News
Westminster Record | December 2013/January 2014
Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy Celebrates 10th Anniversary By Barnaby Johns
W
atford Town Centre Chaplaincy (WTCC) celebrated its 10th Anniversary on Saturday 2 November. The WTCC is an organisation supported by the churches of Watford and provides pastoral support to thousands of people who work in the town centre and surroundings. Bishop John Sherrington attended the celebration to re-commission and bless the various chaplaincy teams. He was joined by Mayor Dorothy Thornhill, Police Inspector Deidre Dent and Richard Harrington MP. One area of WTCC’s pastoral work highlighted was the Street Angels: teams of 810 people who work in conjunction with the police and emergency services as street contact support during the early hours of the morning on Friday and Saturday nights. They offer advice and care to individuals with problems resulting from intoxication,
On Friday & Saturday nights, the Street Angels are there to offer advice, support and care to those in need
substance abuse and homelessness. In doing so, they have gained the respect of politicians and police for the work carried out. In his address to the WTCC Bishop John said: “Deep within the human
London Fairtrade City Celebrates Fifth Birthday The fifth anniversary celebration for London being the biggest Fairtrade City in the world was celebrated at City Hall on 24 October. In attendence, for their campaign work, were Fr Joe Ryan, Parish Priest of West Green, and Barbara Kentish, Justice & Peace co-ordinator.
Cake to celebrate Fairtrade London’s 5th Birthday, created by Jane Asher
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heart there is profound loneliness which each of us seeks to overcome. It is the complexity of living with this loneliness that leads to the need for chaplains who can listen, walk with others, and help them when
circumstances overwhelm them. The Street Angels are present in the darkness of the night when the bright lights of an evening fade and one is again confronted with an ending and finding the way home.”
Canon Michael celebrates four decades in service to the diocese Canon Michael Munnelly celebrated 40 years of priesthood at St William of York Parish in Stanmore on 20 October. Parishioners, family and friends gathered for Sunday Mass and enjoyed a superb meal prepared by the parish afterwards. Canon Michael said: “There have been headline events through the 40 years, but the beauty of the priesthood for me has been a million quiet chats with individuals, thousands of Masses offered, so many funerals, so many moments where I really didn’t really understand, but where the Lord worked his powerful grace”. Canon Michael was joined by 30 priest friends who concelebrated at a special Mass of thanksgiving later in the week. In his homily he said, “The priestly fraternity is something very significant in my life - though ordained I need to receive the ministry of priesthood – for my own soul and salvation”. Over his forty years of priestly ministry, Canon Michael has served at the Cathedral, in several parishes, in Africa and also as Director of the Diocesan Centre at London Colney.
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News in Brief Archbishop celebrates Freshers’ Mass Archbishop Vincent Nichols, celebrated the annual Freshers’ Mass at Newman House, the Catholic Chaplaincy to the London Universities, on Sunday 13 October. He told the students: “Give yourself some rest, some peace and some time for prayer, time simply to be with the Lord…..Your Catholic faith is the good soil on which you can confidently stand...build your lives on this and they will be well built.” The Mass was concelebrated with London university chaplains including new Senior University Chaplain, Fr Stephen Wang, who has taken over from Fr Peter Wilson this year.
Work of Voluntary Mission Movement Praised Bishop John Arnold, has praised the ‘fantastic work’ of the Volunteer Missions Movement (VMM) at a House of Lords reception. Bishop John spoke of the changing nature of missions. ‘While food and medicines are still important during times of humanitarian crisis, people are no longer waiting for handouts alone. They ask for the possibility to demonstrate their own dignity and to develop their own sustainable livelihoods’, he told those assembled.
Homeless deceased remembered The name of 120 homeless people who died on the streets of London in the last 12 months were read out at 'The last shall be first' - a memorial service at St Martinin-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square on 7 November. Rev. Richard Carter led the service while Sacred Heart Sister Rosemarie Cockayne led movements to the Magnificat, sung by the Music Group. Rev. Carter, David Jackson and Mada also gave a performance of Luke's Gospel of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Page 5