Newsletter: March 2009
March's newsletter focuses on planning for a new Bishops' document on Catholic social teaching, news of The Changing Face of Britain (marking 25 years of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice), a new national evangelisation tour, a one-day conference to promote leaders in Catholic education, the Catholic Education Service 2007 Census, a Safegarding update on the Home Office Vetting & Barring Scheme not to mention our Lent and Easter section. All this and more below.
Bishops working towards a new Catholic social teaching document
Later this year, the Bishops of England and Wales plan to produce a new social teaching document.
Before the document is drafted they are holding an initial consultation.
The Bishops want to produce an accessible document that is directed to an audience beyond - as well as within - the Catholic community.
The document will not be exhaustive. It will seek to present clearly the essence of Catholic social teaching and also its application to some - but only some - of the issues facing our society today.
It will seek to do so in a way that makes clear that this teaching is an integral dimension of the Gospel message, which is always rooted and founded in a life of prayer. They will therefore be seeking to convey the spiritual core of the Gospel message as the foundation and orientation of everything they say.
Click here for the consultation page in our 'publications' section.
(please note: the consultation document will be available for download, on the link above, from Wednesday, 18 March 2009)
Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation (CASE)
Cardinal urges faithful to ‘Fan the Flames’
The key project for CASE this month focuses on its national evangelisation training tour. Fanning the Flames launched in February in Westminster – Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor himself attended the opening event.
His Eminence said: “Reflecting on the challenge of evangelisation I am reminded of St Paul’s injunction to be all things to all people that some, at least, might be saved (I Cor 9.22). Fanning the Flames is an opportunity for us as ministers of the Word, charged with the proclamation of the Gospel, to reflect on the commitment we have made, and the challenge of living it out. We are not alone in this work. My hope is that Fanning the Flames will facilitate the formation of evangelisation teams, that our parishes and communities might be beacons of the joy and hope to be found in the person of Jesus Christ.”
The training events are being offered across England and Wales to support parishes in the vital work of evangelisation, and parishes are invited to send at least four delegates to the venue nearest them. The days are designed to follow-up on the material contained in the DVD which was sent to every parish for Home Mission Sunday 2008, and will help people unpack what Catholic Evangelisation encompasses, and will also equip and resource them to do it, specifically through the setting up of a parish evangelisation team. The tour is a joint venture between CASE and Catholic Evangelisation Services (the creators of the CaFE resources).
From London, the tour moved northeast where more than 165 people from parishes in Hexham & Newcastle Diocese attended a stimulating event at St Joseph’s Centre in Gateshead. Sr Michael Lee from the Diocesan Evangelisation Team said: “The turnout was marvellous and everyone who came was given the practical impetus to plan, to think about parish mission and was equipped to implement the setting up of a dedicated team. The day really set us all on fire to go out and continue to nurture what we learnt. If you’re still thinking about attending a forthcoming day, do go. You won’t be disappointed.”
Click here for more information including dates and details of forthcoming days.
Alternatively, you can email: info@caseresources.org.uk or ring: 0207 901 4863.
‘Fanning The Flame’ is also the name of a mission to foster the Catholic Faith which was initiated in the Diocese of Portsmouth.
Liturgy
Glimpse of Heaven DVD
A Glimpse of Heaven, through Alex Ramsey’s photographs and the text of Christopher Martin highlights the rich heritage of Catholic Churches in England and Wales.
Following on from this hugely successful publication by English Heritage, in collaboration with the Patrimony Committee of the Bishops' Conference, a new DVD of A Glimpse of Heaven has been produced.
The DVD incorporates both film and photography and also interviews with architectural journalists, architects, conservationists and churchmen.
News on the release of the DVD
Click for our on-going feature focusing on A Glimpse of Heaven
Cycle of Prayer
Click for full Cycle of Prayer for Lent
Candidates for the Sacraments
(especially on the Sundays of Lent)
Women's World Day of Prayer
(6 March - click the link above for our full section in 'events' )
Penitents and Wanderers
Safeguarding
Vetting & Barring Scheme update
The new pre-employment registration scheme (including unpaid and work undertaken on a voluntary basis) is on its way and CSAS is actively participating by continuing to attend consultative groups hosted by the Home Office.
The published Scheme Guidance is due to be released in April and this will hopefully help answer many of the questions we have currently concerning how this scheme will operate within a faith context. CSAS will be soon embarking on a series of presentations/workshop events across all 22 Dioceses providing the much sought after detail regarding eligibility; the registration process and how the scheme will affect parish activities.
These workshops are follow-on events to those delivered by CSAS during 2008. The Vetting & Barring Scheme is delivered by the Independent Safeguarding Authority and their website is www.isa-gov.org.uk for further generic Scheme information.
The Changing Face of Britain: Celebrating 25 years of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ)
This year, to mark its 25th anniversary, the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ) is organising a programme of local events in every diocese of England & Wales to explore the theme of 'The Changing Face of Britain'.
The programme will celebrate the ways in which the Church and the wider society has changed for the better over the past 25 years and it will also attempt to read ‘the signs of the times’ and discern the challenges that we will be called to address in the future.
Local diocesan groups are involved in organising events that will take place in every diocese in 2009 that will reflect on the local situation and consider specific initiatives to support vulnerable and marginalised groups, encourage dialogue and bring about a fairer and more equal society in the locality.
Catholic Education Service
Visions for Leadership: Leaders in Catholic Education
How do we attract and support good leaders?
The Catholic Education Service for England and Wales, with the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life, is holding a one-day conference aimed at school leaders, Foundation Governors, FE & HE institutions, Diocesan School Commissioners, Directors of Religious Education, academics and other professionals to come to a fuller understanding of leadership issues and to look at the way forward.
The conference offers an opportunity to hear from:
• The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham and Chairman of the Catholic Education Service for England and Wales
• The Right Hon. Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners
• The Reverend Michael Holman SJ, Provincial of the British Province of the Society of Jesus
Small-group discussions will take place focusing on how leaders in Catholic education can be fostered and supported so that they can take on their role with confidence.
His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor will also be attending the lunch to meet guests and speakers and hear their views on this very important subject.
The Venue
The Auditorium, The Commonwealth Club
25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP
Time and Date
0945-1615 hrs, Tuesday 31 March 2009
Visit www.cesew.org.uk for full details and online booking form.
Enquiries to general@cesew.org.uk
This conference is supported by the National College for School Leadership and the Leaders for Catholic Education project.
Catholic Education Service Census 2007
In late December 2008 the Catholic Education Service for England and Wales (CESEW) published for the first time a digest of its annual census exercise. Information from the census has previously been used internally but the decision to publish was made in the interests of improving access to information, not only for the schools and colleges which contribute to the census but for others too. Indeed, anyone interested in learning the real facts about the sector, rather than the stereotypes that are so often presented in debate about ‘faith schools’, can obtain the 2007 Census Digest from the CESEW at 39 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1BX.
The sheer scale of Catholic education will surprise some, with more than 800,000 young people in 2,315 schools and colleges. The digest illustrates the characteristics of the pupils and staff in our schools, showing amongst other things that the pupils are typical of those in community schools in terms of most of the usual indicators but that our schools tend to be more ethnically mixed. On average three-quarters of pupils are Catholic, with considerable variations across the country. The digest provides accurate figures about acting headships, numbers taking NPQH and the gender of heads, thereby having the potential to contribute powerfully to national and regional succession planning. It is planned to publish a digest annually, which will allow us to plot trends in a way that has not been possible before.
Peter Irvine
CESEW
March Events
Lent and Easter 2009
The season of Lent lasts for the six-and-a-half weeks before Easter when Christians prepare to remember Jesus Christ's suffering and death; and to celebrate his Resurrection, his raising to life from the dead.
In our Lenten section, you will find information, resources, prayer and more relating to the season of Lent.
Stations of the Cross - multimedia meditations
This year's Lent and Easter section features interactive meditations on the Stations of the Cross. The images are from the Stations installed in Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.
Fr John McLoughlin and Veronica Murphy provide the accompanying audio reflections.
Women's World Day of Prayer 2009
The Women's World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer on the first Friday in March every year.
This year's day of prayer was celebrated on 6 March.
Here we also profile the National Board of Catholic Women.
Note: Mary Ward sisters from Kenya © James Postlethwaite
Canon Seamus Cunningham to be installed Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Canon Seamus Cunningham, at present Administrator of the vacant Diocese, to become the 13th Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.
He will be ordained bishop and installed in St Mary's Cathedral Church, Newcastle on Friday 20th March 2009 at 12 noon, the feast of St Cuthbert, patron of the Diocese.
The Bishop-elect, aged 66, has completed almost 43 years priestly service to the Diocese.