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ARCHDIOCESE OF LIVERPOOL

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Thank you PopeBenedict XVI

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Issue 102MARCH 2013Welcome

Last month I wrote about the Feast of Our Lady ofLourdes, World Day of Prayer for the Sick, which wascelebrated on Monday 11 February. As I wrote little did Iknow of the historic announcement which was to come to dominate thatday. For the first time in almost 600 years a Pope was to relinquish thePapacy as Pope Benedict XVI announced ‘with full freedom I declarethat I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of SaintPeter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005’.

Great drama and, predictably, a media frenzy. Comment and opinionacross television, radio, newspapers and social media, and all this justas we were to begin our Lenten period of reflection.

We should not let it distract from our Lenten observances but ratheruse it to heighten them as we prepare for Easter. Let us spend time ingiving thanks to God for the faithful ministry of Pope Benedict XVI. Inthe coming weeks the Cardinals will go into Conclave, as they do let usspend time in quiet reflection that the Holy Spirit will guide them to givethe Church another great Pope.

Contents

4 Main FeaturePope Benedict XVI resigns‘a humble and selfless decision’

8 NewsFrom around the Archdiocese

14 SpotlightGiving thanks for Pope Benedict XVI

15 Sunday ReflectionsLiturgy and Life

16 What’s OnWhats happening in the Archdiocese

19 Animate Youth MinistryA non-stop month for the Animate team

20 ProfileTim WarrenA safe bet for our schools

25 Cathedral RecordWhy should we sing?

26 Pic ExtrasMums the wordNews from the KSC

28 Pic LifeMiss O’Connell’s precious lesson

29 Join InFamily FunMore Mullarkey

contents

From the Bishop’s deskHow do you prepare for Easter?

Is it just a matter of buying hot cross buns and Eastereggs for the children, taking the opportunity to lose a fewpounds and ease up on the liver, or, do you take theopportunity to experience the death and resurrection of Our BlessedLord as a fact and not merely as an opinion, and endeavour to seewhat that should mean to our everyday life?

In Church we use words like forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption andsacrifice on a regular basis, but do we really understand what theymean for us? The Lord used parables to instruct and teach but eventhose closest to him, his Disciples (the first bishops), didn’t reallyunderstand what he meant until they themselves experienced thetrauma of his death, the trauma of fear, rejection, doubt, ridicule andmockery and saw the wounds in His hands and His side; even for themthe message had to become personal. Does that apply to us?

I love this season of Lent. I love it because it’s never easy but alwaysinteresting. I love it because I am both an observer and a participant.I love it that when preaching I also learn so much from others. I feel sosmall and insignificant and yet I know I have been given so many gifts.I am frightened and scared, and yet I am full of enthusiasm and hope.

I pray that you will enjoy this Season for what it is, and that is toreceive the Lord in all His fullness. He died for our sins but He alsorose from the dead to bring us new life, and in abundance.

A peaceful and joyful Easter to you all.

Editor Peter HeneghanEditorial Catholic Pictorial Magazine Liverpool ArchdiocesanCentre for Evangelisation, Croxteth Drive, Liverpool L17 1AATel: 0151 522 1007 Email: [email protected]: Mazur/catholicnews.org.ukMain Feature and Profile: Tom MurphyAdvertisingAndrew Rogers 0151 709 7567Publisher36 Henry Street, Liverpool L1 5BS

Copy deadline March issue11 March 2013

CPMM Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced copied or transmitted in any form or by any means orstored in any information storage or retrieval system without thepublishers written permission. Although every effort is made toensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, CatholicPictorial Ltd. can accept no responsibility for the veracity of theclaims made by advertisers.

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PopeBenedictresignsby Simon Hart

It was nearly eight years ago, on theevening of 19 April 2005, that thefirst puffs of white smoke escaped

from the chimney of the Sistine Chapelto announce the election of a newPope. The time was 5.50pm, precisely24 hours and 25 minutes after theconclave of cardinals had begun theprocess of choosing a replacement forPope John Paul II.

Less than an hour after the sightingof the white smoke, Cardinal JorgeArturo Medina Estevez, the cardinalproto-deacon, stepped on to the loggiaoverlooking St Peter’s Square to utterthe words ‘Habemus Papam’ and tellthe world that Cardinal JosephRatzinger, dean of the College ofCardinals, had been elected asSupreme Pontiff, the 264th successorof St Peter, and taken the nameBenedict XVI.

Moments later, the new Pope himselfappeared. It was 6.48pm, and his firstwords as Pontiff came laced withhumility. ‘After the great Pope JohnPaul II, the Lord Cardinals have electedme, a simple and humble worker in thevineyard of the Lord. I am consoled bythe fact that the Lord knows how to act,even with inadequate instruments andabove all I entrust myself to yourprayers,’ he said.

On a cold, grey February day in Romeeight years later, the Pope issuedanother announcement and the worldstopped and listened once again. PopeBenedict revealed that from 7.00 pmGMT on 28 February, he would be Popeno more. He would become the first

pontiff since Gregory XII in 1415 tostand down, having decided he lackedthe ‘strength of mind and body’ to fulfilhis duties any longer. He had been theoldest new pope for 275 years on hiselection and turns 86 in April, and hisdecision earned praise from ArchbishopPatrick Kelly, who described it as a‘humble and selfless decision’ and onewhose timing allowed for the election ofhis successor in time for Easter. Thecenturies-old process of secret ballotsand black and white smoke awaits oncemore.

Pope Benedict’s announcement cameat the end of a meeting with cardinals,a consistory for causes forcanonisation. It sent shockwavesthrough the Catholic flock across theglobe yet according to Father FedericoLombardi, director of the Holy SeePress Office, it was a course of actionthat the Pope had discussed previously,in an interview for the book ‘Light ofthe World’.

One of the questions the book’sauthor Peter Seewald put to the Popewas whether he could imagine asituation in which a pontiff mightresign. The response was: ‘When aPope realises clearly that he is nolonger physically, mentally, andspiritually capable of carrying out hisrole, then there is legally the possibility,and also the obligation, to resign.’

There were echoes of that responsewhen Pope Benedict XVI spelled out thereasons for his abdication in his 11February announcement, made in Latin.He told the cardinals: ‘I have convoked

you to this consistory, not only forthe three canonisations, but also tocommunicate to you a decision ofgreat importance for the life of theChurch. After having repeatedlyexamined my conscience beforeGod, I have come to the certaintythat my strengths, due to anadvanced age, are no longer suitedto an adequate exercise of thePetrine ministry.

‘I am well aware that thisministry, due to its essentialspiritual nature, must be carried outnot only with words and deeds, butno less with prayer and suffering.However, in today’s world, subjectto so many rapid changes andshaken by questions of deeprelevance for the life of faith, inorder to govern the barque of StPeter and proclaim the Gospel, bothstrength of mind and body arenecessary, strength which in thelast few months, has deteriorated inme to the extent that I have had torecognise my incapacity toadequately fulfil the ministryentrusted to me.

‘For this reason, and well awareof the seriousness of this act, withfull freedom I declare that Irenounce the ministry of Bishop ofRome, Successor of St Peter,entrusted to me by the Cardinals on19 April 2005, in such a way, thatas from 28 February 2013, at20:00 hours, the See of Rome, theSee of St Peter, will be vacant anda conclave to elect the newSupreme Pontiff will have to beconvoked by those whosecompetence it is.

‘Dear Brothers, I thank you mostsincerely for all the love and workwith which you have supported mein my ministry and I ask pardon forall my defects. And now, let usentrust the Holy Church to the careof Our Supreme Pastor, Our LordJesus Christ, and implore his holyMother Mary, so that she mayassist the Cardinal Fathers with hermaternal solicitude, in electing anew Supreme Pontiff. With regardto myself, I wish to also devotedlyserve the Holy Church of God in thefuture through a life dedicated toprayer.’

These words brought an end to

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the pontificate of the Bavarian-bornPope Benedict, an intellectual andtheologian who had lectured at theuniversities of Bonn, Tubingen andRegensburg, and served as Cardinal ofMunich. The eighth German pope, heproduced three encyclicals: ‘Deuscaritas est’ (25 December 2005), ‘Spesalvi’ (30 November 2007) and ‘Caritasin veritate’ (29 June 2009) during hispapacy, as well as visiting 21 countriesacross five continents, including amemorable four-day trip to Britain inSeptember 2010.

That visit that will live long in thememory of all those fortunate enoughto have heard Pope Benedict preach atMasses in Glasgow, London andBirmingham as well as at a Saturdaynight vigil in London’s Hyde Park. Youngpeople from Liverpool also had theopportunity to listen to the Pope atWorld Youth Days, in Cologne (2005),Sydney (2008) and Madrid (2011).

Archbishop Kelly cited PopeBenedict’s great ‘wisdom’ as hereflected on his decision to resign. TheArchbishop said: ‘During his visit to thiscountry in 2010 Pope Benedict XVI

‘I have come to thecertainty that my

strengths, due to anadvanced age, are no

longer suited to anadequate exercise of the

Petrine ministry’

5Catholic Pictorial

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clearly appreciated the gift of God ofCardinal John Henry Newman. Twophrases from Blessed John HenryNewman’s hymn ‘Praise to theHoliest’ capture for me the Cardinaland then the Pope whom I have beenblessed to know: ‘the loving wisdomof our God’ and ’the wisest love’.

‘Pope Benedict broke open for us,especially during his visit to ourcountry, the wisdom above all givento us in the Word of God and to thatWord of God a word of love for us.He has been a herald with only oneconcern; that in the words of Johnthe Baptist: ‘the Lord must increaseand I must decrease’. Therefore inthe deepest sense it is no surprisethat such a disciple of the Lord,when he discerns that the resourcesof body and mind are inadequate tofulfil the mission entrusted to him,comes to the clear humble andselfless decision to resign.’

Pope Benedict will play no part inthe election of his successor, nor inthe running of the Church during theperiod of Sede Vacante. On 28February he departed for the papalsummer residence of Castel

Gandolfo to prepare for a retirementthat will be spent in the formercloistered monastery in the Vatican.The following day, 1 March, thebusiness of finding a new Pope gotunder way.

The conclave of cardinals that willchoose his successor was expected,at the time of writing, to number117. The list features 61Europeans, 19 Latin Americans, 14North Americans, 11 Africans, 11Asians, and 1 from Oceania. Theywill be locked inside the Vatican, withno communication with the outsideworld permitted until they havereached a two-thirds majority.

For each ballot of the votingprocess, each cardinal must write hischosen candidate under the words‘Eligio in Summum Pontificem’: ‘Ichoose as Supreme Pontiff’. Thepapers, once counted, will then beburned in a furnace in the SistineChapel, as ever, black smoke willindicate no decisive vote. Eventually,though, puffs of white smoke will tellCatholics worldwide that the wait todiscover the identity of their newshepherd is over.

feature

‘a humble andselfless decision’

Catholic Pictorial6

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If you’ve got any news from your parish that you’d like featurede-mail us with the details at: [email protected]

News diaryMass with those in Healthcare

Bishop Tom Williams was the Celebrant at the Annual CivicMass in the Metropolitan Cathedral on the Sunday beforethe beginning of Lent. Councillor Sharon Sullivan, Lord Mayorof Liverpool, together with civic dignitaries from across theregion, members of the Judiciary, Councillors and Officers ofLocal Authorities and representatives of the Armed Services.In his homily Bishop Williams praised the qualities neededfor leadership: wisdom, understanding, right judgement,courage, knowledge and reverence and spoke of the traditionof caring handed on from one generation to the next. Heoffered special thanks to those with civic roles andresponsibilities.Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral, Canon Anthony O’Briensaid, ‘It’s a challenging time for all involved in local politicsand leadership with the financial squeeze affecting fundingfor lots of public services so it’s important for us to gatherto pray for the well-being of our local communities, and givethanks for the dedicated public service of so many peopleacross all sections of our society.’

Annual Civic Mass at the Cathedral

On the eve of the Feast of Our Lady ofLourdes, the World Day of Prayer for the Sick,Bishop Tom Williams celebrated Mass at HolyName, Fazakerley, with and for those whowork in healthcare. Bishop Williams, whoChairs the Bishops’ Conference HealthcareReference Group, spoke of the importance ofsymbols and signs in Healthcare Ministrysaying, ‘the anointing of the sick is abeautiful symbol and sign, the anointing withChrism, the Oil of Healing and the bringing ofCommunion, the presence of Christ’.The Bishop continued by describing a twoway process in which those in Chaplaincywork are reminded that they are dealing withpeople and that ‘it is not what you give topeople but what they give to you that isimportant and encouraging’. He praised thework of all involved in healthcare whethercleaners, porters, nurses, doctors orchaplains. He concluded by saying, ‘ministryof the sick is the most vital and fundamentalsymbol of Christ’s presence among us andwe do a very, very important and difficult jobwhich is appreciated’.The theme for the twenty-first world day ofprayer for the sick was taken from theParable of the Good Samaritan, ‘Go and dolikewise’ (Luke 10:37). In his message forthe day Pope Benedict XVI said, ‘On thisoccasion I feel especially close to you, dearfriends, who in health care centres or athome, are undergoing a time of trial due toillness and suffering. May all of you besustained by the comforting words of theFathers of the Second Vatican Council, “Youare not alone, separated, abandoned oruseless. You have been called by Christ andare his living and transparent image”’

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news diary

The Parish Community of St Mary’s, Leylandhosted the ‘Crossing the Threshold’ day forthe Bishops’ Conference Department forEvangelisation and Catechesis at thebeginning of February. Delegates from theArchdiocese of Liverpool and the Dioceses ofLancaster and Salford heard an address fromBishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster whilstLiverpool’s Auxiliary Bishop Tom Williamscelebrated Mass for the Feast of thePresentation and Bishop Terence Brain ofSalford led a Service of Commissioning toconclude the day aimed at offering supportand resources to help those gathered toreach out to and minister to non churchgoingCatholics.Bishop Campbell affirmed the need to seekways of closing the gap between faith andculture saying, ‘The context which forms thebackground and has given rise to the conceptof the New Evangelisation is the awareness ofthe rapidly changed and still changing worldand society in which we live…This leads to ageneral feeling that God doesn’t impinge onour lives, that the world really doesn’t needhim, or his truth revealed to us in Christ. Weneed to recover and “recharge” the content ofreligious language…Can we address modernmen and women in a language which appearsrelevant and makes sense to them?’The programme included nine workshopscovering: welcoming families, men’sministries, how to run small groups, socialaction, listening, using RCIA, tips on creatingan evangelising parish, how to use new mediaand outreach in schools.Bishop Williams said: ‘It was a good to getpeople from different dioceses together tocompare good practice and to encourage andsupport each other in the mission of the Lord.I thought that the experience of the day wasvery encouraging and it was good to see so

Leyland hosts ‘Crossingthe Threshold’

Former Principal Catholic Chaplain inthe Army and priest of the Archdiocese,Monsignor Stephen Louden, died onFriday 18 January at the age of 71.He was born in Southport on 18November 1941, the son of Josephand Sara Louden. He attended StTeresa’s School, Birkdale, andsubsequently completed his seminaryformation at St Joseph’s College,Upholland. He was ordained priest byArchbishop George Andrew Beck in theMetropolitan Cathedral of Christ theKing, Liverpool, on 8 June 1968.Following ordination he was appointedas assistant priest at All Saints,Anfield, where he remained until April1973. He then became the assistantpriest at St John’s, Kirkdale. In June1976 he moved to Our Lady’s, Formby,as assistant priest.In October 1978 he began his manyyears of service as an army chaplain.In 1993 he was appointed as thePrincipal Catholic Chaplain in the Armyand Vicar General to Bishop FrancisWalmsley, Bishop of the Forces. Hewas also appointed as a Prelate ofHonour of His Holiness on 2 April1993.Upon leaving the army he was living fora time on the Wirral, beforeundertaking some academic studies atTrinity College, Carmarthen, and WesleyHouse, Cambridge. He spent his finalyears of retirement in Netherton.His Funeral Mass was celebrated at StBenet’s, Netherton, on Friday 25January followed by burial at Southport.

Obituary ofMonsignorStephen Louden

many people there.’The day was the sixth in a series,events have previously been offered inYork, Birmingham, Westminster,Crawley and Cardiff, involving over1500 people. All the materials fromthe tour will now be collated, inpreparation for the publication of anonline national resource.

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Promise of prayers for the Holy LandBishops from across Europe and NorthAmerica met in Bethlehem earlier thisyear for the meeting of the Coordinationof Episcopal Conferences in Support ofthe Church of the Holy Land with thetheme of ‘Suffering and vulnerablepeople in the Holy Land’. They alsovisited Jordan before the annual pastoralvisit concluded in Jerusalem.

Father Mark Madden (pictured right)travelled with the group and writes:‘Christmas is constant in Bethlehem.There is excitement in the air and eventhe weather resembles a typical BritishChristmas, wet and cold. The religiousatmosphere in Bethlehem goes hand inhand with the secular jumble of foodstalls and souvenir shops dotting thestreets leading up to Manger Square.’

‘On the third day of the annual meetingwe left Bethlehem to cross the JordanRiver to the Hashemite Kingdom ofJordan where the government ispreoccupied because so many Syrianrefugees are arriving in a short space oftime. 250,000 people have come intothe country since May, which means thatthere are some 600,000 refugees. TheBishops are urging the internationalcommunity to help the government ofJordan in this crisis situation.’

‘We spent the night at a Religious GuestHouse. The house was lovely but theweather was awful with driving rain andgales coming through the gaps of windowframes. I spent the night watching thecurtains in my room take on a life oftheir own with the wind blowing them

around. It made me thankful after what Iheard that I had at least a roof over myhead, a warm bed, a good meal insideme, safe and sound. Many that night,not far from where I was, were not solucky.’

‘Our second Day in Jordan was spent inthe historical town of Madaba, thehometown of the Patriarch of Jerusalem.Madaba has a long historical, culturaland religious heritage. With links to theNeolithic period, Madaba is noted for itsmosaic art, especially the map ofPalestine and the angle delta located inSt George's church in the centre of thetown for which it has become famous.Today, Madaba is home to a growingpopulation of 60,000 and is not far fromthe Capital Amman or from the DeadSea. The town is also situated nearMount Nebo from where Moses lookedout to the Promised Land, the land ofmilk and honey.’

‘It's here that the Patriarch, with support

from the King of Jordan and the Vatican,decided to build a new University in2005. The 'American University ofMadaba' is an English languageuniversity. It aims to be a beacon oflight for the entire Middle East andbeyond; a model roadmap for an oasis ofpeace and understanding.’

‘We journeyed back to the Israeli borderthrough some torrential rain, incrediblescenery and wonderful rainbows. Jordanis a very beautiful country which isn't onthe general pilgrimage map. It is acountry steeped in biblical history anddriving through it, across the numerousborders and the River Jordan, you cansee why this area is “The Land of Milkand Honey”.’

In their closing statement the Bishops ofthe Holy Land Coordination said: ‘Ourfaith was enriched by the strength andfortitude of the people we met... We areinspired to promote a just peace and callupon Christian communities in our homecountries and people of goodwilleverywhere to support the workundertaken in this region to build abetter future...With the local Bishops; weencourage practical support for thevulnerable, the formation of youngpeople and every effort for thepromotion of peace. We encourageChristians to come on pilgrimage to theHoly Land where they will experience thesame warm hospitality we received. Weshall work hard to persuade ourrespective governments to recognise theroot causes of suffering in this land andto step up their efforts for a just peace.’

Credit: © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

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news diary

De La Salle inspire RCIASixth Form students from De La Salle Academy offered inspiration for BishopTom Williams and those taking part in the RCIA Rite of Election and Call toContinuing Conversion which was celebrated at the Metropolitan Cathedral onthe First Sunday of Lent.Students Bart Pieriton, Dominic Bromilow, Simba Mlambo, Thomas Carol, andKenny Watkins under the leadership of Head of Art, Ms Emily Halsey,produced spectacular art work to bring the readings of the service to life.The main themes were from St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (1:15–23)about being called to the wondrous love of God and the Gospel of Luke (5:1-11) giving the account of the calling of the Disciples as Jesus calls thefishermen to leave their nets and follow him

‘Children’s Dyingand Death’The Spiritual Care Team at Alder HeyChildren’s NHS foundation Trust is offeringa half day training session entitled‘Children’s Dying and Death’.Attempting to minister within a situation ofthe loss or life limiting illness of a childwhilst, thankfully, relatively rare, is alwaysa demanding and traumatic ministry.This training session is designed to help toequip both Parish Clergy and, especially,members of Parish Bereavement Teamswho may be called minister in such asituation.The half day session will cover spiritualaspects of care for patient and family, thelife-changing effect of diagnosis andtreatment, practical procedures followingdeath, and advice and guidance in helpingbereaved families through, and after, thefuneral service.The sessions will take place at Alder Heyhospital beginning at 9.00 am andfinishing at 1.00 pm. The cost perdelegate is £25 which will include allmaterials and refreshments.The training will be available on thefollowing dates: Tuesday 30th April 2013,Friday 19th July 2013, and Wednesday 9thOctober 2013. For more information, or to book, pleasecontact [email protected] orphone 0151 252 5465.

11Catholic Pictorial

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Mass of Thanksgivingat St Brendan’s Shrine

news diary

Bishop Tom Williams, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool, was the Celebrant at aMass of Thanksgiving in St Brendan’s Shrine, Old Swan. The closing Massgave thanks for the fifty years of parish life at the church. Some of theartefacts from the Shrine will be taken to nearby St Oswald’s church.‘We give thanks for all the blessings that have been received through theparish and church of St Brendan’s,’ said Parish Priest, Father Mark Beattie.‘So many people have been touched by God through the ministry of bothpriests and parishioners.’

The Art Studio atthe MetropolitanCathedral of Christthe King in Liverpoolis holding a two-daycourse in making aPentecostal textilebanner. It will beheld in the Studioitself and will run on12th and 26th April2013. Students will work to a provideddesign and the course will cover thedetails of the methods, materials andtechniques used in banner construction.Previous experience of bannerconstruction is not essential. Allmaterials, equipment, tuition, lunch andrefreshments on both days are included inthe cost of £195. The Cathedral is easilyaccessible by both bus and on foot fromLiverpool city centre.To book a place on the course, or tomake further enquiries, please [email protected] or phone0151 709 9222.

PentecostalBannerWorkshop

UCM 100 not out2013 is a very special year for the Unionof Catholic Mother's writes Ann Hogg. It isour Centenary year. Nationally this will becelebrated with a Mass at WestminsterCathedral on September 21st. Locally inmany of the Dioceses there are alsocelebrations and Liverpool are holding acombined Centenary and Annual Mass inthe Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ theKing on Saturday June 15th at 12.00noon.We are hoping that as many members aspossible will be there. There must also bemany women who were members, but forwhatever reason, are no longer active.These women are part of our history andin the past helped to make UCM thewonderful organisation that it is today. Wewould extend to them a very warmwelcome to join us in the Cathedral and atthe Adelphi Hotel to help make it a day toremember.Following the Mass there will be areception, buffet and entertainment from2.00pm to 7.00 pm at the Adelphi.Tickets cost £17.50 and are availablefrom Liverpool UCM Secretary Mrs KateMoss. Tel: 01925 411150.


p01-18_covers 22/02/2013 12:23

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SENIOR COMMUNITY WORKER DEAF TEAM

33 HOURS PER WEEK £22,665 - £25,139 per annum, pro rata

Ref: 238/CEN

We are seeking to appoint a Senior CommunityWorker to lead our Community Deaf Team. You

will be qualified to at least BSL Level 3 withsignificant experience of working with Deaf

people and a good knowledge of Deaf culture.You will need to be familiar with the Catholic faith,

sacraments and liturgy.

The work of the team includes: • supporting priests and parishes around the

delivery of Roman Catholic missals• supporting signed masses in the Liverpool

Archdiocese• interpreting and signing in a range of parishes,

schools and wider community settings• advice and support for Deaf people• delivering signing and awareness training • organising events and pilgrimages • involvement in regional and national Deaf and

Catholic networks • involvement in campaigning and fundraising

programmes

You will partake in and lead the team in theabove activity and provide ongoing support,direction and supervision to the team members.You will need to work flexibly as there will be arequirement for weekend working.

For an application pack please telephone our 24hour recruitment line on 0151 261 2040, e-mail: [email protected] or visitwww.nugentcare.org

Closing Date for completed applications:Thursday 7th March 2013, 12pm.

An Equal Opportunities Employer

Nugent Care actively promotes the safeguarding

of vulnerable adults, young people and children

www.nugentcare.org

Appointment to our School Admissions AppealsPanel under the Education (Admission AppealsArrangements) Regulations 2002 is urgentlyrequired.

Could you spare some time to serve asanIndependent Lay Member of the Archdiocese orsomeone who has an educational background and isnot directly connected to Maricourt Catholic HighSchool on our school admission appeals panel?

This Panel will hear appeals where parents haveexpressed a preference for their child to be admittedto our school and this has not been met.

The Panel will hear appeals in respect ofMaricourt Catholic High (Voluntary Aided) School,which are in the administrative area of the SeftonLEA.

If you are interested in serving on thisIndependent Appeal Panel; please contact:Julie Waugh, Maricourt Admissions Officer on0151 282 2151 or e-mail [email protected] as soon as possible

Maricourt CatholicHigh SchoolHall Lane, Maghull

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spotlight

The following Pastoral Letter was readin the Archdiocese on the SecondSunday of Lent: 24 February 2013.

My dear People,

‘I did not shrink from declaring to youthe whole counsel of God.’ Those wereSaint Paul’s words when he said hisfinal farewell to the Christians ofEphesus.

I am certain they are words which PopeBenedict could make his own at seveno’clock our time on Thursday evening 28February when he lays aside hisministry as Bishop of Rome, as Pope: ‘Idid not shrink from declaring to you thewhole counsel of God.’

Or to put it another way, borrowingwords this time from Blessed JohnHenry Newman whom Pope Benedictbeatified during his visit to this country:

Pope Benedict has opened up for usthe ‘loving wisdom’, the ‘wisest love ofGod’ who is the Holiest. And hesummed up that loving wisdom, thatwisest love in the very first page of hisfirst letter addressed to the wholechurch: ‘Deus Caritas Est’: ‘God islove’. He wrote:

‘Being Christian is not the result of anethical choice or a lofty idea, but theencounter with an event, a person,which gives life a new horizon and adecisive direction.’

And there is the whole purpose of thisjoyful season of Lent: to bring us to theGreat Week, Holy Week when weremember and enter into our Lord’sSaving Passion and GloriousResurrection, by which the pride of theancient foe, the father of lies, isvanquished. We shall in heart andmind, in word and song celebrate oncemore the mystery of our redemption inChrist, our liberation from all that is sinand death.

You are all aware I am making a similarjourney myself. The Mass on Thursday28th February will be one of the last Icelebrate in the Cathedral; I hope to beable to be principal celebrant at theMass of Chrism on the WednesdayEvening of Holy Week. Both Masses willsimply be those of the day. Youthanked me more than abundantly lastyear when on 18th February we praisedGod for the fifty years of my life andministry as a priest.

This Thursday’s Lenten Day Mass and

the Chrism Mass say all that remains tobe said. For Saint Paul gave to everypriest, every Bishop, every Pope a clearcharter ‘For what we preach is notourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord,with ourselves as your servants forJesus’ sake.’

In this my last pastoral letter I promise:I will always thank God the Father of ourLord Jesus Christ, when I pray for you,because I have seen your faith in ChristJesus and the love you have for all thesaints because of the hope laid up foryou in heaven.

Please make your own these words fromthe Second letter of Saint Peter, withwhich I ended a letter of thanks to PopeBenedict when I heard of his so wise,faithful and selfless decision:

‘May grace and peace be multiplied toyou in the knowledge of God and ofJesus our Lord.’

Yours devotedly in Christ,Archbishop of Liverpool

I did not shrink from declaringto you the whole counsel of God.’

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On a liturgical note Canon Philip Gillespie

Well, the Lenten journey this year iscertainly a little more ‘eventful’than in years past as we livethrough a period of ‘sede vacante’(the empty Chair of Peter) and thenthe forthcoming conclave ofcardinals for the election of thesuccessor to Pope Benedict. The announcement on the feast ofOur Lady of Lourdes, 11 February,took us all by complete surprise, butalthough we received it with heavyhearts we can but give thanks forthe generosity and integrity of spiritby which the former Pope reachedhis decision ‘for the good of theChurch’.He began by saying that ‘havingrepeatedly examined my consciencebefore God’; this surely is a timelyreminder to us, as we live theseason of Lent, that to examine ourconscience, to look honestly yetpeacefully at our own lives as bathedin the light of the risen Christ, is thetask of each one of us daily. We are to examine our life of prayer,our life of faith, our life of activecharity and to ask – is this inaccordance with the light of Jesus?Am I living in such a way as to givegood witness to the risen life of the

Lord in hisChurch and,through theChurch, for thegood of theworld?Weightyquestions, andnot intended todisillusion us butto inspire and, where necessary, tocorrect our way of living. The liturgyof the Lenten season enables us toaccompany those preparing for thesacraments of Baptism,Confirmation and Eucharist; they toohave weighty decisions to make, howbest to respond to the love of theFather made visible in Christ Jesusby the power and action of the HolySpirit. For those of us who havealready celebrated thesesacraments, who are already‘initiated’ fully into the life of Jesusand his Church, the weeks of Lentgive us the opportunity to ‘return tothe source’ of all we hold dear in ourlives – for God so loves the worldthat he gives his Only Son...Happy Lent, happy Holy Week and –when it arrives with us – a veryhappy Eastertide!

sunday reflections

Why Lent is aCinderellastoryAs I child I loved fairy tales and theystill hold a magic for me even today.One of my favourites is the story ofCinderella whose name literally meansthe little girl who sits in the ashes orthe cinders.Ronald Rolheiser, the Canadian author,says of the story of Cinderella: ‘Themoral is clear: before you get to bebeautiful, before you get to marry theprince or princess, before you get to goto the great feast, you must first spendsome lonely time in the ashes, humbled,smudged, tending to duty and theunglamorous, waiting. Lent is thatseason, a time to sit in the ashes. It isnot incidental that we begin lent bymarking our foreheads with ashes.’This period of sitting in the ashes, thiswaiting is surely so that our encounterwith the divine is more intense and webecome more aware of the presence ofGod everywhere.I am becoming more and more awarethat this encounter with God implies analternative way of living that becomes adance of love where we live with eyesand hearts that are open and in whichwe see the presence of God everywhere.We live with a sense of wonder andgratitude at the gift of this world and oflife itself. St Bonaventure, whenreflecting on St Francis’s personal loveof nature and the incarnation of Jesus,saw the ‘traces’ or ‘footprints’ of God inall things. He said that the whole worldwas the ‘incarnation’ of the mystery ofGod, and the very ‘body of God’. The ‘journey of the mind to God’, asBonaventure put it, was to learn how tosee the unity of all being, how to listenfor the partially hidden God, and how tohonour the footprints that wereeverywhere once you could see. Theresult was a life of gratitude andreverence and simple joy while still livinga busy life in the world.Lent is that time when we sit in theashes to heighten our awareness of theever-present God which, in fairy-taleterms, means we go to the ball, we findthe prince and life becomes a dance withthe Divine.

Fr Chris Thomas

Sunday thoughts Mgr John Devine OBE

Remember the ‘Easter People’, thereport of the National PastoralCongress held in Liverpool in1980? Its title echoes the words ofPope John Paul II (attributed to StAugustine): ‘We are the Easterpeople and Alleluia is our song.’ I hesitate to contradict Pope JohnPaul II or even St Augustine but Ibelieve that here in Britain we are aChristmas people. Compareoverflowing attendance at MidnightMass with attendance at the EasterVigil. Those with even the mosttenuous links with the Church arestill drawn to Mass on ChristmasEve. Easter, meanwhile, is agathering of the core faithful.Alleluia may be their song but thesong of the majority is ‘Silent Night’.Wikipedia notwithstanding, theEaster Vigil is not ‘the mostimportant service of public worshipof the liturgical year’.Is there a failure to identify withHoly Week in general or is it justwith the Resurrection? Churchattendance on Good Friday is

diminishing but itstill attracts thosewhose regularpractice level isinconsistent.Another factormight be that theEaster Vigil wasreintroduced in1956, hardly long enough to embeditself into the collective psyche. I recall my time in South Americawhere church attendance on GoodFriday and Easter Sunday was evenmore polarised. The people of Peruthrived on realistic depictions of theLord’s suffering. The entire parishturned out to give the Lord aspectacular funeral on Good Fridaybut no one showed up to celebratehis rising. In time I realised that thesuffering Christ and his distraughtmother were these people’s friends.I was the outsider. The brutalrealities of daily death and dyinggave them an affinity with ourcrucified Lord that I could neverachieve.


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Full listings, of Lenten Services andtimes for Holy Week and EasterServices, can be found on theArchdiocesan website atwww.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk

Monday 4 March to Tuesday 12 MarchNovena of Grace At St Francis Xavier church, SalisburyStreet, Liverpool, L3 8DR. Daily talk at12.00 noon Mass (10.15am onSunday).

Novena of Grace At St Mary’s, Lowe House, St Helens,WA10 2BE. Daily Mass with GuestPreacher at 7.30 pm (4.30 pm onSunday)

Monday 4 March to Friday 8 MarchLoyola-Metro Liverpool Retreat in DailyLife At St Francis Xavier church, SalisburyStreet, Liverpool, L3 8DR withintroductory meeting on Saturday 2March at 10.30 am.

Monday 4 MarchLenten Early Morning Mass7.30 am at St Bartholomew, WarringtonRoad, Rainhill, L35 6NY.

Lenten Holy Hour11.00 am at St Bartholomew,Warrington Road, Rainhill, L35 6NY.

Lenten Reflection by Father TonyReynolds. 7.30 pm at St Raphael theArchangel church, Liverpool Road,Widnes, WA8 7ER.

Lenten Reflection7.30 pm at St Joseph’s Prayer Centre,Blundell Avenue, Freshfield, Formby,Liverpool, L37 1PH. Details Tel: 01704879665 Email:[email protected]: stjosephsprayercentre.org.uk

Tuesday 5 March‘Called to be Prophets’ Led by Father Chris Thomas. 10.30 am

at Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road,Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details Tel: 0151949 1199 or email:[email protected]

Metropolitan Cathedral Chapter Mass12.15 pm in the Blessed SacramentChapel of the Metropolitan Cathedral ofChrist the King.

’Jerusalem and beyond’: Reflections onLuke1.00 pm in the Marian Centre, Bath StNorth, Southport.

Lenten Holy Hour3.00 pm at Sacred Heart, WalmsleyRoad, Leigh.

‘Angels and Demons’ Lenten ReflectionBy Father Daniel O’Leary. 5.30 pm-7.00 pm at Pauline Books and Media,Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HR. DetailsTel: 0151 709 1328 Email:[email protected]

Wednesday 6 MarchLenten Early Morning Mass7.30 am at St Ambrose Barlow, Astley,M29 7DZ.

‘Christ was humbler yet even toaccepting death on a cross’‘Shoulder my yoke and learn from me’ areflection on the Way of the Cross ledby Father Ged Callacher. 7.00 pm inthe Gibberd Room of the MetropolitanCathedral of Christ the King.

‘The Folly of God – a path to Light’ (1Corinthians 1:25)A Lenten Evening for the St Thérèse ofLisieux Pastoral Area. 7.00 pm at StMary's Hall, Woolton, Liverpool, L255JF. Details: Sister [email protected] Tel:0151 737 2423 or Sister [email protected] Tel: 0151735 1645.

‘The Second Vatican Council's legacyof Dialogue: dialogue with otherreligions.’Lenten Talk by Monsignor PeterFleetwood. 7.30 pm in St Anne’sPastoral Centre, Ormskirk, L39 4TG.

Lenten Service of Reconciliation7.30 pm at St Joseph, Mather Lane,Leigh, WN7 2PR.

UCM Bi-monthly Mass7.30 pm at St Oswald, Old Swan,Liverpool, L13 5SB.

'All Together Now' Ecumenical LentCourse7.30 pm at St Ann's, Central Avenue,Warrington.

‘The Way of the Cross.’Lenten prayer and reflection led by theIrenaeus Team. 7.30 pm at the Sistersof Namur Community, 25 NewshamDrive, Liverpool, L6 7UG. Details Tel:0151 949 1199 or email:[email protected]

Friday 8 MarchLenten Early Morning Mass6.30 am at Holy Family, Boothstown,M28 1DN.

Lenten Early Morning Mass7.30 am at St Joseph, Mather Lane,Leigh, WN7 2PR.

Saturday 9 MarchCar Boot Sale8.00 am onwards in the Cathedral CarPark. Pitches £10. Details from ClaireHanlon 0151 709 9222.

Sunday 10 MarchLoyola Day10.00 am-4.00 pm at Loyola Hall,Warrington Road, Rainhill, L35 6NZ. Aday of quiet with input includingguidance in prayer and sharing on atheme, ending with Mass. Details fromLoyola Hall Tel: 0151 426 4137.Email: [email protected] Website:www.loyolahall.co.uk

Lenten Holy Hour with Stations of theCross3.00 pm at Holy Family, Platt Bridge,Wigan, WN2 5LL.

Lenten Holy Hour with Evening Prayerand Benediction4.00 pm at St Mary’s, Mount Pleasant,Chorley, PR7 2SR.


Lenten Holy Hour11.00 am at St Bartholomew,Warrington Road, Rainhill, L35 6NY.

Lenten Reflection by Father TonyReynolds. 7.30 pm at St Raphael theArchangel church, Liverpool Road,Widnes, WA8 7ER.

Lenten Taize Evening7.30 pm at St Joseph’s Prayer Centre,Blundell Avenue, Freshfield, Formby,Liverpool, L37 1PH. Details Tel: 01704879665 Email:[email protected]: stjosephsprayercentre.org.uk

Tuesday 12 MarchMinistry Day10.00 am-4.00 pm at Loyola Hall,

what’s on

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Catholic Pictorial 17

march

Warrington Road, Rainhill, L35 6NZ. Aday for people in full-time or part-timeministry with input and sharing and timefor quiet prayer and reflection. Detailsfrom Loyola Hall Tel: 0151 426 4137.Email: [email protected] Website:www.loyolahall.co.uk

‘Called to be Prophets’Led by Father Chris Thomas. 10.30 amat Irenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road,Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details Tel: 0151949 1199 or email:[email protected]



‘Angels and Demons’ Lenten Reflection By Father Daniel O’Leary. 5.30 pm-7.00pm at Pauline Books and Media, BoldStreet, Liverpool, L1 4HR. Details Tel:0151 709 1328 Email:[email protected]

Lenten Service of Reconciliation7.00 pm at St Vincent de Paul,Derbyshire Hill, St Helens, WA9 2LS.


Clergy Day10.30 am-3.30 pm at Loyola Hall,Warrington Road, Rainhill, L35 6NZ. Ashort presentation, prayer anddiscussion including Exposition and anopportunity for the Sacrament ofReconciliation. Details from Loyola HallTel: 0151 426 4137. Email:[email protected] Website:www.loyolahall.co.uk

‘Christ was humbler yet even toaccepting death on a cross’‘Pierced through for our faults’ areflection on the Way of the Cross led byFather Liam Collister. 7.00 pm in theGibberd Room of the MetropolitanCathedral of Christ the King.

‘The Folly of God – a path to Light’ (1Corinthians 1:25)A Lenten Evening for the St Thérèse ofLisieux Pastoral Area. 7.00 pm at StMary's Hall, Woolton, Liverpool, L25 5JF.Details: Sister [email protected] Tel:0151 737 2423 or Sister [email protected] Tel: 0151735 1645.


Lenten Taize Prayer7.30 pm at St Richard’s, MayfieldStreet, Atherton, M46 0AQ.

‘The Way of the Cross.’Lenten prayer and reflection led by theIrenaeus Team. 7.30 pm at the Sistersof Namur Community, 25 NewshamDrive, Liverpool, L6 7UG. Details Tel:0151 949 1199 or email:[email protected]

Thursday 14 March‘The Gift of Prayer’Led by father Brendan Rice. 7.30 pm atIrenaeus, 32 Great Georges Road,Waterloo, L22 1RD. Details Tel: 0151949 1199 or email:[email protected]



Saturday 16 MarchLenten Day of ReflectionWith Father Daniel O’Leary in the MarianCentre, Bath St North, Southport.Details and Tickets (£10) from PaulineTel: 01704 550845 or Cathy Tel: 01704224286.

Service of ReconciliationLed by Bishop Tom Williams. 3.00 pm inthe Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ theKing.

Amadeus Concert7.30 pm in the Metropolitan CathedralCrypt Concert Room. Tickets and details

Tel: 0151 707 3525 orwww.cathedralconcerts.org.uk

Sunday 17 MarchLenten Holy Hour with Stations of theCross3.00 pm at Holy Family, Platt Bridge,Wigan, WN2 5LL.

Lenten Holy Hour with Evening Prayerand Benediction4.00 pm at St Mary’s, Mount Pleasant,Chorley, PR7 2SR.


Lenten Holy Hour11.00 am at St Bartholomew, WarringtonRoad, Rainhill, L35 6NY.

Lenten ReflectionBy Father Tony Reynolds. 7.30 pm at StRaphael the Archangel church, LiverpoolRoad, Widnes, WA8 7ER.

Lenten Reflection7.30 pm at St Joseph’s Prayer Centre,Blundell Avenue, Freshfield, Formby,Liverpool, L37 1PH. Details Tel: 01704879665 Email:[email protected]: stjosephsprayercentre.org.uk

Tuesday 19 MarchFeast of St Joseph



‘The Second Vatican Council's legacy ofDialogue: dialogue with people who donot believe in God.’Lenten Talk by Monsignor PeterFleetwood. 7.30 pm in St Anne’sPastoral Centre, Ormskirk, L39 4TG.

Cursillo Ultreya7.30 pm at St Michael and All Angels,Sidney Powell Avenue, Kirkby, L32 0TP.


Lenten Service of Reconciliation7.00 pm at St Anne and BlessedDominic, Monastery Road, Sutton, StHelens, WA9 3ZD.

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what’s on

‘Christ was humbler yet even toaccepting death on a cross’‘From death to newness of life’ areflection on the Way of the Cross ledby Father Ged Callacher. 7.00 pm inthe Gibberd Room of the MetropolitanCathedral of Christ the King.

‘The Folly of God – a path to Light’(1 Corinthians 1:25)A Lenten Evening for the St Thérèseof Lisieux Pastoral Area. 7.00 pm atSt Mary's Hall, Woolton, Liverpool,L25 5JF. Details: Sister [email protected] Tel:0151 737 2423 or Sister [email protected] Tel:0151 735 1645.

Lenten Holy Hour7.30 pm at Holy Rosary, AintreeVillage, Liverpool, L10 2LG.

Service of ReconciliationFor the St Charles Borromeo PastoralArea, Widnes. 7.30 pm in Our Ladyof Perpetual Succour church, MayfieldAvenue, Hough Green, Widnes, WA88PR.


Thursday 21 MarchNewman Circle Talk: ‘Vatican II -Gaudium et Spes’Speaker: Father Kevin Kelly. 7.30 pmat St Helen's Parish Centre,Alexandra Road, Crosby, L23 7TQ



Saturday 23 March‘Via Crucis’ by Franz LisztWith reflections led by ArchbishopPatrick Kelly. 7.30 pm in theMetropolitan Cathedral of Christ theKing, Liverpool.

Sunday 24 MarchPalm Sunday of the Passion of theLord

Stations of the Cross andBenediction with the Sacrament ofReconciliation3.00 pm at Holy Family, Platt Bridge,Wigan, WN2 5LL.

Lenten Holy Hour with Evening

Prayer and Benediction4.00 pm at St Mary’s, MountPleasant, Chorley, PR7 2SR.

Sunday 24 March to Sunday 31MarchCross Walk and Holy WeekFor people in their 20s and 30s atLoyola Hall, Warrington Road, Rainhill,L35 6NZ. A group carries the Crossfrom Palm Sunday for four daysarriving at Loyola Hall for thecelebration of the Triduum. Detailsfrom Loyola Hall Tel: 0151 4264137. Email: [email protected]: www.loyolahall.co.uk

Tuesday 26 March‘Called to be Prophets’Led by Father Chris Thomas. 10.30am at Irenaeus, 32 Great GeorgesRoad, Waterloo, L22 1RD. DetailsTel: 0151 949 1199 or email:[email protected]

Lenten Service of Reconciliation7.30 pm at Holy Family, Boothstown,M28 1DN.

Wednesday 27 March to Sunday 31MarchHoly Week RetreatFor people in their 20s and 30s atLoyola Hall, Warrington Road, Rainhill,L35 6NZ. Details from Loyola HallTel: 0151 426 4137. Email:[email protected] Website:www.loyolahall.co.uk

Wednesday 27 MarchService of Reconciliation7.00 pm at St Benedict, Hindley,Wigan, WN2 3AA.

Ecumenical Service of Reconciliation7.30 pm at St Ann's, Central Avenue,Warrington.

Holy Week and Easter at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King:

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord 24 MarchMetropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King

8.30 am Mass (Blessed Sacrament Chapel)10.00 am Family Mass (Crypt)11.00 am Procession of Palms and Solemn Mass

Celebrant: Bishop Tom Williams7.00 pm Mass (Crypt)7.30 pm Service of Tenebrae (including Allegri’s ‘Miserere’)

Wednesday of Holy Week 27 March7.30 pm Mass of Chrism

Celebrant: Archbishop Patrick Kelly

THE EASTER TRIDUUMMaundy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper 28 March10.00 am Sung Office of Readings and Morning Prayer

(Blessed Sacrament Chapel)7.30 pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Celebrant: Bishop Tom Williams

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion 29 March10.00 am Sung Office of Readings and Morning Prayer

(Blessed Sacrament Chapel)11.30 am Stations of the Cross (Cathedral)

3.00 pm Commemoration of the Lord’s PassionBishop Tom Williams presides

Holy Saturday 30 March 10.00 am Sung Office of Readings and Morning Prayer (Cantor)

(Blessed Sacrament Chapel)8.00 pm The Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter

Celebrant: Bishop Tom Williams

Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection 31 March8.30 am Mass (Blessed Sacrament Chapel)

10.00 am Family Mass (Crypt)11.00 am Solemn Mass of Easter Day

Celebrant: Canon Anthony O’Brien3.00 pm Choral Evening Prayer7.00 pm Mass (Crypt)

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youth ministry

February was a busy month for theteam, with a good number of dayretreats and mission days, startingat Christ the King Centre forLearning in Huyton, where weworked with years 7, 8 and 9.

Our theme was ‘What do we standfor?’ and it was rewarding seeingthe pupils consider how willing theywould be to stand up for their faith.In small groups, they participated in‘Values auctions’ to explore whatwas important to them and theyproduced mission statements,expressing what they would like tochange or carry on doing in theirown lives.

We also had a mission-day visit toCardinal Newman in Warrington andour day retreats were back in fullswing at Lowe House too, with year7 pupils from St Peter’s School inOrrell the first to arrive. ‘We are OneBody’ was our theme; the youngpeople learned how we all make upthe Body of Christ, albeit with eachof us, as unique beings, bringingdifferent gifts.

The next group to visit came from StJames’ in Stockport, followed bysixth-form students from St Mary’s,Crosby. As we were talking aboutthe need to demonstrate our faith bywhat we do, we sent the young

people into St Helens town centre,where they had to complete a set of‘good deeds’ including talking topeople in charity shops and pickingup litter. It was a useful experienceworking with older pupils as we willbe with sixth-formers from BelleriveFCJ and Maricourt High School inLiverpool in March.

February also featured a parishmission at Sacred Heart inWesthoughton. This gave us anopportunity to work with eight andnine-year-olds, along with theirparents and grandparents. It wasdifferent from our usual work butthe younger ones provided a realbuzz with their enthusiasm to takepart, and the whole team left withsmiles on our faces! The Animate team also had thechance to share ideas withcatechists from around theArchdiocese at an evening meetingat which we distributed bookletswith resources and ideas that theymight find useful. The catechistsdiscussed what they have beendoing with their own groups of youngpeople and we hope evenings like

this will become regular events – ifyou would like more information,please get in touch and we can wecan put you on our mailing list.

• ‘Crossing the Threshold’Evangelisation DayAnimate members presented aworkshop on how social media canbe used to help evangelise theChurch at this event in Leyland onSaturday 2 February. We looked atFacebook, Twitter and other socialnetwork sites and had a worthwhilediscussion on their usefulness, aswell as providing a resource booklet.Such was the feedback we received,we are considering holding a dayspecifically on the use of media inthe Church and if you would likemore information, please contact us.

• New-look Youth Alive launched The evening of 2 February broughtour first Soul Food night for the Over-18s with a talk and discussion ledby Fr Simon on ‘How and what weworship in the 21st Century’followed by Mass and a social. Thefollowing day we had a period ofcatechesis on ‘Putting our Trust inGod’, followed by Mass. It would begreat to see a few new faces at bothevents in future.

[email protected] 740462

Sarah Brooks

A non-stop month forthe Animate team


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profile

Tim Warren, new Director of Schoolsand Colleges for the LiverpoolArchdiocese, is a man with a mission.

He left Liverpool City Council – where hewas Assistant executive director incharge of Education, Employment andSkills – last July, and from then on, hisavowed ambition was to ‘unite his careerand convictions’ by securing this newposition.

This is why he took on a temporary role– as Interim director of Education, Skillsand Community Support for WiganCouncil – until the Archdiocese post, assuccessor to the retiring Frank Cogley,was advertised. ‘I am an Archdiocese ofLiverpool product, born and bred inWigan, a practising Catholic and comefrom a family with a strong tradition inthe Catholic Church,’ he explained.

‘I had the good fortune to attendCatholic schools throughout mychildhood, first at St Cuthbert’s, Wiganand then achieving my O and A levels atSt John Rigby Grammar School, Orrell,where my spiritual education wasblessed by the Christian Brothers whoran the school – and a certain Fr VincentNichols, the then school chaplain!

‘I’ve lived all my working life in Wiganand still live there now. Obviouslyworking in your own patch is important. Iknow a lot of the Catholic schoolsalready and it feels just right to do animportant job for Catholic education,’said Tim who, before joining LiverpoolCity Council, was Assistant Director forChildren’s Services in Warrington (1996-2005) and Acting Director of Educationin Warrington (2005-07).

Indeed the only time he left hisLancashire home was to studylanguages at the University of EastAnglia in Norwich – which also involvedliving in France for a year. ‘I had my eyesopened there,’ he recalled. ‘I very soonadapted to French food, which I can sayI like very much! I still go to France now.’

Tim and his wife Anne have twodaughters, Kathryn and Emma, and agranddaughter, Shannon, who is nine.He added: ‘I have always been preparedto give my spare time up to help furtherthe cause of Catholic schooling and Iwas clerk to the governors during mychildren’s life at St James’ CatholicPrimary School and a nominatedfoundation governor during their time atSt Peter’s Secondary School in Orrell.’

Tim’s aim is to visit every one of theArchdiocese’s 235 schools in the nexttwo years. ‘It’s a fair job to get roundthem all, but I’ve already started,’ hesaid. ‘It’s important to know your patchand there is no better way than goingyourself to talk to the heads of schoolsto understand the issues from theirpoint of view.’

He wants to build on the ‘excellent workof his predecessor, Frank Cogley, andpoints out that ‘81 per cent of ourschools are rated as good oroutstanding, compared with 65 per centof all schools in the northwest, so that’ssomething to be proud of’.

His work is a labour of love yet he doesfind some time to relax away from it. Aformer schoolboy rugby player, he has aseason ticket at Wigan Warriors andalso enjoys horse racing. ‘I regularly goto Ireland for the racing with mybrothers. We always go to thePunchestown Festival,’ said the manwho looks odds-on to succeed in hisnew role.

A safe bet for the future By Ann Todd

Tim Warren

“I am an Archdiocese ofLiverpool product, born and

bred in Wigan”

Pict

ure:

Tom

Mur

phy

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come & see

We are delighted to welcome twokeynote speakers to this year’s Comeand See conference. Last month weintroduced Daniel O’Leary and thismonth it is the turn of Edwina Gateley.

Edwina was born in Lancaster and is awell-known author, retreat-giver andconference speaker. During a nine-month period in 1981 and 1982,Edwina lived in prayer and solitude in ahermitage in the state of Illinois inAmerica’s Midwest. She then spent overa year on the streets of Chicago walkingwith the homeless and women involvedin prostitution, and she foundedGenesis House – a house of hospitalityand nurturing for women involved inprostitution.

She is also resposible for the founding

of the Volunteer Missionary Movement.VMM emerged as a new andchallenging movement in the 1960s,calling on Christian men and women torespond to Vatican II's call for full andactive involvement in the Church's life

and mission.

This involvement has a double thrust: towitness to God's action through JesusChrist in our world today, and torespond to the material and humanneeds of the poor and oppressed.

Numerous groups and individuals –including the late American CardinalJoseph Bernardin and Bill Clinton,former President of the United States –have publicly commended Edwina's workand ministry and we are delighted thatshe has agreed to be with at this year’sCome and See.

If you want more details about theconference, then contact us on 0151949 1199 or [email protected].

Introducing Edwina Gateley…

CATHOLIC PIC HOLY LAND PILGRIMS

Greetings from the Holy Land! This photograph was taken just after Mass at the Church of the Beatitudes. Mass was celebrated outside by Peter Morgan.

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marriage & family life

On Sunday 10th February 2013 atthe start of National Marriage Weekthe Pastoral Formation departmentheld their annual celebration ofMarriage and Family Life at OurLady Immaculate, Bryn, with BishopVincent Malone as the mainCelebrant writes Maureen O’Brien.

Each year this event is celebrated ina different pastoral area enabling allpeople whether young/old,married/single, separated/divorcedor widowed to come together to givethanks to God for a variety of lovingfamily relationships.

The Liturgy reflected the diversity ofthese relationships using Scriptureembracing many aspects of familylife. The family Bibles wereentrusted to three new families in2013 Jimmy and Agnes Gee whocelebrated their golden weddinganniversary on 29th December2012. James and Gina Vandenburg,celebrating the birth of their firstchild: - Sadie Alice and to Garethand Kathryn Gillard.

Bishop Vincent gave an inspiringhomily reflecting on how many mightsay that the celibate priest, orbishop, is still not the best personto lead the praises of marriage andfamily. Here he offered two lines ofexplanation: first, that he grew up ina family. He was mightily blessedthat it was a good family, and as theyears go by he appreciates moreand more the unmerited blessing itwas to have that entry into life.

His secondjustification was thewonderful accessthat priests aregiven with Catholicfamilies withintradition andpastoral practice.Each partner to astable marriage hasinside experience ofonly one marriage,of only one family,besides the one theywere born into; thepriest is allowed,perhaps because hehas no marriage tiesof his own, tobecome privy to theinner workings of ahundred, or severalhundred marriagesof the people towhom he ministers. In that respecthe is more of an expert on marriagethan any married person can bebecause of the range of hisexperiences.

He spoke of parental love saying,‘when we look at the love of parentsfor their children we have the mostcommon demonstration of the deepmeaning of love. It is self-givingwithout expectation of return. It maybe care delivered with a tired un-smiling face sometimes; it may lookmore like exasperation andfrustration sometimes; but it isselfless to a degree that is noteasily matched in lives without those

responsibilities.

‘How vital it is that we support oneanother in family duties by ourunderstanding of mistakes, by ourpractical help when possible, by ourprayers.’

He concluded: ‘We live in animperfect world, but there is muchfor which we rightly rejoice and givethanks. Blessed be God who callsus into rich fruitful relationships withhimself and with one another. Andtoday specifically we give thanks forthe wondrous gifts of true ChristianMarriage and family life in all itsforms.’

After the homily married couples hadthe opportunity to renew theirmarriage commitment and for thosewho were without a partner BishopVincent encouraged them to turntheir hearts to Christ and enter intothat same union.

Sincere thanks must go to thosewho made the Service possible: toBishop Malone, Father John Gorman,the children’s ministry, musicministry, all the people who workedbehind the scenes and most of all toall who attended the celebration andmade it such a special event.

Marriage and Family Life Celebration


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Cathedral Record

cathedral

Canon Anthony O’Brien –Cathedral Dean

by Chris McElroy

In the Mass before the second Vaticancouncil (now known as theExtraordinary form) there existed adistinction between ‘High’ Mass(where everything was sung) and‘Low’ Mass (where everything wasspoken.)

The liturgical books treated the ‘Low’Mass as the norm: indeed the Masswas only valid if the priest spoke thetext himself, regardless of whether thechoir or congregation sang. In ourcurrent rite, the division between ‘High’and ‘Low’ Mass has been replaced bythe notion of progressive solemnity.Recalling the notion that singinginvests the rites with a greatersolemnity, then it could be said thatthat the more we sing the more‘solemn’ is our liturgy.

In practical terms then, what does thismean? Let us look at the liturgicalyear: just like a terrain of mountainsthere exist peaks of varying sizes. Inliturgical terms, these would beChristmas, Easter and the PatronalFeast of a church or school.Celebrations related to theseoccasions then would want to be

celebrated with greater solemnity, thanfor example, a weekday during ordinarytime.

An important principal is that eachcommunity accepts singing asnormative. Children especially thriveon ritual; singing at each and everycommunal gathering (assembly, liturgyetc) reinforces the notion that singingis an important function of thatgathered body. Whilst it is notnecessary to sing everything that mightbe sung, the normative status ofsinging in the liturgy cannot be overstressed.

How many of us have attended abirthday party where instead of singing‘Happy Birthday’ together, we insteadspoke it in a monotone? Almosteveryone at a birthday party will join inwith singing ‘Happy Birthday’, even ifthe resulting sound is a more of ajoyful cacophony than a melodioussong. The same expectation ofcommunal song is also vital in churchand school.

This is the second article following onfrom why we should sing. Futurearticles will look at who should sing,and exactly what they should sing.

The major focus for March for theCathedral will be Holy Week and Easter.Although there is much happening todistract us: corporate dinner; guidedtours; a series of examinations in theCrypt for Liverpool Community Collegewho are using our facilities for the firsttime and concerts, we remain focussedon preparing our liturgies with dignityand solemnity. Bishop Tom will beprincipal celebrant at all our servicesthis year, apart from the Chrism Masswhen Archbishop Patrick will be with us.

Our series of talks and meditationsentitled ‘Christ was humbler yet – even toaccepting death on a cross’ continueevery Wednesday evening from 7.00 pm– 8.00 pm in the Gibberd Room. On 6March Fr Ged will meditate on Stations 7to 9 ‘Shoulder my yoke and learn fromme’; Fr Liam will focus on Stations 10 to12 ‘pierced through for our faults’ on 13March, and finally Fr Ged once again willreflect on ‘Death to newness of life’Stations 13 to 15. You are all verywelcome to join us as part of yourspiritual preparation for Easter.

Apart from our usual Holy Week liturgies,details of which can be found on theCathedral website, I would like to drawyour attention to one or two other specialservices that we are holding in theCathedral. On Saturday 16 March at3.00 pm we are having a ReconciliationService in the Blessed Sacrament Chapelwhich Bishop Tom will preside at.

We have a special service on PalmSunday at 7.30 pm – Tenebrae (Latin for‘shadows’ or ‘darkness’). The distinctiveceremony of Tenebrae is the gradualextinguishing of candles while a series ofreadings and psalms are sung. Itpromises to be a very powerful, dramaticservice and you are most welcome tocome along.

May I wish you all a joyous Easter.

When should we sing?

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Pic extras

With the KSC’s recruitment driveon the Wirral now under way, itseems a good time to shed somelight on the excellent work that theKnights are involved in at theLauries Community Centre inBirkenhead. They are the leadingparticipants in an important projecttaking place there known as theTuesday Club for the Less Able,which is managed by the KSC andstaffed by unpaid volunteers.

As the name implies, club activitiestake place every Tuesday (exceptChristmas and New Year) and caterfor people with disabilities. Thereare no restrictions for membership –the age of those attending rangesfrom young people in their mid-20sto senior citizens in their early 70sand there are people with a varietyof disabilities.

Activities are held in an informal,relaxed atmosphere and includecards, bingo, board games, dancing,watching TV and playing pool. Thereis also a bar and tuck shop. A majorbenefit of this project is that notonly do the members enjoy the get-

together, but their parents andcarers are given a little respite inthe process. The club has an open-door policy, and a guiding principleof ‘Come and try it – if it suits,come back’.

Currently there are 50 members andan average weekly attendance of45. A minibus from Mersey Care ishired to pick up members eachweek at a cost of £3 return and –reassuringly – there is always thesame driver.

Members’ birthdays are occasionsfor celebration at the club and thereare also celebrations at Christmasand Easter. In October, meanwhile,an annual visit takes place to Rhylwith lunch at Rhyl Sun Centre,where Tuesday Club members arejoined by local people withdisabilities – an event hosted by theNorth Wales KSC Province andCouncil 614 Buckley/Wrexham.

Websites: www.ksc.org.uk orwww.ksc.org.uk/province2/Email: [email protected]

Mums the WordIt seems only yesterday that I waswriting the Christmas column, yethere I am reflecting on the holyseason of Lent and the great feast ofEaster.

God invites each one of us during the40 days of Lent to 'come back to mewith all your heart'. Traditionally, wegave up something we liked – sugar intea! Nowadays the Church encouragesus to do something extra. During thisspecial 'Year of Faith', there are manyopportunities within the Archdiocesefor us to receive many graces andblessings.

The Stations of the Cross are said inall our churches and manymeditations have been written to helpus follow Jesus in his Passion. Ipersonally find the 'three falls ofJesus' very consoling andencouraging; we just have to keep ongetting up and try again. In life’s upsand downs, God never leaves us orgives us any more than we can carry.

The Easter Triduum is the highlight ofour liturgical year. The Chrism Massat the Cathedral is very moving whenthe holy oils are blessed anddistributed for sacramental use andwhen our priests renew theircommitment to their parishioners.

Then comes the Last Supper Mass,where Jesus gave himself to us in theEucharist and washed the feet of hisApostles; the Passion and Death at3pm on Good Friday; and the silenceof Holy Saturday leading to the EasterVigil, when once again 'The light ofChrist has come into our world'.

I am sure that you will all be involvedin making your church’s altarsbeautiful, and I wish you and yourfamilies every Easter joy and theblessings of the risen Christ.

I hope to see you all at our AGM on20 April.

God Bless.Angela Moore,

President

News from the Liverpool Province of the Knights of St Columba

Helping the less able on the Wirral


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Worth a visit With spring arriving and the winter monthsfinally behind us, plan a trip to a truly splendidfairytale castle, writes Lucy Oliver. Imposed impressively upon the Northumberlandlandscape, the stone towers of Alnwick Castle –the setting for Hogwarts in the first two HarryPotter films – contain plenty within. For childrenthere are daily medieval craft activities, thechance to dress up as knights and ladies, andbroomstick training, Harry Potter-style. For moretraditional tastes there are the CapabilityBrown-designed gardens and a fascinatingCoach House, featuring the Percy family’sluxurious state coach which journeyed to the1825 coronation of Charles X of France. Thelavish state rooms contain furniture, art andhistorical curiosities including gloves worn byElizabeth I and Oliver Cromwell’s nightcap, andthere is more to see in the castle’s variousmuseums: the Percy Tenantry museum, Castlemuseum and Fusiliers Museum ofNorthumberland. Visitors can take two different guided tours –the Battleaxe to Broomsticks tour andHistorical Grounds tour – and also venturebelow the castle walls where grisly folkloretales await in the Lost Cellars. Before leaving,enjoy a medieval mouthful at the CourtyardCafe.Alnwick Castle is open from 29 March. Call01665 511350 or go towww.alnwickcastle.com.

By Moira Billinge

I was nine years old and a pupil atSt Michael’s Junior School in WestDerby Road, Anfield. One cold, wet,miserable morning, my sister’steacher, Miss Mollie O’Connell, and Ihappened to come in from theplayground and passed through thelarge front door at the same time.

This was the pre-school uniform eraand it was the first time MissO’Connell had ever spoken to me. Inthe very gentle and precise way that Icame to know so well, she said:‘Moira, I do like your skirt. It’sbeautiful.’ I remember feelingsurprised, and pleased, that sheknew my name, but the memory ofher impromptu compliment and herkindness is as vivid to me today as itwas then, so great was its effect.

What a lifelong impact a few kindwords can make. How important it isto be recognised by name. Someoneonce remarked: ‘I can live for a weekon a good compliment.’ It is not thatwe necessarily search for praise, buta few thoughtful words can be life-changing.

Sometimes we overlook theimportance of Catholic educators andCatholic schools. In the recentpolitical debates about whether or notso-called ‘faith schools’ should beallowed or whether they shouldbecome part of the secularised statesystem, time and again antagonistshave eventually acknowledged thatCatholic schools educate a higherproportion of pupils from varied racialand lower socioeconomicbackgrounds than their apparentlymore egalitarian state counterparts.Equally, the same sources have

admitted that one reason whyCatholic schools often show betterperformance in any league tables isbecause pupils are more oftentreated as individuals, with teachersprepared to ‘go the extra mile’ ontheir behalf.

In April Mollie O’Connell will be 95.Yet she is actively involved in StMichael’s parish and writes herweekly Gospel Thoughts for the parishnewsletter. Such was her influenceand the quality of her teaching that,decades after my sister firstappeared in Mollie’s classroom as apupil, they are still in regular contact.

I am just one of many thousands ofpeople whose lives she enriched inone way or another, although,unfortunately, she was never tobecome my form teacher. Herconcentration as she engages inconversation and focuses on theindividual is total and a talent born ofher deep faith and love, interest andrespect for others.

She embodies the words of MotherTeresa of Calcutta who in 2007 said:‘Let no one ever come to you withoutleaving better and happier. Be theliving expression of God’s Kindness;kindness in your face, kindness inyour eyes, kindness in your smile.’

There are, and always have been,many wonderful teachers like MissO’Connell. We thank God for theirdedication and continueddetermination to inspire the young,despite their increasingly hugeworkload and additional stresses.Most cherish the awesomeresponsibility and awareness thatthey can influence their pupils’ livesforever. God bless them.

PIC LifePrayer for the Feast of Saint Joseph

Dear Holy Saint Joseph spouse of MaryBe mindful of me pray for meWatch over me - faithful guardian of themost precious of all treasuresI ask you to please bring this matter to ahappy end - if it be for the glory of God andthe good of my soul – Amen

Send your favourite prayer to:Catholic Pictorial, 36 Henry Street, Liverpool L1 5BS

Miss O’Connell’s preciouslesson in making lives better


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–

Children’s word searchThe wonderful Feast of St Joseph is celebrated on March 19 - see what youcan find out about this great saint in our word search

E V R T H G M Q Z L S T

L A A E F A T H E R R V

P V U Q T R R N T U N R

M E E M U N C S S M V X

A M V W A O E T E D K B

X S L O C O X P C P T D

E O M W L O Z Y R U N T

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E B N I K R W Y B B C A

M Y U H V G K S I R O I

Y L O H G R U E Q A E T

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CARPENTER

EXAMPLE

FAITH

FATHER

HOLY

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LOVE

SAINT JOSEPH

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Easter Nest CakeMelt some dark and white chocolate in twoseparate heat resistant bowls on top ofpans of simmering water. Be careful not tolet the chocolate boil. Mix with All Brancereal for ‘twigs’ and sprinkle in somesultanas. Using a bowl-shaped container asa mould - a plastic bowl with some ‘give’ init is ideal - press clumps of white and darkcoated ‘twigs’ with the handle of a spooninto the inside of the bowl to form a nest.Refrigerate to set hard. Meanwhile sandwichtogether two sponges with a filling eg. jamand cream etc. Mix icing sugar with a littlewater to make some green coloured icing tospread over the top. Before it sets, sprinklewith green coloured desiccated coconut tolook like grass. Dip bowl with nest in intohot water for a second to release the nestfrom the bowl. Coat the inside of the nestwith a little more melted dark chocolate tomake it smooth. Refrigerate to harden. Fillnest with small coloured chocolate eggs andplace on top of the cake. decorate nest andgrass with flowers and leaves and somechickens.

Recipe from theMonastery Kitchen

More Mullarkey

Audio copy of the Pic out nowAn audio version of the ‘CatholicPictorial’ is available free of charge,compiled by students, techniciansand Chaplain, Helen Molyneux, atAll Hallows RC High School,Penwortham

Anyone interested in receiving theaudio copy should contact KevinLonergan Tel: 01772 744148 or01772 655433 (home).

From Johnny KennedyThe young curate was in reflective mood.‘Do you remember my first sermon?’ he asked Father Mullarkey.‘How could I forget?’ replied the auld fella.‘I was so nervous and you told me to grab their attention right away bysaying I spent the happiest days of my life in the arms of a woman –and then tell them it was my mother.’‘I remember it as though it was yesterday,’ said Fr Mullarkey. ‘You stoodup, shaking like a leaf, and said, ‘I spent the happiest days of my life inthe arms of a woman and I can’t remember who it was but Fr Mullarkeyknows’.’


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TOWARDS THE THIRD SECRETBy Iain Colquhoun

IS IT ABOUT PAST EVENTS...OR THINGS STILL TO COME?

In response to this booklet Bishop Burns of Meneviawrote: ‘I commend your thoroughness of research and

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p27-32_covers 22/02/2013 12:29

catholic pic march 2013

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