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AUGUST 8 2014 THE CATHOLIC HERALD

Diocese considers course for divorced

BY MADELEINE TEAHAN

THE DIOCESE OF WESTMINSTER may soon offer a short course to people who are recovering from the pain of divorce.

In the lead up to the Vatican Synod on Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelisation, the diocese of is considering offering the course, which was originally launched by the evangelical church which also created the Alpha Course.

Holy Trinity Brompton Church in South Kensington has been running the “Restored Lives” programme for 20 years and its international success has prompted the endorsement of the Catholic Diocese of Sion in Switzerland.

Following its endorsement by the Bishop of Sion, clergy at Westminster are now investigating how they might also pilot the Restored Lives Programme on the condition that facilitators of the course are not in second unions so as to promote a Catholic ethos.

In his endorsement Bishop Emeritus Norbert Brummer of Sion, who retired last month, said: “The family today is going through an unprecedented crisis and the proportion of couples who separate and divorce keeps rising.

“Various grounds, such as lack of mutual understanding, inability to open oneself to interpersonal relations etc, can lead to a painful, often irreparable break-up of a good marriage... Loneliness and other such difficulties are often the lot of separated spouses, especially if they are the innocent party. In this case, it falls to the Church community to support them more than ever, to bring them esteem, solidarity, understanding and concrete

Nicky Gumbel, vicar at Holy Trinity Brompton, where the course was founded, meets Pope Francis (Photo: HTB)

help... The Catholic Church must put everything in place to meet with the suffering of people who are hurt by the ordeal of divorce.”

He concluded: “The Restored Lives course links very well to the mission of companionship to the suffering of divorced people. This is the reason why it has been taken on for the Diocese of Sion after having been adapted for our local circumstances.

“The testimonies of the male and female course leaders who have lived through this ordeal, the content of the teaching and the sharing times in small groups contribute greatly to strengthening people hurt by divorce. On behalf of these people, I thank those responsible for family ministry for their engagement and I hope that the Restored Lives course will also allow in the future a guarantee of this support for people in times of suffering.”

The course runs in 20 different locations in Britain as well as in 10 countries across the world through various denominations.

Edmund Adamus, director of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Westminster, said: “We know the

Church in her teaching and vision for personal dignity has the right tools and skills among her members to help people successfully recover from the impact of divorce on their life and the lives of those around them. The Restored Lives course encapsulates these tools and skills and has now had over 2,000 people attend with some amazing stories arising.”

Campaigner ‘hangs up boxing gloves’ aged 85

BY MADELEINE TEAHAN

A GROUP which campaigns for Catholic orthodoxy has announced that its chairman is “hanging up her boxing gloves” after nearly 20 years.

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice announced in its newsletter that its chairman Daphne McLeod was retiring at the age of 85.

The group said: “It is with a sense of enormous gratitude for her near

20 years of service, tinged with sadness, that your committee must announce the retirement of Daphne McLeod as chairman. For nearly 20 years she had led the fight for Catholic children to be well taught our glorious faith.”

The newsletter criticised a “corrupt modernist bureaucracy” for making this “an impossible task” before adding: “It would be fair to say that Daphne is not on the Christmas card list of most of our bishops.” The newsletter praised Mrs McLeod’s “encyclopaedic knowledge of the issues involved quiet unflappability, steely determination and inexhaustible good humour”.

Mrs McLeod, a former headteacher, is renowned for her writing on Catholic education. She published a booklet in 2006 entitled Will your grandchildren be Catholic?

Fr Tim Finigan, parish priest in Blackfen, Kent, said Mrs McLeod had “devoted her life, both in Catholic education, and in PEEP, to the sound teaching of Catholic doctrine.

“Her voice has often been one ‘crying in the wilderness’ but today more than ever we can appreciate the value of her tireless work and the truth of her persistent call for solid and orthodox catechesis.”

There will be a Mass said for Daphne at St Bede’s Church in Clapham Park, south London on September 14.

In June 2011 Pro Ecclesia was forced to cancel one of its conferences at Methodist Central Hall in London because of controversy over its guest speaker, Robert Sugenis, a US Catholic apologist. Mrs McLeod will be succeeded by Graham Moorhouse.

Cardinal calls for end to fighting Conflict ‘not stopping pilgrims’

BY DAVID V BARRETT

CARDINAL Vincent Nichols has pleaded for an end to the “carnage” in Gaza.

In a statement, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales, said: “Along with so many others, I plead for an immediate truce that will not only put an end to this latest carnage but that will also address at last the core problems behind this conflict which has so blighted the lives of all the peoples of the Holy Land,” he said.

Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton, chair of the Bishops’ Conference Department for International Affairs, has writ

INSTITUTE OF CHRIST THE KING SOVEREIGN PRIEST

The Shrine Church of SS Peter & Paul & Philomena

New Brighton, Wallesey, Wirral CH45 9LT (Rector: Canon Amaury Montjean. Tel: 0151 638 6822)

Sunday 10th August

Procession with St Philomena’s relic after 11.30am Mass.

CHARITY SHOP 29 SEAVIEW ROAD, LISCARD, 10.00am-3.00pm

- from Monday 18th August to Friday 22nd August for the Shrine church. - from Monday 25th August to Friday 29th August for orphans in Malawi. www.domeofhome.org

Isle of Wight Catholic History Society

Patron - Bishop Declan Lang

- Bishop of Clifton

The society is one of the largest (Deanery based) Catholic History societies in England. It seeks to promote and raise awareness of the Catholic history of the Isle of Wight.

The society arranges talks, pilgrimages and guided tours of churches. It has produced a number of booklets on various aspects of the Catholic history of the Island. Guided tours of Quarr Abbey are held on Tuesdays in July and August at 11.00am; and tours of St. Mary’s Church in Ryde High Street are on Wednesdays at 12 noon. Separate arrangements can be made for groups and schools. For further information contact 01983 566740 or 01983 812127

or visit our web site www.iow-chs.org

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ten to the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza offering support. “Today we look on in sadness and horror as you endure another day of bombing and violence,” he said, adding that his prayers are with “all the people of Gaza during these terrible weeks” and that “we will continue to support you.”

BY DAVID V BARRETT

THE CONFLICT in the Gaza Strip is not affecting Catholic pilgrimages to the Holy Land, according to John Tangney, a director of Tangney Tours, the leading Catholic travel agency. They have 500 pilgrims booked on tours from the beginning of September to December.

“At the moment we’ve no intention of cancelling anything,” he said. The advice from their agent in Bethlehem is that there is no danger there or in Jerusalem.

Most of their coaches, hotels and guides are either Catholic or Orthodox.

“For every reason we have

Dioceses across England welcome new priests

BY DAVID V BARRETT

AT LEAST six new priests were ordained in England last month.

On July 18 Bishop Terence Brain of Salford ordained two new priests in Salford Cathedral. Fr Alfred Rebello, who studied at St Cuthbert’s College, Ushaw and St Mary’s College Oscott, and Fr Laurence Gambella, who studied at The Beda College, Rome, were ordained at a Mass concelebrated by 130 clergy, with more than 600 people in the congregation.

Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton ordained three new priests in Clifton Cathedral, Bristol on July 26. They were Fr Dominic Findlay-Wilson, Fr Colin Mason and Fr Frank Wainwright.

Up to 100 priests were present at the ordination, and more than 800 people packed the cathedral.

Fr Findlay-Wilson will be moving to Holyrood, Swindon, and Fr Mason to St Osmund’s, Salisbury. Fr Wainwright will remain in the parish of St Gregory’s,

Three priests were ordained in Clifton Cathedral

Cheltenham. These were in addition to Bishop Lang’s ordination of Fr David McDonald in the Church of St Gregory the Great, Cheltenham on July 11. Fr McDonald has been part of St Gregory’s parish community for 44 years, the last 25 years as a deacon.

There will be a special “Meet the New Priests” tour of four parishes in the north, south, east and west of the diocese in September.

A spokesman for Clifton diocese said: “This is the fruit of prayer and the fruit of great faithfulness on the part of these men who have found the pearl of great price in Jesus and heard his call to serve as priests. Let’s keep them in our prayers.”

Pray before you drive, urges bishop BY DAVID V BARRETT

ROAD users should take special care over the Bank Holiday weekends, Bishop Liam MacDaid of Clogher has urged.

Up to the end of July road deaths in Ireland this year were 112 for the Republic and 43 in the North, he said.

He said motorists should say a short prayer before driving: “Virgin Mary, Morning Star, from every danger guide this car. Thou dear Lord who gave it to enjoy, Grant that its purpose be to save and not destroy.”

He said: “This loss of human life is heart-breaking for the loved ones of the deceased and a tragedy for our society as a whole.”

He also asked all road users “to exercise particular vigilance.”

to support the Christians in the Holy Land. By cancelling, we would be making things even more difficult for them,” he said, adding that other Christian tour companies are taking a similar stance.

“With Foreign Office advice as it is we have no reason to cancel our pilgrimages.”

Lancaster to hold Holy Hour for vocations

BY DAVID V BARRETT

THE DIOCESE of Lancaster is establishing a dedicated vocations team to encourage and guide those considering entering the priesthood.

The team will consist of the new vocations director, Fr Darren Carden, and two assistant vocations directors, Fr John Millar and Sister Mary Prudence Allen RSM.

Among the initiatives will be a weekly Holy Hour for priestly vocations held in parishes across the diocese.

Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster announced the news in a document entitled “Diocesan Vocations Framework”. He said: “I am commissioning a small, pro-active, focused and collaborative team to lead the important work of communicating the joy of priesthood through the positive and programmatic promotion, nurturing and accompaniment of priestly vocations in the diocese of Lancaster.”

He said the team would promote vocations in the diocese by “using the new media, producing attractive, engaging and pithy up-to-date literature, holding termly vocations weekends/days, preaching and teaching in parishes and schools on vocations, being visibly present at young people’s events, and regularly meeting and personally accompanying boys and men who are interested in giving their lives to the priesthood in our diocese.”

Newsbulletin

Priest offers devotional screensavers for Kindle A BLOGGING priest in Kent is offering devotional screensavers for Kindle to his readers.

Fr Tim Finigan, parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, and author of the Hermeneutic of Continuity blog, has posted Kindle-suitable pictures of St Alphonsus Liguori and a monstrance with “Ave Maria!” underneath.

He noted that there was one difficulty – to use the pictures readers will have to “jailbreak” their Kindle first and “use a screensaver hack”, as Kindle does not offer an easy way to personalise screensavers. Fr Finigan said: “Please don’t ask me for advice on how to do this.” The pictures can be found on his Flickr photo stream.

Archbishop: Pope unsettles clergy ARCHBISHOP Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said Pope Francis is causing disquiet for clergy and Catholics with a “conformist and closed Catholicism”.

The archbishop made the comment in a speech given in Melbourne, according to a report in the Tablet.

Archbishop Martin was quoted as referring to a young curate who was not happy with what Pope Francis had said. The young priest, the archbishop said, felt the comments were “not in line with what he had learned in the seminary” and were “making the faithful insecure and even encouraging those who do not hold the orthodox Catholic beliefs to challenge traditional teaching”.

Archbishop Martin urged Catholics on either the conservative or progressive side of the debate to resist becoming “closed in” within their ideas, the report said.

Two Christian schools merge CATHOLIC and Anglican primary schools will be merging under one roof from this September, it was reported this week.

St Stephen’s Catholic primary school and St Bartholomew’s Church of England primary school in North Tyneside will join together on a new campus in Longbenton.

Stephen Fallon, head teacher at St Stephen’s, said religious education would still be separate.

Lourdes silver jubilee marked THE DIOCESE of Westminster marked the silver jubilee of its yearly Lourdes pilgrimages last month.

More than 1,200 pilgrims joined the diocesan trip to France this year, including 400 volunteers. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor and Auxiliary Bishop John Sherrington of Westminster accompanied the pilgrims.

Correction: Holy Land boycott LAST week we incorrectly reported campaigner Bruce Kent calling for a boycott of Holy Land tours. Instead, he said this week, he was calling for pilgrims to the Holy Land to be properly informed about the conflict in Gaza.

TangneyTangney ToursTours Pilgrimages since 1974 Pilgrimages since 1974

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Stansted - Lourdes - Stansted 15 - 22 August from £595 Based on the Beau Site or similar Special flight only offer - £200 return (limitedseats)

3 - 10 October & 10 - 17 October Limited free single rooms available!

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26 September – 3 October - £540 Theseoffersaresubjecttoavailabilityandconfirmationat thetimeofbooking.Basedon3starBeauSiteorsimilar.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Overnight Coach from Westminster on the

7th of December - £199 Per person Includes Mass in Rue de Bac (Paris) on the return!

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The Holy Land At the time of going to press, all our Holy Land Pilgrimages are continuing as planned. We are determined to continue to support all those people who are working to make your pilgrimage special to this very Holy place.

Fatima 10th - 16th September & 11th - 17th October Spend some time with Our Lady of Fatima and Spend some time with Our Lady of Fatima and witness the very special Portuguese witness the very special Portuguese celebrations during the 12 celebrations during the 12thth & 13 & 13thth of the month, of the month,

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