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29theCatholicTIMES 24.08.18
EnglandCardinal Nichols (Westminster)Sun: World Meeting of Families,Dublin. Thu: Travels to Prague toreceive the Prague Society HREAward, 7.30am. Fri: Returns fromPrague, 6.30pm. Sat: Memorial Massfor Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s First Anniversary,Westminster Cathedral, VictoriaStreet, London, SW1P 1LT, 12.30pm.Archbishop Longley (Birmingham)Sat: First Anniversary Memorial Massfor Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Westminster Cathedral,12.30pm.Archbishop McMahon (Liverpool)Mon: Mass for the Annual Pilgrimagein honour of Blessed Dominic Barberi,St Anne and Blessed Dominic,Sutton, St Helens, noon. Archbishop Smith (Southwark)Sun-Fri: Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage.Bishop Arnold (Salford) Sun-Mon:
World Meeting of Families, Dublin.Tue: Meetings, London. Thu: Visit toLee House Centre for MissionAwareness, Thorney. Fri: Meetings,Wardley Hall. Sat: Leads a Day ofReflection for Catenians, WardleyHall. Bishop Davies (Shrewsbury) Sat:Engagements, Cathedral. Bishop Doyle (Northampton) Sun:World Meeting of Families, Dublin.Mon: Return from the World Meetingof Families, Dublin. Bishop Egan (Portsmouth) Fri:Meeting Head of Communications,Bishop’s House, Portsmouth. Meetingwith Knights of Equestrian Order ofHoly Sepulchre, Bishop’s House,Portsmouth. Sat: Dialogue withSectors Meeting, Bishop’s House,Portsmouth. Parish Visitation, Earley,Reading. Bishop Hendricks (Auxiliary inSouthwark) Sun-Fri: Catholic
Association Pilgrimage to Lourdes. Bishop Heskett (Hallam) Sun: Mass,St Ann’s, Deepcar, 9.15am. Mass, StMary’s, Penistone, 10.45am. Wed:Meeting, Bishop’s House, 11.00pm.Presentation, Sheffield FurnitureStore, 12.30pm. Retirement event, StJoseph & St Teresa’s, Woodlands,Doncaster, 7.00pm. Bishop Hopes (East Anglia) Sat:Mass, Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk, noon. Bishop Hudson (Auxiliary inWestminster) Sun-Mon: WorldMeeting of Families, Dublin. Thu:Meeting in Archbishop’s House,11.00am. Sat: ConcelebratesMemorial Mass for Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, Westminster Cathedral,12.30pm. Bishop Lang (Clifton) Sun-Mon:World Meeting of Families, Dublin.Bishop Lynch (Auxiliary inSouthwark) Mon: Divine MercyPilgrimage, noon.
Bishop Malone (Auxiliary inLiverpool) Tue: Mass ofThanksgiving on the 175thAnniversary of the arrival of theSisters of Mercy in Liverpool, Zoe’sPlace Life Centre, Liverpool, noon. Bishop Moth (Arundel andBrighton) Sun-Mon: World Meetingof Families, Dublin. Tue: AnnualMeeting with Promotors, Seminariansand Enquirers, High Oaks, 2.30pm-4.00pm. Wed: Episcopal Council,High Oaks, 11.00am. Thu: Under 65’sat Arundel Cathedral, 11.00am-3.00pm. Mass at St John theEvangelist, Horsham, 7.00pm. Fri:Meeting, High Oaks, noon. Sat:NCSF Meeting, Oxford.Bishop Stock (Leeds) Wed: Meetingwith the Vicar General, Bishop’sHouse, Leeds, 9.00am. Bishop Williams (Auxiliary inLiverpool) Sun: Celebrates Mass, StDominic, Huyton, 10.45am. Sat:
Blessing of Statue, Eldonian Village,Liverpool, noon. Serra Annual Dinner,Liverpool Hope University, 7.00pm.
ScotlandArchbishop Cushley (St Andrewsand Edinburgh) Sun: World Meetingof Families, Dublin. Mon: Trustees’Meeting, Archdiocesan Offices,Edinburgh, 1.00pm. Tue: ScottishCatholic Youth Service, PastoralCentre, Dunkeld, 11.00am. Wed:SPRED Commissioning Mass, StKentigern Church, Edinburgh,7.00pm. Fri: Mass, Holy Rood HighSchool, Edinburgh, 9.15am. Councilof Priests Steering Committee, StBennet’s, Edinburgh, 2.00pm. Orderof the Holy Sepulchre Investitures,Sacred Heart Church, Edinburgh,7.00pm.
Compiled by Theresa Bowling
BISHOPS’ ENGAGEMENTS
FEATURE
“FOR the same as it costs for a fewbottles of wine you could help edu-cate a child in India”, says SebastianMuir, board member and chair ofthe Twinnage Committee at the StVincent de Paul Society (SVP).
Sebastian is promoting the SVP’sstudent sponsorship scheme whichhelps children from disadvantagedfamilies with costs of education.
The scheme is part of the SVP’sTwinnage programme which seesEngland and Wales partnered withsix developing countries around theworld, including India.
Often when the main breadwinnerin an Indian family is killed or becomesunwell and can no longer make anincome, it falls to the children to goand carry out often menial work toearn a wage and support their family.
However, sponsoring a child helpsfamilies keep their children in edu-cation. Such an education meansthese children are more likely to goonto further education when olderand then get better paid work whichin turn helps their extended families.
When a cyclone hit a coastal vil-lage in Kerala last year, around 300fishermen lost their lives. The studentsponsorship scheme was able tohelp families to provide educationalopportunities for their children, aswell as paying for children who hadbeen orphaned by the disaster.
Because of the strength of the pound,donations can go a long way. Giving£15 for a year can cover up to 85 percent of a pupil’s school fees, or cover
a combination of fees and materialssuch as books, pens, satchels anduniforms.
The next tier of the scheme issponsorship of £70 for three years.This enables a student to completetechnical or vocational courses such as engineering, nursing or computing.
The third and final tier of thescheme is to give £120 for four yearswhich helps put a student throughmedical or dental training. Donorsare matched with students and receivea photo and certificate when theyare twinned with a young person.
Sebastian explains that when sponsoring a child or teenager the
entire community benefits. “Rural areas in particular have a
severe shortage of medical staff,”he says.
Most professionals are drawn tothe cities and it comes down tosmall religious communities to pro-vide healthcare for local villagers.
This means that often there arenot enough people to administer thecare needed for a village and its mi-grant workers. The dispensaries andclinics cannot be staffed, and sovillagers have to travel dozens ofmiles to be vaccinated for example.Too poor to own a car or motorbikethe journey is by buffalo cart andthe challenges of access prevent
people from receiving the treatmentthey need. Disease spreads and peo-ple get sick and lose their lives.
Having more doctors and nursesmeans help can be offered locallyin the villages and towns.
Professionals in the village get toknow when someone is newly-arrived and they can ask them toget a vaccination.
“That’s how polio has been virtuallywiped out in the world except forthe borders of Afghanistan and Pak-istan which are remote areas and donot have sufficient staff to vaccinatethe people,” says Sebastian.
Funding a student also helps buildthe nation through infrastructure.
Engineers and architects design andbuild the schools and clinics, see toproper sanitation, while teachers edu-cate the next generation, and that inturn benefits the future of the country.This means a relatively small donationhas a huge ripple effect, transforminglives of young people, their familiesand their wider communities.
n If you would like to support astudent in India with theireducation, please visit:http://www. twinnage.org.uk/Documents/Student_Leaflet_416_web1.pdf to download a form orgo to: www.svp.org.uk-donate,telephone: 020 7703 3030 or e-mail: [email protected]
SVP scheme is helping familieskeep their children in education
Anita Boniface
A visit by the SVP toschool children withtheir teachers inShillong, north-eastIndia – A relativelysmall donation cantransform lives ofyoung people, theirfamilies and theirwider communities
Picture: SVP