Newsletter: May 2009
May's newsletter is released a little later than normal to allow us to celebrate and look back on the Installation of Archbishop Vincent Nichols at Westminster Cathedral. We also celebrate the UK's first National Family Week by providing several multimedia resources from the Bishops' Committee for Marriage and Family Life. There's also an extended podcast interview with Bishop John Hine focusing on his life and ministry supporting married couples and families in England and Wales. As May draws to a close, we're halfway through a national parish evangelisation initiative - the Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation brings us an update.
Reflect on World Communications Day by listening to our interview with the Director of the Vatican's press office, Fr Federico Lombardi.
We also have updates from the Catholic Education Service, the latest issues surrounding legislation and public policy and a chance to look back on the Holy Father's eight-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
All this and more below.
Installation of the Most Rev Vincent Nichols as 11th Archbishop of Westminster
The Most Reverend Vincent Gerard Nichols has been installed as the Eleventh Archbishop of Westminster during a Mass of Installation held at Westminster Cathedral on Thursday 21 May 2009 and attended by a congregation of 2,200 specially invited guests.
The Mass of Installation was broadcast live in the UK on BBC2 and also around the world by EWTN, the Catholic Satellite Television Channel.
The Mass of Installation followed a Service of Solemn Vespers, held the evening before at Westminster Cathedral. This was attended by Archbishop Vincent Nichols and an estimated 2,200 specially invited guests including Religious Sisters, Brothers and Priests and representatives from schools, parishes and Catholic societies and organisations from the Diocese of Westminster.
Visit our full section for biography, media releases, image galleries, videocasts and more.
For full complete image galleries, please visit our Flickr photostream.
World Communications Day
Visit our World Communications Day section to look back on the day and listen to Fr Federico Lombardi's lecture and interview with the Catholic Communications Network.
Fr Lombardi is a Jesuit priest with an enormous job on his hands.
Not many people start the day with prayer and Mass before heading out to oversee the output of a major television channel and a world-renowned radio station - not to mention making sure things are running as they should in a busy press office.
That's exactly the calling Fr Lombardi works hard to fulfill as director of Vatican Radio, CTV - the Vatican's television channel, and the Holy See's press office.
National Family Week
Bishops celebrate National Family Week by offering new family resource pack to parishes
The Bishops are marking National Family Week (25 - 31 May) by drawing attention to a new resource to promote the holiness of family life. The Home is a Holy Place resource pack is now available free of charge to all Catholic parishes across England and Wales.
The pack aims to help parishes celebrate the presence of God as love in all loving family relationships and proclaim the holiness of our homes as places of life, love, service, teaching, fellowship, witness and prayer. The pack includes prayer cards, group reflection materials and a DVD featuring interviews with families. It may be used in many different settings, including with parents of children preparing to receive the sacraments, couples preparing for marriage, and parish or school groups.
During National Family Week, Bishop John Hine, Chair of the Bishops' Committee for Marriage and Family Life, is encouraging parishes across England and Wales to collect their complimentary pack from their diocese and use it in whatever way suits them best. Many dioceses have already begun a systematic programme of introducing the pack to parish contacts and catechists. Parishes can collect the packs directly from their dioceses or by visiting our National Family Week section. A free pack is available for every Catholic parish in England and Wales.
Click for Bishop John's message and podcast and links to downloadable resources to help celebrate National Family Week.
2012 Olympic Games
Churches engaging with the 2012 Olympic Games taking place in London
2012 is a unique opportunity for churches to work together in service and ministry to athletes, their families, Games officials and organisers as well as thousands of visitors and local British people. This "once in a lifetime" event is becoming more prominent in the imaginations of church leaders, agencies and those who sit in the church pew. More Than Gold, the umbrella organisation co-ordinating Christian endeavours for 2012, and has a strong Catholic presence, is holding a one-day event, Engagement Conference 2009, on Thursday 16th July at one of the Olympic locations for 2012 - the iconic Wembley Stadium. The day commences at 10am and concludes at 4pm.
The day is to help any Church organisation, denomination, network, or individual to understand how they can engage with serving the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As well as being informing and inspiring, the day will contain the opportunity for discussion in programme areas that may be most applicable to certain groups. This conference will mark the change of pace in preparations and delivery for the next few years. Nobody should feel excluded from this unique opportunity.
Due to the kindness of some sponsors the first 150 places are priced at £25 for the day; the next 150 at £40 for the day. Sadly, anyone booking after that figure will need to pay the full delegate day rate of £55. This will include drinks and lunch. Tickets can be obtained online.
For further information, please visit morethangold.org.uk or contact the 2012 Catholic Coordinator, James Parker, on 07930 119831 or at james.parker@cbcew.org.uk.
Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation (CASE)
'Fanning the Flames Tour' 2009: Over 400 people receive evangelisation training
Halfway through the first ever national evangelisation training tour called 'Fanning the Flames' and hundreds of people have generously given of their time to attend one of the many events.
Mary Dolan, Director of Adult Education in the Hallam Diocese attended the day in Mackworth and said: "Thank you for an absolutely marvellous day. We all really enjoyed it." Whilst Philip Thwaytes from St Pius X Church in Grimsby said: "I was most impressed with your comprehensive material and well-designed programme of information and ideas... It was professionally presented and should provide those present with enough information to feel confident to start the process of developing evangelisation in their parishes."
Feedback from the London day:
"It was good to share experiences with people from other parishes and dioceses."
"It was reassuring that we had the same concerns, most of which have lessened over the day."
"We received a new enthusiasm for evangelising in a more ordered fashion."
The aim of the tour is to provide support to parishes in the vital work of evangelisation by unpacking what Catholic Evangelisation encompasses, and by providing resources to enable them to do it. The tour has a particular focus on the setting up of evangelisation teams. Parishes are invited to send at least four delegates to the venue nearest to them.
The remaining tour dates for 2009 include: Birmingham on 30th May, Exeter on 6th June, Bristol on 13th June, Newmarket on 17th October and Birkenhead on 24th October. Additional events have been requested for 2010 in the dioceses of Leeds and Northampton. For more information please see the CASE website. Everyone is welcome.
Legislation and Public Policy
Equality Bill
Debate on the new Equality Bill began in Parliament with the Second Reading on Monday 11th May.
The Bill brings together existing discrimination law and extends it to new 'protected characteristics'. It covers discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
In a briefing sent to MPs the Catholic Bishops' Conference welcomed the extension of protection to religious believers and measures to combat unjust discrimination against human beings, each of whom is made in the image of God. However, it noted also that the Bill raises some serious difficulties which Parliament needs to address if this legislation is to work, and in particular if it is to provide clarity on how problems should be resolved when different rights overlap or conflict.
Detailed consideration of amendments to the Bill in the House of Commons will commence in June, and we will continue to work with the Government Equalities Office and Parliamentarians to improve the clarity of the Bill and to limit the danger of new provisions having the effect of curtailing the exercise of the religious freedom guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Visit our Legislation and Public Policy section.
Coroners' and Justice Bill
It has been announced that there is to be a free vote in June in the House of Lords during the committee stage of the Coroners and Justice Bill on amendments to change the law on assisted suicide. The Most Rev Peter Smith, Archbishop of Cardiff, and Chairman of the Bishops' Conference Department of Christian Responsibility and Citizenship, made the following comment (19 May):
"These sections of the Coroners and Justice Bill (Sections 49-51) are designed to tighten the law in order to protect vulnerable people from internet websites that encourage or promote suicide. To amend it, as some are suggesting, to permit assistance with suicide would be perverse. It would result in a law that pointed in contradictory directions - banning encouragement with suicide but allowing assistance with it. Legalising assistance with suicide is a complex and controversial issue that cannot be addressed simply via an amendment to a wide-ranging bill designed for other purposes.
"The issues surrounding legalisation of assisted suicide are not just ones of conscience or morality. There are also serious issues here of public safety, which it is the Government's responsibility to safeguard."
Visit our Legislation and Public Policy section.
Catholic Education Service
Should faith schools still play a role in our current education system?
Oona Stannard, Chief Executive and Director of Catholic Education Service, took part in 'The big debate' in The Big Issue (North) magazine:
"Instead of investing too much time deliberating over faith schools, all of us in education would be better placed putting our energies behind getting the necessary resources and successful outcomes deserved by each and every pupil. Let us pay more attention to what unites us and what we can share in common so that schools should be places where pupils can flourish and where teachers can enjoy the respect they deserve."
Read/download
The Big Issue (North): Should faith schools still play a role in our current education system? (pdf)
International
Look back on Pope Benedict's pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Pope Benedict XVI visited the Holy Land for the the first time in his pontificate in May. The Holy Father kept to a busy schedule and his pilgrimage echoed that of Pope John Paul II in 2000 - the last papal visit to the region.
Key moments included: a visit Moses' memorial at Mount Nebo, a meeting with Muslim religious leaders in Amman, visiting the Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem - Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust and a number of meetings with religious leaders - Christians, Muslims and Jews.
Our pages offer information, homilies, podcasts, photo galleries and more.
Statement on the European elections
Bishop William Kenney, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham and Spokesman for Europe for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has urged Catholics to make their voices heard in the forthcoming European elections (4 June).
In a statement, Bishop Kenney stresses that in a system of proportional representation every vote counts and highlights some key issues.
Liturgy
Liturgical Calendar
Eastertide concludes with Pentecost Sunday, the fiftieth day, and its commemoration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles (cf. Acts 2, 1-4), the Church's foundation, and the beginning of its mission to all nations and peoples.
The protracted celebration of the vigil Mass has a particular importance in cathedrals and some parishes, since it reflects the intense persevering prayer of the Christian community in imitation of the Apostles united in prayer with Mother of Jesus.
The mystery of Pentecost exhorts us to prayer and commitment to mission and enlightens popular piety which is a "continued sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. He arouses faith, hope and charity, in the hearts [of the faithful] and those ecclesial virtues which make popular piety valuable. The same Spirit ennobles the numerous and varied ways of transmitting the Christian message according to the culture and customs of all times and places".
Cycle of Prayer
The Church
Especially on Pentecost (31 May)
Those who suffer Persecution, Oppression, and Denial of Human Rights
Especially on St John Fisher and St Thomas More (22 June)