Synod: European Continental Assembly final remarks from Prague

from Nottingham Diocesan E-News • February / Lent 2023

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The European Continental Assembly have met in Prague, the following text forms part of their final remarks.

“We have experienced four days of listening and dialogue based on the resonances aroused by the Working Document for the Continental Stage within the Churches from which we come As the European Continental Assembly, we realise that we have had a profoundly spiritual experience through the synodal method

Our work has been rich and exciting, though not without its problems and difficulties It has allowed us to look into the eyes of the Church in Europe, with all the treasures of the two great Latin and Eastern traditions that make it up With an awareness that has grown over the course of the Assembly, we feel today that we can affirm that our Church is beautiful, showing a variety that is also our wealth We feel that we love her even more deeply, in spite of the wounds she has inflicted, for which she needs to ask forgiveness in order to be able to move on to reconciliation, the healing of memory and the welcoming of the wounded We are convinced that these sentiments also fill the hearts of all the people who have been involved in the journey of Synod 2021 – 2024 since September 2021

Throughout the days of the Assembly, we went through a spiritual experience that it is possible to meet, listen to each other and dialogue starting from our differences and beyond the many obstacles, walls and barriers that our history puts in our way We need to love the variety within our Church and support each other in mutual esteem, strengthened by our faith in the Lord and the power of his Spirit ”

The Aim of the Guild is threefold - we the ‘Ransomers’ (the members of the Guild), are invited to pray daily, for the conversion of England & Wales, for the restoration of the lapsed, and the forgotten dead ‘Finding ourselves amidst an era of confusion and identity crisis of various kinds, we endeavour to understand the state of the world, and to showcase the work of the Guild in support of New Evangelisation Along with this, we seek to return confidence in our Catholic identity, and the faith’s connection to England, Wales, and its people’

The Master of the Guild, Monsignor John Armitage said: “The Guild’s founder, didn’t seek to establish an exclusive club, or a lonely mission it was an invitation to stand alongside people from all backgrounds, united in a mission to evangelise, to bring home those who have lapsed, and to pray for the forgotten dead. The Ransomers represent a portion, albeit a smaller portion today, of the beautiful faithful community in our country. One of the main challenges of our age, is that of bringing good news to people who have lost the understanding of God in their life We no longer speak to a religious country, and for many people, a religious grammar no longer exists. While bad news abounds, we seek to look to the good things, from which we can take encouragement, hope, and inspiration In this culture, far more connected than the one which our founders had, we must make it our intention, as Ransomers, to deliver such a meaningful invitation”

‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit ’ (Mt 28:19)

We hear of the remarkable work done in parishes, and through private initiatives The charitable work of the Church is in many ways a source of righteous pride, and it springs from a source of love The work is often done quietly, and sometimes passes by unnoticed We aim to bring this work to the fore, and to help the faithful to see what is being done around the country, and allowing us to be grateful for it Thanks to the generosity of the Guild’s members over the years, the Guild is able to grant funds to parishes and ministries Last year saw the first Dowry grants distributed by the Guild, to charities working for the benefit of evangelisation, especially those which are particularly innovative These included Catholic Voices; Youth 2000 UK, and Catholic Student Network.

Being a member of the Guild is about being part of the past, present, and future of the Catholic mission. We connect Catholics with one another to do great works of evangelisation, and we seek to enable growth in the Church for future Since the earliest days of the Guild, our membership network has been the foundation of our work. Without their prayer, encouragement, and support, our work would not be possible How might you take part in building our mission? We believe each generation is called to step up to the mark and accept the challenge of the Gospel If you are passionate about your faith, I invite you to join fellow faithful in this mission of joyfully living and sharing our faith with others

If you would like to contact the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom, you can find out more information here: https://www guild-ransom co uk/ or info@guild-ransom co uk

"The Guild isn’t simply a club of mystery and old traditions, but a collective of passionate disciples and innovative evangelisers. Not only is their commitment deeply rooted within them, but their sense of ownership of mission is an incredibly beautiful witness of faith and service It’s almost as if the Guild was instituted in recent times for today’s culture. Prayer offered by Ransomers is encouraging, inherently Catholic, and fervent: another incredible witness of faith that’s not often seen today. At every corner I turn in my work for the Guild, I find another level of depth, to this incredibly well thought out and carefully crafted mission Personally, I feel that we’re only just beginning to unpack what was founded in 1887, a mission inspired by Our Lady, which she has gifted to our Church to serve the generations to come”.

“In an age where universities are known for their promotion of moral relativism and decline in religious tolerance, there are pockets of Catholic students across the UK who are countering these trends, living as joy-filled disciples and committed to using their lives, and their studies, to rebuild the walls of the Church In 2017, a group of students saw the potential power of uniting these students, to give them opportunity to build a community, receive formation, and support them in their vocational discernment, as they headed into their professional lives. The Catholic Student Network (CSN) thus began a registered charity, with its core aims to support the work of chaplaincies and Catholic societies With huge and humble thanks to the ‘Dowry Grant’, we have already been able to double the size of the conferences we are running, employ a part-time communications assistant, and bring in a number of incredible speakers We are seeing the impact first-hand. Students bursting with confidence in their new identity as sons and daughters, full of courage to step onto often hostile campuses to invite new people into their flourishing communities – these are the leaders of the next generation, for the Church, for politics, for business and for society as a whole”