Divestment explained : one congregation's journey

By Sr Frances Orchard CJ:

The decision of the Congregation of Jesus (Mary Ward sisters) to divest of our investments in fossil fuels was not taken in a hurry and only became a reality in mid-2019 – despite the growing and laudable encouragement from Christian NGOs and a very good conference on divestment held at Mount Street early in 2019. The reason for the tardiness was not primarily because 9.9% of our total investments were in fossil fuels, but because our investment managers were pursuing a policy of ‘engagement’ rather than ‘divestment’ by putting pressure on the fossil fuel companies in line with our CJ ‘ethical investment policy’.

The objective was to ensure that such companies did not pursue policies that were contrary to their commitment to the Paris Climate Accord to which they had ostensibly signed up. If certain criteria were not met, they were warned that divestment could follow. We were not acting alone. One of our investment managers has a ‘Stewardship Section’ with a ‘Climate Active Fund’ which managed the investments of those who had the same concerns as us. As with all companies the value of fossil fuel companies can be calculated by their expectations of growth and not simply their current assets. If fossil fuel companies calculate their value on their future production, they will not be able to fulfil their commitment to the 2015 Paris Accord and would send global warming well above the 1.5 ̊ - 2.00 ̊ safe limit. Despite promises of compliance the action did not follow.

In the end it was our exasperated investment managers who agreed that the time had come to divest. My only concern about divestment was that other less scrupulous investors would snap up our stock without hesitation and exploitation of fossil fuels would continue apace.

Meanwhile, our younger members who are good at campaigning were rightly questioning our strategy. We were all familiar with ‘Laudato Si’, and genuinely committed to issues of justice for the planet and all who inhabit it, especially those who are poor. I had attended COP15 in Copenhagen as an NGO in 2009 so was aware of the issues. There was some opposition from more senior members who had had a hand in building up our investment portfolio, but in the end the decision to disinvest was not a difficult one to take. We understood the financial risks and the ethical issues involved and were pleased to take the decision to divest.

We believe that divestment from fossil fuels is the right decision given the urgency of the change we need to see.

Sr Frances Orchard CJ

Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Jesus

Sisters in search of a home - and not for the first time

l to r: Sr Barbara Claire, Mother Winsome, Sr Carolyne Joseph

The Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who are an Ordinariate community based in Birmingham, are looking for a new convent. The building they currently use is due to be sold and they are urgently searching for  a property of the right size which will allow them to continue their ministry of offering retreats.

The Superior, Mother Winsome, says: “We’d ideally like to stay in the archdiocese of Birmingham but we’re open to suggestions. However with elderly Sisters it would be helpful for us not to be too remote. We’re hoping to find a purpose built convent, as a small-ish house wouldn’t be quite big enough.”

Their main source of income is through offering guest and retreat facilities, so they need a building that would accommodate eight Sisters plus allow space for guests. They would need some downstairs bedrooms or else a lift. As well, ideally, as a Chapel.

The Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary (SBVM) grew out of the Anglican Community of St Mary the Virgin, founded in 1848 in Oxfordshire. Following the establishment of the Ordinariate, the Sisters were received into the full communion of the Catholic Church on 1 January 2013 at the Oxford Oratory.  At the time of their reception they adopted the Rule of St Benedict.

After vacating their former convent, they stayed for an initial period of monastic formation at St Cecilia’s Abbey on the Isle of Wight. Whilst there,  an American Dominican,  who was at that point staying at Maryvale in Birmingham,  paid a visit.  Mother Winsome explains: “We outlined our circumstances and said to the visitor : please go back to Maryvale and beg John Henry Newman to give us a home!”

On return to Birmingham the Dominican in question mentioned to someone that they’d encountered “some homeless nuns” and was told a convent was becoming available, just up the road from Maryvale. Mother Winsome had to act quickly to seal the deal: “I had just an hour to get off the Isle of Wight that day because of the times of the tides!” she recalled. Mother Winsome travelled to meet the outgoing Superior of the Birmingham convent - who was wondering what to do with all the contents of the property. Mother Winsome replied: “Please leave it all, we have nothing!”

There was the slight matter that the Ordinariate Sisters also had absolutely no funds to acquire the property - but, said Mother Winsome, “we were confident the Lord would provide!” Within days an anonymous donor stepped forward and the lease of the property was agreed. So they moved, in August 2013, to their present location in Birmingham, just up the road from John Henry Newman’s first ‘Catholic’ home after his conversion, Maryvale.

The Sisters are confident that their prayers to England’s new saint will lead them safely to their own new home soon.

If anyone could help with their property search, please email :  sistersofthebvm@gmail.com

To read more about how Anglican Sisters became Catholic Sisters, visit:   https://www.sbvm.org.uk/

New CoR members in search of a church and residence

Fr Fadi with his congregation

CoR is currently in the process of admitting the Lebanese Maronite congregation as new members and they have asked for assistance in finding  a new church due to their  growing numbers in London. They currently use a Catholic church, Our Lady of Sorrows in Paddington,  and rent a larger Anglican church for feastdays. The Maronites are part of the Catholic Church and they have three monks in the UK living in Swiss Cottage, serving 1500 families.

The Superior, Fr Fadi Kmeid says: “The church we’re using is very small so we’re looking for a bigger place in which to worship, ideally something like a monastery where we could live as well.”

He adds: “We are the only Church in the Middle East which was always in communion with Rome. We use the  Syriac language – the closest dialect to the language used by Christ. Ideally we are looking for a house with five or six rooms. Our congregation is happy to travel for an hour to be with us, but we think the best location would be ideally in Ealing/Perivale/Greenford or NW London. “

The Maronites have great faith in a Lebanese saint, St Charbel.  He is known among Lebanese for his miraculous healings in answer to prayers said at his tomb. Fr Fadi says devotion to him is very strong:  “He is a very active saint. He does a lot of miracles!”

Christmas Mass for the Lebanese community in Glasgow

The UK Maronite community is divided into two groups – the Cypriot Maronites and the Lebanese Maronites,  who started to come to the UK after wars in the mid 1970s, with the biggest numbers of Maronite Christians arriving between 1988 and 1994.

There are around 7000 Maronites in the London area but Fr Fadi also ministers to Maronite communities in Bournemouth and Glasgow, with about 50 families in each place.  Just before Christmas he travelled to Scotland and back, all in one day, to celebrate Mass for the community there. 

He is pleased to report he has a very active London congregation, with a youth group, a Fraternity of the Immaculate Conception, altar servers, a choir and a family group which meets every fortnight.

Fr Fadi can be contacted on : father@maronitechurch.org.uk  Tel : 07908224983

Celebrating thirty years of Christmas spent in the stable

Sr Mary Joy (left) with a helper

A Religious Sister who has devoted three decades to running an inner city community riding school in London for the benefit of local children as well as the disabled, will be spending Christmas pretty much like the rest of the year – mucking out stables and tending to the animals.

For its 30th anniversary the centre had new stables in 2019

Sr Mary Joy Langdon of the Infant Jesus Sisters likes to quote the founder of her congregation, the 17th Century priest, Nicholas Barre:  “Never stray far from the crib of Jesus.”  For Sr Mary Joy it’s a case of never straying far from the stable – the location that has enabled her to support and educate thousands of children. Her dedication was recognised in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List. The riding school, founded in 1989,  has gone from strength to strength and to mark its thirtieth anniversary has recently had new stables built.

Growing up in Sussex, with her own pony, Sr Mary Joy joined the IJS congregation in the early 1980s. “I hadn’t entered religious life to work with horses – but God works in very special ways!”  she laughs. Her congregational leader encouraged her to use her talents and after moving to London she had the opportunity to open the riding centre on a rather unpromising patch of land close to Wormwood Scrubs prison: “There was nothing here at all when I first came. I started with three Shetland ponies and a muddy patch of ground,” she recalled. “No one around here knew about horses. Nobody in their right mind would have taken this on!”

Sr Mary Joy with HRH Princess Anne

However with the help of some volunteers the project developed. Now,  as well as stables and a learning centre, there is also a large indoor arena. Conceding the work was a “little bit unusual for a Religious Sister” she says people happily accept it’s how she lives out her vocation.  Sr Mary Joy  says the growth of the riding centre has been a series of miracles with so many children with special needs having been nurtured there:  “What a privilege to have helped them through their life. Another miracle is seeing children learning to walk through riding.”  A number of those special needs youngsters have gone on to become staff members at the centre. “Children who are regarded as ‘non-achievers’ come here and start to achieve. It’s not all about riding either, we offer courses in feeding, grooming and fire safety: the ponies are a catalyst for learning.”

Another lesser known area of work is with people suffering from Alzheimers. Groups come and ‘meet’ the horses. Wheelchair bound people are brought into the stable area and can interact with the ponies which Sr Mary Joy says can be hugely beneficial and rewarding: “I recall two people from Jamaica recently who found the experience of being with the horses triggered memories. It was interesting to see how one particular pony who is ultra-sensitive to people went up to them in the yard, observing them in his own way. They were so totally relaxed with him. It was very special. Horses are very intuitive.”

Sr Mary Joy lives alone in West London. There’s no television at home but several pets as well as chickens.  She keeps in touch with her congregation through being the person who updates their website as well as regular telephone calls. “When I was living in a community with other Sisters they might have found my work difficult to understand – for example, on Christmas day -  but horses have to be looked after whatever the day and whatever the weather: ‘where’s Mary Joy? She’s at the pony centre!’ was a regular refrain” she remembers.  

But at Christmas time Sr Mary Joy relishes the chance to spend her days in a stable, seeing her work as an expression of her spirituality and compassion for the less fortunate: “I think prayer is a way of life rather than part of life. I get in here at six-thirty in the morning. I love that time in silence with the horses and mucking out the stables. It is prayer, because it’s peace and spirituality, it’s contemplative in action. I struggle with formal prayers but prayer is with me nonetheless. I also meditate through writing poetry.”

Sr Mary Joy has no plans to retire anytime soon and her only complaint is that she’s so busy she struggles to find the time to ride. “The Infant Jesus Sisters congregation was founded for street children and to give them a better quality of life and that’s what we’re doing at the pony centre. The needs are different today but there’s still a great need, particularly around mental health. We’re seeing kids who are scarred from things they’ve seen; equine therapy can bring incredible results  and ponies can really help the healing process. In London in particular, with the problems on the streets that we’re currently facing, to have a ‘rural’ environment in one of the largest cities in the world, is wonderful. It’s even more important now than when we started that there’s this little oasis.”

Green to the CoR

Mater Ecclesiae, near Rugby, setting for one of the Laudato Si’ days of reflection

“Laudato si’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”. In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”. (Laudato Si’)

Members of religious congregations in England and Wales are being called to reflect on ecological conversion, with the launch of a new CoR group devoted to the environment.  Following discussions and reflection by congregational leaders at the 2019 AGM, Religious are being invited to consider how they can use their experience and resources to bear witness to the need to care for our common home:

“Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (Laudato Si’)

In some small way all of us can make a difference and in the Spring there will be days of reflection on Laudato Si’ where congregations will have the chance to come together and learn from each other about the vital and pressing challenge facing our world. The day is being repeated in three different locations and the keynote speakers will be Sr Margaret Atkins OSA, who is based at Boarbank Hall in Cumbria and Columban eco-theologian Fr Sean McDonagh. There will be input on practical ways to make changes by Steve Burrowes of the Laudato Si’ project in Salford diocese and John Paul de Quay of the Ecological Conversion group.

Sr Margaret Atkins OSA

Sr Margaret is in the process of making changes at Boarbank Hall and all those who attend the forthcoming meetings will be actively encouraged to set objectives for steps they can take in their own settings: “We have so far been concentrating on  basic improvements to our heating system (cleaning out, insulation and then next will be individual thermostats ), tree planting (about 100 with the help of local schools - a Woodland Trust grant of baby trees for this), LED lighting for the Nursing Home, and eventually everywhere else,” says Sr Margaret. “What I realise is that with big old houses and often land to spare,  we won’t ever have the energy ratings of a good new building, but if what we are looking for is improvement, we can do that dramatically with some very basic changes. We’re also doing smaller things - planting insect-friendly plants, bird boxes, looking at the possibility of a pond and some insect hotels .... And the primary school are going to do a project identifying and producing a display about our trees and wildflowers.”

Sr Shirley

Another member of a congregation, Croydon based Sister Shirley Aeria FMDM, has made a conscious decision to shape her ministry around conservation and is an active member of the Ecological Conversion Group. Here she explains why:

“After reading Laudato Si’ when it was first published, it sat uncomfortably with me because I knew that I had contributed variously to the destruction of ‘our common home.’

But it was only further down the line, during my sabbatical, that the voice within me urged me to address the matter. I discerned the way forward and, with the help of a perceptive spiritual director, I was at peace knowing that conservation was the area where I would engage with ecology in a more direct way. I know that my involvement with conservation will enable me to live fully and give glory to God.

The Ecological Conversion Group of Arundel and Brighton was just beginning their project so I wrote to them and now I am working with them. The Croydon Conservation group has been in existence for over sixty years and I contacted them to see if I could be involved. I have been on several trips with them since.

Practical conservation work involves coppicing trees and bushes to enable healthy growth. It also means that we preserve the habitats of birds and wildlife and check on the status of trees, water sources etc,.

Going into conservation ministry has entailed looking at my own lifestyle and not just paying lip service to a novel concept. This implies giving up a car and using public transport instead, being conscious of how I use electricity and water as well as reducing waste, avoiding the use of plastic materials, eating less meat……

Ecology and the love of creation are the warp and woof of my life as a Franciscan. My present ministry in conservation opens me to various experiences and learnings. If every single person on this planet could do their bit, we must live in hope that our ‘common home’ will be able to recover from the dire state it is in at present.”

‘God  called  the dry land  Earth… and  God saw that  it  was  good.’ Genesis 1:10

A recent reflection on Laudato Si’ by Sister Margaret Atkins:

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.

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.

DETAILS OF DAY OF REFLECTION FOR RELIGIOUS (the same day is being repeated in different locations):

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 29TH : in Salford Cathedral Centre. Keynote speaker:  Sr Margaret Atkins OSA with input from Steve Burrowes of the Laudato Si’ Centre, Salford Diocese

SATURDAY MARCH  14th :  in London, venue to be confirmed.  Keynote speaker:   Fr Sean McDonagh, a Columban,  with input from John Paul de Quay of the Ecological Conversion Group. 

SATURDAY MARCH 21st:  at Mater Ecclesiae convent, Street Ashton,  Rugby CV23 0PJ  - a beautiful rural setting, ideal for reflecting upon the environment!    Keynote speaker:  Sr Margaret Atkins OSA, with input from John Paul de Quay of the Ecological Conversion Group. 

The days will run from 1000 to 1600 with lunch included. To register please email : admin@corew.org specifying which day you would like to attend.

Inspired by St Francis: a major international conference in Durham

By Sister Sue Berry CSF:

I was one of 26 Anglican Franciscans able to participate in a recent conference hosted by Durham University Centre for Catholic Studies : “Assessing the Continuing Significance of St Francis and Franciscan Traditions of Theology, Spirituality and Action”.  The event was sponsored by the Franciscan Families of the UK and Ireland and included speakers and delegates from around the world.   Of the nearly 200 participants, around 100 were Religious, including 13 Anglicans:  three Community of St Francis sisters, one Order of St Clare nun, and nine professed and novice brothers of The Society of St Francis, with two postulants.   The other Anglicans were members of the Third Order, The Society of St Francis, which is similar to the Franciscan Secular Order in the Roman Catholic Church. 

The particular stimulus for the Conference occurring at this time, was the eight hundredth anniversary of St Francis’ meeting with Sultan Malek Al-Kamil, which is being widely celebrated and used as a focus for joint activities and events to increase mutual awareness and understanding between Muslims and Christians.  However, the broader more long-term aim was to explore the possibility of establishing an appropriate structure to enable a permanent Franciscan studies presence, located within Durham University’s Department of Theology and Religion.  At the end of the conference leaders from a number of the Franciscan bodies met with academics from Durham and elsewhere to consider possibilities, and some of these are currently being explored further.

Much of the Conference was held in the splendid setting of Ushaw College now being run as a Conference and Events Centre, with the final day in the Students Union Debating Chamber near Durham Cathedral.   One session was held in the University’s Calman Learning Centre, which provided the equipment for us to have a live session with Richard Rohr OFM, speaking from New Mexico on “Living Franciscan Spirituality Today: Digging Deep for Contemporary Renewal.”

The Conference encompassed a wide range of speakers and topics.  We had lectures by Professors from various universities in the UK and abroad, including such authorities as Professor Ilia Delio OSF speaking on “Living Creation Theology in the Context of Contemporary Science:  The Distinctive Contribution of the Franciscan Theological Tradition”, and Professor William Short OFM on “Bartholomew of Pisa’s Liber de Conformitate”.   There were panel sessions on the meeting between St Francis and the Sultan, and on The Future of Franciscan Studies. In addition to the plenary sessions there was a Short Paper Programme where six different threads of Franciscan study were explored simultaneously in half hour sessions.  This meant that we had over 40 such presentations to choose from which focused on aspects of Francis and Clare, but also included vignettes of Franciscan history in various countries and centuries, aspects of theology and spirituality from Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, Grosseteste and Angela of Foligno, Franciscans in English literature, and Franciscan insights relating to contemporary concerns such as ecumenism, interfaith and international relations,  scandal in the church,  and some of Pope Francis’ characteristic emphases. 

The speakers were friars, sisters, church employees, established and newer academics, including an encouraging number of Ph. D students who are studying Franciscan themes in Durham, and other UK and European universities.  A few of the speakers were Anglican Franciscan tertiaries, or lay members of Protestant churches.  Although on paper the programme looked tightly packed and perhaps potentially confusing, I found the wide range of subjects and approaches very stimulating and surprisingly mutually enriching, and I think others shared that experience.   The days were long, full and inevitably quite tiring, but full of energy and enthusiasm.  The logistics were quite complex but the hospitality and organisation were excellent, and nearly everything ran without a hitch. 

It was uplifting to be part of such a large and diverse Franciscan gathering, with a good number of younger people, and a powerful reminder of the crucially important resources of the Franciscan heritage, for the church and for the world.

During the conference an FMDM sister referred to their Congregation as very small, having around 200 sisters.  I found myself reflecting that in Anglican terms that is huge.  We in CSF are 23 in three continents, and our SSF brothers are about 140 worldwide.  However, despite the disparity in numbers and resources, and differing ecclesial allegiance, I and my Anglican sisters and brothers are very aware of our shared Franciscan heritage, and eager that new and effective ways be found to pass on that vital tradition.

The senior staff from Durham University were clearly impressed by the numbers attending, and by people’s positive energy and enthusiasm.  We wait with prayerful hope for a good outcome from the ongoing explorations regarding the possibility of some permanent presence for Franciscan studies in the university.

Sr Sue Berry CSF is the Anglican representative on the Conference of Religious Executive Committee

Sr Sue, far left, with Anglican Franciscans & the Archbishop of Canterbury at a previous international meeting

A place of welcome & peace in the midst of a busy city

Sisters in the Faithful Companions of Jesus congregation have opened an FCJ Spirituality Centre near Euston station in London.  It has been developed in what was previously St. Aloysius Convent; the original building has been completely refurbished and two floors transformed into the Spirituality Centre.

By Sr Rita McLoughlin FCJ:

We hope to make our Centre a place of welcome where people can find peace, hope in the midst of a busy city, and the opportunity to reflect, learn, question their beliefs and deepen their faith. As well as providing a variety of events for the wider community we would like to be able to get to know our neighbours. We are delighted, therefore, to include in our programme two evenings on ‘Neighbours in Faith’, one on Judaism and the other on Islam.

We have already had several Day and Evening Retreats and we are offering a monthly Quiet Day. We have started sessions on Reflection on the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles and are about to begin a series of Deepening in Faith Sessions. Our monthly ‘Film as a Way to Reflect on Life’, seems to be greatly appreciated and we are also offering the possibility of a Book Club.

Eco-Spirituality is really important to us. Some participants found our taster session in June an eye-opener and most inspiring! There will be 3 further sessions on ‘What is Eco-spirituality?’ in the coming months.

We look forward to a whole series of events on different ways of praying, including Praying with Clay, Colour Movement, Music and Poetry, while other creative sessions include, ‘The Gift of Laughter’ and ‘Card-making’.

We want to give people the opportunity here to consider or find tools for making good life decisions, to search for justice, to pursue beauty as a revelation of God, find ways of caring for the Earth and to discover more meaning in their lives.

We are happy to be already involved in spiritual accompaniment for quite a number of people and to offer the opportunity for making the 19th Annotation form of the Spiritual Exercises.

The geographical position and facilities of our Centre have been providing a helpful and easily accessible place to meet for many different kinds of groups and we are very grateful that we can offer this kind of service.

https://www.fcjsisters.org/news/our-new-spirituality-centre-in-london/

Theology and Practice of Safeguarding

By Fr James Leachman OSB

A year ago Ealing Abbey organised a day conference on, “Growing Together: Healing the History of child sexual abuse.” Father Hans Zollner SJ, head of the Centre for Child Protection at the Gregorian University in Rome, was the keynote speaker at that event.

Abbot Martin Shipperlee OSB opened the conference by speaking openly and honestly on behalf of the Church, “Yes,” he said, “we have made huge mistakes and the priests involved have been punished. Now, in order to move forward, we need to look critically at the system of the Church where these hideous crimes could flourish and we must take action.”

The monks of Ealing have been taking action - restorative action - in the months since the 2018 conference. The findings of the IICSA report about Ealing Abbey, published on 24 October, present an enormous task of restorative action and justice for Ealing Abbey to undertake -  so that we can be truly accountable, make amends and to win trust back.

Practical action by Ealing Abbey throughout the past year  led to a facilitated mini-conference in late October : “Growing in Connectedness: discovering the source of our power.” We invited ordinary Catholics, lay, religious and clergy and we spoke together of the shame, shock, confusion and pain inflicted on the innocent children, their families and the whole Church community. We are beginning to provide a place where victims and survivors, whether direct or indirect sufferers, now grown up, can find a place to be heard and cared for. We shall continue to meet every two weeks as a ‘Community of Practice,’ where we shall learn and study and act in the world.

Fr James inspecting an underground spring at Ealing Abbey ; as a symbol of new life, it is being diverted into gardens near the new ‘London Spring’ counselling

Ealing Abbey has also established a new initiative called “London Spring” where we offer subsidised low-cost counselling. Now, with Safeguarding structures in place, we believe we are beginning to create a new culture of relatedness and we intend to keep up the good work.

Also in late October, Father Zollner came and spoke at the Von Hugel Institute in Cambridge. It is encouraging to hear that the Church is now much more involved and more understanding of the problems that the Church today is facing and needs to deal with. He said that perhaps it is time to give the child and children their own voice, a theology of the child. How can we work together to create this?

If you’re interested in working in a group on “The Theology of the Child” please feel free to contact me:  jl@jamesleachman.com

“Religious Life will go on –we must have HOPE”

The Vicars for Religious at a session on social media with video input from Sr Silvana Dallanegra RSCJ

A report on the 2019 Conference of Vicars for Religious by Sister Sheila Moloney DMJ and Sr Patricia Heller SSA:

Twenty-four Vicars for Religious met up at Hinsley Hall, Leeds in October for their annual conference. They represented 14 dioceses and were also joined by a Sister representing the Contemplative Congregations.

It was a very enriching few days together. There was a great sharing of good practice, as well as catching up with friends from earlier conferences, and welcoming new Vicars from some dioceses. It is a warm, friendly and supportive group – also offering  a time to share in prayer and the Eucharist.

Fr Diarmuid O’Murchu gave four inputs on:  “Religious Life in Transition: A Time for Deep Discernment”. He spoke about the decline in numbers in general in Religious Life and that at this moment in time, Religious Life as a prophetic calling may be seen as being in a chaotic crisis at present. He also spoke about anticipating the future of Religious Life and not clinging to the past. He encouraged the creative reading of “the signs of the times” in terms of urgent contemporary needs & this was very helpful and fruitful.

Fr Diarmuid continued that although some Congregations may die, “Religious Life will go on –we must have HOPE.”

Bishop John Arnold from Salford also gave a presentation to the conference; he delivered  a talk on St. Mark’s Gospel, looking at discipleship through Religious Life now, and in the future.

We always invite a Bishop to our Conference and this enables them to report back any issues raised to the Conference of Bishops of England and Wales.

On the final morning we had a session on the use of social media. Pope Francis is on Twitter!  He encourages us to study new ways and means to communicate the Gospel of Mercy to all people, in the heart of different cultures through the media.

You will see on the attached photos that the Vicars for Religious are a very happy bunch!

Cardinal Nichols: Safeguarding in the Church today

A letter from the Cardinal to the clergy and people of Westminster diocese on safeguarding:

In the last twenty years or so, the evil of the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church has been laid bare. This abuse is both deeply damaging to all those who have been its victims and a scandal against the faith we strive to proclaim.

From 28 October to 8 November, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, established by the Government, will turn its attention to the present situation in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. As you may know, it has already investigated and reported on the Archdiocese of Birmingham and on the English Benedictine abbeys of Downside and Ampleforth. A further report concerning Ealing Abbey will be published imminently. These reports have made clear the extent of failures in the Church and, more importantly, the lasting damage to all those who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

On 6 November, I will give oral evidence to the Inquiry. I will do so as President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. I write these words now in order to provide some context within which you can follow these proceedings and whatever publicity may follow.

In the first place, appearing before the Inquiry will enable me to offer again an unreserved apology to all who have suffered in the context of the Catholic Church and to express my profound regret at all that has taken place. It will also enable me to offer assurance of our willingness to learn further lessons about how to improve and strengthen our response to those who have suffered and our work of safeguarding.

In the context of our willingness to learn from the rigour of this scrutiny, I am also able to present an account of our current work in safeguarding and the improvements which we are undertaking at this time.

Since the independent Report of Lord Nolan in 2001, we have endeavoured to build a culture of safeguarding within our parishes and religious communities. In our parishes there are Parish Safeguarding Representatives; in this diocese, as in every diocese, there is a Safeguarding Coordinator and a Diocesan Safeguarding Commission, composed of experts in the main disciplines needed for effective safeguarding. This Commission takes the lead in handling every allegation of abuse, whether from the distant past or the present day. In doing so they follow nationally agreed protocols, including the swift reporting of allegations to the statutory authorities. There are also protocols to be followed if allegations of abusive behaviour or gross negligence are made against a bishop or leader of a religious congregation. We have an established National Catholic Safeguarding Commission with a strong majority membership of experts, who are independent of the authority structures of the Catholic Church. Much has been achieved. Much is to be learned.

I will also be able to give evidence about more recent steps we have taken, including my participation in the meeting in February in Rome which brought together the President of every Bishops' Conference around the world to study closely aspects of the Protection of Minors in the Church. In written evidence to IICSA I have also offered evidence about the role of the Survivors Advisory Panel which the NCSC has established so that the voice of survivors can have a significant role in shaping our understanding and responses to abuse. I have also written about the three day meeting which the Bishops of England and Wales held with survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the spring. During that meeting we listened, learned and developed together an understanding of the deep and lasting damage that has been done. I have given, below, a link to a statement I made shortly after that meeting. I have also been able to put before the Inquiry the steps we have taken to establish a system of audit of the work of every Diocesan Safeguarding Office and the fact that our National Catholic Safeguarding Commission has itself initiated an independent review of all our work and structures.

The Independent Inquiry will scrutinise all these matters. It will, in due course, make recommendations covering many, if not all, aspects of safeguarding in the Catholic Church. I am sure that this scrutiny will be wide-ranging, and will include comment on the consistency with which our procedures are followed, the effectiveness of our record keeping, the quality of training we offer, the relationship between religious orders and dioceses and many other matters besides. All of this will take place in the context of our record of failures as well as our achievements All of this will, quite properly, give importance to the voice and experience of survivors.

I hope these few comments help you to understand what will happen in these coming weeks.

All this makes perfectly clear that, as a Church, we share in the sinfulness of humanity. This we know. Yet we also know that Christ came to bear the weight of that sinfulness on the cross. He alone can redeem us from it. He does so by his suffering, death and resurrection. Only by being close to him can his healing become a reality. With prayer and penance, this time can become, even if only slowly and painfully, a deep purification for our community. Then we may be more faithful to the great gift of faith we have received and more credible witnesses to the mercy and healing it can bring.

Please keep in your prayers all who are involved in this period of the Inquiry.

More importantly, remember in prayer those who carry the heavy burden of childhood abuse every day of their lives.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster

Key new group formed to focus on health and care

By the CoR Health and Care Group:

Following a session at the AGM in Swanwick this year, when Susan Thomas (a consultant) led a session on the Health and Care needs of Religious, the Executive of CoR decided to form a small working group to take forward this important area of work.

To date, our group has met on two occasions and initially comprises of the following members:

Monica Matthews, Holy Child (Chair)

Jacinta Boland, Religious Sister of Charity

Bernie Boland, IBVM (and member of the CoR Executive)

Margaret Bannerton, Daughter of Charity

Susan Thomas, (facilitator and adviser)

We have already had wide ranging discussions based on some of the personal experiences we bring from our own Congregations and from listening to and working with others. We can see there is a real need for help and support across the area of health and care. Our conversations and scope have included care homes, and caring for and supporting Religious to live independently in Communities, with support, for as long as possible.

We quickly realised that in order to be most effective and provide the real help we know that so many of you need, we would first need to ask for some information in order to be able to prioritise our work and respond to the most pressing needs.

We appreciate that many will be weary of answering questions and responding to requests for information but we ask you for this so that we can be of help to you. We have produced a short survey which we would ask as many of you as possible to complete. Sr Monica will analyse this data on behalf of the group and we will share the information we receive widely with those members who are interested in working with us on these issues. (It is attached to the October CORrespondent).  The next meeting of the Group is on 6th November and we are hoping to be able to discuss the initial responses at that time.

Bishop-elect admits to being astonished at his new role

CNS photo/Simon Caldwell

Fr Erik Varden OSCO,  a Trappist monk at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, who was recently announced as the new Bishop of Trondheim in Norway,  has expressed his ‘astonishment’ at the surprise news.

The Norwegian born 45 year old will take up his new post on November 1st.  He’s been Abbot of Mount Saint Bernard for four years – a Cistercian monastery in rural Leicestershire, and the only Trappist house in England.

Asked for his reaction to hearing the announcement from Rome he replied:   

“Astonished by the Holy Father’s appointment, I am at the same time sad at the thought of what I am being asked to leave behind and excited at the prospect of the task ahead. Christianity was first brought to Norway by monastic missionaries from the British Isles, so I shall be following an established route. The monastic life is missionary in its essence in so far as it strives to make the presence of Christ embodied. It will be a joyful challenge to articulate that call in a different way, now, but I hope and intend to remain a monk, to share the riches of our heritage with the people I am called to serve.”

The Abbey added: “The community is very sad at losing its Abbot but wishes him well in his new position.”

Abbot Erik,  the son of a country vet in Norway was not born a Catholic but was received into the Church as a young adult. He went to Atlantic College in Wales and studied theology and philosophy at the University of Cambridge, where he received a doctorate and later studied at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.  

Dom Erik entered the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance in his mid twenties,   making his solemn profession at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey five years later.   He was ordained a priest in  2011.  Subsequently,  Dom Erik taught at the international Benedictine pontifical university, the Pontificio Ateneo Sant’Anselmo in Rome, working concurrently for the Scandinavian section of Vatican Radio.

Afterwards, Dom Erik returned to Mount Saint Bernard. The Benedictine Confederation also commented on the announcement of his episcopal appointment:

“All of us in the Benedictine Confederation, and in particular the Benedictine family of Sant’Anselmo, express our heartfelt congratulations to Bishop-Prelate Elect Dom Erik Varden OCSO, assuring him of our remembrance of him in prayer, for God’s great blessings on his new ministry of service in the Church.”

Recently, the Bishop-elect has moved into spiritual writing, and last year published the critically-acclaimed “The Shattering of Loneliness”, which examines his search for God.

“I think that monastic tradition sits on, as steward, such a tremendous wealth of insight and wisdom – practical wisdom – that the Church and the world has not just forgotten but has probably never known about,” he told The Tablet in an interview last year.

Priest and Religious Sister arrested in Extinction Rebellion climate change protests

Fr Martin Newell, a Catholic priest from the Passionist Order in Birmingham and Sister Katrina Alton of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace in Nottingham,  have both been arrested in recent days as part of the Extinction Rebellion protests in London.  Fr Newell, 52, was arrested for a second time on Sunday during a demonstration with members of Christian Climate Action, the Christian arm of Extinction Rebellion.   

They were both part of a group that had gathered outside Scotland Yard where people were urging police to return the vital equipment of disabled protesters which had been seized several days previously.   Fr Newell was arrested when he attempted to glue himself to the ground in solidarity with the disabled protesters. When asked why he was part of Extinction Rebellion he said: “I am here to help raise the alarm, to call for a profound ecological conversion. The life of God's creation is under threat, especially the lives of God's poor. I am here to help protect our common home, our mother, our sister which is among the most abused of our neighbours, as Pope Francis has said."

Sr Katrina with 83 year old Catholic protester Phil Kingston

Sr Katrina, who was arrested last Thursday at London City Airport, on suspicion of breaching the peace and obstruction of the highway,  said:  “Climate change is one of the big drives for forced migration. So in terms of climate justice, it’s already the poorest people in the poorest countries who are suffering the brunt of this climate emergency.”  She added: “I believe, as a Christian, who has power and privilege as a white, middle-aged, middle class woman that I have to pay my dues because it’s the poorest of the poor who are suffering. This is a tiny sacrifice for me to make compared to the devastation of life and livelihood that the poorest in the global south are already living.”

Sr Katrina called on the government to do more to tackle climate change: "What we want is for the UK Government to respond now to actually bring about legislation that will tackle this climate emergency in 2025. Because 2050 is too late."  Adding,  "We also want people's assemblies to be created so, together, everybody is invested in this process."

On Sunday members of Christian Climate Action also held a vigil outside Westminster Cathedral. The vigil took place as people were entering for morning Mass and included prayers and singing of hymns.

Sister Kate Midgley, a Columban,  was amongst those who took part:  "We have such a gift" she said.  "Our Pope wrote Laudato Si, which is such a wonderful document. As Catholics we really need to read it, take it to heart and put it into practice. As Christians we believe that creation is God's creation. We are realising as human beings we are destroying God's creation. As Christians we should be here to protect earth. The window in which we can act is so short as we know from all that the scientists are telling us. We urgently need to act."

“We held the vigil to highlight that this climate emergency is a spiritual emergency and one that the Church needs to take action to tackle” said Holly-Anna Petersen, 31, from East London.  “A core theme at the heart of the Christian faith is sacrifice. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life standing up against injustice and now we are called to sacrifice as well. Standing in the road in the rain may not be what we want to do with our weekend but as Christians we are called to be faithful. Our children and the poorest people around the world are pleading for us to act. The question is are we going to listen?”

Christian protesters, Trafalgar Square

After the vigil protestors  shared with members of the congregation a message of Pope Francis for the world day of prayer for creation. A section of this reads "This too is a season for undertaking prophetic actions. Many young people all over the world are making their voices heard and calling for courageous decisions. They feel let down by too many unfulfilled promises, by commitments made and then ignored for selfish interests or out of expediency. The young remind us that the earth is not a possession to be squandered, but an inheritance to be handed down. They remind us that hope for tomorrow is not a noble sentiment, but a task calling for concrete actions here and now. We owe them real answers, not empty words, actions not illusions. "

When asked why she was present at the Cathedral,  Melanie Nazareth, a 58-year-old lawyer from the capital said “We have lost our way and sometimes what we are doing to God in Creation fills me with despair. I am with Extinction Rebellion as an act of hope, a process of lived faith in which I give my trust and purpose to God. I see God’s courage and purpose in the commitment of the people of all the faiths that are alongside me. Our fellowship and love stands witness of the world we can build if we open ourselves to living in respectful relationship with each other and with the earth."

Further information can be sought by emailing: Christianclimateaction@gmail.com

Or if you are in London: christianclimateactionlondon@protonmail.com

Befriending travellers: an award for the first female Catholic Chaplain at Gatwick

Sr Jo Threlfall SND

Sr Jo received the medal from Bishop Moth

A Religious Sister who has devoted fifteen years to the ministry of airport chaplaincy has been awarded the ‘Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice’ medal by Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton.  Sr Jo Threlfall SND received the medal at a Mass celebrated with several past and present chaplains as well as monks from nearby Worth Abbey. Many of Sr Jo’s former Chaplaincy colleagues and airport workers were also in attendance. The celebration also marked the 45th anniversary of the foundation of the Chaplaincy at the airport.

Sr Jo has sent in a reflection on the path which led her to airport ministry and looks back on the enormous variety of people and situations she has encountered along the way:

In her own words:

“After spending over twenty years of my religious life in Nigeria and then a brief period in Zimbabwe and South Africa, I reluctantly returned to the British Province. I was missioned to London where I worked in the Africa Section at CAFOD, taught English to asylum seekers and did some chaplaincy work in Brixton Prison. All this it seems was great preparation for being invited a decade and a half ago by the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton to be the first Catholic woman Airport Chaplain at Gatwick Airport.

This is a very rewarding and privileged ministry, being available to listen to and support passengers and staff of every nationality, culture and faith and those with no defined belief. Daily we meet people who are anxious, fearful, troubled in many different ways, who need someone they can turn to with confidence to share their burdens and give them courage to continue their journey. Many tell me that they find it easier to talk to a woman and know that they will not be judged.

The Chaplaincy team

In today’s world it is most important to work in a multi-faith team. It is so enriching to share with Chaplains of other faiths whether Buddhist or Muslim. Pope Francis reminded us at an International Airport Chaplains Conference recently that - “Each has his or her own story, known only to God, with its joys and sorrows its hopes and troubles. In this setting, you are called to bring the message and presence of Christ, who alone knows what lies hidden in the heart of each person, and to bring to everyone, whether Christian or not the Good News of God’s tender love, hope and peace.”

When we have time, we walk around both landside and airside to chat with passengers. Our elderly Salvation Army colleague used to say we were… “Loitering with intent”.  I like to go and talk with the vulnerable elderly people in the Special Assistance Area Airside, who may be returning to the Caribbean having visited their family members in this country.

One day a mother in tears told me that her son whom she thought was working in South America was imprisoned in Spain on a drug trafficking offence. She certainly needed prayers and assurance of God’s help as she travelled to visit him in prison.

Another time, a Sister who was known to me was travelling to Germany. She called into the Chaplaincy before going to departures. Ten minutes later she returned looking very distressed. In her rucksack she’d been carrying a small Swiss army knife and was about to be arrested. She had explained to officials that she could leave it with the Chaplain who would return it to her community. This seemed to be sufficient for her to be released.

There is certainly never a dull moment in this ministry. Emergencies occur more often than we hear of in the news, and even the police find the need for a friendly chaplain to talk to a distressed passenger or homeless person.

This recognition  of this award has really made me proud to be a Sister of Notre Dame. It is a sign of the high regard that Bishop Richard has for SNDs and the work that we do.”

Religious Sisters reflect on their role at Littlemore at this historic moment

L to R : A tour leader who brings groups of parishioners to Littlemore - with two of the Sisters, in front of a depiction of the famous fireside scene

With the canonisation of Cardinal Newman, a congregation of Sisters who manage The College  at Littlemore, in Oxford, where Newman famously converted to Catholicism, are reporting a significant increase in visitors. Sisters of the Spiritual Family, The Work, have looked after the property for over thirty years, hosting thousands of pilgrims from all over the world.

The Chapel where Newman prayed

The Library

Newman lived there from 1842  - 46, making it a place of quiet reflection and study. He had originally come to Littlemore to minister at the nearby Anglican church – the location of his famous sermon, ‘The Parting of Friends.’

The College is a former stable block, just up the road from the church; Newman converted the property into a group of cells with a kitchen and library. On October 9th 1845 a visiting Italian missionary priest, Blessed Dominic Barberi arrived, soaked from the rain and stood by an open fire to dry off. Newman knelt and asked to be received into full communion with the Catholic church. The following day Newman’s writing desk was used as an altar for Blessed Dominic to celebrate Mass – the first Catholic Mass attended by Newman.

Newman’s desk which doubled up as the Altar at his first Catholic Mass

Pilgrims can visit Newman’s room and small Chapel which is similar to how it would have been when he and his companions prayed there as well as the library which includes a substantial collection of Newman-related literature, pictures, sculptures, original letters and objects.

One of the Religious Sisters who greets the growing numbers of pilgrims, Sr Ingrid reflected:

“To live and to serve at Littlemore, and more specifically at The College, is very interesting. At The College two Blesseds made history – Blessed Dominic Barberi and soon-to-be-saint Blessed John Henry Newman. To be able to walk where they walked, to pray where they prayed is almost overwhelming…… 

At Littlemore we experience how much Newman is known and loved all over the world. Visitors come from the five continents, alone or in groups. Many of them are Catholics, however not exclusively. They want to see the place where Newman lived for four years, where he made his confession to Father Dominic Barberi and where he became a Catholic……

Newman’s room

At Littlemore Newman spent a very important period of his life. He made it ‘…a place of retirement for myself, so did I offer it to others…’ and he said of it ‘… there it has been, that I have both been taught my way and received an answer to my prayers…’

We, The Spiritual Family The Work, are here exactly for that same purpose, to offer the place to others as a place of retirement and of study. We open the place and welcome daily visitors. Littlemore offers in monastery-like buildings an atmosphere of silence, prayer, meditation for those who pass by and those who stay for a longer time. Manifold are the intentions people bring here to Newman asking for his intercession.

Often we, the Sisters, are inspired by visitors, by their enthusiasm, by their love of Newman - and this we want to pass on to others. If we look at Newman’s life, each one of us will find aspects we can relate easily to in our own lives and so his life becomes an inspiration for us.”

The garden at Littlemore

The many groups who visit express enormous gratitude for the commitment of the Sisters in preserving this unique place. A group which visited in September from a Catholic parish in Berkshire offered these reflections:

“It’s my first time here, it’s so peaceful. I’d actually never heard of Newman before. Like him though, I used to be an evangelical and came to Catholicism in my 50s. Like him, I have friends who no longer speak to me. It was obviously worse for him, in those days. When I entered the Chapel here, I didn’t want  to leave.”

Another guest said: “I knew little about Newman before today. It’s so peaceful here, like a different world. It was an amazing feeling in the library, I could just imagine how it all happened.”

“To see the table where he wrote, which became an altar, it touches the soul. It is beautiful to see it and to hear what he went through to convert. I hadn’t thought about that pain before. His canonisation will help with Christian unity. He will spur us on.”

OPENING : Details of how to arrange  a visit and opening times are available at : www.newmanfriendsinternational.org

Passionist Province recognition of 'climate emergency'

A statement from the Passionist Congregation in England and Wales, September 2019:

We Passionists of St Joseph’s Province in England and Wales, recognise that we are in a Climate and Ecological Emergency.

The life of God’s creation on earth is threatened. The climate is changing rapidly due to human actions, and species are threatened with extinction at an ever increasing rate. Both of these undermine the basis for human life and desecrate God’s creation.

God created human beings in the Divine image, to love their Creator and to care for all Creation, both human and the whole natural world. We are called to love our neighbour as ourselves. Laudato Si reminds us that the Earth is our neighbour, our mother and our sister. Our globalised society has harnessed God-given human ingenuity for the universal common good, in ways that contribute to the good of many millions of our sisters and brothers. However, in the process, we are now damaging the very fruitfulness of creation that God intended, and on which we depend. In this kairos moment, this crisis-point at which we have arrived, emergency action is needed to protect God’s earth and God’s poor. We, especially in the richer nations of the world, need to change direction, to repent. If we do not, we know the poorest will once more suffer first and most. Christians must be open to, and speak, the truth that sets us free. So we commit ourselves to integrate human, climate and ecological justice in every aspect of our life, work, worship and prayer.

We pledge to act on this Emergency in our own lives and ministry. We will also work with and support our members, friends and government, at local and national levels, in tackling this Emergency, and we call on others to do the same.

These are our intentions:

1. We will tell the Truth

Governments and broadcasters must tell the truth about the Climate and Ecological Emergency, reverse inconsistent policies and communicate the urgency for far-reaching systemic change. We will communicate with those associated with us and those we minister and work with, and support them to discover the truth about the Emergency and the changes that are needed.

2. We will take Action

Governments must enact legally binding policy measures to reduce emissions to net zero by 2025 and to reduce consumption levels. We pledge to work towards reducing our emissions to net zero by 2025. We will challenge policies and actions of local and national governments and their agencies, where they do not help to reduce emissions or consumption levels. We will actively work to inspire, enable, imagine and model ways in which our faith and our congregations can protect and renew our life-sustaining planet.

3. We are committed to Justice

The emergency has arisen from deeply systemic injustices. Faith communities can imagine and unleash shifts in the ways people relate to one another and the world, in our values and behaviours. We will do what is possible to help all those associated with us and those we minister and work with to talk about how the Emergency will affect them and the changes that are needed. We believe that all truth-telling, action and democratic work must be underpinned by a commitment to justice, both within our nation and towards other nations, particularly for those who are poorer.

In Plain Sight : conference on modern slavery

Members of the Conference of Religious are invited to a conference on modern day slavery called In Plain Sight. It is free thanks to support from CCLA.

Date: Tuesday 15th October 2019, 10.00am – 4.00pm 

Venue:  CCLA Senator House, 85 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4ET

Organiser: Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) and members

Sponsor: CCLA Investment Management Limited

Introduction

Many dioceses and parishes are awake to the de-humanising impact of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in England and Wales.  Leadership from our bishops and action from many religious congregations and Catholic charities has enabled the Catholic Church to play its part in beginning to eradicate in the UK one of the world’s most organised, profitable and criminal activities that causes so much misery and long-term damage to its victims.  

The Conference will help equip delegates through shared practical experience and planning to combat Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking at a diocesan and parish level.  A session on supply chains will help dioceses, businesses and organisations to operate ethically in their procurement and purchasing practices.  

Aims

Share learning and good practice from Anti -Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery organisations and practitioners

Identify key areas for future activity using the Pastoral Orientations on Human Trafficking developed by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development

Agree effective action that contributes to the eradication of Modern Day Slavery

Evaluate the conference with a view to developing a national strategy

Conference delegates will gain:

An appreciation of the scale and depth of the problem

Insights into the range of activities and services tackling Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery by the Church and others

Understanding of the need to check supply chains and guidance on making progress on making more ethical decisions on purchasing and investment

A clear vision and guidance to assist dioceses and parishes in developing services

A support network to assist in developing action plans

Who should attend?

Diocesan representatives responsible for: developing services, and purchasing and investment

Religious orders & congregations

Caritas Social Action Network members

Organisations working in this field

Lead organisations delivering the conference: Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), Caritas Diocese of Salford, Caritas Westminster (including Caritas Bakhita House), Jesuit Refugee Service UK, Medaille Trust, Santa Marta Group, Women at the Well.

Programme (draft):

10.00                     Registration & coffee

10.30     Opening prayer and welcome

Phil McCarthy and Peter Hugh Smith CEO CCLA

10.45     In plain sight – the problem and scale of Modern Day Slavery in the UK: Kevin Hyland, former Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner

11.00                     The work of Catholic charities in combatting Modern Day Slavery: 

Local initiatives:  Caritas Diocese of Salford

11.15                     Break

11.30                     The work of Catholic charities in combatting Modern Day Slavery

National perspectives and victim support: The Medaille Trust, Caritas Bakhita House, Women at the Well, Jesuit Refugee Service (UK)

12.30     Lunch (provided)

1.30        Combatting slavery & organised crime Sion Hall (formerly Head of the East Lancashire Police Anti - Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery Team)

1.45        Supply chains & ethical investment: Andrew Adams (CCLA Ethical & Responsible Investment Team)

2.00        Workshops: Developing local initiatives on key conference issues

3.00        Plenary: towards a strategy to combat Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Luke de Pulford (ARISE Foundation)

3.45        Conclusions from the day and closing prayer

               His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols

4.00        Depart   

Note: Dr Anna Rowlands, St Hilda Associate Professor of Catholic Social Thought & Practice will prepare a follow-up paper on Modern Day Slavery and Catholic social thought.

Please follow this link to register for the Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/in-plain-sight-human-trafficking-and-modern-day-slavery-conference-tickets-70915049823

For further details, please contact Mary Scully: 0161 817 2250 m.scully@caritassalford.org.uk.

Congratulations pour in for new Cardinal

Photo: CNS photo/William Rieter

The news that Missionary of Africa, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, has been made a Cardinal has been met with great acclaim in the UK and internationally. The surprise announcement came at Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus address in early September. The new Cardinal is a British expert on Islam and the former president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Cardinal-designate Fitzgerald, who moved with his congregation into an inner city parish in Liverpool last autumn, with a particular priority of outreach to the Muslim community said he’s been overwhelmed by the reaction to the announcement from Rome : “The response has been very positive, from the Superior General and his Council right down to students whom I have known in Jerusalem. They see this as an honour to our Society and a confirmation of this aspect of our charism, reaching out to people of other religions, particularly Muslims.”

The Walsall-born White Father has worked tirelessly over many decades to build relations with people of other faiths and also served as the Vatican’s nuncio to Egypt until 2012. He added : “Judging from the messages of congratulations that I am receiving from different people, and not only Christians, it seems that people who are engaged in interfaith relations are greatly encouraged. They see this appointment as a sign of hope at a time when work in interfaith relations is often called into question, but when in fact it is more necessary than ever.”

The General Secretary of the Conference of Religious, Valerie Nazareth, warmly welcomed the appointment: “The Conference of Religious is absolutely delighted to hear of the announcement of Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald being elevated to the College of Cardinals. It is a great blessing. We know all the congregations of England and Wales will join us in passing on congratulations and best wishes at this news and that they will also hold him in their prayers.  We thank him for his dedicated contribution to interfaith dialogue and we also pray that the  new mission of the Missionaries of Africa in Liverpool will bear much fruit.”

Missionaries of Africa in Liverpool

The Missionaries of Africa see their mission as not only on the continent of Africa but to the entire African world and their new parish, St Vincent de Paul, has a considerable migrant population. They are in the process of reviving activities in the parish, which like other similar inner city areas, has experienced significant demographic change in recent years.

Archbishop Michael sees the congregation’s ability to mobilise in this way as a strength: “The difference between religious men and diocesan priests should not be exaggerated, yet I think it would be true to say that religious congregations, whether of men or of women, are freer to do new things. Whereas pastors are busy looking after their sheep and seeing that they are well fed, religious are freer to move into new fields, seeking other sheep that are to be brought into the fold, or bringing the message of the Gospel to other parts of human society. This is why it is often religious who are more engaged in efforts for justice and peace and in the integrity of creation, working on behalf of migrants and refugees, combating human trafficking, engaging in interfaith relations, and so forth. It is true also that different congregations are enriching the Church through sharing their distinctive spiritualities. This sharing is not confined to other religious, but is offered also to lay people.”

The announcement of Archbishop Michael’s elevation to Cardinal came just before Pope Francis set off on a high profile visit to Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius: “As a Missionary of Africa, events in Africa are always followed with interest and with prayer” Archbishop Michael said. “The Churches in Africa are facing huge challenges. these come from a lack of stability in many of the countries, wars, conflicts. The Churches try to respond to the needs of people but their means are limited. In living and celebrating the faith African Christians show great vitality. They are often disappointed with the celebrations in our churches here in the UK. As Missionaries of Africa we would like to encourage them to make their contribution to the life of the Church in this country. This does not concern only the liturgy, but also the experience of small Christian communities in which lay people play an important part.”

Fr Terry

Another member of Archbishop Michael’s community in Liverpool, Fr Terry Madden, explained more about the nature of their work there: “As a community, we want to welcome the stranger, asylum seekers and refugees, especially from the African diaspora. We also have a commitment to Justice & Peace issues, including human trafficking.” They’ve also made links with a local foodbank and are offering their active support as well as getting parishioners involved and are reaching out in welcome to a local hostel for asylum seekers.

Archbishop Michael attended a recent awareness raising day about modern slavery organised by a congregation in the northwest, in conjunction with the  Conference of Religious:

An unassuming presence at a recent day on modern slavery in Formby

The parish church they’ve adopted in Liverpool was built in the 1850s and was once home to 7000 Catholics, with five Masses on a Sunday. Many local homes have been demolished and the area has experienced significant depopulation. Following their arrival in 2018, Mass was celebrated there this Easter for the first time in many years. The diocese has renovated the presbytery and welcomed them into the area.

They are building up parish life and organising community events like a recent summer barbecue on the local street. The Chinese community has its own Church just nearby and Fr Terry hopes that barriers that have developed over the years will be broken down.

Directly opposite St Vincent’s there are signs of social change, with developers moving in and modern flats emerging. Digital enterprises and new coffee shops indicate a younger generation breathing life back into the area. Fr Terry has an exciting vision for the rather jaded Victorian church building they have been given charge of : “We want to take out the benches at the back and make a social space. We’ll be free to use it as we want.”

A key focus is to welcome the stranger. Fr Terry adds: “We made a choice to come to Liverpool. Archbishop Michael and I are both working on interreligious dialogue – it’s a long term project. We have visited mosques and engaged with academics at Hope University. We are very keen to break down barriers and to help people of different faiths get to know each other. We are making inroads.“

Regeneration in the local area

Two congregations going green for the sake of the planet

Franciscan Sisters Minoress

In a concerted effort to make a tangible response to the climate crisis, the Franciscan Sisters Minoress as well as  the English/Scottish Province of the Religious Sisters of Charity have made a bold commitment to go green by turning away from fossil fuel investments.

The announcement comes during the ‘Season of Creation’ -a global celebration of prayer and action for the environment, and is made just days after Pope Francis said that  “now is the time to abandon our dependence on fossil fuels and move, quickly and decisively, towards forms of clean energy and a sustainable and circular economy.”

Franciscan Sisters Minoress

Faith leaders from across the world have responded to the climate crisis that is experienced by all, and most strongly by poorer nations in the global south.

Sr Patricia Jordan FSM, Mother General of the Franciscan Sisters Minoress reflected: “On his deathbed, Saint Francis said, ‘I have done what was mine to do, may Christ now teach you what you are to do…………….’

……We each have our own part to play in protecting our environment, all of creation and the most vulnerable in society. Pope Francis said that St Francis shows us how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society and interior peace. We the Franciscan Sisters Minoress, as followers of Saint Francis of Assisi and in response to the challenges of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si” and the needs of the times, have taken the decision to divest of our investments in fossil fuels. Our charism of minority places us in communion with God and all creatures but especially with the poor and all those in need. As ‘little ones’, accepting our weaknesses and limitations we put our trust in God, who alone can achieve His work through us. We have a duty to be responsible stewards of all God’s gifts, namely “our common home” and to protect all of creation and our most vulnerable brothers and sisters throughout the world.”

planet earth

Sr Rita Dawson RSC, Provincial of the English/Scottish Province of the Religious Sisters of Charity, outlined her congregation’s discernment, in terms of taking a stand on the environment: “We are proud to be part of the move to a fossil fuel free future. The sisters in our province unanimously agreed that divestment from fossil fuels was the way forward for us and an investment in the future of life on our planet. For many years now our Congregation has adopted care of the earth as a special commitment and our sisters have been encouraged and enabled to grow in their understanding of how to respond to that commitment. As  we deepened our understanding of the nature of climate change and the contributing factors we have tried to respond positively by taking steps to limit the damage and we aspire to replacing our carbon footprint with a green one.  In doing all this we face the same challenges as everyone else living in a consumerist and privileged society.  We are constantly reminded by the media of the threat of climate change. We are concerned that the damage that the use of fossil fuels is doing to the temperature of the earth will endanger the poorest and most vulnerable people worst and  greatly compromise future generations. Equally we value God’s Creation as a whole and of which we are a part.  Every creature is connected to us, plants, animals, soil, oceans.  We are aware of the web of life and that everything we do, buy, every choice we make has an effect of the health of this web. A million species are endangered and many are already  lost.  We recognize that all species are loved by God and any action causing damage to our brothers and sisters or other creatures through our human activity is completely unacceptable to the Creator. Our decision to divest from fossil fuels is a moral one.  It became evident to us that it is quite simply the right thing to do.”

James Buchanan, Bright Now Campaign Manager for the Christian climate change charity Operation Noah, said, “As the scale of the climate crisis and the urgency of action required increases by the day, it is wonderful to see faith institutions at the forefront of the fossil fuel divestment movement, shifting investments out of the problem and into the solution.”

For more information on the divestment process, congregations can contact James Buchanan as follows:  james.buchanan@operationnoah.org      +44 7801 570 653

Friar awarded a top honour by Japan is one of a pair

Fr Jude has taught generations of Zambians (credit: PaulMartin/MediaZones.net)

A Capuchin Franciscan priest has been awarded one of Japan’s highest honours, for his lifelong service to judo and to the people of Zambia where he spent fifty years on mission.  Fr Jude McKenna, originally from Northern Ireland, helped to spread the practice of judo across Zambia and throughout Africa.

Fr Brian (left) & Fr Jude

An extraordinary enough tale in itself.  But another extraordinary fact is that Fr Jude has a twin brother who is also a Capuchin Franciscan. Ordained together in 1966, Fr Jude headed to the global south and Fr Brian was sent to the west coast of the United States.  As Fr Jude says of his twin:  “he was born ten minutes before me, but is now ten hours behind!”

The brothers, natives of Ballymoney, recently featured in an RTE television documentary.  Fr Jude’s expertise in judo grew out of an earlier passion for boxing in his youth ; by 1958 he had become Irish middle weight boxing champion. At one stage, he’d been earmarked to take on the later boxing world champion, Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) in the preliminaries to the 1960 Olympic Games finals in Rome. But he dodged that one by joining the Capuchin order.

Teaching judo in Zambia

Later, after three visits to Japan, he developed an affinity for judo – inevitably leading to him being referred to as “Fr Judo.”  He’s a Blackbelt  6th Dan and has taught generations of people in Zambia, including training the police and also putting on sessions for women in self defence. His reputation amongst the Zambian people has been described as ‘legendary.’  He is a former president of the Zambian Judo Federation and vice president of the African Judo Union. He was appointed Assistant Technical Director of the Commonwealth Judo association and in 1980 was a coach at the Moscow Olympics as well as being appointed by the Vatican as Chaplain to the Games.

Father Jude with Japan's Ambassador to Ireland, Mari Miyoshi. Credit: Embassy of Japan in Ireland.

The Japanese government has now honoured him with the ‘Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.’  The award is given to people who make a very significant contribution to the spread of Japanese culture. It was presented at a ceremony in June in Dublin, by Japan's Ambassador to Ireland in recognition of his “outstanding contribution towards strengthening bilateral relations and promoting friendship between Japan and Zambia through judo.”

Joining the Capuchin Order

Fr Jude recalled how he and his brother, who in their youth went nearly everywhere together,  discovered their vocations simultaneously, but completely separately: “We were at a cricket match between Ireland and the West Indies. I told him there was going to be a ‘divorce!’ I was going to join the Capuchins.” ……“And so am I came the reply.”  Unbeknowns to either of them, they had both been receiving spiritual direction from the same Priest who hadn’t said a word.  It was a completely new path for Fr Brian, who also had sporting instincts – at that time, he was a jockey: “I’m big and he’s small” quipped Fr Jude.

Reflecting back on more than fifty years as a Capuchin, Fr Jude says it’s been a great blessing to have had a twin following the same path: “We’ve sought each other’s advice amid problems or challenges. We’ve always got on wonderfully. I do have a feeling of divine providence guiding us through life and bringing us in the same direction. That’s what you would call ‘vocation’ – a feeling of being called.”

Fr Brian also feels it’s been a blessing to have a twin brother as a Brother in the Order: “There is an innate connection that defies explanation - a common interest and attraction to the same path. If twins are separated  for some reason they would likely finish up in the same type of work; there is a definite attraction to the same. We cannot disregard the possibility of some divine intervention. Our mother died at age 49 : what were her wishes for her twin boys? Hardly that they be  priests, being of Scotch descent and her religion Scotch Presbyterian. However my aunt on our father’s side,  while in San Giovanni in Italy, said to Padre  Pio: “I have two nephews in your Order in Ireland” and he responded : “they will be ordained.”

When Fr Jude left Zambia for good recently, the Irish ambassador laid on a garden party in his honour. The cake was adorned with the Irish and Zambian flags. Now living in Dublin and being treated for failing eyesight, he reflects on his decades of ministry : “As I look back, I must confess that overall it has been a very blessed life. I’ve often said that most people live in the world of black and white. For me, it has been a technicolor existence through all the experiences I’ve had and the involvement with people and nations and sport around the world. So I look back with a sense of fulfilment  ; I think I’ve left footprints in the sand.”

Receiving a gift in Zambia