosophy of gender which is so widespread nowadays. Your underlining the importance of Self-Gift is also very pertinent as well as giving explicit example and statistics (p.69) regarding the consequences of the culture of death that surrounds us, is also useful in bringing home the point. The encouragement to deepen the notion of the Theology of the Body is also a sound idea to be encouraged.

Cardinal Antonelli (who was appointed to his present post on 7 June 2008) offers the hope that Bishop Patrick’s ‘laudable’ document will receive a ‘widespread diffusion’.

The Pontifical Council for the Family’s enthusiastic endorsement of Fit for Mission? Church follows the praise of two Dicasteries and one other Pontifical Council: earlier this year Cardinal Renato Martino, President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Archbishop Luis Ladaria S.J., Secretary to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, Secretary, Congregation for the Clergy, congratulated Bishop Patrick for his challenging document promoting an authentic Catholic identity for today’s Church. First published in August 2008, in response to popular demand Bishop Patrick issued an expanded edition with the Catholic Truth Society in October.

Bishop O’Donoghue concludes his response to this latest letter from the Holy See:

We must shout this truth from the roof tops, ‘God has made human beings in His own image, as male and female. True happiness and fulfilment in sexual love can only be found in the diversity and complementarity between a man and a woman, united in life-long marriage and open to new life. Anything else is a delusion. To live by a delusion that denies this truth not only harms individuals, it also obviously harms their families, their communities and society in general.

We must not only proclaim this truth, we must also endeavour to live by it. This is why I have insisted that Catholic Caring Services (Diocese of Lancaster) must seek legal avenues to uphold the teaching of the Church against legislation that seeks to place Catholic children with individuals in ‘same-sex’ unions. The refusal of the Trustees (of CCS) to abide by the clear moral teaching of the Church, has painfully resulted in the Diocese of Lancaster declaring that Catholic Caring Services is no longer a Catholic charity, and can no longer claim the support of Catholics.

+ Patrick O'Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster

Winter Faith Conference

2009-01-02T21:34:00.012Z

A number of young people from the Lancaster Diocese attended the Winter 'FAITH' Conference held at Stonyhurst College over the Christmas holidays. Two of the young people, seen here sporting their 'Fit for Mission' sweatshirts, as reported by Fr. Tim Finigan (Hermaneutic of Continuity)...

The two young people pictured above at the Faith Conference were wearing 'hoodies' that were part of the Lancaster Diocese kit for 'World Youth Day 2008' in Sydney. From the back, it seems that their logo would be recognisable to Catholic cognoscenti far and wide...

Fr. Tim Finigan (Hermaneutic of Continuity)...

Oh what joy! But I don't think I like the word 'hoody' though!

Mass Intentions

2008-12-31T02:10:00.004Z

When people come to the Church to have a ‘Mass said’ they are using an ancient practice whereby they have a Mass offered for someone who has died or in general, for the souls in Purgatory. In asking a priest to offer Mass for a certain intention, the accompanying money gift to him is looked upon as an offering for the support of the priest, or the Church at large, or for a particular mission endeavour in some part of the world. It is NEVER considered payment for the Mass.
Current Church law tells us (Canon 945 §1) that “…in accordance with the approved custom of the Church, any priest who celebrates or concelebrates a Mass may accept an offering to apply the Mass for a specific intention...”

The amount of the offering varies in different areas of the country. Again Church law sanctions the custom by noting that whoever makes such an offering “…contribute to the good of the Church and by that offering they share in the Church’s concern for the support of its ministers and its activities…” (Canon 946)

While approving the custom, the Church warns: “…Even the Semblance of trafficking or trading is to be entirely excluded from Mass offerings…” (Canon 947) Consequently, Catholics would consider the expression, “buying a Mass” to be in very bad taste. Spiritual gifts can never have a price tag attached. The Mass is the most perfect prayer a Catholic can offer to God. That is why so many of them want to continue the beautiful practice of ‘having a Mass said’ for someone they love.

Having a Mass offered for Joyous Occasions, like a wedding, an anniversary, a birthday, or saint's day, is also encouraged. Every Parish Priest is bound by Church Law to offer Mass each Sunday and Church Holiday for the people of his parish.

Quo Vadis

2008-12-05T11:51:00.001Z

Quo Vadis

What?

Quo Vadis is an opportunity to meet with students for the priesthood and to ask questions about vocation. There will be reflection, prayer and Mass.

Who?

The day is for any one interested in the possibility of a vocation to
the priesthood aged 16years and above. Refreshments will be provided.

Where?

Lancaster Cathedral

When?

Saturday 6th December from 10.30 until 4pm.

How?

Anyone who would like to attend please contact Fr. Gribben the
Vocations Director on 01946 810324 or at e.gribben@merseymail.com

Rev. Fr. Vincent Fallona 1911-1961

2008-11-29T13:21:00.021Z

In the November issue of the Catholic Voice there was an article about the Talbot Library in Preston. In the article was this 'mystery photograph' and readers were asked to send in any information about who the priests might be and what occasion was it? The Bishop of course we know the name of, he was Bishop Thomas Wulstan Pearson, the first Bishop of Lancaster.

The answer to this mystery was revealed in the December issue of the Catholic Voice. It turned out that the photograph was taken at the ordination of Rev. Fr. Vincent Fallona.

Further research has revealed that Thomas Vincent Fallona was ordained a priest at St. Begh's Church, on the 25th July, 1937 and that it was the first Catholic ordination to take place in Whitehaven for 200 years.

I remember Father Fallona when he was a curate at English Martyrs, Preston, in the 50's prior to his appointment as Parish Priest of Our Lady and St James’ Church, Millom in 1958. He used to visit my family quite often, in the days when priests made regular visits to parishioners homes, along with Frs. Boyle, Humphries and Howe at that time. I have a feeling Fr. Fallona had spent some time in the African Missions too...but I may be wrong: something more for me to research!

Post Script: In searching the internet I came across an interesting fact which I have yet to clarify. It appears Fr. Vincent Fallona may have been a playwright. Hidden in a document I found was the title of a play written by a Vincent Fallona in 1924 and published in 'The Queens Work', an Ursuline Literary Magazine. What I need to do is find out if this play was in fact written by Fr. Vincent Fallona. The play was called 'Murder in the Sacristy'...

PPS: There is no evidence yet to support the authenticity of this claim, but it is doubtful that it is true, unless of course the Vincent Fallona in the photograph above, wrote the play when he was thirteen...

Acknowledgements:
http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk
The Catholic Voice - November Issue

What is a Sacristan?

2008-11-20T10:58:00.010Z

According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia a Sacristan is an officer who is charged with the care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times many duties of the sacristan were performed by the doorkeepers (ostiarii), later by the mansionarii and the treasurers. The Decretals of Gregory IX (lib. I, tit. xxvi, "De officio sacristæ speak of the sacristan as if he had an honourable office attached to a certain benefice, and say that his duty was to care for the sacred vessels, vestments, lights, etc. Nowadays the sacristan is elected or appointed. The "Cæremoniale episcoporum" prescribed that in cathedral and collegiate churches the sacristan should be a priest, and describes his duties in regard to the sacristy, the Blessed Eucharist, the baptismal font, the holy oils, the sacred relics, the decoration of the church for the different seasons and feasts, the preparation of what is necessary for the various ceremonies, the pregustation in pontifical Mass, the ringing of the church bells, the preservation of order in the church, and the distribution of Masses; and finally it suggests that one or two canons be appointed each year to supervise the work of the sacristan and his assistants.

The under-sacristan (custos) is also mentioned in the Decretals (lib. I, tit. xxvii, "De officio custodis"). He was the assistant of the sacristan, was subject to the archdeacon, and discharged duties very similar to those of the sacristan. Now the office is hardly ever attached to a benefice, but is usually a salaried position. The Council of Trent desired that, according to the old canons, clerics should hold such offices; but in most churches, on account of the difficulty or impossibility of obtaining clerics, laymen perform many of the duties of the sacristan and under-sacristan.

Reclaiming the Sacristy as a Place of
Prayer and Preparation

by Shawn Tribe

The title of this piece might sound foreign precisely because the present culture of many sacristies has taken on an atmosphere of a work room and visiting room. It is not an uncommon sight (or sound) for the servers to be visiting, for laity to be coming in and out to catch up with the priest, for priests to be visiting with one another and so forth. Commonly heard are discussions surrounding sporting events, work, the weather, or practical parish discussion and so on. No doubt most of us have ourselves participated in this very same activity over the years to at least some extent -- I can certainly include myself in this. In a culture that is devoid of silence and inclined more to external activity than interior preparation and participation, this is not a surprise; it's a symptom...read more

Graduations at Maryvale

2008-11-16T21:48:00.006Z

Yesterday, Saturday 15th November, Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue presented certificates and diplomas to students at the Maryvale Institute, Oscott, Birmingham.

Bishop Patrick had been asked to present the awards to students who had completed their chosen course of study from the many options available at Maryvale. Among the graduands from the Lancaster Diocese was David Evans of Saint Mary's, Great Eccleston, seen here receiving the Maryvale Certificate in Catechesis from Bishop Patrick, with Mgr. Paul Watson, Director of Maryvale Intitute, looking on.

David, who is Sacristan at Saint Mary's can now proudly add 'Diocesan Catechist' to his already long list of achievements over the forty years he has been a parishioner at St. Mary's. David hopes to carry on with his studies in the new year. He has been approached by Maryvale to consider studying for a Masters Degree.

Quo Vadis? Where are you going?

2008-11-13T21:10:00.005Z

If you are 17 or over and have ever wondered if you are called to be a priest then you are invited to meet the vocations director of the Diocese of Lancaster and students for the priesthood...read more

St. Thérèse’s Prayer for Priests

St. Thérèse’s devotion to the Priesthood is to be found in all its fullness in a prayer which she used to say daily and which she learnt off by heart; this is all the more remarkable in view of her known distaste for lengthy set forms of prayer.

‘O Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds of Thy Divine Son bring forth priests like unto the beloved disciple John who stood at the foot of the Cross; priests: who as a pledge of Thine own most tender love will lovingly give Thy Divine Son to the souls of men.

May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy Church, as John was of Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother’s care and thoughtfulness towards Thy children. May they teach souls to enter into close union with Thee through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the treasures of Thy Divine Heart.

Give us priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary, priests who will give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care with which Mary carried the Little Child of Bethlehem.

Mother of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for Thy beloved Son, open in our hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and give Him a generation of priests formed in thy school and having all the tender thoughtfulness of thine own spotless love.’

In Retrospect

2008-11-11T01:10:00.005Z

Looking back over the years of Bishop Patrick's time as Bishop of Lancaster, it is not difficult to see where he was coming from when he introduced the idea of a Fit for Mission? Review, back in November of 2006, if we are to take this article written in May 2002 as a starting point where Bishop Patrick stated:

"...We need a revolution in the church. It's a dangerous word to use. But we need to look at our structures, otherwise we are going to end up as caretakers of mausoleums and museums rather than as caretakers of the poor..."

This was said prior to the Bishop selling Bishop's House in 2002...read on:

Article by David Ward (guardian.co.uk)
Monday May 20 2002

Headline: Bishop vows to sell £1m mansion and give proceeds to the poor.

A radical bishop announced yesterday that he plans to sell his £1m official home - with magnificent wine cellar but no wine - and spend much of the proceeds on relieving the problems of the poor. Patrick O'Donoghue, Roman Catholic bishop of Lancaster, plans to strip himself of many of the trappings of the job. He will hit the road, spending time with his priests and people rather than episcopal paperwork. "I want to become a bishop on the move," he said.
Bishop O'Donoghue described Bishop's House in Lancaster as a beautiful 16-room Victorian mansion. "But these are symbols of another era," he said. "I want to say to my people, and hopefully other people too, that the church is more than big houses which are status symbols from another era.

"We need a revolution in the church. It's a dangerous word to use. But we need to look at our structures, otherwise we are going to end up as caretakers of mausoleums and museums rather than as caretakers of the poor."

A substantial amount of the money raised from the sale will be spent on projects aimed at easing deprivation and drug problems in Preston, Blackpool and Barrow-in-Furness. Some of the cash will also be earmarked for inter-faith projects.

Bishop O'Donoghue, 68, will use a small suite of rooms in his cathedral but spend most of his time on tour, staying with his priests in presbyteries around the diocese, which stretches from the river Ribble to the Scottish border. He announced his decision in a Whit Sunday pastoral letter addressed to the diocese's 116,000 Catholics and read out yesterday in all 109 parishes.

Bishop O'Donoghue moved to Lancaster after spending 40 years, successively as student, priest and bishop, in the diocese of Westminster. A close associate of the late Cardinal Basil Hume, he is described as being a believer in "service not status" and has frequently spoken up on behalf of asylum seekers.

"The Church has always been an evangelical Church," said Bishop O'Donoghue in his letter. "My job is not that of managing director of The Church plc, but servant of the word of God and shepherd of the flock."

Anointing of the Sick

2008-11-08T09:06:00.005Z

Whilst lighting a fire in the hearth yesterday, (yes we still have coal fires out in the sticks), I came across an article in the newspaper I was using. It was the Universe and was dated 10th May 1992. I thought this article was one worth putting on the blog this morning seeing that there are many of us in the parish who are sick, or who are not as young as we once were and, strange as it may seem, perhaps somewhat in need of spiritual healing with all this Fit for Mission? 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over us.

Pope John Paul's advice on Sacrament of the Sick
The UNIVERSE 10th May 1992

"...DON'T wait until you are at death's door before you ask for the Sacrament of the Sick...", the Pope told a weekly audience. "...It should be requested...", he said, "...by all who suffer serious illness or the illfirmity associated with advanced age...". He told pilgrims that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick "...has its origins in the ministry of healing and concern for the sick which marked the Messianic mission of Jesus...". He recalled how the Letter of St. James urges the Christian who is sick to "...send for the elders of the Church...", who must come and "...pray over..." the sick person, and give the "...anointing with oil in the name of the Lord...".

In the sacrament, Christ shows His love for those who are ill, and He helps them to bear their afflictions in union with Him. He said the sick person receives "...a grace of the Holy Spirit, whose inner anointing frees them from sin, grants comfort and strength, and inspires great trust in God's mercy and love...".

The Universe 10 May 1992 - Pope John Paul II

A Blast from the Past

2008-11-08T09:01:00.003Z

UNIVERSE COMMENT (10th May 1992)

EDUCATION: COME CLEAN

IT WAS shrewd of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales not to denounce the likely education policy of the new Government but simply to ask what is. The answer from John Patten, if it is tolerably honest, will be of considerable interest far beyond the confines of the Catholic community. At present to describe the policy as a 'pig in the poke' would be to pay it too high a compliment. Less charitable souls than the bishops could be forgiven for suspecting that the whole idea of opting-out, for instance, was first devised on the back of an envelope. It is being promoted for a variety of reasons unconnected with genuine educational concerns. The fingerprints of dogmatic politicians are all over it. Conceived in haste,
with little or no consultation,its long-term results are certain to be disruptive and ,may well be disastrous.

One thing is clear. The originators of opting-out paid scant attention to the evolution and delicate balance of the existing dual-system. They did not sufficiently understand or give enough weight to the distinctive role of the voluntary sectoror to its rights and responsibilities. In the name of parental choice the achievements of the past and the total, balanced educational needs of the present have been put seriously at risk. If the fabric of secondary education is being ripped apart haphazardly, then the Church, which has a major investment in schools, has a right to be treated more responsibly and with greater respect. It is to be bishops' credit that their approach is not narrowly self-interested but concerned with the well-being of all children and the very future of our society.

At a time when market forces are paid almost mystical regard it is imperative that Cardinal Hume in particular and the other bishops should continue to make their major contribution to the debate on values in education. There is clearly a crisis inBritish schools. The remedies so far proposed are simplistic and divisive. Catholic voluntary schools are more necessary now
than ever. The cost and complexity of maintaining adequate secondary provision are an increasingly heavy burden on dioceses. But is is here that the minds and hearts of young people are won or lost. Some in the Catholic community would prefer our major effort to be confined to parish-based primary schools. Some believe that the state or the independent sector offers better opportunities at secondary level. The cooling of support for distinctively Catholic schools calls for a careful but vigorous response. We continue to need an integrated and adequate Catholic secondary provision.

Feast of All Souls

2008-11-02T22:21:00.004Z

"...Christ will raise them up..."

We are a people who have put our hope in Christ and His resurrection. Many holy
men and women have gone before us to the Lord and we pray for their eternal
happiness. Life is an ongoing process through death into unending life. One day
we will all be united as one happy family in the home of the Lord.

Mass for All Souls at St. Mary's Great Eccleston

will be at 8:30am on Monday 3rd November 2008

Solemnity of All Saints

2008-11-02T22:05:00.007Z

"...Your reward will be great in heaven..."

The saints forever praise God's glory in heaven. In their lives on earth they lived out the beatitudes preached by Jesus in His Sermons on the Mount and that is why they are so happy now. We too need to model our lives on them so that where they are we may one day be. We, like they, will see God face to face.

Humane Vitae - 40 years on

2008-10-26T14:05:00.007Z

What is the real point of Prayer?

2008-10-24T22:07:00.005+01:00

Some may think that the point of prayer is to get our own way with extra-terrestrial help, or to save us from facing the problems of life, or to provide an escape from 'reality', or to give an emotional uplift that makes you feel food. Some may think that prayer is a way of expanding our consciousness which is achieved by our own discipline and personal effort at self-improvement. These are caricatures of what Christian prayer really is. There may be a strand of truth in some of them, but they miss the real point of prayer.

To get to the true meaning of Christian prayer we have to go back to the beginning. We need first of all to face the truth, at once awesome and reassuring, that we are not alone in a time-bound universe; that another mode of being interpenetrates the life we live in sound and sight and sensation; that the very heart, in every sense of the word, of that other life is love.

Thus St Paul (Gal: 2) writes:

"I am living here and now this mortal life, but my real life is the faith I have in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

That gives the clue to where Christian prayer begins. We are not crying out alone in uncomprehending darkness. We are called into communion with One who loves us. In responding through prayer we begin to find our way to a love beyond imagining. That is what prayer is about.

The next point is that the further we are from seeing things as St Paul saw them, the greater is our need of prayer. We need the gift-love of God because without it we sink into spiritual death; and prayer is the only way to open our hearts to that love. It is the response God asks of us and for which he waits with infinite patience. We never can appreciate love by neglecting it, by turning away from it. And it rests with us to open the door to that love, admitting it with its gifts and demands into our lives. It is through prayer that every day we may open the door a little wider and come a little nearer to understanding who we are and what our lives are really for.

[Text from the Prologue of Saint Benedict's Prayer Book - Ampleforth Abbey Press]

Quatant Ore

2008-10-20T13:00:00.003+01:00

WATCHING...

Deep within the flickering silence
of lighted candles
I WATCHED
as sunbeams filtered
through stained-glass windows
showering the altar with rainbowed light...

At that same moment,
in the quiet of my soul space,
I felt the presence of GOD
as graces poured into my heart
to make new the promises HE had kept.

Copyright © Mary L. Evans

Tears...

2008-10-20T01:40:00.015+01:00

The opening stanza to the poem 'Tears', which I wrote in the Winter of 2005 a year after my mother died, are taken from this short poem entitled 'Clown in the Moon' by Dylan Thomas when he was fourteen years old.

Clown in the Moon

My tears are like the quiet drift
Of petals from some magic rose;
And all my grief flows from the rift
Of unremembered skies and snows.

I think, that if I touched the earth,
It would crumble;
It is so sad and beautiful,
So tremulously like a dream.

by Dylan Thomas

Tears
(A Glosa in the form of a Villanelle)

My tears are like the quiet drift
Of petals from some magic rose;
And all my grief flows from the rift

As though they are a winter's gift
Of unremembered skies and snows.
My tears are like the quiet drift

As falling snowflakes, soft yet swift
Upon the earth in quilted throw;
And all my grief flows from the rift

A simple grave of sorrow's thrift
Where tears, like snowflakes, fell and froze.
My tears are like the quiet drift.

I pray this darkness starts to lift
As shadows, darker, deeper grow;
And all my grief flows from the rift

Each petal from a rose adrift
upon a winding river goes.
My tears are like the quiet drift.
And all my grief flows from the rift.

Copyright © Mary L. Evans

Author's Note:
Roughly speaking, a 'Glosa' is a pre-composed introductory four-line stanza (texto) followed by four improvised décima verses. Each verse ends with one line from the glosa and is an elaboration of the glosa’s theme. It is believed the four-line glosa is of Arabic origin and was invented in the ninth century.

This poem, however, is written in the sytle of a villanelle but incorporates the idea of the Glosa by taking the 'texto' from Dylan Thomas's Clown in the Moon.

October Devotions

2008-10-17T16:02:00.006+01:00

Each Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock, during the month of October, there will be an opportunity to pray the rosary as part of the traditional October Devotions to our Blessed Lady, the Patron of Saint Mary's Church. Please do make an effort to join us, all you need to bring, apart from yourself, is a set of rosary beads.

Following on from the October devotions will be Vespers or Evening Prayer. If you have never experienced this type of formal structured prayer, then you have been missing something in your daily prayer life.

Liturgy of the Hours

The custom of reciting prayers at certain hours of the day or night goes back to the Jews, from whom Christians have borrowed it. In the Psalms we find expressions like: "I will meditate on thee in the morning"; "I rose at midnight to give praise to thee"; "Evening and morning, and at noon I will speak and declare: and he shall hear my voice"; "Seven times a day I have given praise to thee".

The Apostles observed the Jewish custom of praying at midnight, terce, sext, none (Acts 10:3, 9; 16:25; etc.). The Christian prayer of that time consisted of almost the same elements as the Jewish: recital or chanting of psalms, reading of the Old Testament, to which was soon added reading of the Gospels, Acts, and Epistles, and at times canticles composed or improvised by the assistants. "Gloria in excelsis" and the "Te decet laus" are apparently vestiges of these primitive inspirations. At present the elements composing the Divine Office seem more numerous, but they are derived, by gradual changes, from the primitive elements. As appears from the texts of Acts cited above, the first Christians preserved the custom of going to the Temple at the hour of prayer. But they had also their reunions or synaxes in private houses for the celebration of the Eucharist and for sermons and exhortations. But the Eucharistic synaxis soon entailed other prayers; the custom of going to the Temple disappeared; and the abuses of the Judaizing party forced the Christians to separate more distinctly from the Jews and their practices and worship. Thenceforth the Christian liturgy rarely borrowed from Judaism.

Feast of the Triumph of the Cross

2008-09-14T00:00:00.007+01:00

“...God gave His only Son…”

The cross is the sign of salvation because when he was lifted up on the tree of a cross Jesus drew everyone to himself. He humbled himself even to the death of a criminal on a cross to show His love for His Father and for each one of us. Now we acclaim Jesus as Lord to the glory of the Father.

Reading the homily of a priest friend this morning I was comforted by these words which I want to share with you...

"...Today is not so much about suffering as about faith; having faith to believe that the crucified Christ can and does heal; that we can look upon Him with confidence; that, lifted up on the cross He invites us to put our trust in Him, and that He will not fail us..." © AK 2008

Fit for Mission? Church

2008-08-27T18:06:00.009+01:00

Press Release

+Patrick O’Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster

Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue’s

essential guide to being a Catholic today

The Diocese of Lancaster published Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue’s powerful new book, Fit for Mission? Church on Wednesday 27th August. Bishop O’Donoghue has written Fit for Mission? Church to foster and promote an authentic and confident Catholic identity among the men, women and children of the 21st century, to enable them to resist the pressures to compromise, even abandon, the truths of the Catholic faith.

Nine months in preparation, Fit for Mission? Church presents Bishop Patrick’s first considered response to the sixteenth month consultation process examining the sacramental and missionary life of all the 108 parishes of the Diocese of Lancaster.

In the same straight forward and honest style as his Vatican-acclaimed teaching document, Fit for Mission? Schools, his latest ongoing formation document highlights good things that are going on in the life of the Church, points out were things have gone wrong, and offers practical suggestions on how to uphold and strengthen our Catholic identity.

Bishop Patrick takes an unflinching look at the hard questions that have arisen since the close of the Second Vatican Council. One of the over-arching questions the Bishop raises is, ‘Why has the postconciliar period been a time of both faithful implementation and brazen dissent in the life of the Church; a time of confidence and communion, but also of confusion and discord?’

Fit for Mission? Church examines the correct interpretation of the Second Vatican Council through returning to the eye-witnesses of the Council as a way of counter-balancing a pervasive misreading of documents that fuels confusion and dissent.
The Bishop is convinced that many Catholics have forgotten that Pope John XXIII’s intention in convening the Second Vatican Council was to renew the life of the Church through sensitively balancing change necessary to meet the pastoral needs of the modern world with the life-giving continuity of doctrinal, moral and liturgical truths.

Losing touch with the original intention behind the Second Vatican Council has resulted in many clergy and laity forgetting what it means to be Catholic. In the hard-hitting section, ‘Have we forgotten what it is to be Catholic?’, Bishop Patrick reminds his readers of the essential requirements to be an authentic, practicing Roman Catholic.

Furthermore, Bishop Patrick takes the four Constitutions of the Council as the structure to examine the life and mission of the Church today. They are the four keys to unlock the true understanding and implementation of the Council.
Here are some highlights from the document:

Key One: Liturgy
“Liturgy is not primarily about creating the experience of community, it should be about adoration of God. The Constitution on the liturgy envisaged the renewal of the liturgy as entailing careful changes that facilitated the active participation of the laity balanced with preserving what is essential to the tradition of the Church.
The Council Fathers never envisaged a totally vernacular liturgy, but quite specifically decided that the Mass should contain both Latin and the vernacular. However, much that the Council wanted to preserve has, until recently, been in danger of being forgotten. It is time that we remembered that we are part of the Latin-rite Catholic Church. This is our heritage, this is our culture.” (pp 33-42)

Key Two: Revelation

“The acceptance of the validity of modern methods of studying the Bible by the Church has undoubtedly enriched our knowledge of Scripture; but at the same time it has not been without risks of misuse by some theologians, casting shadows across the lives of the faithful through – among other things – irresponsible and inauthentic catechesis. As your bishop, I am concerned that those in positions of responsibility pass on a full and complete exposition of Catholic doctrine. The Constitution on Divine Revelation and the Catechism of the Catholic Church sets up a series of checks and balances that should be used by theologians in studying scripture and by the faithful to judge the authenticity of sensational claims and mediahyped speculations.” (pp 43-54)

Key Three: The Church

“We have witnessed over the past forty years a growing crisis in the Catholic understanding or selfidentity of the Church. This crisis about the identity of the Church is at the root of all the other crises that face us. Many no longer have a Catholic understanding of the Church, as a body willed by Christ. Many no longer consider the Catholic Church unique, but just view her as one church among many churches. What needs to happen is for catechesis to take hold of the heart and imagination of thousands across the diocese. If people see catechesis as another word for attaining a deeper relationship, deeper personal knowledge, a deeper communion with Jesus, the passion, the fire would catch in many hearts. True catechesis is profoundly personal and transforming, through which the Church awakens in our souls!” (pp 55-64)

Key Four: The Church in the Modern World

“Loving our Neighbour has Political Implications. We can’t call ourselves Catholic and then simply
stand by while migrants get mistreated, or the poor get robbed, or unborn children get killed. The Catholic faith is always personal, but never private. If our faith is real, then it will bear fruit in our public decisions and behaviours, including our political choices. So can a Catholic in good conscience vote and campaign for a political candidate who supports and promotes abortion and/ or euthanasia or promotes a cut in international aid? My personal answer to this question is: I can’t and I won’t. But I do know some serious Catholics — people whom I admire on a whole range of issues — who will vote and campaign for MPs who hold all kinds of positions that are against the teachings of the Church. I know that they do sincerely struggle with their party’s position on, say, abortion or stem-cell research, and it causes them real pain. More importantly: They don’t keep quiet about it! They re-double their efforts to bring about reform of their party’s position.” (pp 65-78)

Notes to Editors:

Bishop O’Donoghue has been a Bishop for 15 years and is due to retire as Bishop of Lancaster in May 2009.
Fit for Mission? Church is aimed principally at the priests, deacons, parish pastoral councillors, deanery pastoral councillors and other lay leaders of the Diocese of Lancaster.
Fit for Mission? Church is available for viewing from 27 August, 11am at:
www: lancasterrcdiocese.org.uk
Bishop O’Donoghue is currently on holiday until 2 September 2008 when he will return to the Diocese and then be available for interviews.

Contact for further information:
Fr Robert Billing,
Bishop’s Secretary, Bishop’s Office, Lancaster,
Tel: 01524 596050
Email: robertbilling@yahoo.co.uk

You can download a copy HERE

Memorial of the Queenship of Mary

2008-08-22T12:38:00.017+01:00

Today's memorial celebrates
the crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven
Our first reading today comes from the prophet Isaiah and is commonly heard coming up to Christmas. In the text the prophet tells us about the Son who will be given to us and will bring us salvation through his self-sacrifice. The Gospel text is St Luke’s account of the Annunciation in which we hear how the Son spoken of in the first reading will be born. As always, the readings on memorials and feast days of Our Lady remind us of her great service to the word and will of God.
Readings: Isaiah 9:1-6;
Psalm 112; Luke 1:26-38

Fit for Mission? The Church

2008-08-21T17:47:00.012+01:00

No Smoke Without Fire...

According to Damian Thompson (Holy Smoke) the Bishop of Lancaster, the Rt Rev Patrick O'Donoghue, will mark his retirement this month with a review of the state of the Catholic Church that strongly criticises the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales for its "divergent views" and failure to uphold Church teaching on same-sex couples.

The bishop, who recently deplored the state of Catholic education in a teaching document, says his colleagues seemed "surprised" that he had spoken out in defence of traditional values.

He attacks the way the Bishops' Conference bureaucracy divides major issues into "areas of responsibility" for particular bishops, leaving other bishops "reluctant ... to speak out on these issues, as if somehow they had handed over their competence in these areas to the responsible bishops and his particular committee".

And he adds: "I must register, too, my disappointment that our Bishops' Conference recently could not agree a collegial response to the Government's legislation on same-sex adoption."

The Conference's statements, says Bishop O'Donoghue, tend to be "flat and safe at a time when we need passionate and courageous public statements that dare to speak the full truth in love".

I should emphasise that the bishop's stinging criticism forms only a small part of a long and thought-provoking 92-page report, A Fit for Mission Church: Being Catholic Today, which will be published on August 27. It is a deeply impressive document that puts to shame the vapid pronouncements of the other Catholic bishops of England and Wales.

Bishop O'Donoghue's remarks, together with the outcry over the shocking behaviour of the Diocese of Leeds in closing much-loved churches, should give us grounds for hope.

At long last, the Magic Circle of liberal bishops – who set up the Church's waffling Left-wing bureaucracy – is coming under serious pressure. Now we need an Archbishop of Westminster who will break it up and liberate the faithful.
Source: Holy Smoke - Damian Thompson

WYD08 - Preston to Sydney

2008-07-20T13:37:00.007+01:00

Here's a photo of the Lancaster Diocesan World Youth Day 2008 (WYD'08) Group who set off on Tuesday 8th July to fly to Sydney, Australia to celebrate World Youth Day 2008 with Pope Benedict XVI and thousands of other young pilgrims. They actually flew to Melbourne first to stay a few days at the hospitality of families from Saint Bernard's Parish in Belmont, Victoria which is in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. They left Melbourne on Tuesday 15th July and flew to Sydney where they will be staying in a hotel until they fly back home on Tuesday 22nd July.

Today of course is World Youth Day, this was the day they had all waited for, because today they celebrated Mass with Pope Benedict and hundreds of thousands of other young catholic people. It was an amaising Mass. Live coverage on TV has enabled parents to see and hear the most beautiful music, singing, aboriginal dance and multicultural celebration, which has been truely awe inspiring. We are so proud of our sons and daughters...so very proud.

Website News

2008-06-27T10:38:00.004+01:00

I've been playing about with new designs for our main website which you can see here. www.acountrychapel.co.uk

Keel or Stand?

2008-06-27T09:21:00.004+01:00

BEANNACHT - A Blessing

2008-05-05T21:00:00.001+01:00

On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you,
May a flock of colours
Indigo, red, green
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.

— John O’Donohue

There is a Season...

2008-05-05T01:39:00.003+01:00

Follow this LINK and read some inspiring words from Ecclesiastes...

Vigil at Ladyewell

2008-05-02T20:38:00.001+01:00

YouthForum@Ladyewell

2008-04-30T00:40:00.003+01:00

The Good Shepherd

2008-04-08T17:38:00.002+01:00

45th World Day of Prayer for Vocations

2008-04-08T16:52:00.005+01:00

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI

FOR THE 45th WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
13 APRIL 2008 - FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Theme: “Vocations at the service of the Church on mission”

Dear brothers and sisters,

1. For the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be celebrated on 13 April 2008, I have chosen the theme: Vocations at the service of the Church on mission. The Risen Jesus gave to the Apostles this command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19), assuring them: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28: 20). The Church is missionary in herself and in each one of her members. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, every Christian is called to bear witness and to announce the Gospel, but this missionary dimension is associated in a special and intimate way with the priestly vocation. In the covenant with Israel, God entrusted to certain men, called by him and sent to the people in his name, a mission as prophets and priests. He did so, for example, with Moses: “Come, - God told him - I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people … out of Egypt …when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you will serve God upon this mountain” (Ex 3: 10 and 12). The same happened with the prophets.

2. The promises made to our fathers were fulfilled entirely in Jesus Christ. In this regard, the Second Vatican Council says: “The Son, therefore, came, sent by the Father. It was in him, before the foundation of the world, that the Father chose us and predestined us to become adopted sons … To carry out the will of the Father, Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us the mystery of that kingdom. By his obedience he brought about redemption” (Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 3). And Jesus already in his public life, while preaching in Galilee, chose some disciples to be his close collaborators in the messianic ministry. For example, on the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves, he said to the Apostles: “You give them something to eat” (Mt 14: 16), encouraging them to assume the needs of the crowds to whom he wished to offer nourishment, but also to reveal the food “which endures to eternal life” (Jn 6: 27). He was moved to compassion for the people, because while visiting cities and villages, he found the crowds weary and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (cf. Mt 9: 36). From this gaze of love came the invitation to his disciples: “Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Mt 9: 38), and he sent the Twelve initially “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” with precise instructions. If we pause to meditate on this passage of Matthew’s Gospel, commonly called the “missionary discourse”, we may take note of those aspects which distinguish the missionary activity of a Christian community, eager to remain faithful to the example and teaching of Jesus. To respond to the Lord’s call means facing in prudence and simplicity every danger and even persecutions, since “a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Mt 10: 24). Having become one with their Master, the disciples are no longer alone as they announce the Kingdom of heaven; Jesus himself is acting in them: “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me” (Mt 10: 40). Furthermore, as true witnesses, “clothed with power from on high” (Lk 24: 49), they preach “repentance and the forgiveness of sins” (Lk 24: 47) to all peoples.

3. Precisely because they have been sent by the Lord, the Twelve are called “Apostles”, destined to walk the roads of the world announcing the Gospel as witnesses to the death and resurrection of Christ. Saint Paul, writing to the Christians of Corinth, says: “We – the Apostles – preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1: 23). The Book of the Acts of the Apostles also assigns a very important role in this task of evangelization to other disciples whose missionary vocation arises from providential, sometimes painful, circumstances such as expulsion from their own lands for being followers of Jesus (cf. 8,1-4). The Holy Spirit transforms this trial into an occasion of grace, using it so that the name of the Lord can be preached to other peoples, stretching in this way the horizons of the Christian community. These are men and women who, as Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles, “have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ” (15: 26). First among them is undoubtedly Paul of Tarsus, called by the Lord himself, hence a true Apostle. The story of Paul, the greatest missionary of all times, brings out in many ways the link between vocation and mission. Accused by his opponents of not being authorized for the apostolate, he makes repeated appeals precisely to the call which he received directly from the Lord (cf. Rom 1: 1; Gal 1: 11-12 and 15-17).

4. In the beginning, and thereafter, what “impels” the Apostles (cf. 2 Cor 5: 14) is always “the love of Christ”. Innumerable missionaries, throughout the centuries, as faithful servants of the Church, docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, have followed in the footsteps of the first disciples. The Second Vatican Council notes: “Although every disciple of Christ, as far in him lies, has the duty of spreading the faith, Christ the Lord always calls whomever he will from among the number of his disciples, to be with him and to be sent by him to preach to the nations [cf. Mk 3: 13-15]” (Decree Ad Gentes, 23). In fact, the love of Christ must be communicated to the brothers by example and words, with all one’s life. My venerable predecessor John Paul II wrote: “The special vocation of missionaries ‘for life’ retains all its validity: it is the model of the Church's missionary commitment, which always stands in need of radical and total self-giving, of new and bold endeavours”. (Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, 66).

5. Among those totally dedicated to the service of the Gospel, are priests, called to preach the word of God, administer the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, committed to helping the lowly, the sick, the suffering, the poor, and those who experience hardship in areas of the world where there are, at times, many who still have not had a real encounter with Jesus Christ. Missionaries announce for the first time to these people Christ’s redemptive love. Statistics show that the number of baptized persons increases every year thanks to the pastoral work of these priests, who are wholly consecrated to the salvation of their brothers and sisters. In this context, a special word of thanks must be expressed “to the fidei donum priests who work faithfully and generously at building up the community by proclaiming the word of God and breaking the Bread of Life, devoting all their energy to serving the mission of the Church. Let us thank God for all the priests who have suffered even to the sacrifice of their lives in order to serve Christ ... Theirs is a moving witness that can inspire many young people to follow Christ and to expend their lives for others, and thus to discover true life” (Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, 26).

6. There have always been in the Church many men and women who, prompted by the action of the Holy Spirit, choose to live the Gospel in a radical way, professing the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. This multitude of men and women religious, belonging to innumerable Institutes of contemplative and active life, still plays “the main role in the evangelisation of the world” (Ad Gentes, 40). With their continual and community prayer, contemplatives intercede without ceasing for all humanity. Religious of the active life, with their many charitable activities, bring to all a living witness of the love and mercy of God. The Servant of God Paul VI concerning these apostles of our times said: “Thanks to their consecration they are eminently willing and free to leave everything and to go and proclaim the Gospel even to the ends of the earth. They are enterprising and their apostolate is often marked by an originality, by a genius that demands admiration. They are generous: often they are found at the outposts of the mission, and they take the greatest of risks for their health and their very lives. Truly the Church owes them much” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, 69).

7. Furthermore, so that the Church may continue to fulfil the mission entrusted to her by Christ, and not lack promoters of the Gospel so badly needed by the world, Christian communities must never fail to provide both children and adults with constant education in the faith. It is necessary to keep alive in the faithful a committed sense of missionary responsibility and active solidarity with the peoples of the world. The gift of faith calls all Christians to co-operate in the work of evangelization. This awareness must be nourished by preaching and catechesis, by the liturgy, and by constant formation in prayer. It must grow through the practice of welcoming others, with charity and spiritual companionship, through reflection and discernment, as well as pastoral planning, of which attention to vocations must be an integral part.

8. Vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life can only flourish in a spiritual soil that is well cultivated. Christian communities that live the missionary dimension of the mystery of the Church in a profound way will never be inward looking. Mission, as a witness of divine love, becomes particularly effective when it is shared in a community, “so that the world may believe” (cf. Jn 17: 21). The Church prays everyday to the Holy Spirit for the gift of vocations. Gathered around the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, as in the beginning, the ecclesial community learns from her how to implore the Lord for a flowering of new apostles, alive with the faith and love that are necessary for the mission.

9. While I entrust this reflection to all the ecclesial communities so that they may make it their own, and draw from it inspiration for prayer, and as I encourage those who are committed to work with faith and generosity in the service of vocations, I wholeheartedly send to educators, catechists and to all, particularly to young people on their vocational journey, a special Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 3 December 2007
BENEDICT XVI

© Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Through the Baptistry Window...

2008-02-25T14:26:00.003Z

Fr. Michael Campbell OSA

2008-02-13T18:35:00.023Z

It was with great excitement yesterday that we learned of the appointment of Fr. Michael Campbell OSA as coadjutor Bishop. A quick search on Google today gave me this photograph of Fr.Michael. I do hope no one objects to me posting it here? :)

Coadjutor Bishop Appointed

2008-02-12T12:47:00.002Z

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Fr Michael Campbell OSA coadjutor Bishop in the Diocese of Lancaster. As coadjutor he will have the right of succession, thus on the retirement of Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue in the summer of 2009, Bishop Campbell will become the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Lancaster.
On hearing of his appointment Bishop–elect Campbell said:

"...I feel humbled and deeply touched by my appointment by Pope Benedict XVI as coadjutor Bishop of Lancaster. It was in the Lancaster diocese that I was ordained priest and have the happiest memories of the ten years I spent working in the Diocese with the late Bishop John Brewer. I have always found the Clergy, Religious and people of the diocese of Lancaster warm and friendly. In a sense I feel I am coming back home and I greatly look forward, with God's grace, to working with Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue and serving the diocese as a bishop..."

[Bishop Campbell will be ordained Bishop in St Peter’s Cathedral Lancaster: Date to be advised]

Ripple Africa

2008-02-12T09:29:00.000Z

Here are some long awaited photos from Sonya Pickervance's trip to Malawi, Africa. Sonya, as you may recall from other posts on Ripple Africa elsewhere on this 'blog', took time out and went to Africa for three months as a volunteer working for a British Charity Ripple Africa in a remote part of Malawi. Sonya arrived home just before Christmas and sent me a link to her photos which I will add at the end of this post.

At the end of January, on a very cold winter's evening midst the wind and the rain, Saint Mary's Parish Pastoral Council organised a 'Cheese & Wine' evening in aid of Ripple Africa. It was at this cosy little parish event that Sonya gave us a very professional and well documented 'PowerPoint' presentation on her recent trip to Malawi.

Now here, as promised, is a link to Sonya's photo slideshow...enjoy!

Slide Show

Lent - Season of Preparation

2008-02-12T09:09:00.000Z

[Photograph Saint Paul's Outside the Walls - ROME - Nov 2007]
Motorola RAZR

LENT like Advent is a season of preparation. Its austerity motivated by our sorrow for sin is tempered by the joy we experience as people who have been redeemed by the passion death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Lent puts before us the whole mystery of salvation through which God's merciful love has been revealed in Jesus Christ. 'God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ-it is through grace that you have been saved -and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus. This was no show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anywhing of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God's work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it. [Ephesians 2:4]

The Mission

2008-01-19T22:56:00.001Z

There has been a 'Mission' here in Great Eccleston well before 1760. According to Local History reseach:

It was not until the Catholic Relief Act of 1791, that Catholics were allowed to build churches and schools. But there must have been a degree of tolerance in this locality as the first Catholic Church is recorded as being built in 1760, dedicated to Saint Laurence, and serving about 200 Catholics from around Great Eccleston and Saint Michael's. In 1829 a further Catholic Relief Act removed almost all civic disabilities from English Catholics. By this time Saint Laurence's was proving too small, and so the present Church of Saint Mary was built in 1835 and the old church became the parish school of Saint Mary. For a short time there had been a Catholic Boarding School in Great Eccleston, run by Peter Newby, a scholar and a poet (1775 -1778); for some reason he took it elsewhere. But now the parish had its own school, which continues to flourish to this day. [1]

In 1686, in the more propitious days of James II, a chapel was built adjoining Maynes Hall, Little Singleton, and it is possible that about that same time an independent mission was established in the village of Great Eccleston, in a thatched house in the Raikes, though there is no record of a resident until 1701 when the Rev: William Caton arrived.

During the following years, in spite of sporadic outbursts of "No Popery" persecutions, the mission, sometimes without its own priest, appears to have flourished, and in 1784 Bishop Gibson gave Confirmation to 37 persons, with 185 receiving Holy Communion.

In 1760, under the initiative of Richard Leckonby, a chapel, dedicated to St. Lawrence, was built near the old thatched house. Later its accommodation had to be increased by the addition of a gallery, and subsequently it became the school. With the addition of two extensions it still serves that purpose...read more...

YEAR OF MATTHEW

2008-01-18T15:59:00.001Z

YEAR A:

The new series ot readings from Scripture which we have every Sunday at Mass has rightly been called the catechism of the Church. The Second Vatican Council stressed the centrality of scripture as the perpetual source of our spiritual life. Saint Jerome reminds us that:

'...ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ...'

The composers of the new lectionary (readings) opt for a three-year cycle with each year being characterized by one of the synoptic Gospels:

Year A: the year of Matthew
Year B: the year of Mark
Year C: the year of Luke

Each of these Gospels is read in semi-continuous form throughout the liturgical year on the Sundays in Ordinary Time. Each evangelist gives us his own special insights into the life of Christ. John's Gospel deals with the seasons of Lent and Easter. While the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are used for the season of Advent. We have, therefore, in the liturgy over the three year cycle a comprehensive presentation of christian doctrine.

What distinguishes Matthew's account of the Gospel story from the others is his concentration on the words of Jesus. His portrait of Christ is basically that of the master, the teacher of the new law. His technique is simple. He gathers the sayings of Jeses into five major discourses or 'sermons' and uses them as the skeleton round which he builds his Gospel. The five sermons are:

The sermon on the mount Chs. 5-7
The mission sermon Ch. 10
The parable sermon Ch. 13
The community sermon Ch. 18
The final sermon Chs. 23-25

The 'sermons' represent the core of the catechetical instruction of the liturgy in the first year of the cycle. Matthew's Gospel underlines his conviction that the Lord is with His Church, "always to the end of time". This is the theology which Matthew offers us. The abiding presence of the Lord has guided the evangelist in his choice of themes. Each theme gives us an insight into the nature of the Church and Christ's activity through it. The mystery of the Church is the centre of Matthew's theology - and this leads us to the theology of the Church and the theology of the sacraments.

The narrative parts of the Gospel are intertwined with the five discourses to give us a carefully worked-out catechetical instruction of the whole Gospel. From a very early stage Matthew's Gospel was recognised as 'the ecclesiastical Gospel'. He starts with a principle in theology, 'Christ the sacrament of the encounter with God' and develops it in line with the present exrience of the Lord's abiding presence and activity in the Church, namely through the sacraments. The Gospel of Matthew, therefore, essentially deals with the mystery of the Church and the sacramental life.

With these principles before us we can begin to appreciate the riches of the Gospel which the Church puts before us. Our lives are intimately linked with the Church and we share the life of Our Lord through the life-giving power of the sacraments. We realise even more that the Church, through the Sunday readings the Gospel, has built its own programme of catechetical instruction into the framework of the liturgy when we all come together as a community to worship God.

The Epiphany of the LORD

2008-01-06T00:01:00.000Z

TODAY'S READINGS - Christ is revealed to all peoples. Wise men from the east guided by a star came to worship Christ. In them we see the homage of all the nations to Christ who is for ever the light of the world. We too can become an epiphany —
a revealing — of God if we lead full Christian lives.

WORLD DAY OF PEACE

2008-01-01T18:12:00.001Z

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI

FOR THE CELEBRATION OF
THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE
1st JANUARY 2008

THE HUMAN FAMILY - A COMMUNITY OF PEACE

At the beginning of a New Year, I wish to send my fervent good wishes for peace, together with a heartfelt message of hope to men and women throughout the world. I do so by offering for our common reflection the theme which I have placed at the beginning of this message. It is one which I consider particularly important: the human family, a community of peace. The first form of communion between persons is that born of the love of a man and a woman who decide to enter a stable union in order to build together a new family. But the peoples of the earth, too, are called to build relationships of solidarity and cooperation among themselves, as befits members of the one human family: "All peoples", as the Second Vatican Council declared,"are one community and have one origin, because God caused the whole human race to dwell on the face of the earth (cf. Acts 17:26); they also have one final end, God"

A copy of the full message from Pope Benedict XVI can be found on the Vatican website http://www.vatican.va

Star of Bethlehem

2007-12-31T09:12:00.004Z

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

2007-12-30T09:06:00.000Z

TODAY'S READINGS - Christ in the human family. God set before us the Holy Family of Nazareth as the model for all families. The family unit is the basic structure on which human society is built. A good Christian family life is a most powerful witness to our world of God's love to us revealed in Christ.

A Merry Christmas with Peace & Joy...

2007-12-25T09:00:00.001Z

Many thanks to all who have prepared St. Mary's and St. Francis' churches and their grounds for the Christmas celebrations.

More than any other time in the Year, this is the time when Churches experience the coming together of the larger family of Faith, a day not only for children, but for all ages to thank God for the gift of His Son, to celebrate His Birthday.

We are indebted to Him, without whom there would would be no Christmas. Expectations are high as family gather together in a Spirit of Charity, Good Will and Peace.

We keep in mind as well those for whom Christmas may not be a joyful time, may God bring them his loving presence, consolation and rest.

Thank you for your love and support and for your gifts this last eleven months of my time here as Administrator. Say a prayer too and send a card to Father Anthony Keefe your Parish Priest.

And finally on behalf of Fr. Anthony and myself and not forgetting Morse, may I wish a Joyful & Holy Christmas to you & yours...

Fr. Stephen Ashton

Ripple Africa - Letter from Malawi

2007-11-30T11:50:00.000Z

How would I sum up the last three months….mind blowing. It has been a unique experience living and working within an African community. The early days weren't easy but gradually you find yourself adjusting and then all of a sudden you are part of the community. As you walk down the dirt track to school everyone shouts your name and the children sing to you. The teaching has been fun, if a little crazy at times, chickens and guinea fowl in the classroom always keep it interesting! Seeing women carrying buckets of water on their head becomes normal; swimming in the lake while the children wash and the woman do their laundry is an everyday occurrence. I am going to miss this community and the simple way of life so much. I think I will get serious culture shock coming back to the extravagance of Christmas in the UK. The children over here have nothing, they are happy with a football made from a condom wrapped in plastic bags and string or an old tyre and a stick. When you ask them their dreams all they want is the chance to go to secondary school. It is very humbling.

I have a new found appreciation for so many things that I have always taken for granted. You can only eat what the farmers grow; there is no electric so you go to sleep when the sun goes down and water has to be drawn from the well and carried on your head so you conserve it. You become so aware of your environment and how precious it is.

People's lives are tough and you are constantly reminded of this when you walk around the villages. It's still easy to have an element of detachment though, until it's someone you know. Hearing that the woman next door has Malaria or can't afford medicine for her sick baby or can't afford to send her children to secondary school hits you hard. These are real people and you see the joy and sadness up close. Really helping though is much more difficult than it first appears. Putting your hand in your pocket is easy but it does more harm than good. It encourages dependency and disempowers people. Finding a way to enable people to help themselves in the long term is the key. I could cite millions of examples of big well known government organizations which have done so much damage across Africa. 40 years ago Africa and Asia were at a similar point developmentally, since then Asia's economies have grown rapidly and Africa's have gone backwards. One of the key reasons is misplaced Western Aid programmes. Even the drop the debt campaign is controversial, in exchange for cancelling the debt African countries are forced by the west to open all of their markets to competition. Of course they can't compete with cheap imports from Europe and the few local industries there are completely collapse, making the people even more dependant on handouts. Having seen the damage they have done, I am so skeptical of big aid organizations. Some of the big famines in Africa are linked to free hand outs of seeds years earlier by the West. These crops are not hardy like the traditional ones and fail if the rains are late, everyone then starves. It is so critical that assistance programmes are built on sound business principles. People truly need a hand up but NOT a hand out. I have learnt this first hand through Ripple Africa. One of the resounding success stories which is lifting people put of poverty across the world is Microloans. These are very small amounts of money loaned to women (in the main) to help them buy materials to make things which will provide an income for their families. It was set up by Muhammed Yunus in Bangladesh who won the Nobel Peace Prize. Ripple Africa wants to get involved with Microloans to launch small Beekeeping businesses.

I feel so fortunate to have worked with a charity which actually makes a difference. Everything they do aims to empower people and build infrastructure in the long term. Their programmes include the building of a secondary school (students currently walk 2.5 hours to school if they can afford to go), sponsorship of students, teacher training, vegetable gardens (a form of nutrients and income generation) and tree planting. For sure the environmental projects were the least interesting to me initially. I never realized quite how essential trees were in the fight against poverty though. An average family cuts down 120 trees per year for firewood and there are 12.2 million people. These trees are not being replaced so forests are disappearing rapidly. Scary when you consider that without trees there are less nutrients in the soil and less rain to water the crops. Less rain could lead to a failed harvest which could mean a family may starve. Given that the population here is expected to double by 2050, this is terrifying. The Sahara desert is extending at 1.5 miles a month for these exact reasons. Planting trees is absolutely critical for the future survival of Malawi. Local forests are disappearing and some have to talk 10kms for firewood each day. I never expected to be sad at the sight of a tree being chopped down but it really bothers me. (On this note there is a UK company, Alupro launching a competition in schools to make a video about 'your local environmental issues'. The winner gets to come to this community in Malawi and show it to the school children).

When I look back on this time in years there will be one experience which stands out in my memory; the minibus rides. They terrified me so much in the beginning but I have really grown to love them, the humanity, the sharing and the kindness you encounter is incredible. Sharing a space meant for 10 people with 20 along with 5 chickens, 40 fish and bags of rice and potatoes is always an adventure. There is just never enough room so everyone has to help each other. It is quite normal to have a couple of children on your lap and chickens pecking at your ankles. I am sure I will always be a little disappointed in the future when I ride on public transport and there are no chickens!

I hope I have given you all a little flavour of what it has been like out here. Thank you all for your support, it really has made a difference.

Love Sonya xx

Mass Times - Change of Time and Venue

2007-11-16T00:16:00.001Z

Father Stephen hopes that as many of Saint Mary's Parishioners will attend one or other of the two masses which will be said at Saint Francis of Assisi each weekend whilst work to renovate the church ceiling is being carried out at Saint Mary's. Mass will be celebrated this weekend by Father Branford in Father Stephens absence.

SUNDAY MASS TIMES

Mass times and venue have changed for the time being due to the renovation work being undertaken at Saint Mary's. Father Stephen will be celebrating only two Masses at the weekend instead of the usual three. Both Masses will be said at Saint Francis of Assisi, Hambleton. The first Mass for Sunday will be at 6:30pm on Saturday Evening whilst the second Mass will be at 10:00am on Sunday. (Tea and biscuits will be served at this morning mass.)

WEEKDAY MASS TIMES

There will be NO WEEDAY MASSES during the weeks that Father Stephen is away in India. He will be back on Friday 23rd November. After this date weekday masses will be said in Saint Mary's Primary School, Saint Mary's Road at 8:30am on Wednesdays & Fridays only. Celebration of the Word will take place in the Presbytary each Monday at the usual time of 9:30am.

Through the Arched Window...

2007-11-14T21:55:00.003Z

Work commenced yesterday to replace the ceiling at Saint Mary's in Great Eccleston. Scaffolding is in the process of being erected in a kind of 'bird-cage' structure. Already the altar is neigh impossible to get to without bumping into tubular steel which goes both vertically and horizontally in a three dimensional fashion. It was first thought that Mass could be said while work was being carried out, but it soon became evident that this was not to be as the building project would be both a dirty and dusty one!

Anyway...work has started and will take at least five to six weeks before we are back to normal providing that no problems arise in the mean time. At the end of this post is a link to a few photographs of the interior of the church before the work started and some more of what it looked like yesterday evening. It's not a pretty site and it will get much worse when they begin to take down the 172 year old lathe and plaster ceiling...the dust will be phenomenal. I don't envy those men one bit...more

Our thanks to John-Paul Evans for the digital photography.

UNQUIET SEE

2007-11-13T16:57:00.000Z

by Rev.Fr. Anthony Keefe

This article was first published in 2006 in the September Edition of The Voice...

A question has occurred to me over the last few months: is there less anger in the columns of the "Voice", including the letters' columns, than there was a little while ago? If the answer to that question is "Yes", another question arises from it: does this mean that the anger has passed, or that it has merely gone underground, to fester and, in time, blaze out with renewed force?

I am no psychologist, but I suspect that repressed anger, anger forced underground, is highly dangerous: that it is better for all parties to face up to the anger, to see whether it can be healed, or defused, or whatever the correct term may be. As something of an exercise in walking on eggshells, I offer my own reflections on this anger, in the hope that others, much wiser than I, may be able to take up the work of healing? It seems to me, though I may well be wrong, that three episodes stand out.

Firstly, there was the mass movement of priests a few autumns ago: if I remember rightly, over thirty priests were given new assignments all at once. A number of the priests who were asked to move were regarded as having been, in one way or another, influential during the episcopate of Bishop Brewer and their re-assignment was seen, in some quarters, as a deliberate dissipation of that influence. This view of the situation may or may not, be accurate, yet the view persists. It needs to be faced and dealt with.

The second episode was the change in personnel at the Diocesan Education Centre. For a variety of reasons, the Education Centre aroused strong emotions, both for and against. The changes that have taken place in that department have been interpreted as indicating a major shift in emphasis and direction.

Thirdly, there was the New Start (with Jesus) project, which also gave rise to powerful feelings. Many people lay and ordained, were deeply unhappy about the manner in which the New Start was introduced, and were unable to reconcile the project itself with their reading of the Gospel and their faith in Jesus Christ.

Conversely, many others, again both lay and ordained, found the project inspirational and a support to faith, and were distressed by its abandonment. Amid the maelstrom of differing views about these episodes, a tendency towards stereotyping and name-calling has arisen. To take the New Start as an example, those who felt unable, in conscience,to support it have sometimes been labelled as hankering after the past and, if they are priests, as having a desire for clerical dominance and an unwillingness to empower the laity or to work with them.

On the other hand, supporters of the project have sometimes been regarded as seeking a kind of new bourgeoisie, a church of and for the chattering classes. Both of these labels are caricatures, they are judgmental and, I would suggest, if not actually sinful, they bring us very close to sins against charity and against truth.

Timothy Radcliffe OP, in his recent book "What is the point of being a Christian?" Chapters 9 and 10 (Burns and Oates 2005) seeks to tease out differences of viewpoint within the Church. He coins the phrase "Communion Catholics" and "Kingdom Catholics" and suggests not only that both are necessary to the Church, but also that both elements
need to co-exist within each one of us.

We need to be slow to label ourselves, and even slower to label others, for labelling very easily becomes libelling. I would suggest that every single one of us should have the courage to face the anger, within us openly and honestly. We must accept the integrity and good faith of those whose views may differ from ours, and listen to their views in genuine charity, without being too hasty in putting our own views across.

If we cannot listen in charity to our brothers and sisters in Christ, then, to change the emphasis of Timothy Radcliffe's title, "What IS the point of being a Christian?"

©Rev. Fr. Anthony Keefe
[NB: This article was first published in the September 2006 Edition of the Voice]

Ripple Africa

2007-10-20T23:19:00.000+01:00

Mwaya Primary School

Primary schools in Malawi are free and open to all. As secondary education is highly competitive and relatively expensive, this is often the only education rural Malawians receive. It is not uncommon for students in Standard 8 to be as old as 15 or 16 while studying to re-sit their primary school leaving exams. Recently secondary education has become more accessible with private schools cropping up throughout the country — including three in nearby Kande village. These are cheaper and have more lenient entrance requirements, but also lower standards, than government schools.

Mwaya Primary School has about 800 students from the local community. While there should be one teacher for each Standard (1-8), there is currently a shortage in Malawi and there are only five teachers at the school.
In addition to these, RIPPLE Africa is paying for seven Malawian trainee teachers. Class sizes can be as large as 70-100 although official enrolment can be as high as 150 per class. Teachers, especially in the higher levels, are under enormous pressure to cover a wide-ranging curriculum with very limited resources and time. Despite this, students are very motivated and enthusiastic. This volunteer opportunity is a cooperative initiative that involves evaluating the needs of the school with the current volunteers, our Education Coordinator, the headmaster, classroom teachers, and trainee teachers in tailoring your responsibilities to best meet these, taking into account your special skills and interests. This might mean teaching English and science to Standards 5, 6, and 7, or maths, English and geography to Standards 7 and 8 each day. The school is a ten-minute walk from Mwaya Beach. Working hours and days off are arranged directly with the headmaster.

There are three school terms, and the academic year starts in early January. It is very difficult to find out exact term dates in advance but, generally, Terms 1 and 2 are each 12 weeks long, and Term 3 is 14 weeks long. The holiday periods between Terms 1 and 2 and Terms 2 and 3 are usually four to five weeks.

The normal school day is from 7am to 1.30pm, Monday to Friday, for Standard 2 upwards. During the holidays and in the afternoons in term time, it is possible to organise special tutorials or holiday classes. These can follow the main curriculum or be as diverse and varied as your own imagination. As the school does operate on an absolute bare-bones budget, however, volunteers should plan to provide any materials or equipment required for these courses or extra-curricular activities.

Nursery Schools
We want to recruit overseas volunteers who would be interested in helping to teach at one of the nursery schools and/or who would be able to give the teachers some additional training in teaching young children of nursery school age.

Five nursery schools are running in our area and, until recently, the teachers were unpaid and untrained volunteers from the community. Thanks to the generosity of one of our donors, we are now able to pay the teachers a salary. Also, we have been able to fund a ten-day nursery teacher training course for them all. The nursery schools play a very important role in giving children aged two to five years old a sound grounding in the basics (i.e. numbers, the alphabet, English, etc.) before they start their primary education.

Secondary School(s)
Two of our former volunteers, who were post-doctoral graduates in maths and biochemistry, respectively, taught in the local primary school and also at one of the local secondary schools. In addition, they organised a two-week course in maths, biology, physics and chemistry for secondary school teachers, which they ran with another volunteer. Their efforts were so well received that we are keen for more post-doctoral graduates to volunteer for us and to continue with the work they started. For more information, please read the report they wrote at the end of their placements.

Now that we have raised enough funds to begin building the new secondary school, which will be located at Kapanda close to Mwaya (click here for more information), there will also be an opportunity for our volunteers to assist with teaching there. We are hopeful that the school will be open for Forms 1 and 2 for the beginning of the next academic year which begins in January 2008.

Message from Malawi

2007-10-20T23:02:00.000+01:00

Hello All,

Hope you are well?

I have now been here in Malawi for 4 weeks and can't believe how fast it has gone by. There have been so many amazing moments, it's hard to do it justice with words alone. I wish so much I could send pictures.

You cannot imagine what it is like in this school when you compare it to schools in England or Japan. One classroom actually takes the form of a shady tree, large stones and two blackboards. The children sit huddled together and share an older battered textbook among 5. The teachers have to stick to a very structured curriculum, everything is taught straight out of the textbook, parrot fashion. They have no resources of any kind and often copy things straight from the blackboard without really understanding the meaning. The Year 5 class I teach in did a 'Major English Test' and the majority of the class got between 5 and 14 out of 100. But you should have seen the questions, they had to name possessive nouns, adverbs of manner, personal pronouns. I wouldn't have been able to identify them and my first language is English!

Many of the students who do have a classroom have no desks or chairs, they sit on the dusty floor. Those with desks, share it with 5 or so others squeezed in. It is amazing to see how the children get on amongst themselves without complaining. They are content with so little, one PE lesson consisted of 120 children running onto a field using balls made out of wool wrapped in a plastic bag and hoops made out of branches.

There were 6 other volunteers here when I arrived so there is a nice group of us working across the schools, nurseries, healthcare clinics and environmental projects. I am trying to visit lots of the projects and understand as much as I can about this country and the challenges faced by the people. The hardest thing is the constant feeling that you are not doing enough and making sure that what you do contribute is sustainable. It would be so easy to just give people money but that will only help today and tomorrow the problem will be there again.

I will write more soon

Best Regards

Sonya

Fit for Mission?

2007-10-05T10:31:00.000+01:00

It would appear not...

Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue (Bishop of Lancaster) has revealed that he has begun looking for a co-adjutor bishop after being given permission to do so by His Holyness Pope Benedict XVI.

In a letter dated 26th September 2007, Bishop Patrick explains to the Clergy, Religious and the Laity of the Diocese, his reasons for seeking a co-adjutor ... read more

Bishop Patrick - Life Before Lancaster

Patrick O'Donoghue was born in Mourne Abbey, Co Cork, on 4th May 1934, and is the middle of five children [three girls, two boys] of farmers Daniel and Sheila O'Donoghue. He was educated at the Patrician Academy in Mallow, Co Cork. He came to Britain in 1959 for seminary training, first at Campion House, Osterley, Middlesex, then from 1961-67 at Allen Hall seminary when it was at St Edmund's, Ware, Hertfordshire. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Westminster on 25th May 1967. The Second Vatican Council coincided with his student days as a seminarian, and its spirit and teaching have influenced and directed his ministry through the years.

As a newly ordained priest he worked in the parish of Our Lady of Willesden from 1967-70. He was on the Diocesan Pastoral Mission Team from 1970-73, where he gained experience in 27 parishes in the Archdiocese. From 1973-77 he was Pastoral Director at Allen Hall Seminary in Chelsea. From 1977-78 he was with the team ministry at the parish of St Thomas of Canterbury, Fulham. His varied experience led to the conviction that renewal at every level in the Church was urgently called for, combined with a need to grapple with the new challenges facing the Church, preaching the Gospel in a fast-changing world.

Bishop O'Donoghue was Sub-Administrator of Westminster Cathedral from 1978-85, and Administrator from 1990-93. In between times he was Rector of Allen Hall Seminary from 1985-90. Twenty years spent in the Seminary and at the Cathedral further heightened his desire for change. But there were other challenges too, especially inner-city life with its extraordinary wealth and search for, or absence of, faith, and all too much poverty [street homeless, addicts, dispossessed, young and elderly]. It was necessary for the Church to champion the poor, and to this end he and others established The Cardinal Hume and Passage Centres, which continue to flourish.

He is a former Chair of the Archdiocese of Westminster Senate of Priests. He was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Westminster by his friend and mentor Cardinal Basil Hume on 29th June 1993, and was appointed to the West London Pastoral Area. During the past eight years he has given himself to the pastoral care of its 41 culturally-mixed parishes. He simultaneously worked among the more disadvantaged of our society, retaining his contact with the Passage Day Centre, where he is Chair of Trustees.

Bishop Patrick has been Chairman of the Westminster Diocesan Pastoral Board since 1996 and Chairman of the English and Welsh Bishops' Committee for Migrants since 1993. He has been constantly to the fore, not least in the media, in advancing the cause of this most vulnerable section of our community. In May 2001 he launched a strongly-worded document "Any Room at the Inn? - Reflections on Asylum Seekers". He wrote this to mark the 50th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention, and specifically in the run-up to the General Election. Earlier in the same year he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue. For him, working with other Christians and people of other faiths is a priority.

Bishop O'Donoghue has a special interest in contemporary religious art, particularly in its value as an aid to prayer and as part of the liturgy. He has been instrumental in staging exhibitions at Westminster Cathedral. He lists his hobbies as theatre, football, and country walking.

On hearing of his appointment to his new challenge as Bishop of Lancaster, a Diocese which stretches from Preston in Central Lancashire to the Scottish Border, and takes in the whole of the Lake District and the West Cumbrian Coast, he had this to say:

"My appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Lancaster comes as a big surprise: in my wildest dreams I had not really expected this appointment. Of course, it's a huge joy and honour to be chosen by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, to serve the Church in Lancaster. The North West is a beautiful part of the country, and I've been there many times as a tourist and hiker. Now I come as a pilgrim and one who desires only one thing, and that is to learn and to serve. I know something of the traditional faith of the people: it will be my privilege to share in this and to confirm it. It will be difficult leaving Westminster, where I have spent 40 years as student, priest and bishop. I will carry with me great memories of the City and Diocese, but most of all the friendships that were mine in this multi-cultural society. My motto as Bishop of Lancaster will be 'Beati pauperes' ['Blessed are the poor'], a quote from Luke's Gospel [Lk 6.20]. I humbly ask your prayers."

Bishop Patrick was officially installed as Bishop of Lancaster at a special Mass in Lancaster Cathedral on Wednesday 4th July 2001 at 12 noon. Archbishop Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool, will lead the ceremony. His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, preached at the Mass. His Excellency Archbishop Pablo Puente, Apostolic Nuncio, was in attendance.

The Mission of my Life

2007-10-03T01:10:00.001+01:00

God has created me
to do him some definite service.
He has committed some work to me
which he has not committed to another.

I have my mission.
I may never know what it is in this life,
but I shall be told in the next.

I am a link in a chain,
a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for nothing.
I shall do good work.
I shall do his work.

He may take me away from my friends.
He may throw me among strangers.
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink,
hide my future from me –
Still He knows what He is about.

John Henry Cardinal Newman

Local History During Penal Times

2007-09-25T13:43:00.001+01:00

A Short Account of the Catholic History of Great Eccleston and Surrounding Areas During Penal Times

At the English Reformation, King Henry VIII broke with the Pope and declared himself Head of the Church of England. Later Queen Elizabeth I forbade the Mass and 'massing' priests were treated as traitors. There were many people who would not accept the New Religion and clung to what they came to call 'the old Faith' centred around loyalty to the Pope and a great devotion to the Mass. They where willing to accept the loss of property, civil rights, and even life itself to have the Mass. Cardinal William Allan of Rossall (now part of Fleetwood) founded colleges in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal to provide priests who were smuggled into the country ministering to the faithful at the risk of their own lives.

One such priest was John Plessington, born at Dimples Hall in Garstang and executed at Chester in 1679. There were many 'recusants', as they became to be called, in Lancashire and many in our own area. It is confidently asserted that the Mass never ceased to be offered in our locality either in the village of Great Eccleston or in the houses of recusant families in the area; the Leckonby's of Eccleston House (now Leckonby House); Great Eccleston Hall (on Hall Lane) the home of the Stanley family; Cross House in Great Eccleston the seat of the White family for over four centuries; the Gillow's of Gillow House, Little Eccleston; the Blackburn's of Stockenbridge Hall in Tarnacre; the Butler's of Rawcliffe Hall to name but a few. The failure of the Stuart Rebellion 1745 made times very hard again for English Catholics. By this time Great Eccleston had its own resident priest, William Caton, and its own Roman Catholic Chapel, a thatched cottage on the Raikes. Caton was brought to Lancaster after the Stuart defeat and indicted and convicted of being a priest. He seemed to escape any penalty and continued his ministry till his death in 1749.

It was not until the Catholic Relief Act of 1791, that Catholics were allowed to build churches and schools. But there must have been a degree of tolerance in this locality as the first Catholic Church is recorded as being built in 1760, dedicated to Saint Laurence, and serving about 200 Catholics from around Great Eccleston and Saint Michael's. In 1829 a further Catholic Relief Act removed almost all civic disabilities from English Catholics. By this time Saint Laurence's was proving too small, and so the present Church of Saint Mary was built in 1835 and the old church became the parish school of Saint Mary. For a short time there had been a Catholic Boarding School in Great Eccleston, run by Peter Newby, a scholar and a poet (1775 -1778); for some reason he took it elsewhere. But now the parish had its own school, which continues to flourish to this day.

Miss Emma Phipps, whose mother was a Leckonby, came to Great Eccleston for a day to see where here mother came from; she liked it so much that she stayed the rest of here life. Miss Phipps in memory of the Leckonby Family provided the present altar at the church. She also commissioned the building of Leckonby Hall now a nursing home. The present parish of Saint Mary serves the Catholic community in Great Eccleston and surrounding villages of Little Eccleston; Elswick; Saint Michael's; Roseacre; Thistleton and Inskip together with other churches in the area with whom we have strong links, we hope we are able to help to serve the wider community.

by Monsignor Michael Kirkham
[Parish Priest Saint Mary's Great Eccleston 1989 - 2002]

Jan van Alphen, RIP

2007-09-15T14:24:00.001+01:00

Holy Mass will be offered this evening at Saint Mary's Great Eccleston for the repose of the soul of Jan van Alphen, a Dutch 'Tractor Puller' who died so tragically on the 26th August, 2007 whilst taking part in the British Tractor Pulling Championship and European 'Challenge Cup' Finals held at Great Eccleston over August Bank Holiday weekend.

'...A well-known tractor puller in Europe as well as in the United States and the UK, Jan Van Alphen had been involved in tractor pulling since the introduction of the sport to The Netherlands back in 1979. He had an impressive list of both National and European Championship titles. He will be remembered as a pioneer in the sport of tractor pulling and as a man who was always willing to share his knowledge with others in the sport, he will be sadly missed...' ETPA

We extend our prayers and condolences to all the members of the Van Alphen family as well as his friends and colleagues.

Condolence Register

RIPPLE AFRICA - Malawi, Africa

2007-09-15T09:00:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday we heard about a project called ‘Ripple Africa’ from Sonya Pickervance, a parishioner of Saint Mary’s Parish; a small project which does tremendous work to alleviate the poverty and suffering among the people of Malawi. After hearing this talk and the enthusiasm Sonya has shown in giving up her job for three months and to go out and work on this project. I hope you can now agree with me and the decision of our Parish Pastoral Council to support the work of this worthwhile project?

Ripple Africa

2007-09-11T10:47:00.000+01:00

Soon one of our young parishioners, Sonya Pickervance, will be off on a new mission...this time to Malawi in Africa as a volunteer for the charity 'Ripple Africa'. We wish Sonya 'God Speed' as she wings away across thousands of mile to the heart of the Africa.

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