November 2024
EastAnglia Catholic
www.rcdea.org.uk
Newspaper of the Diocese of East Anglia
500 devotees mark 100th Peñafrancia celebration – page 3
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Ipswich parish launches guide to the Catholic faith – page 5
Cambridge Professor John is ordained as a priest – page 6
Clergy moves are announced n A number of new clergy appointments by Bishop Peter Collins across the Diocese of East Anglia have just been announced, including four new Deans.
Bishop Peter Collins with pupils and school banners at the Annual Schools Mass. Picture by Joshua Clovis.
700 attend Schools Mass celebration
Almost 700 pupils, representing each of the 28 diocesan schools, gathered together at St John’s Cathedral in Norwich for the Annual Schools Mass on Friday September 27. Andy Stone and Joshua Clovis report.
n It was a wonderful occasion and a delight to see so many young people celebrating their faith and enjoying the special sense of being part of God’s family here in the Diocese of East Anglia during the celebration of Mass presided over by Bishop Peter Collins. This year, the Mass was organised by the schools of the Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Multi-Academy Trust on behalf of all the schools across the diocese. Several of the primary schools in the Trust have been participating in the
Schools Singing Programme, a national venture to encourage and facilitate high quality singing in schools making use of professional singing tutors. Over 100 pupils from St Mary’s and St Pancras schools in Ipswich, St Felix school in Haverhill and St Laurence Primary School in Cambridge formed the choir for the Mass and led the singing. The Schools Singing Programme is going from strength to strength in our diocese and the sessions are delivered weekly by professional singing tutor Naomi McLeod Jones who travels to each of the four schools every week to teach the pupils. Diocesan Director of Music, David Grealy, oversees the programme and is seeking to expand it to other schools across the diocese, including secondary schools, in the coming year. “It was wonderful to see and hear so many pupils in full voice at the cathedral” said David. “Singing is not only good for musical development; it encourages literacy and
allows children to gain confidence by giving them the opportunity to perform in public. Naomi has been doing fantastic work in all four schools and we have seen the fruits of that in today’s Mass.” The Mass this year fell on the feast day of St Vincent de Paul. Many parishioners will be aware of the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society in their parishes, helping those in need for many years. Most of our primary schools run ‘miniVinnies’ groups which carry out fundraising projects and put their understanding of Catholic Social Teaching into practice and our secondary age pupils are also very involved in practical initiatives to tackle poverty, disadvantage and injustice. With the help of the national St Vincent de Paul Society we were able to produce a beautifully illustrated prayer card which each member of the congregation received and copies of which were produced for every pupil and every n story continued on page two.
Fr John Warrington has been appointed as the new Dean of Bury St Edmunds (St Edmund), Rev Canon Eugene Harkness as Dean of Cambridge (St Andrew), Fr Luke Goymour as Dean of Ipswich (St Edward) and Rev Canon Mark Hackeson as Dean of King’s Lynn (St Wilfrid). Fr Anthony Nwankwo has also been reappointed as Dean of Great Yarmouth (St Peter). Fr Sean Connolly has been appointed as the Director of Ongoing Formation of Clergy. Bishop Peter said: “I am most grateful to Fr Sean for agreeing to take on this important task.” Fr Christopher Smith has been appointed as Vocations Director and Fr Peter Wygnanski has been appointed as Assistant Vocations Director, this being a natural extension of his other roles, said Bishop Peter. Fr Andrew Eburne will take on the role of Director of the Permanent Diaconate, who, assisted by Deacons John Bell and Martin L’Estrange, will oversee the formation and nurturing of Permanent Deacons throughout the Diocese. Fr Leonard Michael has accepted two appointments. As Chaplain to the Listening and Prayer Ministry Team, and as a member of the Diocesan Commission Marriage and Family life. “Fr Leo will no doubt offer greatly appreciated support to these two areas of diocesan life,” said Bishop Peter. Fr Simon Davies has been placed temporarily in St Laurence’s, Cambridge, to provide pastoral care, until such time that longer-term appointments are made possible. Fr Adam Sowa MS, Parish Priest of St Peter and All Soul’s Peterborough, will depart the Diocese to take up an appointment in a La Salette Parish in the Diocese of Brentwood in early October, at the request of his provincial superior who is based in Poland. Fr Adam has served as Parish Priest in Peterborough for the last 10 years and has been the superior of the community there. Bishop Peter said: “I take this opportunity to thank Fr Adam for his sterling service to parish and diocese. Particular mention should be made of Fr Adam’s immense contribution to the fundraising effort that still continues for the large-scale structural repairs of the parish church that will soon commence. On behalf of the Diocese, I offer Fr Adam the assurance of our prayers as he engages with the next phase of his pastoral service.” Fr Karol Porczak MS will be appointed as Parish Priest of St Peter and All Soul’s and also assumes responsibility as community superior.