MAY 2022 Edition 5
Confession: A car
Vocation Sunday
wash of the soul
8th May
Fr Neil McNicholas page 6
page 2
Police guidance on sacramental access to crime scenes revised page 12
Updating the Curia Canon Paul Chipchase
Pope’s Constitution for the Reform of the Roman Curia ‘Praedicate Evangelium’ released On the ninth anniversary of his inauguration recently, Pope Francis issued a document entitled “Praedicate Evangelium.” (Preach the Gospel). This a document about the reform of the Roman Curia, i.e. the central departments of the Church’s administration. It was issued as an “Apostolic Constitution” which is the highest grade, and most authoritative type of Papal instruction. Two things are apparent from reading Praedicate Evangelium. The title itself, is a strong reminder that all work undertaken on behalf of the Church is, ultimately, concerned with the spread of the Gospel; the Good News
of Jesus Christ. Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasised that “missionary conversion” is the core principle and purpose of the Church’s activity. He is determined that the Church should be less inwardly focussed and more outward facing. This has been a recurring theme of his addresses to the Roman Curia, which he has expressed with characteristic forthrightness. This emphasis is shown most clearly in the creation of a new Dicastery (Department) for Evangelisation, of which the Pope himself will be the head. Some people have described him as “...the chief missionary of a missionary church.” Mission is very much at the heart of these reforms.
The second feature of Praedicate Evangelium is that it expresses the Pope’s commitment to the principle of “synodality” i.e. the involvement of all the baptised in the life and work of the Church. The aspect of the document that has received most media attention is that it removes the restriction on senior appointments in the Roman Curia, which have always been filled by Cardinals and Archbishops, so that lay people may now be appointed to these positions. It is now possible for a woman to become the head of a Vatican department! Unlike previous arrangements, all Vatican departments will now be set up on a similar footing. No one department will be able to tell others what to do. All departments will be expected to meet and talk regularly, taking decisions in a more collaborative or “synodal” fashion. The reform of the Roman Curia is just the latest part in a thoroughgoing reform of the Church being instigated by Pope Francis.
Stations of the Cross in HM Prison Send ICN
A community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others ‘It took years to try and understand that Christ died on the cross to forgive my sins... I was sitting in a room with seven other men and I began to cry. I said, 'How can I possibly live with myself, with what I have done? Then began the journey of building myself up.' These words were spoken by a former prisoner who is now a Pact ambassador. They were also read aloud by Bishop Richard Moth last Friday in the chapel at HMP Send, a women's prison in Surrey. Bishop Moth is the Liaison Bishop for Prisons. He was making the Stations of the Cross with the women using the new text
Women at HMP Send being escorted from the garden. Image: Andy Aitchison produced by Pact, the Catholic prisons charity. The reflective part of the text expresses the thoughts and feelings of prisoners, people with convictions and their families. After the service, Bishop Moth and a small group of Pact visitors, chatted with the women over socially-distanced tea and cake. Some knew Bishop Richard already because he had baptised or confirmed them on previous visits. Some approached Canon Paul Douthwaite, the National Catholic Chaplain for Prisons, asking for special prayers. We talked about the sunny weather, the beautiful prison gardens, knitting,
children, church, and making a fresh start. The women explained that during Lent, they have been meeting in the prison chapel with their Catholic chaplain, for weekly Stations of the Cross - just as many parishioners have been doing 'on the outside.' Pact's strong roots are in the Catholic church. We consciously weave the principles of Catholic Social teaching into the way we work. We invite parishes to use this Stations of the Cross liturgy in solidarity with those who are in prison and their families. Continued on page 4
The Indestructible Wall A mosaic of the Oranta in St. Sophia Cathedral, built in Kyiv in the 11th century
Page 6. The Catholic Post. May 2022.
Vocations Sunday 8th May Pray for vocations
The Fourth Sunday of Easter (8th May this year ) is known as Vocations Sunday or Good Shepherd Sunday, and is marked as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The purpose of this day is to fulfil Jesus' instruction to “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38). While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates her attention on raising up shepherds for God's people - vocations to Holy Orders (the priesthood and diaconate) and to the religious life - while encouraging all who are discerning their vocation to pray more earnestly that they may hear and respond to God's call. About the Priesthood A diocesan priest most often lives out their vocation through service of a parish community. They do this by: Celebrating Mass and administering other Sacraments. Leading the community in prayer. Visiting those in need. Providing for the spiritual and temporal needs of the people. Priests are often called upon to provide chaplaincy services, most frequently in school, but sometimes also to universities, prisons, and occasionally to groups or organisations. In each of these roles, a priest will be called upon to act with thoughtfulness and patience, and to show wisdom drawn from their experience, study, and prayer. That may sound like a rather daunting set of expectations, but a priest has faith that in seeking to do this he does not act alone, but rather as God’s instrument in the world.
Fr Lim’s story The priests I encountered, at school and beyond, were very happy … I started thinking that maybe I could be happy as a priest as well.’ When I was 11, I left my home in Leicester to return to Cameroon, where I was born, to begin secondary school. It was a boarding school for those who wanted to become priests.
in church. God also used my love for reading to teach me about the saints, and how they were extremely happy trying to follow God’s plan for their lives.
But I did not want to be a priest; it had never crossed my mind. I, like many others, was sent to that school because its students produced very good results after the Year 11 exams. But God has creative ways of drawing people to him.
I noticed that the priests I encountered, at school and beyond, were very happy. It also helped that around that time, many local priests were celebrating significant anniversaries, and I still vividly remember the beautiful homilies from those Masses on the priesthood. Eventually, when I was 14, I started thinking that maybe I could be happy as a priest as well, and maybe I could do the same things I had read about.
Our daily timetable had a lot of prayer in it which I resented at first - but over the years I grew to look forward to the time I would spend
But that was not the end of my vocation journey. Since then, God has led me to many other places I didn’t expect to go to. I returned
to England sooner than I expected, then applied for seminary and was surprised to hear that the first year of my training was going to be in Spain. Over the next six years I would get great joy from working in schools, prisons, and even on ships. And I was ordained in December 2020, in-between two lockdowns. My advice to anyone discerning the priesthood is to remember that God is in control. He needs our cooperation, yes, but he’s the one who calls us in the first place. He has a plan. He knows where he’s leading us, and if we are open to where he wants to take us, then we’ll find ourselves on a wonderful adventure.
Online event celebrating Our Lady of Hartley ICN
A shrine to Our Lady was created to house a statue that was a contemporary copy of an ancient and miraculous Flemish carvin The parish of St Francis de Sales at Hartley in Kent, with its unusual and beautiful thatched church, is hosting an online pilgrim event at 3.30pm on Saturday 1 May to mark 100 years since Benedict XV recognised the new title of 'Our Lady of Hartley' and encouraged prayer to Mary under that name. The parish owes its existence to Miss Beatrice Davis-Cooke, member of an aristocratic family directly descended from the Plantagenet King Edward III, father of the Black Prince. Legend has it that she visited Bishop Amigo in 1912 saying that she was resolved to do something to spread the Faith in the rural areas. Spotting a vacant area on a map showing the locations of parishes, she announced, "I shall try there," and left the bishop rather uncertain about what had just happened. Estates around the village had been divided into small plots for sale to city dwellers wanting
to try a rural lifestyle. Beatrice bought one holding that contained a farmhouse and outbuildings including a thatched barn, some 400 years old at that time, and adapted it to serve as an oratory within the Northfleet parish. For many years from its opening in 1913 priests such as Mgr Ronald Knox came from London to celebrate Mass, and it was later served by the Carmelites for many decades. A shrine to Our Lady was created to house a statue that was a contemporary copy of an ancient and miraculous Flemish carving. Reports of favours soon also emerged from visitors to Hartley. Miss Davies-Cooke's many society friends included the Italian-born second wife of Lord Cadogan, recently retired Viceroy of Ireland, who mingled in diplomatic circles when visiting Rome. Lady Cadogan's accounts of developments at Hartley attracted the Pope's
attention and he continued to ask for news. He was horrified by the scourge of the First World War and warmly appreciated the fact that Hartley had become a haven for dozens of refugees from Europe, who worshipped at the Oratory alongside German prisoners. His grant of the new Marian title was a testament to his satisfaction with the mission and to further enhance its development he attached a plenary indulgence to gained by those who visit the shrine and pray for peace among the Princes of Europe. This gives it the status of a Major Marian Shrine, alongside others that are far better known. Thanks to Covid, there will be very few in the congregation, but the May 1 celebration will be livestreamed to the parish which can be found by typing 'St Francis DeSales Catholic Church, Hartley' into YouTube.
It will include prayers and hymns, along with a talk by the Shrine Pilgrimage Secretary, Phil Kerton, about its history and another by Dr Anne Inman entitled: "Praying the Hail Mary: how to honour Mary, without diminishing her humanity". It concludes with half an hour's Eucharistic Adoration, followed by the 5.30pm Sunday Vigil Mass. Phil Kerton
The Catholic Post. May 2022. Page 7.
For all who are disturbed by world events
Are you at home with ten minutes to spare? Stuck in traffic? Do you wish to do something dramatic towards achieving peace in the world, protecting those hurt and displaced by wars that are not of their making? Pray the Rosary. The words of Sr. Lucia of Fatima echo the excellence of this devotion; “There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.” Our Lady said: “I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the rosary every day.” She was gentle and encouraging: “Don't lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God."
Shock and Condemnation cbcew
Russia is presently under the scrutiny of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) following an application filed by Ukraine on February 26. On March 16, 2022, the ICJ ordered Russia to immediately suspend its military operations in the country. As war between Russia and Ukraine entered its 39th day with no signs of de-escalation, on Sunday, Churches and Christians in Britain and Ireland gathered again in ecumenical prayer for peace and for all those affected by the conflict. The main demonstration was held in London in front of the Ukrainian Embassy. The event was attended, amongst others, by Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family, who had also participated in another prayer gathering led in Trafalgar Square, on March 5, by Archbishop Gugerotti, Apostolic Nuncio to the United Kingdom. News of atrocites in Bucha It took place as news began to seep out about mass executions of civilians allegedly committed by Russian troops in the Kyiv suburb town of Bucha. Images reported by various media outlets, after Bucha was retaken by Ukrainians forces, showed a mass grave with hundreds of corpses and a number of dead civilians lying in the streets – some with
their hands tied – who appeared to have been shot dead at close range. Shock and condemnation The news has sparked shock and worldwide condemnation, and is likely to lead to more sanctions against Russia, who denies the Ukrainian allegations. The World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed abhorrence at these reported atrocities, and called for full investigation. “War is a context inherently conducive to such brutality, which underlines the need for systems of legal accountability to prosecute perpetrators, in order to curb the worst in humanity,” said Sauca. Archbishop Shevchuk Commenting on the news, the Major Archbishop Svjatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev remarked that Europe only saw such scenes in the liberation from the Nazi. “Today Ukraine is seeing this, and it is very important that the whole world sees and hears it”, he said.
Literally a few tens of kilometers from the centre of Kyiv, in the liberated towns, we see horrific war crimes. Mass graves with hundreds of lifeless bodies. Executed people lying in the streets, sometimes with tied hands. Naked bodies of women which they did not have time to burn. “The very fact of being able to see the Russian army trying to take looted property out of Ukraine by the truckloads is heart-breaking”, he added. In his daily video message from Kyiv, the head of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine also, once again, expressed his gratitude to all those who are praying with Ukrainians in different parts of the globe. He especially thanked the Association of Marian Shrines of Europe who, last week, sent a strongly worded letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin condemning the war and asking him to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine. Pope Francis ‘willing to do whatever needs to be done’ All along his Apostolic Journey to Malta from 2-3 April, Pope Francis too reiterated his heartfelt call for an immediate end of the war which he once again termed as “sacrilegious”. At the press conference during his flight back to Rome he was asked about the feasibility of him visiting Kyiv, also in light of the latest developments. Pope Francis replied that he was “willing to do whatever needs to be done”, stating that war is always “inhuman” and an expression of what he called “the spirit of Cain”.
When Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego at Guadalupe, she consoled his fears also; “Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear sickness or anguish. Am I not here who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.” By praying even just one decade of the rosary each day, maybe using scriptural texts, we can make a difference to world events. Turn off the news, and join us in praying for peace. Mother of God, Mary most Holy, our refuge in every need, turn your eyes to us in our distress. Dangers surround us, in your love deliver us, O Virgin enthroned in Glory! (Prayer based on third or fourth century AD ‘Rylands papyrus’ the earliest known reference to Mary entitled ‘Mother of God’.) www.crownofthorns.org.uk
Crown of Thorns
Mission of Hope
Promoting the Holy Rosary in the U.K. & throughout the world to bring hope, comfort and peace to the marginalised, the oppressed and the imprisoned, enabling wounded hearts to find healing and shattered lives to find breath and space to renew. Supporting priests and chaplains in their ministry, outreach and welfare. Response from parish priests: “The rosary cards that you sent me have had a tremendous effect on the devotion and prayer life of the parish.”
www.crownofthorns.org.uk email: office@crownofthorns.org.uk Phone: 01342 870472 Registered charity no: 1042751