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news diary Obituary Rev Basil Walker
On the road to Rio
Former Parish Priest of Sacred Heart, Kirkby; St Theresa of the Child Jesus, Sutton Manor and St Julie’s, Eccleston, Father Basil Walker, died on 7 June at the age of 92 just a week before the 67th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Basil William Walker was born in St Helens on 13 October 1920, the son of John and Teresa Walker. He attended Windleshaw School and West Park Grammar School, St Helens, before studying for the priesthood at St Joseph’s College, Upholland. He was ordained priest in St Joseph’s Chapel at Upholland on 14 June 1946. Following his ordination he was loaned to the Diocese of Lancaster, serving for a period at Blessed Sacrament, Ribbleton. Upon his return to the archdiocese he was appointed as curate to Father James Dillon at St Peter and St Paul, Haresfinch, in September 1950. In December 1951 he returned to Upholland College as Prefect of Discipline. He then held two curacies; firstly as assistant to Canon Walter Ormsby at Blessed Sacrament, Aintree, from 1958 until June 1968, and thereafter at St Peter and St Paul, Crosby, as assistant to Monsignor Joseph Turner. In January 1972 he was appointed parish priest of Sacred Heart, Kirkby, and then he moved to St Theresa of the Child Jesus, Sutton Manor, in October 1977. He was appointed to the parish of St Julie, Eccleston, in January 1983, when he succeeded Father Cyril Higham, the parish’s first parish priest. Upon relinquishing St Julie’s parish in August 1992 he went into retirement, but returned to active ministry in October 1997 as chaplain to Lourdes Hospital. His definitive retirement came in 2005 and he went to live at the old rectory at Formby, moving to Ince Blundell shortly before his death. His Funeral Mass was celebrated on Thursday 20 June at Holy Family Church, Ince Blundell followed by burial at St Helens Cemetery.
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Catholic Pictorial
Our Archdiocesan World Youth Day Pilgrimage departs for Rio de Janeiro this month and preparations for our young pilgrims are in full swing writes Michael Meadows. The Liverpool contingent will join up to four million other young Catholics in the iconic Brazilian city, for a two week long festival of faith, in the shadow of Christ the Redeemer. Demand for places on the trip has been high, with interest surging in Latin America in particular as a result of Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio's election as Pope. This enthusiasm has been matched back on Merseyside, with our thirty young participants eagerly anticipating this once in a lifetime experience. As can be expected in the current economic climate, such a considerable journey is matched by an equally sizeable cost for each of the successful applicants from our area, so pilgrims have been using their initiative to each fund-raise their steps to South America. On a glorious May Bank Holiday weekend, Rosie Whalley (18) and Michael Meadows (23) enlisted the help of our kind-hearted friends Frankie, Lauren and Tom to host an all-day car wash at Our Lady Immaculate, Bryn. The event was extremely well supported by the Parish, and saw the team clean countless vehicles whilst their owners attended masses during the day. Rosie, who attended World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011, said, 'My Parish has always been extremely
supportive in helping me get to occasions like World Youth Day, and this event was no exception. I must thank Father John and all of the parishioners for their help and kind donations. I'm really looking forward to getting to Rio, being able to explore my faith further and meet lots of new people.' Other recent fundraising events across the Diocese have included cake sales, a Race Night, and also the Animate Youth Ministries team partaking in a mammoth 24 hour sponsored cycle, covering the distance from their base in St Helens, to the Vatican. The event was held at the local 'Gymbug' and saw members of the team and friends don their tracksuits for stints on the bike towards the 2112km target. An extremely tired Animate Team Coordinator Sarah Beatty explained after the event, 'our Team Leader Ferg Williams-Tanton organised the cycle with the owners of Gymbug, as many of the team are members at the gym. We had lots of fun and burned countless calories in raising just over £700 in total.’ To keep the Archdiocese informed of preparations in the weeks building up to the pilgrimage, and indeed whilst out in Rio, the trip's media team will be posting blog entries, a diary and articles on a regular basis. Anyone interested in following our journey should log on to www.liverpoolcatholic.org.ukand follow @LivPilgrim and @AnimateYouth for daily updates on Twitter.