Living Catholic Social Teaching and Shaping a Change

By Steven Hughes & Pablo Guidi

It was somewhat embarrassing to see a massive picture of myself on the front page of the Catholic Pic last month–I thought it was bad enough having a small picture of my face at the top of my monthly piece!

Since my ordination, I’ve moved to St George’s Maghull, where I am on placement as a deacon, finishing my preparations for priesthood. I’ve only just arrived but have been made to feel very welcome. My mum and dad both went to school here, so I’ve heard a lot about the place, but that was a long time ago now. I’d never really been here before, so I’m looking forward to exploring and getting to know the people and the area.

Since being here I was actually able to meet some of the candidates for the permanent diaconate who were here for a day of formation–including the three who will have been ordained in the middle of July. As a transitional deacon, it was interesting to see a bit of a different experience of diaconate and think about what is the same and what is different in the way we live it out.

I am also in the middle of travelling around to attend different ordinations. I was honoured to be invited to deacon at a couple of ordinations this summer–one ordination of deacons, and one of priests. It’s always nice to be able to attend an ordination, catch up with people, and take part in the celebrations. If I’m not mistaken, there should be six more deacons in the archdiocese after July, three permanent deacons, and three who will go on to be ordained priests next year.

Right now, the priority for me is to get as much practical experience as possible before I become a priest and get thrown in at the deep end. I’ve got a few baptisms booked in already, and am looking forward to being able to baptise without the stress that comes with my lack of experience. I’ve noticed that I’m already a lot less nervous about preaching, which used to scare me a little, as I may have mentioned before… it’s all starting to feel very real now, as I begin doing a lot of what I’ve been preparing to do for years.

On Thursday 6 July, people from across the archdiocese came together in support of our Shape the Change event.

The Catholic social action conference, held in partnership with Nugent and the Justice and Peace Commission, focused on the three themes of refugees, cost of living, and environment.

The first speaker of the day was Julie Kashirahamwe from Our Liverpool. She talked about how the goal was to make the city a friendly, migrantwelcome one. To do that, Julie elaborated on the council’s grant programme, which allows people access to vital services.

Up next was Dr Naomi Maynard from Feeding Liverpool, which helps to ensure everybody has access to food, no matter what their budget or location is. To help combat this, they had launched a couple of initiatives, like Queen of Greens. This involves working with greengrocers, etc. and taking food to vulnerable areas.

The final speaker of the morning was Dr Emma Gardner, Head of Environment at the Diocese of Salford. She gave a talk on the environment, and what we can do to protect the earth against climate change. The group then divided into workshops ranging from welcoming displaced people to care for creation.

After lunch, everyone returned to the main hall, where author Frank Cottrell-Boyce was waiting to give a speech on storytelling. His main message was that: “Joy should be at the centre of every story we tell.” The proceedings were then ended by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP. The day brought together organisations in the archdiocese who have been influenced by the Gospel and Catholic social teaching. It is their shared belief in social justice that will inspire partnership working, and a commitment to future collaboration. If you would like to find out more about the network, contact Pablo (archdiocesan Catholic social action coordinator) for further details on 0151 522 1042 or p.guidi@rcaol.org.uk