Fr LoughranCOLLEGE CHAPEL

 

‘State of the Art:’ that is how the facilities at Corpus Christi College have been described by educationalists, and from what I can see it is very true. But there is a looming hole in this wonderful Catholic establishment, there is no chapel worthy of the name. True they have turned a classroom into a temporary chapel but the college is crying out desperately for a dedicated building to act as a Chapel for the young people and the teachers. But where to get funds to do this? The Education Department will not be forthcoming with any and so we have to look near home and further afield. A search of the internet websites for charitable trusts who might give a grant towards this has, as yet, revealed no joy. So can any reader suggest grant making bodies who might be approached? Of course anyone is welcome to make a donation to the fund specifically set up for this purpose.


FEASTS OF JUNE

 

The month of June is awash with lovely feasts of the saints. Primarily, of course, it is the month that the Church dedicates to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. This beautiful devotion is placed before us to remind us of God’s fantastic love for each one of us. Also in June this year is the feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary.  This reminds us of how totally united Mary was with the suffering of her Son.  St Anthony of Padua is celebrated in June 13th. He was that great Franciscan Priest who had such success in bringing heretics back to the true faith, and that is why his intercession is much sought after when it comes to lose items! On the 22nd of June we celebrate the Feast of two of our fellow countrymen: St John Fisher & St Thomas More. These were amongst the first Martyr’s of the Reformation. John was Bishop of Rochester and was the only English Bishop to oppose Henry VIII and Thomas was Lord Chancellor of England, he too, refused to give assent to Acts of Parliament proclaiming Henry as Head of the Church. That great biblical character, St John the Baptist, is presented to us on June 24th. This saint has two feast days: his birthday is celebrated in June and his beheading in August. Christ said of John that of all the men born of women none greater than John has been born.

 

All these feasts are given to us to help us in our walk to the Lord. We should not be slow to celebrate them


CENACOLO

 

On the weekend of May 23/24 two boys from the Cenacolo Community came and gave testimonies at each of the Parish Masses. Nicola (Italian) and Sascha (Austrian) told us about the Community and how it had saved their drug addicted lives and led them from darkness to light.

 

In 1983 a little Religious Sister in a northern Italian city got permission from her superiors to go and work with young people living on the streets. The Town Council gave her a ramshackle, dilapidated property and it was here that Sr Elvira began her life saving work with mainly drug/alcohol addicted young people. Now there are 60+ houses throughout the world, three are in South America where the young men and women from the Community have set up safe homes for the Street children.

 

Cenacolo (the room where Jesus ate his Last Supper) proposes not a 12 step programme, as is common in many rehabilitation places, but rather a ‘school of life.’ Here the boys and girls are asked to commit at lease 2 years to living in Community and discovering themselves. The three foundations are: work, prayer and friendship. The House at Dodding Green near Kendal was opened 4 years ago and can take 16 boys. To enter the Community a boy or a girl need to attend the meetings which are held in various parts of the country. If they seem genuine they will be invited to do some ’working days’ – 3 days when they live in the Community and experience what it is like. If they then want to enter, and the boys think that they will benefit, they either go to Dogging Green or (often) are sent to one of the Houses on the continent. The first few days and weeks can be such a shock to their addicted systems that their first instinct is to leave. But if they are abroad, this is less easy, and that, in part, is why the Communities are made up of many different nationalities. The boys live completely from providence. That means that they receive no money whatsoever (no state benefits). So what they are given is what they eat. There is a box in our porch for food gifts which Fr L will deliver.

 


SILVER JUBILEE

 

At the end of this month I (CL) celebrate 25 years as a priest. From my point of view that is quite an amazing sentence to write. The priesthood has been a remarkable gift to me; I sometimes still have to pinch myself at the thought that I am a priest. I find the humility of God quite astounding that he would entrust to me such sacred mysteries. A sign of blessing for me was the fact that I was ordained on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Usually the feast falls on a Friday but in 1984, for various reasons it fell on a Saturday. I was the last priest ordained for the diocese by the late Bishop Foley – make of that what you will! Two others were ordained in 1984 for the diocese: Fr Dan Darragon, now gone to God, and Fr Emmanuel Gribben who is Vocations Director and director of the House of Studies in Cleator Moor, for those hoping to enter seminary.

 

Blessings have flowed to me in every parish in which I have been appointed: The Cathedral in Lancaster, St. Bernadette’s in Bispham and Holy Trinity & St George in Kendal where I cut my teeth as a Parish Priest. And now here at St Clare’s in Fulwood. In a sense I have come full circle, for I was ordained just down the road at English Martyr’s: from Preston, to Preston.

 

The priesthood really is s great sign of God’s love to the Church and to the world. The priest is the Sacramental presence of Christ among the People of God. But the priesthood can be so easily undermined especially in what might be described as a hedonistic society. That is why Pope Benedict has designated the next 12 months a ‘Year of the Priest.’ The greatest gift you could give to me for my jubilee is to pray everyday for me and all priests, to offer you Masses and Holy Communions for us. What a blessing that would be.

 

As I am allergic to personal events, I will celebrate a simple Mass on the evening of June 30th followed by a low-key reception.

 



THROUGH THE REGISTERS

 

Since the last edition of this Newsletter the following have had funerals conducted by the clergy from St Clare’s, and we send our condolences to their families:

 

Anne Topping, 24.4.09; Thomas Lupton, 8.5.09; Geoffrey Pike, 1.5.09; Mar Bernie, 19.5.09; Andrea Keating, 23.5.09; Connie McCann 24.5.09.   May their souls and the souls of all the Faithful Departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

 

We send our best wishes and congratulations to The family of Molly-Jane Wight who was baptised here on 3.5.09.

 


 

CONFIRMATION

 

There were 24 boys and girls Confirmed here on May 17th by Bishop Campbell. This was one of his first engagements following his installation as our new bishop. And, judging by the letter he sent, he was very pleased with the event.

 

This is a good opportunity to register our deep appreciation of how Mrs Cywinski has lead our boys and girls in this journey to Confirmation. Many people along the way have helped to shape our boys and girls for their Confirmation; and many people helped to make the Confirmation day rather special, thank you to you all.

 

First Holy Communions will be looming large in the month of June when many of our little ones will receive Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time.  Mrs Monks assisted by others, has works with our boys and girls and their parents throughout the year to prepare them for this special day. Sadly, it is the last time that she will be preparing the communion class, for after 20+ years she is stepping down from the role. We are greatly indebted to her and thank her most sincerely for the years of hard work, love and attention.

 

So next time it will be ‘all change.’ Already we are on the look out for new catechists!


PARISH ADVISORY GROUP

 

The latest meeting of this focused mainly on our catechetical programmes of: First Confession, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. One of the greatest tasks for any parish is to pass on the faith to the next generation. That is why Sacramental preparation is so important. But like all things in education, new methods of catechesis are being promoted. The PAG are looking at modern material and assessing the way forward for the next academic year. Already a note has gone in the weekly bulletin seeking new catechists. The idea is to build up a team of catechists and have a tripartite approach: parish, home & school. 


 

PARISH FABRIC & FINANCE GROUP

 

By the time this Newsletter is printed the plumbing work in the Parish Hall should be complete. New ‘cool-to-touch’ radiators will have been installed obviating the necessity for the guards about the radiators; there is also a new boiler, and the heating will now be on a timer so an end to going into a cold hall and waiting for it to warm up.

 

The drains have now been surveyed and there is subsidence in some of them. What action to take has not yet been decided upon. The Gift Aid scheme has a few new members, and some of those previously using envelopes but not in the scheme have now signed up. This should help to increase our income.

 


PARISH SOCIAL GROUP

 

Friday 19th June Barn Dance/ Ceildhi evening @ Corpus Christi Sports College, (This event has been deferred) Sunday 28th June Joint PTFA/Parish Summer Fair, Tuesday 28th July Parish Lunch. I believe that some of these events and dates have yet to be confirmed.

 


OTHER GROUPS

 

The other groups in the Parish are continuing to go quietly about their business: the SVP, the Children’s Liturgy, the church cleaners, the prayer group, the uniformed groups, youth group, parent and toddlers and others unmentioned. Thanks  to all of them.

 


GREEN FOR GO!

 

 

The celebration of Pentecost marks the end of Eastertide and the entry into the imaginatively named, Ordinary Time of the Year! This means that the green vestments are dusted down and come out once again. Well that’s the theory. And it is true enough most of the time during the week except for the odd feast day now and again. However, on Sunday we are kept waiting a while for the green. You see, Trinity Sunday demands white and now that they have put Corpus Christi on a Sunday instead of its former Thursday, that is also another white Sunday; and just to compound matter SS Peter & Paul are (this year) celebrated on Sunday which demands red. However, there is one Sunday in between when the green shall get a look in. After that it is green all the way to Advent except for the feast of the Assumption and All Saints Day.

 

You are probably aware already that on Sunday the Church operates a three year cycle, and on weekdays a two year cycle named respectively as: A, B & C and I & II – there goes that over active imagination again! These cycles are mainly to do with the readings which we hear at Mass. It ensures that a greater part of the Gospels are put before us and also the rest of the bible. For instance, I have been told that before the reforms of the Vatican Council II, St Mark’s Gospel was never read at Mass and now he has a whole year to himself (well, that’s not strictly true; his is such a short Gospel that it has to be augmented in the middle of the year {usually around July} with readings from John chapter 6). Year A is dedicated to Matthew, B to Mark and C – yes, you’re ahead of me - to Luke. But what of St John, I hear you ask? Well, he is read every year particularly at Christmas and Easter time. Before the reforms so much of the Bible must never have been heard in church, but now we are familiar with both Old and New Testaments and we have been encouraged to learn about the scriptures. For, as the Church teaches, when the Word of God is proclaimed Christ is made truly present. And, as St Jerome said, ‘Ignorance of the Scripture, is ignorance of Christ.’

 


THE ON-GOING SAGA OF THE CAR PARK

 

All was going reasonably well on our newly tarmaced and white lined Car Park, and then the yellow line man struck! In the nearby roads where hospital staff and visitors were wont to park and residents were wont to get hot under the collar (not just a clerical affliction!), in came the Highways Agency or was it the County Council, and along came the chaps with their painting machine. And hey presto streets free from nose to tail parking.

 

Thus a problem arises. Just because of yellow lines, people are not going to stop coming to work in their cars (well, not many of them), nor are the visitors and Out Patients suddenly going to plunge onto busses. No, the displacement theory comes into play; and it would seem over these last months many of the cars evicted from the now painted streets, have found their way onto the church Car Park. Who can blame them? A half empty (full!) car park in pristine condition, well, it is just begging to be used. And used it is. And do these illegal parkers as permission? No! Do they pay anything towards the thousands of pounds spent to refurbish the car park? No! Do they cause any obstruction? Yes! The mourners at the last four Funerals held at the church have struggled to find a place to park, and they have ended up double parking with all the difficulty that ensues from doing so. Funerals are sad and emotional enough without having the added problem of searching to park a car. And when illegal parkers are approached, often there is very little in the way of contrition and sometimes a belligerence that anyone would have the temerity to challenge them.

 

How to deal with this and make the car park a place were only bona fide parishioners attending church Services can park? Reluctantly, the Fabric & Finance Group have ordered signs to be erected warning of the possibility of illegal parkers being clamped. Perhaps this threat will do the trick but the threat can and will be turned into action if the asset continues to be misused.

 

Perhaps it is time once again for the Hospital to approach the Planning Authority for permission to build a multi-storey on sight car park?