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Issue 137 FEBRUARY 2016

ARCHDIOCESE OF LIVERPOOL

FREE

‘You are not forgotten’

Inside this issue: Holy Door at St Mary of the Isle

Fun running with Cafod

Centenary celebrations at St Sebastian’s

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contents Welcome ‘Please do not forget us’ was the plea to the Bishops of the Holy Land Coordination from young people in Gaza. Much of Gaza was destroyed by military action in 2014 and yet the Bishops saw signs of hope and reconstruction with the ‘local Parish Priest and numerous religious orders taking care of the tiny Christian community and anyone else coming to their doors seeking help’.

‘Anyone else coming to their doors’ in other words, making the stranger welcome in our Year of Mercy. In a few days the season of Lent will begin, Pope Francis has asked that ‘the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy’. In his message for Lent he says, ‘the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favourable time to overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and by practising the works of mercy. In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters...in the spiritual works of mercy we touch more directly our own sinfulness’.

Cover: Church of the Holy Family, Gaza

Let us pray that God’s mercy will transform our hearts in the coming weeks.

Contents

From the Archbishop’s Desk

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Main Feature Glimmers of hope in the Holy Land

February is often experienced as a miserable and rather depressing month. The old English names for February were mud month or cabbage month. They certainly catch the mood and flavour of this time of year. The ancient Romans at first didn’t bother naming the winter season until fairly late on, as it was a dull time and nothing much grew. When they did get around to giving names they called the first month January after Janus, a god with two faces who looked backwards and forwards, and the second month was named after the Latin word for purification.

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News From around the Archdiocese

The old name for the feast on February 2nd is the Purification of Mary, now the Presentation of the Lord. I wonder if ‘purification’ is the link between pre-Christian days and today. Lent, of course, begins in February and is an old English word for Spring. In a certain sense it is a time of purification.

Mercy is also about cleansing. Receiving mercy rubs out our past sins and mistakes. The Lenten practices of prayer, almsgiving and fasting teach us not to make the same errors again. Many people will be purified in a full sense when they are washed in the waters of baptism at Easter.

We will do well if we join them spiritually throughout this season. We can celebrate our on-going purification by renewing our baptismal promises at Easter, so let this prospect cheer our hearts, even during the mud and cabbage days of February, after all the Church reminds us that Lent is a joyful season!

Most Rev Malcolm McMahon OP Archbishop of Liverpool

Editor Peter Heneghan Editorial Catholic Pictorial Magazine Liverpool Archdiocesan Centre for Evangelisation, Croxteth Drive, Liverpool L17 1AA Tel: 0151 522 1007 Email: catholicpictorial@rcaol.co.uk Pictures © Mazur,catholicnews.org.uk Jim Donnelly and Sean Murphy Advertising Andrew Rogers 0151 709 7567 Publisher 36 Henry Street, Liverpool L1 5BS

14 Sunday Reflections Liturgy and Life 15 Nugent News Clumber Lodge revisited after 75 years 16 What’s On Whats happening in the Archdiocese 19 Profile Mike Parr Tackling a new challenge with Jospice 25 Cathedral Record A chorister for a day 26 Pic Extras Mums the word News from the KSC 27 Animate Youth Ministry Opportunities to consider for young Catholics 28 Pic Life Why there is no perfect way to pray

Copy deadline March issue 12 February 2016 CPMM Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in any information storage or retrieval system without the publishers written permission. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, Catholic Pictorial Ltd. can accept no responsibility for the veracity of the claims made by advertisers.

29 Join In Family Fun More Mullarkey 30 Justice and Peace Two approaches to Lent

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Glimmers of hope in the Holy Land Father Mark Madden, Parish Priest of St Patrick’s, Southport, explains his work…

Christians in the Middle East often accuse others across the world of forgetting and ignoring their plight.

Once the television and newspapers move to another story, it is easy to forget the struggles that many face on a daily basis. And yet these struggles are still there.

In 1998, with the blessing of Pope St John Paul II, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran formed a group called the Holy Land Coordination, led by bishops from around the world. The purpose of the group – which also includes representatives from various organisations and media outlets – is to show solidarity, to build relationships and to continue offering support and encouragement. Their work really begins after their annual visit to the Middle East as delegates return home and the Bishops use their influence to lobby governments, politicians and ambassadors on behalf of the Holy Land Christians.

For the last few years it has been my pleasure to serve as coordinator of the group. It is my responsibility to set the agenda, to liaise with the various episcopal conferences and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and to make

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the necessary practical arrangements.

This year I chose the theme ‘You are not forgotten’ to show that the Church is concerned for the Christians of the Middle East and will try to support them.

We focused specifically on Gaza and Iraqi Christian refugees in Jordan.

For the third consecutive year the Holy Land Coordination visited Gaza where we saw the outstanding work carried out by the local Parish Priest and numerous religious orders taking care of the tiny Christian community and anyone else coming to their doors seeking help. We were struck by the resilience of people still living under such extreme conditions, particularly young people.

The Catholic schools in Gaza open their doors to Christian and Muslim youngsters and provide a haven of peace and normality regardless of religion. People under 35 are not allowed to leave Gaza as they are classed as terrorists yet all they want is the chance to lead a normal life. They believe that with a good education they can change their situation and many have aspirations to develop careers – be it as doctors, teachers or civil engineers, etc.

The message we received was, ‘Please do not forget us’.

Right: Visit to Our Lady of Peace Centre, Amman Picture: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

The message that we received from the young people we met was clear: ‘Please do not forget us.’ These young people want to live with dignity and yet they live in an open prison where the future seems bleak and uncertain. Many have lost their homes, families and friends, but they have never lost hope.

We visited a village to meet the locals whose homes were destroyed during the military action in 2014. Thankfully no further conflict has occurred but rebuilding homes is extremely difficult because of the lack of resources and aid not getting into Gaza. In this village, 2,000 of the 4,000 houses were damaged and at the moment only 200 have been rebuilt (with the help of the Catholic Church).

In 2015 we had visited an orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity.

Many of the children were left without parents and the Sisters are doing all they can to act as surrogate mothers.

Last year we saw sadness and heartache. This year we saw happier and relaxed children, thanks to the Catholic Church.

While there are signs of hope, many remain homeless and deeply traumatised by the 2014 war. Aid is very slow getting into Gaza and the blockade continues to make people’s lives difficult. Father Mario da Silva, the Parish Priest of Gaza, told the Bishops: ‘In this Year of Mercy, one of the acts of mercy is to visit prisoners and I thank you for visiting the largest prison in the world. Your presence

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feature

here has shown us that we are not forgotten and for this we say thank you.’

During our stay in Jordan we met hundreds of Iraqi Christian refugees. Since 2014 approximately 145,000 Christians have fled their homes in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain. They have left everything behind to escape Daesh. They were given the options of either dying, converting to Islam, or leaving immediately. They witnessed many being executed, maimed

and tortured and they left their homes and country because they wanted to remain Christian. One man, a surgeon from Mosul, said: ‘Militants from Daesh uprooted and expelled us from our country. We left Mosul broken. They took our homes and businesses and slaughtered our Bishop Faraj and priests Ragheed and Boulous. How could we ever possibly return there?’

Refugees from Iraq and Syria have been

welcomed into Jordan but are not entitled to employment, health, social care or education. They are assisted by Caritas Jordan, the Catholic humanitarian aid agency but as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said: ‘Jordan is tired. The refugees are tired. The Church is tired.’

The Coordination witnessed the work done at a number of Caritas refugee centres – with food, clothes, blankets, heaters distributed – but more refugees are arriving on a daily basis, making the

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Mass in Holy Family church, Gaza Picture: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

situation difficult to cope with.

Throughout the week we had daily opportunities to celebrate Mass with the Iraqi refugees in local Jordanian parishes. Though they have left everything to flee Daesh, they had not left their faith behind and did not feel abandoned. Indeed the Masses were powerhouses of intense prayer and joy which left the members of the Coordination deeply moved.

Our final meeting was with 500 Iraqi young people who gave a wonderful concert and spoke candidly about their lives and their faith. They still have hope of a better future and are determined to change the world so that all can live in peace, security and with dignity.

‘Jordan is tired.

The refugees are tired. The Church is tired ’ 6

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At the end of our 10-day visit we left the Holy Land not in total despair; through the Catholic Church we had seen many glimmers of hope. The efforts of the local Church and NGOs in reaching out to all refugees – Christian and Muslim – are significant and commendable in terms of addressing their loss of human dignity, but the international community must do more to alleviate their plight and work for peace across the region.

We saw that the local Jordanian community is vital to the wellbeing of all living in the country, but they are afraid themselves of the growing extremism in the region.

It is the duty of the Coordination Group to carry in our hearts the faces, stories and experiences of the week and to share these with people at home. Our hearts came away full of admiration for the people we met and pride for what the Catholic Church is doing.

As Christians, it is our duty to work for peace. It is our duty to ensure people have dignity as children of God, made in His image and likeness. The Holy Land Coordination reminds us of the words of Pope Francis in Laudato Si: ‘O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.’ This is why the Holy Land Coordination will never forget our brothers and sisters, and precisely why we should never forget them either.

• 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the occupation of Palestine and this will be the focus for the Holy Land Coordination next year.

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News diary If you’ve got any news from your parish that you’d like featured e-mail us with the details at: catholicpictorial@rcaol.co.uk

Russell Room refurbished

The parishioners and the community of St Philomena’s, Liverpool were delighted to welcome Archbishop Malcolm McMahon and the Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Ann O’Byrne to open the newly refurbished and extended Russell Room.

Sister Kathleen Buckley who has lived and worked in the parish for over ten years campaigned to find funds to extend the building and open the facility to the wider community of Sparrow Hall and together with Parish Priest, Father Kevin McLoughlin, set about delivering the project.

In an innovative partnership between Liverpool City Council, Cobalt Housing and the Archdiocese of Liverpool, financial approval was given and work began last summer with the result that St Philomena’s now has a new function room, plus kitchen facilities which can be used by the whole community. Already booked is an emergency food service with back to work and debt advice support, provided by The Big Help Project of Knowsley Foodbank.

Councillor Anne O’Byrne, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon and Councillor Peter Mitchell, Chair Cobalt Housing

A long wait for Father Liam When Father Liam Collister left the Metropolitan Cathedral to serve in Eccleston, St Helens last September he expected to say Mass most days at St Julie’s. In fact he celebrated Mass there just twice in his first twelve weeks in the parish.

On his arrival he concelebrated Mass with Parish Priest, Canon Tom Neylon, on 6 September, and then the Church closed for re-decoration and re-carpeting with Mass being celebrated each week in the parish hall.

Father Liam had to wait until the Second

Newly refurbished St Julie’s, Eccleston

Father Liam and his family with St Julie’s honours board

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Sunday of Advent, for his second opportunity to celebrate Mass in the Church. After the long wait came a surprise as, unknown to him, Father Liam’s name had been added to the ‘Priests’ Honours Board’ in the church which lists all the priests who have served the parish.

Feeling he’d arrived at last a surprised and delighted Father Liam brought his parents and sister to the evening Mass on his first Sunday back in Church.

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news diary Schools Epiphany Celebration

by Veronica Murphy The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King hosted the annual Three Kings Epiphany Service on 8 January when more than 800 primary schoolchildren keenly embraced the message that ‘Christmas is not over yet’.

Canon Tony O'Brien, the Cathedral Dean, was joined by Canon Paul Rattigan from Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral and children representing 23 primary schools of both Christian traditions at the service, which celebrates the journey of the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem.

Canon O'Brien welcomed the excited, and mostly brightly-clothed, Friday afternoon congregation with the words: ‘We know a secret – Christmas is not yet over’.

The Epiphany service began with the arrival of a star carrier symbolising the Christmas star that directed the Magi on their journey. Canons O'Brien and Rattigan led prayers, and boys and girls from different schools read prayers of intercession, including one deserving of a particularly loud amen: ‘We pray that we may be children of light – that we may be bright shining stars, at home, at school, in our parishes and in our local

communities, bringing happiness and peace to all we know.’

The young attendees came clad in various hues, with numerous impersonations of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, a host of stars, quite a few Marys and Josephs, and the odd sheep or shepherd. The children had been asked in advance to think what new year promise they could make to the baby Jesus and so bring that gift, just as the Magi had offered theirs of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Liverpool Cathedrals’ service has strong links with a similar service held yearly on 6 January in different parts of Europe, especially in Germany. In fact, every few years representatives from Cologne Cathedral visit our schools service and bring the costumes used during their own celebrations.

Another Epiphany tradition sees homes being marked with the letters 'CMB' and the year in question. CMB denotes the Latin blessing 'Christus mansionem benedicat' (may Christ bless this house) as well as the initials of the Wise Men. This explained the little flourish whereby two Cathedral security staff were handed pieces of chalk and invited to write 'CMB 2016' on the walls close to the entrance.

Karen’s Year of Mercy banner A banner crafted by one of Liverpool Hope University’s Design students is on display in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

Karen Scott, a third year student specialising in textiles, produced the art work during a work placement at the Cathedral’s Art Studio. She said: ‘The Art Studio is a working textile studio, set up to create vestments, banners and textiles for churches of all denominations. It was a wonderful place to work, alongside such experienced ladies. The guidance and support helped me with my studio practice.’

During her placement, Karen was asked to create a banner using the logo unveiled by the Vatican in celebration of the Holy Year of Mercy, she used silk and thread to recreate the image for a banner that will hang in the cathedral until November.

Karen said: ‘I feel very proud and delighted to have completed this work, which will be hung for almost a year in the Cathedral in my home town, particularly as it will be there for my summer graduation.’

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news diary

A celebration full of memories

There was a full church full of memories as parishioners past and present joined together to celebrate the centenary of St Sebastian’s church in Liverpool. Archbishop Malcolm joined with parish priest, Father Mark Beattie, with other local priests concelebrating for Mass on the Patronal Feast of the parish, 20 January.

Many of those present had been married in the church, some over fifty years ago. Others had served the parish as altar servers or had taken part in parish ministries. Pupils from St Sebastian’s school were there together with the local cubs and members of the L’Arche community.

Each class from the school had created displays on the Sacraments which they brought up and presented to the Archbishop at the beginning of Mass. They are now displayed around the church to highlight Sacramental life at the centre of the parish community. Pupils also joined in with the music of the Mass. The parish ‘Kid’s Club’ too presented their work to mark the centenary.

At the end of Mass archbishop Malcolm blessed the new parish meeting room in the former presbytery before joining parishioners for refreshments with the L’Arche community.

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Proceeds from the 2015 run will go towards helping people affected by the Syrian refugee crisis, in a country where 7.5 million are displaced and another 4 million have left as refugees. In such circumstances, the support of Cafod's trusted church partners can be a matter of life or death.

wannabe assistants or helpers to get in touch via liverpool@cafod.org.uk or 0151 228 4028. ‘I've always organised athletics events and I am passionate about the work that Cafod does. I offered to get involved 20 years ago and have helped out ever since.

It’s a fantastic event for all of the family to join in.’

With future fun runs on the horizon, Mike Dooling issued an invitation to any

Right: Karen Skaife and her pet Jack Russell

Fun at the Cafod Run

by Patrick Hart A fancy-dress Christmas tree and an evergreen priest were among the 250 participants in the 31st annual Cafod Fun Run which served as a fundraiser for the Syrian refugee crisis.

The event took place at Wavertree Park on Sunday 27 December and while James Walsh and Jude Robinson took the sporting honours in winning the adults and children's races respectively, the day certainly put the fun into running for the majority of the contestants.

People ran, walked, pushed prams, and even toddled, for Cafod in the December sunshine. Bishop John Rawsthorne was among the high turnout of priests and religious, a notable presence among whom was Father John Butchard, competing for the 30th time having begun taking part in the 1980s. The four-legged section meanwhile was won by Karen Skaife and her pet Jack Russell, despite that duo being pipped to the line by the fancy-dress tree.

caterers from Scoff Outside while the Rioters Jazz Band provided a musical backdrop to a day facilitated also by sixteen volunteers who assisted with marshalling, face-painting, registering the athletes and manning the stalls.

Mike Dooling, who organises the event along with founder Mike Merriman, said of a successful occasion: ‘We were delighted to see so many old friends and also so many new people running this year for the first time.’

They’re off

Supplementing the physical activity were

Bethlehem Peace Light visits St Mary’s, Lowe House Parishioners from St Mary’s Lowe House, St Helens, joyfully welcomed the Bethlehem Peace Light to their church just before Christmas.

The congregation, swelled by local Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Rainbows, schoolchildren and their families, received the Peace Light, lit from the original light brought from Bethlehem from the site of Jesus’ birth by Scouts to enable the Peace of Christ to be spread throughout the world.

The Peace Light was brought in by Eliot and Oliver Lloyd of the 15th St Andrews Scouts who shared the Peace Light message. During the service the children of St Thomas of Canterbury School and St Mary’s Little Church joined the scouts and guides fraternity on the sanctuary to sing and sign ‘Silent Night’, highlighting the joy

Nancy Ashcroft, Wally Ashcroft (Chair of Scout Committee), Deacon David Caldwell, Jan Smee (Scout Leader) and Scouts Eliot and Oliver Lloyd with the Bethlehem Peace Light

and peace brought by the Peace Light of Bethlehem.

Deacon Dave Caldwell represented Father Tom Gagie, Parish Priest of St. Mary’s, for the service and was joined by Rev David Eastwood from St Helens Parish Church to complete the ecumenical nature of the event. Lowe House Choir provided the

music for the service.

The congregation lit their own lamps and candles from the Peace Light ensuring that the Peace of Christ was taken into homes throughout the town, to various other Churches and further afield. Plans are already afoot to repeat the event at Christmas 2016.

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new diary ‘Called to Care’ A national conference for health and social care professionals, ‘Called to Care’ will be held from Thursday 23 June to Saturday 25 June 2016 at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. It will focus on the spiritual vocation of all of the people who work in health and care through presentations from professionals and figures in the Catholic Church along with a range of practice workshops, considering the individual call, the impact on practice and the ways people cope when faced with daily challenges.

The objectives of the conference are to support and deepen the vocation and spirituality of those being called to care; to explore ways in which faith in practice can enhance the quality of care and compassion in health and social care organisations and to enable participants to apply the insights of Catholic Social Teaching to current issues in health and social care policy and practice.

Workshops will include: vocation: what it means to be called; chaplaincy practice, guidance and research; mental health; palliative care; pilgrim carers; international health and care in development and war torn places; spirituality in care; retaining values when under stress, and responding to resource pressures from a Christian perspective.

Speakers at the conference will include Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive, Public Health, England; Paul Farmer, Chief Executive, MIND and Dr Anna Rowlands, Senior Lecturer at Durham University Further details are available at: www.cbcew.org.uk/healthcare

Holy Door at St Mary of the Isle, Douglas

Archbishop Malcolm visited the Isle of Man on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord to bless and inaugurate the Holy Door at St Mary of the Isle Douglas. St Mary’s is the mother church in the island and will be a focal point for pilgrimage through the Year of Mercy for Catholics on the Isle of Man. It was also the first time that Archbishop Malcolm had celebrated Mass at St Mary’s and he received a warm welcome. It was his first visit since the departure of Canon Philip Gillespie to the Beda College in Rome and his replacement by Monsignor John Devine. Last summer, on his first visit to the Island, Archbishop Malcolm celebrated Mass at Castletown and Port Erin in the south and in Peel and Ramsey in the North.

The island is served by four priests.

Father Leo Cooper in the south and

‘Blessed are the merciful’ Students from Hope University Catholic Society, Animate Youth Ministries and Redemptorist Young Adults collaborated on a weekend retreat for young people that explored the theme, ‘Blessed at the Merciful’ (Matthew: 5).

The weekend included workshops, discussion and input opened up the meaning of mercy in the jubilee year. Hope University Chaplain, Father Stephen Pritchard commented, ‘it was wonderful to be a group of such gifted and inspiring young people who want to explore and deepen their faith. It was a great start to the Holy Year.’

The retreat in St Joseph’s Freshfield gave young adults an opportunity to share different forms of prayer as well as celebrate Mass together. A high point of the weekend was the reconciliation service when all received the gift of mercy sacramentally.

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Father Brian O’Mahony in the north with Father Brian Dougherty and Monsignor Devine serving the three parishes in Douglas, Willaston and Onchan. Each Sunday morning Father Brian O’Mahoney makes a thirty mile round trip between Ramsey and Peel.

This is the longest distance covered by any one priest in the Archdiocese to celebrate Mass.

Since his arrival last September Monsignor Devine says that he learns something new about the Isle of Man every day including the fact that although the population of the Island is approximately 85,000, geographically it is one third of the land mass of the Archdiocese and with a population boosted by people from the Philippines and Eastern Europe you are as likely to meet people from the USA, South Africa, Uganda and Argentina at Sunday Mass.

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sunday reflections On a liturgical note An early Easter this year means that four weeks after the closure of the Christmas season – with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on 10 January – we begin the Lenten season with the keeping of Ash Wednesday on 10 February.

Here in Rome, we will gather with our Bishop (who happens to be the Pope!) at the church of Saint Anselm on the Aventine Hill and then process from there to the ancient, Dominican-run church of Saint Sabina where the Pope will preside at Mass and impose the sacramental traditionally linked with the beginning of the season, the ashes, which will be either sprinkled on the crown of the head or – as is more usual in England and Wales – worn as a sign of the Cross on our foreheads.

That act of processing from one place to another, from St Anselm’s to St Sabina, stands as a symbol also for the whole journey of Lent; the season is about our desire for

Sunday thoughts Jesus had a soft spot for Peter. I also think that Peter drove him mad. Frequently the Gospels tell us that Peter ‘spoke up’. When he did, he put his foot in it. But he always came back for more.

When Jesus prayed, ‘I bless you Father for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children’, I suspect it was a prayer of desperation. Peter was decidedly not one of the learned and the clever. A pleaser, he tried to second-guess what Jesus wanted him to say. He got it wrong, except once.

That was when he blurted out: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ That was a clear case of the grace of God working through weakness: ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah. It was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.’ Even so, he did not grasp the implications of following the Messiah he had

Canon Philip Gillespie

growth, change and development in our lives and yet we do this together. Indeed here in Rome, as in many other dioceses throughout the world, there will be a stational church for each day of Lent, a particular church (a different one each day) to which people will journey for Mass.

It reminds us that we are a pilgrim people, always seeking and striving for growth and the deepening of our spiritual lives and our relationships, with God and with each other.

Perhaps you might be able to make a journey in pilgrimage during this Lenten season – very appropriate during this Holy Year when we are encouraged to make the effort and the sacrifices associated with journeying to one of the holy doors established around the diocese (including on the Isle of Man!).

Mgr John Devine OBE

recognised to his suffering and death. Peter had to betray Jesus before the penny finally dropped. By then it was the morning of Pentecost.

In the first reading for Sunday 7 February, the Lord asks: ‘Whom shall I send?’ The prophet Isaiah replies: ‘Here I am. Send me!’ Isaiah was smarter than Peter but he was also aware of his shortcomings: ‘I am a man of unclean lips.’ In St Luke’s Gospel for the same day, Peter is aware of his unworthiness: ‘Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man.’ And what is the Lord’s response? He says: ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’

Fortunately God favours flawed characters. He prefers the ‘B’ team.

That is good news for the rest of us.

It gives his Grace more scope to work.

Weekly Reflections are on the Archdiocesan website at www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/reflection 14

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The Lord’s year of favour I was recently watching a programme on the television the title of which was ‘Does the Catholic Church need to change?’. One of the panelists was a theologian and whenever she faced a difficult question from the host she simply smiled and said, ‘Whoever loves, lives in God and God lives in them.’ Love is the litmus test of the presence of God and I often think to myself that God is in many places that the Church cannot or will not acknowledge.

Love is at the heart of the Gospel. It is a love that shows us we are forgiven and redeemed in the person of Jesus. Our God has always loved humanity, has forgiven humanity from the very moment of creation.

Jesus reveals the heart of God, showing us who God has always been. It is the most amazing, incredible Good news.

Since God has loved us in such a way then we are to love one another. Love is the greatest sign to the world of the presence of God. This Gospel is not just about a personal relationship with the Lord, it also forces us into relationships with other people. We are called to know love and to share love and love is indiscriminate. For the Gospel to have any impact, the two elements – love of God and love of neighbour – must be proclaimed.

Diarmuid O’Murchu in his book ‘Inclusivity: a Gospel Mandate’ says that: ‘Christianity stands or falls on its fidelity to the outsider.’

That is why in his Gospel Luke has Jesus proclaim his mission as bringing Good news to the poor, sight to the blind, freedom to prisoners and to proclaim the Lord's year of favour. Jesus then shows that love is indiscriminate and is for those who do not fit into our narrow understandings. He talks of a Sidonian widow and a leper called Naaman both outside the Jewish system being touched and loved by God. This was scandalous to the people of Nazareth even though it was part of their own history.

We are being challenged to think outside the box, to accept the unnacceptable, to love the unlovable. In doing this, we share in Jesus’s mission to bring the Lord's year of favour to bear on the earth.

Father Chris Thomas

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nugent news Clumber Lodge revisited after 75 years Sister Benedicte Registered Manager Clumber Care On 11 February 2016, Nugent Care’s Clumber Lodge, which has been ‘home’ for so many babies, children and young people celebrates 75 years.

In 1941, Monsignor Bennett, the then Director of Nugent Care, was instrumental in helping the Sisters of the Little Ones move with the babies they were caring for, to Clumber Lodge in Formby, to escape the bombing in Liverpool during the war.

The Sisters and staff cared so lovingly for those babies who stayed, some for several months and others for several years, until being adopted, and they integrated so well with other children in the locality.

Clumber Lodge, now called Clumber Care, has such a special place in people`s hearts; and we are so blessed by the generosity of those people, and others, who visit with presents at special times of the year such as Christmas.

There are times when we ponder about the special times in our past and have a great longing to revisit places we have been to in our lives or lived in as a child and for some that can be remembering quite an emotional journey.

It is always a great privilege for me to meet people visiting the Home, the place where they lived; those wishing to learn more about their past and talk about the time they spent as a child at Clumber.

It is an emotional time but a pleasure filling in the gaps, rekindling thoughts and to laugh about the happy memories, looking at old photographs and remembering their friends. They remembered feeling

warmly welcomed and the good send offs when leaving; lovely parties with cards and presents being opened amongst tears.

Some visit when needing to talk about a difficulty they are going through and need a listening ear or word of advice.

My thoughts are with all the children living at Clumber presently and for those of the past who made that journey through Clumber Lodge, hoping it had been a good experience for them. I pray for those who still find it difficult and a struggle to cope with life, hoping that they may find some comfort and peace soon in their lives, and for those whose lives and families had been more successful, praying that they may be thankful for that and continue to do well in life.

We thank God for the wonderful work of the Sisters and Staff throughout the 75 years.

The start of the New Year is always a busy time for Nugent Care.

This year marks our 135th anniversary.

Nugent Care is the social welfare arm of the Liverpool Archdiocese. In 2005, we changed our name from the Nugent Care Society to Nugent Care and celebrated 100 years of service since the death of our founder, Father James Nugent.

At that time, the well-known Liverpool celebrity, Cilla Black wrote, ‘Father Nugent was an important figure in Liverpool’s history and it is important to acknowledge his life and legacy. I feel very close to the story of Father Nugent.

He was born in Hunter Street, close to where I was born and I recognise the Liverpool in which he had such an influence…But perhaps the most important legacy that Father Nugent left is the work that is carried on in his name

by Nugent Care.’

Monsignor John Furnival wrote, ‘Father Nugent founded many institutions for the poor and needy in his native town of Liverpool and was instrumental in the scheme to take the “orphaned childe” to the New World to find a new home. He spearheaded the campaign to “Save the Child” from the temptations and the dangers of the streets, and he provided shelter to the marginalised and the despised in the society of his day. Much of what he pioneered still bears fruit in the societies and principles of our day and his work and name are perpetuated by the Nugent Care Society he founded in 1881.’

Our article this month focuses on Clumber Lodge which will have its 75th Birthday this year. Sister Benedicte has been lovingly providing care from Clumber, for 46 years. Sister Ben (as she is warmly called) is a warm and friendly person and who is also passionate about justice and fairness.

When I first met Sister Ben, she gave me a big hug to welcome me and I will never forget the convivial feeling I experienced when visiting Clumber Lodge.

Sister Ben’s example is a truly humbling dedication that carries on the important work that Father Nugent started. It is what we do well. We help people.

Normandie Wragg Chief Executive – Nugent Care

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what’s on Wednesday 3 February Preparing for the Rite of Election An evening for priests and catechists, catechumens and candidates. 7.00 pm-9.00 pm at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

Thursday 4 February Agape Mass 8.00 pm at St Mary’s, Prescot Road, Aughton, L39 6TA. Details: Archie Cameron Tel: 01704 224286.

Saturday 6 February ‘Responding to the Call.’

A Day of Recollection to support those exploring vocations to the Priesthood. Discover more about diocesan priesthood; talk with and hear from priests of the archdiocese and spend time in prayer and discussion. 10.00 am at St Charles’ Presbytery, 224 Aigburth Road, Liverpool, L17 9PG. Further information from Father James Preston Tel: 0151 727 2493 or email: frjamespreston@gmail.com. Also on Facebook at /liverpoolvocations and on Twitter @LVocations ‘City Lights’ Concert with the Cathedral Orchestra Conductor: Stephen Pratt, and the Cathedral Cantata Choir, Director: Richard Lea. 7.30 pm in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

Tickets and details Tel: 0151 707 3525 or www.cathedralconcerts.org.uk Sunday 7 February Day of Prayer for the unemployed.

Annual Civic Mass 1.00 am in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Celebrant: Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP.

Low Mass (Extraordinary Form) for the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus 12.00 noon at St Catherine Laboure, Stanifield Lane, Farington, PR25 4QG. Wednesday 10 February Ash Wednesday Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King Masses at 8.00 am (Blessed Sacrament Chapel), 12.15 pm (Crypt), 5.15 pm Celebrant: Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP (Choral Mass:Cathedral).

Service of the Word and Distribution of Ashes at 7.30 pm (Blessed Sacrament Chapel).

Mass and distribution of Ashes: 7.00 am at St Bartholomew, Warrington Road, Rainhill, L35 6NY. 9.00 am at St Francis of Assisi, Beechtrees, Skelmersdale, WN8 9EZ. 9.30 am at St Catherine Laboure, Stanifield Lane, Farington, PR25 4QG. 9.30 am at St Julie, Howards Lane, Eccleston, St Helens, WA10 5HJ. 12.00 noon at Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph, Vicarage Place, Prescot, L34 1LE. 12.00 noon at St Mary, Queen of Apostles, Ashurst Road, Skelmersdale, WN8 6DY. 12.00 noon at St Teresa, College Road, Upholland, WN8 0PY. 7.00 pm at St Catherine Laboure, Stanifield Lane, Farington, PR25 4QG. 7.00 pm at St Richard’s, Liverpool Road, Skelmersdale, WN8 8BX. 7.00 pm at St Teresa, Devon Street, St Helens, WA10 4HX. 7.00 pm at St Teresa, College Road, Upholland, WN8 0PY.

Mass to celebrate the closing of the Year of Consecrated Life 4.00 pm in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Celebrant Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP

Monday 8 February Day of Prayer for victims of trafficking.

Quiet Day with Father Gerry O’Mahoney SJ. 10.30am at Sandymount Retreat Centre, 16 Burbo Bank Road, Blundellsands, Liverpool, L23 6TH. Details at www.sandymountretreats.org.uk Tel: 0151 924 4850 Email: info@sandymountretreats.org.uk Tuesday 9 February Time Out on Tuesdays 10.00 am at the Cenacle, Tithebarn Grove, Lance Lane, Liverpool L15 6TW. Open to all who are involved in any form of ministry or service to others, giving time for silence and personal reflection. Offering £10 per person. For further details contact: Sister Winifred. Tel: 0151 722 2271, Email: winniecenacle@mail.com

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Stations of the Cross and Exposition 7.00 pm at St Joseph’s, Withnell, Chorley, PR6 8SD. Stations of the Cross 7.30 pm at St Teresa, College Road, Upholland, WN8 0PY. Saturday 13 February Car Boot Sale 8.00 am onwards in the Cathedral Car Park.

Pitches £10. Details from Claire Hanlon 0151 709 9222, Ext. 201 or c.hanlon@metcatherdal.org.uk Sunday 14 February First Sunday of Lent Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King Masses at 8.30 am (Blessed Sacrament Chapel), 10.00 am (Family Mass: Crypt), 11.00 am (Solemn), 7.00 pm (Crypt) 3.00 pm RCIA Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion led by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP Lenten Holy Hour and Evening Prayer 4.00 pm at St Mary’s, Mount Pleasant, Chorley, PR7 2SR. Ecumenical ‘Singing in one Spirit.’

6.30 pm at St Teresa, College Road, Upholland, WN8 0PY. Prayer Meeting led by Emmaus Prayer Community 7.30 pm at St Patrick’s church, Marshside Road, Southport, PR9 9TJ. Details: Archie Cameron Tel: 01704 224286.

Tuesday 16 February ‘Mercy flows like a river.’

Lenten evening of reflection. 7.30 pm at Most Holy Redeemer and St Kentigern, Waddicar Lane, Melling, L31 1BS.

Liverpool Bach Collective Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata 6: ‘Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden’ (‘Stay with us, for evening approaches’) 6.00 pm at St Stephen’s Church, Hightown, L38 0BL. Singers and Players directed by Philip Duffy.

Prayer Meeting Led by Emmaus Prayer Community. 7.30 pm at St Patrick’s church, Marshside Road, Southport, PR9 9TJ. Details: Archie Cameron Tel: 01704 224286.

Lives of the Saints film 2.00 pm at St Mary’s Presbytery, Mount Pleasant, Chorley, PR7 2SR

Wednesday 17 February Holy Hour with Sacrament of Reconciliation 11.00 am at St Teresa, College Road, Upholland, WN8 0PY.

Stations of the Cross Various dates Thursday 11 February Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes World Day of Prayer for sick people and those who care for them.

Stations of the Cross (St Alphonsus) 7.00 pm at St Catherine Laboure, Stanifield Lane, Farington, PR25 4QG. Friday 12 February Lenten Mass 7.00 am at St Richard’s, Liverpool Road, Skelmersdale, WN8 8BX. Stations of the Cross 11.30 am at Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph, Vicarage Place, Prescot, L34 1LE.

Bereavement Team Training Course 1.30 pm at Holy Rosary Parish Centre, Old Roan, L10 2LG. Details: Maureen Knight Tel: 0151 522 1046 Email: m.knight@rcaol.co.uk ‘Are you thirsty for God?’ New Life in the Spirit reflection. 7.00 pm at St James, Orrell, WN5 7AA. ‘Why we need more deacons.’

Archbishop Malcolm McMahon will host an evening for men who may be wondering if they are called to serve as deacons and what the formation involves. Wives and priests are also welcome. 7.30 pm at Christ the King Parish Room, 78 Queens Drive, Wavertree, Liverpool, L15 6YQ. Thursday 18 February ‘Jesus the Compassionate God’ Reflections on the Gospel of Luke. Scripture Morning. 10.30 am at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road, Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details: Tel 0151 949 1199 or email: jenny@irenaeus.co.uk

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february North Merseyside Newman Circle Reflection ‘Catholic Faith and Critical Reason: Enemies or Friends?’ Speaker: Professor John Sullivan (Liverpool Hope University). 7.30 pm at St Helen's Parish Centre, Alexandra Road, Crosby, Liverpool, L23 7TQ. Stations of the Cross (St Alphonsus) 7.00 pm at St Catherine Laboure, Stanifield Lane, Farington, PR25 4QG. ‘Pick up your cross and follow me.’

Lenten Meditation on the Way of the Cross. 7.00 pm at St Julie, Howards Lane, Eccleston, St Helens, WA10 5HJ. Friday 19 February Cafod Lent Fast Day Lenten Mass 7.00 am at St Richard’s, Liverpool Road, Skelmersdale, WN8 8BX. Stations of the Cross 11.30 am at Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph, Vicarage Place, Prescot, L34 1LE. Lives of the Saints film 2.00 pm at St Mary’s Presbytery, Mount Pleasant, Chorley, PR7 2SR Stations of the Cross and Exposition 7.00 pm at St Joseph’s, Withnell, Chorley, PR6 8SD. Stations of the Cross 7.30 pm at St Teresa, College Road, Upholland, WN8 0PY. Friday 19 February to Sunday 21 February ‘Here I am, you called me.’

Exploring the Book of Samuel. Scripture Weekend led by Father Chris Thomas at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road, Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details: Tel 0151 949 1199 or email: jenny@irenaeus.co.uk Saturday 20 February Guild of St Stephen Provincial Mass for Altar Servers 11.30 am in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Celebrant: Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP. Details: Mrs R Curry, 9 Kenyon Road, Wavertree, Liverpool, L15 5BD or email: guildofststephen@hotmail.com UCM Business Meeting 1.00 pm in the Gibberd Room of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

Sunday 21 February Second Sunday of Lent Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King Masses at 8.30 am (Blessed Sacrament Chapel), 10.00 am (Family Mass: Crypt), 11.00 am (Solemn), 7.00 pm (Crypt) Mass to celebrate Marriage and Family Life 11.00 am in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Celebrant: Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP. Barn Dance/Ceili starring Michael Coyne 2.00 pm at St Michael's Irish Centre, 6 Boundary Lane, L6 5JG. Licensed bar, refreshments and free raffle. All proceeds to Banneux Pilgrimage Fund. Tickets £5 (Family concessions) Tel: 0151 924 0706, 07703 769903, or 0151 924 3417.

Lenten Holy Hour and Evening Prayer 4.00 pm at St Mary’s, Mount Pleasant, Chorley, PR7 2SR. Prayer Meeting led by Emmaus Prayer Community 7.30 pm at St Patrick’s church, Marshside Road, Southport, PR9 9TJ. Details: Archie Cameron Tel: 01704 224286.

Tuesday 23 February Chapter Mass 12.15 pm in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Saturday 27 February Quiet Day 10.00 am at the Cenacle, Tithebarn Grove, Lance Lane, Liverpool L15 6TW. Time to be quiet, reflect and pray. Offering £10 per person. For further details contact: Sister Winifred. Tel: 0151 722 2271, Email: winniecenacle@mail.com Uncovering the True Self with Thomas Merton Led by Brendan Kelly-Ince. 10.00am at Sandymount Retreat Centre, 16 Burbo Bank Road, Blundellsands, Liverpool, L23 6TH. Suggested offering: £20. Details at www.sandymountretreats.org.uk Tel: 0151 924 4850 Email: info@sandymountretreats.org.uk

Ways of Working with Scripture A Skills Workshop for RCIA Catechists, Readers, Scripture group members and anyone interested in breaking open the Word of God in small groups. Led by Veronica Murphy. 6.30 pm to 9.00 pm at Sacred Heart Parish, 483 Liverpool Road, Ainsdale, PR8 3BP. Cost £10. Bookings: Jonathan Mercer Tel: 0151 522 1040.

Day of Retreat for the Year of Mercy Led by Sr Annie Lunney SMG. 10.30 am - 3.30 pm (Mass at 10.00 am) at St Joseph’s Prayer Centre, Blundell Avenue, Freshfield, Formby, L37 1PH. Tel: 01704 875850 Email: theprayercentre.stj@gmail.com Suggested donation: £20.

‘Mercy flows like a river.’

Lenten evening of reflection. 7.30 pm at Most Holy Redeemer and St Kentigern, Waddicar Lane, Melling, L31 1BS.

Nightfever At the Blessed Sacrament Shrine, Dawson Street, Liverpool, L1 1LE. 5.40 pm Mass, 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm Adoration, music and reflection.

Wednesday 24 February Holy Hour with Sacrament of Reconciliation 11.00 am at St Teresa, College Road, Upholland, WN8 0PY.

Sunday 28 February Third Sunday of Lent Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King Masses at 8.30 am (Blessed Sacrament Chapel), 10.00 am (Family Mass: Crypt), 11.00 am (Solemn), 7.00 pm (Crypt)

Bereavement Team Training Course 1.30 pm at Holy Rosary Parish Centre, Old Roan, L10 2LG. Details: Maureen Knight Tel: 0151 522 1046 Email: m.knight@rcaol.co.uk ‘Are you thirsty for God?’ New Life in the Spirit reflection. 7.00 pm at St James, Orrell, WN5 7AA. Thursday 25 February ‘Jesus the Compassionate God’ Reflections on the Gospel of Luke. Scripture Morning. 10.30 am at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road, Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details: Tel 0151 949 1199 or email: jenny@irenaeus.co.uk Stations of the Cross (St Alphonsus) 7.00 pm at St Catherine Laboure, Stanifield Lane, Farington, PR25 4QG. ‘Encounters on the way.’

Lenten Meditation on the Way of the Cross. 7.00 pm at St Julie, Howards Lane, Eccleston, St Helens, WA10 5HJ.

‘Be a Chorister for a Day’ For boys in Years 2 to 4 who like singing, hard work and having fun. Spend the day at the Metropolitan Cathedral with the choristers singing, playing, eating and exploring, an opportunity to explore what being a Cathedral Chorister is all about. 10.30 am to 4.30 pm at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Details and registration: Cathedral Music Office Tel: 0151 708 7283 Email: music@metcathedral.org.uk Website: www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk ‘A way of Living the Gospel message today.’

Reflection, conversation and hospitality. 1.00 pm5.00 pm at St Timothy’s, Rockwell Road, West Derby, Liverpool, L12 4XY. Details: Brother David Ryan Tel: 07826 759184 Email: david2.cfc@gmail.com

Friday 26 February Lenten Mass 7.00 am at St Richard’s, Liverpool Road, Skelmersdale, WN8 8BX.

Fifty Days of Easter Celebrating the Liturgy of the Word with Children during the Easter Season: ideas, prayer, and resources led by Catherine Darby SND. 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm at St. Julie’s Parish Hall, Howards Lane Eccleston, St. Helens, WA10 5HJ. Cost £10 or three for £25. Bookings: Jonathan Mercer Tel: 0151 522 1040.

Stations of the Cross 11.30 am at Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph, Vicarage Place, Prescot, L34 1LE.

Lenten Holy Hour and Evening Prayer 4.00 pm at St Mary’s, Mount Pleasant, Chorley, PR7 2SR.

Lives of the Saints film 2.00 pm at St Mary’s Presbytery, Mount Pleasant, Chorley, PR7 2SR

Prayer Meeting led by Emmaus Prayer Community 7.30 pm at St Patrick’s church, Marshside Road, Southport, PR9 9TJ. Details: Archie Cameron Tel: 01704 224286.

Stations of the Cross and Exposition 7.00 pm at St Joseph’s, Withnell, Chorley, PR6 8SD. Stations of the Cross 7.30 pm at St Teresa, College Road, Upholland, WN8 0PY.

Archdiocesan website www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk Catholic Pictorial

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profile

Mike Parr

George Foster, Chair of Trustees (L), welcoming Mike Parr (R) to his new role as chief executive of St Joseph’s Hospice (Jospice)

‘Wigan lad’ tackling a new challenge with Jospice By Simon Hart ‘I knew I was coming to a place that was really appreciated by the local community.’ Mike Parr is explaining just what drew him to his new job with Jospice, the Thornton-based hospice established in 1974 by Father Francis O’Leary.

It is a place, he can see, ‘with a lot of history’ and Mike, who took over as chief executive in December, is eager to help maintain its impressive traditions in the face of the changing demands on health-care providers.

The 52-year-old, who had previously spent four years as a corporate director of the Wigan and Leigh Hospice, appreciates there is a shifting landscape and is ready to meet the challenge of continuing the fine work of the now retired Keith Cawdron, the former chief executive.

Mike, who is grateful for his predecessor’s guidance during his first weeks in the job, says: ‘Certainly there is a need to evolve the services that we already provide because of the way that patients have changed over the years.

For example, people live longer and are likely to present as more complex cases and take more looking after and one example of that is dementia. So to evolve

our services to meet those new and emerging needs in the local community is one of the challenges.

‘A day hospice would be a wonderful service,’ he adds. ‘Patients would be able to come in on a daily basis rather than be residential. They could commute in and out of Jospice to receive a range of services – complementary therapy services; potentially some clinical, like outpatient consultations; and personal care services for people, like hairdressing.’

Another possibility for the hospice, which has 29 beds, is to work with the local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group in providing specialised services in the community – ‘for people in their own homes’ as Mike puts it.

Whatever lies ahead, Mike can already sense the good will found locally towards his new place of work – as illustrated by a recently announced initiative with the Crosby Coffee company which will be donating some of the profits from its Guatemalan coffee to Jospice’s San José hospice in the Central American country.

‘They are going to donate 30 per cent of the profit they make from the coffee to Jospice International.’

Mike can also call on his own rich

experience of the charity sector, which he stepped into straight from university. ‘I’ve worked in social housing. I’ve worked with charities that support learning disabilities. I’ve worked for an environmental charity.’ In that latter role, as executive director of the Groundwork Trust in East Lancashire, he involved disadvantaged members of the community in environmental regeneration schemes. It was as close as he has got in his professional life to his first love of Zoology – the subject of his degree, before a subsequent Master’s in Strategic Leadership and Management.

Outside the office, though, he does get close to nature. ‘Scuba diving and cycling are my main interests,’ explains Mike, who as ‘Wigan lad’ has a passion too for rugby league. ‘I played for Shevington Sharks and Standish Eagles but am long retired,’ he reveals. ‘I just watch rugby now.’ Tackling his new role with Jospice is the challenge now.

• To buy Crosby Coffee’s Guatemalan coffee and support Jospice, visit the website: www.crosbycoffee.co.uk/products/guatem ala-cosecha-crop. Crosby Coffee are based at 14 Bridge Rd, Waterloo, Liverpool, L21 2QG.

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Holy Family Catholic Primary School Upper Essex Street, Liverpool L8 6QB Headteacher: J P Welsh Deputy Headteacher: A Snell Tel: 0151 709 3672 Email: holyfamily-ao@holyfamily.liverpool.sch.uk

Headteacher (Group 2) Salary: L16 – L22 (£55, 951 - £64, 715) Location: Liverpool Contract type: Full Time Contract Term: Permanent Due to the retirement of our long serving Headteacher, governors are seeking to appoint an ever- improving, dynamic, inspirational and committed leader, who is a practising Catholic and is passionate about learning and teaching.

We are looking for someone who: • Is a practising Catholic who knows the Gospel and lives out its values every day • Has the vision and leadership to motivate, challenge and inspire our school in the next stage of its development • Has a relentless drive to pursue and achieve the highest standards in learning and teaching • Has the highest expectations for pupils’ achievement, personal development and behaviour • Can continue to build strong relationships with parents/carers, other schools, the parish and the wider community In return we can offer you: • A successful, happy and welcoming school community with a positive and caring Catholic ethos • The opportunity to work in a vibrant, multi-cultural school where difference is valued • Supportive, enthusiastic and dedicated staff, who are committed to enabling all pupils to achieve • Well motivated, confident and friendly pupils who enjoy learning and love coming to school • Involved and positive parents/carers and a forward–thinking and supportive governing body

“Holy Family is a unique place, an oasis of calm and welcome. I would recommend you visit us. Meet the children, ask questions and see for yourself our range of practice. I hope you will be convinced that this is a school which you would want to lead.

“Our school serves a very diverse catchment with pockets of real disadvantage, but has been undergoing a process of renewal for some years. Our children are delightful and enthusiastic, and make substantial, sometimes outstanding progress, often from very low starting points. Our impressive attendance record reflects the children’s enjoyment of our school. Our families are supportive and want the best for their children.

“The governing body is seeking to appoint a new headteacher who will take us forward in the next stage of our development. You will need to be a proven leader who is innovative, creative and passionate about learning and teaching; someone who is committed to an inclusive education where every child can strive to attain his/her full potential. At Holy Family “With Christ as our guide, together we love, grow, learn and achieve each day”.

“The new headteacher would become part of our extended family and receive support from the local community, School Improvement Liverpool, the City Council and Liverpool Archdiocese who all hold the school and its endeavours in high regard.”

Informal visits to our school are warmly welcomed and recommended. Please contact Mrs D’Arcy, the School Business Manager, on the above telephone number or email to make arrangements.

Mrs Pat Melia, Chair of Governors

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Any offer of employment will be subject to an enhanced disclosure from the DBS. Full application pack available on school website: www.holy-family.co.uk CLOSING DATE: Apply by 2nd March 2016 at 12 noon SHORTLISTING: 7th March 2016 INTERVIEWS: 21st March 2016 and 22nd March 2016

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Age UK launch Merseyside Warm Homes Week

What’s the campaign about?

Each winter one older person dies every seven minutes from the cold weather. Many more older people become seriously ill due to living in a cold home.

Many of these deaths and health problems could be prevented if everyone lived in a warm home. The UK has some of the worst levels of home energy efficiency in Europe, but with proper insulation and energy efficiency measures nearly all homes could be made much warmer.

That’s why Age UK’s campaign for warm homes is calling on the Government to reform its energy efficiency schemes to enable all older people to live in a warm home. Such an approach would not only improve older people’s health and wellbeing and save lives; it would also bring down consumer bills and lift millions out of fuel poverty.

• For many older people, the struggle to stay adequately warm through the winter will have life and death consequences – something we should be deeply ashamed of in an affluent country like ours.

• High energy costs coupled with poorly insulated homes mean millions of older people are worried about keeping their home warm this winter.

• With just under one million older people living in fuel poverty, many simply cannot afford to heat their homes to a sufficient temperature in order to keep warm and well.

• The Government needs to be much more ambitious about eradicating fuel poverty and transforming the coldest homes through a sustained energy efficiency programme. There is also an urgent need for a workable replacement for the Green Deal and for reform of the ECO. • No older person should worry that they could die from the cold in their own home. Fuel poverty is a national scandal.

During Warm Homes week Age UK Mid Mersey are running public awareness campaigns to ensure as many people stay warm and safe during the cold nights.

Events and information are planned at the following dates: Warrington Golden Gates Shop Monday, 1 February 10am – 1pm Drop in for information and advice on staying warm this winter St Mary’s Market, St Helens Tuesday, 2 February 12.30pm – 14.30 Supported by pupils from De La Salle we will be giving out information and advice and winter packs.

Widnes Market Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 1, 3, 5 February 10am – 2pm Drop in for information and advice on staying warm this winter Asda, Huyton Friday, 5 February 10am – 2pm Drop in for information and advice on staying warm this winter

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“An Outstanding Catholic School” Liverpool Archdiocese

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cathedral

Journey into Lent

by Dr Christopher McElroy Director of Music, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral After a busy Christmas period at the Cathedral January is a somewhat calmer and quieter month. We bade farewell on Christmas Day to five of our girl choristers who are now focussing on their upcoming GCSE examinations. In mid January our new girl chorister leadership team received their medals: those for a Head Chorister, Deputy Head Chorister and four team leaders named after women Saints who had connections to music (Mary, Hildegard, Miriam and Cecilia.) Can you work out the connection of each saint to music in the church?

With Easter being very early this year, February feels a very short month. We begin the month with the beautiful feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. On this day the choir and congregation assemble in the porch of

the Cathedral and process through the nave singing the antiphon ‘Lumen ad revelationem gentium’ (‘To be a light to lighten the gentiles’.) Only eight days later we keep Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the season of Lent. The short period of liturgical green gives way to the more solemn purple. Unaccompanied choral music

by Victoria, Poulenc and Casals alongside the congregational singing of ‘Forty days and forty nights’ marks the changing of the liturgical season.

We welcome two visiting choirs over February half term. In an ecumenical venture, the choir of Great St Mary’s Church, Cambridge will be in residence from the 15-17 February singing Mass and Evening Prayer each day. On Sunday 21 February we welcome the Huddersfield boys and girls choirs to lead our music at the Solemn Mass and Choral Evening Prayer. The Huddersfield boys and girls choir are based at St Patricks Catholic church in Huddersfield where they regularly sing at liturgies: we look forward to welcoming them on their second visit to the Cathedral.

February ends with our much awaited ‘Chorister for a Day’ for boys interested in joining the Cathedral Choir. Our ‘Boys make Noise’ venture has gone remarkably well with over twenty boys coming each Tuesday to enjoy singing together. We hope that these boys and others will come along to spend a day with our boy choristers on February 28 to learn more about the Cathedral choir. Becoming a Cathedral chorister is a unique opportunity for a child, allowing them to experience the church’s liturgy on a daily basis, to sing in one of the most beautiful spaces in the country and to further their academic skills through reading, performing and organisation.

Left: Jesus takes up his Cross, Stations of the Cross

by Sean Rice

Cathedral Record Canon Anthony O’Brien – Cathedral Dean The Annual Civic Mass takes place on the first Sunday in February this year at 11.00 am. Archbishop Malcolm will welcome civic and community leaders as we gather formally to pray for our region and its needs. Later that afternoon at 4.00 pm there will be a Mass to celebrate the closing of the Year of Consecrated Life. There are Masses throughout the Day on 10 February, Ash Wednesday: Archbishop Malcolm will preside at the 5.15 pm Choral Mass in the Cathedral and the final evening service at 7.30 pm is a service of the Word incorporating the distribution of Ashes.

The Rite of Welcome and Election of candidates to be received into full communion with the church is at 3.00 pm on the first Sunday of Lent, then on Saturday 20 February the Guild of St Stephen have invited altar servers from all our local dioceses for a mass at 11.30 am, Archbishop Malcolm will preside at both of these services.

Thankfully as winters go it has been relatively mild, even so the opening of the Holy Door has multiplied the draughts in the Cathedral and it has added a whole new meaning to being given the cold shoulder when attending services here. This has meant that at times we have had to close the door and open it when there are visiting groups or pilgrims in attendance. But despite the weather the Holy Door will be open on the Saturdays throughout Lent for pastoral area groups who will be coming on pilgrimage. On Saturday 27 the first pastoral area Liverpool North will spend the morning here concluding with the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Mass.

There is a day for prospective choristers on Sunday 28 February and the Cathedral has its own preview evening during the Beer Festival in the Crypt tickets are £10 and details regarding the chorister day from Cathedral House 0151 709 9222.

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Pic extras

Mums the Word On 20 February between 1pm and 4pm the Union of Catholic Mothers will be holding their Business Meeting in the Gibberd Room at the Metropolitan Cathedral. This is the first time that we have decided to stage the meeting on a Saturday afternoon to make it easier for everyone to attend (members as well as officers are invited). Following the meeting, Father David Potter, our diocesan spiritual adviser, will lead us through the designated Year of Mercy Holy Door for a penitential service in the Cathedral. This will be a wonderful opportunity for us to join together for a Lenten Service.

• Parish foundations raise money each year for diocesan charities. These are nominated by the foundations and then voted for by members and the recipients of the 2015 collections were the Priests’ Training Fund (supported each year); Legacy Rainbow House (nominated by St Anne’s, Ormskirk); Place 2 Be (nominated

by Blessed Sacrament, Walton Vale), and Litherland Moss (nominated by English Martyrs, Litherland). The Committee thanks everyone for their continued generosity over the years.

• I know that Christmas is well behind us but I must share this story with you. Many of us will have seen the knitted Nativity scene in the Cathedral with a notice inviting children to play with the figures, but not take them away. Theresa Morris, one of our vice-presidents, spent some time in the Cathedral over Christmas as her granddaughter is in the choir. She was pleased to see so many children playing with the figures especially one little girl of about four who, during one service, was cradling the baby in her arms when the choir began to sing a hymn. In a high voice she cried out: ‘Hush, hush, the Baby Jesus is asleep.’ Isn’t that lovely? We must give credit to Sheila Weston, a friend of the Cathedral, who knitted the figures which gave so much pleasure – but no, she does not have time to knit any for other parishes!

I hope to see you all at the Business Meeting and the Lenten Service on 20 February.

Madelaine McDonald, media officer

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News from the Liverpool Province of the Knights of St Columba

KSC support C of E food bank in West Derby

KSC Council 493 secretary Terry Kelly and brothers Rob Schofield and George Malcolm at the North Liverpool food bank distribution centre at Saint John the Baptist Church.

A group of KSC members from West Derby have joined forces with St John the Baptist Anglican Church to support a local food bank project.

The members of KSC council 493 – who meet at St Paul’s Parish Centre in West Derby – became involved after their grand knight, Andrew Cleary, visited St John’s and heard from the priest there, Father Simon Fisher, that the church was starting up a food bank after a similar scheme at St Andrew’s, Clubmoor had become oversubscribed.

Cleary, together with fellow members Mark Thompson and Rob Jardine, made several exploratory visits to see how the operation was managed and assess the level of commitment required and the Knights’ involvement as volunteers began officially last May. ‘It has been a great opportunity to work ecumenically with our Christian brothers and sisters to help make a difference in the local

community,’ said Cleary. ‘It has been a humbling and valuable experience for the council members, who have supported the rota on a weekly basis since May.’ The food bank operates under the auspices of the North Liverpool Food Bank, a project supervised by the Trussell Trust Food Bank, a network that works in partnership with local churches and organisations to bring food banks to communities across the United Kingdom. Frontline care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, social workers, the Citizens Advice Bureau and Police identify people in crisis and issue them with vouchers which they can exchange for three days’ emergency food.

Volunteers can also meet clients and recommend them to agencies offering longer-term help.

Websites: www.ksc.org.uk www.kscprov02.weebly.com Email: dpokeane@aol.com

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youth ministry

Opportunities to consider for young Catholics

By Father Simon Gore With a new year under way we might still be thinking of new things to do and new experiences to share in the next 12 months. If this is you, or you know a child or grandchild who is seeking such new experiences, then maybe one of these options could be for you?

World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland As a young person myself, many years ago, I remember going on World Youth Day pilgrimages. World Youth Day is a bit of a misnomer as the pilgrimage is really a two-week festival of faith. Every few years the Holy Father calls young people from all around the world to gather in one city to share their faith with each other. At the last WYD in Rio there were four million young people gathered in the city and the expectation is there will be two million in Krakow in July.

In the first week pilgrims spend time

certainly were a significant milestone in my priestly discernment. living with families and sharing the lives of parishioners in the host country and experiencing the faith of that country as lived by ‘everyday’ parishioners. In the second week all those pilgrims make their way to the host city and have times of catechesis and liturgies, at which the Pope presides on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I especially remember the slightly overwhelming feeling of being caught in the sea of humanity that was WYD Rome 2000. Coming from a small town in the diocese, my eyes were opened to what it meant to be part of a universal Church. I met new people and formed friendships that continue to this day.

As I look back on my own journey of faith I think those pilgrimages as a young person helped form me, and

I am convinced that without those early experiences of pilgrimage my life would have taken a slightly different turn and so I thank God for the support I was offered as a young person that allowed me to experience the many facets of our faith.

Therefore, based on my own personal experience, I know that participating in pilgrimages such as World Youth Day can be crucial in the faith development of a young person.

The dates of the 2016 pilgrimage are 20 July-3 August. The total cost £1,200, and though this is a lot of money I am sure parishes and pastoral areas will support young people who might like to travel.

Pilgrims must be aged 18 or older at the time of the pilgrimage.

Animate team Becoming a part of the Animate team involves a somewhat longer commitment on the part of a young person, but is a potentially life-giving decision. As regular readers of this page will know, Animate works with thousands of young people every year but to allow that work to continue it is necessary to have a committed team of young people willing to share their lives with each other in community and share their faith with the young people of the diocese through the work that we do.

If you are in the last year of college or university or are under the age of 25 and fancy a change of scenery from your current role then why not get in touch and find out what being a team member involves?

• If you would like more information about either of these opportunities then please contact, with no obligation, Fr Simon Gore on 01744 740467 or s.gore@animateyouth.co.uk

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PIC Life Why there is no perfect way to pray

By Moira Billinge

prayers ‘wrong’, they are beautifully right.

Listening to the prayers of children is a joy and a privilege; they don’t usually have a problem with praying in their own words and having a real sense of the presence of whoever it is to whom they are praying.

Life can be hectic and sometimes we find it a greater challenge to relax than to carry on working. There is a temptation to keep ‘clearing the decks’ and get one more job out of the way.

Rather than modern technology working for us, we are actually letting it work us.

With so many distractions it is easy to sideline God, and just keep him as a reserve – like a football player left on the bench – for when there’s a problem.

During her night prayers, as she listened anxiously to the relentless rain which had caused havoc across the country, the little eight-year-old said to her guardian angel: ‘Please ask Jesus to stop all the rain we are having. We don’t need it but other countries – like Africa – do, so let them have some of it for a change.’

Stupidly, I interjected and suggested that she might ask Jesus Himself for that intention, to which she, with good reason, responded: ‘Shhhhhh! I’m talking to my guardian angel!’

Another time she asked Jesus to ‘look after all the old people’. When her daddy praised her considerate request, she replied, ‘Well, I had to think of something to say to Him!’ Clearly there are times, even for a child, when prayer doesn’t seem to flow as easily.

Praying with children opens up the opportunity for discussion, but the questions can be very challenging. Last year she asked her daddy who was the greater, Jesus or Mary. He told her that Jesus, being God made man, was the greater. ‘No, Daddy, I don’t think so,’ she replied. ‘Mary had Jesus, so Mary is greater.’

The same little girl mixed up the words of the Hail Mary as she prayed: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with me.”

Even when children get the traditional

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Jesus knew that praying could be difficult which was why He responded to the request of one apostle to ‘teach us how to pray’ by giving us the Our Father.

In doing so He simplified things by removing our unnecessary anxieties about the words that we think we should be using when we do pray.

All prayer is powerful, no matter how brief. My late parish priest used to visit a housebound doctor whose favourite way of praying was simply to choose a hymn and reflect on it during the day. One in particular meant a great deal to him, O Bread of Heaven – and in particular the opening lines: ‘O Bread of Heaven, beneath this veil/Thou dost my very God conceal.’ He would always recite it before Holy Communion and would say, “I cannot pray such words and at the same time fear death.’ His trust meant that, in the meantime, though so sick, he truly lived.

We don’t need to go through spiritual acrobatics to pray. It is a truth that Cardinal Hume highlighted so perfectly in his book ‘To Be A Pilgrim’ when he wrote: ‘When we want to pray but find we can’t - we feel too ill, or we are bereaved, or just too exhausted - the desire alone is perfect prayer.’

Quotes from Pope Francis for the Year of Mercy “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just” “Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that create huge inequalities” “God never gives someone a gift they are not capable of receiving. If he gives us a gift it is because we all have the ability to understand and receive it”

Worth a visit

The picturesque city of Innsbruck is famed for its nearby ski slopes but for Catholics there is another sight worth seeing a short train ride away, writes Lucy Oliver. The parish church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Absam has been a destination for pilgrims seeking healing ever since the apparition of Our Lady to a young girl, Rosina Buecher, in 1791. One evening, she looked out of her window and saw the image of a lady on the pane of glass.

The village priest had the window removed and the image tested; it disappeared when submerged in water but later reappeared on the glass. The miraculous image was donated to the parish church where it can be venerated today on a separate side altar.

Pope Benedict XVI had a special attachment to Our Lady of Absam, where his grandparents and parents were married.

Back in Innsbruck, the old centre boasts gothic architecture unique to medieval Austria, not least the Golden Roof, formed of almost 3,000 gilded copper tiles. Other sites of interest are the gothic Hofkirche and its imperial tombs and the 300-year-old Saint Anne’s Column on the central MariaTheresien-Strasse. Of course, you must also visit a kaffeehaus and enjoy the leisurely Tyrolean tradition of coffee and cakes.

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join in Children’s word search

Eating Out

February 2nd is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Check the clues to find out more

Why not try a pub meal for a change this month.

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SIGN KING OF GLORY

“The Lord will come with mighty power and give light to the eyes of all who serve Him. Alleluia

More Mullarkey From Johnny Kennedy Father Mullarkey and the young curate were watching a TV play about a chieftain in Africa who met a Methodist missionary. The chieftain was very impressed when the Methodist showed him a picture of Queen Victoria in her palace sitting on a throne. And he decided he wanted a throne and a palace too.

He ordered a throne from London and got the bricklayers in to build him a palace. When the throne arrived, the palace wasn’t ready so the chieftain stored the throne upstairs in his traditional dwelling. Unfortunately the floor wasn’t strong enough and the throne fell through the floor and landed on the chieftain, breaking both his legs and putting him in hospital for six months.

‘The poor man,’ said the young curate. ‘What an awful thing to happen.’

‘Well, it proves one thing, doesn’t it?’ said the auld fella.

‘What does it prove?’ asked the YC. ‘People who live in grass houses shouldn’t stow thrones!’

White Horse Acrefield Road, Liverpool 25 0151 428 1862 Hen & Chicken Prescot Road, Liverpool 31 0151 520 1121 Morris Dancers Southport Road, Scarisbrick 01704 880201 Red Squirrel Orrell Hill Lane, Liverpool 38 0151 929 4001 Baltic Fleet Wapping, Liverpool 1 0151 709 3116 Bear & Staff Gateacre Brow, Liverpool 22 0151 428 2526

Easter Cards from Carmel

Audio copy of the Pic out now An audio version of the ‘Catholic Pictorial’ is available free of charge, compiled by students, technicians and Chaplain, Dan Antonio, at All Hallows RC High School, Penwortham Anyone interested in receiving the audio copy should contact Dan Antonio on 01772 746121

Lent begins next week, so it won’t be long before we will be sending Easter cards to celebrate the risen Lord.

Carmelite Monastery have some very beautiful Easter cards on sale and it is well worth having a look at them.

Call up to the Monastery at: Carmelite Monastery, Maryton Grange, Allerton Road, L18 3NU. Telephone the card office on 0151 724 7102 or Email the Sisters at marytoncards@outlook.com

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justice & peace

Two approaches to Lent

By Steve Atherton, Justice and Peace fieldworker

Sadza - a staple porridge-like food made from cornmeal (polenta)

Christmas has only just gone and Lent is upon us. Sometimes, people say they are not giving anything up for Lent but instead are going to do something extra. With that in mind, the Justice and Peace Commission has been busy preparing two different resources to help us with either of these approaches to the penitential season, which begins on 10 February and runs until 27 March.

Giving something up ZimFare is the name of our Lenten challenge which we have organised in partnership with Progressio, a Catholic NGO that works in Zimbabwe. Frank Cottrell-Boyce was our special guest when we launched the project on 28 January and we hope it will help participants gain a small insight into the lives of ordinary poor people in Zimbabwe by eating only Zimbabwean food for five days during Lent. This can be five days in a row or one day each week. The money saved can be

donated to Progressio, to support its projects in Zimbabwe. We are recommending the following two dishes: • Sadza: a staple porridge-like food made from cornmeal (polenta) • Chakalaka: a spicy dish of onions and peppers Recipes for both are available on the diocesan website.

Doing something extra Mercy and Our Common Home is the name of a series of evening reflections that link the Sunday Gospels of Lent to quotations from Laudato Si and the idea of the Year of Mercy. The aim of these sessions is to help us answer the question ‘What does Mercy look like in our lives?’. The idea is for parishes to run a session in each of the five weeks of Lent, using the booklet that is available from the J&P office. This work has been organised in conjunction with Cafod Liverpool.

World of Atherton

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