Keeping the spirit of Religious Orders alive in schools

A new national association has been launched  – ‘Religious Orders in Education’ – to raise awareness within Catholic educational circles and beyond, of the special contribution made to education in England and Wales by the particular charisms of Religious Order Schools and Colleges. The association, ROE, will bring together congregations which have founded schools in the past and those which are still involved in the governance of educational establishments.

Sr Brenda Wallace FCJ

One of the organisers, former Headteacher Sr Brenda Wallace FCJ explained: “Our vision is to see 21st century Catholic education strengthened and enhanced by the distinctive charisms of Religious Orders continuing to animate and enrich the schools and colleges of which they are founders or trustees.”

The association has a broad membership of both Religious Orders that are still involved as trustees as well as Orders that founded schools but no longer have any involvement in education.  Sr Brenda added: “These latter congregations have contributed to the rich heritage of Catholic education in the past, which we continue to build upon. This in itself offers great support to those congregations who are still involved.”

Attendees had travelled from around the country to attend the launch. Sr Therese Browne SP, a trustee of St Paul’s girls school in Birmingham said:  “The launching of ROE is an important development in our time as it is raising a greater awareness among us as Congregations of the gift of our various charisms to Catholic Education. Conscious of the richness of our tradition in this regard, the Association is giving us a renewed appreciation, confidence and energy to pass on our charism to our school communities who are very eager to embrace it. As a Congregation, our Sisters treasure the significant amount of interaction which we have with our staff and pupils. We have a wonderful Headteacher, Dr Dawn Casserly, who is a past pupil of our school; she is passionate with the staff about nurturing and transmitting our charism with confidence in every aspect of school life and beyond.”

Adding: “It is also important that as an Association we continue to build close links with the CES. This, we hope, will enable our Diocesan Education Services to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the distinctive contribution our Religious Congregations still make to Catholic Education and to move forward in a spirit of mutual trust to ensure that we “do the very best for our children.” (Genevieve Dupuis, Foundress). 

Fr Mervyn Williams SDB

Salesian, Fr Mervyn Williams SDB, who gave the opening address commented: “The Association will seek to ensure that the distinct status and contribution made by religious order schools is fully recognised and not lost in the current significant restructuring of Catholic school provision in many dioceses.”

The Chair of the Catholic Education Service, Bishop Marcus Stock, welcomed the new association, saying the heritage passed on by Religious Orders “should be treasured and appreciated as a continuing source of inspiration for strengthening and enhancing the Catholic ethos of the schools and colleges which owe their foundation to those Religious Orders.”

He added: “Dioceses and Religious Orders must together strive to do all within their power to secure the future of Catholic education.”

Roisin Maguire, Edmund Rice Trust

Sister Brenda Wallace led Gumley House School FCJ in Middlesex for twenty-four years, was a co-founder of the Association of Maintained Girls’ Schools and received the OBE for services to Education in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of 2013. She emphasises the long term, strategic and forward looking objectives of the new association: “We want to maintain a healthy option in our Catholic school system  by ensuring that Religious Order schools continue to play their part; schools that have been built around the charisms that the Holy Spirit has given via the founders of the Religious Orders to the whole Church. We do not want to work in competition. We do not want to be isolated so that we are not able to contribute to the good of the whole.”

Maureen Mee of the Loreto Trust and a member of ROE’s Executive Committee, welcomed the emphasis by the keynote speaker, Sr Pat Murray IBVM (Executive Secretary of the UISG), on collaboration: “Sr Pat Murray has a wealth of experience in both inter-congregational collaboration and in defining and transmitting charisms. I was struck by her reference to  building bridges of collaboration that will take us to somewhere new. The comments of members throughout the day showed that there was a great desire for the support and new life that collaboration will bring. It was also clear that some bridges will take patience to cross - all the diocesan directors were invited but only one turned up. We are conscious that the hard work now begins and we are heartened by the members who have volunteered to take part in the two working groups.” 

Lay worker, Hilary Thompson, Schools and Network Coordinator for the Society of the Sacred Heart, praised the contribution of Religious Orders to schools: "The extra dimension that the charism, story and priorities of a religious congregation can give to the Catholic life of a school is such a gift. It can touch the members of a school community profoundly. It can be a new way of seeing God and understanding as well as living mission. Therefore it is essential to be able to articulate the charism, story and priorities in a way that makes them come alive and be relevant to the governors, staff and students. Having an association like ROE to support congregations in identifying and passing on their distinctive charisms is most welcome. We can learn so much from each other and share more widely what we have to offer. There is a particular need at the moment for a variety of reasons. One challenge is recruiting governors and senior staff who are open to discovering this extra layer to the Catholic life of a school and prioritising it."

Religious Sister the first female recipient of the prestigious Benedict Medal

St Mary’s University in London has awarded Sr Berchmans Conway the Benedict Medal in recognition of a lifetime of teaching and promoting interfaith relations in Pakistan.  

The medal, which is the University’s highest honour, was presented to Sr Berchmans by the Archbishop of Westminster and Chancellor of St Mary’s University, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, during a St Mary’s Summer Graduation Ceremony at Westminster Cathedral.

Sr Berchmans was born in Country Clare, Ireland, in 1930 and joined the Convent of Jesus and Mary in 1951 in Willesden, London. The award is in recognition of almost 70 years of teaching, most of which was spent in Pakistan, where she taught Muslim, Christian, Parsi and Hindu children at the Convents of Jesus and Mary in Lahore, Murree and Karachi.

In 2012, whilst she was Principal in Karachi, Sr Berchmans was awarded the Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam, one of the highest civil awards given by the President of Pakistan. The award citation celebrated her “constant adherence to the call of duty over a span of 59 years, which has made Sister Berchmans a living example to emulate.”

During her teaching career, Sr Berchmans taught and inspired thousands of students, amongst whom are the late Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, and renowned MIT Astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala who made significant contributions to research which resulted in the first observation of gravitational waves, being awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Sr Berchmans is the fifth recipient, and the first woman, to be presented with the Benedict Medal, joining previous recipients Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop of Constantinople, Dr Richard Clarke, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all-Ireland, Former Archbishop of Canterbury Baron Williams of Oystermouth, and Sir Michael Wilshaw, the former Chief Executive of Ofsted and alumnus of St Mary’s.  

Speaking of the award, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said, “Sr Berchmans’ dedication and commitment to the thousands of students she has taught is an inspiration to anyone committed to the vocation of teaching. We are honoured that we will be able to present her with the Benedict Medal during our Graduation Ceremony. Her examples of inclusivity and respect will guide our graduates as they embark on their own teaching journeys and continue to inspire future generations.”

Uachtarán na hÉireann (President of Ireland) Michael D. Higgins sent his congratulations noting, “Through her words and actions, Sr Berchmans has not only inspired her students but also encouraged those she met to make positive and lasting contributions to society. Through her work and her dedication to teaching she has become a powerful illustration of the beauty and potential of teaching, and she has been an outstanding example of the power of inclusivity and inter-personal empowerment. May I congratulate her on her award and thank her for work, and for the legacy she has created.”

The Irish Ambassador to the United Kingdom,  HE Adrian O’Neill said, “I am honoured to represent the Irish Government at the presentation of the Benedict Medal to Sr Berchmans. The Government is acutely conscious of the record of service and achievement overseas of many Irish citizens across our diaspora. Sr Berchmans is an outstanding exemplar of such service; her generous, sustained and distinguished contribution to education and mutual understanding has made a lasting impact, over several generations, in Pakistan. She is a very worthy recipient of the Benedict Medal, of whom her fellow Irish citizens are very proud.” 

Former student of Sr Berchmans and MIT Astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala said, “My warmest congratulations to Sr Berchmans on being honoured for her lifelong devotion to one of the most important of human traditions – educating the next generation.”

Baroness Warsi, former Senior British Foreign Minister and a visiting professor at St Mary’s University, added, “Sr Berchmans has given her whole hearted commitment to teaching. She has inspired generations of students, who have gone on to make significant contributions to society across a wide range of sectors.”

“I had the privilege of visiting Sr Berchmans in Karachi and I saw at first-hand how her work and presence has created a lifetime of inter faith understanding. Like her students, colleagues and peers I am delighted that Sr Berchmans is receiving the Benedict Medal from St Mary’s University as part of their summer graduation ceremony at Westminster Cathedral – a fitting occasion for someone who has given their life to education and to helping young people achieve their dreams.”    

Sharing the faith journey of young people: Religious as University Chaplains

Sr Blanaid McCauley with students

As the academic year closes, members of religious congregations who are University Chaplains have sent in reflections on their role:

Sr Anouska Robinson-Biggin

Sr Anouska Robinson-Biggin FCJ

Goldsmiths University & LSBU Twitter:  @anouskafcj

Being a University Chaplain is a role I love, feel passionate about and have grown into.  Professional Development at Newman University, Birmingham has helped this no end! As Chaplain I feel I have the chance to meet people who may never make it into our institutional buildings, or having been in them feel it is not for them, but who are as much in need of a listening ear and a faithful presence as those who do.   I see one of my roles to be the gentle human face of the God who is a companion on their journey.  As a Religious working in a completely non-religious setting I am very much on the ‘edge’ and oftentimes ‘invisible’. Yet for the people (both staff and students) who seek me out or whom I encounter and walk alongside, I know it makes a difference.

One of my regular activities includes working with the Anglican Chaplain preparing, cooking and hosting a lunch each week for students in the Catholic Chaplaincy House.  This attracts between 30 and 40 students a week and is just one way we try to build community in this setting. 

The Scripture passage that really speaks to me as a University Chaplain is the Road to Emmaus. Like on pilgrimage you walk lightly in this ministry, like pilgrims on the way, not arriving with all the answers etc. but in walking along you become more aware of the questions, and therefore more open to the answers you may discover about the setting and yourself.  Ongoing personal reflection is a must in this ministry as each day you consider anew what is the best way to be and do for that moment in time.  In walking lightly, I am open to meet fellow travellers whether they be staff or students, walk with them, listen to their stories and at their invitation have the privilege of breaking open the bread of their lives.  These eucharistic moments are blessed and go far beyond what any term card can say and speak to about the privilege of University Chaplaincy.

As a religious sister in University Chaplaincy ministry I often ponder the words from my Final Vows Ceremony: ‘Be faithful to the ministry the Church entrusts to you to be carried out in its name’. These words speak to me because I know that in my role in the two universities I serve, I am an FCJ Sister (Faithful Companion of Jesus) and as an employee of the Archdiocese, the face of the Church in that place.  I therefore feel like the apostles sent out on mission and even if unsure of how it will unfold, believe in the importance of the journey. 

For more information about Chaplaincy training at Newman University visit their website: https://www.newman.ac.uk/course/chaplaincy-pgcert/part-time/

Sister Mary Kenefick SMG

UCL & Brunel Twitter: @kenefick_mary 

My introduction to University Chaplaincy Ministry happened many years ago.  No one event, rather a whole collection of life gathering skills enabled me to respond to an opening which arose at Newman House in 2006. 

Sr Mary Kenefick

I have served the University College London (UCL) Chaplaincy for 13 years, while I spent 7 years at London Metropolitan University and six years at Brunel London University. Both UCL and Brunel London have been in existence for fifty- two years both founded by Mgr Bruce Kent.

I endeavour to enable the students to have fun activities, eg., outreach to others, faith sessions to discover more about themselves and come to know more about the scriptures and the Church; to be firm friends with each other as this bonds them to seek and to deepen their faith - not only knowledge of the faith but to live it joyfully with each other. Awareness of challenges and differences has been the seedbed for deepening their prayer life which has been nurtured through times of Guided Prayer, Retreat days and Pilgrimages and the daily praying The Prayer of the Church. 

The latest new initiative for UCL Catholic Society (CathSoc) is to take part in the Bloomsbury Festival 2019 with the theme ‘Small steps, Giant leaps’.  Here they will invite Bloomsbury Festival goers into Newman House to savour a display of posters highlighting the main events of Cardinal Newman’s life.  There will also be a walk in Venerable Mother Magdalen Taylor’s footsteps around the Bloomsbury area to illustrate ‘Small steps, Giant leaps’. 

Each year has its differences and its blessings. While for Brunel CathSoc their latest new initiative was when one of the students played her musical instrument at the Church in order to raise funds for the Medaille Trust, Hayes.  So impressed were the parish of Uxbridge, with this initiative, they donated some money to this cause as well.

I believe all our CathSoc students continue to have lasting memories of deep friendships formed in these precious years.  They are eager to give something back to make the world a better place and to act as conduits of God’s mercy and love for his creatures and creation.

Fr Matthew Power SJ: Oxford University

The Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy year came to a close with a retreat at the Jesuit Villa House in Barmouth in Wales for eight students and two of the Chaplains. For the students, it was a chance to become better acquainted with the Ignatian Examen and to use it as a way of looking back over the year and to give thanks to God for its blessings. For the Chaplains too, the days away provided time and space to review a year that had been particularly rich, and it is good to evoke some of that here.

Fr Matthew Power, 2nd right

There have been major liturgical celebrations eg., a Mass commemorating the Oxford Catholic students who died in World War I;  three residential retreats (two at Barmouth and one at Stanbrook Abbey);  some well attended talks (Fr Nick Austin SJ on ‘The Good Life’, Michael Wee, from the Anscombe Centre and Becky Short, Assistant Chaplain, on Bioethics, and a series of excellent speakers on Bl. John Henry Newman); and a number of social events, fostering the sense of community within the Chaplaincy, most enjoyably, a variety show in which even the chaplains were willing to send themselves up in a version of ‘Favourite Things,’ to the delight of the audience.

In January the Chaplaincy hosted ten or so organisations including Jesuit Missions, the Jesuit Refugee Service and MAGIS, to make students more aware of summer and longer-term volunteering at an all-day Vacations Project Fair (hopefully to become an annual event). OxUnboxed, an eco-pop-up supermarket, also came on a Sunday in the Easter and Summer terms. There is no doubt more to be done in the area of engagement in pressing social issues, but with a good number of students helping rough sleepers through the Order of Malta Volunteers, there is already much to be grateful for.

Also a cause for encouragement, the fact that once again the Week of Guided Prayer, led this year by Iona Dalglish-Reid, attracted a good number of participants, 38, and that in the course of the year the Ignatian Examen has been offered on a series of Fridays rotating through four different Oxford Colleges.

We are hugely helped by the engagement of students, in the flourishing Newman CathSoc, in the various areas of Chaplaincy life: serving and choir, for example; helped too by the support that we receive from the Jesuits at Campion Hall,  the Anglican College Chaplains, and the Newman Trust, who keep the roof over our heads and do so much more. A good year, for which we give thanks to God.

Sr Dr Una Coogan IBVM

Birmingham University Twitter: @coogan_una

Being a religious sister in a multi-faith University Chaplaincy is an interesting place to be.  As the only non-ordained or equivalent full time chaplain, the role of the Religious is interesting. I find the relationship with students and staff very personality based rather than sacramental. This often means that I am the one sought out to solve practical issues that occur. It takes time to establish yourself as a chaplain, time to build up those relationships.

Sr Una Coogan, centre

One way I found useful is to find something to do in the university that is not based around religion, for me this has been ‘management and leadership coaching’ as part of the University’s coaching academy. It has opened doors for me to get to know members of staff that I would have never met otherwise and allows the work of chaplaincy to be known around the university.

I was asked recently during a talk I was giving to our Catholic Society, ‘what’s  the best thing about your work as a religious sister?’  My instance reply was ‘you are’ -  as cheesy it sounds-  but this job has given me the privilege of accompanying these young adults during their University lives. We sometimes forget how wonderful our young adults are, how their faith is developing and what a strong desire they have both to follow Jesus and to put their faith into action. I became a Religious to follow my path to God, accompanying others to do so is a joy.

Sr Valentina Stilo FMVD
Southampton University

Through the team at the Chaplaincy we try to provide students with a family environment at the Faith and Reflection Centre, offering them the opportunity to meet new friends, to experience community life, to be nourished by God through the Sacraments, companionship, spiritual and sacramental formation, catechesis and experience of prayer. We also try to reach out into the non-Catholic students through social events and through friendship.  

Every morning I meet with my sisters in our little chapel to pray. At the beginning of term,  an old American song came to my mind :  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CJfxaWRkNs

 “As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the starry crown
Good Lord, show me the way!

O sisters, let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down
O sisters, let's go down
Down in the river to pray”

I felt that this song was an invitation to remember who is the centre of my mission at the University: it is the Lord and I want to walk with Him, once more to this field of mission as going “down to the river to pray”.

Sr Valentina, centre (grey top) at World Youth Day

Walking across Highfield Campus, I swim in a river of people: young lives, full of dreams and desires, adults who do their best to provide a good service to the students, thinkers, researchers, the yeast of development and culture. I swim in this river of knowledge and human growth, knowing that in this place I’m going to meet Jesus today ['Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Mt 25:40)]; this is the place He wants to enlighten with the Word He gave me this morning and nourish with the food he offers me at every Eucharist.

At the start of an academic year, my deep desire is simple: to introduce students and staff of the University to His beautiful face… This face that we never know enough, but it’s always new. I  hope for the University Catholic Chaplaincy team at the University of Southampton to  provide a space in which the students are enabled to express their questions, offer their gifts and integrate their intellectual growth with their spiritual, emotional and, finally, human growth. I hope we can, together with the Catholic students and staff of the University, be a missionary community, being to the University – place of “teaching universal knowledge” (Newman) – the Catholic (which means universa!) colourful people of God, house of prayer for all (Is 56:7), connection with God and humanity:   living memory of the beauty of the Truth.

Sr Blanaid McCauley SSL

Brighton University & Sussex University (recently retired)

I will always be thankful that my first experience of Chaplaincy  was based in Brighton. Its diverse culture in terms of ethnicity, sexual orientation and internationalism taught me much and above all challenged me to recognise the richness and dignity of all peoples.

This I knew could only be done by having an attitude of unconditional acceptance and respect for everyone, regardless of religion, belief, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and colour, and always operating from an ‘open door’ chaplaincy that welcomed all. The open door policy brought many students in, many searching for their ‘god’, others  disillusioned , some traumatised by previous life experiences of bereavement, rejection and mental health issues.

The ‘open door’ also brought in a number of vibrant young Christian / Catholic students who were instrumental in developing and nurturing a strong and active praying Christian community. I never ceased to be amazed by the generosity and good will of the students volunteering with the Soup Run, Night Shelter and Age UK. and their strong sense for social justice in taking part in demonstrations both within the university campus and further afield. Retreats and time away from it all at Worth Abbey, Taize and Student Cross provided tremendous experience for nurturing prayer and faith.

Sr Blanaid, on pilgrimage to Canterbury with students

Last October I returned to the University of Brighton to volunteer with the ‘Momentum Programme’ to support and mentor Black Asian Minority Ethnic students, students who have a disability, students in need of a confidence boost.

Having been a Chaplain for seventeen years, I still hold a strong sense of deep fulfilment for having had the opportunity and privilege to work in partnership with chaplains of other faiths in the accompaniment of both students and staff in their life - faith journeys.

Regardless of the support and influence of ‘good’ chaplains, I firmly believe in the effectiveness of students, strong in their faith who by their Christian example lead their vulnerable peers back to their faith.

Fr Brendan Callaghan SJ

Fr Brendan Callaghan

Manchester University

The Manchester Universities Catholic Chaplaincy has the three university institutions on Manchester’s Oxford Road as its main area of work. The University of Manchester, the Royal Northern College of Music, and Manchester Metropolitan University have 80,000+ students between them, with a high proportion of international students.

The Universities themselves are increasingly supportive of Chaplaincy ministry, recognising that the counselling and other support services that they can provide do not necessarily engage with the life issues or existential questions with which many students are dealing.

The Chaplaincy Team includes four Jesuits, two fcJ Sisters, an all-essential and all-welcoming Administrative Assistant and the most recent addition to the team, a two-year-old border collie called Penny (who more than earns her keep, de-stressing exam-ridden students).

Penny !

A year or so ago, the team came up with the following description of our mission, which appears as a reminder in each edition of our weekly newsletter:

“The Catholic Chaplaincy is an oasis on the pilgrimage of life where we make friends, build community, volunteer to serve others, and find accompaniment & guidance in exploring and deepening our faith, especially through prayer, liturgy and the sacraments. We are a thriving community from all over the world. With study space, free food, & free Wi-Fi,  consider us to be your family - your home from home while you study.”

What we set out as our “mission” works itself out in a number of ways, most of which will be familiar to anyone involved in Chaplaincy ministry. The context of a very high proportion of international students gives a particular “feel” to much of what happens here, and it is clear that underlying all of the specific ministries is the foundation of a living community of prayer, service, and celebration.

“What am I grateful for in these last months?” said one of our student members in the course of shared prayer and reflection: “I’m grateful for the welcoming community, where I can be myself without having to conform to rigid sets of rules, and where I’m accepted. That’s why I spend so much time with the chaplaincy.”

As our Salford diocesan prayer says: Stay with us Lord, on our journey!

“Thank God someone knows I’m alive!”

By Sister Moira Keane

[Sr. Moira has just received the ‘Irish in Britain Volunteer award’ and has sent in this reflection on her work with prisoners]

Twenty years ago I enjoyed a sabbatical year. While at All Hallows College in Dublin doing a Diploma course in Humanities I had a placement at Mountjoy prison. Discovering that I loved my experience there, and trusted to escort some of the women on home visits, I applied for full time Prison Chaplaincy when I returned to my Mercy Congregation in England. Catholic chaplains go to where they are appointed to, and I was posted to Northumberland. After twelve wonderful years I retired from that ministry and was missioned to Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.  I live there in a beautiful dormer opposite the sea, and in time, it has became a house of hospitality for friends and relatives of the Sisters in care.

With so much experience of prison, the Irish Council for prisoners (I.C.P.O)  overseas invited me to volunteer some time to support them in their very busy London office. I was delighted that with the support of my  Mercy Leadership team, I was  back in contact with the prison population.

What does the work involve? Occasionally accompanying caseworkers on sometimes difficult prisons visits. Engaging in conversation with groups of inmates while the caseworker is seeing prisoners individually -  and when appropriate listening, supporting, advising, encouraging and sharing tea and biscuits!

In the office there is a phone system for prisoners and their family members. Many times offenders are moved to other prisons and lose touch with their families. Prisoners serving a life sentence need a lot of support and can easily get lost in the system. They often say “thank God someone knows I’m alive.”

I sort the mail when it arrives, reading letters and highlighting an ssue if it needs to be dealt with urgently. It is not unusual to read that a client is planning suicide, coping with the death of a family member or has no money to phone home,  which causes much stress especially if the prisoner is a parent. Or  a client might have a court day and need the support of the caseworker who often attends court or visits the prisoner before he/she attends court or when sentenced. Receiving an unexpected sentence creates other problems.  I support the staff in many ways from making cups of tea to occasionally attending a funeral.

 I.C.P.O. is an amazing service and a lifeline to our people who for one reason or another find themselves incarcerated, and sometimes wrongly convicted. More volunteers are required as well as funding to ensure this project continues…..

We give the last word to Jesus who said “I was in prison and you visited me.”  

Police expert on human trafficking asks: "who wouldn't trust a nun?"

DS Helene Miller with Religious of Mary Immaculate Sisters

A great turnout - despite the 34 degrees!

Several people had travelled from the north west and the Midlands in order to learn more about trafficking and to feed that back to their congregations / parishes

One of the keynote speakers at a large meeting to address human trafficking attended by around sixty members of  congregations has praised the contribution and support given to the police by churches and by religious congregations.  The meeting, in London,  was organised by the Conference of Religious to help boost involvement in anti-trafficking efforts.

DS Helene Miller of the Metropolitan Police’s Human Trafficking team works closely with the Rahab initiative set up by the Sisters Adoratrices in the Kensington area.  The project, which is marking its tenth anniversary, was established to care for women affected by prostitution and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.  In these sensitive situations, when victims are maybe distrustful of figures of authority and officials, DS Miller quite simply asked : “who wouldn’t trust a nun?”

DS Miller, who gave a joint presentation with Rahab’s Community Engagement and Partnerships manager, Bex Keer,  cited the example of a raid on premises where a number of victims of human slavery had been rescued ; a hall was provided to offer immediate, emergency accommodation. The individuals were housed, fed, clothed and given a safe space in which interpreters could be invited in, to allow interviews with police to be conducted – a vital part of the process that paves the way for prosecutions to be pursued.

Bex Keer described the Rahab project as “a real collaboration between a religious congregation and statutory authorities, working in the two London boroughs with the largest sex industry” – and gave a broad outline of how the cooperation works;  the Rahab team try to gain ‘intelligence’ on properties where women might be victims of exploitation. When raids then take place, officers do a risk assessment to make sure the women are safe ; Rahab staff are there in tandem,  to provide back up assistance and immediate support to the women,  “with the Police asking questions that we wouldn’t ask.”

Making the point that the problem of human slavery is “hidden within sight,” attendees at the meeting were told that within the five minutes they had spent walking to the venue from the tube station, they had passed several flats from which victims of slavery had been rescued.

DS Miller added: “We cannot combat modern slavery alone, and whilst we work alongside many government agencies, it’s the goodwill of the Church and religious organisations whose support we truly value  – they do the jobs we can’t always do – reaching out into the community, supporting the most vulnerable in society and being our ‘eyes and ears’. Perhaps the most valuable asset the Church has is being able to provide facilities for police to use as a ‘safe haven’ for victims, away from a police station, where we can assess their needs, conduct interviews and provide information and updates.”

Mick Duthie explaining modern slavery

The meeting also heard presentations from Mick Duthie of the Santa Marta Group, a representative from the Medaille Trust and a Croydon based anti-trafficking group, as well as individual Religious who work on the frontline with victims.

Brother Malachy

For instance, Sister Patricia Mulhall CSB, who accompanies people who have to spend hours at the Home Office, as they seek leave to remain, spoke of the misery experienced by victims of trafficking.   Brother Malachy Brannigan OH who runs Olallo House, a central London safe house for victims of human slavery, described how he had become wise to the deviousness of traffickers and no one gets into the property without being questioned by him (including interpreters).  Sr Bridgetta Rooney CSJP described how fruitful it had been for her congregation to lease a property to the police so that victims had a sanctuary in which to be interviewed about their ordeal. Sr Bridgetta noted that in the East Midlands, the police would appreciate further properties being made available for this purpose.  Sr Mary Agnes Idiong IBVM, who works with the Medaille Trust,  spoke about befriending ‘Agatha’ who was trafficked into the UK and whilst now liberated,  is completely alone.

Around sixty members of congregations attended the meeting, some travelling hundreds of miles to be there for the day. The aim was to provide further information to Religious about the problem of human slavery and to direct them to organisations where they can offer their time and experience. The initiative follows the large research project last year by the Arise Foundation which revealed the under reported but massive scale of involvement by Religious in anti-trafficking. A booklet was produced to coincide with the meeting with information for Religious about ways to get involved in anti-trafficking. For a copy, email : admin@corew.org

FOOTNOTE:  The Conference of Religious has been asked by the Police if congregations in certain areas of England would be able to offer support with anti-trafficking, eg., to provide properties for interviews as outlined above.  For details, email: communcations@corew.org

Religious relish the chance to listen to young people at the WYD @ Home

Religious from several congregations joined forces to be a presence at a large gathering of young people for a weekend festival over Pentecost at Alton Castle in Staffordshire. The youth event was entitled : ‘World Youth Day @ Home.’   In the words of the organisers: “Many of us were keen to respond to Pope Francis’ invitation to World Youth Day in Panama this year, but for many of us from the UK, it was too far to join in the celebrations.”  

The Religious who were present ran a ‘Listening Hub’ – inspired by the appeal made by Pope Francis following the Synod for youth, faith and vocational discernment:

“Priests, men and women religious, while they do not have a monopoly of accompaniment, have a specific task which arises from their vocation and which they must rediscover, as they were asked to do by the young people present in the Synodal Assembly, in the name of so many others.”   #93Post Synodal Document

The aim of the Listening Hub was to provide a space for young people  - offering an opportunity to talk through aspects of their life in which they were seeking some guidance or direction.

Those members of congregations who participated described it as a very fruitful experience:

Carmelite Sr Susan Thompson:   "It was great to be able to spend some time with our young people and experience some of their enthusiasm. I would like to think that the time we spent together was of mutual benefit in each of our faith journeys.”

Fr John Mcgowan OCD :  “I went in great part because I was at World Youth Day in Panama; it was a way of bringing back wonderful memories. So I wore the lanyard I had been given in Panama with all the memorabilia that people exchanged; badges, medals, pins, even a koala bear from some Australians; I must have looked like a hippy. It was a well organised event.  I loved listening to David Wells, who has a gift at communicating something deep in a way that is so understandable. I was impressed with John Pridmore, an ex convict: he held those youngsters as he spoke to them of his life and his conversion. Rise Theatre was also impressive: theatre is such a good means of sharing the gospel. It was great to meet my fellow Religious. I knew most of them, and some have become friends. I was pleased to see two of our enclosed Carmelite nuns; one from Notting Hill Carmel and one from Wetherby. The young people were attracted to their witness. Events like this reinforce my belief in the faith of young people. I am now a believer in youth. I pray that the fruits of the 2018 Synod on youth will be seen and soon.”

Sr Patricia Ako Egbe, Handmaids of Mary, Ministers to the Sick: “Incredible! To start, Alton Castle was a very suitable venue; isolated with a natural panorama of the surrounding green forests and valleys inspiring meditation and contemplation. I was fortunate to be at the listening hub. There was sincerity and profoundness in the conversations.   I thought there was a need for listening and sharing. The necessity to listen to young people who carry a world within of brokenness, fears, confusion, etc.,  yet a profound yearning for the transcendent. The need of accompaniment is indispensable in order to advance in their quest for the transcendent, & thus distance themselves from excessive pre-occupation of their brokenness, fears, etc. This created a space and an environment of listening to the Spirit - the beginning of healing.”

Sr Dorothy Paul. Franciscan Sister Minoress: ‘The gathering at Alton Castle  was my first experience of a ‘world youth day at home’ event. To be among many young people and experience and listen (through the listening hub) to their enthusiasm and struggles with the Church was a privilege. Also, it was a joy and very uplifting to be among so many priests, religious and even some hierarchy, I found it very uplifting and a great hope for the future and a great sense of Church’.

Police and Religious speaking at a day aimed at boosting the involvement of congregations in anti-trafficking

Religious are invited to a further awareness raising day about human trafficking, taking place on Saturday June 29th in London, organised by the Conference of Religious.

January meeting about trafficking

It’s designed as a practical follow up to the well attended meetings earlier this year, but this time with a stronger focus on directing Religious towards frontline work and outlining a range of settings in which a contribution could  be made.  

There will be a wide variety of speakers, with time built into the day for questions and interaction with the experts present.

The major research conducted last year by the Arise Foundation revealed the scale of anti-trafficking work by Religious.  It also shed light on the collaboration that takes place between the Police and religious congregations, eg., Sisters accompanying the police on raids at houses where people are victims of human slavery.

At the forthcoming meeting, on June 29th, speakers include a representative from the Police,  a Sister who accompanies victims at the Home Office, several Religious who work in safe houses with victims of trafficking,  Mick Duthie of the Santa Marta group and  Sisters who made a property available to the police as a safe space where victims could be interviewed. All are welcome to the meeting.

DETAILS: 

It’s being hosted by the RMI Congregation :     15 Southwell Gardens SW7 4RN

(Nearest tube, Gloucester Road)

(exit the tube station, veering to the left to follow ‘Cromwell Road’ sign; walk to the lights and cross over Cromwell Road (a post office will be on the corner, to the left). Then take the first left just after an Anglican Church into Southwell Gardens)

Saturday June 29th. 1030 – 1500.   Cost:   £5, lunch included.  To register, please send an email to : communications@corew.org

Open invitation to 'younger religious' to connect via WhatsApp

By Sister Clare O’Handley

What does religious life mean today? What does the future hold for religious life? These are important questions, especially for younger members of religious congregations. Currently, there is a network of ‘younger religious’, living in different areas of the UK, who meet together from time to time. Most recently, a group met during May for an afternoon together in London.

Sr Clare, on the right, at a CoR meeting

What does ‘younger religious’ mean here?: this network comprises those in religious life in temporary or final vows who are predominantly in their 30’s and 40’s. These informal meetings occur 2-3 times per year and serve primarily as a way of socialising together. That being said, conversations often turn to sharing lived experiences of religious life and reflecting upon its future. Topics of discussion have included the dynamics of living in intercultural and/or intergenerational communities (often with wide age-gaps), and how to use digital culture and social media in a fruitful and life-giving manner. Regardless of the topic, our reflections centre on how we live a certain reality within our current context of community, Church and world. This leads to identifying areas where we feel change is needed in order that we continue to be witnesses to what we desire to live. For example, given the areas of ministry that are seen as a priority, many of us see the need to find new ways to collaborate with others, be that other religious, lay people, those of other faith traditions or no faith tradition.

Given the change in size of our congregations over the past decades, we also perceive a need to explore different ways of living community on a daily basis as well as different forms of structure and governance within our congregations.

Coordinating diaries is never an easy task between work, studies, community, family, retreats, and other commitments. We meet whenever even a handful of us can come together. For me, it is beneficial as a ‘young religious’ to be able to share my questions, hopes, fears, struggles and joys with others who are close to my age. It is equally important to hear what others have to share. This is particularly true in respect to the future: religious life must change and evolve if it is to remain relevant in the Church and world. Reflecting with this group provides me with insights that are multiplied by the number of people present, which is a gift.

Above all, it is simply a blessing to be able to share a meal together and to get to know each other. Between meetings, we keep in contact via Whatsapp for important events such as vows, sharing information regarding upcoming events, sending wishes for feast days and to organise future meetings. We are always happy to add a new member to our group, including someone in religious life who is in the UK for a short time of formation or ministry.

If this is useful….:

If you, or someone you know is a ‘younger religious’ (having pronounced either temporary or final vows) and would like to know more about our meetings or join our WhatsApp group, you can contact Clare O’Handley, Sister of Saint Andrew, at clare_ohandley@yahoo.ca

The climate crisis, inter-faith dialogue & tackling social exclusion - key issues at AGM

“I always come away from these conferences with a sense of greater purpose and with inspiration but I think particularly so at this one. There’s a kind of shift going on amongst us and a whole focus outward and signs of the practical steps that we’re beginning to take.”

 “Refreshing the Wineskins” was the theme revisited by Sr Pat Murray IBVM who was the keynote speaker at CoR’s AGM, attended by more than 110 members of the Conference of Religious.  Developing the concept of ‘renewal’ and of ‘mission re-ignited,’  Sr Pat returned to last year’s image of a wineskin being transformed, but using it this time as a metaphor for personal change and helping those present to see it as a catalyst, urging them forward into action on key issues of concern for society and humanity. Sr Pat detailed the intensive efforts of the UISG to develop networks and relationships globally as a means of helping the most vulnerable on the planet.

The emphasis on mission follows a concerted effort by the  Conference of Religious to develop greater cohesion around collaborative action and intercongregational working.  This has manifested itself in the very well attended anti-trafficking meetings in January, in London and Manchester and in follow up meetings for awareness raising and showing ways of assisting with frontline work. For instance, CoR supported a meeting organised in the northwest in April attended by Religious, Priests and lay people and is holding a further awareness raising session in London at the end of June, with input from a variety of experts who work with trafficked victims. 

At the AGM, after reflections led by Sr Pat Murray, the conference developed detailed group conversations on how individual Religious and congregations could do more to tackle social issues.  Brainstorming around key problems resulted in ideas being pooled, suggestions for networking and collaborating, and the development of action points, with key interested individuals coming forward to help lead others.

As well as further exploration of the very difficult problem of human trafficking and modern slavery, a recurrent issue that arose in multiple conversations was that of the climate crisis and the necessity for religious congregations to take to heart the warnings in Laudato Si’ and to personally pledge to get involved in campaigning / awareness raising. Other key topics that the conversations covered included greater efforts in the area of inter-faith dialogue and renewed attention and action to tackle social exclusion, in order to provide greater assistance to refugees & asylum seekers and the homeless.

Feedback from attendees:

Sr Patricia Byrne:   “This was my first time here and it certainly has had an effect on me. I now know much more about CoR and I’m connected to CoR in a way that I haven’t been before.  Sr Pat’s presentation was fantastic; it led us along a pathway to a point where we engaged with topics & came to a consensus about what we’d like to work on. Her sense that networking & building relationships is the best way forward in the future gave us a good understanding of how to proceed. I think that we will achieve something as a body in working towards these issues in the future and I hope to be part of that.”

Sr Michelle O’Reilly: “It’s been a wonderful conference. I’ve felt a lot of support from everybody here and we seem to be more outward looking this year, towards mission rather than insular.”

Sr Kate Midgely: “It’s good to connect with people who are concerned about the same issues; for me, it’s the climate crisis; by being in the same place we can network more easily. It’s been useful to experience the energy of others who are concerned about the same issues.”

Fr Kenneth Okoli: “Sr Pat the presenter helped us to critically think of our relevance in contemporary society, as a means of developing our greatest abilities as Religious with a common goal.”

Sr Sheila Barrett: “I love meeting Religious. I always come away from these conferences with a sense of greater purpose and with inspiration but I think particularly so at this one. There’s a kind of shift going on amongst us and a whole focus outward and the practical steps that we’re beginning to take.”

First Religious Sister appointed as director of the National Office for Vocations

Members of the Conference of Religious, meeting on the first day of their Annual General Meeting in Derbyshire, have expressed congratulations to Sr Elaine Penrice FSP, who has been appointed as the new Vocations Director for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. 

Sr Elaine has worked as Religious Life Promoter with the National Office for Vocation for three years and is also Productions Coordinator at Pauline Books & Media, as well as serving on the leadership team of her congregation, the Daughters of St Paul.  

Sr Elaine commented on her appointment : “I am delighted that the Bishops’ Conference has invited me to take up this role. It is of course, both exciting and challenging to be the first woman to take up the position and I thank the Bishops Conference for their support and confidence in me. In my time at the National Office for Vocation, I have very much enjoyed being able to support both enquirers and vocations directors, and I look forward to developing the work of the office to meet the needs of the Church in England & Wales. I would also like to thank the Conference of Religious in England & Wales, for their support in these past three years, and I know they will continue to be my close collaborators.” 

Bishop Terence Drainey, Chair of the Management Board of the National Office for Vocation, said he was delighted to be able to announce the appointment.  

“I have worked with Sr Elaine in her role as Religious Life Promoter and as the acting Director of the National Office for Vocations over the last few years and I am sure she will continue her innovative work into the future.”  

Daughters of St Paul at the CoR AGM: l to r: Sr Angela Grant, Sr Elaine Penrice, Sr Bridget Ellis

Sr Elaine was born in Motherwell, Scotland in 1972 and after completing her studies in Art & Design at the University of Dundee she entered the Daughters of St Paul, an international congregation of consecrated religious founded to evangelise with the modern means of communication. Sr Elaine spent much of her formation years in Rome, and then in St Louis, USA, where she completed her theological studies at St Louis University.  

Sr Elaine added: “To embrace one’s vocation, is the road to profound peace. It colours everything in our life. Whether we are called to religious life, holy orders, marriage, or single discipleship, the Church needs us all to witness to “the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ” (Col. 1:27). 

“Language was no barrier because regardless of where we originate we all speak the same language of love and we all aim to serve.”

Sr Maureen, seated, far right

 A report from the recent UISG plenary meeting, by Sr Maureen Murphy FMSJ

This was the third conference of the International Union of Superiors General I had attended as a congregational leader and by far the best. I was one of over eight hundred leaders of Women’s Religious Congregations from more than eighty countries who gathered in the basement of a large hotel in Rome.   The theme of the conference was “Sowers of Prophetic Hope” and the following subjects were covered in depth with speeches which were streamed live on the UISG website and videos on Youtube: 

Sr Maureen’s table group committing to planting seeds of hope

·        A Vision for the Future of Religious Life 

·        Sowers of Prophetic Hope for the Planet from a Biblical Perspective and the Presentation of the UISG Campaign Sowing Hope for the Planet 

·        Living Interculturally as a sign of prophetic hope 

·        The Call to Inter Religious Dialogue 

After each presentation by highly qualified female speakers there was table conversation between the ten Sisters at each table divided into language groups around the large hall.  Translation was provided in thirteen languages. This provided opportunities for lively discussions as many topics are lived out in different ways in our various cultural contexts. A sentence summarising the content of the presentations was produced by each group and fed back to the plenary. 

Reports were given on the work of the Executive Committee in the past three years and these included growing contact with various Vatican dicasteries, attendance at Synods and the projects run by UISG - especially Solidarity in South Sudan and Talitha Kum, the anti trafficking initiative, which was celebrating the ten years of its existence with a very graphic exhibition of photographs showing Sisters of all nationalities working very much with the most vulnerable people on earth. 

In the short breaks between sessions,  old friends found one another and new relationships were formed. Language was no barrier because regardless of where we originate we all speak the same language of love and we all aim to serve. 

Mass at St Peter’s

On 10th May, the last day of the Conference we made our way in taxis and buses to St Peter’s where Cardinal Braz de Avis celebrated Mass for us and we then made our way to Paul vi hall for an audience with Pope Francis. He entered the hall to cheers and choruses of singing especially from the Sisters from South America.

Before sitting at the table provided for him to sit with the President of our Executive Board, Sister Carmen Summut,  Pope Francis asked for the big winged armchair provided for him to be exchanged to a simple dining chair -  the same as the one provided for Sr Carmen. A sure sign of humility and equality. Discarding the long speech he had written - which he gave to Sr Carmen to circulate to us because he said it was boring and he would rather just speak with us - he welcomed us and thanked us for our loving service all over the world but emphasised that we should serve but not be in servitude particularly to clergy.  If we want to cook and clean we should do so for the vulnerable and sick not for priests who can employ people to do such work - while we evangelise by our presence.

An audience with Pope Francis

Asked about the report commissioned to look at the possibility of women deacons Pope Francis told us that the theologians are still at work but we need to pray that they can come to a consensus.  The previous day he had issued a Moto Proprio about child abuse and he mentioned this in the context also of the abuse of Religious. A question asked by a Sister from South Sudan pleading for the early appointment of new bishops to replace those who retire because their leadership is essential in inter religious dialogue and the search for peace received a reply that it was very important but finding the right people who are capable of leadership and fluent in languages was often difficult. 

Before leaving the hall Pope Francis was introduced to the Executive Board members and the delegates from around the world representing the Sisters in their various countries. As the delegate for the UK I felt enormously privileged to shake the hand of this humble and simple man who asked each one of us to pray for him. 

Meetings of the delegates continued on Monday and Tuesday the following week and we elected the new Executive who in turn chose the new president, Sister Iolanda Kafta,  from Poland. 

We left feeling that we had experienced something beautiful and life giving and it is up to us now to share the content with our own Sisters and local Conferences of Religious in whatever ways we can in order to become Sowers of Seeds for the Planet and prophetic witnesses of hope. 

Sister Maureen Murphy, fmsj 

Congregational Leader 

Several congregations welcoming pilgrims on the new 'Augustine Camino'

Visits to a number of religious congregations are included in the newly developed ‘Augustine Camino’ – a pilgrimage route through Kent – which is a project of St Augustine’s Catholic parish in Ramsgate.  The walk, designed with the famous Spanish Camino de Santiago in mind, begins at the Anglican Rochester Cathedral and wends its way to Ramsgate via Canterbury, stopping off at parishes along the way, as a means of being authentic to the spirit of pilgrimage from the medieval era.

Walkers will encounter three congregations along the route: the Carmelites, Benedictines and Vincentians and it is also an ecumenical experience, taking in the Cathedrals at Rochester and Canterbury.

Aylesford Priory

Founder of the walk, St Augustine’s parishioner Andrew Kelly explains: “The original pilgrimage to Canterbury was to the Shrine of St Augustine and the Augustine Camino leads to the new Shrine of St Augustine in Ramsgate. The re-emergence of pilgrimage infrastructure in England has been a gradual process starting in the early 19th century. Medieval pilgrims would have visited monasteries and shrines along their route which were run by religious orders. It is now possible to re-establish this experience, often in the original buildings and it is this that has informed the route of the Augustine Camino. Hence the visits to Aylesford Priory and the shrine of St Jude (run by the Carmelites) and Minster abbey, which is a Benedictine Convent.”

Prior of Aylesford, Fr Francis Kemsley, has noticed an increase in the number of people passing through on foot and that for some, who are burdened by difficult problems in life, the Camino offers spiritual solace and a release:   “We are just a mile away from the Pilgrims’ Way – the ancient route from Winchester and London to Canterbury. Over the last few years it is very noticeable that a lot more people are walking the modern camino; there’s a sense of pilgrimage – a reminder that people are leaving their everyday concerns. And I like to think that a shrine is a place where heaven and earth meet.”

Minster was the site of an important monastery in the medieval era. In 1937 Benedictine nuns, fleeing Nazi persecution, re-founded the community and dedicated it with a Shrine to St Mildred. It continues as a thriving community of Benedictine nuns. The Camino brings them into direct contact with walkers who arrive to get their ‘pilgrim passport’ stamped.

Sr Walburga commented: We had a lovely couple here the other day doing the Camino. They were radiant despite the wet weather. Such a joy to meet.”

Sr Mildred Maria giving passing pilgrims their stamp

Arriving in Canterbury,  pilgrims pass Eastbridge hospital, an old pilgrim hospice now run by Anglican Franciscans as an almshouse.  The Franciscan Gardens are at the rear of Eastbridge and are a haven of peace; they are the grounds of the first Franciscan settlement in the UK and are a Scheduled Ancient Monument.  In the 20th century a Franciscan movement, the Society of Saint Francis, grew within the Anglican Church and the establishment of a Franciscan house in 2003 saw the Franciscan Brothers return once again to the site.

Another newly arrived community are the ‘Vincentian Canons of Kerala’ who follow the Syro Malabar rite of the Catholic Church ;  they have installed themselves in Ramsgate and now conduct a very busy ministry of retreat giving.

Camino founder Andrew Kelly explains: “There is a lovely story about how they came to be in Ramsgate.  When the previous occupants of the Abbey – a community of Benedictine monks – decided that they could not manage the upkeep of the building any more there was a possibility that it would be put to secular use.  The mother of the then Parish Priest, Fr Marcus Holden prayed that a religious use would be found.  Some visiting Missionaries of Charity noticed the building was for sale and mentioned it to the Vincentians who happened to be looking for a base for a retreat centre.”

They have thrived within a short period of time; there is a retreat nearly every weekend and events during the week ; on average 150 people attend each session from all over the South and the Midlands.

Local Priest and administrator of the Shrine of St Augustine, Fr Simon Heans commented: “The Vincentian presence, as well as enabling the Abbey to survive as an ecclesiastical building, is of enormous benefit to the parish. Parishioners have been drawn into their retreat sessions and have become volunteers helping to administer them in some cases. In the other direction, retreatants come to the Shrine to learn about St Augustine and to venerate the relic we have. Permanent staff from there often come to Mass and Confession at the Shrine during the week. The priests of the Shrine and ‘the Divine’ as the Divine Retreat Centre is known support each other with cover for Masses and Confessions. Parishioners have been encouraged by the youth and the fervour of the visitors to the Divine who can be guaranteed to turn out in force for any event organised at St Augustine’s especially if it is an outdoor procession. We consider we are very lucky to have such a vibrant worshipping community on our doorstep.”

The ‘Divine’ website sums up the impact that  these new missionaries -  following in the footsteps of St Augustine - are having: “It is quite remarkable! The arrival of the Vincentians fitted perfectly with the history of Ramsgate, as this was where the first preaching took place, and where the first retreat was made for the English. The charism of St Augustine lives on through the ministry of the Vincentian congregation, their preaching, and charitable works……..During the weekdays, the Retreat Centre arranges outreach programs to parishes around the UK, to revive, strengthen and develop the parish community. Within the short span of 5 years, the Vincentian priests have visited over 100 parishes and have preached in nearly all the dioceses here in Great Britain.”

Announcing the Gospel in a new place and in a new way - Religious at the UN

By Sister Margaret Scott ACI

Women and Men Religious have a voice at the United Nations. A voice that is loud and clear as they knock on diplomats’ doors, make interventions in committees and raise awareness of critical issues in our troubled world. They also mobilise their members at the grass roots the world over, to bring the voice of the voiceless to the UN and to urge compliance at local level with UN decisions.  

Members of religious institutes have long come to see the United Nations  as a key area of advocacy on behalf of those whom they serve. Most of them have a long history of commitment to those living in poverty and of direct service to the people living on the underside of society.  As global men and women impelled by the gospel agenda, with hearts that embrace the whole world and committed to social justice issues that do not stop at any borders, Catholic Sisters, Brothers and Priests have found  a new way to serve the poor and disadvantaged. 

They are  investing in ministry at the United Nations; a ministry that enables them to live a dynamic renewal of their original charisms and to announce the gospel in a new place and in a new way: being NGOs at the UN. Networking with like minded groups at the United Nations gives them an opportunity to be effective agents of structural change by identifying the systemic causes of deepening poverty and ever increasing inequality, which are embedded in unjust social structures.  

Each religious congregation brings its own original gift and specific reading of the Gospel to its work at the UN. For example the Passionists’ commitment to justice is based on their vision of the poor who are “crucified by unjust economic structures.” While the Medical Missionary Sisters see their involvement at the UN as an extension of their healing ministry in a wounded world.

While the larger religious Congregations are NGOs in their own right, some smaller congregations form coalitions with others in order to become NGOs at the UN. One such coalition is UNANIMA International, made up of 22 women’s congregations, many of whom have members in England and Wales. UNANIMA professes to bring a feminine spirit to the United Nations, together with a gospel concern for the weakest and the least, especially women and children who are economically poor, and a commitment to take their cause to the public square.

The United Nations is by no means a perfect organisation. Far from it. It is only as strong, or as weak, as its members – the 93 countries or states that form the General Assembly of the UN, most of whom are seeking to protect their national interests, rather than the common good or the rights of the poorest and most vulnerable. It is an organisation in urgent need of reform. But it does, in theory, promote and protect human rights and has worked tirelessly to promulgate several important protocols: the Sustainable Development Goals, Climate Change, Human Trafficking. UNANIMA and other Religious NGOs have been part of these important projects.  

The contribution that religious men and women make to the  UN has been hailed over the years by Secretary Generals of the Organisation. Kofi Annan: “Men and women of faith are crucial to the United Nations. As teachers and guides, you can be agents of change and inspire people to new levels of public service.”

Ban Ki Moon: “We simply could not do without your passion, your ideas and your criticism too.” Together with other NGOs we are generally referred to as “the conscience of the UN”. 

The United Nations faces an uncertain future. An ageing institution, urgently in need of reform and better funding, the organisation is still the only global forum in an increasingly isolationist and divided world, where nationalism is on a rampant march, while the poor grow poorer and the planet is being held to ransom by unrestrained economic forces. But what will not change is the UN’s commitment to the protection of human rights for all people.

We consecrated men and women are also moving into the future, gospel people in love with Jesus Christ and his people who will always be called to be involved in our global reality and the United Nations.

In England and Wales our call is to do our best to ensure the compliance of our own institutions, here at home, with United Nations protocols in defence of social justice.

Our government, as a member state of the UN, has signed on to and ratified all the important documents released by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Conventions on Climate Change.

….. Members of UNANIMA International, who are also members of Corew, have heard the call.

Sr Margaret’s doctoral thesis: ‘Gospel Women at the United Nations’ has just been published. It is available on Amazon.

On Vocations Sunday: “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest”

By Sr Elaine Penrice FSP

Sunday the 12th of May marks the 56th World Day of Prayer for Vocations in the Catholic Church. Most Christian denominations will set aside at least one day in their year to pray for vocations, particularly because of the Lord’s invitation to “pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38, Lk 10:2).

In my work of promoting religious life in the National Office for Vocation, I am privileged to witness the ebb and flow of religious, working out how best to respond to the signs of the times. I also hear from people tentatively negotiating the cacophony of voices calling out for their attention in today’s sensory focused world.

Vocation discernment today is a lot about self-discovery, leading to a kind of spiritual exodus… it is only when a person can stop and recognise their self as an autonomous being, gifted and in relationship with God, that they can respond to that call to go out to the beautiful land that the Lord will show them, just as it was for our father Abraham. As religious, we are called through the shifting sands of the desert, to bear witness to our one true anchor and sure ground: Jesus, the Lord.

So, for the world day of prayer for vocation this year, how would I invite you to pray?

Of course, we need to do as Jesus says, “pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest.” It is good, that if we feel passionately about our own choice, we would want others to help us, to join us, to do even more than we could ourselves. It is indeed right that we should plead with the Lord for these things, and at the end say as Jesus did, “yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42).

I think however, we also need to be living witnesses to prayer – that prayer which is friendship with God. When we set our minds, our undivided hearts and our wills to the work of the Father, in union with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we will cease to count new members, and begin to generously lend our ears to those who cannot hear the voice of the Lord. We must busy ourselves with the Lord’s work and witness to the communion which is the Kingdom of God.

If there is one overwhelming voice that came from the Synod on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment, it is that young people today (and I would suggest not only young people), need help in hearing the voice of the Lord, understanding it, and incarnating it into their lives. In the final document, as well as the exhortation Christus Vivit, there is an invitation to accompany our brothers and sisters as they journey on the Christian path. Let this be your offering, as “a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God” (Rm 12:1), to be a conduit for the voice of the Lord, who lovingly calls everybody into his friendship. Open your homes, your lives and your hearts to help them discern the ways of the Lord in their lives.

In this way, your prayer will not just be a plea for companions on your journey, but it will be a living prayer which will open peoples minds and hearts and wills to God, and that will inevitably produce many people fired up and in love with God to the point of consecrating their very lives to Him… in priesthood and consecrated religious life.

You can download free resources for Vocations Sunday from our website: http://www.ukvocation.org/?page_id=928

The Pope’s message for Vocations Sunday:

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/vocations/documents/papa-francesco_20190131_56-messaggio-giornata-mondiale-vocazioni.html

Sr Elaine Penrice FSP is Religious Life Promoter at the National Office for Vocation

Providing homes - to help families rebuild broken lives

Sr Jean Quinn

By Sister Jean Quinn, Daughter of Wisdom

[Sr Jean founded Sophia Housing in 1997 as a national organisation in Ireland,  which cares and supports people with complex mental health and addiction needs who are also homeless.  Sister Jean is also executive director of UNANIMA International, a United Nations-based coalition of Catholic religious congregations focused on concerns of women, children, migrants and the environment].

The contrast could not have been starker:   Just before Easter, ‘Sophia Housing’ hosted a morning of reflection on the possible development of Wisdom centres as part of our ongoing programme of providing homes and vital support for those emerging from homelessness. For 20 years Sophia has been offering a person-centred model of care for individuals and families struggling to rebuild broken lives. Central to our strategy is the provision of homes, reflecting our passionate belief that poverty and homelessness can only be solved through the strategic provision of affordable and sustainable housing, not just “accommodation.” Sophia’s slogan is “providing homes, supporting people”, reflecting a philosophy which recognises that the provision of physical space alone is an inadequate response.

The day after we met,  Ireland’s Office of the Ombudsman for Children published its disturbing findings in ‘No Place Like Home’ -  the first publicly-funded consultation with homeless children in family hubs.

Sophia has long believed that hotels and family hubs are not the solution to the homeless crisis. While hubs may be safer than hotels, they lack the stability of homes. As a society we can, and must, do better.

Currently Sophia Housing supports 617 adults and 169 children, while another 134 people are supported through our outreach programmes. Respect for the dignity of each person is our cornerstone and informs all our actions.

Sophia works with those who come to us at their own pace, providing vital care services and a pathway to independence. Those who turn to us bear the scars of poverty and social exclusion, and come from a variety of backgrounds.

Tranquil space:

The principles of what we call trauma-informed care underpin our approach to medical treatment and to the physical and social environment.

In Dublin’s Cork Street a feature of the complex, in the heart of one of the oldest parts of the capital, is a Wisdom Centre, a bright, tranquil space surrounded by a garden and water.

With its emphasis on space and light, the building provides a safe place to seek wisdom of mind, heart and spirit. The layout is designed to create a sense of belonging, and the centre reinforces that community spirit.

Stakeholders, including representatives of the religious congregations who provide funding for Sophia, recently met to discuss the exciting possibility of including similar Wisdom centres in other projects as we develop our work.

As a Daughter of Wisdom I’m proud of the supportive role played by religious congregations in the work of Sophia. Many congregations have given property to Sophia for use as homes. As the needs for large properties declines these congregations are ensuring that buildings will continue to serve those most in need in different ways.

I am acutely aware of our rich heritage of service and commitment to social justice. Religious sisters continue this tradition in different ways, and new models are emerging throughout the world.

Our voices:

For my own part I am currently executive director of UNANIMA International. It is a coalition of communities of religious women who seek to use our voices and experiences in the fields of health, education and social policy to shape UN policy.

As executive director I represent 22 congregations with 20,000 members in over 80 countries. Our priority has been to put the provision of adequate homes at the centre of UN policy, and my work has been shaped by my experience as a founder of Sophia.

Making the right to a home a human right seemed a modest ambition when I set out on this journey. At times the UN can appear removed from the reality of social exclusion, so I was very pleased at our recent success in convincing the Working Group to End Homelessness to incorporate homelessness into a UN resolution. It will now be the priority theme at the Commission on Social Development in 2020.

At a time when trust and confidence in religious institutions has been shattered, there may have been a tendency to step back. Yet there has never been a more urgent need for care and compassion, locally and globally.

In The Republic of Conscience, Seamus Heaney reminds us:

“Their embassies, he said, were everywhere

but operated independently

and no ambassador would ever be relieved.”

Long may we meet the challenge.

Tributes pour in for Sister of Mercy who has died after being hit by a car

Sr Ita Keane with Saidul Haque Saeed of Citizens UK Bham

Sister Ita Keane of St Mary’s Convent in Handsworth, Birmingham, has died after a collision on a city street.  The 74-year-old had been crossing a road in the Aston area of Birmingham when she was struck by a vehicle on Friday afternoon (April 26) and died in hospital a few hours later.

Sr Ita was a well known community activist, involved with Citizens UK Birmingham.  The organisation paid tribute to her on Twitter :  “Very sad news. The amazing Sr Ita Keane of St Mary's Convent passed away yesterday. She was our rock & a dedicated Organiser building the power of poor families in the city. Our prayers & thoughts are with the Sisters of Mercy family & her loved ones… Everyone is in shock & will deeply miss her. The Sisters of Mercy are at the heartbeat of broad based community organising in Brum.”

The Citizens UK Organiser in Birmingham, Saidul Haque Saeed added:  “Sr Ita no longer with us. I've lost a great mentor & a dear friend, who helped me become a better Organiser. Still in shock. Hurts!”

Councillor Khalid Mahmood, of Perry Barr also paid tribute to Sr Ita, describing her as a “hard-working community member”  who worked tirelessly to help young children in the community, along with pupils at St Francis Catholic Primary School.  He said: "She looked after local children and local people and also helped with the school next door; a huge amount of work in the community, she worked tirelessly and beyond her duty….. she will be hugely missed by the community. We have suffered a great loss.”

The Revd David Butterworth of the Methodist Church in Birmingham also paid tribute on Twitter: “A beautiful & very wise Sister who had time & heart for everyone. The Birmingham Methodist District & Birmingham Circuit counted her a close friend, family... Our condolences with all who knew her & especially her family within the Convent.”

Individuals and organisations that Sr Ita came into contact with in the Lozells area of the city have also been expressing their sense of loss. Local resident, Altaf Kazi posted:  “Sister Ita Keane- a true legend of Lozells and an advocate of the poor- she lived and died in the service of others.”

The Councillor for Lozells, Waseem Zaffar wrote: “This news has sent shockwaves across #Lozells - Sister Ita was an amazing community activist from our neighbourhood & even at the time of her tragic death, she was in the process of helping a vulnerable local family. I visited St Mary’s Convent this morning to pay my respects.”

A community organisation in Lozells – Aspire & Succeed – which offers after school tuition, youth work and free citizens’ advice added:  “Sr Ita was a true hero for us in Lozells, helped shape so many projects currently being delivered, her legacy will live on. Our prayers and love go out to her loved ones and the Sisters of Mercy.”

Thirty years on the 13th floor for Catherine, a Little Sister of Jesus

Regular Friday night drop in with friends & neighbours

Every Friday night an international group of Sisters who live on the 13th floor of an East London tower block open their doors for a community drop in, to share both the Gospel readings for Sunday and food: “We never know who’s going to turn up” says  Sr Catherine, who has lived in the flat since 1989.  

There are some ‘regulars’ such as a local Anglican woman vicar and Ann,  a retired teacher who brings her daughter when she’s back home from her L’Arche community as well as Agnes, Sheila, Margaret, Lien and others:  “There’s a real sense of welcome.  I think we enrich each other.”  Sr Catherine adds : “We want to build friendship & contribute to grassroots reconciliation. When we arrived, the flat had been used as a drugs den, with syringes everywhere.”

The Little Sisters of Jesus try to share the lives of their neighbours, working as cleaners, home carers and in supermarkets and can be spotted down at the Jobcentre when work is hard to come by.  Sr Catherine explains: “Our vocation is to live a contemplative life, but at the heart of the world, following an ordinary lifestyle as Jesus lived in Nazareth. Living together in the block which gathers people from different cultures and religions opens up opportunities to meet and to get to know each other. On our corridor there are a majority of Muslim families with whom we are friendly. We choose to be in places where people are pushed to the peripheries.”

Sister Pavla, from the Czech Republic, volunteers at a hospital caring for patients with HIV/AIDS,  Sr Pat accompanies refugees from Ghana.  She and Sr Claire previously lived in Birmingham and reflect fondly back on when one of the sisters worked as a cleaner at a major city hospital and another in the café at the Aston Villa football ground.  “Sometimes people think the Vatican funds our lifestyle” they laugh. “Having ordinary jobs and living in social housing is a way of being on the same wave length as other people. In Hackney we’re currently struggling with a water cylinder in the flat that’s been leaking since October – this is just daily living, with all its grind.”

But there is an added dimension – a chapel on the 13th floor, with daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. “For us, the centre of our life is friendship and prayer. We try to bring the love of Jesus wherever we are.”

Sr Catherine in the Chapel

The view from the 13th floor

Offering vital support in precious last days......and bringing light in the darkest moments

By Sister Siobhan O’Keeffe SHJM

As I ponder on the beautiful gospel message of Martha and Mary, I ask myself ‘how can I, as an apostolic religious Sister, continue to deepen my contemplative life of prayer while serving God’s people in our world today?’

Sr Siobhan : an Easter gift from a patient, a woman in her sixties

I am a Sister of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Chigwell Sisters).  I live in Liverpool and work part-time as a Marie Curie STARS nurse providing palliative care to terminally ill people in their own homes.  We are a team of 8 nurses, 3 admin workers and a number of Carers who support people in the last 3 months of their lives who wish to live out these precious days in the midst of their families, in the privacy of their homes.  Patients range in age from 16+.

Each time a referral is placed on my desk, I try to imagine what this diagnosis of a terminal illness means for this person and their families.  Some have been ill over a number of years with a chronic condition such as kidney failure, heart failure or respiratory illness.  Others may have been newly diagnosed with an aggressive neurological condition or cancer.  For each one and their family, it is a life changing event.

Many have good family and local community support; however, a significant number live with the diverse challenges associated with poverty in all its dimensions. Some family situations are very complex where family communication has broken down and the ill person may be faced with travelling this sensitive terminal journey without the necessary social support that they need.  On occasion families wish to withhold the ‘truth’ of the diagnosis or prognosis from the person.  Deep discernment is needed as I try to sensitively respond to such a challenge. When speaking with the ill person alone, many tell me that they know that ‘time is running out,  I am tired and I am ready to go.’  Some people struggle greatly for a period but as time goes on, become more reconciled to their dying.  They may fear the impact of their going on their loved ones;  family or other relationships or issues may need to be reconciled before they can ‘let go’ in peace.

My day begins with personal prayer and morning Mass at the beautiful Carmelite Monastery a couple of miles from the office.  I am deeply aware that I cannot do this work alone and ask for the grace to draw strength from the God of all life in the Eucharist. As I knock on family doors, I often ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as I have no idea what awaits me in each new home. On many occasions I am deeply humbled by the graciousness of the sick, the courage of their families and often in the midst of great loss and suffering, a sense of humour prevails.

A strong team spirit offers mutual support to each one as we face the challenges of each day. As you will appreciate, the level of heartbreak that we witness could be depressing but we support each other especially through the most difficult situations.  It is normal as one re-enters the office after a difficult visit to hear a colleague shout out, ‘cup of tea?’ which usually receives an affirmative response.  Our occasional pizza evenings or cinema trips also help.

I return home to reflect on my day, rest, pray and savour my deepening need for silence. A part-time STARS role offers me the space to continue my Spirituality and Dementia care and Pastoral Care training to other congregations and allows some time for my creative writing energies to flow.

I appreciate the support of my Sacred Heart Sister family and as the evenings get longer, I look forward to the sound of bird song as I peddle my bike through a local park.

“Please pray for the kind lady who made the cakes...time on earth is very precious for her now.”

FOOTNOTE: Sr Siobhan has recently written a book on loneliness.

I Am With You Always  includes a guide to loneliness in Scripture and a series of reflections on how loneliness is experienced across contemporary society. It offers a practical application of scripture to real life challenges and speaks to people across all strata of society.

It is available from www.messenger.ie (Sacred Heart Messenger Press).

"I will pray, talk about trafficking and keep my eyes open."

A Sister who attended CoR’s anti-trafficking meeting in Manchester in January,  organised a follow up awareness raising day at a prayer centre in Formby, in northwest England. Religious, Priests and lay people from across the region attended, as well as retired Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, who returned to England in the autumn to join his congregation, the Missionaries of Africa or White Fathers, on the opening of their new community in Liverpool.

The day in Formby involved two of the speakers from the Manchester meeting giving presentations again – Brother Francis Patterson of the Medaille Trust and veteran anti-trafficking campaigner, Sr Isabel Kelly; they were joined by Anthony Brown of Caritas in the Diocese of Salford.

Brother Francis

Brother Francis, a member of the La Mennais Brothers of Christian Instruction,  explained the background to how the Medaille Trust grew out of a meeting of members of religious congregations,  who wanted to do something to tackle modern slavery. Since 2006 it has quickly become the largest provider of safe accommodation for trafficked victims in the UK, operating 9 safe houses around the country.  Its stated aim is:  “the empowerment of women, men and children, who have been freed from human-trafficking and the modern day slavery industry in the UK, enabling them to regain their dignity and self-worth. We do this by providing safe housing and offering opportunities for physical and psychological healing, rehabilitation and protection to the victims in our care.”

Seven of the properties the Medaille Trust houses people in were given by congregations. The scale of involvement by Religious in anti-trafficking was recently revealed in a report by the Arise Foundation. It showed that a total of 29 properties have been donated at a value of well over sixteen million pounds and that 172 members of Religious institutes are involved in frontline services.

Brother Francis outlined the Medaille Trust’s focus on the four ‘Ps’ : Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnerships.  He explained how the National Referral Mechanism offers government funding for the victims of modern slavery for 45 days – but that rehabilitation of victims can take years. He recalled the words of Cardinal Turkson at the launch of the Arise report in November : that this issue is not just one of concern for Religious, but it needs to be something we all feel a responsibility to tackle.  

Sr Isabel Kelly FMSJ then spoke movingly about the plight of victims.  A long time and hugely dedicated campaigner against trafficking, Sr Isabel explained how she developed her knowledge of the issue after the shock of being named as her congregation’s lead on it.  She never misses an opportunity to speak out and is in great demand to give talks to parishes and groups. For instance, going out on the bus that has been turned into an awareness raiser for anti trafficking (it used to be the ‘mercy’ bus during the Year of Mercy)!

She recalls: “I went to the bi-centenary of the Abolition of Slavery in Hull and as I sat at my table for lunch, I heard someone say, “I got into this because of a nun!”  It was a policeman I had spoken to in 2006 – asking him if he knew anything about human trafficking and if he was doing anything about it!”

Sr Isabel conjured up a powerful image to encourage people not to feel helpless in the face of the scale of human slavery; “I imagine us as a swarm of bees: a still, dark shape, but when you look more closely, it is in fact a big moving mass of activity: let each one of us do our bit.”

Anthony Brown of Caritas in Salford Diocese

Doing “our bit” could be praying, donating or helping to rehabilitate victims.  Anthony Brown of Caritas in Salford outlined what he has been doing from parish level upwards. ‘Caritas Anti-Trafficking’ was inspired by an initiative in the parish of Our Lady of the Valley which works with East Lancashire Police in raising awareness on the issue and informing people what to do when they see something that doesn’t look right and probably isn’t:  http://www.olotv.org.uk/parish-groups/trafficking 

Caritas Anti-Trafficking models itself off this parish group,  linking more widely with Greater Manchester Police, the Medaille Trust and the Santa Marta Group in Westminster. It networks widely with charities and groups interested in tackling modern day slavery and raises awareness within parishes and schools and with groups of interested or concerned adults. It also offers advice, signposting and pastoral support to victims.

Caritas Anti-Trafficking notes: “Human trafficking happens here, “hidden in plain sight” and we all have a duty to be aware and report what we see. Moreover, we are all complicit in the poverty and exploitation that fuels human trafficking as Pope Francis tells us in Laudato Si’: “In the absence of objective truths or sound principles other than the satisfaction of our own desires and immediate needs, what limits can be placed on human trafficking, organized crime, the drug trade, commerce in blood diamonds…”

The people who attended the Formby meeting were invited to give feedback on what they had learned;  the comments included: “I learnt how widespread slavery is and how much work is going on to combat it;” “how much the problem is increasing;” “all the speakers were very informative and I found Sr Isabel particularly engaging and enlightening;” “I learnt about the reluctance of victims to speak out, because of fear and shame;” “I was struck by the lack of a joined up approach by all the groups involved in anti-trafficking; the Church – national and local – should raise the profile of this problem;” “it heightened my awareness of the reality of this evil – and that so much is being done to try to spread awareness;” “the variety of organisations involved and the importance of networking;” “it gave me an awareness that trafficking exists, even in the smallest village;” “the extent of involvement of Religious to help victims;” “it made me more aware of CoR and ARISE;” “how easily young people, particularly girls can be targeted and trapped;” “there are things I can do instead of giving in to powerlessness;” “how people can be preyed upon and the way this affects families.”

Spreading awareness through the freedom bus

Attendees were also asked to share what they would begin to do as a result of this new understanding of the problem: “invite a speaker to our parish to raise awareness and give out posters/cards and also use social media to highlight it; ”link up with others working against trafficking;” ”use opportunities in my parish and through various groups to spread the ‘bad news’ & support the Medaille Trust and invite one of its speakers to our parish;” “approach my local MP;” “try to help victims by donating clothes and encourage a ministry of prayer;” “pray for the victims on a daily basis and also remember people on the frontline, working to alleviate the suffering of these victims;” “work at primary school level to educate children about the threat;” “write about trafficking in our parish newsletter;” “do an assembly with our sixth form & try raising awareness in our local area;” “form a group in the local area to share information, contacts and ideas;” “pray, talk about trafficking and keep my eyes open;” “praying and fundraising;” “target young people” “give a school presentation;” “all I can do is pray.”

One attendee suggested developing a northwest coastal link up,  to join forces in efforts to raise awareness. The Conference of Religious greatly welcomed the initiative of organising this type of local meeting, in response to the large anti-trafficking gatherings held in January and will offer support to other congregations who would also like to host such an event.

Formby organiser Sr Nora Coughlan SMG expressed delight that so many had attended and expressed the hope that what was discussed in Formby would be like a ripple effect spreading out, touching more and more people.  

 https://stjosephsprayercentre.com/contact-us/

Sr Siobhan O’Keeffe SHJM offered a reflection on the suffering of victims:

Lenten Reflection

‘And then the beating began.’ The first words that burst forth, uninvited from ‘Freddie lips when I met him on a glorious February afternoon a few weeks ago.  I had dropped into the Medaille Safe House to deliver clothes donations from my some people in my local parish.  Clearly in need of a listening ear, Freddie approached me.   Bearing his untouched cup of coffee in his hands, he recounted without bitterness how ‘his friends’ had said they were offering him a job and a better life in the U.K  Now he was trapped in the back of a van, robbed of his passport and documents and suffering the pain and humiliation of torture all the way ‘to the promised land.’ Five years of abuse followed where he worked as a cleaner, gardener and car wash attendant. There he suffered the degradation of sleeping on the car wash floor until rescued by the police and brought to a place of safety and rehabilitation. Freddie is 33 years old.

My thoughts immediately drew a comparison to the passion of Christ.  Jesus had been betrayed and sold by ‘his friends’ and tortured all the way to His innocent death.  On occasion, I am one of those ‘friends’ who still betray him.  There are moments when my thoughts or actions do not reflect a knowledge of or relationship with the living Lord. My indifference to the suffering of humanity transports Jesus all the way to the cross and moments of un-forgiveness pass one more sponge of vinegar to His parched lips.

Fortunately for Freddie, a rescuer appeared and Freddie had the courage and grace to enter into His rehabilitation programme.  He now shares his story of recovery to offer hope to others.

I too have been blessed on the many occasions when I have known the healing, forgiving and redemptive love of the Lord.  A joy to be shared with all people.

St Joseph’s Prayer Centre is located on the coast in Formby

The need for ecological conversion : a reflection on Laudato Si'

By Sr Margaret Atkins OSA

Laudato Si' begins by telling us how it is: the state of our planet, and what our faith has to say about that. Chapter One uses evidence from the hard sciences to describe our world: pollution, climate change, scarcity of water, the loss of thousands of species. It does so, however, with a rhetorical power designed to make us care: 'The earth, our home, is beginning to look like an immense pile of filth.' 'The world is a joyful mystery, to be contemplated with gladness and praise.'

So, what does the Gospel have to say about creation? 'We are not God.' The world is the gift of our Creator, so that each creature is good and beautiful, and we are all interrelated. Indeed, our interrelatedness mirrors the Trinitarian nature of God. Our story, traced through the beginning of Genesis, is one of rupture. As we broke away from God, we also broke our peace with the natural world. Reconciliation with God, with each other and with the natural world are all part of the same process, the peace-making and healing that comes through Christ. Jesus himself knew and loved the Galilean countryside, its birds, plants and animals. And why would he not? - he, the Son of God, through whom all things were made, redeemed and restored.

The central chapters look at where we have gone wrong, and how we might go right. First, Pope Francis, closely following his predecessors, describes how we forget that we are not gods; we try to control everything ourselves. Pope Francis calls this 'the technocratic paradigm', from techne (skill) and cratos (power). We begin to see the world as there for us to manipulate. In practice, this means that powerful people take control. They control first others' things; then other people; then even the truth. Manipulation leads directly on to relativism - the truth itself is what I want it to be.

Technocracy fragments the world into manipulatable chunks. Laudato Si' reminds us insistently that 'everything is interconnected.' We have learnt that lesson from biologists: ecology is the science of the interconnectedness of life. The recent popes have taught that there is also a human, social ecology; and that this is inseparable from natural ecology. Indeed, a healthy personal and social morality, economics, politics and finance are all intermeshed with the well-being of the environment.

Finally, Laudato Si' leads on to action. We need effective dialogue, policy and action at every level: global, national and local. But before all else, we need 'ecological conversion', an inner, spiritual confession of sin, responsibility, praise and gratitude that changes our attitude and transforms our practice. This is indeed challenging. What it is not is grim and gloomy. Living more lightly and more generously is liberating and will bring us joy and peace at the deepest level.

If you want to be inspired or challenged watch some of our young people speaking on You-Tube - Greta Thunberg (www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUW1OwjWRMw), or Lauren Singer who lives a zero-waste lifestyle (www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg). Go on - I dare you! Yes, they put us to shame.

But we Catholics should be inspired by, not ashamed, of our faith. It gives us all that we need to live lightly on the planet….. God the Creator and Christ who redeemed the world he entered and loved. The Holy Spirit, the Church and the sacraments to sustain us in hope. And a moral tradition that honours simplicity, justice, unselfishness and peace. We cannot save the planet by ourselves. We don't need to. We are not alone. We are interconnected, with God, with each other and with our world.

Sr Margaret Atkins is based at Boarbank Hall in Cumbria:     www.boarbankhall.org.uk/