Diocesan E-Magazine | Easter 2024

Annunciation Celebrations PLUS OTHER STORIES FROM ACROSS THE DIOCESE

SEEWHOCOMPLETED THEBIGLENT WALK2024 2024:YEAROFPRAYER

An opening message from

Bishop Patrick McKinney Bishop of Nottingham

Dear reader,

Welcome to this Eastertide edition of our diocesan E-News.

I have heard from many parishes of the increased number of people who participated in the Good Friday Services and Easter Masses It was the same at St Barnabas Cathedral This is something that must seek to build upon as we try to ensure that our parishes are both welcoming and places where people are helped to grow in personal appreciation of God’s merciful love and of the grace that He offers us in the daily living out of our faith In the Mass of Chrism, at the Cathedral on the Wednesday of Holy Week, I spoke about the power and effectiveness of the three oils we use in several of the sacraments which were blessed that day:

“In the blessing of the three oils, to be used in our churches and chaplaincies this coming year, we have an opportunity to ask God to renew each of us in the living out of our daily lives as his disciples In asking God to bless the Oil of the Sick, we ask Him to bring his comfort, closeness and healing strength to those across our diocese who are suffering, burdened by illness, and who will be anointed with this blessed oil Let’s pray also for the grace we need to support the sick in our parishes and chaplaincies, through our prayer, our visits to them, and our practical care and support In asking God to bless the Oil of Catechumens, we ask God to share his Risen life and love with those across our diocese who will be baptised and anointed with it. Let’s pray also today for the grace we, who are baptised, need so as to live the Christian faith ever more generously as God’s beloved sons and daughters. In asking God to bless the Oil of Chrism, we ask that those who are to be baptised, confirmed, and ordained, by means of anointing with it, may receive the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit in their Christian witness. Let’s pray also for those of us who are already baptised, confirmed and ordained; may the Holy Spirit come afresh upon us with his powerful help and guidance so that we may bear ever more joyful witness to Christ in our lives. These three oils represent then something of God’s abiding presence; He is alive and at work in his Church These oils are his wonderful gifts to us, signs and sacraments of his love and care for each of us As they are blessed today, let us each gladly open our hearts to receive afresh in our lives all that God still wishes to share with us”

My point is that we are never alone God walks with us; he accompanies us through life He is alive and at work in us through the power of the sacraments we have received. This Eastertide let us all reflect upon how open we are to the gift of the Holy Spirit we have received to guide, help, encourage, and inspire us in the way we pray and live our lives as God’s beloved sons and daughters. How often do we seek the help of the Holy Spirit? In the Mass of Chrism the priests renew the promises they made at their ordination and, before speaking to them, I spoke first about the importance of prayer in the lives of parishioners and its powerful effect upon clergy: “my dear people, in this Year of Prayer, I want to thank you for your lives of prayer; I pray that the Lord will deepen it still more I hope you know that the ministry of all your clergy, priests, deacons, & myself, is inspired and enriched enormously by the witness of your prayerful devotion It gladdens our hearts, and we value greatly the prayerful encouragement you offer us Please continue to expect of your clergy that they truly be men of prayer; and so do give them the space they need in their lives to pray the breviary, to have times of personal prayer, to go on Retreat and Days of Recollection, and to ponder on the scriptures so that they may preach the gospel faithfully, and in a way that speaks to your lives Please keep on encouraging them in their ministry, which at times can be demanding and lonely; give them constructive feedback, and expect them to take their day off each week to rest and relax. Ask of them that they seek holiness of life, and that they encourage and help you to do the same. Thank you for the love you have for your clergy, as well as for the patience, and understanding you show us. What’s expected of your clergy these days, and indeed what each of them expects of themselves, is often impossible to achieve Please keep encouraging them by prayer and sensitivity to their work-load”

Finally, I spoke to the priests: “my brother priests we can feel very inadequate in the face of all that is being asked of us, unworthy of our calling, and inclined at times to doubt the value and effectiveness of our ministry. Faced with this, the temptation can be to try and work even harder, so as not to let people down, not to disappoint them. Behind this is the vain hope that if we work all the harder, we’ll be valued more, and so will feel better about ourselves, more fulfilled. This is a real temptation for all of us but, deep down in our being, we know the painful truth, that the harder we work, relying only on our own human resources, the more we will find ourselves physically drained, emotionally exhausted and spiritually dry. It’s then that we are tempted to view our ministry as just a duty and a burden, as a series of never-ending problems, rather than as the amazing gift of God, blessing, and awesome privilege it truly is What Jesus says of himself in today’s gospel reading, ‘The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me’, is what every priest can humbly say of himself Because, as priests, we are supremely conscious that we have no other priesthood but Christ’s, no power and authority except the power and authority to serve that he has conferred on us, in spite of our own frailty and sinfulness Our calling is quite simply to imitate Christ Jesus, to be his humble and generous instruments, so that we can help support those we serve to become ever more aware of His loving presence in their lives So when, at the end of each day, we kneel down before Christ in grateful prayer, our greatest joy comes from knowing that the Lord himself has acted through our hands and spoken through our words In the midst of your busyness, may I encourage you never to squeeze out of your day times of prayer It’s because of our times of prayer, our desire to be regularly re-fuelled by God for our ministry, that we discover, time and time again, the truth, ‘for God nothing is impossible’” So much of what I said to priests will find an echo in all your lives

Everything that we are seeking to do in our diocesan parishes and chaplaincies to become more outward-looking, more engaged with our wider communities, so as to share with others the difference that knowing, loving and serving Christ makes to our lives, needs to be underpinned by prayer. Indeed, in this Year of Prayer, I would argue that helping people to pray, and to deepen their relationship with Christ, is one of the most important aspects of any Catholic community. If more of us grow in prayer throughout our diocese, it will have been a year well spent! Please do go to our Year of Prayer website section for more helpful resources: www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/yearofprayer

With ongoing prayer as we make our way through this season of Eastertide,

Looking for an event, retreat or course?

dioceseofnottingham.uk/events

BY Father Simon Gillespie Diocesan Jubilee Co-Ordinator

APRIL 2024 - PART IIII

PILGRIMS of hope

During Lent, in this Year of Prayer, we have looked at the Our Father as the model of prayer, and revisited afresh the familiar words that Jesus himself taught us Jesus tells us to ‘pray like this’ and so we can see in the Lord’s Prayer something of the different ways we might pray. Indeed the Church reminds us that there are fundamentally four expressions of prayer, four modes of speaking with our heavenly Father

Firstly, and probably most familiarly, there are prayers of petition. We ask God for the things we need, we ask God for the needs of our family, community, parish, school, Church, or even the whole world Each Sunday when we come to Mass and hear the intercessions read out, the bidding prayers, we are usually asking God for his aid in different situations, and so the prayers of petition are not far from our lips. Indeed we might sometimes feel as though we’re bringing a shopping list of needs before our heavenly Father: but he never tires of hearing our prayers, and granting us all we need (not always all we want, but always what we need) We are reminded of this in the Our Father when we say ‘Give us this day our daily bread’

Secondly there are prayers of contrition When we examine our conscience we are sorry for our sins, and so we ask God for forgiveness of the wrong we have done We might spend a few moments at the end of the day reviewing the choices we have made and the things we have done over the previous 24 hours; we usually make an examination of conscience before going to confession, the better to bring all our sins before the Lord in that beautiful sacramental encounter We begin each Mass by asking the Lord for mercy on us in our human frailness Central to this prayer of contrition from God is that we might also give forgiveness to those who need it from us, and so the Our Father sees us both asking God for forgiveness, and promising to do likewise: ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’.

Sometimes we make a prayer of thanksgiving for all that God has given us; indeed, everything we have is gift, freely given by the Father It might take us a little time to realise that all we have is given to us by God, but in a sense the whole of the Mass is a prayer of thanksgiving offered to the Father, through Jesus Christ, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit We recognise this in a sense in the Our Father when we ask thank God for his Kingdom, recognising that we receive from God here on earth all that he has in store for us in heaven”: ‘Thy kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven’

Finally there are prayers of praise, of simple worship of God for being God Some of our hymns speak to this type of prayer, such as ‘Holy God, we praise thy name’, although it’s perhaps not so often an instinctive prayer on our lips. We give thanks to God for his greatness, for his care of each one of us, and for his power in sustaining the whole of the universe The Our Father opens with words of praise of God, and it might be a pattern of prayer that we use a little more frequently, simply recognising God as Our Father, without anything more needing to be said ‘Our Father, who at in heaven, hallowed by thy name’.

May the Our Father, our model of prayer, lead us deeper into our daily, prayerful relationship with God through these days of Eastertide, in the light of the Risen Christ

Father Simon Gillespie

Around the Diocese

Short stories and good news from across the Diocese of Nottingham

Doyouhaveastorythatcouldfeaturehere?Getintouch! communicationsdioceseofnottingham.uk

Foundation Day Celebration

Feb 21st 2024 St Joseph’s Church Derby

On February 21st we celebrated the 375th anniversary of the foundation of the Ursulines of Mary Immaculate We have three Sisters (Sr Helen, Sr Sneha & Sr Vineeta) taken up ministry in the diocese in May 2023, resident at St Joseph’s Derby and ministering across that parish and Our Lady of Lourdes along with the University, hospital, primary school and a local care home.

We had a special Mass for the Sisters, with an introduction given by one of the sisters, followed by a celebratory breakfast in the parish centre

“Those who desire to be filled with God’s love should aim at purity of heart and should seek God alone in everything ” (Blessed Brigida of Jesus)

17th February 1649 is the most memorable day in the history of our congregation It is a day to be cherished by every Ursuline as we celebrate the 375th Anniversary of the foundation of our Institute. It is a day of thanksgiving for the numerous blessings that the good Lord has bestowed on our beloved Institute down through the centuries. As we commemorate the Foundation feast, let each one of us implore the heavenly intercessions of our Blessed Foundress to be enriched spiritually in order to manifest God’s compassion, goodness, gentleness and fruitfulness through our life and mission.

Blessed Brigida Morello of Jesus the foundress of our congregation of the Ursulines of Mary Immaculate lived in the 17th century. She was born in Rapallo in Italy on 17th June 1610. She was very much devoted to Christ crucified. She exhorts: “let the crucifix we wear be our mirror so that we may conform our life that of our guide and model Jesus ” She stands before us an exemplary, charismatic, courageous, committed and God oriented woman. She consecrated herself to God taking the name of Brigida of Jesus. She was a lady of vision and overcame all types of obstacles. Petty wars and industrial revolts had played havoc, creating instability in families women and children were the worst affected. Mother Brigida could not be blind to the need of the hour. Responding to the call, she dedicated herself to the cause of the education of the young girls. Thus, at Piacenza on 17th February1649 on Ash Wednesday she founded the Institute of the Ursulines of Mary Immaculate for the education and moral upliftment of the young girls As per the signs of the time we serve the divine master through our Education, medical and socio -pastoral ministries. Today the daughters of Blessed Brigida have made their presence felt in various mission fields in Italy, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Brazil, Ireland and UK

Mother grew up and bloomed in the atmosphere of religious virtues and prayer She always desired to be a hidden saint but God wished to bring her exemplary life, into the light and she was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul 2nd on March 1998 and the Holy Father announced Sept.4th as her feast day in Church Calendar.

On our path of trial, we the daughters of blessed Brigida strive to proceed with an open heart and joy to help everyone to grow. May her unshakable faith and remarkable service to people will remain exemplary in the years to come.

read the Introduction given by the sisters at the beginning of Mass

A new Cathedral needlework group works together, in friendship and prayer, to catalogue, repair, restore and preserve the Cathedral’s ecclesiastical fabrics.

In the Spring of 2023, at time when the parish was coming together again after the trauma of the pandemic, a group of parishioners felt it was the right time to reform and restart the Cathedral Arts and Crafts Group. The group meets weekly in the Cathedral Hall and engage in paint, drawing, crafts and various types of needlework It has become a meeting of friends, who share, learn and enjoy diverse creative skills together Some of those engaged in the group have considerable skills as needleworkers and have a keen interest in maintaining, repairing and replacing the Cathedral’s ecclesiastical fabrics. Many of the fabrics and vestments in the Cathedral date back to the nineteenth century and with this in mind, the group felt a weight of responsibility to ensure they equipped themselves with the specialist knowledge necessary to undertake the restoration of these precious assets

The group contacted Lucy Shaw at the Guild of St Clare in the hope that she might be able to offer some guidance. Lucy kindly came to the Cathedral to teach the group techniques and to provide advice on restoration work. She brought some materials for the group to make travelling stoles for priests and whilst relatively small items, the techniques learned and practiced through this activity are transferrable to larger items the group might make or restore in the future The group took the opportunity to show Lucy some of the Cathedral’s impressive antique vestments and welcomed her opinions on their future care, repairs, restoration and preservation. It is the group’s ambition to eventually catalogue all of the Cathedral’s fabrics and vestments.

Reflecting on the day, Anne Verdon said: ‘It was wonderful to have found another like-minded person to support us in our desire to preserve the Cathedral’s vestments and fabrics and we appreciated Lucy sharing her considerable skills with us. One aspect of the day, which we greatly appreciated, was Lucy helping us focus on the spiritual aspect of this needlework. This is something we have always felt since embarking on this work but we have not always articulated: we work for the Glory of God, we are at His service and God alone is our client.’

After such a fruitful day, the group intend to keep in touch with Lucy. She has kindly offered to come and visit the Cathedral again and the group hopes to attend one of her sewing retreats or days Looking forward, there is the hope that this dedicated group of needleworkers will become the Nottingham Diocesan Branch of the Guild of St Clare This would mean placing the skills developed at the Cathedral at the service of the Diocese and supporting priests and parishes in caring for, repairing and preserving their ecclesiastical fabrics for future generations.

If you have needlework skills and would like to get involved in this work, please email Anne Verdon with a few sentences about your interest and skills in needlework: anne verdon@dioceseofnottingham uk

Congratulations to Sister Monica Kelliher, of the Little Company of Mary, who was presented with the Benemerenti (Papal Award) by Bishop Patrick.

Since arriving in Nottingham in 2009, Sister Monica has given tirelessly and quietly of her time and efforts in service to the parishioners and Clergy here at the Cathedral, especially those who are sick or in need. With a prayer and gratitude for her ministry and presence in our Cathedral community, we were delighted to share her special moment and we are very blessed to have her here with us at the Cathedral

The Cathedral Restoring Pugin project team have recently launched an online survey to gather the thoughts and views of the Cathedral parish and congregation.

As we work our way through the development phase of the project it's really important that we gain as much information as possible about what people would like to happen if we are successful with the final phase of the project funding We want to make sure that what happens both in the Cathedral, and with wider events and activities as part of the project, reflects the consultation we have done with those that support the Cathedral on a regular basis.

The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and has a variety of simple questions to ascertain your preferences for the future delivery of the Restoring Pugin project

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WDPY9SM

It was a busy half term week for our Restoring Pugin Project Team, as they welcomed 600+ people to the Cathedral for #FOSAC2024

The Cathedral was pleased to join two days of Nottingham’s Festival of Science and Curiosity for the first time this year, during February Half Term. This annual festival is all about showcasing the world of science and celebrating curiosity with children and young people across the City and County Over two days 620 people enjoyed a wide range of hands-on creative activities, in the Cathedral Hall and Gardens and the second day was especially designed for SEND families and groups Festival partners included Catalent and the University of Nottingham and different partners offered a variety of activities including chemistry and mineral experiments, mindful embroidery, geology, Lego and KNEX building. The slime making activity was particularly popular, with children having the chance to make slime in a colour of their choice and to take it home with them!

As well as these fantastic activities offered by Festival partners, we were delighted to be able to offer a ‘Restoring Pugin’ twist to the days’ activities. Our Restoring Pugin Paint Conservator, Debs, demonstrated paint stencil techniques using some of the recently uncovered Pugin designs discovered in the Cathedral’s Unity Chapel Our trainee paint conservators, Mary and Emily, then helped children to make their own Pugin-themed stencil-patterned crowns and bookmarks Our Research Fellows from Nottingham Trent University were also on site demonstrating the exciting new technologies which are being developed as part of our Restoring Pugin Project. Children were able to try on and use a virtual reality headset, which takes them on virtual journey through the Cathedral as it is now In time, this will be further developed to enable people to experience the different decorative paint schemes in the Cathedral since its foundation Children were also able to road-test our heritage conservation game, which makes use of the data being collected through real-time environmental monitoring of the Cathedral through its digital twin. The game gets young people to think about how to look after our heritage and encourages them to consider a career in the heritage sector Anamalai Selvarajan NTU Research Fellow in Game Development, said ‘It was a great opportunity to see children’s reactions to the game prototype and this enabled us to do some useful real-time research with them, to see how the game could be improved further ’

Restoring Pugin Engagement Manager Helen Martinez said, “It was a fantastic two days. We are thrilled with the attendance and the range of people of all ages and abilities who came along and got so much out of their time with us It was a brilliant opportunity to show some of the progress we are making with our Restoring Pugin project now we are approaching the halfway point Participating in the festival has again demonstrated how much potential there is within this project for wider groups of people to engage with the Cathedral.”

We are already looking forward to hopefully joining the Festival of Science and Curiosity in 2025

The Cathedral’s participation in this year’s Festival was made possible thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund This activity facilitated a range of engagement and participation outcomes for the Cathedral’s Restoring Pugin Project. It also enabled the Cathedral to develop and deepen links with a number of SEND groups including; Bennerly Fields SEND School, Space Inclusive and Rumbletums Café

Easter Triduum | Search for the Light at The Briars

Over the Easter Triduum we were incredibly blessed to welcome 40, 15 to 18 year olds to the Briars site for the Search for the Light retreat. We had a fantastic time exploring the triduum together and thinking about how the death and resurrection of Jesus affects us in our daily lives.

We made the most of the time we had together as a faith community with fun, adventure, artwork and time for prayer and reflection We were so encouraged by one of the participants who shared the following about her time with us: “Every part of the retreat was so personal and thoughtful, it was evident that so much time was put into the programme. I cannot wait to come back for advent and hopefully join the team in a couple of years time. It is truly one of the best experiences I’ve had and the Briars is just the most magical place that I would recommend to anyone.”

A parent of another participant added, “Our son expressed how much he loved his experience of his retreat last week. He said that it made him feel closer to God and that all the people he met were nice and very friendly. He wanted to be back there again.”

We are excited to see what happens at Search for the Light next year, and at our next retreat for Gaudete Sunday later this year, where we hope to welcome even more Year 10 to Year 13’s to join us for our Advent retreat and grow on their faith journeys!

For more information check out our website www ndcys com, email info@ndcys com or follow us on our i l

Primary School adorns local Church with ‘Our Father’ reflection windows

Each class in St Joseph's Primary School in Shirebrook prepared a window on a phrase of the Our Father - to help the community reflect and themselves The children are having a retreat time on Monday with the windows. In the Parish, we have had a holy hour each Tuesday in one of our 4 churches reflecting on a phrase of the Our Father and on Tuesday of Holy Week they held a reconciliation service based on the Our Father.

Annunciation Celebrations

The Parish of the Annunciation, Rushcliffe

The Parish of the Annunciation, Rushcliffe, gathered to celebrate their feast at The Becket School. With Mass, followed by refreshments and more celebrations, it was great to come together as a fairly-newly formed parish community! “Grateful thanks to all parishioners and volunteers for making our special day a joyful success! Your dedication and participation are truly appreciated. God bless you all.” - Fr John Martin

the Annunciation, Cliveden Conservation are ome exciting & interesting discoveries from eir work on the Restoring Pugin project.

rgin Mary in 1993 following restoration, the east chapel has been the focus of our s this month, with our team of conservators nd record successive phases of decoration. decorated finish of the interior elevations, up lier paint have now been recorded. Opening s and meticulously removing each of these in to reach the earliest phase of decoration, ul array of stencils.

e decoration within the Chapel speaks of n Mary, with the lower sections of the interior eoccurring monogram which incorporates a n, and concentric circle motif, set against a e scheme of stars found on the Unity Chapel ues, but here, the decoration and effect are th every third panel painted with floral motifs m on a red ground is placed within a fivewith gilded sunbursts.

been found beneath the light scumble finish he Chapel’s scissor-braced roof and on the the adjoining Unity Chapel and Chapel of St. g patterns of foliage, flowers and fleur-de-lis faces Interestingly, within the reredos, the me of blue, white, and gold leaf mirrors the ound here beneath seven later layers of paint, r exploration had uncovered and replicated nt paint finish in The Buildings of England, chitectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner ole effect could hardly be further from the on and atmosphere that Pugin intended’. This ble with a grant from the National Lottery nabled us to gain insight into the captivating apel and the exciting opportunities for future conservation work in continuing phases of the project.

Nicola Collins MA, MSc Project Manager, Decorative Arts Section Cliveden Conservation

By Fr Jonathan Cotton

One of the Masses I look forward to celebrating on a regular basis is the Derby Sensory-friendly Mass at Holy Family Church, Allestree, Derby, DE22 2LG. It was Primary School children who identified the need for such a Mass as a result of their preparations for the recent Synod on Synodality They saw the need for a Mass which would accommodate all young people, particularly those with a special educational need and/or disability, SEND.

The local parish priest, Fr Greg Tobin, based in St Mary’s, Bridgegate in Derby, asked the parish catechetical co-ordinator, Fran Hazel, to organise the Masses. The next ones are scheduled for the Sunday afternoons of May 26th and June 9th both at 2.00pm.

Fran, with Laura Sutherland, has gathered a Team of Volunteers to help run the Masses, which includes signing the Mass by Anne, musicians with Dierdre and friends, and helpers who provide tea, cakes and biscuits after Mass The church, with its movable furniture and a warm and welcoming atmosphere, is ideal for the children and their family. Everyone sits at family sized tables with a selection of stimulating materials on the table for the children to use throughout the Mass The children read, altar serve, carry the gifts to the altar, and make up spontaneous prayers for the Intercessions. With their heads buried in their table activities, it never ceases to amaze me that when I ask a question during the homily or elsewhere, the children’s hand shoot up! They are paying full attention and know exactly what’s going on.

The relaxed and simple celebration of the Mass is both welcoming and joyful And so, I ask myself, if this is possible in Derby, why not elsewhere in Derby? Why not come along and find out more. You are welcome to contact Fran at: fran.hazel@dioceseofnottingham.uk.

By Fr Jonathan Cotton

Retirements

We wish Canon Alan Burbridge a long and blessed retirement as he retired as parish priest of Saint George and All Soldier Saints, Old Normanton with Holy Spirit, Sinfin, with effect from 31st March. We thank him for his almost-53 years of priestly service, a very long and dedicated service to the diocese since his priestly ordination in 1971

Appointments

With the retirement of Canon Alan Burbidge on Easter Day, Father Mark Brentnall has been appointed as Parish Priest of the parish of Saint George and All Soldier Saints, Old Normanton and Holy Spirit, Sinfin with effect from Easter Day Thanks to Father Mark for undertaking this role, together with his other roles in Derby Deanery.

Father David Pitak Bithu, of the Sacred Heart Fathers and Brothers (Betharram) has been appointed as Assistant Priest in the parishes of Corpus Christi, Clifton, and Our Lady and Saint Patrick in the Meadows, Nottingham He will work alongside Father Wilfred, and we keep Father David and Father Wilfred, and the people to whom they minister, in our prayers.

We welcome Father Philip Heiberg into our diocese, whose incardination was confirmed on 25th February Father Phil will continue his ministry as Parochial Administrator of the parish of Saint Thomas More, Knighton Road, and the parish of Immaculate Conception, Oadby.

We also very warmly welcome Father Benjamin Sunder MSFS who arrived in our diocese on 8th February and who has been appointed Assistant Priest in the parish of Saint Ralph Sherwin, Derby, working alongside Father Greg Tobin. Father Benjamin has some previous pastoral experience in our country, and joins Fathers Roji and Prince as members of the Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales working in our diocese

We are also grateful to the Polish Catholic Mission for providing Father Ireneusz Maraszkiewicz to take on the pastoral responsibility of the Polish Mission in Leicester, in succession to the late Canon Tadeusz Kordys. Father Ireneusz will build on the good work of Canon Tadeusz amongst the Polish people in Leicester

We warmly welcome Father Phil, Father Benjamin, and Father Ireneusz, thanking them for their generosity in ministering amongst the people of our diocese, and ask you to keep them and their parishioners in your prayers.

New Parishes in the Diocese of Nottingham!

31st March 2024

Parish of Our Lady of Walsingham, South Holland

To take effect from Easter Day, 31st March, Bishop Patrick Decreed the erection (through the extinctive union of the former parishes, listed) of the new Parish of Our Lady of Walsingham, South Holland, taking the entire territory, and patrimony, and care of souls of the former parishes of Holy Trinity, Holbeach; and Immaculate Conception and Saint Norbert, Spalding. Father Jim Burke has been appointed Parish Priest of this new parish, in succession to his previous appointments of Parish Priest of the two parishes extinctively unionised

7th January 2024

Parish of The Epiphany, Amber Valley taking the entire territory, and patrimony, and care of souls of the former parishes of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Belper with Saint Margaret Clitherow, Duffield; and Saint Joseph, Ripley

25th January 2024

Parish of Our Lady and the Beauvale Martyrs, Erewash Valley taking the entire territory, patrimony, and care of souls of the former parishes of Saint Thomas of Hereford, Ilkeston; Our Lady of Good Counsel, Eastwood; and St John the Evangelist, Stapleford. Canon Paul Newman has been appointed Parish Priest of this new parish, in succession to his previous appointments of Parish Priest of the three parishes extinctively unionised

14th February 2024

Saint Charles Borromeo, National Forrest taking the entire territory, and patrimony, and care of souls of the former parishes of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint John Boromeo, Ashby-de-laZouch; and Our Lady of Mercy and Saint Philip Neri, Melbourne, with Risen Lord, Castle Donington Father Andrew Harding has been appointed Parish Priest of this new parish, in succession to his previous appointments of Parish Priest of the three parishes extinctively unionised

WALSINGHAM ‘24

“As for Me and My House we will serve the Lord” Joshua 24:15

Join people from around the Diocese at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham as we seek Our Lady of Walsingham’s intercession for an increase in Vocations to the Priesthood, Diaconate and Religious Life in our Diocese.

1.00 Lunch

1.30 Adoration and Confessions available

Vocations Stall: a chance to chat with the Vocations

Directors and Religious of the Diocese

Activities for Children and Young People

3.00 Procession along the Holy Mile, Praying for an increase in Vocations*

4.00 Benediction in the Abbey Grounds*

4.30 Departures

For more information, please contact:

Father Neil Peoples

Tel: 01283 564814 or email

vocations@dioceseofnottingham uk

Deacon Seamus O’Looskan

Tel: 0116 251 1437 or email seamus olooskan@dioceseofnottingham uk 11.00 Arrivals 12.00 Mass

www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/events/walsingham

FAMILY DAY DIOCESAN

Sat. 22nd June ‘24

Trinity School, Nottingham

Afternoon(1PM-5PM)

BBQ Ice Cream Van

Games & Activities

Holy Mass with Bishop Patrick McKinney

Bishop of Nottingham

Adults’ session on “top tips for paying with children”

With guest sessions and activities from :

@playing_and_praying

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW!

This Lent, hundreds of people all over the Nottingham Diocese laced up their shoes and raised money to fight global poverty by taking part in CAFOD's Big Lent Walk.

The Big Lent Walk is a challenge set by CAFOD each year for individuals to walk 200km throughout Lent (roughly 5km a day!). Schools and Parishes are also encouraged to get involved by coming together for a walk as a community. This year, thousands of people from all over the East Midlands rose to the challenge and have had great fun along the way! We hear from some of the individuals, parishes, and schools who took part…

I have just today (Tuesday 26th March) completed the 200kilometre Big Lent Walk for CAFOD This is my 4th Walk for CAFOD; I did the Walk for Water, The Walk Against Hunger and the last 2 Big Lent Walks As always I start off hopeful that I will reach the walking goal, as a sentiment of solidarity with the people CAFOD have for their focus each year, and any fundraising along the way is a bonus and I think that is the best way to treat it because if fundraising is high t’s very motivating but when it isn’t it can be demoralising The best thing is the camaraderie amongst those who walk. The Big Lent Walk Facebook group is great. The challenge to get the right picture for the daily picture challenge and to see the pictures others post of their walk is inspiring I have been blessed this year in particular with being able to walk in 4 different countries. I began at home, then walked in France on my way to a friend’s birthday party, in Germany on my onward and home journeys and in the stunning scenery of Austria and then finished back at home in my local park If you have waked with me this year well done if you haven’t then think about it for next year it’s a very worthwhile experience.”

- Ann Neale, Parish of Our Lady and All Saints, Mansfield

The Big Lent Walk has been a wonderful experience for me, and my family has given me fantastic support in achieving my goals Helping vulnerable families globally to feed themselves, especially in the face of climate change is so important. I feel honoured to have been able to play a small part in this campaign.

- Robert Hicklin, Parish of St Charles Borromeo, National Forest

s of Sacred Heart & St Margaret Mary, Our Lady of Good now come together as the Holy Family Cluster, Leicester with Fr David Cain as Parish Priest, have enjoyed an annual parish walk, and in recent years they have participated in Cafod's Big Lent Walk

This year we revisited a favourite local spot- Watermead Park, which definitely has plenty of water around- Grand Union canal, and lakes in former gravel pits. It had also been raining a lot in the preceding weeks, so we were grateful for a dry day, and fewer puddles than we expected and even some sunshine

Christina Mottram, a local Cafod parish volunteer, began the walk (after the group photo with 39 people, including dogs and children) with the current Cafod prayers for children and adults. She related this to this year ' s Fast Day theme of supporting the fishermen of Liberia, especially James and his community and we did indeed pass a number of fishermen on our walk! Spring was just making itself felt, so we were able to appreciate the beauty of the nature around us, especially the birds on the water and the emerging greenery after winter The walk took in refreshment stops, with ice-cream or coffee near Wanlip; and then the White Horse pub in Birstall, for some liquid refreshment and copious bowls of chips which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Our Big Lent Walk exceeded its target of £1000, with our amount currently at £1559 thanks to generous donations by parishioners It was a lovely sociable time for all who took part as well!

Last year, SSPP Church hosted a day event for the Big Lent Walk for our deanery, and one of the parishioners who took part, Stuart, felt inspired to take on the complete challenge this year. Stuart was inspired by God’s love to focus on the word ‘big’ in the title of the challenge: God invites everyone, however small, to share in His BIG life, with no exclusions The Big Lent Walk beautifully captures that!

So, rather than just doing it as an individual by himself, he wanted to involve others and make it a parish event. So, it was decided rather than any one individual needing to walk 5km for the full forty days, a person or group could commit to undertake a single 5km walk. With the desire nobody would be excluded from taking part, those unable to walk 5km were invited to pray or donate to the charity, with forty Rosary ‘warriors’ sought to pray for CAFOD’s intentions.

The invitation ‘Be a part of something Big!’ and get involved was made to parishioners and then to the wider Lincoln Catholic community together with our Christian neighbours in nearby churches. A huge banner from CAFOD was erected and a display board created in SSPP church, which has CAFOD posters and is gradually being filled with photos of those taking part. A CAFOD JustGiving web page was created https://parishes.walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/ssppbig-lent-walk to track progress of the walk, offer encouragement and collect donations, though with the Cafod Family Fast Day collections after weekend Masses, a big amount is not anticipated

So far, six individuals have committed themselves to prayer and twenty-seven individuals to undertake walks; our first volunteer was a lady in her eighties who is doing the 5km within her home over the course of a day! A group walk through a nearby park and along a river path, was organised and seven individuals joined in that, including two from another Catholic church and one from a Baptist church ‘Purple heart’ bookmarks are being created, by a parishioner, to award to each individual willing and ‘brave’ enough to sign up and take part in the event, as a small thank you and memento

- Jo Franks, Parish of Ss Peter and Paul, Lincoln

The Pritchard Family in Melton Mowbray took part by doing a number of outings over half term. This included visiting museums, exploring trails, and even Pokémon hunting!

Walkers from SSPP Lincoln

English Martyrs Long Eaton joined up with their local Parishes, St Francis of Assisi and The Assumption to do a massive community walk around Attenborough Nature Reserve. On Instagram they wrote: “We had a wonderful time, despite the ever changing weather and walked over 6 miles - which is a long way for some of those little legs!!!”

St Thomas’ Primary School in Ilkeston decided to take a different way to make up their steps, taking part in a sponsored line dance for CAFOD! To go with it, they made an awesome music video, inviting the whole community to get involved, watch it here!

At CAFOD Nottingham, we have been amazed by different ways people have brought The Big Lent Walk to life We would like to thank everyone who got involved, fighting global poverty one step at a time

We are already excited for next year!

What to get involved with CAFOD in your local area? Get in touch with Will, the local CAFOD worker.

Will Cruddace Community Participation Co-ordinator – CAFOD Nottingham

CAFOD Volunteer Centre | McGuinness Centre | Brooklyn Road | Bulwell | Nottingham | NG6 9ES Mobile and WhatsApp: 07710 094 455

Father John Daley IC

1936 - 2024

It was with great sadness that we heard of the death of Father John Daley, of the Institute of Charity, and parish priest of Saint Joseph’s parish, Uppingham Road, who died on Sunday 10th March aged 88 years

On the occasion of his golden jubilee, on 2nd July 2017, Father John wrote:

Today I celebrate 50 years of priesthood. Thank you for being here in your prayer, as are all those I would love to see today but who are here, also, in prayer

There were 600 people in my home church of St Alban’s in Cardiff that happy day in 1967 – family, brethren, friends, neighbours and parishioners whom I had always known I knew everyone in the church It was a glorious day And so have been the succeeding years, serving God and the Church in various ways and in different places The beginnings in Cardiff, a happy family and good friends in our Welsh homeland and Irish Catholic community –these were the foundations of my life

A desire to live and serve God developed deep within me and I knew that would be my first choice if I were accepted I was, and the Institute of Charity (the Rosminians, named after Antonio Rosmini, our founder) guided my vocation. They sent me to study at Cambridge University (three fascinating years, taught by well-known scholars and playing rugby and cricket alongside international players), to Rome (four wonderful years), to Ratcliffe and Yorkshire to teach (more happy years), allowed me to go on loan to an inspiring Bishop O’Grady in his missionary diocese on the edge of the Canadian wilderness (two breath-taking years), sent me to New Zealand to open our novitiate house, teach and preach retreats (three more wonderful years), brought me home to Newport in Wales, near family and friends for eight more happy years, then to Wisbech in East Anglia for six happy years of parish and diocesan work, and finally to Leicester in 1990 where I have been very happy at St Theresa’s and St Joseph’s. Could anyone be more blessed, I wonder?

I grew up Welsh and Irish, became proudly British, in Rome I was European Page 4 and of the Universal Church, and in Canada finally realised I simply wanted to be part of the human family. I had arrived. God had allowed me to experience what I might never have been able to understand And all the time God was there Our Rosminian way of life asks three hours of prayer each day – all my loved ones, living and dead, all the people and students I have served, all there each day in my prayer How much more happiness must I bear before God calls me home? Today, I thank God and everyone. I have been so blessed God bless us

Canon Anthony Patrick Dolan

1939 - 2024

We were also much saddened to learn of the death of Canon Anthony Patrick Dolan, retired priest of our diocese, who died on Saturday 16th March aged 84 years Canon Anthony was born on 1st June 1939 in Bulwell, and studied in Saint Hugh’s College, Tollerton, and the seminary in Innsbruck, before ordination on 23rd July 1966 in Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Bulwell He served on the staff of Oscott College, and as Vice Rector at Tollerton, as well as assistant priest in Holy Spirit, West Bridgford, Sacred Heart, Leicester, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Leicester, and Christ the King, Alfreton; he was appointed parish priest of All Saints, Ashbourne, in 1980, and then in Ilkeston (1983), Melbourne (1992) and Grantham (2003), before retiring on 8th September 2015 to the bungalow next to the church in Bulwell He was appointed a Canon of the Cathedral Chapter in 2009, and as well as being chaplain to East Midlands Airport was the long-serving Diocesan Archivist

On the occasion of his golden jubilee in 2016 Anthony wrote:

As I write this in late June 2015 immediately after receiving a request from the Editor of the Year Book to do so by the middle of September, I am in the process of sorting out books, papers, clothing, etc prior to my retiring from active priestly ministry later this year Some of these items – clothes in particular, have accompanied me on my travels over the last half century and more The cassock which I wore at my ordination on 23 July 1966 was given to me by my then parish priest when I began my course of theology four years earlier I hope to wear it at my Golden Jubilee celebrations – if I can squeeze into it, and I intend to be buried in it when such a consideration will no longer be relevant! In sorting out my material possessions, and trying to decide what I want or need to take with me into retirement, memories of all kinds come flooding into my mind I think of all the people with whom I have come into contact as a seminarian and as a priest. Some of them have had an influence on me in ways neither they nor I could have ever suspected, and I am most grateful, to them and to God, for this I think, too, of decisions I have made which have influenced the way in which my life has unfolded. A simple example was when, at the age of twelve, I was asked whether I would prefer to take up French or German Having been told that French grammar was particularly difficult, I opted for German only to discover later on that German grammar is also very difficult! But because I had some slight knowledge (two years of it) of German, Bishop Ellis decided to send me, at the age of eighteen, to a major seminary in Austria, a decision I have never regretted! Those who know me are (only too) well aware of the influence my six years in the Austrian Tyrol has had on my life and on my ministry as a priest My prayer as I prepare to enter the next stage of my earthly existence is that, like the cedar and the palm tree mentioned in Psalm 91, I will still bear fruit even though I am old and that I will retain a certain youthfulness and vigour in spite of declining mental and physical powers I hope that the readers of this article will pray for me and for my brothers in the priesthood who have retired from active ministry as I know we pray for you

“We are commencing a work in time that is to influence all eternity”

V E N E R A B L E M A R Y P O T T E R

MassfortheCauseofBeatificationandCanonisationof

Venerable Mary Potter

CAROLINE SMITH LCM ASSOCIATE

On 8th February 1988 Pope Saint John Paul II declared Mary Potter venerable We join together every year in praying for the cause of Beatification and Canonisation of this extraordinary woman and her visionary work in praying and caring for the sick, the suffering and the dying. On 13th February we celebrated a Votive Mass of Our Lady of Good Counsel which was a much loved and significant devotion in the life of Mary Potter Inspired by her devotion to the Maternal Heart of Mary when at the foot of the Cross she stood by her Son accepting and sharing his suffering, bringing him comfort in his dying moments “God showed me his desire, a new Order in the Church the spirit and model which would be Calvary” (Venerable Mary Potter)

Mary was born in London on 22 November 1847, the youngest of five children She was born with a congenital heart and lung disease and later faced cancer and tuberculosis With lifelong frail health, Mary had a strong personal empathy for the sick and the dying Mary also faced much psychological and spiritual suffering as she struggled to actualise her mission from God She faced much opposition from her family, her mother in particular, and her Spiritual Directors It was against this background that in 1877 the 29-year-old Mary Potter and two companions came to rent a derelict stocking factory in the then deprived area of Hyson Green, Nottingham where the poor living in squalid conditions with neglected disease struggled to survive Despite further trials and setbacks, Mother Mary’s vision was to ensure that her sisters had a strong spiritual foundation with a disciplined life of prayer as well as the highest standards of professional training so that they could offer the best nursing care and tend to the spiritual welfare of their dying patients The building was blessed as a convent dedicated to the Maternal Heart of Mary and became the foundation of what was to become a global Order of the Little Company of Mary where the high standards of nursing, palliative and spiritual care continue to this day

It was Pope Leo XIII who signed the Decree which approved the Little Company of Mary and he invited Mary Potter to open a house in Rome This was to become the Mother House where Mary lived until her death in 1913 In 1977 her remains were transferred to the Cathedral of St Barnabas here in Nottingham where the Little Company of Mary was founded

In his homily Fr Julian Booth, Vice-Postulator for the cause of Mary Potter’s canonisation, spoke of her devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel whose shrine is in Genazzano, 30 miles from Rome Here a miraculous image of Our Lady and the Child Jesus is venerated The doctors had given Mary months to live and declared that it would need a miracle for her to survive. Determined to see the sisters off to Sydney from Naples, a very ill Mary Potter stopped at Genazzano during the return journey to pray before the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel In a state of collapse, Mary was put to bed until the next morning when she was carried to pray before the miraculous image. That evening whilst the Rosary was being prayed in her room, Mary got up from her bed and walked unassisted She continued unaided to Mass the next morning and was able to spend a long time in prayer While many referred to this as a miracle, Mary referred to it as a great “Grace” when good health was restored to her enabling her to continue the work of the Little Company of Mary

Fr Julian explained that “The gift of Counsel points us to the Maternal Heart of Mary, pierced with a sword, but a heart which is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a heart which will always tell us what to do”. He asks us all to pray and to invoke Our Lady of Good Counsel so that we can “learn to love Our Lady better” He also explained that it is the gift of Counsel that urges us to do the right thing in praying and fostering devotion to Venerable Mary Potter “We look to the prayers of the Mother of God in our desire to see her faithful servant, Mary Potter raised to the altars”.

Writing to her sisters at Christmas 1885, Mother Mary Potter said: “I have visited Our Lady on earth, if I may so express it, at her lovely Sanctuary at Genazzano, where she seemed to take me in her arms and bless my soul and body”

Fr Julian asks us to visit Our Lady of Good Counsel in spirit if not in body by using a picture of the image and by keeping it in our homes as a reminder to pray for the cause of Mary Potter and to also ask Our Lady for the gift of wise counsel

During this year 2024, Fr Julian, the Sisters, Associates and Affiliates of the Little Company of Mary would ask that you continue with the prayers and promotion of the cause, for a miracle that could be attributed to Venerable Mary Potter’s intercession and would advance the Church’s careful process of canonisation We can do this by giving people the Beatification Prayer Card; by introducing at least one person to Venerable Mary Potter; to visit her tomb and to visit the Heritage Centre at 32 Regent Street, Nottingham (email: lcmheritage@gmail.com Tel: 01159505167)

Beatification Prayer O God, to whose glory the Little Company of Mary was founded by Venerable Mary Potter, grant that she may beatified soon, so that her work and spirit may benefit still more the suffering members of Jesus Christ Amen Mary Mother of the Church, may this ardent apostle of your Maternal Heart be more widely known by special favours granted through her intercession (Here make your petition) Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Life is a UK pregnancy support charity. Through our services, we help tens of thousands of people each year meet pregnancy and pregnancy loss with both courage and dignity so they can flourish. Our services include:

Free pregnancy listening service via phone, text, email and in-person.

Housing and community support for mums and their babies

Free pregnancy tests and baby supplies.

Crafting educational content on pregnancy, pregnancy loss and our work.

To receive help: freephone 0808 8025433 Text 0808 8025433 and Email help@lifecharity.org.uk.

Further information on how you can support Life is available at getinvolved@lifecharity.org.uk.

For all other queries, please call our national office on 01926 312272.

Life Seeks New Champions

One of the UK’s leading pregnancy support charities, Life, is looking to expand its community organiser network across many more parishes They are looking for people with the potential to show great community organising skills and with special access to quality training, mentoring and support

For over 50 years Life has supported women with an unplanned pregnancy Services today include a free and accessible helpline with a counselling option, a large network of houses and supplies pregnancy tests to all who apply.

“Champions help us to raise our profile and make an impact”.

Ideally, the charity is looking for applicants aged over 18 who have good social skills, can listen, be respectful and nonjudgmental to others. They will want to make a difference in their community and have the enthusiasm and willingness to help others. If you have some spare time, enjoy being active in the community, then this could be the perfect role for you

A Community and Church Champion would represent the link between Life and the parish In some ways they will be a pioneer volunteer as they will be filling a current gap And perhaps most importantly they will care passionately about protecting vulnerable women and the role that Life plays in supporting new mothers and their babies

Each Champion will be working to maximise local donations, ensure the smooth dayto-day running of the planned activities, and explore potential ways to improve income raising schemes each year There are no hard and fast rules for identifying a local champion, so interested people are simply asked to put their name forward

“Their selfless contribution is vital to our local fundraising and awareness-raising work”.

The active supporters of Life amplify our appeals, roll-out our initiatives and publicise our achievements. Their help could include placing posters related to specific appeals, liaising with local businesses to find opportunities to place our collection tins or holding cake sales or running raffles.

In summary, local champions will be able to:

Explore and develop new areas of community fundraising

Share their know-how and expertise with others

Provide up-to-date information on Life’s priorities

Answer questions and sign-post enquirers

Be responsible for the funds generated

The CEO of Life Kerry Smart believes that

“a new and dedicated group of Champions for Life will become a real asset and a major contributing factor to the ongoing success of our charity They will always be happy to help and have the time and resources needed to help Life raise funds With good knowledge of its programmes, they will also help people to understand the positive impact we are having on women’s lives”

With all the necessary support and encouragement our Community and Church Champions will:

Belong to a wider champion network

Build strong engagement and connections through good conversations

Be sensitive and aware of community issues and experiences.

Share key messages about the success of Life.

As the Community and Church Champion you will help to promote a Culture of Life in your parish and keep the issues addressed by Life uppermost in people’s minds. At the end of the day it’s all about being generous and wanting to help. If you agree with the mission of Life, you will certainly get out what you put in. Already the charity has had some amazing colleagues step forward to take on the challenge, and here’s your chance to join them!

This is a really important role as it helps Life reach new people, inspire new fundraising activity, and thank supporters for the work they are doing This is a flexible role to suit availability, and as such there is no minimum time commitment

Life wants to reflect the UK’s diversity and promote equality and inclusion For this role it positively encourages enquiries from underrepresented groups

To hear more about what it means to be a Life Champion and how to join our expansion programme, email Matt Feeley at mattfeeley@lifecharity org uk or visit our new website getinvolved lifecharity org uk

Clergy Retreat 2024

During the second week of Lent, twelve priests made a very enjoyable and fruitful Retreat at Ampleforth Abbey It was very fitting that, in this Year of Prayer, we had some very good talks from the Abbot, and several of the monks, on aspects of prayer.

Abbot Robert began his talk by quoting from Pope Francis’ letter to the Dicastery for Evangelisation:

“In this time of preparation, I would greatly desire that we devote 2024, the year preceding the Jubilee event, to a great “symphony” of prayer. Prayer, above all else, to renew our desire to be in the presence of the Lord, to listen to Him and to adore Him. Prayer, moreover, to thank God for the many gifts of His love for us, and to praise His work in creation, which summons everyone to respect it, and to take concrete and responsible steps to protect it. Prayer as the expression of a single “heart and soul” (cf. Acts 4:32), which then translates into solidarity and the sharing of our daily bread. Prayer that makes it possible for every man and woman in this world, to turn to the one God and to reveal to him what lies hidden in the depths of their heart. Prayer as the royal road to holiness, which enables us to be contemplative even in the midst of activity. In a word, may it be an intense year of prayer in which hearts are opened to receive the outpouring of God’s grace and to make the “Our Father,” the prayer Jesus taught us, the life programme of each of his disciples”.

Abbot Robert challenged us to ask ourselves, what is the place of prayer in our lives? He also asked us to think of prayer, not so much in terms of saying prayers, but rather more in terms of ‘our relationship with the One in whose presence I am, in times of prayer’ Prayer is about letting God be God to us, it is first and foremost about presence, rather than content. Abbot described prayer as ‘the ultimate form of the ongoing formation of the heart’. Abbot spoke of prayer as relational, as discovering the Holy One within us He is in me, and I am in Him. Prayer reveals to us who we each are, and so brings us to know and accept the mercy of God.

ENJOYATIMEOF SHAREDFRATERNITY

Recognising the immense demands placed upon you in your roles as Priests & Deacons, we invite you, with a sense of shared fraternity and purpose, to bring your joys & successes, your weariness & doubts, and urge you to consider the opportunity that awaits us, at our annual Clergy Conference, taking place from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 May, at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Nottingham.

Let us embark on this journey together. Please reserve your space now!

Monday20th-Wednesday 22nd May2024

“The time is now”

Rite of Election 2024

Nottingham Cathedral was packed as nearly 500 people gathered on Sunday 18th February 2024 to celebrate the Rite of Election with Bishop Patrick

This service marks a key moment on the journey of those preparing to be baptised or received into full communion with the Church at Easter Organised by the Department for Adult Formation for Mission, this year’s numbers seen not only a return but also a growth on pre-pandemic numbers. This joyful diocesan celebration was generously animated by the Derby Deanery this year, with music provided by the Deanery’s joint youth and adult choir, plus the choir from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Mickleover.

A highlight of the celebration was when candidates were called forward, in their parish groups, to meet the bishop and to have their names recorded in the Book of the Elect. Over 100 people were presented to Bishop Patrick as being ready to move forward on their journey of faith The bishop thanked those gathered in the congregation for prayerfully supporting ‘the Elect’ on this journey

During his sermon, Bishop Patrick focused on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and during this Year of Prayer, explored the role prayer plays in the life of the disciple He highlighted three things that time spent in prayer with the Lord allows us to discover and experience Firstly, the deep love He has for each of us and His desire that we keep growing in that love Secondly, the truth of who we are, our true identity as God's beloved sons and daughters And finally, what God has in mind for each of us, how He is inviting us to be his coworkers in and through the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives, in our homes, schools, workplaces, families, neighbourhoods and wider society

'A disciple', Bishop Patrick, 'is someone who not only wants to grow in a personal relationship with Christ but also someone who wants to become a channel for Christ, a co-worker with Christ and a way or a means by which his love, compassion, healing, blessing and forgiveness can be shared with the many people we encounter in daily life ' A disciple is also someone 'who is trying, each day, to move from a me-centred relationship with Christ to one that seeks to hear and respond to what Christ is asking of them'. The mind of a true disciple, the bishop said, is beautifully expressed in this line from Psalm 40, ‘Here I am Lord, I come to do your will’.

Bishop Patrick shared a prayer, filled with excitement and expectation, that the candidates might use in their own lives each morning ‘Lord what today are you and I going to do together?’ He invited the candidates to ask the Holy Spirit to help them look upon each day with the eyes of Christ, to enable them to see the little moments throughout the day where they can put discipleship into action He said this might be a helpful practice for all gathered, this Lent

Mr Joe Hopkins, Diocesan Director of Adult Formation for Mission, expressed his deep joy at seeing the Cathedral full of people wanting to be Catholic and commented how this was the best in attendance since before the pandemic ‘The Church is very much alive in the East Midlands!’, he said.

We continue to pray for these catechumens and candidates as they continue their journey to Easter and towards becoming full members of the Catholic Church

See the photographs of the service and read Bishop Patrick’s homily here

The 2024 Year of Prayer with Caritas Diocese of Nottingham

"I would very much like to encourage you to be people of hope. ...Why? Because our society and our world need, more than ever, people of hope. If we are each to be people of hope, we each need to be people of prayer. "

- Bishop Patrick

Once a month, on a Monday or Tuesday between February and June, we will help each other reconnect our prayer, hope and action in society. And why 'Hope and Anchor'? Because this will be an online open house, a contemplative but convivial space - like no pub you ' ve been to before.

Hope and Anchor is a place to which we can return from mission to:

rediscover contemplation as the ground of our action be nourished by spiritual conversation for our work in the world test out a sense of call with people we can trust experiment with ways to support each other in mission find a 'mooring' even when the seas are rough

We will learn ways to pray together with Scripture using 'lectio divina', and we'll have the type of spiritual conversation which was used at the recent Synod meeting in Rome - all with the aim or returning to the world as agents of change in our neighbourhoods and the wider world

We'll meet for five sessions on Zoom each at 7.00 p.m. for an hour or so:

Monday 12 February

Monday 11 March

Tuesday 16 April

Tuesday 14 May

Monday 10 June

You don't need to come to every session - come when you can, and come as you are Register here (bit ly/caritashopeandanchor) and we'll send you the Zoom link as a reminder before each session Just log on when you can make it - we look forward to meeting you at Hope and Anchor

If you would like to help the centre in any way – by making a donation of good quality used baby clothes – please ring Carol To make a financial donation, the details of our bank account are as follows: St Colette's PSC, Natwest Beeston, 51-70-06 83740716

On behalf of women in difficult circumstances, and their babies, thank you for your support

St Colette’s Pregnancy Support Centre

SUPPORTING WOMEN IN UNEXPECTED PREGNANCIES

Based in St Paul’s, Lenton, Nottingham the centre offers support for women across the Diocese of Nottingham, which covers most of the East Midlands.

Help available includes: pregnancy testing kits baby supplies nappies toiletries clothes cots pushchairs

baby baths

help with finances emotional support

The centre also offers help to new or single mums who may be struggling financially.

If you know someone who is unexpectedly pregnant and in need of support, please contact: Ask for Carol, the centre coordinator 07547 795315 or scpscuk@gmail.com

If you’d like to contribute an article, or become a regular volunteer writer, photographer or editor, please get in touch! communications@dioceseofnottinghamuk

A school that was rebuilt after being destroyed by fire is celebrating after winning the New Full Build Award at the Brighter City of Derby Awards.

St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, in Broadway, received the Derby Civic Society award from the Mayor of Derby, Councillor Alan Graves. Amanda Greaves, Executive Headteacher at St Mary’s, accepted

the award at Derby’s Council House. She was joined for the presentation by Ian Naylor, architect for the build, from the Department for Education, and Andrew Muldoon, Estates Manager at the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust.

St Mary’s new building – the UK’s greenest primary school - opened in December 2023, three years after the original school was destroyed by fire The school is the country’s first biophilic design and was built as part of a pilot project by the Department for Education

Biophilic design focuses on connecting those inside with nature, with the goal of promoting physical and mental health

Mrs Greaves said she was delighted to accept the award She said: “I’ve seen the school through the journey from 2020, during which we were in temporary accommodation with little access to green outdoor spaces Now we have returned to our original site to continue the journey, we really want to enhance the outdoor space At the new site we never have a wet playtime because of the beautiful canopy that links our classrooms, children go outside in all weathers We are well aware of the impact being outdoors has on our physical and mental health Due to the inspirational design and architecture, the children are encouraged to learn, play and reflect outside as much as possible as we continue to deliver an outstanding education

“This is our first award and the fact it is local makes it really special, we are delighted to receive this new build award ”

Mr Naylor said: “This was a fantastic opportunity after the school was devastated by fire, which was tragic What came back to us was the opportunity to rebuild a school which would allow us to do something different in a beautiful part of Derby ”

Children and staff at a Derbyshire primary school have created an eco-garden in memory of their friend who died.

aniel Rigley was eight years old when he ed in 2021, after being diagnosed with ukaemia when he was 39 months old.

upils and staff at St Thomas’ Catholic oluntary Academy, where Daniel was a pupil, ised over £6,000 to create the memorial co-garden at the school in Church View, keston. Funding from East Midlands Airport to eate an eco-garden at St Thomas’ has also een used

he hard landscaping has been completed but he school needs to fill the beds and is ppealing to anyone who can donate flowers nd plants to contact them Originally Daniel’s arents had approached St Thomas’ to ask if a ench could be installed in his memory But aff wanted to do more and asked pupils to ome up with designs for a garden in the chool grounds A fundraising campaign was unched which has received donations from he school’s PTA and families

ndy Gotheridge, Assistant Headteacher at St homas, said: “Everyone has been amazing, he support has been incredible We’ve also ad parents offering to help and one of our eaching Assistants has approached a ouple of garden centres ”

“We had a design a garden lesson with Year 5 pupils in Daniel’s class and we looked at the basic elements that could be included. We also spoke to Daniel’s parents and they were keen for a bench to be included and strawberry plants as Daniel liked strawberries. We gave the pupils the basic shape of the garden and they had a go at designing it. We showed Daniel’s mum and dad the designs and they chose their favourite.”

The successful designer was Harper Barber, 10, and elements of her drawing have been included such as a water feature and beds for plants and flowers. Her design has been incorporated into the EMA eco garden which was already being planned by the school. Mr Gotheridge said: “Daniel loved playing outside and he grew strawberry plants at home and would pick the strawberries so it will be nice to include them in the garden.”

The school is planning a Mass to celebrate the opening of the garden when it is complete. Michael Sellors, Headteacher at St Thomas’, said: “We are looking to completing the garden which has transformed a disused piece of land into a beautiful and peaceful reflective space for children and staff to go to remember Daniel, a much loved and missed pupil ”

Anyone who can donate plants and flowers for the garden is asked to contact the school on 0115

9320550.

St. Teresa’s, Aspley among top 50 in England

St Teresa’s, Aspley has been announced as one of the top 50 primary schools in England, marking a significant achievement in educational excellence and pupil success.

The school is in the top 1% for reading, writing and maths KS2 tests, as well as the phonics screening check, highlighting the school’s commitment in providing quality education It is also ranked within the top 200 performing schools in the multiplication tables test.

Additionally, the school proudly holds two Outstanding Ofsted ratings, recognising the high-quality teaching, leadership and educational opportunities for their pupils.

Furthermore, the school received an Outstanding rating in Catholic School Inspection, further highlighting its commitment to excellence in all aspects of Catholic life Find out more about St. Teresa’s: www stteresasprimaryschool co uk

St. Augustine’s, Stamford recognised for its achievements

St Augustine’s Stamford has been featured in the national press this term.

The school has been recognised by the Term Times for its achievement of top marks for the three core subjects, making it one of the top performing schools in Stamford, as well as in the top 20% of schools nationally for writing.

Read the full article on page 20 at termtimes ltd uk/magazine/termtimes162

Tina Cox, headteacher at St. Augustine’s, was also featured on Channel 5 News this month talking about allergy management in schools. As a school that takes allergies seriously, Tina was happy to support and promote the work of local campaigner Helen Blythe who tragically lost her young son Benedict to an allergic reaction at his school To find out more about the work to improve understanding of allergies in schools, visit: www benedictblythe com

As we journeyed through the Lenten season, it was a time for reflection, solidarity, and giving back to those in need, especially for the OLOL CMAT.

Across the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust (CMAT), the past term has been marked by remarkable achievements and endeavours. Here's a roundup of the highlights from our Trust community:

Big Lent Walk

This Lent, academies across our Trust and our Central Team have been taking part in CAFOD and SCAIF’s Big Lent Walk. So far, we have raised an incredible £1,022, beating last year ' s total by leaps and bounds.

To view our sponsorship page or to get involved with the Big Lent Walk, please visit: walk.cafod.org.uk/teams/our-lady-of-lourdescatholic-multi-academy-trust

Sharing best practices at CatColl

In February, Our Lady of Lourdes CMAT hosted over a hundred CEOs, executive team members, and Diocesan leaders to our Immersion Day at the Diocesan Centre in Derby.

The day focused on our Trust mission strategy and how our central team operates It was a great opportunity to share our approach and network with colleagues from different CMATs and Dioceses across the country.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise the event and to those who presented, the day was a great success.

Chaplaincy update

Our Chaplaincy Hubs have had a busy and exciting Lent term with lots going on at each school

They turned their attention this term to the Year of Prayer, with schools beginning to create new prayer areas and displays around the school and exploring the theme of encounter in different ways.

The Lent term has been a period of spiritual growth and community engagement, as schools embrace prayer, reflection, and meaningful encounters.

Sector-led SEND Specialists

Two of our Trust Headteachers are trained sector-led SEND Specialists with LEARN SEND Hub.

Tina Cox (St. Augustine’s, Stamford) and Lisa Gleed-Thornley (Saint Mary’s, Boston) are commissioned to do SEND reviews in other schools as part of the new SEND project, following the training This will allow schools across the county to review and improve the SEND provision in their school.

A huge congratulations to Lisa and Tina, we are so proud of your accomplishments and the work you do for our Trust communities.

Find out more about St Augustine’s: www.staugustine.lincs.sch.uk Find out more about Saint Mary’s: www.bostonstmarys.co.uk

Ofsted and CSI update

Well done to all our hardworking and dedicated staff and young people for their work and support during recent Ofsted and Catholic Schools Inspections (CSI).

We are so pleased to announce we have received the outcome of the recent Ofsted inspection at St Augustine’s, Mapperley.

Maintaining their ‘Good’ rating, the school has been praised for its dedication to academic excellence and for creating a supportive environment for pupils to thrive and grow. Find out more about St. Augustine’s: www.staugustines.nottingham.sch.uk

St Norberts Wellbeing Gold Award

St. Norbert’s, Spalding has been awarded a National Wellbeing Gold Award.

This award comes after the school leadership team participated in the Raising Attainment with Wellbeing (RAW) Programme with Microlink and Teaching Times

Congratulations to headteacher Jenna Withers and all the staff at St. Norbert’s for their hard work in attaining this award. Find out more about St. Norbert’s: www.stnorberts.lincs.sch.uk

Province 15 Public Speaking Contest

The recent Public Speaking Contest in Province 15 saw 11 contestants from our Catholic secondary schools competing in a new environment this year We were pleased to accept the invitation to use the amazing facilities and auditorium at English Martyrs' Catholic School in Leicester

Bishop Ralph Heskett of Hallam Diocese, who is also Bishop for Youth, opened the proceedings with a reflection and a prayer The contestants came from a wide range of backgrounds, and, for a change, there were more 16-year-olds than in the past This year ' s crop was a very talented bunch, with several having previous experience of performance in school productions and public speaking with the EnglishSpeaking Union Their chosen topics were from a wide range of issues, with most of them drawing on the Christian Catholic life and the Church's Social Teachings in some way.

Speaking after the interval, Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham Diocese commented on the bravery of the young people who had chosen to stand in front of an adult audience. He stressed the importance of communicating with such a gathering and how public speaking was an art worth mastering He complimented the contestants on their well-constructed, suitably paced speeches, delivered with passion and insight He was also impressed with how the young people held strong opinions and were able to express them clearly in their speeches Finally, he paid tribute to the work done by The Catenians across his diocese, particularly stressing the ways in which the Bursary Fund enables so many young people to participate in the annual Lourdes pilgrimages

Chief Adjudicator, Stephen Owen, gave a number of valuable hints about this art, highlighting four principles as sacrosanct Projection allows the audience to hear the speaker across the whole auditorium Pace allows the speaker to deliver all the ideas and arguments in the given time The use of Pauses is vital - used like the rests in a piece of music, they add colour both to the delivery and to the speaker's voice A grounded Posture is vital if the speaker is to relax (or at least, to not show any nerves)

His Honour Judge Sean Hale added detail to Stephen's comments and urged each contestant to consider working on articulation and development of argument, a key element in his line of work Using general examples of how he sums up cases, Judge Hale then went on to show that the conclusion is another vital aspect which requires careful reflection on the way that a speaker wishes to achieve it

Provincial President Phil Yeomans announced the winners in reverse order In third place was Saoirse Murphy from St Benedict's in Derby Second place went to Bella Mann from St Martin's in Stoke Golding The winner was Precious Mbah from English Martyrs in Leicester Precious and her teacher, Ms Fones, received the schools' trophy after all contestants received certificates and prizes to remember the occasion. Precious will now represent Province 15 at the National Public Speaking Contest in Manchester on 1 September.

The afternoon was also broadcast to listeners on Province 15’s YouTube channel. Members who were unable to attend in person had the opportunity to watch the streamed event. A final, edited, version of the afternoon is now available on the channel and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/ZNy2RUMvujs

NOTTINGHAM DiocesanNews