Mary and Joseph's Gem

AN EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

2012-02-18T13:05:00.000Z

At this time of year, in the season of Lent, there is a greater emphasis on the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). Many people wonder what they havet osay when they come to confession. They think that as they have not committed any 'major sins' they have nothing to confess. All sin is major as it is a turning against God's love. It is a turning away from our dependence on Him and relying on our own efforts, It is putting ourswelves and our own pleasures before the will of God.

People usually do not know what to say in Confession as they have failed to properly examine their conscience before approaching the preist. As a way of helping in this matter I post the following Excaminatino of Conscience and pray that you will find it useful during this Lenten Season.

________________________

YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
Have I ignored God or excluded Him from my life and works?
Have been loyal to the Teaching Authority of the Church and been willing to profess my faith in public as well as in private?
Is my daily prayer a real conversation with God in mind and heart?
Have I put my trust in superstitions or involved myself in the Occult or Satanism?
Have I a true reverence and love for the name of God or have I offended Him through blasphemy, cursing or perjury?
Did I miss Mass on Sunday or Holyday of Obligation through my own fault?
Did I fulfil my Easter duties?
Have made a dishonest Confession in the past?

YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF
Have I been disobedient, rude or disloyal to my parents or lawful superiors?
Have Inbeen harsh or overbearing to those under my authority?
Have I neglected my duty to provide a religious education for my children and to help them to know and love their faith?
Have I been impatient, angry, proud, jealous or hateful to others?
Did l get drunk, use drugs, give bad example or scandal?
Have I been involved in vandalism; driven recklessly or injured anyone?
Did in any way co-operate in an abortion?
Have I been lazy at my work, in study, or in the home?
Have I been immodest or impure by myself or with others?
Have I placed myself in occasions of sin, by reading, listening to, or looking at what was indecent, or pornographic?
Have failed to show love, understanding and respect to my marriage partner or been careless about my marriage vows?
Have I used forms of birth control forbidden by the Church?
Have I been guilty of cheating, theft, or gambling rashly?
Have I received stolen goods? Have I made restitution?
Do I give a full day’s work in return for a full day’s pay?
Do I pay a full day’s wage to those who work for me?
Have I told lies to injure anyone or excuse myself?
Have I been considerate, kind and generous to others in thought or deed?
Have I given way to self pity, brooded over injuries or refused to forgive?

ASH WEDNESDAY AND LENT

2012-02-18T10:14:00.003Z

The Season of Lent will soon be upon us. It is a time when we traditionally taken on extra penances or works of charity to help us to overcome our sinful nature.

Below are a number of Spiritual Exercises in the parish that might be of help during this Holy Season.

ASH WEDNESDAY – the First Day of Lent

Masses are as follows

9:00am in St Marie’s School

12:15pm in St Marie’s Church

2:00pm in St Joseph’s School

7:30pm in St Marie’s Church

Ashes will be distributed at all Masses that day.

Ash Wednesday is also a day of FASTING AND ABSTINENCE

Fasting:

For all in good health between the ages of 18 and 59.

One full meal and two snacks. No meat.

Abstinence:

For all in good health over the age of 14

No meat

CONFESSIONS IN LENT
In addition to the usual confession times (Wednesday 11:45-12:10, Saturdays 10:30 -12:00 at St Marie's)EVERY FRIDAY
in Lent Confessions will be heard from 6:30pm till 7:15pm at St Marie’s.

Make every effort to make a good confession in Lent.

The light is on for you. Come and experience the love and mercy of God.

TUESDAY CHALLENGE MASS
beginning on Tuesday 28th February there will be an
EARLY MORNING MASS at 6:30am

every Tuesday in St Marie’s Church.
Why not make an extra effort to come to that Mass in Lent?

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

begins 24th February at St Joseph’s and alternates each Friday with
St John’s Anglican Church in Sunny Avenue.

BARONESS WARSI'S SPEECH

2012-02-17T12:27:00.002Z

Here is the full text of Baroness Warsii's Speech at the VAtican this week referred to in our parish newsletter. It is quite a lengthy post, but well worth the read. i recommend it to you.

INTRODUCTION

Your Eminences. Excellencies. Reverend Fathers. Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is an immense honour for me to stand here today in what is, for more than a billion people, the spiritual capital of the world. And it is a further privilege to lead the largest ever ministerial delegation from the United Kingdom to the Holy See. To celebrate the relationship between our two states:

The oldest formal diplomatic relationship in my country’s history and today, one of the strongest. Our diplomatic relationship began here in 1479, only a short distance from where we now stand.

For reasons we all know too well, we broke diplomatic relations only to restore them during the First World War. This year marks 30 years since full diplomatic relations were re-established between us. We want to build upon our bond, to show it to the rest of the world, and to let it inspire others. Because our relationship enables us to act together in the name of the common good:

TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY

To fight for human rights.

To encourage fair, responsible trade.

To tackle climate change.

And to help build stable nations.

We are grateful for the superb work our Ambassador Nigel Baker is doing here building on the tremendous tenure of his predecessor Francis Campbell. The UK recognises that, as the smallest state in the world, the Holy See has the widest global reach. It therefore seems inevitable that the UK with its global reach and historic and current interests should nurture, strengthen and promote our relationship.

The areas upon which, by working together, we can achieve tangible, practical outcomes are both so vast and so important that they, in many ways, contextualise our differences. And I believe the strength of our relationship can give tremendous hope and inspiration to others across the world.

This year, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth are celebrating a person who has worked hard to bring our two great states closer.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Her Majesty’s visits here to the Vatican over a 60-year reign, and before when she came as a young Princess Elizabeth. Her work to encourage harmony between Catholics and Protestants. Her groundbreaking visit to the people of Ireland in 2011 and her steadfast commitment to all her people are just some of the reasons her Diamond Jubilee makes this year such a special one for my country.

And of course it was on her invitation that the Holy Father graced the United Kingdom with the first papal State Visit in our history.

PAPAL VISIT

The visit of September 2010 was historic, momentous and unforgettable and I want to thank the Holy Father on behalf of all four nations in our country. The hand of friendship was warmly received across our isles. Reaching out to Catholics and non-Catholics. To those of faith and those of none. From the cheering crowds on the streets of Scotland to those in silent contemplation during the Mass in Birmingham.

And the many millions watching on their television screens or holding special events in school assemblies, community groups and workplaces. It was a milestone in our relationship, a milestone in UK history – where heart truly spoke unto heart. On a personal level, I heeded the words of the Holy Father during his landmark speech in Westminster Hall. And I had the immense honour of enjoying an audience during a special event to promote interfaith relations. It was a humbling, moving moment for me.

And having made my speech at the Anglican Bishops’ Conference two days earlier on the importance of governments ‘doing God’ marking a clean break with the approach from the past, saying that our Government would be on the side of faith the Holy Father urged me to carry on making the case for faith in society.

MAIN ARGUMENT

So today I want to make one simple argument.

That in order to ensure faith has a proper space in the public sphere…In order to encourage social harmony...People need to feel stronger in their religious identities, more confident in their beliefs. In practice this means individuals not diluting their faith...and nations not denying their religious heritage.

If you take this thought to its conclusion then the idea you’re left with is this: Europe needs to become more confident in its Christianity.

Let us be honest:

Too often there is a suspicion of faith in our continent...where signs of religion cannot be displayed or worn in government buildings...where states won’t fund faith schools...and where faith is sidelined, marginalised and downgraded. It all hinges on a basic misconception: That somehow to create equality and space for minority faiths and cultures we need to erase our majority religious heritage.

But it is my belief that the societies we are, the cultures we’ve created, the values we hold and the things we fight for...stem from something we’ve argued over, dissented from, discussed and built up:

Centuries of Christianity.

It’s what the Holy Father called the “unrenounceable Christian roots of [our] culture and civilisation”.

Which shine through our politics, our public life, our culture, our economics, our language and our architecture. You cannot and should not erase these Christian foundations from the evolution of our nations any more than you can or should erase the spires from our landscapes.

Let me get one thing very clear

I am not saying that everything done in the name of faith has been a blessing for our continent. Too much blood has been shed in the name of religion. But trying to erase this history or blind ourselves to the role of religion on our continent is wrong. We need to realise what drives us, what binds us and what inspires us is a history we are in danger of denying.

I know, in a globalised world, it is easy to think that to relate to others you must water down your identity.

But my point today is that being sure of who you are is the only way in which you will be more accommodating of others. And there is a second strand to this argument.That true confidence has the power to guarantee openness. Because only when you’re content in your own identity...

...only when you realise that the ‘Other’ does not jeopardise who you are can you truly accept and not merely tolerate the presence of difference. Just as the bully bullies because he or she is insecure so too the state suppresses, marginalises, dictates and dismisses when it feels its identity is at stake.

In the United Kingdom, we have guarded against such fear by recognising the importance of the Established Church and our Christian heritage – our majority faith. And that is what has created religious freedom and a home for people like me, of minority faiths. Majority faiths and minority faiths – as a Muslim who was born and raised in – and now serves – a Christian country, I have experience of both.

So I hope you will permit me to start by telling you a bit about my early life in the north of England in the 1970s and 80s.

PERSONAL

When I was growing up, as the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, the debate in my country was not about religion but race. As a teenager what shaped me was the obvious injustice of Apartheid.

In my student days I campaigned for racial equality.And in the years that followed I launched campaigns to bolster race relations. But after 9/11 I saw the debate shifting – with difference being defined not by race but by religion.

My loyalty to my country was not in question because of my parents’ home country or even the colour of my skin, but because of the religion I was born into. I began to look back at my faith and the choices I made, as well as the lessons I learnt from my parents.I attended a relatively conservative mosque.

My father inspired me to learn – to seek knowledge of both the history of my country and the foundation of my faith. He said that to truly understand my religion I needed to understand history as much as theology.
He taught me to think about my identity in the following way: To see my religious identity, my faith, as a river that changes its appearance according to the bed on which it flows. The river reflecting the colour and the texture of the bed. Like the river, my faith reflects the nation I belong to. So what made me feel even more confident as a British Muslim... What truly enabled me to learn about my faith and to practice it... Was that my country – the bed over which the river of my faith flowed – had a strong Christian identity. This defined, shaped and gave me confidence in my own faith... Which, combined with the confidence of my country’s principles and values….…Have since been evident in the decisions I’ve taken as an adult.

One decision which I think demonstrates how strongly I believe this was my choice of school for my daughter: An Anglican convent school. Many might think it is unusual for a Muslim mother to send her daughter to a Christian school. But I knew she would be free to follow her faith there that she would not be looked down on because she believed. And as I had hoped, she found it strengthened her faith.

Allowing her to define her Muslim identity, allowing her to reflect Christianity within that, adopting the Lord’s Prayer as her own by simply substituting the word “Amen” with “Ameen” It also left her posing a lot of questions about religion. As she once said to me, during one of the frequent debates about religious symbols:

“Mother Robina is going to get really upset about everyone being nasty about women who wear the hijab, because she wears one.” As so often is the case, the youth shed light on situations like this and innocence brings clarity with my 9-year-old daughter bringing into sharp focus the similarities between the veil and the hijab. Summing up exactly why I don’t support the outright banning of religious symbols... Because, for me, it’s about personal choice and the right to express one’s faith – whatever their faith.

So with my daughter’s school, as with my own upbringing, a strong sense of Christianity didn’t threaten our Muslim identity – it actually reinforced it. It enabled me to make the case for further interfaith debate, discussion and work. It motivated me to stand up and speak out against anti-Muslim hatred, the persecution of Christians and anti-Semitism. And it inspired me to challenge the growing marginalisation of faith in my country and in Europe.

AROUND THE WORLD

As I look around the world today, my resolve is strengthened.

Where we see faith inspiring, driving and motivating good works...

...is where certainty of conviction is at its strongest.

As the Bible teaches us: “For even as the body without the spirit is dead: so also faith without works is dead.”

The Quran teaches us something similar – that:

“those who believe and do good works are the best of created beings”.

We see the proof every day – globally, locally and individually.

From the Catholic Church being instrumental in toppling communism...

...to its key role in securing peace in Northern Ireland.

From the Catholic Schools in the UK, many of which are outperforming other institutions...

...to the domestic response to the earthquake in Haiti, the floods in Pakistan and the drought in East Africa.

And where day by day, faith sustains people through their darkest, most desperate periods...

There is no denying the link between these positive actions and faith.

Perhaps the best example I have seen of this was on my visit to Pakistan last month....

...a visit I promised the late Shahbaz Bhatti, the country’s tragically assassinated minorities minister, I would undertake: meeting the Christian communities of Karachi.

There I met four wonderful sisters at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School, including two Irish nuns.

One of them had spent 58 years of her life teaching girls in Pakistan.

Sister Berchmans, a native of County Clare – one of the most westerly spots in Europe – had left rural Ireland as a young nun to go and work in Pakistan.

There in Karachi, at the age of 80, and wearing her white habit and veil, she led the morning assembly in prayer in English.

And then she led the singing of the Pakistan national anthem in Urdu.

It was remarkable to see and to think of the practical and silent, discreet witness that Sister Berchmans and her fellow Nuns have shown to generations of young Pakistani girls, many of them Muslim...

...and one of them who grew up to become a Prime Minister, the first female to govern the modern Islamic world: the late Benazir Bhutto.

Sister Berchmans did not have to dilute her own faith or require others to dilute theirs.

Rather she was doing what countless generations have done before her – witnessing and living side by side with other cultures and faiths.

With Sister Berchmans rooted in her beliefs, and the Pakistani community she serves unwavering in its...

...I saw not the diminishment of faith but the ultimate enactment of the common good.

And I want to share some news with you today.

Sister Berchmans, and another person of faith who has laboured in Pakistan for over 35 years – Father Robert McCulloch of Australia, who is with us here today...

...have just been recognised for their lifetime of services to the people and development of Pakistan...

And the President of Pakistan have awarded them Pakistan’s highest civilian honour: the Sitarai-e-

Quaid-i-Azam.

INTERFAITH

I believe the same commitment is needed for dialogue and service between faiths to continue to succeed.

Its interlocutors need to demonstrate the strength of faith shown by Sister Berchmans...

...and the strength of appreciation and gratitude shown by the people of Pakistan.

Because different faiths must realise that, just because they don’t worship together, doesn’t mean that they can’t work together.

A great deal of this progress has been made thanks to the efforts of the Catholic Church...

...through its educational outreach or the work of groups like Caritas International and its federation of aid agencies around the world...

...and landmark documents like in Britain Meeting God in Friend and Stranger.

As a UK cabinet minister of the Muslim faith, representing a country with an Anglican Established Church, visiting our friends in the spiritual home of Catholicism...

...you will find no greater champion of understanding between faiths than me.

But I believe that where interfaith dialogue does not work...

...is where faiths are dumbed down in order to find common ground.

Just as the European language of Esperanto, which attempted to build a new tongue, neautralises our component languages...

...a common language between faiths risks watering down the diversity and intensity of our respective religions.

Instead, interfaith dialogue works when we debate our differences, when we wear our beliefs on our sleeves.

It’s not about you giving your version of God, and me giving my version of God.

And us coming to some watered-down compromise.

But about establishing our areas of consensus.

And being firm enough in our devotion to work together.

That’s why, when I visited the Tomb of David in Jerusalem...

...I felt no contradiction saying my nafils, or prayers, in an alternative place of worship.

It’s why when Vatican Two, whose 50th anniversary we celebrate this year, set out Nostra Aetate, its acceptance of other faiths...

...it was not a sign of the church’s weakness of belief, but a sign of its strength.

And why, when the Holy Father made his historic visit to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul...

...he was not weakening his own faith but reaffirming it.

DEFEATING BIGOTRY

The point is that in so many ways, being sure of your faith adds a layer of strength to society.

Confidence in our own beliefs enables us to defend attacks on others.

Faith asks you to stand up for your neighbour.

As the fourth Muslim caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib said:

“Every man is your brother...either your brother in faith or your brother in humanity.”

This is the spirit which inspired Muslims to protect Jews during the Holocaust.

...which motivated Christians to support Muslims fleeing persecution in Darfur...

...and which led Chief Rabbi Sacks to call for action against persecution in Bosnia.

It’s something I’ve been arguing for a long time.

That persecution somewhere is persecution everywhere.

That if you oppress my neighbour you are oppressing me.

That an attack on a gudwara is an attack on a mosque, a church, a temple, a synagogue.

Today I’m moving that thought on...

...and saying that standing up for your neighbour of another faith doesn’t make you less of a Christian, less of a Jew or less of a Muslim – it makes you more of one.

When British Jews stand up to the political factions promoting anti Muslim hatred...

When Christians understand the horrors of the Holocaust and tackle anti-Semitism...

When Muslims and Sikhs stand shoulder to shoulder to protect their temples and Mosques...

...it is not a betrayal of their own faith or a threat to it.

...it is the most powerful demonstration of security in their own faith.

MARGINALISATION OF FAITH

But the confident affirmation of religion which I have spoken of is under threat.

It is what the Holy Father called ‘the increasing marginalisation of religion’ during his speech in Westminster Hall.

I see it in United Kingdom and I see it in Europe.

Spirituality, suppressed.

Divinity, downgraded.

Where, in the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, faith is looked down on...

...as the hobby of ‘oddities, foreigners and minorities’.

Where religion is dismissed as an eccentricity...

...because it’s infused with tradition.

Where we undermine people who attribute good works to their belief...

...and require them to deny it as their motivation.

And where faith is overlooked in the public sphere...

...with not even a word about Christianity in the preface of the “European Constitution”.

When I pledged that the new government in the United Kingdom would ‘do God’, in some quarters there was uproar.

More telling were the countless comments I received of quiet support…

…a relief that finally someone had said what they had been thinking.

This fact alone shows the extent to which religion has been sidelined by some.

Because in parts of Europe there have been misguided beliefs that in order to accommodate people from other backgrounds, we must somehow become less religious or less Christian.

That somehow society must level itself out so that faith becomes something that is marginalised...

...and limited to the private confines of one's home or even one's mind.

But those calls are not coming from other faith communities.

They are coming from two types of people.

First, the well-intentioned liberal elite...

...who, conversely, are trying to create equality by marginalising faith in society.

...who think that the route to religious pluralism is by creating a path of faith-neutrality.

...who downgrade religion to a mere subcategory in public life.

But look at their supposed level playing field.

Its terrain is all but impassable to anyone of belief.

One of the arguments of the liberal elite is that faith and reason are incompatible.

But they don’t realise, as the Holy Father has argued for many years, that faith and reason go hand in hand.

As he said to us in Westminster Hall:

“...the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief...need one another and should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilisation.”

In other words, just as reason should not be excluded from debates about faith...

...so too spirituality should not be excluded when we look at worldly matters.

Second, there are the anti-religionists, the faith deniers.

The people who dine out on free-flowing media and sustain a vocabulary of secularist intolerance....

...attempting to remove all trace of religion from culture, history and public discourse.

While ignoring the fact that people of faith give more to charity and that the number of people going to a place of worship is globally on the up.

My theory is that we are so afraid – and rightly so – of going backwards in history to the bad days when religion was imposed on people by despotic regimes...

...that we have got to the stage where aggressive secularism is being imposed by stealth.

Leaving us with the ironic situation where, to stave off intolerance against minorities...

...we end up being intolerant towards religion itself.

For me, one of the most worrying aspects about this militant secularisation is that at its core and in its instincts it is deeply intolerant.

It demonstrates similar traits to totalitarian regimes – denying people the right to a religious identity and failing to understand the relationship between religious loyalty and loyalty to the state.

That’s why in the 20th Century, one of the first acts of totalitarian regimes was the targeting of organised religion.

Why? Because, to them, a religious identity struck at the heart of their totalitarian ideology.

In a free market of ideas, they knew their ideology was weak.

And with the strength of religions, established over many years, followed by many billions...

...their totalitarian regimes would be jeopardised.

Our response to militant secularisation today has to be simple.

Holding firm in our faiths.

Holding back intolerance.

Reaffirming the religious foundations on which our societies are built...

And reasserting the fact that, for centuries, Christianity in Europe has been inspiring, motivating, strengthening and improving our societies.

In public life – driving people to do great things, like setting up schools, creating public services, leading the way in charitable acts.

In politics – inspiring parties on both the left and the right.

In economics – providing many of the foundations for our market economy and capitalism.

In culture – influencing our monuments, our music, our paintings, and our engravings.

I’m delighted that the UK Government understands this...

...from supporting faith schools and faith charities at home and abroad...

...to helping religious groups to deliver vital public services...

And, most powerfully, when our Prime Minister spoke out unequivocally about the lasting impact of the King James Bible on our country.

THE FUTURE

But we must take this confident, open faith and apply it beyond the present.

I see a growing problem in some parts of our world today...

...with governments dictating:

What is a church and what isn’t.

Where people can build a place of worship and where they cannot.

Which faith they can belong to and which they cannot.

And whether they can display their beliefs in public or not.

I believe this is a misguided attempt at shoring up majority religions.

These governments need to realise that pluralism is not a threat to tradition.

Closer to home we see a similar suspicion.

For example, from the politicians who say that inviting Turkey to join the European Union is a threat to the roots of Europe and its Christian heritage.

Because they worry that the inclusion of a Muslim-majority country would diminish the Christianity of other countries.

They are mistaken.

The solution is not to shut the door on people of other faiths, but to strengthen our continent’s identity.

Just as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said of her country:

“The problem is not that we have too much Islam, it’s that we have too little Christianity and too few discussions about the Christian view of mankind.”

Those discussions will only come about if Europe is more confident in its Christianity.

So our continent needs the zeal of a convert...

...not from discovering something new but rediscovering something which has underpinned our civilisations for centuries.

FAITH’S SEAT AT THE TABLE

At the same time, politicians need to give faith a seat at the table in public life.

Not the privileged position of a theocracy, but that of an equal informer of our public debate.

So we are not afraid to acknowledge when the debate derives from a religious basis.

And not afraid to take onboard – and take on – the solutions offered up by religion.

Politicians must also not be afraid to speak out when we think people who speak in the name of faith have got it wrong.

For example, in the UK today, Bishops in the House of Lords, the chamber in which I sit, are opposing the government’s reforms to welfare...

...where the government is trying to restore the dignity of work by putting responsibility back at the heart of society.

I welcome the role of the Bishops in scrutinising the legislation.

I support their right to bring their view to the table.

But I reserve the right to disagree.

I am not saying that faith leaders should have a monopoly on morality.

Because, of course, as our Prime Minister David Cameron said, there are Christians who don’t live by a moral code and there are atheists and agnostics who do. But for people who do have a faith, their faith can be a helpful prod in the right direction.

Therefore, I’m arguing that religion needs a role when we look at the problems today.

So that even the most committed atheist can find that those who are committed to religion have something to offer...

...and that faith can be good for society, good for communities and good for those who choose to follow a faith.

When religion has a role in public life, it enables us to look at our economy and refer to the Christian principles on which our markets were founded.

It means we can take solace from teachings such a Rerum Novarum and Caritas in Veritate, which offer up answers for creating moral markets.

It means we can look at our social problems and be inspired by Catholic Social Teaching.

...looking at our welfare system and thinking, how does this impact on human dignity?

...looking at social breakdown and thinking, are we reinforcing responsibility between citizens?

...looking at governance and thinking, are we relying on large organisations to do what smaller units could achieve?

...all the while thinking and remembering that many of our values...

...loving our neighbours...

...acting as the Good Samaritan would...

...supporting and championing the family unit...

...doing to others as you would be done by...

... are Biblical, spiritual and religious in their origin.

UNDERSTANDING FAITH

This action at a national and at a political level should have an impact at a social level.

Where individuals’ stronger rooting in their own religion will inspire a stronger understanding of faith.

And there is no better remedy to the distortion of our respective faiths.

As the Holy Father said last year in Assisi:

“[Violence] is not the true nature of religion. It is the antithesis of religion and contributes to its destruction.”

Yet it remains a sad fact that in the modern world we see faith hijacked in the name of evil acts.

Utterly contrary to the teachings of the mainstream religions of the world.

Perhaps if states were more rooted in their religious heritages then faiths would be less prone to being distorted and hijacked for political gains.

At the same time it is this distortion which leads to believers being victimised for the actions of their co-religionists.

Whether it’s Christians in Pakistan...

Muslims in the USA...

Or Jews in Britain...

Targeted, victimised and facing the backlash of actions by their co-religionists.

It’s unacceptable and it must stop.

CONCLUSION

I started today by talking about the bond between the UK and the Holy See...

...about how we have overcome our differences to form our oldest formal diplomatic relationship.

I established that appreciating these differences was a sign of our strength, not weakness.

And this strength of identity has shone through...

...in our actions in the name of the common good...

...in the Holy Father’s State Visit to the UK in 2010...

...and, I trust, in our visit today.

Today I am urging individuals and nations to take the same approach when it comes to faith.

And saying that in order to create harmony...

...people need to strengthen their own identity...

...being sure of their nation’s religious foundations...

...and secure in their own beliefs.

At a time of great change taking place throughout the Muslim world, particularly during the Arab awakening.

Many countries, political parties and individuals are redefining their identity.

They are looking to their faith as source of inspiration to define the values by which they want to govern.

This is a great opportunity for them...

...to show that good governance can be rooted in religion….

...to show the world the true, peaceful spirit of religion…

…to demonstrate that defending your neighbour, whatever their faith, is an obligation defined by religion….

….to openly say that their countries are a home for all people of any religion.

...recognising that defending another faith does not diminish your own...

...being sure of your foundations and protecting minorities...

...preventing faith from being undermined and creating a space for faith – any faith – to thrive.

For Europe this means becoming more confident in its Christianity...

...and with that confidence, becoming more open.

People need to realise that, in our continent and beyond, Christianity’s teachings and values...

...are as permanent as Westminster Abbey...

...as indelible as Da Vinci’s Last Supper...

...and as solid as Christ the Redeemer.

And that Christianity is as vital to our future as it is to our past.

Our two states have lots to learn and much to teach…

…and I have hope, and yes faith, that others will continue with us on this path.

SUNDAY THOUGHTS - SACRAMENT OF THE SICK

2012-02-13T18:24:00.000Z

Thankfully, we do not encounter leprosy in our culture. It can therefore be difficult to enter into the real depth of today’s readings. We have to understand that leprosy meant exclusion, rejection and the end of “normal” life. For your leprosy to be cured would be like being given a second chance at life. What is the cause of exclusion and rejection in our society – or even in the Church? Who are those who must “live apart”? And how can we put into effect in our day those most touching of the words of Jesus, when asked if he wants to cure the leper: “Of course I want to!”? Contemplating exclusion and rejection in our world can be hard work: Saint Paul guides the way: the Christian path is not to work “for my own advantage, but for the advantage of everybody else”.

As we here today of Our Lord’s cure of the man with leprosy I want to say a few words about the pastoral care of the Sick and Sacrament of the Sick.

For many people the Sacrament of the Sick is referred to as ‘the last rites.’ This stems from an older understanding of the Sacrament being a preparation for death. Indeed at one time this sacrament was called Extreme Unction and was only celebrated as the sick person approached death. Thus the priest coming to visit someone sick meant ‘the end was nigh.’

Thankfully we now have a revised approach to the celebration of this wonderful Sacrament. We now talk of the pastoral care of the sick. This approach gives care to the sick person from the beginning of their illness rather than the priest being called in at the last moment - something akin to a religious RAC service.

It begins simply with pastoral visits to those who are sick. This usually takes the form of a friend or neighbour calling in on the sick person for an informal chat or a cuppa.

This may then lead into Holy Communion being brought to the sick person as they are not able to get to Mass. Here I want to thank all our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who regularly visit the sick and bring to them Christ the Bread of life. Thank you for all that you do in this important ministry.

The sick person may then hint that they want to go to confession or speak with the priest. It is then that the priest becomes involved in the care of sick, but notice things have already been happening long before the priest has been called.

When the priest visits he may well hear the sick person's confession and celebrae the Sacrament of the Sick, anointing the hands and forehead with the holy oil that has been blessed by the Bishop on Holy Thursday.

The Anointing of the Sick, as the name suggests is for those who are sick. It should not simply be a final anointing just before the person takes their last breath. It is a sacrament to bring about the Lord’s consolation and healing (and yes in some cases this may be to ease the passage from this world to the next –which is also a healing) and it can be repeated during the course of a long illness.

I am more than happy to celebrate this sacrament with those who feel the need for it. All you have to do is ask.

NEW BISHOP FOR LOURDES

2012-02-12T10:28:00.002Z

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Mgr Nicolas Jean René Brouwet as the new bishop of the diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes (France). The announcment was made by the Archbishop of Toulouse yesterday (Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes) at the Grotto.

The newly appointed bishop was born 31st August 1962 and ordained priest on 27th June 1992 for the diocese of Nanterre. He was ordained Bishop on 29th June 2008 and appointed as auxillary bishop to the diocese of Nanterre.

Bishop Brouwet will be installed as Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes on 25th March. Please pray for him.

PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

2012-02-04T20:07:00.002Z

On the 2nd February I went over to New Brighton to visit the members of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. At the invitation of Bishop Davies, the Institute have taken over the care church of St Peter and Paul, New Brighon. In due time the church will become a place of Eucharistic Adoration in the diocese.

There is much work to be done. Please keep Canon Meney and Abbe Montjean in your prayers as they begin their ministry in New Brighton.

To mark the Solemnity of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary there was a High Mass.

Celebrant: Fr. Ian O'Shea

Deacon: Fr. Francis Wadsworth

Subdeacon: Abbe Cosme Montjean

Here are a few pictures from the Mass

In the sacristy before Mass

Blessing of candles prior to the Procession

Blessing of Candles

Part of te Procession

The Mass - Introibo ad altare Dei

The Collect

A prayerful subdeacon

Abbe Montjean sings the Epistle

Yours truly sings the Gospel

Distribution of Holy Communion

Procession back to the sacristy

Clergy and Servers

IT'S GREAT TO BE A PRIEST

2012-01-24T23:19:00.000Z

There are many times in the ministry of a priest when you just want to say 'Thank God I am a priest.' It could be because of some kindness that someone has shown you or more likely from contact with people through the ministry that you perform.

I had such a day today as it was my priviledge to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism for two of our children. The ceremony took place in one of our parish primary schools. This allowed the year three child to witness an actual baptism as part of their work on the Sacramental Programme preparing for their First Holy Communion.

Here are a few photos taken at the celebration. Congratulations to the two boys and their parents. Do please keep them in your prayers.

REFLECTIONS FROM SUNDAY

2012-01-24T17:08:00.002Z

I am grateful to the Roman Catholic Rector of Wells in the Diocese of Clifton whose genius has provided the main ideas that run through this homily.

Sometime ago I was at a meeting where the discussion was getting very heated. The longer the meeting went on the more heated it got. One of the folk at the meeting leaned over to me and said 'This reminds me of Sunday's Gospel, Father.' I was somewhat puzzled at what he meant. He then leaned over again and said 'That part where Jesus says: Come follow me and I will make you viscious old men.' Sometimes there truth in that statement.

Today we continue where we left off last week with our children on the Sacramental Programme as they focused on the Liturgy of the word. We are a people who celebrate God's Word. The theme of our readings at Mass this weekend is listening.

In many ways, the whole of the Book of Jonah from where our first reading is taken is about listening. It begins with the prophet receiving a message from God to go to Nineveh, but he does not like the message he hears, so he does not listen. He runs away from God. Storms at sea make him realise that he must listen, so shipwreck and the famous big fish are the means of him coming to Nineveh.

He preaches the message that he has received from God - a message of repentance. Unfortunately for Jonah the people of Nineveh listened. They listened intently to what he had to say. As a result they began to change their ways. They turned to the Lord in repentance for their past faults and failings. They took Jonah and his message seriously.

The story of the call of the Apostles in today's Gosepl is not just a tale of vocation, but also a story of 4 fishermen, who listened. There must have been something in them that made them ready to accept God’s invitation to be part of His plan. They were open and ready.

Listening is something that we do every day of our lives. But there can be different levels of hearing. Chaps imagine the wife is nagging you to do something and you listen only half heartedly or you turn the deaf ear and pretend that you havent heard what was said. There is the disinterested listening to the televison or radio as background noise. And there is listening intently, hanging on the speakers every word to gain as much as you possibly can.

We listen when we come to Mass. The question is how do we listen? Is it a disinterested listening? We have come to Mass plonked ourselves down in the bench, folded our arms and closed our ears? We are physically present at Mass but we are not really listening and taking in what is going on.

We might have decided 'I dont like Father so and so. He's not a very nice priest so I won't listen to what he has to say. I can't stand the person who did the First Reading so I won't listen. These are just a few examples of our listening (or not) at Mass.

But there could be a deeper reason. There is an attitude of 'I'm not going to listen to the preacher as I don't like what he says. He challenges me to live my life differently. He challenges me to change my attitudes about others, about the faith about how I am living and I dont like it. If the preacher will not reinforce my existing views I am not interested.

I don't like what the scriptures are saying so I won't listen. I don't like what Jesus says in the Gosepl so I won't listen. Because if I actually believe what is being read, if I actually believe wh at the Lord is saying then I might have to change the way I live. The challenges are all there, but I can bury my head in the sand and pretend that I have not heard it so that I can remain the same.

Some people will day they do not come to Mass because it is boring!!! This is often said by young people, but I have heard it said by those old enough to know better too. My repsonse to this has always been 'Yes it is. I too am bored at Mass. If its entertainment that I am looking for then there are plenty of opportunities for this elsewhere: the cinema, the theatre, spending time with friends. I am even discovering going to the gym can be a form of entertainment and fun.

Mass is not the place to come seeking entertainment. It is the place we come to give God that which is His right - our worship. It is by bringing our joys and sorrows before the altar of God that we gain strength to continue living the Christian life.

We can say the Mass is boring and we may go away frm church thinking we got nothing out of it. Could that be because I did not make a real effort to listen?

SOME ECUMENICAL THOUGHTS

2012-01-22T17:31:00.000Z

Shortly after I was ordained deacon I was sent to a parish to fulfil my diaconal placement. It was there that I got at real taste of ordained ministry: baptisms, wedding preparation and the wedding ceremonies, funerals ‘’all at the crem’’ and visiting the parish primary schools were just some of the things I had to do.

One day whilst I was visiting the primary school I walked into a lesson were the teacher was trying to explain some of the differences between the Catholic Church and the Church of England. After she had finished the children were asked to go and do some work on their own. As I went round the class I was amused to read in one boys’ book

THE DIFFENCE BETWEEN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IS THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND HAS DOUBLE GLAZING!!! If only it were that simple!!!

However the more I have reflected on what that boy wrote and combined with my study of theology I realised that actually he was right. Yes you could say that he was simply pointing out a physical difference between the church buildings but under the surface there is something far deeper.

WE ARE NOT THE SAME… and those who try and peddle a form of ecumenism or Christianity that claims we are all the same are lying.

We do ourselves a disservice in the work for unity if we try and paper of the cracks and pretend there are no problems. Looking at our differences and acknowledging there are differences is the way forward.

Someone, rather tongue in cheek (I hope) compared the work of Christian Unity to mixing a good gin and tonic! First there is the choosing of the gin: Bombay Hendricks,, Gordon’s – being a Roman Catholic I would naturally go for Monsignor Gilbey’s!!! Then there is the tonic (Schweppes, diet or full fat) the ice and the lime or if you really must, lemon. All these ingredients are needed for the perfect G and T and if one of them is missing then the drink suffers. The ingredients are all different – on their own they produce nothing, but bring them together in a unity – and the results are wonderful.

Our Holy Father Benedict XVI has been described by some as a true ecumenist in the sense he is calling all God’s scattered children home, but not trying to make them the same – unity is not uniformity. The Pope has reached out to bring back into full Communion the Society of St Pius the X. We continue to pray and work towards reunion with the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Last year as we know he has offered a way to members of the Anglican Church who seek reunion with the See of Peter, whilst retaining their Anglican Patrimony – unity is not uniformity.

On a more local level here at St Marie’s we welcome the Ukrainian Community twice a month for the celebration of their Divine Liturgy. The style of worship, the language and ceremonials are probably alien to most Romans Catholics let alone anyone else. Yet it is no less Catholic simply because it’s different. We do not have to be the same if we have unity of faith. As this Week of Prayer for the Unity of Christendom draws to a close we must set ourselves to seek out and preserve all that is good in our own traditions whilst working with every fibre of our being for that unity which Christ himself prayed on the night of his passion.

THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS

2012-01-03T18:08:00.000Z

To-day the Church celebrates the memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus - the only name given to us through which we may receive salvation.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

in a believer's ear!

it soothes his sorrows, heals in wounds,

and drives away his fear

It makes the wounded spirit whole,

and calms the troubled breast;

tis manna to the hingry soul,

and to the weary rest.

Dear name! the rock on which I build,

my sheild and hiding place,

my never failing treasury filled

with boundless stores of grace.

Jesus! my Shepherd, Brother, Friend

my Prophet, Priest and King,

My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,

accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,

and cold my warmest thought;

But when I see Thee as Thou art,

I'll praise Thee as I ought.

Till then I would thy love proclcaim

with every fleeting breath;

and my the music of thy name

refresh my soul in death.

MAY THEY REST IN PEACE

2011-12-31T09:58:00.000Z

Losing a relative or a friend is never easy. As Christmas approaches it is made even more difficult. We extend to families who have lsot loved ones at this time our deepest sympathies and the assurance of our prayers for them and their loved ones.

Of your charity pray for th souls of those who have recently died:

Bishop John Jukes OFM Conv

Peter Gaunt

Franciszek Wisla

Anna Krupa

Fr. Basil Prior OSM

George Wynn

James William Gibbs

Michael Bleakley

Hilda Margaret Kelly

Helena Gluba

And all those whose anniversaries occur around this time

COUNCILLOR JOHN BYRNE RIP

2011-12-31T09:52:00.000Z

Of your charity pray for the repose of the soul of Councillor John Byrne and Deputy Mayor of Bury who died suddenly a few days ago. May he rest in peace.

To his family we extend our prayers and our deepest condolences.

RECEPTIONS INTO CHURCH

2011-12-29T11:15:00.000Z

On Sunday 18th December we witnessed the reception of two adults into the full communion with the Catholic Church.

At the 9:30am Mass at St Joseph's, Choi Ford was received into the Church by baptism, was then Confirmed and made her first Holy Communion.

At the 11:30am Mass at St Marie's Tracey Miniero made her Profession of Faith and was recieved into the full communion with the Church. She also received the Sacrament of Confirmation and made her first Holy Communion.

WHAT TIME IS MIDNIGHT MASS?

2011-12-24T09:48:00.001Z

CHRISTMAS EVE

CONFESSIONS

10:30 - 12:30 in St. Marie's

6:30pm Vigil Mass

in St Joseph's Church

12:00 Midnight Mass in

St Marie's Church

CHRISTMAS DAY

9:15am Holy Mass in St Joseph's Church

11:30am Holy Mass in St Marie's Church

SMILE 2

2011-12-22T22:32:00.000Z

SMILE

2011-12-22T17:18:00.001Z

In this 'season of goodwill' when tempers can become a little frayed here is something to lighten your burden. It has been produced by the Sons of the Most Holy Reedeemer. Find out more about them here: http://www.papastronsay.blogspot.com/

NEW ADDITIONS

2011-12-22T09:43:00.000Z

Following on from last year I was able to purchase a few more figures for the Crib this year. Our new additions are Standing Angel, Shepherd, Adoring Angel and a couple of Sheep. They can been seen in the photo with this post. Unfortunately the picture quality is not that great.

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

2011-12-16T21:15:00.000Z

I share with you the Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Aberdeen on the subject of silence. Something we all need a bit of as Christmas approaches.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We live in a noisy world. Our towns and cities are full of noise. There is noise in the skies and on the roads. There is noise in our homes, and even in our churches. And most of all there is noise in our minds and hearts.

The Danish philosopher Kierkegaard once wrote: ‘The present state of the world and the whole of life is diseased. If I were a doctor and I were asked for my advice, I should reply: “Create silence! Bring people to silence!” The Word of God cannot be heard in the noisy world of today. And even if it were trumpeted forth with all the panoply of noise so that it could be heard in the midst of all the other noise, then it would no longer be the Word of God. Therefore, create silence!’

‘Create silence!’ There’s a challenge here. Surely speaking is a good and healthy thing? Yes indeed. Surely there are bad kinds of silence? Yes again. But still Kierkegaard is on to something.

There is a simple truth at stake. There can be no real relationship with God, there can be no real meeting with God, without silence. Silence prepares for that meeting and silence follows it. An early Christian wrote, ‘To someone who has experienced Christ himself, silence is more precious than anything else.’ For us God has the first word, and our silence opens our hearts to hear him. Only then will our own words really be words, echoes of God’s, and not just more litter on the rubbish dump of noise.

‘How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given.’ So the carol goes. For all the noise, rush and rowdiness of contemporary Christmasses, we all know there is a link between Advent and silence, Christmas and silence. Our cribs are silent places. Who can imagine Mary as a noisy person? In the Gospels, St Joseph never says a word; he simply obeys the words brought him by angels. And when John the Baptist later comes out with words of fire, it is after years of silence in the desert. Add to this the silence of our long northern nights, and the silence that follows the snow. Isn’t all this asking us to still ourselves?

A passage from the Old Testament Book of Wisdom describes the night of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt as a night full of silence. It is used by the liturgy of the night of Jesus’ birth:

‘When a deep silence covered all things and night was in the middle of its course, your all-powerful Word, O Lord, leapt from heaven’s royal throne’ (Wis 18:14-15).

‘Holy night, silent night!’ So we sing. The outward silence of Christmas night invites us to make silence within us. Then the Word can leap into us as well, as a wise man wrote: ‘If deep silence has a hold on what is inside us, then into us too the all-powerful Word will slip quietly from the Father’s throne.’

This is the Word who proceeds from the silence of the Father. He became an infant, and ‘infant’ means literally ‘one who doesn’t speak.’ The child Jesus would have cried – for air and drink and food – but he didn’t speak. ‘Let him who has ears to hear, hear what this loving and mysterious silence of the eternal Word says to us.’ We need to listen to this quietness of Jesus, and allow it to make its home in our minds and hearts.

‘Create silence!’ How much we need this! The world needs places, oases, sanctuaries, of silence.

And here comes a difficult question: what has happened to silence in our churches? Many people ask this. When the late Canon Duncan Stone, as a young priest in the 1940s, visited a parish in the Highlands, he was struck to often find thirty or forty people kneeling there in silent prayer. Now often there is talking up to the very beginning of Mass, and it starts again immediately afterwards. But what is a church for, and why do we go there? We go to meet the Lord and the Lord comes to meet us. ‘The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him!’ said the prophet Habakkuk. Surely the silent sacramental presence of the Lord in the tabernacle should lead us to silence? We need to focus ourselves and put aside distractions before the Mass begins. We want to prepare to hear the word of the Lord in the readings and homily. Surely we need a quiet mind to connect to the great Eucharistic Prayer? And when we receive Holy Communion, surely we want to listen to what the Lord God has to say, ‘the voice that speaks of peace’? Being together in this way can make us one – the Body of Christ – quite as effectively as words.

A wise elderly priest of the diocese said recently, ‘Two people talking stop forty people praying.’

‘Create silence!’ I don’t want to be misunderstood. We all understand about babies. Nor are we meant to come and go from church as cold isolated individuals, uninterested in one another. We want our parishes to be warm and welcoming places. We want to meet and greet and speak with one another. There are arrangements to be made, items of news to be shared, messages to be passed. A good word is above the best gift, says the Bible. But it is a question of where and when. Better in the porch than at the back of the church. Better after the Mass in a hall or a room. There is a time and place for speaking and a time and place for silence. In the church itself, so far as possible, silence should prevail. It should be the norm before and after Mass, and at other times as well. When there is a real need to say something, let it be done as quietly as can be. At the very least, such silence is a courtesy towards those who want to pray. It signals our reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. It respects the longing of the Holy Spirit to prepare us to celebrate the sacred mysteries. And then the Mass, with its words and music and movement and its own moments of silence, will become more real. It will unite us at a deeper level, and those who visit our churches will sense the Holy One amongst us.

‘Create silence!’ It is an imperative. May the Word coming forth from silence find our silence waiting for him like a crib! ‘The devil’, said St Ambrose, ‘loves noise; Christ looks for silence.’

Yours sincerely in Him,
+ Hugh, O. S. B.
Bishop of Aberdeen

7 December 2011

BISCUIT RECIPE

2011-12-16T19:18:00.000Z

Thanks to Fr. Z at http://www.wdtprs.com/ for the following

Christmas Biscuit Recipe (New, Corrected Translation)

Cream these ingredients, that by their comingling you may begin to make the dough:
1 chalice butter, 2/3 chalice sugar

In a similar way, when the butter is consubstantial with the sugar, beat in:
1 egg

Gather these dry ingredients to yourself and combine them, so that you may add them to the dough which you have already begun to make:
2 1/2 chalices sifted all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the precious dough with your venerable hands.

Into the refrigerator graciously place the dough so that it may be chilled, for the duration of 3 or 4 hours, before the rolling and cutting of the biscuits.

When, in the fullness of time, you are ready to bake these spotless biscuits, these delicious biscuits, these Christmas biscuits, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out the dough and, taking up a biscuit cutter or stencil of your choosing, fashion the biscuits into pleasing forms.

Sprinkle colourful adornments over the biscuits like the dewfall.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the biscuits have just begun to manifest the brownness that is vouchsafed to them by the oven’s heat.

May these biscuits be found acceptable in your sight, and be borne to a place of refreshment at your table, there to be served with milk or hot chocolate, or with your spirits.

Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES

2011-12-14T21:45:00.000Z

CHRISTMAS EVE

6:30pm Vigil Mass in St Joseph's Church

Midnight Mass (at Midnight!) in St Marie's Church

CHRISTMAS DAY

9:15am Holy Mass in St Joseph's Church

11:30am Holy Mass in St Marie's Church

1:00pm till 3:30pm Ukrainian Divine Liturgy

of St John Chrysostom

CONFESSIONS

Wednesday 21st December

11:30am - 12:10pm at St Marie's

CHIRSTMAS EVE

10:30 - 12:30 at St Marie's

150 YEARS OLD

2011-12-14T20:46:00.003Z

The Bishop and children gather before Mass with
Fr. Steven Parkinson Bishop's Secretary and former curate

Uniformed organisations and primary school children help with the singing

Fathers Michael Buckley (past curate) and Bob Morrow (past PP)

The Bishop says the Opening Prayer of the Mass

The Parish Priest has the last word!

On the 23rd of November parishioners past and present gathered in St Joseph's Church together with the Bisho pto mark the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the parish. It was lovely to see the church so full and everyone joining in the celebration.

Before the Mass begin the children present various national flags to the Bishop representing the nationalities that make up the community.

During his homily Bishop Brain reflected on how things had changed over the last 150 years, yet the purpose of the parish today is the same as it was was then 'that the name of the Lord may be praised.' That has certainly been done and we look forward to the next 150 years making the name of the Lord know and loved in this part of Bury.

BISHOP JOHN JUKES OFMConv RIP

2011-11-21T15:32:00.000Z

Of your charity pray for the happy repose of the soul of Bishop John Jukes. Bishop Jukes was a member of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual and one time auxillary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Soouthwark with responsibility for the the area of Kent.

Bishop Jukes ordained me to the Diaconate on 12th December 1997

and to the Sacred Priesthood on 13th June 1998.

May he rest in peace.

NEW BRIGHTON NEWS

2011-11-19T17:06:00.001Z

Some time ago in the Catholic Herald it was reported that Bishop Mark Davies of the diocese of Shrewsbury hd given permission for the Institute of the Christ the King Sovereign Priest to take charge of a church within his diocese.

The Instisute has now taken up residence in the presbytery belonging to the church of St Peter and St Paul, New Brighton and I went to pay them a fraternal visit last Thursday. Caon Olivier Meney is the first priest to be assigned there. (Picture left) Others will be coming to join him in the near future.

The Institue is committed to the celebration of the Mass and Sacraments according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Further information about the Institue can be found here: http://www.institute-christ-king.org/ (American Website) and here: http://www.icrsp.org/ (General Website, in French).

Bishop Davies has asked that the church of St Peter and Paul become a Centre for Eucharistic Adoration in his diocese. Please pray for the success of this venture and for Canon Meney in particular.

WEDDING BELLS

2011-11-19T16:13:00.001Z

Congratulations to

Stuart Broomhead

and Wendy Berry

who were married at

St Marie's this afternoon.

We wish them every blessing

in their married life.

WEEKEND OF ADORATION

2011-11-05T13:13:00.000Z

Weekend of Eucharistic Adoration

at Guardian Angels, Bury

Friday 18th November

Mass 12.00 noon - Adoration begins at 12.30 pm

Adoration ends at 8.00 pm (with Night Prayer of the Church)

Saturday 19th November

10.00 am - Adoration begins

6.30 pm - Adoration Ends (before Vigil Mass at 7.00 pm)

Sunday 20th November

2.00 pm - Adoration begins

6.00 pm - Adoration ends with Evening Prayer

of the Solemnity of Christ the King and Benediction.

ENCOURAGING PRIESTS

2011-11-05T09:43:00.000Z

Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury (and our former Vicar General in Salford) has given a very heart warming and encouraging message to priests of the recently formed Confraternity of Catholic Clergy.

In his address he said 'In parishes I visit week after week I always try to ask that we open our hearts again to the gift of the priesthood and speak of the need to love an recognise wh at the priesthood truly is.'

Unfortunately I was not able to attend this Conference given by Bishop Davies, but there have been many good reports given by others in the blog sphere. Father Tim Finniagan has one at http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com/ and Father Ray Blake from St Mary Magdalene in Brighton has another at http://marymagdalen.blogspot.com/

Thank God for the witness of Bishop Davies both to the CAtholic Priesthood and the Catholic Faith. As part of a renewal programme for the priesthood in his diocese the relic of the heart of St John Vianney is brought for veneration in July 2012. A full programme of events will be made available nearer the time.

SUNG MASS

2011-11-05T09:24:00.000Z

On Friday 4th November we had a Missa Cantata (Sung Mass) for the Feast of St Charles Borromeo.

The picture shows the celebrant at the offertory of the Mass.

HOLY SOULS

2011-11-03T13:03:00.000Z

Holy Souls Shrine at St Marie's

Holy Souls Shrine at St Joseph's

During the Month of November we remember all those who have died and pray for them that they may be released from their sins and be admitted to the company of heaven.

We pray for our relatives, benefactors and friends and for all who wished us good in life. In charity we also pray for those who were perhaps not as good as they could have been towards us asking the Lord to grant them eternal rest.

The picture shows the Holy Souls Shrines in each of our churches - our focus of prayer during this month.

WONDER, AWE AND NEW MISSAL

2011-10-30T19:02:00.003Z

A few people asked for a copy of my homily from this weekend at St Marie's. As it was delivered viva voce (without notes) I am afraid there is no hard copy to be had. I will attempt to write down some of my wandering thoughts and I hope that will be of some help.

Those of us who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation may well remember having to learn the gifts of Holy Ghost. One of them I remember learning was ‘the fear of the Lord.’ I found this very difficult to understand. I suppose today we would say that it is not very ‘user friendly.’ As a teenager I couldn’t get my head round the notion of having to fear Someone we are told and believe to be perfect love. Would you or even should you fear someone you love?

The more modern translation of ‘fear of the Lord’ is ‘wonder and awe in his presence.’ That is a nicer phrase. It expresses the attitude that we should have towards God. At the root of the matter, whether we speak of the 'fear of the Lord' or 'the spirit of wonder and awe', is the fact that God is other. He is different from us. He is omnipotent, eternal and omniscient – in modern language he is all-powerful, ever-living and all-knowing. Or in the words of St Anselm ‘God is that which nothing greater can be conceived.’ We should be struck with the awesomeness of God. We should not be afraid of him. That is the role of prayer in our lives. The catechism tells us that prayer is the 'raising of the heart and mind to God'. We can do that in many ways.

The principle way that the Church does this is through Her Sacred Liturgy. The music, the words and the ceremonial all come together to help us in this regard. Now we all know that liturgical experts always want to change the liturgy. In the wake of the recent Council (which incidentally is fifty years ago next year) we began to experience the liturgy celebrated in the vernacular instead of latin. Many argue that the use of the vernacular instead of latin has dimished that idea of wonder and awe in the presence of God.

It is true that often in the old days Mass was rushed through – even in latin and sadly the Missa Gabbliata was not uncommon. But if you go to a monastery or cathedral or a lowly parish church where the latin liturgy is still celebrated, there is an immediate sense of the ‘otherness’ of God. It is possible to celebrate Mass in the vernacular in a spirit of wonder and awe, but it is all too easy for the Mass to sound like a news broadcast or a chatty meeting. We need to guard against this and to seek to reverse this trend where we have any influence.

At the beginning of our Mass to-day we de-commissioned the Missal that we have used for the last forty years. Why? Why have we got a new translation and a new missal? The language used in the now 'Old Missal' has been criticised for lacking that sense of awe and mystery. The words of the New Missal that we use for the first time in their fullness this weekend will help us to raise our hearts and minds to God. They will help us to focus more on Christ and less on ourselves.

I remember supplying in one parish and a lady remonstrated with me after Mass that during the Eucharistic Prayer I did not look at the congregation. I simply replied that I was not talking to the congregation!!! She questioned me further. I then explained the Eucharistic Prayer was addressed to God and not the congregation. As a child I was always taught to face the person I was talking to and I still do the same when talking to God.

As we become more familiar with this new missal it will draw closer to God. That is the purpose of the liturgy. Yes there will be words and phrases that we will not immediately understand but that should not deter us. Reading in the Catholic papers this weekend I read the story of a woman who had written to Cardinal Pell complaining about the word ‘consubstantial’ in the new transaltion of the Creed. She said that she didn’t understand what it meant. His Eminence simply wrote back to her and told her to look up nad then she would understand!!!

Those of you who have had the joy of teaching a child to read will understand this. The child will not understand every word on the page – but they will want to know so that they can fully understand the story. That should be our attitude towards this new translation – 'Faith seeking understanding' to quote our old friend St Anselm again.

Let us pray that this new missal will lead us closer to Christ. That the words contained in its pages will lead us to awe and wonder in the presence of God. Let us pray that it will so enhance our celebration of the Sacred Mysteries here on earth so as to make us fit for the liturgy of heaven.

RECENT BAPTISM

2011-10-29T15:53:00.002+01:00

Please remember in your prayers: Illie, Alynia and Remi who were baptised at St Joseph's this afternoon. Please also remember their family in your prayers too.

150th ANNIVERSARY

2011-10-28T13:43:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday 23rd November His Lordship Bishop Terence Brain will preside at Mass in St Joseph's Church, Bury to mark the 150th Anniversary since the founding of that parish. All are welcome to attend.

Mass will be followed by a social celebration in the Salisbury Club opposite the church.

IT'S HERE!!!

2011-10-28T13:36:00.000+01:00

This morning I took delivery of the New Roman Missal to be used in the celebration of Mass from now on.

(Actually it arrived yesterday whilst i was out and was kindly taken in by the Solicitiors next door). It was used for the first time at St Marie's this lunch time.

The missals for use in St Joseph's Church have also arrived and they will be used for the first time at the Vigil Mass this weekend.

NEW MISSAL

2011-10-27T10:44:00.001+01:00

As priests up and down the land await the arrival of their new Missals for Improved Translation od the Mass here is a ditty that could be sung in preparation.

All over the Church the Missals are coming

All over the Church as ICEL feared it would be

All over the Church there's a mighty big improvement

of the Missal to be used in the Sacred Liturgy

CONGRATULATIONS

2011-10-16T14:40:00.001+01:00

To St Gabriel's High School who have recently been given 'Outstanding' in their recent OFSTED Inspection. A school doesn't achieve such a great result overnight. This based on the dedication and hard work of our staff, both teaching and non teaching. It is also based on the standards of the students work and their comments and attitude towards the school. St Gabriel's is a Catholic School we can be proud of.

Once again many congratulations and thanks for your hard work and dedication.

THE PRIEST: A PRAYER ON SUNDAY NIGHT

2011-10-16T14:32:00.001+01:00

As it is Sunday evening now, with the Sabbath drawing to a close, this Michel Quoist prayer from his book "Prayers of Life" should help us understand our priests and emphatise with them a little better, especially when we have such great expectations from the "Men in Black"!

Tonight, Lord, I am alone.
Little by little the sounds died down in the church,
The people went away,
And I came home,
Alone.

I passed people who were returning from a walk.
I went by the cinema that was disgorging its crowd.
I skirted cafe entrances where tired strollers were trying to prolong the pleasure of a Sunday holiday.
I bumped into youngsters playing on the footpath,
Youngsters, Lord,
Other people's youngsters who will never be my own.

Here I am Lord, Alone.
The silence troubles me. The solitude oppresses me.

Lord, I am 35 years old, a body made like others, ready for work,
A heart meant for love, But I've given you all.
It's true of course that you needed it.

I've given you all, but it's hard Lord.
It's hard to give one's body; it would like to give itself to others.
It's hard to love everyone and to claim no one.
It's hard to shake a hand and not want to retain it.
It's hard to inspire affection, to give it to you.
It's hard to be nothing to oneself in order to be everything to others.
It's hard to be like others, among others, and to be one of them.
It's hard always to give without trying to receive.
It's hard to seek out others and to be unsought oneself.
It's hard to suffer from the sins of others, and yet be obliged to hear and bear them.
It's hard to be told secrets and be unable to share them.
It's hard to carry others and never, even for a moment, be carried.
It's hard to sustain the feeble and never be able to lean on the one who is strong.
It's hard to be alone,

Alone before everyone,
Alone before the world,
Alone before suffering, death, sin.

Son, you are not alone,
I am with you,
I am you.

For I needed another human vehicle to continue my Incarnation and my Redemption.
Out of all eternity, I chose you.
I need you.

I need your hands to continue to bless,
I need your lips to continue to speak,
I need your body to continue to suffer,
I need your heart to continue to love,
I need you to continue to save,
Stay with me, son.

Here I am Lord;
Here is my body,
Here is my heart,
Here is my soul.

Grant that I may be big enough to reach the world,
Strong enough to carry it,
Pure enough to embrace it without wanting to keep it.
Grant that I may be a meeting-place, but a temporary one,
A road that does not end in itself, because everything to be gathered there, everything human,
leads toward you.

Lord, tonight, while all is still and I feel sharply the sting of solitude,
While men devour my soul and I feel incapable of satisfying their hunger,
While the whole world presses on my shoulders with all its weight of misery and sin,

I repeat to you my "yes" - not in a burst of laughter, but slowly, clearly, humbly,
Alone, Lord, before you,
In the peace of the evening.

WELCOME

2011-10-12T10:15:00.001+01:00

On Sunday last parishioners gathered at St Marie's together with members of the Lithuanian Community to welcome Father Donatas as he begins his ministry as Assistant Priest here in Bury and Chaplain to the Lithuanian Community in our diocese and beyond.

The Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Edmond Putrimas, the Lithuanian Bishop's Conference delegate for Lithuanians living outside Lithuania. He was joined by Father Petras, Parish Priest of St Casimir's Parish in London and Canon Kamaitis who has served the Lithanian Commuity for over fifty years.

The Mass was also concelebrated by Father Anthony Kay VG, Canon Anthony McBride and Father Francis Wadsworth, Parish Priest.

In attendance at the Mass was his Excellency, the Ambassador of Lithuania.

Monsignor Putrimas gathers with clergy of the diocese before Mass

The Mass of Welcome

Father Donatus enjoys dinner with the Ambassador od Lithuania and friends

BLESSED JOHN HENRY NEWMAN

2011-10-05T17:15:00.002+01:00

Feast of the Bl. John Henry Newman

Monday 10th October

at the Church of the Holy Name,

Oxford Road, Manchester

Solemn Mass and

Veneration of his Relic at 5.15pm

Louis Vierne - Messe Solonnelle (Op.16)

Triduo in Preparation for the Feast
Friday 7th October at 5.15pm Mass

Saturday 8th October at 8pm Benediction

Sunday 9th October at the 11am Solemn Mass

Prayer of John Henry Newman

Stay with me, and then I shall begin to shine as Thou shinest: so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from Thee. None of it will be mine. No merit to me. It will be Thou who shinest through me upon others. O let me thus praise Thee, in the way which Thou dost love best, by shining on all those around me. Give light to them as well as to me; light them with me, through me. Teach me to show forth Thy praise, Thy truth, Thy will. Make me preach Thee without preaching - not by words, but by my example and by the catching force, the sympathetic influence, of what I do - by my visible resemblance to Thy saints, and the evident fullness of the love which my heart bears to Thee.

CONGRATULATIONS

2011-10-05T17:02:00.000+01:00

Congratulationss to the staff and children of St Marie's Primary School who have been given the International Schools Award. I know how hard both staff and children have worked to gain this prestigious award. It is a credit to them. Soon we will be able to hoist a flag near the school to let eveyone know of our success.

OUR NEW PRIEST

2011-09-14T14:45:00.000+01:00

A Lithuanian priest serving in Manchester from St Chad’s, Cheetham Hill has been a long tradition in our diocese dating back to the 1880’s when the first migrants came to Manchester and surrounding areas. This tradition has continued down through the years until the retirement of Canon Valentinas Kamaitis over 10 years ago. The Lithuanian Community now prepares to welcome a new priest, Fr. Donatas Kilmasauskas to continue this pastoral tradition.

Fr Donatus has been appointed by the Bishop as assistant priest at St. Marie and St Joseph’s Parish, Bury. In addition to this he will have responsibility for the Lithuanian Catholic Community in the diocese, the North West and the Midlands.

Fr. Donatas comes from a small village Lykšilis in Lithuania. He completed his studies at the Seminary in Kaunas and was ordained in 2008 in Siauliai. After ordination he continued his studies and gained a Master Degree from the University of Vilnius.

His arrival is a cause of great celebration for Lithuanians in the diocese and for our parish of St Marie and St Joseph. Those of Lithuanian background will now have the opportunity to pray and worship in their native language and maintain the traditions of the Lithuanian Catholic Church.

A Welcome Mass

on Sunday 9th October at 4:00pm at St Marie’s Church

will be celebrated by Monsignor Edmond Putrimas,

the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference Delegate for the Lithuanian Catholic Apostolate Abroad,

Fr. Petras Tverijonas, Pastor of St Casimir’s Lithuanian Church in London

as well as representatives of the Ukrainian and Polish communities in Bury.

ALL MEMBERS OF THE PARISH ARE INVITED TO THIS MASS TO WELCOME OUR NEW PRIEST

POLISH WEDDING

2011-09-06T20:01:00.001+01:00

From Lourdes I took the train to Paris to meet up with my travelling companion, Father Phililp Thomas Parish Priest of St Teresa's Wells and St Michael's, Shepton Mallet in the Diocese of Clifton. Together we drove across to Poland so that I could officate at the wedding of two friends and then stay on for holidays. The wedding took place in the Bazylika Sw. Ludwika Krola i Wniebowziecia NMP in Katowice-Panewniki.

Please keep Piers and Karolina in your prayers as they embark on married life.

LOURDES

2011-09-06T19:40:00.000+01:00

The month of August saw our diocesan pilgrimage ot Lourdes take place under the leadership of our Bishop. Much has been written about the pilgrimage on the daily blog on our diocesan website. For pictures, stories and reflections on the pilgrimage please visit http://www.salforddiocese.org.uk/

This year marked my 25th pilgrimage with the diocese. At the end of the pilgrimage on behalf of the Bishop of Lourdes, Bishop Brain presented me with a special award in recognition of that service. The Bishop of Lourdes has made me a Titular Chaplain (Canon) to the Basilica at Lourdes.

THE MONTH OF JULY

2011-09-06T19:20:00.001+01:00

The month of July passed relatively quietly in the parish.. A highlight of the month was being able to attend the Solemn Profession of Brother Rupert Allen into the Premonstratension Order (Norbertines). Do please keep Brother Rupert in your prayers as the day of his ordiantion to the diaconate draws nearer. The enclosed pic shows Brother Rupert making his profession.

BACK TO BLOGGING

2011-09-05T15:54:00.000+01:00

After a long gap, I thought it was time to update the blog. The next few posts will be a summary of the main events since the last post.

CORPUS CHRISTI

2011-06-27T20:50:00.000+01:00

To mark the Solemnity of Corpus Christi we had a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament after the 11:30am Mass concluding with Benediction

TANTI AUGURI

2011-06-25T22:15:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Tracey and Chirstopher who were married at St Marie's this weekend

SOLEMNITY OF SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL

2011-06-24T11:52:00.001+01:00

WEDNESDAY 29th JUNE. A reminder that this is a HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION and we are bound to hear Mass on this day unless prevented from doing so by a serious reason.

Masses are as follows:

Vigil Mass 8:00pm in St Joseph's Church

9:30am in St Joseph's Church

12:15 in St Marie's Church

2:00pm in St Marie's Church with St Marie's School

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

2011-06-24T11:40:00.000+01:00

Here are a few pictures taken at the First Holy Communion Mass at St Marie's last week. Congratulations to all the children. Do please keep them in your prayers so that they will grow in love for our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament.

A FRATERNAL VISIT

2011-06-24T11:33:00.000+01:00

With great joy we recently welcomed back Fr. Alosza Micinski to our pairsh. You will recall Alsosza visited us as a deacon last year. He was ordained to the priesthood on 12th June 2010 in his native Karaganda,

Kazakhstan.

As we heard from Father during his homily life for Christians is difficult enough in a mainly Moslem country, but coupled with that are the difficulties of daily living. Remember how he told us the temperature falls to -44 in winter and he has to dig himself out of the presbytery in order to light the boiler?

Life in Karaganda is hard, but Father Alosza and the people he serves are filled with faith. They place their hope and their trust in God who will help them. A reflection on how far things have gone in England came home to me when we were passing Tesco's on our way to St Joseph's for morning Mass and Father Alosza said 'Padre questo e il nuovo chiesa. - Father this is the new church.' I think he might be right.

Here are a few pictures that were taken during his visit.

In St Marie's School

In the parish centre with one of the younger parishioners

Group photo with children preparing for First Holy Communion

A NEW MASS SETTING

2011-06-14T15:10:00.000+01:00

With the coming of the New Translation of the Roman Missal not only will we have to learn different words for the way we pray the Mas wh will have to learn some new music for the parts of the Mass that we sing. Here is a setting that i thonk we might be able to learn without too much effort.

YOur comments would be welcome.

13 YEARS AGO...

2011-06-12T19:19:00.000+01:00

Tomrrow (13th June) I will clebrate the 13th anniversary of my Oridnation to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Spare a prayer for me tomorrow, please.

I will celebrate Mass of Thanksgiving in the Usus Antiquior (Latin) tomorrow evening at 7:30pm in St Marie's Church. You are more than welcome to join me.

HOLD UP YOUR LILIES!!!

2011-06-12T19:04:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow is the Feast of St Anthiny of Padua. There is a tradition of blessing lilies in his honour.

O God, Who art the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, the Lover of spotless purity, the Giver of all grace and everlasting life, sanctify by Thy holy benediction these lilies, which in thanksgiving, and in honour of St. Anthony, Thy Confessor, we present for Thy blessing. Pour down upon them, by the sacred sign of the holy Cross, Thy heavenly dew, Thou Who didst so kindly create them to gladden man by their beauty and fragrance; enrich them with such power, that to whatsoever disease they may be applied, or in whatsoever home they may be kept, or on whatsoever person they may be borne with devotion, through the intercession of Thy servant, Anthony, they may cure every sickness, repel the attacks of Satan, preserve holy chastity, and bring peace and grace to all who serve Thee. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

LEMON POSSETT

2011-06-09T13:35:00.002+01:00

For the Possett

600mls of double cream

150gms sugar

55mls lemon juice (the jiff lemons are perfect for this)

For the fruit topping

225gms blueberries
50mls water
75gms sugar

Place the cream, lemon juice and sugar into a pan and bring to the boil.

It is important to stir continuously to prevent the sugar burning at the bottom of the pan.

Once the cream mixture has been brought to the boil it can be placed in the serving dishes. The possett should now be allowed to cool. This usually takes two hours in the fridge

This recipe serves 4 but if you use smaller dishes it can be made to serve more.

Put the blueberries, sugar and water into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring from time to time.

Once brought to the boil add the vodka. Simmer for 2 mins and allow to cool.

This recipe calls for 3 dessert spoons but more can be added to taste!!!

Once cooled the blueberries can be spooned over the lemon cream mixture

ENJOY!!!

PASTORAL LETTER ON THE NEW TRANSLATION

2011-06-09T12:13:00.000+01:00

CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF ENGLAND AND WALES

NATIONAL PASTORAL LETTER ON THE NEW TRANSLATION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL

TO BE READ ON THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, 29 MAY 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

At the beginning of Advent this year, when we gather for Mass, we shall be using the new translation of the Roman Missal. This will be the case not only in England and Wales but throughout the English-speaking world. The Mass will remain the same but parts of it will sound different.

Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has produced three Latin editions of the Roman Missal. At present, we are still using a translation of the first edition which was published in1973. Although the texts we have been using have served us well, since that time there has been much development in the liturgical texts themselves and in our understanding of them.

We all become very accustomed to the words we hear; and the fact that we have been praying in a certain way for so long has imprinted that style of language and words upon our consciousness and made them very special. The changes in the language now to be introduced, however, do not represent change for change’s sake, but are being made in order to ensure greater fidelity to the liturgical tradition of the Church.

In the earlier translation not all the meaning of the original Latin text was fully expressed and a number of the terms that were used to convey the teachings of the faith were lost. This was readily acknowledged by the bishops of the Church, even back in the 1970s, and has become an increasing cause of concern since then.

There is an old adage in Latin which states that the way we pray forms the way we believe. So words and language are important for the teaching and the handing-on of the faith.

So what does this new translation offer us? First of all, there is a fuller expression of the content of the original texts. Then, there is a closer connection with the Sacred Scriptures which inspire so much of our liturgy. Also, there is a recovery of a vocabulary that enriches our understanding of the mystery we celebrate. All of this requires a unique style of language and expression, one that takes us out of ourselves and draws us into the sacred, the transcendent and the divine.

The publication of the new translation of the Missal is a special moment of grace in the English-speaking world. It offers an opportunity to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the mystery we celebrate each week. This itself will help us to move towards that fuller and more conscious and active participation in the liturgy to which the Church invites us. It will help us also to examine the dignity with which we celebrate the ‘source and summit’ of the Church’s life.

At the end of his visit last year, Pope Benedict asked us to use this moment for genuine renewal. He said: “I encourage you now to seize the opportunity that the new translationnoffers for in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist, and renewed devotion in the manner of its celebration. ‘The more lively the Eucharistic faith of the people of God, the deeper is its sharing in ecclesial life in steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted by Christ to his disciples’” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 6).

In order to achieve this, the bishops have produced resources for all our parishes and, as from September, we will gradually begin to use the new liturgical texts at Mass and hear why certain changes have been made. Each diocese is already preparing its priests and deacons, catechists and liturgical ministers. Programmes for schools are being developed and new musical settings are being composed. From September until Advent everyone will have the opportunity to study the new texts and familiarise themselves with the prayers and chants. In addition, this period of preparation will allow us to pray these new texts.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist is a gift, something we receive from God through the Church. Saint Paul spoke of it as coming from the Lord Jesus himself. Writing to the Church in Corinth, he said, “for I received from the Lord what I in turn also handed on to you” (1 Corinthians 11:23). So Eucharist is not something of our making but a gift received. Like Saint Paul, therefore, let us receive it with reverence and care, knowing that we are being faithful to what the Lord himself passed on to the Apostles, which has been handed on since, in faithfulness, by their successors to every generation of the Church.

Let us welcome the new translation of the Roman Missal as a sign of our unity and a powerful instrument of God’s grace in our lives.

Published by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales Thursday 12 May 2011

HIGH MASS OF THE ASCENSION

2011-06-09T12:05:00.001+01:00

Recenttly we marked the Solemnity of the Ascension with High Mass in the Usus Antiquior.

Here are a few pictures taken at the Mass.

The choir sang Monteverdi's Mass for Four Voices.

Introibo ad Altare Dei

Preparing to proclaim the Gospel

Sequenti Sancti Evangelii Secundum Matthaeum

Hoc facite in Meam Commemorationem

CONFIRMATION AT SAINT JOSEPH'S

2011-06-09T11:44:00.000+01:00

Here are some of the pictures that were taken at our recent celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation with the children from St. Joseph's.

For my homily I used the text of a prayer by Blessed John Henry Newman

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 it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away 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.

CARL AND MICHELLE'S WEDDING

2011-05-28T15:16:00.002+01:00

Please pray for Carl Edwards and Michelle Brady who were married at St Joseph's this weekend

The Blushing Bride

A nervous looking groom (left)

Our newly married couple

INSTITUTE OF CHRIST THE KING NEWS

2011-05-27T18:54:00.001+01:00

Well done Bishop Davies!

The Rt Rev. Mark Davies, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury and Monsignor Gilles Wach, General Prior of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, have agreed to work towards establishing a foundation of the Institute at the Church of Ss Peter and Paul in New Brighton, Wirral, during the course of this year. The principal aim of the new foundation will be to provide a centre in the Diocese of Shrewsbury for the celebration of Holy Mass and the other Sacraments in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The presence of the Institute – a society of Apostolic life of Pontifical right – will also enable the church to become a centre for Eucharistic devotion and adoration, allowing the faithful to come to pray for an increase in faith and love for the Most Holy Eucharist.

A spokesman for the diocese said: “The members of the Institute will work in close collaboration with Father Philip Moor, the parish priest of the Parish of the Holy Apostles and Martyrs, since it is the wish of Bishop Davies that this shrine church will express the harmony between the two usages of the one Roman Rite.

“As the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, reminded us in his 2007 Moto Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, ‘there is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal’, it is the sincere hope of the bishop that this establishment will foster reconciliation at the heart of the Church: one of the express aims of the 2007 papal document.

“Finally, the foundation will ensure that the patrimony of the church building so dear to Catholics and other members of the local community is secured and continues to bear witness to the faith and mission of the Church.”

Since Bishop Davies was first approached by the Institute last year, he has been consulting with the Holy See, his brother northern Catholic bishops, the Patrimony Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and English Heritage about the future of the Church of Ss Peter and Paul.

I am grateful to Fr. Ray Blake for this piece of news. I jave lifted it from his blog. Father has many other interesting posts do go and visit. http://www.marymagdalen.blogspot.com/

THIS IS THE SAINT...

2011-05-27T18:47:00.001+01:00

This is the saint od gentleness and kindness
Cheerful in penance, and in precept winning:
Patiently healing of their pride and blindness,
Souls that are sinning.

This is the Saint, who, when the world allures us,
Cries her false wares, and opes her magic coffers,
Points to a better city, and secures us
With richer offers.

Love is his bond, he knows no other fetter,
Asks not our all, but takes whate'er we spare him,
Willing to draw us on from good to better,
As we can bear him.

When he comes near to teach us and to bless us,
Prayer is so sweet, that hours are but a minute;
Mirth is so pure, though freely it possess us,
Sin is not in it.

Thus he conducts, by holy paths and pleasant,
Innocent souls, an sinful souls forgiven,
Towards the bright palace, where our God is present,
Throned in high heaven.

(Cardinal Newman, 1857)

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of St Philip Neri, Founder of the Congregation of the Oratory.

Please pray in a special way that if it be God's will the Congregation of the Oratory may be established at the Church of the Holy Name, Manchester.

In the meantime we ask the prayers of St Philip for the community at the Holy Name, that through his intercession God will continue to bless the marvellous work they are doing.

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

2011-05-23T13:59:00.001+01:00

The Solemnity of Our Lord's Ascension falls on 2nd June. The obligation to attend Mass on that day has been transferred to the nearest Sunday (5th June). To mark the Solemnity of the Ascension there will be a:

SUNG MASS

in the Extraordinary Form

of the Roman Rite

(Latin, Tridentine)

THURSDAY

2nd June

7:30pm in Saint Marie's Church

All are welcome to attend

NEW STATUE OF BLESSED JOHN PAUL

2011-05-20T14:16:00.000+01:00

A new statue of the newly beatified Pope John Paul II was unveiled at Rome's Termini Station recently. I personally think it is ghastly. Your comments in the com box would be appreciated.

FISH ON FRIDAYS

2011-05-18T20:25:00.001+01:00

A key resolution of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, released after their May 2011 plenary meeting, was "to re-establish the practice of Friday penance in the lives of the faithful as a clear and distinctive mark of their own Catholic identity."

This act of common witness will come into effect from Friday 16 September 2011 - the day the Church in England and Wales marks the anniversary of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom.

By the practice of penance every Catholic identifies with Christ in his death on the cross. We do so in prayer, through uniting the sufferings and sacrifices in our lives with those of Christ’s passion; in fasting, by dying to self in order to be close to Christ; in almsgiving, by demonstrating our solidarity with the sufferings of Christ in those in need. All three forms of penance form a vital part of Christian living. When this is visible in the public arena, then it is also an important act of witness.

Every Friday is set aside by the Church as a special day of penance, for it is the day of the death of our Lord. The law of the Church requires Catholics to abstain from meat on Fridays, or some other form of food, or to observe some other form of penance laid down by the Bishops' Conference.

The Bishops wish to re-establish the practice of Friday penance in the lives of the faithful as a clear and distinctive mark of their own Catholic identity. They recognise that the best habits are those which are acquired as part of a common resolve and common witness. It is important that all the faithful be united in a common celebration of Friday penance.

Respectful of this, and in accordance with the mind of the whole Church, the Bishops' Conference wishes to remind all Catholics in England and Wales of the obligation of Friday Penance. The Bishops have decided to re-establish the practice that this should be fulfilled by abstaining from meat. Those who cannot or choose not to eat meat as part of their normal diet should abstain from some other food of which they regularly partake. This is to come into effect from Friday 16 September 2011 when we will mark the anniversary of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom.

Many may wish to go beyond this simple act of common witness and mark each Friday with a time of prayer and further self-sacrifice. In all these ways we unite our sacrifices to the sacrifice of Christ, who gave up his very life for our salvation.

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY - A FEW THOUGHTS

2011-05-17T21:11:00.003+01:00

This homily was delivered viva voce at Mass on Sunday. What follows is a rough transcript of what I said.

The Fourth Sunday of Eastertide is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday from the Gospel that is appointed for Mass. It is also day set aside to pray for vocations to the Priesthood and the Religious Life. I am however a little reluctant to ask you to pray for vocations. That might seem a strange things for a priest to say. We have been praying for vocations and there seems to be little response to our prayers or sometimes the ones that God chooses are not the most apparent. I remember saying to one of the old priests at seminary, 'Eeee Father, I bet when you were praying for vocations all those years ago I bet you never thought we would be the answer to your prayers.'

We have been praying for vocations but there is little response so either God is not listening or the people whom God is calling are not responding. I am confident that God is listening. So the problem must lie elsewhere.

There seems to be a general malaise about vocations. Why is that I wonder? Perhaps we need to look a little deeper at some current trends in order for us to answer the question.

The beginning of all vocation is baptism. Here I have to be honest with you. I have to pray especially hard at some baptism ceremonies that the grace of God will work overtime in the lives of those being baptised and their families because you know that the ceremony has very little to do with faith, very little to do with belonging to the Church, but entry into a Catholic School. Have the child baptised to get a certificate that can be stapled to an application form.

We are told that vocations come from families and therein lies another problem. Now we witness the break up of family life more than ever before. The family unit that we used to speak of is almost a thing of the past. Why is this? Could it be the lack of marriage that has something to do with it. Nowadays we have nice phrases to cover up the reality. We say people are living together, we speak of partners rather than husbands and wives. One of my seminary profs even said 'Oh yes today many people anticipate the Sacrament of Marriage.' These are nice phrases that skirt around the truth. At the risk of being lynched in the porch after Mass I will say it as it is. They are living in sin. There! I've said it!!! The truth makes us feel a little uncomfortable doesn't it. But it is only by facing up to the truth that we can hope to overcome the problem. The alcoholic will never recover until they say those words that begin every AA meeting. 'My name is xxxxx and I am an alcoholic. Facing up to the reality of the situation brings about a healing.

It is from families that vocations come. If we return to strong families then the vocations will come once again. But we also have to be generous ourselves. We need to plant the seeds of vocation within our own families. After all the son of Peter and Margaret Wadsworth is your Parish Priest. Why can't your sons be the someone else's Parish Priest or even succeed me here? We need to open ourselves up to the possibility that God may be calling a member of our own families to be a priest or a member of a religious community.

I remember one lady in my first parish being horrified when I suggested her 19 year old son might think about becoming a priest. She was even more horrified when I pointed out to her that without future vocations there may be no priest to get out of bed and celebrate the Last Sacraments with her. Or there maybe no priest to offer her Requiem Mass. Unless we seriously consider this there will be no future for the Church because the Church needs priests.Yes the Church is made up of laity and priests - but unless there are priests to celebrate the Sacraments, especially the Holy Mass then there is no Church.

A lot of what I have said today is hard hitting stuff and will make us feel uncomfortable, but they are the teachings given us by Christ our Good Shepherd and we cannot ignore them.

The image of Christ carrying a lamb on his shoulders, nursing the lost sheep, is a very comforting one. But there is also something very hard about this image. No doubt the life of a shepherd was a tough and quite dangerous one. The safety of his sheep might be brought at the risk of his own safety. And the good shepherd is the one who leads down the right pathway. There is one gate to the sheepfold, though there are many who would try and deceive the sheep.

There is something very un-modern about this. We try to be tolerant. We try to live and let live. We even try to give respect to the beliefs of others. All of this is good. But it is not good if it suggests that all beliefs are the same, all paths are just as valid, all roads lead to the same goal. Belief is not just a matter of choice or preference or taste or even upbringing. Life choices are not like preferences for food, or football teams, or holiday destinations. Some choices are right and some choices are wrong. Pray that we will have the grace to follow the path that Christ calls us to follow no matter how hard it may be at times.

On this Good Shepherd Sunday let us pray for an increase in vocations to marriage and to family life so that the future of the Church may be secured with many good and holy vocations. Amen

COME HOLY GHOST

2011-05-17T20:19:00.000+01:00

On Sunday we celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation for the children at St Marie's. Here are a few photos taken during the celebration.

KARL AND RACHAEL'S WEDDING

2011-05-14T15:44:00.000+01:00

Please keep in your prayers Karl Tomany and Rachael Hall who were married at St Marie's this afternoon

BLESSED JOHN PAUL'S TOMB

2011-05-03T22:06:00.000+01:00

The mortal remains of the new Blessed John Paul II are placed in the Altar of St Sebastian in the Vatican Basilica

BLESSED JOHN PAUL

2011-05-03T21:58:00.000+01:00

BLESSED JOHN PAUL

Modl sie za nami

Ora pro nobis

Pray for us

BLESSED JOHN PAUL II

2011-05-02T20:32:00.001+01:00

Here is the moment that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI declared his predecessor to be Blessed.

Blessed John Paul, pray for us!

THE HAPPY COUPLE

2011-04-30T15:37:00.004+01:00

Congratulations to Mark Owens and Colleen Tobin who were married at St Marie's this afternoon.

DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONS

2011-04-29T15:14:00.000+01:00

A Remeinder of our devotions THIS SUNDAY beginning at 2:00pm in St Marie's Church

2:00pm

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

(Confessions will be heard during Exposition)

3:00pm

Chaplet of Mercy,

Blessing and Veneration of the Image

4:00pm

Holy Mass in Thanksgiving
for the Beatification of Pope John Paul II

ALL WELCOME

ALLELUIA CHRIST IS RISEN

2011-04-25T13:28:00.000+01:00

The Altar of Repose transformed into the Easter Garden

Incensing the Paschal Candle on Easter Day

THE EASTER VIGIL

2011-04-25T13:21:00.000+01:00

Here are a few inages taken from our Great Paschal Vigil

Bless this new fire and make it holy

May the light of Christ dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds

Accept this Easter Candle fashioned from the work of bees

Give to the waters of this font the grace of your Son

PREPARATIONS

2011-04-25T13:12:00.000+01:00

The Easter Vigil is the Mother of All Vigils and each year a lot of preparation goes into making it a prayerful and joyful celebration. I would like to record my thanks to all who have helped to prepare the church for the Sacred Triduum. Thank you to all the ladies who share in the 'ministrty of the mop' and have been involved in the Big Clean. The Church looked magnificent.

In the picture we see that flowers have been placed by the Sacred Heart Statue. My thanks also to those involved in decorating the church with flowers, those who prepared the Easter Garden and the Cross. Those who helped prepare the altar with the 'putting things out and taking them in again'

I would also like to record my thanks to all our altar servers who came together for the Easter Ceremonies. Your contribution helped all who came to pray the ceremonies of Holy Week and that is the most important thing. My thanks to Michael, John Paul, Luke, Gregory, Philp, Sophia, Rosin, Hannah and Grace.

Music also plays a big part in the ceremonies of Holy Week. I would like to thank all those who contributed the the Liturgy by using their talents in musoic for the greater glory of God. A number of people have commented on how lovely the music was this year.

Finally, all of this would be worthwhile if no one actually came to the services. My thanks to those who came to pray the Ceremonies of Holy Week. My prayer is tha you found them inspiring and that they have helped to deepen your own faith.

GOOD FRIDAY

2011-04-25T12:50:00.000+01:00

The Liturgy resumed on Good Friday afternoon for the Solemn Celebration of the Lord's Passion

HOLY THURSDAY

2011-04-25T12:41:00.001+01:00

On Holy Thursday we gathered at St Marie's for the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. The Mass begin with Blessed John Henry Newman's hymn Praise to the Holiest.

After the Homily Father Francis performed the Mandatum - The Washing of the Feet in memory of Christ washing the feet of the Apostles, His first priests at the Last Supper.

At the end of Mass the Blessed Sacrament was transferred to the Altar of Repose that had been lovingly prepared by some of the men of the parish. The Watch continued until 11:45pm when those remaining recited Compline.

SCHOOL PLAY

2011-04-25T12:26:00.001+01:00

Hosanna to the Son of David.
Blessings on Him who comes in the name of the Lord

Before St Marie's School finished for the Easter Break they produced a very beautiful and moving Passion Play. Through the use of music and readings they led us through the events of Holy Week. Here are a scenes from the play.

It is accomplished

Jesus carries His Cross

This is my Body, given for you

THE GREAT WEEK BEGINS

2011-04-17T21:14:00.000+01:00

'Bless these branches and make them holy...'

The Procession enters the church

The Mass begins

'Dirigatur Domine oratio mea, sicut incensum, in conspectu tuo...'

FEAST OF THE DIVINE MERCY

2011-04-08T10:38:00.001+01:00

SUNDAY 1st MAY 2011

2:00pm

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

(Confessions will be heard during Exposition)

3:00pm

Chaplet of Mercy,

Blessing and Veneration of the Image

4:00pm

Holy Mass in Thanksgiving

for the Beatification of Pope John Paul II

ALL WELCOME

EASTER SERVICES

2011-04-08T09:07:00.000+01:00

PALM SUNDAY

5:00pm Vigil Mass at St Joseph’s Church

9:15am Mass at St Joseph’s Church

11:30am Holy Mass at St Marie’s Church

Monday of Holy Week 18th April

9:30am Holy Mass at St Joseph’s

Tuesday of Holy Week 19th April

9:30am Holy Mass at St Joseph’s

Wednesday of Holy Week 20th April

11:45am -12:10 Confessions at St Marie’s

12:15pm Holy Mass at St Marie’s

THE GREAT EASTER TRIDUUM

(This year the entire Triduum will take place at St Marie’s church)

HOLY THURSDAY 8:00pm at St Marie’s

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Washing of Feet

and Procession to the Altar of Repose and watching till Midnight.

GOOD FRIDAY

10:00am Stations of the Cross

at St Joseph’s Church

12:00 Churches Together Walk of Witness

beginning at the URC Church.

3:00pm Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion,

Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion

at St Marie’s

7:30pm Maria Desolata Devotion

(Stations of the Cross through the eyes of Our Lady).

at Saint Marie’s

HOLY SATURDAY 23rd April

CONFESSIONS10:30am – 12:30pm at St Marie’s

THE GREAT PASCHAL VIGIL

8:30pm at Saint Marie’s

Lighting of the Paschal Fire, The Great Paschal Vigil,

Blessing of the Font, First Mass of Easter.

(PLEASE NOTE:

There will be no VigiMass at St Joseph’s at 5:00pm)

EASTER DAY 24th April

9:15am

Holy Mass at St Joseph’s

11:30am

Holy Mass at St Marie’s

EASTER MONDAY

9:30am Holy Mass at St Joseph’s Church

EASTER TUESDAY

9:30am Holy Mass at St Joseph’s Church

EASTER WEDNESDAY

12:15 Holy Mass at St Marie’s Church

EASTER THURSDAY

9:30am Holy Mass at St Joseph’s Church

EASTER FRIDAY

12:15 Holy Mass at St Marie’s Church

EASTER SATURDAY

10:00am Holy Mass at St Marie’s Church

1:30pm Marriage of Mark Owens and Susan Tobin

at St Marie’s Church

May I take this opportunity to encourage you all to come to the ceremonies of Holy Week and Easter. Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil form one unit. They are three acts of the one play. No one goes to the theatre and only attends only one act so why do the same with Our Lord’s Passion?

With the assurance of my prayer and every blessing for a Happy and Holy Easter.

GOING TO CONFESSION

2011-04-07T10:57:00.000+01:00

Lent is traditionally a time when we think about Confession. I offer this post to help you make a fruitful use of this Sacrament during Lent. Use the examination of conscience to look deeply and honestly at your life and then come and receive the mercy and forgiveness of the Lord. He awaits you in this Sacrament of His love and mercy.

‘It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. The appeal we make in Christ’s name is: Be reconciled to God.’

1 Cor 5:18-20

‘A recommendation for all the faithful: have confidence in sacramental Confession.’

Pope Paul VI

‘It is here in the sacrament of Penance that God’s mercy will at last win the victory over human wickedness. It is here that men will be cleansed of their sins and reconciled to God. We condemn the theory that the frequent confession of venial sins is ‘not a practice to be greatly valued.’ On the contrary, for a constant and rapid advancement in virtue, we highly recommend the pious practice of frequent Confession, introduced by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.’ BLESSED JOHN XXIII

A Prayer Before going to Confession
O my God, help me to see and know the condition of my soul honestly and humbly, and to make a sincere and truthful confession. Teach me true sorrow for my sins then, in your mercy grant me Your forgiveness, Your grace and Your love, through the infinite merits of Jesus Christ my Redeemer. Amen.

An Examination of Conscience
You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart.
Have I ignored God or excluded Him from my life and works?
Have been loyal to the Teaching Authority of the Church and been willing to profess my faith in public as well as in private?
Is my daily prayer a real conversation with God in mind and heart?
Have I put my trust in superstitions or involved myself in the Occult or Satanism?
Have I a true reverence and love for the name of God or have I offended Him through blasphemy, cursing or perjury?
Did I miss Mass on Sunday or Holyday of Obligation through my own fault?
Did I fulfil my Easter duties?
Have made a dishonest Confession in the past?

You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
Have I been disobedient, rude or disloyal to my parents or lawful superiors?
Have been harsh or overbearing to those under my authority?
Have I neglected my duty to provide a religious education for my children and to help them to know and love their faith?
Have I been impatient, angry, proud, jealous or hateful to others?
Did l get drunk, use drugs, give bad example or scandal?
Have I been involved in vandalism; driven recklessly or injured anyone?
Did in any way co-operate in an abortion?
Have I been lazy at my work, in study, or in the home?
Have I been immodest or impure by myself or with others?
Have I placed myself in occasions of sin, by reading, listening to, or looking at what was indecent, or pornographic?
Have failed to show love, understanding and respect to my marriage partner or been careless about my marriage vows?
Have I used forms of birth control forbidden by the Church?
Have I been guilty of cheating, theft, or gambling rashly?
Have I received stolen goods? Have I made restitution?
Do I give a full day’s work in return for a full day’s pay?
Do I pay a full day’s wage to those who work for me?
Have I told lies to injure anyone or excuse myself?
Have I been considerate, kind and generous to others in thought or deed?
Have I given way to self pity, brooded over injuries or refused to forgive?

After carefully examining your conscience be sorry for your sins and make up your mind not to sin any more.
PROCEDURE IN CONFESSION

Begin by saying:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Bless me, Father for I have sinned it is – [a week, or a month, a long time] since my last confession.

Then tell your sins to the priest. If you get stuck do not worry. Ask the priest to help you. When you have finished confessing your sins you should say:

I am sorry for all these sins and the those I cannot now remember.’

Then wait while the Priest gives any necessary advice, and assigns the penance.
Then make an Act of Contrition

O my God, because you are so good I am very sorry that I have sinned against You and with the help of Your grace I will not sin again.’

The Priest then gives you absolution:

God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins, through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.’

THINGS TO REMEMBER

• Develop the habit of examining your conscience every day. It is then easier to recall sins committed.

• If it is a long time since your last confession or you unsure what to do ask the priest to help you

• Don’t postpone your confession. That never solves anything.

• Try to go to confession frequently at least once a month, to offer to God your love in spite of failure and receive both His forgiveness and His strength to overcome your faults and future temptations.

• Sin is any wilful thought, desire, word, action or omission forbidden by the law of God.

• We are bound to confess to a priest each and every serious sin (commonly called mortal) of which we are aware, in order to receive forgiveness. - This is the firm teaching of the Church, founded on the law of a good and loving God.

TIME IN SCHOOL

2011-04-06T19:04:00.000+01:00

As part of their work on vocation and ministry in the life of the church I was invited to talk to the Year Five children at St Marie's School about my work as a priest. I always find this work rewarding and challenging as the children often ask questions that cause me to reflect on my ministry as a priest.

As always we end by talking to the children about the vestments a priest wears to celebrate Mass. A few pictures are included here.

CHLOE BURKE RIP

2011-04-06T18:36:00.000+01:00

Please remember in your prayers the family and friends of Chloe Burke who was taken from us in tragic circumstances in February this year.

On Monday of this week I had the honour, priviledge and sad task of laying Chloe to rest. May I record my thanks to the children and staff of our primary school to helped with the singing and preparing the liturgy for the funeral Mass. I have had a number of phone calls saying how lovely they thought the Mass was and how beautifully they thought the children sang.

God bless, Chloe. Your light shines now and forever in the glory of heaven.

PARISH PRIEST

2011-04-06T16:39:00.000+01:00

TERENCE

By the Grace of God and Favour of the Apostolic See

Bishop of Salford

Decree of Appointment

Parish Priest

Whereas, a parish is a community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor under the authority of the diocesan bishop (Code of Canon Law, Canon 515 §1);

Whereas, a parish priest, in the parish entrusted to him, exercises pastoral care in the community committed to him by carrying out the functions of teaching, sanctifying, and governing, with the cooperation of other clergy and with the assistance of lay members of the Christian faithful, according to the norm of law (Canon 519);

Whereas the discipline of the Church expects that a presbyter be assigned as parish priest of every parish for the well-being of the faithful;

Whereas, by Episcopal decree, Prot. No. A02/2011, the Parish of St Marie and St Joseph, Bury was formed on 4t' day of March, 2011 by the amalgamation of the parishes of St Marie, Bury, and St Joseph, Bury;

By this decree, I appoint the Reverend Francis Wadsworth to be parish priest of St Marie and St Joseph, Bury, in the Diocese of Salford. He is to exercise this ministry in the spirit and customs of the diocese.

He is to take canonical possession of the parish by presenting this decree and making the profession of faith to the Rural Dean of Saint Therese of Lisieux Deanery, Reverend Father Paul Brindle within three months of the date of this decree.

He is required to make an accurate and clear inventory of all ecclesiastical goods owned by the parish; one copy is to be sent to the diocesan curia and the other is to remain in the parish archives; eventual changes in the inventory are to be indicated on both copies (Canon 1283).

Given at Salford, this 4" day of March, in the year of our Lord, twenty hundred and eleven.

TWO INTO ONE WILL GO

2011-04-06T16:30:00.000+01:00

Since the retirement of Fr. Morrow as parish priest of St Joseph's, Bury we have known that the parishes of St Marie and St Joseph would be amalgamated to form one new parish under the care of one parish priest. The official Decree of Amalgamaation was signed by the Bishop on the 4th March 2011. The Decree was read out in the two churches of the parish that weekend. Here is the text.

TERENCE

by the Grace of God and Favour of the Apostolic See

Bishop of Salford

DECREE

Since the diminution of the number of priests, and the changing needs of the people of Bury, require a different arrangement of pastoral provision to that provided by the present number of parishes, and having taken note of the consultation amongst the parishioners and priests concerned, the proposal to amalgamate the parishes of St Marie, Bury, and St Joseph, Bury to form one new Parish, was put before the Council of Priests in their consultative role as required by Canon 515 §2.

Since the laity of the area can be best served by the amalgamation of St Marie, Bury, and St Joseph, Bury this pastoral solution is hereby decreed to be in force and effective as from the date below.

After appropriate consultation, the newly formed parish established by this decree is to be named the parish of ST MARIE AND ST JOSEPH, BURY the church of St Marie being the parish church. Notwithstanding the provisions of Canon 857 §2 the people of St Marie and St Joseph, Bury shall be permitted to celebrate baptism in the church of St Joseph, Bury, as the Parish Priest deems appropriate. The Parish Priest is reminded of his ability under Canon 118 §1 to permit marriages to take place in the church of St Joseph, Bury.

Consultations regarding parish boundaries having been concluded by the Boundaries Board, the attached schedules are hereby decreed to be in force as of this date.

NOTE: in accordance with Canon 121, the newly defined parish of St Marie and St Joseph, Bury acquires the patrimomial rights, goods, and liabilities of the erstwhile parishes of St Marie, Bury and St Joseph, Bury as from the date below.

Given this 4th day of March, 2011

Prot. No. A02/2011

REST IN PEACE

2011-04-05T16:59:00.000+01:00

Please pray for all those who have recently died

Chloe Burke

Elizabeth Violet Lyons

Bridget Cosgrove

Rosina Balsamo

Mary Walsh

Mary Helen Flynn

John Cannon

Margarita Garford

Michael Galvin

Rose Goodhall

Edith Delaney

Doreen Leyden

Avril Bradbury

Joyce Brandwood

James Rothwell

Giovanni Tucci

Francis Joseph Collier

RECENT BAPTISM

2011-04-05T16:50:00.000+01:00

Please remember in your prayers Archie Patrick O'Connor who was baptised recently at St Marie's. Thanks to Fr. Tomasz Seweryn who took the photos.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

2011-02-15T18:03:00.001Z

Please keep in your prayers all the couples who are currently preparing for marriage in our parish. Here are a few photos taken at our last preparation session on Monday evening. The couples have two more sessions to go

The couples hard at work answering a questionaire.

Michelle and Carl

Mark and Colleen

Karl and Racheal

Christopher and Tracey

FATHER GERARD HATTON

2011-02-04T13:33:00.000Z

Please pray for Father Gerard Hatton, a friend of mine who was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on 1st February by the Rt Rev Kieran Conry, Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. He is pictured here after his ordination to the Diaconate. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera to the Ordination so have no photos of this wonderful event. Hopefully I will be able to access some from another source.

In the not to distant future I hope Fr Gerard will make a trip to the frozen north and celebrate the Holy Mass for us and impart his blessing.

DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONS

2011-01-24T21:47:00.001Z

On a recent holiday to Poland I able to purchase a picture of the Divine Mercy. This devotion was made popular through the 'Apostle of Divine Mercy' - St Faustina.

3:00pm

DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONS

EVERY FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

BEGINNING 6th FEBRUARY

ANOTHER SETTING

2011-01-24T21:27:00.002Z

MUSIC FOR MASS

2011-01-24T21:23:00.001Z

Here is one possible setting for the New Translation of the Gloria at Mass

CHRISTMAS CRIB

2011-01-24T20:35:00.000Z

With the rush to bring the blog upto date I forgot to add a picture of the Crib at St Joseph's. My apologies for that. I include one with this post. As readers will be able to see form the pic we decided to make a change to previous years and have the crib scene in front of the altar. A number of people have commented on how nice it looked and made a change from being 'confined in that box' as one parishioner put it. Any further comments will be welcome.

FATHER AIDAN O'REILLY RIP

2011-01-23T16:13:00.000Z

Please pray for the happy repose of the soul of Father Aidan O'Reilly who has recently died. His obituary and funeral details are given below.

Fr Aidan O'Reilly died in Nazareth House, Prestwich, on Thursday 20th January. Father O'Reilly was in his seventy-eighth year, the fifty-second year of his Sacred Priesthood.

Aidan O'Reilly was born on 12th May, 1933, and was baptised on the same day in the Parish Church of St Killian, Mullagh, County Cavan. He was confirmed on 11th April, 1944, in the same church. He was educated at St Patrick's College, County Cavan, St Mary's College, Dundalk and St Kieren's College, Kilkenny. Aidan was accepted as an ecclesiastical student for the Diocese of Salford on 11th March, 1954, and continued his studies at St Kieren's College, Kilkenny. He was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on 31st May 1959, in Kilkenny.

Father O’Reilly served the diocese in the following appointments:

As Assistant Priest:

1959 Sacred Heart, Derker

1959 St Joseph, Reddish

1967 Sacred Heart, Colne

1974 St Catherine, Didsbury

As Parish Priest:

1977 St Veronica, Helmshore

As Assistant Priest:

1979 St Mary, Oldham

1979 St Peter, Middleton (with special responsibility for St John Fisher’s, Boarshaw)

1981 St Joseph the Worker, Irlam

As Parish Priest:

1989 St Boniface, Lower Broughton

1991 St Philip, Lower Kersal

As Pastor Emeritus

1993 St Hugh of Lincoln, Stretford

1995 St Joseph, Bury

Fr Aidan O’Reilly retired from active ministry in the year 2000 and lived in retirement in a house on Pole Lane, Bury, and for the last couple of years he has lived at Nazareth House in Prestwich.

Funeral arrangements

Fr O'Reilly's mortal remains will be received into the chapel of Nazareth House, Prestwich, on Tuesday 01 February at 7.00pm for concelebrated Mass. Bishop Brain will celebrate the Requiem Mass on Wednesday 02 February at 11.00am. Burial will take place on Thursday 03 February in Fr O'Reilly's home parish in Mullgah, County Cavan.

SAINT JOSEPH'S PRESBYTERY

2011-01-23T00:18:00.000Z

The plaque, commemorating the opening of the Cathedral Centre has the following inscription: ‘Congregavit nos in unum, Deus amor’ - The love of God gathers us into one – a reminder that we are all the family of God in Salford Diocese.

The charitable works of our diocese have a long history. In 1886 Bishop Vaughan founded the Catholic Children’s Rescue Society in response to the poverty and deprivation experienced by children at the time of the Industrial Revolution in the urban communities and the mill towns around Greater Manchester and South Lancashire.

Bishop Holland, in the 1970s, set up Catholic Welfare Societies to answer some of the needs of adults in our society. The CWS, as it became known, developed services to older people and local communities especially in North Manchester and responded also to the growing needs of homeless people in the area.

Inspired by Bishops Vaughan and Holland, in our own day we continue the charitable work of the diocese. To this end in 2008 a new charity entitled Caritas Diocese of Salford was created and now incorporates the work of Catholic Children’s Rescue Society and Catholic Welfare Societies – so it is no longer seen as exclusively a child care agency.

Caritas appointed its first Chief Executive, Mark Wiggin, in 2010. Bishop Terence Brain, inspired by Bishop Vaughan and Bishop Holland, said “The new charity will provide professional support to allow local initiatives to grow. It will help us all to realise that what I do in my community is part of the work of the Family of God of the Diocese: we are one in body and spirit serving the one God through the one Lord, one faith and one baptism”.

Caritas Diocese of Salford is a charity with a long history, a demonstrated ability to change and adapt and the will to continue to do so. It has never been static. In joining in a partnership with Caritas, whether as an employee, a service beneficiary, a volunteer, a funder, or in a local community project partnership, you are becoming part of its present, its future and ultimately another phase of its rich history!

AND THIS IS WHERE WE AS A PARISH COMMUNITY COME IN. Representatives from Caritas Diocese of Salford will be at our Masses this weekend to let us know of future Diocesan plans for the use of St. Joseph’s Presbytery. Let us listen to what they have to say and think how we can be involved in this exciting project.

There will also be a parish meeting at St. Joseph's on Tuesday 25th January at 7pm for anyone to come and ask questions, share their ideas, voice their concerns etc. Please do come along so that no one can say ‘No one told me, or no one asked me what I thought.’

2011-01-20T15:52:00.000Z

As you will have seen from reading earlier posts on this blog we will begin to use the new translation of the Order of Mass from september this year. I have already posted the Gloria and Creed in the new translation,

Here is a sampler of the new DVD that has been produced to help us with the new translation of the Roman Missal.

NEW TRANSLATION 2

2011-01-20T13:06:00.000Z

Here we see the words of the Creed in both the present translation and the one we will use from September this year. Again the changes in the new text are highlighted in blue.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures,
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen

_________________________________________

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

A TASTE OF THE NEW TRANSLATION

2011-01-20T12:51:00.000Z

This post contains the Confiteor (I Confess...) that we use at the start of Mass in the Penitnetial Rite. The first one is the text as we currently have it. The other is the text as we will pray it from September 2011. The changes to the present text have been highlighted in blue

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

_____________________________________

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

NEW TRANSLATION

2011-01-20T12:32:00.000Z

The following statement has been issued by the Communications Office of The Bishops' Conference of England & Wales

Before leaving England, Pope Benedict XVI asked the Bishops of England & Wales to prepare for the introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal. The Missal contains the texts which are prayed by priest and people every time Catholics come to Mass. Work on the new translation has been ongoing since the publication of a new Latin edition of the Roman Missal in 2002. The Holy Father thanked the bishops for the contribution they had made, ‘with such painstaking care, to the collegial exercise of reviewing and approving the texts. This has provided an immense service to Catholics throughout the English-speaking world’.

The translation of the Roman Missal is now complete and the Holy See has given its recognitio on the text. The bishops, following the Holy Father’s encouragement that this new translation is an opportunity for ‘in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in the manner of its celebration’, have decided that from September 2011 the Order of Mass in the new translation will be used in parishes in England and Wales. The Order of Mass contains those texts of both priest and people which are constant at each celebration of Mass. For 3 months from September 2011 until December 2011 there will be catchesis in parishes both on the new translation and on the Mass itself. This will precede the publication of the new Missal which at the earliest is expected by Advent 2011.

To assist parishes and other communities to prepare for the new translation and to assist them in its introduction and catechesis a number of resources are being prepared. The first of these, the interactive DVD Become One Body One Spirit in Christ has already been sent out to dioceses.

Bishop Arthur Roche, bishop of Leeds and chairman of the Department for Christian Life and Worship said:

“The new translation is a great gift to the Church. The Mass is at the heart of what the Church is, it is where we deepen our faith in Christ and are nourished by him so that we can glorify the Lord by our lives. In the new translation we find a text that is more faithful to the Latin text and therefore a text which is richer in its theological content and allusions to the scriptures but also a translation which, I believe, will move people’s hearts and minds in prayer.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the Church in England and Wales to learn about our faith and the Mass. I hope that parishes over the coming months will prepare for the introduction of the new translation with resources, such as Become One Body One Spirit in Christ and the materials being prepared by the Department for Christian Life and Worship and others. When the completion of the text was first announced Pope Benedict said: ‘Many will find it hard to adjust to unfamiliar texts after nearly forty years of continuous use of the previous translation. The change will need to be introduced with due sensitivity, and the opportunity for catechesis that it presents will need to be firmly grasped. I pray that in this way any risk of confusion or bewilderment will be averted, and the change will serve instead as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world.’ I invite people to unite their prayers with those of the Holy Father for the introduction of the new translation.”

Further information on the new translation of the Missal can be found here: http://www.missal.org.uk/

CRIB FIGURES

2011-01-19T16:38:00.002Z

First of all may I thank all those who have generously donated towards the cost of the new crib figures at St Marie's.

In the photo that accompanies this post you can see the new figures of St Joseph and Our Lady. The figure of the Christ Child is also new and is the one that we will use from the Epiphany till the Presentation of the Lord. We also have a new figure of the new born Infant that we will use from Christmas to the Epiphany.

The new figures come from the Monasteres de Bethlehem shop in Lourdes. Each time I go on the diocesan pilgrimage I will be able to obtain a few more figurres so that over the coming years we can build up the crib. The names of all those who have generously donated towards this will be placed on a plaque near the Crib and remembered at Christmas in the years ahead.

SCHOOL AGAIN

2011-01-19T15:20:00.004Z

In the afternoon we focused on Years 5 and 6. Part of our time was taken up with a question and answer section where I was in the 'hot seat' and the children could ask me any questions they liked about the life and work of a priest.

Following on from this I spoke about the vestments used at Mass and got one of the children to volunteer to be our priest. From the photos i thionk you can tell that the children enjoyed it. i enjoyed it too. It is wonderful to be able to share with the children the joy of what it means to be a priest.

MORE FROM SCHOOL

2011-01-19T15:08:00.002Z

The next day We focused on the the junior children. With the Year 3 children we talked about the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism and that it is from this Sacrament that all the vocations in the life of the Church come.

During our time together we looked in detail at the Sacrament of Baptism and the promises that parents and godparents make on behalf of their children. We also recalled the first unit of our our Sacramental Programme preparation 'We are the People of God.'