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News diary

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Cursillo celebrations

Our Lady of Walsingham, whose feast we celebrate on Saturday 24 September, is a symbol of what was, what is, and what will be. It can be of no small coincidence then that this special feast day has been chosen as the perfect day to celebrate 50 years of Cursillo in England and Wales. For those who are not familiar with Cursillo it is simply an encounter with Christ. Cursillo is a Spanish word meaning ‘a course’ a short course in Christianity. It promotes a spiritual revitalisation of our world. By living a fully Christian life, we bring Christ to others, including members of our family, school and workplace. Cursillo develops a consciousness that we are called to be leaders in our everyday lives. The Cursillo movement began in Mallorca, shortly after the Spanish civil war and developed quickly into a three day course of talks, discussions and devotions. It was brought over to England in the early 1970s by Francis Stillwell a member of the diplomatic service in Portugal. He was accompanied by a number of young Portugese cursillistas and a number of seminarians who were studying at the English College in Lisbon, including the Burns brothers and our own Bishop Tom Williams, and so the first Cursillo was held in Liverpool. In 1972 Father Jimmy Collins became Spiritual Director and Cursillo truly began to flourish growing around the country from Liverpool to Hallam, Oxford and Birmingham and as far south as Plymouth. Father Jimmy believed Cursillo was truly the work of the Holy Spirit. He believed all Catholics should make a Cursillo and through his massive devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham we are reminded that we are called to evangelise and bring others to Christ. Over the past 50 years there have been many special moments and we have many people to thank. We hope to bring all of these alive for you in our exhibition which will be held in the Gibberd room throughout the celebration. The day will begin at 10.00 am within the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King - throughout the day we will share a number of reflections and witness talks sharing the lives of those touched by the Lord through Cursillo. At 12.00 noon Bishop Tom Williams will celebrate Mass and we can come together in thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received. We ask Our Lady of Walsingham to pray for the continued growth of Cursillo throughout the world. Following Mass all are invited to join us for refreshments. The day is scheduled to finish at 4.00 pm. There have been so many blessings over the past 50 years we are excited to be able to invite everyone to join us for the day to share in them. If you have any stories you would like to share with us or have any questions regarding the day please feel free to contact us at national@cursillo.org or call Liverpool Lay Director Jenny Maguire on 07947 271037.

St Vincent de Paul Festival Mass

On Tuesday 27 September, the feast of St Vincent de Paul, Archbishop Malcolm will celebrate Mass in the Metropolitan Cathedral at 7.00 pm to thank SVP members and families for their dedication and service to others. Everyone is invited to the Mass to celebrate the work of the SVP in Liverpool and across southwest Lancashire. The St Vincent de Paul Society was founded in Paris in 1833 by Blessed Fredric Ozanam and the first conference was set up in Liverpool in 1847. Since then, 32 conferences have been founded in Liverpool and 22 in southwest Lancashire to serve and meet the needs of others. The people of the archdiocese have kept this work of befriending and meeting the needs of those in any form of poverty going for nearly two hundred years. Members from all age groups will be at the Mass in the Cathedral: the Mini Vinnies from primary schools, the Young Vincentians from secondary schools, the 1833 group of university students, and members from parish conferences who have given their time over decades as their parents and grandparents did. For further information about membership and the work of the SVP, contact Kath Riley, Membership Support Officer. Tel: 07917 303155. Email: kathyr@SVP.org.uk

Communion and Liberation

A Catholic Movement in Liverpool and the Northwest by members of the Northwest CL community

This October marks the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Monsignor Luigi Giussani who founded the Communion and Liberation movement, a lay movement recognised by the Catholic Church. When Monsignor Giussani began teaching high school boys and girls in 1950s Milan, he could have hardly imagined he was founding a Catholic movement with members in 90 countries around the world. Communion and Liberation (CL) has groups in the UK and one locally in the Northwest encompassing the Archdiocese of Liverpool and other Northern dioceses. Father Luigi Guissani presented the Catholic faith anew to his pupils not as a liturgical obligation or cultural relic but as something exciting, fulfilling, relevant and real. He and his students followed a method to accompany each other as friends living faith in everyday life together. Father Giussani challenged people to recognise in ordinary life that Christ is all in all - and Christ is the criterion by which we can evaluate the world and our place in it. What began with a small youth group in a school spread throughout Italy and is now a world-wide movement of lay men and women, clergy and religious of every age and background. CL meets in the Northwest weekly on Friday evenings as one group joining either on Zoom or in person in Warrington. This weekly meeting throughout CL is called the School of Community. Individuals, couples and families come together to reflect on a short text and relate what they have read to their daily life at work, in the home or in their prayer life. Often the texts are excerpts from the writings of Father Giussani. The readings are the same for the whole movement throughout the world. In the School of Community those attending support and encourage each other in friendship, sharing God’s actions in daily life. It is like a school because those joining in are interested in learning and evaluating their own experiences and committed to sharing their faith with each other. A father with teenage children was first drawn to join in the School of Community during lockdown. ‘CL has offered me a way to Christ in every aspect of my life. It has allowed me to meet new and very special friends who inspire and help me. It has brought my faith to life. I wish I had met CL earlier.’ A Liverpool mother with older children noted the beauty of being part of the School of Community. ‘For me seeing single people and couples joining in discussion (with children sometimes climbing over parents as they participate in the Zoom meetings.) was a powerful witness of community.’ The Northwest School of Community also includes a couple from Warrington that became involved in order to find Christian friends for their children. While members gather as the School of Community, they also attend Mass in their local parishes and are active participants in their local faith communities through worship and volunteering. While some are new to CL, others have spent many years in the movement. A mum of four from Lancaster joins the School of Community on Fridays with her husband. She explains that she ‘… joined the movement after I attended a meeting with my husband during university time’. She continues explaining that friendships made through CL ‘have been very important for me and for my faith because it helped me to go deeper in every relationship, trying not to stay on the surface and not to take anything for granted.’ Meeting with others in CL helps everyone appreciate an all-embracing faith that’s not just for Sunday Mass, but instead present in the daily drudgery and joy as parents, single people, workers and students. A mum from Sheffield joins in online and explains ‘I am more aware of how Christ is present in my daily life, supporting me as a friend and supporting my family in our vocation every step. The movement for me is a great help to live daily my Christian faith.’ Other ways of gathering include CL family days, national and international meetings, talks online and in person, holidays, hikes, the Way of the Cross and the occasional Mass together. There are specific groups and associations for children and students that are part of the larger, international movement. There is no official or formal registration, and anyone is welcome to join in. For more information about the centenary of Father Giussani, the movement, and local contact information: The local contact for CL: clnorthwest.soc@gmail.com https://english.clonline.org/ The Giussani centenary: https://english.clonline.org/fr-giussani Virtual exhibition of the centenary of Mgr Giussani: www.mostra.luigigiussani.org The online magazine of the Movement, Traces: https://english.clonline.org/traces Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communi onliberation/ Facebook: @communionliberation

Vigil for Olivia

On Wednesday 31 August Bishop Tom Williams led a prayer service and vigil for Olivia Pratt-Korbel at St Margaret Mary’s parish, Knotty Ash. The vigil, attended by Olivia’s mother and family, began with a short prayer service during which Bishop Tom offered his support, that of the parish family and local community, and spoke of the incredible strength which is shown by mothers in such tragic situations. The gospel, read by parish priest Father Roy Cooper, was from St Mark where the disciples try to stop people bringing little children to Jesus who responds by saying, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs’. Following the prayer service, the church remained open for the congregation of 250 to come forward and sign a Book of Remembrance.

Helping the Warrington Hub - #liverpool4ukraine

Ukrainians forced to flee their country because of the war are finding a warm welcome from the Ukrainian Family Hub in Warrington where the focus is on far more than simple support with over 280 families being helped by a dedicated band of volunteers. Kate McCarthy-Booth, founder of McCarthy Recruitment, immediately wanted to help and established the hub to find host families and offer support. Over the months the support has grown with English classes being offered every Wednesday evening, a social time every Sunday lunchtime, assistance with job applications, support for hosts and much more. There are days when families are able to spend time together with visits to Chester Zoo and Gulliver’s World and a trip to Goodison Park to see Everton play Dynamo Kyiv. To mark Ukrainian Independence Day the hub held a celebration for families and hosts on Sunday 21 August with music, cultural events, food and fun. Kate says, ‘the focus of the hub doesn’t begin and end with offering support, its much more than that. Its about building community and networks, making friendships, creating good memories, especially for the children. It’s a bitter-sweet time for the families, they enjoy themselves, yet they have to live with the background of what is happening to those left behind in Ukraine.’ The #liverpool4ukraine appeal by the archdiocese is making a substantial donation to support the work of the hub, Kate says, ‘ the archdiocese has been amazing with funding which has meant that we can keep the hub going. It goes towards a range of activities for the families; toys and school uniforms for the children, toiletries, refreshments and help with the trips out and days such as the Independence Day celebration’. Martin Miller, chief operating officer of the archdiocese says, ‘Archbishop Malcolm is very keen that we continue to help the Ukrainian people in every possible way. The archdiocese has been providing prayerful support, finance and direct aid (in our convoys) to the Ukraine itself. Our partnership with the Warrington Ukrainian Family Hub allows us to also provide support to Ukrainian refugees, and those who are hosting them, here in the archdiocese. We have committed to providing up to £10,000 to finance their vital work. We are delighted to be able to provide this support.’ For more information on volunteering or being a host contact: Kate McCarthy-Booth, email:admin@ukrainehubwarrington.co.uk. Visit www.facebook.com/groups/ukrainianhubwarrington or call in to the hub at The Daten, Culcheth Sports Club, Charnock Road, WA3 5SH. Sunday 11.00 am–2.00 pm and Wednesday 5.00 pm–7.00 pm.