Catholicpic may 2015

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Issue 128 MAY 2015

ARCHDIOCESE OF LIVERPOOL

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contents Welcome This month our main feature concentrates on Vocations as we have just celebrated the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Our main effort must always be prayer asking that the Lord will send labourers for his harvest; praying for those who are discerning the will of the Lord and for those training for the priesthood, and for those ordained priests who minister to us daily. The effort of prayer is constant, timeless and unchanging, but the way in which the message is communicated changes according to the times.

It is now ten years since the BBC commissioned ‘The Monastery’, a series which brought Catholic life to a wider audience. There have been follow up series and other programmes highlighting Catholic spirituality.

Social media is used in the promotion of vocations. If you happen to be waiting for a bus at Childwall Fiveways over the next couple of weeks you will see our vocations poster, this month’s front cover, on the bus stop. A timeless call for labourers for the harvest made by modern means.

Please pray for our seminarians and for Deacons Matthew Jolley and Stephen Lee who will be ordained to the priesthood in July.

From the Archbishop’s Desk The people who have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea have been uppermost in my thoughts. We have been informed through the media of the numerous men women and children who have died in the most horrific circumstances crammed into the holds of overloaded fishing boats. My sense of justice is offended by the way these migrants have been mistreated by the evil traffickers, and yet despite these tragedies still more people will take the risk and use all their savings to migrate to Europe seeking a better life.

There is an understandable desire within many of us to improve our circumstances; and we are always prepared to make sacrifices for our families and children to achieve that aim. Many of us are descended from migrants from different parts of the world. Some have arrived because of war or oppression; others to escape poverty or famine. The story we have lived through during Holy week and Easter recalls our journey as Christians who have passed over from the captivity of sin, through the suffering of the Cross to a place of light and life called resurrection. We are reminded that we are spiritually descended from a migrant people who were freed from slavery and made a nation. As the new People of God we should celebrate our freedom by welcoming the refugee and the stranger, and pray that human trafficking in all its forms be put to an end. But first of all we desperately need to shake off the prejudices that still hold us captive, and thus make the resurrection of our Lord a reality in our own lives.

Most Rev Malcolm McMahon OP Archbishop of Liverpool

Contents 4

Main Feature Change a life for the better The Campaign for Vocations

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News From around the Archdiocese

12 Sunday Reflections Liturgy and Life 13 Nugent News What do you want for the future?

16 What’s On Whats happening in the Archdiocese 18 Profile Winifred Robinson BBC broadcaster and Pic old girl 19 Animate Youth Ministry My year with Animate 20 Justice and Peace Getting ready for the General Election 25 Cathedral Record Celebrations at the Mass of Chrism 26 Pic Extras Mums the word News from the KSC 28 Pic Life Walking for the Right To Life cause

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 Advertising Andrew Rogers 0151 709 7567 Publisher 36 Henry Street, Liverpool L1 5BS

Copy deadline June issue 11 May 2015 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

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Change a life – for the better

‘The Christian vocation is first and foremost a call to love, a love which attracts us and draws us out of ourselves’

Campaign for vocations is stepped up with national campaign and Pope’s call

By Simon Hart PEOPLE driving past Childwall Fiveways in south Liverpool in the past week may have noticed an advert with a difference adorning one of the bus stops.

It is an advert that features not some perfectly preened model selling an equally shiny new product instead but five normal faces. They are the faces of five religious – two priests, a nun, a brother and a sister. Each of them is smiling and the message below is ‘Change a life’.

The poster, which also adorns the front cover of the Pic this month, was distributed to schools and parishes nationwide to coincide with the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on Sunday 26 April. This was the 52nd year of praying for vocations – an experience that Pope Francis, in a special message for the occasion, described as a personal ‘exodus towards God’.

It is an exodus, he wrote, that ‘fills our lives with joy and meaning’ as he urged young people to consider carefully their calling – and to feel no fear. ‘It means leaving, like Abraham, our native place and going forward with trust, knowing that God will show us the way to a new land. This “going forward” is not to be viewed as a sign of contempt for one’s life, one’s feelings, one’s own humanity.

‘On the contrary, those who set out to follow Christ find life in abundance by putting themselves completely at the service of God and his kingdom. Jesus 4

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says: “Everyone who has left home or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29). All of this is profoundly rooted in love. The Christian vocation is first and foremost a call to love, a love which attracts us and draws us out of ourselves.’

The Pope’s words were accompanied by a specially published prayer booklet by the National Office for Vocation to mark this Year of Consecrated Life. Titled ‘Change a life’, the document features a different theme for five separate days: trust, awakening, openness, seeking, encounter; each accompanied by a reflection and prayer for those called to the priesthood and consecrated life.

The reflection on trust from Sister Anne Mary, from the Institute of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, begins: ‘Looking back, I could not have imagined the journey God would take me on when I first said “yes” to him.’ This is a line that would already resonate with Deacon Stephen Lee and his ordination as a priest in Liverpool Archdiocese is still two months away.

Not so long ago he was a shy IT technician working at Salford University and, as he admits, he could not help but smile at the way his life has changed as he prepared to take part in the Easter Vigil this year. ‘If somebody had said to me seven years ago that I would one day be stood in front of a congregation of people singing the Exsultet I would have laughed.’

The 39-year-old knows better than most people why those discerning a vocation need time to make the correct decision. In his own case, he spent 12 months wrestling with ‘this constant question’ before speaking to a priest during a retreat at Ampleforth Abbey. ‘He asked if I’d ever thought of a vocation and I said, “Yes but I’ve not done anything about it”. He told me I needed to speak to somebody because I didn’t want to be sat in 10 years’ time thinking “what if?”.’

A decade later, Deacon Stephen has discovered that religious life really does take all kinds. ‘At Oscott College, we all come from different backgrounds. We have had different careers in all parts of the country, some people have been lawyers, some are straight out of university, but we are all responding to this call from God.’ And his advice to those now asking the questions he once asked is: ‘If you’ve got a thought that God is calling you to priesthood, however small that is, then you need to explore it’.

The director of vocations for Liverpool Archiodese, Father James Preston, arranges monthly discernment groups for this very purpose. They meet on the first Saturday of each month at St Charles Borromeo Church in south Liverpool (10am-4pm) and offer people an opportunity to discuss whatever pull they feel inside them – and also to see they are not alone.

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feature

Deacons Stephen Lee and Matthew Jolley with Archbishop Malcolm and fellow seminarian James McCulley

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feature And the 28-year-old is only too happy to publicise his calling, both in schools and elsewhere. ‘It seems a lot of people are taken aback – they don’t expect you to be so normal. When I go into secondary schools, they don’t expect young men to want to be priests; they always assume the priest is an older chap. I think they must think priests fall out of the sky.’

ARCHDIOCESE OF LIVERPOOL VOCATIONS

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Please pray for our Seminarians as they continue on their journey of discernment and formation to the Sacred Priesthood Rev Mr Matthew Jolley - Transitional Deacon Rev Mr Stephen Lee - Transitional Deacon Dominic Risley - Seminarian at St Mary’s College, Oscott Thomas Clarke - Seminarian at St Mary’s College, Oscott James McCully - Seminarian at St Mary’s College, Oscott Carl Mugan - Seminarian at Pontifical Beda College, Rome Michael Barrett - Seminarian at Pontifical Beda College, Rome Anthony Kelly - Seminarian at Pontifical Beda College, Rome Philip Carr - Seminarian at Pontifical Beda College, Rome

“Like being prodded with a stick and you cannot ignore it.

I tell kids at school that if God wants you he will get you’ 6

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Deacon Matthew Jolley will also be ordained as a priest in July and he says: ‘A lot of people who discern think, “It is just me” and that no one wants to be a priest any more and it is an oldfashioned thing to do. I remember when I went to Ushaw in 2005 and met people for the first time who were likeminded. It does you the world of good to see you are not the only one.’

Deacon Matthew’s own experience of vocation was, he adds, ‘like being prodded with a stick and you cannot ignore it. I tell kids at school that if God wants you he will get you.’

Both of these students for the priesthood have faced testing moments along the way. In Deacon Matthew’s case, he cites the difficulty of summoning the confidence to help the sick and grieving in hospitals. Yet he is mindful of the message he was given recently by Bishop Robert Byrne. ‘He told us to have it in our minds that it is a privilege to be able to be there in people’s lives,’ he explains. ‘They still want a priest there in the key moments and there are few walks of life where you are invited in like that and to be grateful for it.’

A vocation does change a life, just as the poster on that Childwall bus shelter tells us. Pope Francis will not be passing the Fiveways any time soon but he echoed this sentiment in his message on 26 April.

‘I wish to state this clearly to the young, whose youth and openness to the future makes them open-hearted and generous,’ said the Pontiff. ‘At times uncertainty, worries about the future and the problems they daily encounter can risk paralysing their youthful enthusiasm and shattering their dreams, to the point where they can think that it is not worth the effort to get involved, that the God of the Christian faith is somehow a limit on their freedom. Dear young friends, never be afraid to go out from yourselves and begin the journey!

‘The Gospel is the message which brings freedom to our lives; it transforms them and makes them all the more beautiful. How wonderful it is to be surprised by God’s call, to embrace his word, and to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, in adoration of the divine mystery and in generous service to our neighbours. Your life will become richer and more joyful each day!’

• To contact Fr James Preston, vocations director for Liverpool Archdiocese, call 0151 727 2493 or email vocations@rcaolp.co.uk

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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

Exhibition at St Austin’s Prior to the closing of St. Austin’s church, Grassendale, in June, 2015, parishioners are planning an exhibition on Saturday, 23 May, from 12.00 noon to 5.00 pm when the church, garden, and Chaloner Hall will be open.

If you have photographs or any memorabilia relating to ceremonies or events at St. Austin’s the planning group would be grateful to receive such items to be part of the exhibition. Please could you drop them into St. Francis’ presbytery, Earp Street, Garston, with your name and contact number attached so they can be returned to you. If this is not possible please contact Beryl on 0151 427 3728 and alternative arrangements will be made. Originals will not be used but copies made for the exhibition. The committee would like to receive items by 10 May. Light refreshments will be served during the exhibition in Chaloner Hall.

The Baker at the Candlestick Makers raises funds for Nugent Care Staff at local church furnishing company, Hayes and Finch, are always ready to help a good cause and sales administrator, Ann Gibson, is proof of this as she put her skills as baker to good use and made cakes that were bought and enjoyed by the 70 staff at the company to raise funds to buy Easter Eggs for Nugent Care projects with underprivileged children.

Ann baked and sold enough cakes to buy fifty Easter Eggs which were donated to Nugent Care for distribution before Easter Sunday.

Ann has worked at Hayes and Finch for over 25 years and is well known for serving calling customers with tea and homemade cakes whilst they browse the showroom and make their purchases.

Nugent Care fund raiser Michele Duckworth says, ‘Hayes and Finch staff are a great support to our fundraising efforts and a lot of under privileged children will benefit from receiving an Easter Egg as a result of the staff supporting Ann's efforts’.

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news diary Northern Catholic Conference This year’s Northern Catholic Conference will take place at Liverpool Hope University from 12-14 June, with the theme ‘You did not choose me....I chose you’ (John 15:16).

Pope Francis says that in order to fulfil our calling with any degree of success, we need to have a living relationship with God which feeds and strengthens our communion with others since the more intimately we are joined to God, the more united we are with each other, because the spirit of God always unites. Everyone is welcome to take time-out to be spiritually uplifted and nourished through prayer, Scripture and the Sacraments at the conference Speakers will include Dana, Frances Hogan, Father Pat Deegan, Father

Richard Reid, Sister Roseann Reddy and Denis Wrigley. The weekend will include reconciliation and healing services, the Rosary and Divine Mercy Devotions. Separate Childrens and Youth Ministries will take place on Saturday Further information from: www.northerncatholic.co.uk Tel: 07543 800812 or write to: ‘Regina Coeli’, 6 Warner Drive, Liverpool L4 8US.

Obituary of Rev William Dowds MHM Father William Dowds MHM, the oldest Mill Hill Missionary in the World died at Herbert House, Freshfield on 2 February aged 99 after almost 75 years of missionary service.

Bill Dowds was born on 14 November 1915 in Blackhill, the son of William and Ellen Dowds. He completed his secondary education in the Mill Hill minor seminaries in Freshfield and Burn Hall, Durham and, at Roosendaal, London. He was ordained priest on 29 June 1941 in Glasgow Cathedral and went on to serve in Kodok, Sudan, in Kisumu, Kenya, and then in England in Lytham St Annes. In 1990 in recognition of his long service he was awarded the MBE. He was appointed to Herbert House in February 1999, but never considered himself retired.

His Funeral Mass and burial took place at Herbert House.

UCM Celebrations It was quite an evening for the UCM when they celebrated their bimonthly Mass at St. Jerome's, Formby. 680 years of service were marked as seventeen members of St. Jerome’s parish were presented with certificates to mark 40 years of membership.

Just starting out are seven new members from the parish: Rose Barnes, Margaret Beckingham, Lynn Burgess, Michelle Brunskill, Karen Jones, Karen Williamson and Joan Brown who together with Pat Illington and Moira Hunt from St. Joseph's Penketh were enrolled on the same evening.

Finally there was a farewell and a welcome as Father Mark Moran celebrated his last Mass as UCM Chaplain handing over the spiritual care of the Liverpool UCM to Father David Potter who was concelebrating the Mass.

Spring into Music in Rainhill

Angela Moore (President), Margaret Kerbey (Treasurer) Kate Moss (Secretary), and Margaret McDonald with Father Mark Moran Father David Potter.

‘Spring into Music’ is the theme for a series of concerts being held at St Bartholomew’s church, Rainhill.

On Sunday 31 May at 3.00 pm Carol Wareing and Peter Kwater will play solo and duets, tickets are £4 or pay on the door.

On Sunday 28 June at 7.30 pm St Bartholomew’s Choir and Youth Choir will take centre stage under the direction of Peter Kwater, tickets for this concert are £6.

Refreshments will be available and all monies raised will go towards providing a defibrillator for the church.

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news diary Silly socks for Cafod

The children at St Bartholomew's Primary School in Rainhill were very active this year in fundraising The many activities they organised included wearing silly socks and odd shoes to school, a sing and dance-athon, a gadget day, and a PJs day. Individual pupils have also held cake and garage sales at home and brought the money raised into school. Overall, almost £1,700.00 was raised which will be sent to Cafod for their work. Joanne Harrison from the school said, ‘the many ideas for fundraising show how caring and big hearted the children and parents are in our school’.

Welcome to Rome Liverpool Hope Catholic Society recently went on pilgrimage to Rome and enjoyed a special meeting at Santa Marta, the papal residence.

The group are pictured with His Excellency Archbishop Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See and a priest of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Archbishop Gallagher presided at Mass near to the tomb of St Peter and spent time with the group asking them about their future and sharing with them the unexpected always God has worked in his life. The students visited all the major pilgrimage sites in Rome and are looking forward to similar pilgrimage experiences.

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Pilgrimage to Italy

Father Peter Fox, Parish priest of St Luke, Whiston, is leading a pilgrimage to Italy from Monday 22 September to Tuesday 29 September 2015, flying from Manchester Airport.

The cost of the trip is £999 per person with a single room supplement of £210.

All hotels which the pilgrims stay in, will be full board and any incidental charges are included also in the price. The Pilgrimage begins with three nights in Rome, travelling then via Montecassino to San Giovanni Rotondo (St Padre Pio) for two nights and on through Loreto for two nights in Assisi. Anyone interested in going on the Pilgrimage please contact Father Peter Fox at St Luke's Presbytery, Shaw Lane, Whiston, L35 5AT, telephone 0151 426 6795 or email stluke@rcaolp.co.uk

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Our Lady of the Assumption celebrates golden anniversary Archbishop Malcolm McMahon helped Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Gateacre to mark the golden jubilee of its church building with a special Mass.

The 50th anniversary Mass took place on Wednesday 15 April, with Archbishop Malcolm being joined by parish priest Father Philip Inch and other clergy connected with Our Lady of the Assumption. A Papal blessing was also presented to the parish by the trustees of Our Lady’s jubilee charity, which is named Mukuru after the district of Nairobi in Kenya where the parish supports a school.

The ‘new’ Our Lady’s church was opened on 29 March 1965 by Archbishop George Andrew Beck, little over 15 months after building work had commenced. At the time, the Catholic Pictorial offered the following review: “The church was designed by architect LA Pritchard. Its design is simple but imposing. The benches are made of West African mahogany and there are tipup seats around the outer wall so the church can seat 750. The cost of the church, presbytery and a fine parish hall is £200,000 and even with 5,000 parishioners this will be a burden for years to come. But future generations will appreciate the efforts.”

Curiously, in 1963 Fr Henry McCaffrie, who would oversee the church’s opening as parish priest from 1962–69, had asked parishioner Jim Seed to put the Sunday collection on a horse called Curry; when it promptly won, the proceeds paid for the land on which the church, parish club and presbytery would all sit.

Our Lady’s parish actually dates back to

the installation of pre-fabricated houses in Childwall Valley after the Second World War as part of a widespread house-building programme. Fr Martin Burke was appointed to minister to the area, initially operating out of Christ the King presbytery, and he said the first parish Mass at the Gateacre Institute on 4 May 1947; the congregation comprised 50 people. Our Lady’s first church was inaugurated on 10 April 1949, having been erected on Bridgefield Road just off Childwall Valley Road in the space of seven months. While the parish's Catholic population amounted to 1,100, 40% of whom were young children, the church could accommodate only 300.

Our Lady of the Assumption Junior School was opened on 10 September 1958, with an Infant school following in 1960 and then a Seniors in 1962. Fr Martin Ring joined the

parish in 1966 as assistant priest (or curate) and became parish priest in 1969, serving until his death in 1991.

At this point the Montfort Missionary Fathers took over the running of OLA, with Fr Sean O’Haire and later Fr Fred Matthews as parish priests in an arrangement lasting until 1999. Since then the Archdiocese has provided priests, the present incumbent Fr Philip Inch having succeeded Fr Bill Murphy in 2008.

For four years, between 2005 and 2009, Our Lady’s was part of a conglomerate of four churches that formed the new, albeit short-lived, parish of St John Almond.

Subsequently, Our Lady’s has functioned as an independent parish and has also served the parishioners of its former neighbours St Cyril, St Gregory and St Paschal Baylon, all of which are now closed.

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news diary

Octave of the Holy Spirit at the Catholic Chaplaincy to Liverpool Universities For the final days of Easter, between Ascension and Pentecost, the Octave will be celebrated in the University Church, St Philip Neri, in Catharine Street.

Each day at Mass there will be a reflection on one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and we will invite the Holy Spirit to renew the Church and world this Pentecost. All are invited to join the students for this time of prayer with Mass is celebrated at 6.00 pm on Sunday 17 May; at 7.00 pm on weekdays at 11.00 am on Saturday 23 May and at 6.00 pm on Pentecost Sunday, 24 May.

Father Joe Bibby will speak on ‘Joy in our mission’ on Sunday 17 May; Steve Atherton on ‘Peace I leave you’ on Monday; University students will speak on ‘Goodness and Kindness’ on Tuesday; Mrs Kate Watson on ‘Faithfulness’ on Wednesday; Father Michael McCormick on ‘Gentleness, the healing spirit’ on Thursday; Father Peter Kravos on ‘The greatest of these is Love’ on Friday and Sister Rachel Duffy on ‘Patience, the hidden virtue’ on Saturday. The Novena concludes on Pentecost Sunday when Father Ian McParland will speak on ‘Selfcontrol, strength of character’.

Celebrate the Child Mass This year's ‘Celebrate the Child Mass’ will take place on Sunday 5 July at St Mary’s, Lowe House, St Helen’s at 3.00 pm with Archbishop Malcolm McMahon as the celebrant.

The Mass is an opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of children and those who nurture them practically and spiritually.

St Mary’s Lowe House, proved to be an ideal venue last year, the sun shone and there was a picnic in the gardens after

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Mass. St Mary’s, Lowe House is situated close to the town centre in St Helen’s.

Though there is limited car parking at the church in Crab Street, nearby public car parks can be found within a few minutes’ walk, Birchley Street car park being the nearest. Council car parks are free on Sundays. Coaches and mini buses can drop off outside church and return later for pick up of larger groups attending.

Children, parents, catechists and clergy are invited to attend and make the

celebration as vibrant as possible.

Arrivals will be from 1.00 pm and children arriving then will have a task to prepare for the Mass. All are welcome to attend from across the archdiocese, please bring along a parish banner if you have one.

Confirmation of likely numbers hoping to attend would be helpful to have when available. For further information or offers of help please call the Safeguarding Department Tel: 0151 522 1043 or email: safeguarding@rcaol.co.uk

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sunday reflections On a liturgical note

A nice Gospel?

Some years ago I was speaking at a conference in Birmingham. During the lunchtime a man wandered in off the streets. One of the organisers tried to remove him because he was loud and noisy. I went across to where he was and sat down next to him. His name was Robin and he was a drug user. I got him some food and then sat and listened to his story and he eventually left happy that he had been listened to and affirmed, rather than just rejected and removed.

I had not found it easy to sit with him. The smell was enough to put me off. It was not comfortable to listen to his terrible story but something inside me impelled me to stay and try as best I could to show the face of Christ.

All the Gospel writers turn the social order upside down and have Jesus sitting with those who are excluded and alienated. By doing that, Jesus made himself unclean but he had to do what God was calling him to do – to show the world the face of God. It is difficult for us to understand the Jewish culture of the day. Tradition held that to exclude the poor and the sinner and the tax collector was the right and moral thing to do.

Their sin had separated them from God. They had broken the covenant. The Jews believed that if they sat and ate with sinners then they too would break that covenant and bring the wrath of God down on their heads.

So for them Jesus was not just a crazy Rabbi being nice to people. He was a threat to the covenant and ultimately to the whole existence of Israel as a nation. He had to die but love is too strong to kill and so God raised him to life and we followers of the crucified one are to love as he loved, affirming the dignity of every human being as a child of God. That means we will be brought into conflict sometimes with the authorities around us, often with our neighbours, relatives and friends because of our attitudes. The question is whether, like Jesus, we hold dearly enough the truth of who God is and how God sees every human being to stand up and be counted. The challenge of the Gospel is to proclaim the Good news of a risen saviour for whom love meant everything. In this Easter season and beyond, will love mean everything to us?

Fr Chris Thomas

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The celebration of the Solemnity of Pentecost towards the end of this month – Sunday 24th – brings to conclusion the season of Easter and will mean that our Paschal candle moves from standing next to the lectern or in the middle of the sanctuary and takes its place next to the baptismal font.

For the rest of the year it will be lit at baptisms and funerals – the ‘Alpha and Omega’, beginning and end of our physical journey as members of the household of faith, the Church.

We are the Easter people and our song is ‘Alleluia’. Those of us of a certain age will remember back 35 years to May 1980 when the National Pastoral Congress was celebrated in Liverpool; Pope John Paul II wrote these words of greeting: ‘Brothers and sisters in Christ: “Let us not lose sight of Jesus who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection.” Let us not lose sight of his guiding word. Let us not lose

Sunday thoughts We live in the age of the upgrade. How many megabits per second is your broadband? The guy in the next street has superfast.

Mobile phone rental due for renewal? Upgrade to the latest model with more pixels for its camera. A new car? Go for the model with built-in satnav, DAB radio and reversing sensors.

We can even ‘go large’ at McDonald’s for an extra 60p.

I am happy with what I have until I hear that someone else has better.

I make the purchase of my dreams, only to find the worm of dissatisfaction eating away inside me. I am already yesterday’s man.

I love the story in the Acts of the Apostles about the disciples at Ephesus. ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ asks Paul. ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit,’ they reply.

Assuming all along that John’s baptism was top of the range they

Canon Philip Gillespie

sight of his Spirit abiding in our hearts. In everything, trust in Jesus. Trust in his grace working within you and inviting you to sacrifice and holiness. Trust in his presence in the Eucharist and in the whole Church. Trust in the power of his Gospel to be the light which will lead you into the future, that “the message of Christ in all its richness find a home in you”, for it is his justice, his compassion, his love which you bring to the world.’

We recall the events of those days with gratitude and we realise that the task remains always current – to carry with us the gentleness, compassion and justice of Christ. In this task the Liturgy nourishes and directs us in fidelity to the example and command given to us; we give thanks for the generations who have gone before us and, just as we have renewed at Easter our baptismal promises, so at Pentecost we receive a renewal in our missionary and evangelising zeal.

Mgr John Devine OBE

are suddenly in need of an upgrade. John’s baptism was ‘only’ a baptism of repentance.

‘When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy.’

They had been flying economy class and now found themselves upgraded to business, the best upgrade of all.

I ask myself how much I am aware of the Holy Spirit. For the most part my faith is a two-dimensional affair.

I have heard of the Holy Spirit but I live as if there were no such thing. I put in the effort and hope to reap results. But the Spirit of the Risen Lord changes all that. The Spirit blows where it will and carries me along with it. Am I up for the ride?

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nugent news What do you want for the future?

Last month we reflected on the need for more foster carers for children in care.

This month we are looking at the need for more adoptive parents.

For some children it is not possible to return home to their birth parents so they need an alternative ‘forever family’.

I do not know if you listen to Chris Evans on Radio 2 in the morning but just before 7.30 he asks for a child to ring in to say what they are doing that day for the first time ever. One day a little boy rang in and, full of excitement, said he was going to get his ‘forever brother’.

What a wonderful and emotional moment to hear a child say that.

by Martin Sadler Service Manager – Nugent Care Adoption Services Adoption is all about looking forward.

Creating settled and secure homes for children who have had a difficult and uncertain start to their lives.

So, in our search for families who can offer the homes our children need, we look for someone who can do this; provide a reliable and safe place for children to be able to grow in confidence and develop. The plan for all our children is that they will be able to eventually move on to have happy, independent lives.

Our focus over the last couple of years has been to bring in more adopters to deal with a massive backlog of children needing placements. We have been particularly successful in organising homes for younger children but there are still thousands of children who haven’t been found adoptive homes. This year we are moving our focus to concentrate more on the children who have been waiting the longest: older children, groups of brothers and sisters who need to stay together, children who might have a health issue (it is sad that a child who may only have a minor health problem may not get any interest in being adopted).

Many potential adopters start from the point of wanting to have the child they

had always hoped to have as a birth child, usually young with ‘no problems’, but some adopters are more open to not restricting themselves to the ‘ideal’ child.

There are children out there who are desperate for you to be interested in them.

Think about it. Talk to us. Find out what might be possible!

Children keep you young?

I had the privilege last week of visiting some our adopters and their new son in their home. I was doing a visit on behalf of the Local Authority who had placed the little boy; to check everything was going smoothly. I’m happy to say everything was fine. He was eating well and showing a real connection with his new parents. A happy and friendly child with a great smile.

However, a more remarkable thing in my view was the change in the adopters. I’ve known them for a couple of years and watched them deal with the emotional highs and lows adopters experience as they go through their assessment and then the wait for the right child to be found. Sometimes it must feel that it is never going to actually happen; but now it has: everything has changed.

Although they are tired (he wakes up quite early) they look really well. It’s as though the sun has come out in their lives and everything has more meaning now. And they look years younger!

I sometimes speak with adoptive parents who talk about how enriched their lives have been because they have an adoptive child or children and cannot imagine life now without them. Children come to adoption places often after experiencing a very unsettled time and with special difficulties that may need a lot of love and patience. This is not necessarily easy for the adults to cope with and they need to be resilient but we offer lots of support to help with the emotional impact.

Children who wait for adoptive parents will have varied backgrounds. Some may have difficulties in forming relationships with adults, may have learning or physical disabilities, there may be a close family member with a mental health problem, they may have been harmed by an adult, or neglected.

It may be a sibling group of children wanting to be placed together. First and foremost however they are children with the right and the need for a close loving family life. The matching process between child and adoptive parent is very thorough and support offered at all times. Some adopted children maintain links with their birth families and this again is supported by the professionals involved.

As with foster carers, adoptive parents come from many backgrounds, single or married, in work or not, with children already or not. If you think you want to be considered as an adoptive parent please contact our team on 01744 613041 Kathleen Pitt Chief Executive - Nugent Care

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what’s on Saturday 2 May ‘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

Friday 8 May Bentley Operatic Society Concert In support of the Friends of the Cathedral. 8.00 pm in the Metropolitan Cathedral Crypt Concert Room. Tickets £10 available from cathedral House, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5TQ. Tel: 0151 709 9222.

Monday 4 May Organ Recital by Richard Lea 3.00 pm in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. The recital is part of Liverpool’s annual Organ Day, tickets £5.

Celebrating and Resourcing Liturgy of the Word for Children Creative workshops with Sister Catherine Darby SND. 10.00 am at Pauline Books and Media, 82 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HR. Details and booking (Donation £5 per participant) Tel: 0151 709 1328. Email: Catherine@pauline-org.uk

Wednesday 6 May UCM Bi-monthly Mass 7.30 pm at St. Edmund of Canterbury, Oxford Road, Waterloo, L22 8QF. Thursday 7 May to Sunday 10 May Cursillo Catholic three day course in Christianity St Joseph's Prayer Centre, Formby, L37 1PH. For further details visit www.liverpoolcursillo.co.uk or Tel: 07542 642327.

Thursday 7 May Open Book Night To discuss ‘Forming a Community of Faith: a guide to success in adult faith formation today’

by Jane E. Regan. 7.15 pm at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road, Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details: Tel 0151 949 1199 or email: jenny@irenaeus.co.uk Friday 8 May to Sunday 10 May ‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us’ Discovering the Letters of John. 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

World of Atherton

Saturday 9 May Car Boot Sale 8.00 am onwards in the Cathedral Car Park.

Pitches £10. Details from Claire Hanlon 0151 709 9222.

Mass of Thanksgiving for Elizabeth Prout 2.30 pm at St Anne and Blessed Dominic, Monastery Road, Sutton, St Helens, WA9 3ZD. Guest Speaker: Sister Marie McNiece CP. Tuesday 12 May Ministry Day 10.00 am at the Cenacle, Tithebarn Grove, Lance Lane, Liverpool L15 6TW. A day for anyone involved in ministry or the service of others, with time for silence and personal reflection. Offering £10 per person. For further details contact: Sr Winnie Morley. Tel: 0151 722 2271, Email: winniecenacle@mail.com Wednesday 13 May Anniversary of the Dedication of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (1967).

Thursday 14 May ‘Into the belly of the whale’ Discovering the Book of Jonah Scripture Morning led by Father Chris Thomas.

10.30 am at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road, Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details: Tel 0151 949 1199 or email: jenny@irenaeus.co.uk

Saturday 16 May ‘The 8s’ Concert with the Cathedral Orchestra, Conductor: Stephen Pratt. 7.30 pm in the Metropolitan Cathedral Crypt Concert Room.

Tickets and details Tel: 0151 707 3525 or www.cathedralconcerts.org.uk Sunday 17 May Ascension Day. World Communications Day.

Sunday 17 May Shorter Evening Prayer for Ascension Sunday Followed by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata 11: the Ascension Oratorio: ‘Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen.’ ‘Praise God in his kingdom’ sung by the Liverpool Bach Collective. 6.00 pm in St Francis Xavier’s Church, Salisbury Street, Liverpool L3 8DR. ‘The Fruits of the Spirit Novena’ ‘Joy in our mission’ speaker: Father Joe Bibby.

6.00 pm Mass in the Church of St Philip Neri, Catharine Street, Liverpool, L8 7NL. Monday 18 May ‘The Fruits of the Spirit Novena’ ‘Goodness and Kindness‘ speakers: Steve Atherton. 7.00 pm Mass in the Church of St Philip Neri, Catharine Street, Liverpool, L8 7NL. Tuesday 19 May ‘The Fruits of the Spirit Novena’ ‘Peace I leave you‘ speaker: University students.

7.00 pm Mass in the Church of St Philip Neri, Catharine Street, Liverpool, L8 7NL. Wednesday 20 May ‘The Fruits of the Spirit Novena’ ‘Faithfulness‘ speaker: Mrs Kate Watson. 7.00 pm Mass in the Church of St Philip Neri, Catharine Street, Liverpool, L8 7NL. Thursday 21 May ‘Into the belly of the whale’ Discovering the Book of Jonah. Scripture Morning led by Father Chris Thomas. 10.30 am at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road, Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details: Tel 0151 949 1199 or email: jenny@irenaeus.co.uk ‘The Fruits of the Spirit Novena’ ‘Gentleness: the healing Spirit‘ speaker: Father Michael McCormick. 7.00 pm Mass in the Church of St Philip Neri, Catharine Street, Liverpool, L8 7NL. Friday 22 May ‘The Fruits of the Spirit Novena’ ‘The greatest of these is Love‘ speaker: Father Peter Kravos. 7.00 pm Mass in the Church of St Philip Neri, Catharine Street, Liverpool, L8 7NL.

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may Saturday 23 May ‘Etty Hillesum - A pathway to freedom and hope’ with Donna Worthington Day Retreat 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 ‘The Fruits of the Spirit Novena’ ‘Patience: the hidden virtue‘ speaker: Sister Rachael Duffy. 11.00 am Mass in the Church of St Philip Neri, Catharine Street, Liverpool, L8 7NL. Sunday 24 May Pentecost Sunday Solemn Mass of Pentecost 11.00 am in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Celebrant: Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP. ‘The Fruits of the Spirit Novena’ ‘Self control: strength of character’ speaker: Father Ian McParland. 6.00 pm Mass in the Church of St Philip Neri, Catharine Street, Liverpool, L8 7NL. Sunday 24 May to Sunday 31 May Preached Retreat led by Father Ian Kelly 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 Monday 25 May The Jim Dobbin Memorial Walk The annual Right to Life Sponsored Walk. Begins at 1.00 pm at St Michael and St John’s RC church, Lowergate, Clitheroe, BB7 1AG. Details: www.righttolife.org.uk Tel: 07545 118743 or 01732 460911.

Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May Pilgrimage retreat Led by Sister Annie Lunney SMG at St Joseph' Prayer Centre, Blundell Avenue, Freshfield, L37 1PH. Details: www.stjosephsprayercentre.com.

Tel: 01704 875850.

Thursday 28 May ‘Into the belly of the whale’ Discovering the Book of Jonah. Scripture Morning led by Father Chris Thomas. 10.30 am at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road, Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details: Tel 0151 949 1199 or email: jenny@irenaeus.co.uk Saturday 30 May Annual May procession led by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP Starts at 2.00 pm at St Peters Square (off Seel Street). Those who will have made their First Holy Communion are invited to join the procession. Details from Jim Ross. Tel: 07766 706766. Email jimmy.ross7@gmail.com Sunday 31 May Feast of the Most Holy Trinity ‘Spring into Music’ Concert with soloists Carol Wareing and Peter Kwater. 3.00 pm at St Bartholomew’s church, Warrington Road, Rainhill, L35 6NY. Tickets £4 pay at the door. Refreshments available.

Looking ahead: June 2015 Tuesday 2 June UCM Business meeting 7.30 pm in the Gibberd Room of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

Thursday 4 June ‘Into the belly of the whale’ Discovering the Book of Jonah. Scripture Morning led by Father Chris Thomas. 10.30 am at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road, Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details: Tel 0151 949 1199 or email: jenny@irenaeus.co.uk Saturday 6 June ‘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

Sunday 7 June Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Tuesday 9 June Ministry Day 10.00 am at the Cenacle, Tithebarn Grove, Lance Lane, Liverpool L15 6TW. A day for anyone involved in ministry or the service of others, with time for silence and personal reflection. Offering £10 per person. For further details contact: Sister Winnie Morley.

Tel: 0151 722 2271, Email: winniecenacle@mail.com Wednesday 10 June The great Feasts of the Body and Blood of Christ and the Sacred Heart of Jesus With Father Jim Clarke (St John’s Seminary, California, USA). 7.00 pm at Liverpool Archdiocesan Centre for Evangelisation, Croxteth Drive, Liverpool, L17 1AA. £10 including refreshments. Bookings: www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/Courses-Events Tel: 0151 522 1040. Contact: Pastoral Formation Department, LACE, Croxteth Drive, Liverpool, L17 1AA. UCM Annual Mass 7.30 pm in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Celebrant: Bishop Tom Williams.

Dementia Day raises awareness at Cardinal Heenan House Bishop Vincent Malone was present at the annual Day for Prayer and Awareness of Dementia organised by Cardinal Heenan House in Upholland.

The event, held on 12 March, provided an opportunity for reflection on the challenges posed by dementia and took place at the nearby The Sons of Divine Providence community house. This congregation, which operates as Orione Care - named after its founder Saint Luigi Orione – provides care home accommodation at Cardinal Heenan House for older people with dementia and adults with learning disabilities.

The Mayor of West Lancashire, Doreen Stephenson, and Mayoress Bea Brooks attended the event along with representatives of the Pastoral Care Project, Alzheimer’s Association, Age UK, Artreach, St Helen’s Carers’ Trust and connect4life Clare Toole from the Cardinal House staff team spoke about palliative care experience while Father Stephen Beale, the priest working with the community there, gave a talk titled ‘A year on: effects of progression of dementia in Cardinal Heenan House’.

Additionally, Rev Peter Whittington offered a reflection on two married couples affected by dementia; Joan Crank discussed her book about her late husband’s dementia, ‘Always Look on the Bright Side: Travelling with Dementia’; and Margaret Jennings spoke about her late parents, who were cared for at Cardinal Heenan House.

In his homily at the closing Mass, Bishop Vincent said: ‘Those who observe this Week of Prayer try to put themselves – ourselves – alongside all those who are affected by this trial and, holding hands with each other, look to our loving Father God for strength and perseverance.’

Archdiocesan website www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk Catholic Pictorial

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profile

Winifred Robinson

BBC broadcaster and Pic old girl still driven by social conscience by Simon Hart Winifred Robinson is sitting outside a BBC radio studio in Salford. Another edition of ‘You and Yours’, the Radio 4 consumer affairs programme, has just aired and her mind is now wandering elsewhere, back to the time and place where her long career began: the Catholic Pictorial in 1979.

She was just out of Liverpool University and remembers: “Norman Cresswell, the editor at the time, said ‘I could give you six months’ work experience’ and in this industry that is often all you need, just your foot in the door. I used to report on visits that Archbishop Derek Worlock made to different projects, and I remember following Cardinal Basil Hume around when he came to Liverpool.”

It was the first step on a path that led, via the Ormskirk Advertiser, Red Rose Radio and Northwest Tonight, to Radio 4, where she presented the Today programme in the mid-90s and won a bronze Sony award for Reporter of the Year for her dispatches from Northern Ireland. When she began at Today she received “a letter saying your accent is OK for a comic turn but it is an affront to educated people anywhere” yet less than her soft

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Liverpudlian tones it is her campaigning journalism that tells us she has never forgotten where she came from.

“Being a Catholic at the time when I grew up was just such a formative thing,” says Winifred, who was educated by the Notre Dame Sisters in Everton Valley and had her social conscience fine-tuned by her parents. Her father was a docker and her mother a Littlewoods shop steward.

“My dad and mum always took a big interest in politics. We had the Sunday Times and used to watch ‘World in Action’ and I remember thinking through journalism you could change the world.”

A parishioner at St Benedict’s, Warrington, she is saddened by the “loss of working-class culture” – which valued education and hard work – in places like the Norris Green estate she grew up on, and sees her work on ‘You and Yours’ as an opportunity to “fight for people who find it hard to get their voices heard”. She adds: “We correct injustices for people who’ve tried on their own but haven’t had any luck, and we cover some of the biggest domestic stories – for example, care. When history judges us, that will be

the big cruelty of our age. It recently emerged that some councils are contracting to visit elderly people for just five minutes a day.”

In her own industry she laments the absence of paid traineeships of the kind she secured after her work experience at the Pic. This “makes it very hard for people whose families are not wealthy”, she notes, yet she can at least help today’s students at Liverpool Hope University, where she received an honorary doctorate last summer. “I think I am a good fit with Hope because I come from a council estate and am one of six children and the university draws more than an average number of its students from disadvantaged backgrounds. I have been asked to go in and do some master classes on the journalism training course which I am planning to do as I don’t want to just take the honour from them – I’d like to put something back.”

‘When history judges us, that will be the big cruelty of our age’

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justice & peace Getting ready for the General Election

By Steve Atherton, Justice and Peace fieldworker When the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales asked, earlier this year, for the key questions that Catholics should consider ahead of the general election, the Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) and Cafod responded with four particular issues.

These were climate change and poverty overseas, and housing and the living wage here in the United Kingdom. It was the latter two domestic problems which were at the forefront of a meeting at LACE on Saturday 18 April organised by Nugent Care and the Justice and Peace Commission.

‘Some say: It’s never been so bad’ was the title of the event which provided an opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of lives lived on the edges of society; to analyse what has gone wrong; to examine the promises of the different political parties; and to help people formulate the right questions to ask if canvassed for their vote.

There were moving stories from Nugent Care clients of some of the difficulties they are facing as a result of housing regulations, especially the bedroom tax, and of the problems caused by zero-hours contracts. It became clear that the government’s attempts to simplify the benefits system (well-meaning and necessary or not) have made life increasingly difficult for some very vulnerable people.

Father Mike Fitzsimons, chair of Nugent Care, pointed out that homes are not a luxury but a basic human right. He asked the fundamental question of whether housing policy should focus on home ownership or on the provision of decent homes for everybody, with the clear message that current policy prioritises ownership.

Mary Hallam, a member of the J&P Commission, had some shocking statistics: 4 million people living in the private rented sector are experiencing poverty, while 21% of private housing stock does not meet the

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decency standard.

Professor Hilary Russell, Emeritus Professor of Urban Policy at Liverpool John Moores University, emphasised the importance of work as a way of developing human dignity and allowing people to develop their gifts and talents. She argued powerfully that the living wage is good for employers as well as for employees and their families A strong theme that emerged was that people do not suffer from one problem but from a complex mix of interwoven issues – including housing, work, wages, benefits, fuel, food, debt, and possibly mental health.

Participants discussed the possible questions they might ask candidates and these were written on Post-it notes and stuck on the walls of the hall – and you can read below a selection of them below. The next question, of course, is whether the new government can start delivering some credible answers.

• Are you going to abolish zero-hours contracts?

• Without the living wage and use of zerohours contracts is work still a way out of poverty when more benefits are paid to those in work than those out of work?

• How will you reform the benefits system so that it helps the people in greatest need?

• What are your strategies for reducing unemployment?

• When will you review the minimum wage?

• Will you cap salaries at the top?

• Can you justify the current tax system?

What would an ethical tax system look like?

• How will you support housing associations?

• Why do you keep selling off social housing when so many people are homeless?

• Will you legislate to regulate private landlords?

• How can you justify the bedroom tax when there is no alternative accommodation available?

• What are your views on abortion and euthanasia?

• Why are we not talking about help in the home for the housebound and helpless who need more than 20 minutes’ assistance a day?

Peter Boylan

Helen Connor

Hilary Russell

Fr Mike Fitzsimons

Brigid

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Catholic Pictorial

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Pic extras

Mums the Word May, the month of Our Lady. There are more than 60 shrines to Our Lady in England and the most famous is Walsingham, a place close to the hearts of the Union of Catholic Mothers and to people in many parishes around Liverpool Archdiocese.

Most of the country’s other shrines were small and little known, except locally.

Most fell out of use and were destroyed during the Reformation, although that is not to say they were forgotten as local people continued to pray to Our Lady.

Prior to the Reformation, Liverpool had its own shrine to our Lady – St Mary del Quay. A chapel was built in 1257 at what is now the Pier Head, with a larger chapel constructed in 1355 and dedicated to St Mary and St Nicholas.

There has been a church on the site ever since and today the Anglican Parish Church of Our Lady and St Nicholas is the venue for a weekly Mass, celebrated by priests from our Archdiocese on Fridays at 1pm.

The nearest shrine to Liverpool, meanwhile, is Our Lady of Fernyhalgh.

Devotion at the Ladyewell Shrine dates back to the 11th century. Four miles east of Preston, and just off the M6, this is a small shrine but is very quiet and prayerful and I would recommend a visit to anyone, either in a Parish pilgrimage or a private one.

This is my last ‘Mum’s the Word’ column.

I have been the Archdiocesan Media Officer for the UCM for five years and my term of office ended on 18 April.

Please accept my thanks for reading the column over the years; I know you will be as kind to my successor as you have been to me and I wish her every success.

Thank you and God Bless.

Ann Hogg, departing Media Officer

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News from the Liverpool Province of the Knights of St Columba

New provincial council installed The newly elected provincial council for the Knights of St Columba in Liverpool has begun its period of office.

Led by Brother Pat Foley, the grand knight, the new council came into operation on 1 April, following an installation ceremony at St Gregory’s, Lydiate during 11am Mass on 22 March. Under the rules of the order, holders of office must be re-elected each year and the principal officers – such as the grand knight – can only hold their positions for a maximum of three years.

We are grateful to our provincial chaplain, Father Tom Wood, for arranging and taking part in the ceremony – the first to be held at St Gregory’s since he became parish priest of the combined parishes of Our Lady and St Gregory’s. Also in attendance was the supreme director for spirituality and welfare, Brother Peter Sims-Coomber, who travelled from Cardiff to be present, along with many members from Liverpool KSC councils.

At the Mass, there was also a Meritorious Medal presentation made to Jim Lovell from Aintree council. Brother Jim is pictured holding his certificate together with members of the provincial council.

• Our congratulations go to Brother Ron Lynch, the immediate past supreme knight, who received a Papal Knighthood of the Equestrian Order of St Gregory the Great during Mass at St Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham, in a ceremony performed by Monsignor Canon Edward Walker.

This Papal order is granted by the Holy See to ‘gentlemen of proven loyalty to the Holy See who, by reason of their nobility of birth and the renown of their deeds or the degree of their munificence are deemed worthy to be honoured by public expression of esteem on the part of the Holy See.’ Websites: www.ksc.org.uk www.kscprov02.weebly.com Email: dpokeane@aol.com

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cathedral

Mass of Chrism Archbishop Malcolm celebrated his first Mass of Chrism in Liverpool on the Wednesday evening of Holy Week in a packed Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. The celebration also saw the debut of the new archdiocesan vestment which was worn by the priests attending. Hayes and Finch were commissioned by Archbishop Malcolm to design and create the vestments, which their staff worked tirelessly to complete in time for the Mass of Chrism.

Cathedral Record Canon Anthony O’Brien – Cathedral Dean

At the Mass the Mass the Oils to be used throughout the archdiocese in the coming year were blessed. The Oil of the Sick was brought to the Archbishop

by Susan Sajan, a nurse at the Royal Liverpool Hospital; together with Geraldine King, a member of the Accident and Emergency Team at Chorley Hospital and her husband, Andrew King, an assistant to the Hospital Chaplain at Chorley.

The Oil of Catechumens was brought forward by Anthony Broadhurst from St Cecilia and St Matthew’s parish with Paula Burke, a member of their RCIA team; together with Piyumi Karunanayake and her sponsor Randika Peiris from St Marie’s parish, southport.

Piyumi was baptised at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night.

The Oil of Chrism was brought to the Archbishop for consecration by Deacon Stephen Lee from Our lady of the Annunciation and St Bernadette’s, Standish and Shevington and by

Deacon Matthew Jolley from St Mary’s in Warrington, both of whom will be ordained to the priesthood in July this year. They were accompanied by Dominic Risley, also a seminarian from St Edward’s, Wigan.

Archbishop Malcolm’s homily is available in full on the archdiocesan website at http://www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/index. php?p=801 and pictures from all of the Holy week Services at the Metropolitan cathedral are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/liverpoolcat holic/sets/

Pope Francis has requested that Cathedrals set aside a ‘Holy Door’ for the Year of Mercy starting on December 8th 2015. We have just received a grant for much needed repairs to the East and West side doors of the Cathedral and if we manage to have the work completed in time we hope to name one of them the entrance for pilgrims during the Holy Year. However we have a much more serious problem of deterioration in the main glass lantern of the Cathedral and not only do we have the challenge of researching the best methods of repairing the problem but also finding the huge amounts of funding to pay for the work. We may need a miracle or two during the course of this special year.

The Annual Healing Mass at the Cathedral is on 1st May from 7.00 pm and the Nugent Care ‘Good Shepherd Mass’ for schools is on 6th May. Archbishop Malcolm will preside at both of these Masses.

Chaplains and healthcare workers from various Christian Denominations will join us for Choral Evening Prayer on 10th May at 3.00 pm for the Annual Merseyside Healthcare Service. This year’s theme is ‘Childrens Health’. The following Friday, 15th May, is ‘Light Night’ in Liverpool and various events will be taking place both within and around the Cathedral.

On 20th May the Patrimony Committee for England and Wales will be holding their Annual gathering at the Cathedral.

Members of the Historic Churches Committees and Archivists from across the country will be travelling here for this. No doubt they will all be looking around our buildings with a critical eye.

We celebrate Pentecost and our 48th Anniversary on 24th May. Archbishop Malcolm will celebrate 11.00 am Mass in the Cathedral that day and confirm adults and children from our two parishes. The Queen Mary Liner will be in port and I have been invited on board that evening: a special treat to conclude the day of celebrations at the Cathedral.

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PIC Life Walking for the Right To Life cause

By Moira Billinge The Right To Life annual sponsored walk in Clitheroe will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May, starting at 1pm, and we very much hope that you will be able to join us.

We are delighted to inform you that this year, Bishop John Arnold, the new Bishop of Salford, is going to take part in the walk for the first time and we will also be joined by Lord David Alton of Liverpool and Fiona Bruce, who served as Conservative MP for Congleton and chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group until the dissolution of Parliament for the General Election.

The late Jim Dobbin, former Labour MP for Heywood and Middleton – who was joint-chairman of that parliamentary group together with Mrs Bruce – attended every Right To Life walk after we began the event in 2001. Such was his support that even on his birthday last year, he joined us for the walk; he is missed dearly and to mark our very first walk without him, this year’s event has been named the Jim Dobbin Memorial Walk.

The route for the walk is meticulously planned and expertly guided by Monsignor John Corcoran. The eight-mile circular walk starts and finishes at the same venue as last year – St Michael and St John RC Church, Lowergate, Clitheroe, BB7 1AG – whose parishioners will kindly provide refreshments during the walk and afterwards in the parish centre.

Below is an extract taken from an article written after the 2014 event, by David Hart of Bishop Eton parish, Liverpool: ‘It was a glorious sunny day for a riverside stroll, unlike last year with its

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continual rain. The setting was perfect.

The River Ribble meandered its way westwards from beneath the shadow of Pendle Hill, noisy and fast flowing, occasionally giving way to swirling pools where wading fishermen gently cast their lines, trying to lure the hungry trout. Birds and mallards went about the business of early summer, and families picnicked on the banks, children splashing in the water with their pets. Every bend in the river provided a new landscape, a picture of inspiration for Monet and Vaughan Williams, and crafted by God.’ We cannot promise ‘a glorious sunny day’ like last year but it will be a very worthwhile one. If you are unable to take part, please consider sponsoring the walk or perhaps a specific person for the event – Bishop Arnold or Lord Alton, for instance. If so, please let us know when you contact us. We really do appreciate any help that you can offer.

Phyllis Bowman was much more unashamedly strident in her appeals for money than we in Right To Life have yet dared to be in the three years since she died, but our need for funds is more crucial than ever. She was correct to be so because we are the only country in the world where the genetic modification of human beings is allowed, or where human and animal gametes can be mixed for research purposes and it is only through your financial help, and prayers, that we can continue our work to try to turn the tide in Parliament and become a society that will respect life from conception to natural death. We might not see it in our own lifetime, but with your help now, it will happen, one day.

For sponsor and booking forms and for any queries, please contact me via moira.billinge@btinternet.com or 07545118743.

Favourite Prayer For the Feast of St Joseph the Worker - 1 May Man of God St Joseph Faithful Son of the Father Wise guardian obedient servant Be to me a father and friend Watchful protector of the Church Teach me to reverence Jesus the bread of life Gentle Father of the Holy family Be mindful of my needs And those of my family and friends Gather us in prayer each day With Jesus and Mary From Joan Taylor, Saint Patrick’s Parish, Liverpool 8 Please send your favourite prayer to: Barbara, Catholic Pictorial, 36 Henry Street, Liverpool L1 5BS When sending your favourite prayer please let us have your name and which parish you attend, also your home telephone number which will not be published, without the details we are unable to publish.

Worth a visit

With nature blossoming at this time of year, it is a perfect time to visit Raby Castle in Durham, writes Lucy Oliver.

You can stroll through 200 acres of green parkland and 18th century ornamental walled gardens and also reflect on over 1,000 years of history in the halls and chambers. First built as a manor house for the Viking King Canute, the castle that stands today was constructed by the Nevill family in the 12th century. It was the family’s home until the ‘Rising of the North’ when their support for Mary, Queen of Scots led to the castle becoming property of the crown.

It is 30 minutes from Durham where a visit to St Cuthbert’s church in Old Elvet is recommended. Here, a community of Catholics has continued to come together since Anglo-Saxon times to worship. A stained-glass window pays testimony to saints from across this vast period, including Saint Cuthbert and Blessed Thomas Percy who led the Northern Rising in 1569 in a demonstration of his faith. The church is open for Sunday Mass, and usually on Saturday mornings and Thursdays and Fridays until 3.30pm (Tel 0191 383 3442).

Raby Castle is open Sundays to Wednesdays, with more details available on www.rabycastle.com

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join in Eating Out

Children’s word search The month of May is dedicated to Our Lady Mother of God, see what you can find out from our clues

MARY

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MOTHER OF GOD

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MAY ROSARY 8

GRACE

HONOURED LOVE

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More Mullarkey From Johnny Kennedy The young curate and Father Mullarkey were sitting at the kitchen table. The auld fella was dipping a chocolate digestive into his cup of tea and the YC was reading the Catholic Pic.

A few suggestions for eating out in the lovely month of May with its two bank holidays.

Rigbye Arms Whittle Lane, Wrightington 01257 462354 Eagle & Child Maltkiln Lane, Bispham Green 01257 462297 Cottage Loaf Telegraph Road, Thurstaston 0151 648 2837 Mount Pleasant Manchester Road, Southport 01704 542421 Hop Vine Liverpool Road North, Burscough 01704 893799 Wayfarer Alder Lane, Parbold 01257 464600

First Holy Communion and Confirmation cards from the Carmelite Monastery

‘It says here that a Catholic priest in Rome was run over by a car and he forgave the driver on the condition that he read the Bible every day for the rest of his life.’

Fr Mullarkey was not impressed. ‘If that was me, I’d make sure he read the Highway Code instead!’

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, Helen Molyneux, at All Hallows RC High School, Penwortham

You may know of someone who is about to make their First Holy Communion and Confirmation, if so the Carmelite

Anyone interested in receiving the audio copy should contact Kevin Lonergan Tel: 01772 744148 or 01772 655433 (home).

Monastery, Maryton Grange, Allerton Road, Liverpool L18 3NU has a very good selection. Go along to the monastery shop or email: marytoncards@outlook.com There are cards for all occasions on sale you will be delighted.

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Female professionals inspire ambitious teens A Liverpool secondary school has been challenging stereotypes and promoting careers which are generally perceived as male.

St John Bosco Arts College, an all-girls Catholic secondary school in Croxteth, hosted the ‘Females in Business & Industry – Raising the Aspirations and Self Esteem of Young Women’ event on Thursday 26 March.

The aim of the event was to present positive female role models to the Year 9 students and highlight the different career options available to them and where their qualifications can take them.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Erica Kemp CBE started the day’s proceedings by addressing the year 9 students.

A diverse range of careers were represented on the day, as ambassadors from Merseyside Police, Sefton & Liverpool Women in Business, Willmott Dixon Construction, RAF and the Crown Prosecution Service joined together to speak about their roles and encourage the teenagers to follow their passions.

The day used a ‘speed dating’ format; employers were asked a series of closed questions by students as they tried to guess their profession before the time ran out. At the end of the activity, there was a ‘big reveal’, when each employer introduced themselves and students finally discovered what they do for a living.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Erica Kemp CBE, says: “This is a fantastic event to showcase the diverse career options available to young women.

“It’s so important to inspire our next generation of workers, and show that there are no limitations on talent, whether you’re male or female. All the women in attendance today demonstrate what can be achieved when you aim high and work hard.”

The ‘Females in Business & Industry’ event was organised by Liverpool Compact EBP, an organisation which aims to equip young people with top employability and entrepreneurial skills. It works with primary and secondary schools and over 6000 employers to develop pupils’ understanding of the ‘world of work’.

Debbie Kenrick, Enterprise Manager at Liverpool Compact EBP, says: “We

(L-R) Tia Jenkinson, Junior Lord Mayor Lucy Hannon, Lord Mayor Cllr Erica Kemp CBE, Junior Lord Mayor Laila Scott, careers coordinator Annie Bevan and assistant headteacher Lynnsey Crowley.

organise events like this so that students can meet wonderful, positive, female role models from a diverse range of careers and allow them to pass on the best possible advice and guidance because it comes from personal experience.

“They share their professional insight and encourage the students to aim high, be the best they can be and not put a ‘ceiling’ on their ambition.”

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“An Outstanding Catholic School” Liverpool Archdiocese

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