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The Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth magazine February/March 2011 Vol 11-1 Bamenda Revisited Vocations Sunday Project Tanzania Lent Fast Day Christmas in Bethlehem ... plus all our regular features

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Page 1: Bamenda Revisited Vocations Sunday Project Tanzania Lent Fast Day Christmas … · 2018-11-29 · Christmas in Bethlehem... plus all our regular features. PEOPLE PORTSMOUTH Designed

The Catholic Dioceseof Portsmouth magazine

February/March 2011Vol 11-1

Bamenda Revisited

Vocations Sunday

Project Tanzania

Lent Fast Day

Christmas in Bethlehem

... plus all our regular features

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PEOPLEPORTSMOUTH

Designed and produced by South Hants Digital t: 023 9238 8087

Bishop’s Bulletin 2Homily For Deceased Bishops, Priests 5And Deacons by Canon Mahy

Teens And 20s by Joshua Fernandes 6This Is IT! 7Parsons Pointers by John Parsons 7Profiles 8 & 16Behind The Scenes 8Calendar 9Prie-Dieu by Fr Denis Blackledge 10Help For The Hard Of Hearing by Maggie Short 10St Anne’s: The Tanzania Connection 11by Sue Hutchinson

Movers And Shakers 12 12Anglicans’ Long Journey To Rome by Colin Parkes 14Anglican Ordinariate: Q&A by Colin Parkes 15Live Issues by Dominica Roberts 16A Broader View by Lawrence Fullick 17Letters 18News & Announcements 20Twentysomethings In Bethlehem by Jenny Whelan 21Health And Social Care In Bamenda by Jo Overton 22Just For Juniors 24Bookmark 25It’s Hard Saying ‘No’ by Luxmy Gopalakrishnan 26Hints & Wrinkles 27Guidance For Our Lives by Jeremy Corley 28

Contents

Cover photograph ©: Catherine Waters-Clark for Cameroonian mother and child, St. Martin de Porres School in Wum.

Acknowledgements: Dr VJL Fontana, Assistant Archivist, for his guidance and the supply of archive material; Fr Mark Hogan and for themany unsung heroes without whose support and contribution this publication would not be possible.

Photographs ©: CAFOD; Louisa Catlover; Aidan Foy; Monsignor Nicolas France; Barry Hudd; Steve Jackson; AdamKettle-Williams; Jay Kettle-Williams; Marcin Mazur (CNN); Ann Saunders; Fr Peter Sprague RIP; Jenny Whelan.

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE 1

Jay Kettle-Williams

PP distribution schedule for 2011: weeks beginning 28 Mar., 23 May, 25 July, 26Sep. and 28 Nov. Copy for publication should be received as far in advance aspossible of the first working day of the month of publication/distribution.Submission of copy can be no guarantee of publication. Further details on p. 28.

Level Playing Field

There’s an old joke that St Peter is showing some new arrivals around Heaven and pointingto the various groups. As he approaches a wall, he asked those in his entourage to keep

very quiet because, he explains, ‘On the other side of this wall are the Catholics, they thinkthey’re the only ones here.’

The burning of poppies by Muslim extremists at 11am, on the 11th day of the 11thmonth last year in London, the ensuing demonstration outside a local mosque, asouth-coast civic remembrance service with Koranic verses proclaimed in Arabicand, yet again, no complementary Gospel reading added to the poignancy ofRemembrance Day, especially when you bear in mind that so many who have diedin our nation’s wars would have done so with the Gospel on their lips and in theirhearts.

Cultural sensitivity should be a two-way street, especially if the multiculturalexperiment in this country is to succeed and to attain the goal of full socialinclusion. To foster one’s own cultural self-awareness should not be at the expenseof one’s neighbour.

I recall that one London borough used to help, maybe it still does help, immigrantsto this country to return periodically to their country of birth, India, lest theircultural and religious affiliation with that mother country falter or fail.

We have also heard of late that many Muslims in our country find the cost of thelifetime goal of a Hadj pilgrimage to Mecca prohibitive. The suggestion of statefinancial support for such cases has again been mooted.

So, perhaps it’s time to call on the law of LPF (Level Playing Field), so oftenoverlooked, to pull issues back from where they are out of kilter.

We are told that multiculturalism, a slippery path on which to keep your footing,is failing in this country. Yet it can work and it can work well. The Catholic faithis worldwide, living proof of the fact.

There’s an old Spanish saying, Quien no grita no mama, which, roughly means‘Shout if you want to be fed’ (Lit. ‘Who does not shout, does not suckle’). Later thisyear, come the national census on 27 March, we’re being given the chance, if notto shout, certainly to make our presence known. We’ll have the chance to lay downa clear marker recording our Christianity – we’ll be asked our religion – and toregister our support for the Christian tenets on which our culture, with all itstraditions, has been painstakingly built. Admittedly some might not like the Stateknowing too much about them. They might opt not to answer, claiming suchquestioning an invasion of privacy: ‘Big Brother!’ [See Letters] But if the authoritiesdon’t know we’re here, how can we complain if we’re ignored and left alone inisolation on the other side of the wall?

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CRISPIAN HOLLISBISHOP OF PORTSMOUTH

2 PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

BISHOP’S BULLETIN

BAMENDA DIARY23 November – 1 December 2010

This was a week of huge contrasts. CanonDavid Hopgood and I left Heathrow forZurich on Tuesday 23 November early in themorning, when it was still very cool, andarrived in Douala at 7.30 pm the same day,stepping out of the plane into the steamyand humid climate of coastal West Africawith temperatures in the upper 20sC.

On our return, we left Douala at midnighton 30 November in a temperature of 29C,only to disembark in Zurich at -1C, and itwas equally cold when we arrived inHeathrow later that afternoon, havingmissed our early connection in Zurich,because of, as they say, ‘the late arrival ofthe incoming flight’! We eventually arrivedback in Portsmouth at 4.30 pm. I reflect as Ilook out of the window this morning (2December) as I write these words, that wewould not have made it at all if we hadbeen travelling today.

Cameroon: Arrival and WelcomeFor that first night in Cameroon, we werethe guests of the Archbishop of Douala andarrived at his house in time for supper withthe community, including the retiredArchbishop, Cardinal Tumi. We were madevery welcome and were given air-conditioned rooms in the Cardinal’s privateresidence which is alongside Archbishop’sHouse.

Bamenda-boundIt was an early start the next morning,though we did draw the line at having Massat 6.00 am. We were on the road forBamenda by 7.30 pm. It is a long drive,admirably achieved by Fr Michael Bibi, whowas to be our guide and mentor for thenext few days. I cannot speak too highly ofthe wonderful way in which he looked afterus and managed a fairly full and busytimetable, making sure that we were able tomove on when necessary in order to getback to the Archbishop’s House for rest andrefreshment.

We arrived at Archbishop’s House,Bamenda, in time for lunch on 24November and were very warmly welcomedby Archbishop Cornelius and Fr IgnatiusWaindim, both of whom visited us last year.There were no heavy engagements on thisafternoon, so after a siesta, which is derigueur in Bamenda clergy circles, wewalked down to the Cathedral to pray atthe tomb of Archbishop Paul, at the sametime as visiting the newly establishedCatholic University of Bamenda, which is inits first year with 270 students enrolled. Wealso had a short look at the new clinic of StBlaise on the site which is in the process ofbeing built. On return to Archbishop’sHouse, we had a preliminary and courtesymeeting with the Bamenda-Portsmouth

Committee, followed by supper and arelatively early bedtime.

NkwenOn the second day of the visit, wecelebrated Mass at St Paul’s College, Nkwen,which has links of solidarity and supportwith our own All Hallows CatholicSecondary School in Farnham. This is a goodlink and is mutually beneficial for bothcommunities. After Mass, we had a quickvisit to the school site and heard about theirplans for extending the premises so that,eventually, they will be able toaccommodate 900 pupils, many of whomwill be boarders. However, any thoughtsthat anyone may have about a comparisonwith our concept of boarding schools wouldnot be helpful!

The rest of the morning was taken up witha visit to the Pastoral Centre which isaffiliated to Maryvale in the Birminghamdiocese and which hosts many of thelearning and spiritual activities of Bamendadiocese. Situated on top of the escarpmentoverlooking Bamenda City, it is relativelycool and really a tremendous site.Eventually, with help from Portsmouth, theyhope to be able to offer sleeping accommo-dation to nearly 90 people. The secondphase of the accommodation building is inhand, though, for the time being money has

Bishop Crispian and Fr Engelbert, the Vicar General Pupils at St Joseph's, the Cathedral school in Bamenda

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3PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

BISHOP’S BULLETIN

run out. On our way back to Archbishop’sHouse, we visited the outstation church ofSt Felix in the outskirts of Bamenda City. Itis as yet unfinished but funds for itsbuilding came from St John’s Cathedral intheir Lenten Alms collection of 2010.

Bamenda diocese is largely self-sufficient inthe practical day-to-day work of thediocese, though, of course the bulk of

funding comes from the Holy See and fromother outside agencies like ourselves, so itwill come as little surprise to learn that onthe campus in which the Cathedral andArchbishop’s House are found, there is a finearray of offices, a big primary school, aprofessionally equipped garage in which allthe diocesan vehicles are maintained, abakery and woodwork centre. In the offices,there are departments for Health Care, withparticular reference of HIV, Education,Justice and Peace, Family Life andCommunication, which includes a simplebut effective recording studio. Canon Davidand I recorded a short message of greetingwhich was subsequently sent to all the localradio stations in the area.

After lunch and the statutory rest, weaccompanied the Archbishop back to theCathedral for a ceremony of welcome,followed by a Penitential Service andAdoration for the pilgrims who werebeginning to assemble for the Ruby Jubileecelebrations which would take place on thenext day. We were allowed to escape toreturn to Archbishop’s House to spend theevening with other Bishops from theProvince of Bamenda, together with therecently ordained Papal Nuncio, ArchbishopPiero Pioppo, who was to preside andpreach at the Jubilee Mass the nextmorning.

Jubilee MassThe Jubilee Mass and celebration, whichwas the main reason for our visit, began at9.00 am on the morning of Friday 26November. It would be an understatementto say that it was a simple Mass. TheCathedral holds upwards of 2,500 peopleand it was full, as was the piazza outside –both spaces were full to overflowing. Thepriests and religious of the diocese were all

assembled together with the many bishopswho had come for the occasion. CanonDavid and I were given places of honourbecause the Portsmouth-Bamenda link, inexistence for 36 years, has been such animportant feature of the 40 year old historyof the diocese. The diocese was founded in1970 with Archbishop Paul as its first Bishopand our link, engineered by Archbishop Pauland Archbishop (then Bishop) DerekWorlock, came into existence in 1974, whenwe began to send Fidei Donum priests toBamenda, including Mgr Ron Hishon, FrMichael Peters, Fr Peter Codd, Fr Tony Gattand Fr Eamon Walsh, as well as a numberwho have since died or left us.

Africans do not do short Masses! Thiscelebration went on for nearly 5 hours andwas a riot of colour, music, dancing andcelebration. The Papal Nuncio preached inEnglish without notes for 20 minutes,Archbishop Cornelius welcomed us all andconcluded the ceremony, the Chairman ofthe Jubilee Committee gave us, at consid-erable length, the history of the diocese andI made a modest contribution of only about10 minutes on the mutual importance toboth dioceses of the Portsmouth-Bamendalink. There was never a dull moment but itwas not short. To give you an idea, from thebeginning of the Nuncio's homily until theend of the Offertory processions took nearly

90 minutes. By comparison, HolyCommunion for the vast congregation wasachieved briskly and efficiently. Weeventually re-emerged into the sunshineand the myriad of photographers justbefore 1.00 pm. Lunch followed, beautifullyprepared and presented in various locations,after which it was time once again for thesiesta and a well-earned rest.

BambuiWe had Mass at the St Thomas AquinasSeminary in nearby Bambui. I presided atthe Mass and gave the soutane (cassock) to17 students who were just beginning theirstudies for the priesthood, joining some 150or so others from a variety of dioceses whohad already been there for a number ofyears. It was a stately and reverentcelebration, but there was something verymoving about it and, once again, the music,both ancient and modern and African was amajor feature. Bamenda diocese has thelion’s share of the students and it has 49young men in various stages of theirpreparations for ordination. It bodes wellfor the priestly future of the diocese.

After Mass, we were driven up-country tothe hospital at Njinikom, where again,Portsmouth has made significant contri-butions. It plays an important part in theprovision of health care both for theimmediate area and for the diocese and isvery efficiently and impressively run. Wehave just provided funds for what they call‘The Dream Van’ - a commercial vehicle forthe transport of bulk supplies of drugs andmedicines. I gave it a special blessing afterwhich we returned to the presbytery forlunch.

There was no provision for the siesta on thisday as we were due to visit the bigSecondary School of St Bede on the wayback to Bamenda. St Bede’s is in a placecalled Ashing. The headteacher, FrBonaventure, will be well known to many inPortsmouth because he spent 2 years at theUniversity of Southampton reading for anMEd, as well as supplying in a number ofparishes in the area. He presides over acommunity of 900 boys and girls, all ofwhom are boarders. He has very importantwork to do. After the visit, we returned toArchbishop’s House for supper and bedtime.

NdopThere was another early start on Sunday 28November when we were driven to theparish church of St Peter and St Paul at

Bishop Crispian and Canon David Hopgoodat the half-finished church sponsored

by our Cathedral community

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BISHOP'S BULLETIN

Ndop, where the parish priest is Fr Cosmas.A number of our priests have served there inthe past, including Mgr Ron Hishon, FrEamon Walsh and Fr Peter Codd. They arewell and fondly remembered. It was to be asimple Sunday Mass – or so we thought –but it was not over until at least 11.30 am.We then emerged to meet with the people,visit the Pastoral Centre next door, which isrun by the Sisters of LSU – or The HolyUnion, as they are known in Bamenda.Sisters known to many of us from their timein Southampton have been among thosewho have worked in Ndop as missionaries inthe past, though there are no English Sistersthere at the moment.

Lunch followed in the presbytery at which,in traditional manner, I was offered thegizzard of the chicken which is thought tobe a particular delicacy for the chief guest.It is strange how suddenly I can discoverthat I am a vegetarian!

After lunch, Fr Michael Bibi, in hiswonderfully efficient and courteous way,spirited us a way and back to Archbishop’sHouse for supper and rest.

AzireMonday 29 November was our last day inBamenda and it had been planned as aquiet day, but there was a church(outstation) in St Teresa’s Parish, Azire, forwhich I had laid the foundation stone, withhelp of funds raised from Abingdon, whichis now completed and was being made intoa Eucharistic Centre, as there was now acatechist living next door. Again, this was asimple Mass which only lasted 2 hours!

Before lunch we visited the Primary Schoolattached to the Cathedral Parish to deliver acard of greetings from our own CathedralPrimary School of St John in Portsmouth. Iam not sure what the children made of itall, especially when we were described bythe local priest as coming from ‘white mancountry’.

Bamenda-Portsmouth CommitteeThe day, and effectively the visit, ended witha more formal meeting with the Bamenda-Portsmouth Committee, over which theVicar General, Fr Engelbert, presides. Thiscommittee is new since my last visit and Ihave to say how much I welcome its

presence and work. Its existence is a realprotection from special and very persuasiverequests for money and funding from allsorts of different organisations andcommunities. All applications for moneysfrom the Portsmouth link have now to beapplied for properly with appropriateapplication forms. The Bamenda-Portsmouth Committee looks at allapplications and passes them on to ourPortsmouth-Bamenda Committee beforethey are approved. It is an importantexercise in accountability and transparency.It tunes in very much with ArchbishopCornelius’ wish that our links with Bamendashould be diocese to diocese, rather thanhaphazard response to individual requests.The two Committees ensure that the helpthat we can give from our relatively limitedresources is to those communities who needit most, rather than to those communitieswho may be more articulate than others. Itensures a proper and fair distribution to theplaces in the greatest need.

Fidei DonumAs I wrote at the beginning of this diary, thePortsmouth-Bamenda link began in 1974 asa Fidei Donum initiative whereby we sentpriests from Portsmouth to work for anumber of years in the diocese of Bamenda,living alongside Bamendan priests andassisting them. We are no longer able to dothat, though our Bamenda Sunday and itscollection ensure that we can continue tosupport and sustain a number of importantand necessary projects in the diocese.

Archbishop Cornelius is very aware of therelative diminishing in the number of prieststhat we have in Portsmouth and in a new

Fidei Donum wants very much to addressthis question and offers us help. He hastherefore proposed to offer us two priests,who will come to work with us for at leastthree years, with the possibility of extendingtheir mandate for a further three years,should that be agreeable to all partiesconcerned.

This is a most generous offer and I haveaccepted it very gratefully. It means that,subject to the willingness of priestvolunteers and their readiness to come, wewill have 2 Bamenda priests working withus from next September. Canon David and Imet with two prospective candidates andwe were impressed with the quality andenthusiasm that they have shown.September 2011 has been agreed as thestart date because there are a number offormalities, like the application for visas andthe discernment of suitable placements,which will need to be sorted out well inadvance. I want to go on record that I thinkthat this is a most generous offer from theArchbishop, that it has been welcomed byour two respective committees and that itwill mark the beginning of a new chapter inthe history of the linking of our twodioceses. It will further cement what hasbeen a very important period in our history– the Portsmouth-Bamenda link. Over theyears, we have given, though in differentways, as much as we have received. This hasbeen a wonderful exercise in the sharing ofgifts and it has given both Bamenda andourselves that opportunity of glimpsing aworld which is bigger than our own and onin which we have a common purpose inbuilding up the Christian community andfurthering the proclamation of thekingdom.

Canon David and I have returned homeeven more convinced than we were beforeof the richness and importance of the linkswhich bring our two dioceses together. Wehave truly been able to say that ‘these days(of our visit) have been made by the Lord;we rejoice and give thanks for them.’

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

[Please note: Bishop Crispian's engagements for the forthcoming period are being posted online. The production schedule for this issue, shortenedbecause of the Christmas/New Year down-time, meant that not all matters could be finalised by the time of going to press. With apologies. Ed.]

Bishop Crispian and Fr Michael Bibbi at the half-finished church

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In the sacristies of each ofour churches and chapels inthe Diocese you can find abook entitled Calendar of theDiocese of Portsmouth. Its Latin

name is the Ordo for clergy and parishsacristans, the book is an essentialguide to the seasons, feasts and saintsdays of the church’s year. It also gives asuggested diocesan prayer intention foreach day, with the anniversary dates ofthe dedication or consecration of eachof our churches. For some major feasts,particular scripture readings areprescribed which take precedence overthose that a priest might otherwisechoose. The feast of the Dedication ofthe Church of St John Lateran is such afeast. Hence the readings today, whichwe might not otherwise expect in aMass commemorating the dead. On thisday the universal church commem-orates the dedication of the church inthe city of Rome which is the cathedralchurch of the Bishop of Rome, the HolyFather, the successor of St Peter. WhileSt Peter’s Basilica is recognised as beingbuilt over the tomb of the ApostlePeter, and so most familiar to pilgrims,the Basilica of St John Lateran remainsthe cathedral church of Rome. So wecelebrate today the feast of theDedication of the Cathedral of St JohnLateran.

Even so, today’s readings are partic-ularly appropriate, as we call to mindthe bishops, priests and deacons of ourdiocese who have died over the years.In the Calendar, on most days of theyear, you will find, entered, the namesand dates of death of priests who haveserved in our diocese of Portsmouthsince it was formed from part of theDiocese of Southwark in 1882. Turningto the appropriate page, if preparing

the liturgy of the day, you might comeacross the name of someone youactually knew, and you could make apoint of offering a brief prayer for thatindividual. In the past few days I havegone through the list of names withmore than usual care. There are almost300 names and some, who passedbriefly through the diocese, are notlisted.

Of the six bishops, I was ordained by thefourth, I went on to serve with the fifthand sixth, and we are all now with ourseventh bishop, happily presiding at ourMass today.

Of the priests who died before I wasborn, five were in parishes where Iwould subsequently minister as a priest.Of those who died before, or soon aftermy ordination, one baptised me, andfive were priests in the parish where Ireceived my vocation. Many of thesewere predecessors to priests who wouldlater follow them in particular parishesor other appointments, and who arestill among our diocesan clergy today.Many priests joined our diocese afterbeing prepared for ordination in Irishseminaries, and a high proportion ofthose came to us from the Diocese ofCloyne. And then there were thereligious: many more of them than arerecorded in the Ordo.

Of the deacons, three are named amongthose we commemorate today. Therestoration of the permanentdiaconate, with the loving support oftheir families is a great gift to theChurch, and is a blessing to our diocese,as surely we will increasingly come tounderstand.

On 9 November 2010, Canon David Mahy preached in the Cathedral,with Bishop Crispian presiding, at a diocesan Mass for the deceasedBishops, Priests and Deacons of our Diocese of Portsmouth. The datehappened to be the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St JohnLateran, in Rome. We reproduce Canon Mahy’s Homily in two parts.

FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF ST JOHN LATERAN

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

[We continue with part two of Canon Mahy’s homily in our forthcoming issue. Ed.]

The Diocese ofPortsmouth

Consisting of the Counties of Hampshire,Dorset, Berkshire except Slough,

South Oxfordshire,the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands.Formed 19 May 1882 by division of theDiocese of Southwark into the Dioceses

of Southwark and Portsmouth.

PatronsOur Blessed Lady - Feast of the Immaculate

Conception, 8 December St Edmund of Abingdon - Feast Day, 16 November

BishopsRt Rev John Vertue

Born, 28 April 1826. Consecrated Bishop of Portsmouth,

25 July 1882

Rt Rev John Baptist CahillBorn, 2 September 1841. Consecrated Bishop of

Thagora and Auxiliary,1 May 1900Succeeded as Bishop of Portsmouth,

30 August 1900. Died (buried in Ryde), 2 August 1910

Rt Rev William Timothy CotterBorn, 21 December 1866. Consecrated Bishop of

Clazonmenae and Auxiliary, 19 March 1905Succeeded as Bishop of Portsmouth, 24

November 1910. Died (buried in Waterlooville), 24 October 1940

Most Rev John Henry KingBorn, 16 September 1880. Consecrated Bishop

of Opus and Auxiliary, 15 July 1938Succeeded as Bishop of Portsmouth, 4 June

1941. Given personal title of Archbishop, 6 June 1954

Rt Rev Derek WorlockBorn, 4 February 1920. Consecrated Bishop of

Portsmouth, 21 December 1965Translated to Liverpool as Archbishop,

7 February 1976. Died (buried in Liverpool), 8 February 1996

Rt Rev Anthony Joseph EmeryBorn, 17 May 1918. Consecrated Auxiliary

Bishop of Birmingham, 4 March 1976Installed as Bishop of Portsmouth,

11 November 1976. Died (buried in Portsmouth), 5 April 1988

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6 PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Prince Philip, as Isuccessfully completed my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

There are three levels of the Award, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Ateach stage there are three sections that you must complete:Service, Skill and Physical (the length of time varying withaward level). For Gold there’s an additional section:Residential, which involves spending time away from home ona shared activity with people you’ve never met before.

Every activity during this process is a display of your identity,your likes and dislikes. My faith is an integral part of who I amand it’s something no one should hide.

Long before I embarked on the Award, I had been an Altarserver and part of the Guild of St Stephen. It turned out thatthis counted as the service element for the Bronze Award.

When it came to the Gold, I wanted to challenge myself andmove out of my comfort zone. So my residential week wasspent on a pilgrimage to Lourdes in France, helping the elderlywith their personal needs and mobility, giving me the chanceto understand the needs of others.

I found it to be a deeply enriching experience that gave me thechance to be a part of something more than myself. Theevening prayer vigils, the processions and hearing Mass in fivedifferent languages are only a few cherished moments. It trulywas one of the more fulfilling times of my life. Upon my returnback home I felt invigorated and my faith renewed.

Since then I have gone on to university, where you really beginto understand yourself better. For some it takes a while but inthe end you know who you are. My religion has always beenat my core.

Given the great diversity of people, a good religious debate isnever too far away. On many occasions I have found myselftrying to justify my faith and persuade people to see the otherside of their argument.

In the end you have to respect the other person’s point of view.You cannot shove religion down people’s throat. Sometimesall it takes is a change of delivery to adapt to the ever-changing world.

In all of this the key element has to be parents. It is onlythrough their patience and teachings that I gained the valuesthat I have today and been able to do the things that I have.Their constant encouragement/nags have pushed me to dothings that I wouldn’t have otherwise done, so the true thanksshould go to them.

What have I learnt from all of this is: It’s true that God islistening and is always there for us, although sometimes it maynot feel like it. He always gives us the opportunity toaccomplish our wishes; it’s down to us whether we trulyachieve them.

‘My faith is an integral part of who I am andit’s something no one should hide’

TEENS & 20sTEENS & 20s

FEATURE

How The Duke of Edinburgh Deepened My FaithJoshua Fernandes reflects on lessons learned

Each year in Britain we spend about £500m on cards, flowers,chocolates and other gifts for St Valentine’s Day.

There is a city called Rome on every continent.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

The colour purple was the sign of high rank in ancient Rome.

It takes 43 muscles to frown but only 17 to smile.

Earth is the only planet not named after a god.

The average shopper carries one ton of shopping per year.

Queen Elizabeth I, the first cradle-to-grave Anglican monarch,regarded herself as a paragon of cleanliness. She declared that shebathed once every three months, whether she needed it or not.

The Bible, the world's best-selling book, is also the book mostoften shoplifted.

Fascinating Facts and Figures

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mong the family bits and pieces is a postcard fromthe Environment Services Department of SheffieldCity Council which our younger son sent to us.It says, ‘It is good to talk Rubbish’ Our son wroteon the back ‘Vindicated. It’s nice to get it inwriting’.

When I started to think about that it struck me that there isan important message for Christians there. The proper use ofGod’s gifts to us in the shape of the world around us is surelysomething that we have to take seriously. And so sorting outthe recyclable from the other rubbish is more than just achore, it is a Christian responsibility.

I have a friend who gives me odd tit bits that I may finduseful in this column. He was recently telling me about achap at one of the local recycling centres. Apparently thisman is renowned throughout the area for being helpful. Hecomes from abroad and has little English but he makeshimself understood and is always courteous. By their fruitsyou shall know them.

That sentiment struck me as I was thinking about what thePope had said about Christian influence in the life of thenation. There was a time when Catholics were known bytheir fish on Friday and so on. I think now that society judgesus by what we do rather than by what the rules may be. Onthe face of it the local tip is hardly the place where youwould expect to find Christianity in action. But that man isa one-man help machine. I gather he goes to a local CatholicChurch. The recycling centre led me to think of thePhilippine Community Fund. They help the children whoscavenge on the enormous rubbish dumps in Manila. Indeedthey have recently opened a school which has been built outof containers

The lesson seems to be that if you want to find God at workit may well be among the lowly and menial and notnecessarily in the posh places.

This rather tied up with an obituary I was reading about anAnglican priest who rescued a statue of Christ from a skip. Ithad the hands sawn off. He rescued it and put it in hisvicarage to remind people that we are God’s hands.

John worships at the Church of Our Lady in Fleet and is in the choirthere. He is a keen ecumenist and is a former Chairman of the DiocesanCommission for Christian Unity. He has been a regular contributor toPortsmouth People for some years with his column Parsons Pointers.

BIKE SAFEFor further details of this road safety initiative geared tomotorcyclists: www.bikesafe.co.uk

TRAVELLING ABROAD?Visit the Foreign Office website for travel advice and fulldetails of FCO support: www.fco.gov.uk/travel

PDF FILES FOR FREEPrimoPDF is a free tool for converting Microsoft Word,Excel and PowerPoint files and many others into a PDF:www.primopdf.com

GET WEBBINGLooking to create a website for your club, group,association or even business for free? Explore what Lifeyoon www.lifeyo.com has to offer.

SAFEGUARDING ON THE WEBIf, as a parent, you have concerns about the content yourchildren come across as they surf the Web, InternetExplorer 6 can help you safeguard your family's browsingusing Content Advisor. Here you have the basic trails. InIE go to Tools > Internet Options > Content > Enable >Content Advisor > General > Create Password > CreateSupervisor Password > Confirm Password > Hint (Thisrequires a mnemonic ref your password) > OK > OK > OK.To limit web access: Tools > Internet Options > Content >Settings > (Password) > OK > Approved Sites > Allow thisWeb site > Always (or Never) [Note Removal option] > OK.To turn off the monitoring: Tools > Internet Options >Content > Disable > Password > OK. To change password:Tools > Internet Options > Content > Settings > Password> OK > General > Change Password > Old Password > NewPassword > Confirm > OK.

¿HUNGRY?Those off to Spain in August – World Youth Day – lookingfor a culinary foretaste of what’s to come could do nobetter than visit www.thetapaslunchcompany.co.uk for ablog crammed with recipes, reviews, guides and newsabout Spanish food. ¡Que aprovechen!

RETIRED?Retirement-news.co.uk is a digital magazine offering newsand advice for retired folk in the UK: www.retirement-news.co.uk

WORDSMITHS, PLEASE NOTE …Schools, clubs, associations and even PAs (Pastoral Areas)looking to create a professional-looking newsletter needlook no further than the free open-source DTP programSCRIBUS for both PC and MAC: www.scribus.net

INSPIRON DUODell has introduced another industry first for design: theInspiron duo convertible tablet. Sporting a unique, flip-hinge design, the Inspiron duo combines the simplicity ofa tablet, the functionality of a full keyboard and theconvenience of a dock so you can switch seamlessly fromtouch to type to dock mode in seconds. From £449 incl.VAT and delivery.

Contributions to this column warmly invited.

This is IT!PP looks at soft

and hardware

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

Parsons PointersJohn Parsons

A

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Ex-IBM Corporate AuditorGraham Palethorpe – ‘I wasan auditor for over 10 years’– is better known these daysas the Diocesan Living OurFaith Coordinator.

Hampshire Catholic born (New Milton)and bred – ‘I went to St Thomas More

School in Bournemouth’ – Graham tooka gap year after school, ‘when peoplenever talked of such a thing as a gapyear’, and went off with a chum toAfghanistan, India, Singapore andAustralia. Once back in the UK, heworked for a while in a ships planningoffice in Southampton before joiningIBM where he remained for 25 years,becoming a Corporate IT Auditor. Andthen, come 2010, he joined the Curiawith responsibility to the LOFCampaign.

One of 3 children – ‘I have a sister inEaling, Southampton. My youngersister Sally unfortunately drowned 17years ago off the Barrier Reef’ –Graham and his wife Christine, whoworks as a Medical Secretary for SpireHealthcare in Southampton, have twochildren: David, currently training to bea doctor, and Catherine who is currentlypreparing to go to university to studymodern languages. ‘Living Our Faith,’

Graham explained, ‘has been sosuccessful. The Diocese is now in sucha good position to provide support forParish and Lay Formation initiatives, toprovide support for renewing facilities,to provide for clergy formation/supportand to provide funding for local parishinitiatives.’

In his younger days Graham was keenon parachuting, rock climbing andexploring caves. However, these daysit’s the occasional malt whisky, Tai Chiand ‘playing the guitar badlyaccompanied by an even worse singingvoice’. Graham, who admits to gettingruffled by ‘slow drivers in the middlelanes of motorways’, has recentlylaunched into a new pastime: ‘There’sthe family allotment now to keep meoccupied at weekends, not that I’dclaim to have green fingers … buthopefully that’ll just be a matter oftime.’

With this issueBEHIND THE SCENES takes a look at …Getting PP out to the Masses!

8

At the end of every othermonth, he gets behind thewheel of a delivery van andsets off for the best part ofa working week, sometimeslonger, to drive over 800miles to almost 100 spotsaround our diocese, oftenspending 11 hours a day onthe road, come rain orshine. If it weren’t for JohnRoss, you probably wouldn’tnow be holding thismagazine in your hands.

‘We used to produce and distribute 10,000 copies of themagazine but demand dictated that we up that numberto 15,000,’ explained John. ‘With the magazines boxedinto 100s and each magazine weighing in at about 128 gand there being 28.35 g to the ounce … well, you can dothe sums. The weather can be a bit tricky at times, such

as just before Christmas with all that snow and ice. Thereare deliveries to be made all over the place includingSouthampton docks, to send shipments to the ChannelIslands, and to Southsea for copies to catch the hovercraftto the IoW. I liaise with three kind men in the CIs andIoW. They then collect from the boats and hovercraft.I’ve never met them. I only know their voices.’

John Ross - ‘I’m Anglican but my wife, Fran(ces), is aCatholic’ – has been PP’s Distribution Manager for thepast 5 years or so, since before the publication went intomagazine format. In a former life John worked for theAnglican Church engaged with church, school and otherbuilding restoration-cum-preservation.

When he and Fran are not playing grandparents to theirfive grandchildren, John likes nothing better than messingabout on the River Itchen in his pride and joy: an 84-year-old motor boat, ‘a veteran of Dunkirk’.

PERSONALITY PROFILE

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

‘Capt’ John Ross

Graham Palethorpe

FEATURE

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MAGAZINE OF THECATHOLIC DIOCESEOF PORTSMOUTH

9

CALENDARCALENDAR OFFORTHCOMING EVENTSFor further information please contact the parties identified

The Editor welcomes entries for inclusion in the Calendar of Forthcoming Events

FebruaryTue 15: Preparing for the Rite of Election,

St Edward the Confessor, Chandlers Fordt: 013 2983 5583 e: [email protected]

Wed 16: Preparing for the Rite of Election, Our Lady Help of Christians, Farnborought: 013 2983 5583 e: [email protected]

Thu 17: Preparing for the Rite of Election, Cathedral Discovery Centre, Portsmoutht: 013 2983 5583 e: [email protected]

Sat 19: CAFOD Supporters Meeting, St Bede’s, Basingstoket: 012 5232 9385 e: [email protected]

Mon 28: Fairtrade Fortnight (28 Feb - 13 Mar) www.just1.org.uk/fairtrade/ MarchTue 01: St David’s DayTue 01: Experience of Prayer, Verbum Dei. Carisbrook IoW

- 03 www.verbumdei.org.uk/ Mon 07: Preparing for the Rite of Election,

Immaculate Conception and St Joseph, Christchurch t: 013 2983 5583 e: [email protected]

Tue 08: Preparing for the Rite of Election, St Joseph, Tilehurstt: 013 2983 5583 e: [email protected]

Wed 09: Ash WednesdaySat 12: Rite of Election, St John’s Cathedral, Portsmouth

t: 013 2983 5583 e: [email protected] 12: Called to a Noble Adventure - A vision for youth ministry,

Friends Meeting House, London www.cymfed.org Sat 12: Amadeus! - Southampton Philharmonic Choir,

Winchester Cathedral (See advertisement)t: (Box Office) 019 6285 7275 www.southamptonphil.org

Sun 13: World Youth Day 2011 Preparation Meeting, St Bede’s, Basingstoket: 013 2983 0947 e: [email protected]

Thu 17: St Patrick's DayFri 18: Lent Fast Day - CAFOD

t: 012 5232 9385 e: [email protected] or www.cafod.org.uk/portsmouth

Mon 21: Easter Retreat, Verbum Dei. Carisbrook IoW-24 www.verbumdei.org.uk/

Tue 22: WYD Parents Information Evening, St Joseph’s Church, Basingstoket: 013 2983 0947 e: [email protected]

Wed 23: WYD Parents Information Evening, Christ the King Hall, Readingt: 013 2983 0947 e: [email protected]

Thu 24: WYD Parents Information Evening, Christ the King and St Colman, Southamptont: 013 2983 0947 e: [email protected]

Sun 27: 2011 Census www.census.gov.uk AprilSun 03: Mothering SundayTue 19: Chrism Mass (Mass of the Oils), St John’s Cathedral, PortsmouthFri 22: Good Friday - Public HolidayMon 25: Easter Monday - Public Holiday - St George’s DayFri 29: Royal Wedding Bank HolidayMayMon 02: Early May Bank HolidaySun 08: World Youth Day 2011 Preparation Meeting, venue TBC

t: 013 2983 0947 e: [email protected] Sun 15: Vocations Sunday e: [email protected] Wed 18: Good Shepherd Mass, St John’s Cathedral, PortsmouthSat 21: Day for New Catholics with Bishop Crispian,

Cathedral Discovery Centre, Portsmoutht: 013 2983 5583 e: [email protected]

Tue 24: PP Writers Meeting, St John’s Cathedral, Portsmoutht: 023 9283 3121 e: [email protected]

Mon 30: Spring Bank HolidayJuneSat 18: Mass for those celebrating Significant Wedding Anniversaries,

St Bede’s Church, Basingstoke t: 013 2983 5583 e: [email protected]

Sun 19: Fathers’ DayJulySun 10: World Youth Day 2011 Preparation Meeting, venue TBC

t: 013 2983 0947 e: [email protected] AugustTue 09: World Youth Day, Madrid.- 23 t: 013 2983 0947 e: [email protected] Mon 29: Summer Bank HolidayNovemberWed 30: St Andrew’s Day

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

WHY NOT ADVERTISE IN PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE?Portsmouth People, the bi-monthly publication of the Catholic Diocese ofPortsmouth, can be viewed on line at: www.PortsmouthPeople.org.uk

Portsmouth People:* 32pp A4 full-colour publication printed on forest-sustainable paper* Magazine format offering increased shelf-life* Fully illustrated* Features, News, Announcements, Calendar, Letters, Profiles, Bookmark ...* Bimonthly, published at the end of every odd month (i.e. end of Jan., March, ... )* 15,000 print run* Inserts accepted: no more than one per issue, centre-page stitched* Deadline for copy: start of month of publication* Available free of charge* Dedicated distribution* Targeted readership* Archived on line in full colour and greyscales* Free e-subscription service* On-going readership services

Rate card in electronic format for display advertising available on request

To advertise please contact the Editor for full details.

Editor: Dr Jeremy L Kettle-WilliamsDepartment for Pastoral Formation, Park Place Pastoral Centre, Winchester Road,WICKHAM, Hampshire PO17 5HAe: [email protected]: +44(0)23 9283 3121 f: +44(0)23 9287 2172

Portsmouth People is the diocesan publication for the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. It isdistributed free of charge to parishes and other groups in the Diocese which covers Hampshire,the Isle of Wight, the Channel Isles and parts of Berkshire, Dorset and Oxfordshire. ThePortsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust is a registered charity (number 246877) with itsaddress at Diocesan Office, St Edmund House, Edinburgh Road, Portsmouth PO1 3QC -www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Lent is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter.The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of thebeliever — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial/evaluation — for the annual commemoration duringHoly Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, whichrecalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ andculminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection ofJesus Christ.

Conventionally Lent is described as being forty days long,though different denominations calculate the forty daysdifferently. The forty days represent the time that, accordingto the Bible, Jesus spent in the desert before the beginning ofhis public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.

Lenten practice was virtually universal in Christendom untilthe Protestant Reformation. Some Protestant churches do notobserve Lent, but many do e.g. Lutherans, Methodists,Presbyterians and Anglicans.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (9 March) and ends in theCatholic Church at sundown on 21 April (Holy Thursday) withthe beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. In mostchurches, Lenten decorations are purple, the royal colour,celebrating kingship.

What’s in a Word - LENT

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10 PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

Fr Denis Blackledge SJ is Parish Priest, Corpus Christi Boscombe, and Pastoral Co-ordinator, Bournemouth. © Denis Blackledge SJ

For further details and information: Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth website (www.PortsmouthDiocese.org.uk); St John’sCathedral website (www.PortsmouthCatholicCathedral.org.uk); Maggie Short (e: [email protected] andwww.lipreading.net); British Deaf Association (www.bda.org.uk); Association of Teachers of Lipreading to Adults(www.lipreading.org.uk); Association of Lipspeakers (www.lipspeaking.co.uk).

PRIE-DIEU: LETTING GOLoving Lord,learning to float on wateris a good way of learning how to pray.For the simple lesson to be learnedis to trust myself to what apparentlyis unable to hold and carry meand let my whole self relax and rest upon one of the most basic elementsthat from time immemorial has frightenedhumans.Making friends with water in this waycan tell us a lotabout making friends with you, Lord.Developing a relationship of trustthat learns how to lean backand let you take the strain.

And once that fear-barrier is broken downand passed through,the elemental joy of floating takes overand give a new dimension to living.

Loving Lord,establishing a relationship of utter trust,of letting go so I can be carried is absolutely basic when it comesto growing in depth.For I literally have to acceptthat being out of depthis the fundamental status of a humanbeing.And learning how to float on watertells its own tale.For it doesn’t matter how shallowor how deep the water is.What matters is the depthof my own trusting!Once I can get my feet off the bottomand begin to realize that I’ll always be held,and only my panic or fear can make me sink,then I’ve cracked it,for the two of us have no barriersbetween us,and all the facts are friendly.

Loving Lord,so it is with you.Learning how to praycan only come out of the depthsof each of us individual human beingswith our unique history and mystery.Just letting go and entrusting our whole selfas we are and feel right nowand leaning up against you, Lord.

Loving Lord,the problem oftenis that we want to swim before we canfloat.We want to do things for you and getsomewherebefore we’ve established that deep trust.We want religion before relationship.

Loving Lord,teach us all that floatingis far more important than swimming.Teach us all that being-with-youis far more important than doing-for-you.That way we’ll be better swimmers tooin your love and service,for once we’ve genuinely learned to floatwe can never forget.Lord, teach us how to float.

Amen.

Fr Denis Blackledge

Do you struggle to hear whatis going on during Mass orother services ?Maggie Short identifies the help at hand

To lose hearing is one of the most isolating things thatcan happen to anyone, and people often give upattending church when it becomes just too difficult tohear what is going on.

Our diocese is very much aware that one in seven among itscongregations are either deaf, deafened or hard of hearing –i.e. conditions in which individuals are fully or partially unableto detect or perceive at least some frequencies of sound whichcan typically be heard by others - and so has arranged that aBritish Sign Language (BSL) Interpreter and a Lipspeaker areregularly available for three of the big annual diocesan events:the Rite of Election; the Mass of the Oils (Chrism Mass) and theSignificant Anniversaries Mass which are being held this yearon 12 March at the Cathedral, on 19 April at the Cathedral andon 18 June at St Bede’s (Basingstoke) respectively.

Parishioners in the Deaf Community are now no longerconfined to services exclusively for BSL users: members ofparishes, plus their families and friends who have lost hearing,but are still operating in the hearing world, find the presenceof a Lipspeaker enables them to take as full a part as ever.A Lipspeaker repeats whatever is being said, but without voice,so that people who have lost their hearing are helped tolipread and so keep up with what is being said.

The presence of a BSL Interpreter means that deaf people cansimilarly be brought into the normal voiced service and solikewise feel fully part of the worshipping community.

The diocese is very committed to having as many people aspossible involved in as many services as possible. So, if you oranyone you know has felt obliged to sacrifice attendingchurch because of hearing problems, why not come to one orall of the above celebrations? Ben Legrys, the BSL Interpreter,and myself, Maggie Short, the Lipspeaker, and others lookforward to meeting you and chatting to you … you’ll also geta good seat!

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FEATURE

It has been an exciting few years forour school, St Anne’s, in centralSouthampton with a link being setup with The Debrabant School inTanzania. The secondary school has

only fairly recently been built in a ruralarea south of the city of Dar Es Salaambut, as an LSU school, it has a great dealin common with St Anne’s: the founderof both our schools was Jean BaptisteDebrabant, a man with a vision and apassion to provide quality education foryoung women. Debrabant, who lived inFrance in the 1800s, was actually thefounder of the LSU, which established StAnne’s in 1904.

Some of the students of St Anne’sbegan supporting The DebrabantSchool after a visit to Tanzania by oneof the school’s English teachersbrought to light the already existinglinks between the two schools. The firstthing some of the girls then did was to

send some letters to theirTanzanian school matesand they were delightedto receive an answer,penned by one of the girlsmore fluent in English.Some months later, wewelcomed to the schoolSister Theresa Finn, an ex-governor of St Anne’s,and were delighted to receive a gift fromTanzania, a beautiful wood carving [Seeinset] which is now on display in ourschool vestibule.

As interest grew, some of the sixth formstudents at St Anne’s began to take alead in supporting the school in Dar EsSalaam and so began a series offundraising activities which includedshowing a film to students in their lunchtimes, baking cakes to sell to the staffand, most recently, a hugely popularnon-uniform day which raised verynearly £1000 [See inset]. Very quickly,The Debrabant School, having beensupported by two of the school’s houses,had been established as a whole schoolcharity.

The way ahead looks exciting as we hopethat more and more students, and staff,will become actively involved insupporting what we now fondly term‘our sister school’. Our aim is that we notonly raise money (although there isalways going to be a need for finance)but that we find a variety of ways tosupport and pray for our sisters andbrothers in Tanzania. We want to be avery real source of encouragement andstrength to them as we all work towardsa common goal, that of providingexcellent education for girls (and boys)in an environment of Christian care andnurture. Who knows what the futuremight hold? Perhaps one day, in the nottoo distant future, we could see a groupof St Anne’s teachers going out to trainand equip the Tanzanian teachers orsixth form students choosing tovolunteer at The Debrabant School foran African gap year.

11

Jean Baptiste Debrabant 1801-1880

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

St Anne’s: the Tanzania ConnectionSue Hutchinson reports on a Southamptonschool’s steps to go international

Sue Hutchinson, English teacher at St Anne’s CatholiocSchool and Sixth Form College (Southampton), is responsiblefor setting-up and maintaining the Tanzania link.

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12 PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

NEWS

We pick up on the enthusiasm and achievement across our dioceseMOVERS and SHAKERS

PAPAL MEDAL

Congratulations to John Regan whorecently retired as Head of CorpusChristi Primary School (Bournemouth).For outstanding 38 years in education,22 as a head, John received the PROECCLESIA ET PONTIFICE medal fromthe Pope.

FUN RUN

Chris Whitfield, Acting Head ofSt Edmund's School(Portsmouth), is pictured herewith Year 7 students andcolleague before a recent FunRun at the school. 50% ofmoney raised is earmarked forBamenda, 50% to purchase anew trampoline for the school.

Stewardship in Parishes acrossthe Diocese of Portsmouthinvolves the talents of allCatholics being acknowledged asan essential part of the body ofChrist: every parishioner hastreasure to receive and time togive and, by extension, everyParish has treasure to give andreceive. The Parish of St Joseph'sHavant set out to raise funds forLiving Our Faith with a target of£133k. St Joseph’s then opted tohelp out neighbouring parisheswith greater financial needs:£7.5k was given to St Michael's(Leigh Park), long since crippledwith debt from a Church burntdown, and £7.5k to Sacred Heart(Waterlooville) for its newChurch [See previous issue of PP]. No Parish exists in isolation. The recipientcommunities of St Michael's and the Sacred Heart, seen here being presentedwith their cheques by Fr Tom Grufferty (St Joseph's), express sincere thanks tothe people of St Joseph's Parish.

CATHOLIC WOMAN OFTHE YEAR

Anne Lambkin, Past PresidentPortsmouth UCM, was one of fiveladies honoured at last year'sCatholic Woman of the Year Lunch.35 members travelled to London forthe occasion. The party includedAnne’s Latvian daughter-in-law,which was very appropriate sinceAnne has worked as the RC represen-tative to the Ecumenical Forum forEuropean Christian Women.

LOF IN ACTION: THE GREAT PARISH GIVE-AWAY

A woman volunteering to be parish CAFODrepresentative on a temporary basis has beengiven a National Long Service Award. Back in1990, CAFOD was looking for someone topost off the contributions from the FridaySelf Denial envelopes at St Joseph’s inTilehurst, Reading. Margaret Chaplin cameforward. ‘I said I’d volunteer until someoneelse came along,’ said Margaret, now 80 yearsold. ‘I’ve had to give up the other things Iused to do, like cleaning the church, but yes!You’ve guessed it! I’m still doing CAFOD.’

LONG SERVICE AWARDFOR ‘TEMPORARY’VOLUNTEER

John Regan is presented with medal and plaque by Fr Peter Willcocks SJ

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PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE 13

Last November, male staffat Saint George College(Southampton) grewbeards and moustaches toraise a pot of money forthe ‘Movember’ CancerCampaign in aid ofProstate Cancer. EventOrganiser/Assistant Head,Mr Musk, remarked: ‘A lotof us were literally itchingfor the event to end so wecould reach for razors!’

NEW YEAR’S HONOURS

Congratulations to one of St Laurence’slongest-serving parishioners, 86-year-old Kathleen (Katie) Pitt, awarded anMBE for services to the community inPetersfield.

Packing woolly hats and other presents: (L to R) Dennis Troy MBE Volunteer Ship Visitor, Peter FosseAOS Parish Contact St Thomas', Terry Brown Volunteer Ship Visitor, Peter Bewers Volunteer ShipVisitor. Jersey is part of the area looked after by Chaplain Deacon the Reverend Roger Stone who,based in Southampton, has a ‘beat’ covering the ports of Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset and Jersey

Guild Members (L to R, back row to front): Brian Kidd, David Kennedy (Cathedral Verger), Samir Alqas, Richard Trist, Judy Pellatt, Dougie Waterman & Gabriel Somorjay

NEWS

TOP OF THE FORMSalesian College (Farnborough) recently won the Top of the Form competitionscoring 417 points against the runner-ups’ 199. James Astles, Thomas Bates, OliverDunkley, Luke Shirley and George Uzzell won £500 for the College ScienceDepartment, a cheque for £25 each and flights to the Devonshire Dock at BAESubmarine Solutions, Barrow-In-Furness. The competition, coordinated by BAEFarnborough, aims at promoting the practical application of Science, Maths andEngineering knowledge to students ages 14-16.

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MAGAZINE OF THECATHOLIC DIOCESEOF PORTSMOUTH

BISHOP’S BULLETINCALENDARPERSONALITY PROFILESCHURCH IN FOCUSPRIE-DIEUARTICLESMOVERS & SHAKERSLETTERSBEHIND THE SCENESLITURGYREPORTSPRIESTS’ PROFILESCOMMENTSFASCINATINGFACTS & FIGURESUPDATESA BROADER VIEWRECIPESPASTORAL AREA PROFILESDOCTRINEINTERVIEWSARTICLESTEENS & XXsBISHOP’S ENGAGEMENTSBEHIND THE SCENESQUOTABLE QUOTESLIVE ISSUESFEATURESJUST FOR JUNIORSNEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTSBOOK REVIEWSHINTS & WRINKLESPARSON’S POINTERSSCRIPTUREFAITH IN ACTION

ST GEORGE’S COMES UP TO SCRATCH

Every day five vessels berth at the port ofJersey bringing 98.6% of the goods neededplus passengers and cars. Over 100 seafarersarrive daily, often to remain ship-bound. AtChristmas, the A.O.S. and The Mission toSeafarers say ‘Thank you’ to the crews ofthose vessels by bringing them gifts.December was a busy month for the A.O.S.volunteers of Port of Jersey and of the JerseyParish: Parishioners knitted woolly hats, wroteChristmas cards and donated toiletries. LocalA.O.S. volunteers saw to the packing and, overthe Christmas period, delivered the gifts tothe crews berthed at Jersey.

APOSTLESHIP OF THE SEA – PORT OF JERSEY

Set up at the Cathedral somethree years ago, the grouphelps the Cathedral Vergerincl. looking after AltarServers; ensuring a member ispresent at week-daylunchtime Masses: assistingthe priests and Bishop atbaptisms, weddings, funerals,Benediction …

CATHEDRAL GUILD OF ST JOHN

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PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE14

FEATURE

Here in the Diocese of Portsmouth, we are closeto having a number of new Catholicneighbours. They are Anglicans in our areahoping to join the Catholic Church under theprovisions of the Ordinariate announced morethan a year ago by Pope Benedict.

These are exciting butuncertain times for them.Exciting because in HolyWeek they should finally bereceived into full communionwith the Church for whichthey have been yearning for along time. Uncertain becauseit’s not yet clear how thingswill work in practice.

Under the arrangementsannounced by the CatholicBishops’ Conference inNovember there are several

stages. Already, by the time you read this edition of PortsmouthPeople, at least three former Anglican Bishops are likely to havebeen ordained as Catholic priests to serve in the Ordinariate. Inthis area, these include the former Bishop of Ebbsfleet, AndrewBurnham, who lives in Abingdon in the north of our diocese.Also Rome will have appointed an ‘Ordinary’ who will beresponsible, together with the local Catholic bishop for theongoing life of the Ordinariate.

Before the beginning of Lent, retired Bishops, including EdwinBarnes the former Bishop of Richborough who lives inLymington, are also due to be ordained.

Also before the beginning of Lent former Anglican clergymenintending to lead groups of faithful into the Ordinariate willbegin ‘a period of intense formation’ for ordination as Catholicpriests. In this area, there are expected to be groups fromReading, the Isle of Wight and Christchurch, amounting to a fewdozen people in all, though precisely how many is not yet clear.

During Lent, these groups, or candidates as they will be bythen, will be prepared for reception into the Church, either onHoly Thursday or during the Easter Vigil. Their pastors,assuming all goes well, will be ordained into the CatholicPriesthood around Pentecost.

Although members of the Ordinariate will not be part of themain structure of our diocese, Bishop Crispian has been involvedin making the local arrangements and they will be fellow localCatholics. And we are likely to bump into some of them in ourchurches. During Lent, before their own pastors are ordained,they may be joining us at Mass. Welcomers take note!

By the summer, the ordinariate groups could have their ownMass times in our churches. And, if they are using our buildings,they make it clear they would help with things like churchcleaning and flower arranging. The clergy I have spokento are all prepared to fill in for our own priests whenthey are on holiday, and hope that our priests will beable to do the same for them. They are anxious not tobe seen, in the words of one, ‘as rather quaint, exoticgroups.’

Will the Ordinariate be a temporary or a permanent structure?Former Bishop Andrew is disarmingly honest about this.

‘The first wave will be quite small, but it could be followed bymany others, so the Ordinariate would grow.

‘It is also possible that it turns out not to be viable, in whichcase those in the Ordinariate would fold into the existingCatholic Community. In a way, it doesn’t greatly matter. Theimportant thing is that those called to make the journey havethe chance to do so.’

Anglicans’ Long Journey ToRome Nears Its EndColin Parkes reports on the Ordinariate

Former Bishop Reverend Andrew Burnham We are likely to bump into some of them in our churches

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15

FEATURE

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

Q: Why do these Anglicans want to become Catholics?

A: For most, this is not a sudden or recent decision. Rather,it’s the end of a long process. Since the Oxford movement inthe 1830s and 1840s, in which Blessed John Henry Newmanwas a leading light, a section of the Church of England hasalways looked towards Rome. They call themselves Anglo-Catholics and see themselves as part of the Universal Church,though not necessarily in full communion with it.

The Anglican Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) wasset up 40 years ago as an instrument of dialogue the aim ofwhich was to bring about unity. Anglo-Catholics ferventlyhoped for this. But those who are planning to join theOrdinariate now feel that unity is not possible because theChurch of England has taken too many independent decisions.

The most recent of these is the one to consecrate womenbishops, although this is not yet enshrined into the law of theChurch of England. Previously, Anglo-Catholics opposed theordination of women priests and so too would be opposed tothe ordination of women as bishops. But the clergy want tomake it clear that they are not against women. ‘For a start,most of us are married,’ says former Bishop Andrew Burnham.

‘The real issue is about authority, how the church makesdecisions. Gay marriage and whether unbaptised peopleshould be admitted to Holy Communion are among some ofthe looming questions.

‘By saying that it can decide these things on its own, theAnglican Church is coming loose from its moorings as part ofthe Universal Church.’

Q: Do they accept Catholic doctrine?

A: Yes, is the short answer. Anglo-Catholics believe in theReal Presence of Jesus in the Sacraments, and the other coreCatholic teachings, especially that of the teaching authority ofthe Church and the authority of the Papacy.

Q: What preparation will they have?

A: Many have already been doing the Evangelium course,which is based on the Catholic catechism. They will undergofurther intensive formation during Lent.

Q: Why will they be joining a special Ordinariate, rather than an existing parish?

A: Over the years, many Anglicans have become Catholicsindividually, but leaving friends, pastor, church buildings andmuch loved parts of the liturgy can be a great wrench.Leading Anglo-Catholics petitioned many times to be allowedto be received into full Catholic communion as a group. It wasin response to these requests that Pope Benedict hasauthorised the Ordinariate, which will be allowed to maintainthose Anglican traditions and liturgy approved by the HolySee.

Q: What churches will they worship in?

A: Still to be decided. The most likely arrangement will be aspecial Mass time for the former Anglicans in an existingCatholic Church. But it may be that the Church of Englandwill agree to rent or lease a building to a newly-Catholiccongregation. Some Anglican clergy hope they might beoffered an empty Catholic presbytery to live in once theybecome Catholic priests.

Q: What is Anglo-Catholic liturgy like?

A: Not so different from ours in its essentials. Some alreadyuse the Roman Missal and Breviary and celebrate all theCatholic feasts. Sunday Masses are usually sung, and greatattention is paid to ceremonial, including the correctvestments, use of incense etc. Others want to keep more ofthe Anglican tradition, including the use of the Book ofCommon Prayer.

The precise and eventual form of worship will be a matterwhich will have to be agreed by the Ordinary of theOrdinariate and the authorities in Rome. Both parties will wantto bear in mind that the Anglican patrimony is, in PopeBenedict’s words, ‘a treasure to be shared’.

Anglican Ordinariate: Questions and Answers

Benediction at an Anglo-Catholic Church

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FEATURE

In December the European Court of HumanRights found that there is no human rightto abortion under the EuropeanConvention on Human Rights, but heldthat Ireland’s constitutional legalprotection for the unborn violated theright to privacy of one of the threeapplicants. She was in remission from a rareform of cancer at the time she sought anabortion. She claimed that the pregnancycould lead to the cancer’s return and thather right to be told of the option ofabortion had been violated.

Slippery SlopeThe decision blurs an important distinction.Direct killing of an unborn child is neverpermissible morally or under Irish law,though it always has been in English law.Perhaps this is why the slippery slope toabortion on demand has happened here.

Genuine medical treatment needed to savethe mother, which, as an unavoidable butunintended side effect, may sadly lead tothe death of the child, has always beenallowed. Sometimes the mother mayheroically refuse treatment so as to saveher baby, as Saint Gianna Beretta Molla did.

In other cases without treatment both willdie and there is no chance of the babysurviving.

In many cases, medical science can nowprotect a mother's health in a difficultpregnancy until the child is capable ofsurviving delivery. A direct abortion in aCatholic hospital in 2009 in Phoenix,Arizona, USA, on a woman with severepulmonary hypertension was stronglycriticised on medical as well as moralgrounds.

Top in SafetyAn Irish commentator correctly stated that‘There are no medical circumstances wherea pregnant woman's life can only saved byabortion. The fact is, without abortion,Ireland is the safest country in which to bepregnant. Irish women receive the bestmedical care in the world. In the latestreport from the United Nations onmaternal mortality, Ireland came first interms of safety for pregnant women.’ TheIrish will continue to resist with determi-nation any attempt via medical guidelinesto use this decision to loosen the protectionof the unborn in their country.

Live Issues:Ireland:

the safest placeto have a baby

Dominica Robertslooks at somevital questions

16 PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

Born and bred in SE London– ‘We moved to Hampshirewhen I was 10’ – and one offour children – ‘Brother inNew Zealand, one sister inAustralia and another sister

in Waterlooville’ - Monsignor JohnNelson (Ordained 21.07.1984) has been,since 1999, one of the three Vicars

General in our diocese, all based inparishes. John’s specific responsibility isto and for the Curia.

John lived and went to school inBasingstoke from the age of 10 until hewas 18, at which point (September 1978)he went to The English College in Rome,‘arriving two days before John Paul Idied, so I was able to witness all theceremonials of a Papal funeral, and thenthe election of John Paul II’. John was tospend eight years in Rome studying forthe priesthood ‘and learning Italian –which was a must as lectures were inItalian.’

Having taken a course of furthertheological study in Rome, John went toEnglish Martyrs, Reading, for three yearsbefore being appointed Secretary toBishop Crispian (1989-92). Furtherstudies followed (Ottawa: 2 years) withhim gaining a Licentiate in Canon Law,after which he served for five years at St

Francis de Sales (Wash Common), spenteighteen months in Paulsgrove and fiveyears in Abingdon (2001-06) beforereturning to English Martyrs, Reading.

Since 1990 John has also been aChaplain with the Territorial Army:‘Seven months with the Army in Kosovo(2001) convinced me that there is reallysomething special we priests can offer –beyond our regular congregations’. Twosubsequent tours to war-torn Iraqcompounded that conviction. And,come the time this issue of PP goes toprint, John will have left for CampBastion in Afghanistan for a 4-monthtour as Hospital Chaplain to the military:‘Not only do I feel, as I get older andhave more pastoral experience, thatthere is something I can offer but alsothat there is much for me to learn whenministering to men and women in theArmed Forces.’

PRIEST’S PROFILE

Monsignor John Nelson

Dominica Roberts is a parishioner of St Joseph and St Margaret Clitherow in Bracknell, and active in several pro-life groups.

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The appointment of a new ApostolicNuncio to Britain at the start of the year

is a good time to look at the state ofrelations between the Holy See and Britain.

The former Nuncio, Archbishop FaustinoSainz, unfortunately suffered ill healthbringing his time in London to an early end.However he was able to return to Britainfor the Pope’s visit to the preparation ofwhich he had contributed much. He madea farewell visit to the bishops of Englandand Wales at their meeting in Leeds andmade an informal speech which waswarmly received.

The new Nuncio, Archbishop AntonioMennini, comes to London after sevenyears in Moscow, in a country withpotentially great problems for such anappointment. There had been particulardifficulties in dealings with the RussianOrthodox Church but relations improved sothat in 2009 PresidentMedvedev could upgradethe papal representationto a full nunciature.

Archbishop Mennini will have a busy timedealing with matters internal to theCatholic Church: there are nine present orimpending vacancies for diocesan bishopsincluding our own for which he will have todraw up shortlists. Then there will be theestablishment by the bishops’ conferenceof the new ordinariate for groups ofAnglicans converting to the CatholicChurch, which will have an operationalrelationship with the Congregation of theDoctrine for the Faith in Rome. Relationswith the Church of England are currentlyvery good but continuing sensitivity isneeded.

The Nuncio’s dealings with the Britishgovernment will be mainly on internationalissues. On some the role of Britain as amember of international organisations isrelevant – the UN, the EU or the Council of

Europe. In the UN internationaldevelopment issues are an area ofcontinuing potential cooperation betweenLondon and the Vatican. In Europeanbodies the Church will be hoping forsupport in ending discrimination against itsmembers, in Europe and in non-Europeancountries where the EU has agreements.

Britain has always felt as a country that ithas at least moral obligations to assist withthe well-being of former colonies. Thesame principle has extended to countrieswe have defeated in wars oncereconstruction has begun: I think of

Germany after theSecond World War.Similar principles needto be applied incountries where we have

engaged in hostilities recently. In Iraqtoday there have been acts of violence andother discrimination against Christiansbecause of them practising their religion.Yet the British government has consideredit safe for rejected asylum seekers to bereturned to Iraq.

Discrimination has not affected Christiansalone and this is one area wheremaintaining good inter-faith relations isessential.

There are times when we are too self-critical; Britain has long experience ofpractising toleration between differentvarieties of Christians and people of otherfaiths or none. The resultant goodwill wason display to visitors from Rome and therest of the world during the Papal visit.

Lawrence Fullick looks atthe wider world

Lawrence Fullick, a parishioner in Bournemouth, is treasurer of the Wyndham PlaceCharlemagne Trust, a charity which promotes discussion of international issuesamong people of all faiths or none.

17

Quotable Quotes

‘Birthdays are good for you.Statistics show that the people whohave most live the longest’

Fr Larry Lorenzoni

‘Life is too short to learn German’Richard Porson, British classical

scholar (1759-1808)

‘At my age I do what Mark Twain did.I get my daily paper, look at theobituaries page and if I’m not there Icarry on as usual’Patrick Moore, British astronomer

‘At the back of every great fortunelies a great crime’

Honoré de Balzac

‘It is the busiest man who has time tospare’

Cyril Parkinson

‘Of all noises, I think music is theleast disagreeable’

Samuel Johnson

‘My generation thought that fastfood was something you ate duringLent’

Joan Collins

‘The old believe everything; themiddle-aged suspect everything; theyoung know everything’

Oscar Wilde

‘Cover toast with slabs of cheese.Grill until it all sets nice’

London Mayor Boris Johnson’srecipe for cheese on toast

‘Why the fuss over the Burmeseelections? They said it was a generalelection – and the generals wereelected’

Ray Rayner

‘I’m 59 and people call me middle-aged. How many 118-year-old mendo you know?’

Barry Cryer, British comedian

‘I don’t read Portsmouth People, Idon’t live in Portsmouth’

Southampton parishioner

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

A BroaderView

New Nuncio’s dealings with British government will be

mainly on international issues

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18 PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

LETTERS

SCHINDLER PRIZE

We ask the help of readers of PP in choosing the2011 recipient of the Schindler Prize. This is anannual prize of £500, named after Terri Sciavo'sfamily, and with memories of Schindler's List. Itwill be awarded to a doctor or nurse or otherperson who provides the best account inrecognition of a colleague, who, in their opinion,has engaged in a battle to save a life that hasbeen dismissed as valueless. The account shoulddescribe a situation where someone attemptedto save the life of a patient who was unable tospeak for him or herself, was denied food andfluids, and was suffering from dangerous neglect.What is important is that, whether the attemptwas successful or not, it was sustained, andrevealed belief in the value of human life, and theduty of all - to do no harm. The account will beanonymised appropriately before publication.Seewww.schindlerprizetrust.org.uk Please sendsubmissions to [email protected] Schindler Prize Trust, PO Box 17317, LondonSW3 4WJ (Tel. 020 7730 3059) as soon aspossible.

Mary Knowles (Dr)Tadley

CATHOLIC WOMEN OF THE YEAR 2011Nominations are invited for the 2011 Catholic Women ofthe Year. Any Catholic woman can be nominated: we arelooking for the unsung heroines who care for the sick ormarginalised, visit prisoners, run errands in the parish, teachchildren the Faith, help those seeking to enter the Church,support priests and seminarians, raise funds for charity, ordo any of the 101 things that bring the presence of Christinto the community and build up the Church.

All that is needed is a letter outlining the reason fornomination, and giving details of the nominee's name andaddress or parish. Letters should be sent to: Mrs JanWoodford, Catholic Women of the Year, 22 Milton Rd WAREHert SG12 0PZ or email: [email protected] andMUST arrive before March 31st 2011.

Kathy Robinson and Joanna BogleCatholic Women of the Year Committee

THE ORDINARIATE

Whilst a number of Catholics may have questions and even reservations

about those Anglicans wishing to come into full communion with the Church

through the Ordinariate, what Colin Parkes writes elsewhere in this issue

should set hearts and minds at rest.

There are legitimate questions as to how it will all work out, but the

sincerity and desire for full communion with the Church of the Anglican

clergy and those who wish to come with them in this journey of faith is

certainly beyond doubt.

The Ordinariate represents new ground for us all but our new found

brothers and sisters deserved to be welcomed and made to feel at one

with us all. They feel that they are truly ‘coming home’.

There will be an ‘Ordinary’ appointed by the Holy Father who will not

necessarily be a bishop but who will have responsibility for the day to day

life of the Ordinariate – he will be a member of our Bishops’ Conference. This

means that he will be a close colleague of the Catholic bishops and I will be

working with him on the business of the Ordinariate in our diocese.

We seem to have three groups, as Colin says in his article. The laity and

their priests will be received into full communion at Easter and their

priests will be ordained by me later in the summer.

I hope that they will very quickly become valued brothers and sisters in the

faith and I am sure that our parish communities will give a warm welcome as

they come among us.

PRAYER AND PILGRIMAGEI’d really like to ask PP’s readers for some help we need for a ‘BigPray’ to mark National Vocations Sunday on Sun 15th May!We need as many communities as possible across the diocese tomake a special effort around that time to pray for vocations to

the priesthood and religious life; and alsoas an opportunity for each of us to ask theLord again what ‘definite service’ (BlessedJohn Henry Newman) He has in mind forus? I’ll be making some resources availableshortly but maybe people could start tothink about how their community mightbe united in prayer? Exposition of theBlessed Sacrament? Rosary? Taizé?Mass? In church? In people’s homes? The

possibilities are (nearly!) endless …

For those who’d like to walk and pray, maybe they could join me(Apr 30th – May 1st) for all or some of a planned pilgrimage alongthe South Downs Way from Arundel to Winchester (100km) inunder 30 hours as a prayer for vocations as well as an opportunityto raise some money for charity? Ideas, interest, thoughts allwelcome at [email protected]

Fr Mark Hogan Diocesan Vocations Promoter

Fr Mark Hogan

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PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE 19

LETTERS

CENSUS 2011 v. PRIVACY & DEMOCRACYI am a regular reader of PP and was very surprised by the inclusion(under Calendar Vol 10-6) of a strong encouragement for allCatholics to register their religion during the 2011 Census.

Certainly, I feel that some level of warning also be published inPortsmouth People on giving away any personal data to theundemocratic Census. The assumption that religious data can bedemanded by the current government - along with educational andcareer details - has been made without any reference to those whosepersonal data it is and, to my mind, amply reflects the wholly secularsociety our politicians insist is the single way in which British societymust develop. I could not disagree more!

At no time have the voters of The United Kingdom been asked toexpress their views on, or give permission for, a mandate to expandthe Census beyond the simplest and most basic data collection onname, address, age and gender of any private, British citizen. Themost recent Census in 2001 demonstrated a severe assault onpersonal privacy and it appears that the 2011 Census will be just asbad.

Edward R. JewellLiss

The Editor regrets being unable (1) toenter into correspondence other thanthrough the pages of the magazine and(2) to accept for publication any copy,including Letters, submitted otherthan electronically.

CHRIST DIED FOR ALL

I feel I must take issue with Fr Jeremy Corley’s article in

Vol 10-5 of PP. To me the wording of the proposed

revised translation changes the theology. The present

wording, Christ’s blood being shed for all, clearly means

that the shedding was for all human beings. However,

the revised version uses the word ‘many’. Now one needs

to be careful because ‘many’ can have both an inclusive

meaning e.g. ‘there are many people.’ (totals up all human

beings) - but ‘many’ can also be used selectively e.g.

‘many people are deaf’ (meaning only some people). To

me it is clear that the phrase ‘for many’ implies a

selection: ‘for many people, not everybody’. Furthermore

by adding the word ‘the’ making the phrase ‘for the

many.’ the meaning is changed back to being inclusive as

in ‘for the many people that exist.’ The new revision by

using ‘for you and for many’ implies, by common usage in

my view, ‘only for selected people, you and quite a lot of

others’.

Fr Corley, in his penultimate paragraph, uses the phrase

‘Jesus died to save the many’ which as I argue above

means to save everyone. If that is what the new

translation said - ‘save the many’ - I would be happy, but

it doesn’t, it uses the selective phrase. The latter may

fit the Gospels better (not 2 Corinthians 5), but it

changes the theology. Are we being asked to accept

that Jesus didn’t shed his blood for everyone? If we are,

then we need to acknowledge that and not pussy foot

around. If we aren’t then the revision needs sorting.

I’m no Latin scholar, but can’t we add ‘the’ without

anyone noticing?

Anthony KirkeMilford-on-Sea

[Readers are reminded that completion of the Census in

part or full is not mandatory. The copy alongside

Calendar in our former issue is from the Office of National

Statistics, HMG’s invitation and encouragement to all

people of faith to register their religion. Ed.]

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20

NEW TO YOUR PARISH? Catholicsnew to a Parish are warmly invited tointroduce themselves to the Parish Priest orby dropping a note into the Parish Office(name, address, telephone number, e-mailetc.). If there is any area in which youwould like to become involved in the life ofthe Church, please don’t hesitate to say.

OFF TO SPAIN? The FCO (Foreign andCommonwealth Office) has produced ahandy leaflet and a wallet card withemergency expressions and contactnumbers for visitors to Spain. Ideal forthose attending World Youth Day later thisyear in Madrid, the card and wallet aredownloadable from among the onlinesupplements to this issue of PP.

DEVELOPING SKILLS FORLEADERSHIP SEPTEMBER2006 – JUNE 2008: GOINGFORTH AND BEARING FRUIT: Didyou take part in one of the five‘Developing Skills for Leadership’ coursesrun by the Department for PastoralFormation between September 2006 andJune 2008 in Chandlers Ford, Tilehurst,Bournemouth, Reading and Lee-on-theSolent? If so, you are cordially invited to ahalf-day conference on Saturday 19thMarch at St Stephen's Church, Oliver'sBattery Road North, Winchester 10-1.00(coffee available from 9.30). Cost £2.00 onthe day. For any further informationcontact [email protected] using theheading ‘Going Forth and Bearing Fruit’.

DOMESTIC ABUSE: a new webresource for Catholics ExperiencingDomestic Abuse has been launched by theCatholic Bishops’ Conference of Englandand Wales Domestic Abuse WorkingGroup: http://www.cedar.uk.net/ andhttp://www.catholicchurch.org.uk/cedar-feature

GATHERING OF THE CLAN:Shortly before Christmas, most of PP’sproduction team managed to gather,despite the inclement weather, at theCathedral for the annual pow-wow. Thisphotograph was taken when some of theCuria based at St Edmund’s House droppedby to meet ‘n’ greet.

A 2ND CLASS STAMP! That’s thecost, publication and distribution, of yourcopy of Portsmouth People. If you thinkthat’s a bargain, maybe increase yourchurch offering by £2 a year to cover theyear’s 6 copies. But if you don’t think thismag’s worth even a 2nd class stamp, thenthe Editor needs to know!

NEWS IN BRIEF (STOP PRESS)• His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has

appointed as Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St James His Excellency Archbishop Antonio Mennini, Titular Archbishop of Ferento

• Why Does Easter Matter? is a unique Lent Course for families and church groups: www.friendsandheroes.com

• As we go to press, we regret to announce the death of Fr Peter Sprague Kenneth William Stevenson, the eighth Church ofEngland Bishop of Portsmouth.

1:If you made it 5,000 you are among many who are wrong. The correct answer is 4,100. 2:Testament, Mitre, Organ, Singer, Cantor. 3:In the story Pinocchio’s nose got longer and longer whenever he was under stress, especiallywhen telling a lie. The name Pinocchio in Italian means ‘Pine Eye’. 4:Easter Egg. 5:ALMOSTis the longest word in the English language with all its letters in alphabetical order. 6:Cross missing on central spire; Birds flying; Top of right spire missing; Hatch to the left of thestairway blackened; One pillar missing in the turret above the clock; Central design half-way upstairs missing; Pillar to the right of the stairs no longer there; Clock lost its hour hand; One ofthe second tier of main columns has lost its capital; A brick to the right of the stairway isblackened.

JUST FOR JUNIORS

Turn this page upside down to read the solutions and answers to thisissue's JfJ section.

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

L to R: Dominica Roberts (Columnist); GrahamPalethorpe (Curia); Hilary Foley (Curia); Fr DenisBlackledge (Columnist) wearing Lawrence’s hat;Soraya Ciccarone (Curia); Jane Green (Curia); JillLovell (Curia); Colin Parkes (Columnist); LawrenceFullick (Columnist) anxious about his hat; LeeKender (Design and Print); Austin Crowhurst(Design and Print); Richenda Power (Contributor)with Jay K-W (Ed.) holding the camera.

Youngsters and Leaders enjoyed yet anotherDon Bosco Camp at Kintbury and lookforward to Camp 2011 (July 31st-August 6th). For further details: Fr Mark [email protected] or Fr Michael [email protected]

When I was Sick …..Pastoral training for community

and hospital visitorsApril – July 2011

at Queen Alexandra Hospital

The Chaplaincy Department of the PortsmouthHospitals NHS Trust is running this popular

course again after Easter. It is for those who wantto develop skills for visiting the sick, or people

with other pastoral needs, in the community or inhospital.

It will be open to people of all faiths. Anyone whowants to do the course will need backing from

their local faith leader, who will also beinvolved in providing some practical experience

as part of the course.

For those wanting to become hospital chaplaincyvisitors the course forms part of their training.

The course will consist of 11 weekly two hourevening sessions with an additional 3 weeks

practical experience. The cost of the course is £60.

For more details and application form pleasecontact the Chaplaincy

Department on 02392 286408, or [email protected]

CHAPLAINCY- caring for patients, relatives and staff -- here for people of all faiths and none -

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21PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

Bethlehem - Bands and BagpipesThings begin to change however when youreach Bethlehem, an hour’s walk or 10 min.drive from Jerusalem. Star-shaped lightslead the way along Bethlehem Road and on24 December the celebrations begin. TheLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Fwal,processes from Jerusalem and is welcomedby the Latin Parish priest of Bethlehem.Bands, bagpipes and scouts add to thefestive spirit reverberating across the cityreminding us that Christ is coming. TheFranciscans then meet the Patriarch andwelcome him into the Church of theNativity, the oldest church in Christendomand the location of the birthplace of JesusChrist. We grab a falafel, the local dish andwatch as the parades unfold.

About a mile from the Church of theNativity lies Shepherds field, the location ofthe institution of the Gloria. In a cave wesing our hearts out with tears in our eyes aswe are sat where shepherds watched theirflocks by night and glory shone around.Masses are celebrated in every languagethroughout the night and carols fill theskies.

Queues for Midnight MassBack in Manger Square, queues outside thechurch begin to form. To obtain midnightmass tickets you have to apply to theChristian Information Centre a monthbefore the pilgrimage. These, being free,help control numbers entering the church.After returning from Shepherds field wequeue up, have a full body check and thenenter. Finding a comfy spot is quite difficultas it is standing room only. The Franciscanshand out the mass booklets and occasionallya gift to worshippers.

The atmosphere in the church has in thepast been quite tense. Last year, morepractising Catholics attended so prayer andpraise fill the church rather than touriststrying to catch a glimpse of MahmoudAbbas or other dignitaries. We join the

millions of Catholics throughout the worldin the sacred liturgy welcoming the new-born child. The homily is read in threelanguages, so that all can understand thePatriarch’s message for the coming year. Theservice ends with the Patriarch processingthrough the church to the manger with astatue of the new born Jesus. Worshipperstry to touch the baby as it passes by.

We stay for a while and then go and visitthe birthplace ourselves. At about 3 a.m.we then return to our hotel to open thesecret santa presents that we have boughteach other.

Christmas day itself is very busy as stagingis being packed away and queues for themanger are over 3 hours long. It is time tosay goodbye to the little town ofBethlehem hoping that all will lie still overthe following year.

Twentysomethings in BethlehemProject 2030 Lay Chaplain, Jenny Whelan, shares her visits to BethlehemFor the past 4 years I have had the great privilege of spending Christmas inBethlehem with groups of twentysomething Catholics. The Holy land at this time of

year is very different to England - there’s not a Christmas decoration in sight at the airport orin Jerusalem and Christmas is just an ordinary working day to the majority of Jews or Muslimsliving in this part of the world.

Twentysomethings is a national organisation which has just launched a new group in our diocese.Project 2030 twentysomethings engages Catholics aged 20-30 in retreats, socials, trips, holidays andpilgrimages. It is free to join, run by the members for the members and is sponsored by the Sacred HeartFathers (Dehonians). Future trips being organised include: Taizé international gathering in December;Skiing in Feb 2011; the Holy Land at Easter and at Christmas(2011); World Youth Day. Further details:www.twentysomethings.eu or t: 07590057813 and/or contact the active group of members on facebook.

Accompanying photographs show Patriarch ofJerusalem processing with Baby Jesus to themanger; Manger square on Christmas eve;Shepherds Field, Bethlehem; Franciscansprocessing into the Church of the Nativity onChristmas eve; Eating Falafels in MangerSquare, Bethlehem; The Birthplace of Jesus,Bethlehem

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FAITH IN ACTION

The Bamenda Social Welfare Commission hasrecently been set up by the Catholic Diocese inBamenda who have an annual collection tosupport those in most need in their parishes. Oneamazing lady, Sr Benedicta, has the responsi-bility for overall co-ordination of this work. Shetravels around the area alone and without avehicle of her own seeking out and helpingpeople with disabilities, street children, familiesaffected by crisis, asylum seekers or those at riskof human trafficking. She has few resourceswith which to do this huge job and so is settingup a charity to enable those in need to help

themselves. This will aim to supportpeople to get back on their feet andfor example to train in a trade whichwill make them self-sufficient.

Within the Catholic Archdiocese ofBamenda (NW Province Cameroon)there are 23 health institutions: 21health centres and 2 hospitals. Thepresent Healthcare Co-ordinator is SrSheila McElroy of the Holy RosarySisters. During our visit we were able to speak with her and seefor ourselves some of the centres and the challenges they face.

22

FEATURE

In January last year I was fortunate to visit our twinned Archdiocese in Bamenda. As amember of our Diocesan Bamenda Committee and a secretary of Clinicare (a Hampshire-based charity which sends medical supplies to Bamenda), it was a great opportunity torenew old friendships and make new ones which will enable our twinned relationship toextend and deepen. It was also a chance to increase our understanding of the health andsocial needs there and discuss how we might best offer support.

Health and Social Care in Bamenda

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

Sr Benedicta Muffah

Sr Sheila McElroy

Our Links

Jo Overton reports on plans for putting her best foot forward

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Jo Overton, who works as a mental health nurse, is a member ofthe Bamenda and Cinicare committees and parishioner at StColman with St Paul’s, Cosham. Jo’s report on her visit in January2010 is posted as an online supplement to this issue.

Closer liaison withSr Sheila hashelped us to

understand howbest to use the

limited resourcesthat Clinicare has

to offer

Since 1979 Clinicare (started by theKnights of St Columba) has sent medicalsupplies to Cameroon. However when EUlegislation on the management of wastecame in, it had to reinvent itself as it couldno longer handle unwanted (but in dateand perfectly good) medical supplieswithout a prohibitively expensive wastelicence. So, funds that were previously onlyrequired for postage of recycled medicinesare now required to purchase as well aspost the much needed supplies. Thesemedicines allow healthcare staff greaterflexibility in treating people who cannototherwise afford medical treatment.

Walk for WellbeingIn the forthcoming dry season, I shall betrekking between the newly developingrural health centres in Bamenda seeingfirst-hand the health and social challengesthat people face in the area. The aim is:

1. To raise awareness of and funds for 2 charities, one which assists with medical supplies to Cameroon (Clinicare) and the other, the new Bamenda Self-Reliance Services charity aiming to enable people to develop their own lives.

2. To return to Cameroon to be with the people, and share our lives in the true spirit of our dioceses’ twinned relationship.

3. To experience the local situation and needs, to inform our work on the twinned Diocesan projects.

4. To trek in a beautiful place!

Fares and all other expenses will be paid bythe 4 of us who are participating. Allproceeds from sponsorship will go directlyto the 2 charities. The members of the self-reliant charity will act as guides to supportus along the way and may even seeksponsorship for themselves locally(something which is much less common inCameroon). The health centrecompounds/mission stations will provide asecure base in which to stay at night.

Your Help Please!Here is your chance to help the health andsocial well-being of our friends inBamenda. You can contribute to theseprojects by sponsoring the trek. This will beno easy ride believe me! Trekking in the(hot) dry season through the hilly terrainof Bamenda and staying in basicaccommodation along the way!

You can donate by going to the Just Givingwebsite (www.justgiving.com/Jo-Overton),sending a cheque or cash to ClinicareInternational (all proceeds will be divided)c/o 117 Wilton Road Upper Shirley,Southampton, SO15 5JQ or contacting meon: [email protected]

23PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

The delivery room at Wum healthcentre - This‘incubator’ is awooden box and a hot water bottle since thethermostat broke

Women andchildren’s ward

at Bekow healthcentre - No

mains electricity,torn mattressesand insufficient

mosquito netsfor the 5 beds

Dispensary at Babanki Tungo healthcentre – Notice the bare shelves!

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Portsmouth People islooking for more juniorcorrespondents. If youhave a joke, story, prayer,photograph, report orcomment to add to the JfJpage or anywhere else inPP, then great! Just ask anadult member of yourfamily or your teacher (with parental consent) tosend it to the Editor stating your name, age andparish.

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

You’ll find the answers in News and Announcements

‘I hope there will be some future saints among you’Pope Benedict XVI

Just for Juniors

1. ARITHMETIC GONE MENTAL

Becky likes baffling people: ‘Take1000 and add 40 to it. Now addanother 1000 and now add 30. Addanother 1000. Now add 20. Nowadd another 1000. Now add 10.What do you get?’

4. WORD SEARCHLet’s see if you can rearrange the letters in theword SEGREGATE to make two new words,something a lot of people like to sink their teethinto a little later on in the year.

6. SPOT THE DIFFERENCES

The second of these pen-and-ink drawings of St Paul’s Cathedral inLondon differs from the first in 10 ways. See if you can spot all 10differences. Not easy!

Vikki let’s us in on hertargets for the year: ‘What’seasy to make and difficult tokeep, especially for the likesof me? Yes, you’ve guessedit: New Year’s Resolutions!

But this year, along with a bunch of friends, I’mdetermined to get physically fitter and to studymore. Mens sana in corpore sano, that’s my target.Wish me luck!’

See if you can re-arrangethe letters in each of thefollowing 5 words to makeother words, one in eachcase, directly associatedwith the Church:

GROAN RESIGN

STATEMENTMERIT

CARTON

2. JUMBLIES

Pinocchio is a fictionalcharacter, traditionally wearingclothes of flowered paper and ahat made of bread. He wasfashioned out of wood byGeppetto, a woodcarver-cum-puppeteer, in a story written in1881 by Carlo Collodi of Italy.Pinocchio always dreamt ofbecoming a real boy. Do youknow what used to happen toPinocchio’s nose and when?And do you know what theword ‘Pinocchio’ means inItalian?

3. NOSEY!

5. DO YOU KNOW?What so odd about the word ALMOST, apartfrom not quite being whatever?

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The People’s Bible: The Remarkable History of the KingJames Version – Derek Wilson [Lion, hardback, 224pp, 2010, £14.99]This year, 2011, celebrates thefourth centenary of the King JamesVersion of the Bible. The KJV, orAuthorised version as it is oftenknown, has, as the title suggests, atruly remarkable history, andauthor Derek Wilson, popularhistorian, provides the reader withten chapters, giving a clearexposition of that history, from thebeginning up to the present day.

Amazingly, England was the only Europeankingdom to ban translation of the Bible intothe vernacular. The Latin Vulgate had to beenough! There had been no officiallyapproved Bible in English for 1200 years.Not only that, but the leaders of the EnglishChurch made it a criminal offence totranslate any scripture passage into English– the penalty was death by burning, asTyndale sadly found out! We’re takenthrough the rough and tumble from JohnWycliffe, the Lollards, Erasmus, and WilliamTyndale. We’re led via Coverdale’s Bible andCromwell’s Great Bible through the tangledweb of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I – to whomthe Geneva Bible was dedicated. We go byway of the Bishops’ Bible and the Douai-Rheims Bible, until we reach a time whenthe Bible no longer had the glamour of acontroversial book.

So we come at last to BishopRichard Bancroft and his 54scholars, two teams each fromWestminster, Oxford andCambridge, who undertake thetranslation and produce the KJV.King James, by the way, had nohand in it, except to command it tobe written and to encourage itscompletion. At the time the King’s

Bible was received with ‘thundering apathy’,but after some fifty years it was supreme.

Many would argue that its supremacy lies inits ‘sound’ - many of its phrases are still nowpart and parcel of our language. But the KJVis much more than a masterpiece of Englishliterature. At its heart is a searching faithand a mutual dialogue between God andourselves. And that quest goes on.

I leave Diarmaid MacCulloch to do the salespitch. In his Foreword he writes: ‘DerekWilson explains how this great culturalmonument of seventeenth-century Englandtook shape, and how its majestic officialprose has sustained Christians across theworld in very different circumstances overfour centuries. The reader should enjoy thezest with which he tells the tale.’

New Zealand ConnectionsWith this issue of Portsmouth People we offer a‘community communications checklist’ for NewZealand nationals and for others in our diocese withInternet access who are interested in New Zealand:

(Similar 'Community Connections' compilationsare welcome for other nationalities. Ed.)

This Lent book is not forthe faint-hearted, writtenas it is by a survivor ofchild sexual abuse. As theauthor says in herIntroduction: ‘This book isthe result of a journeyover many years whichbegan with a challenge

one Ash Wednesday to move out of somelong-ingrained patterns of being andthinking which were doing me no favours.Although coming to terms with sexualabuse and how to relate to God in theaftermath underpins most of the readingsand reflections, many of the issues tackledhere might equally apply to a wide range ofdifficult situations in which individuals findthemselves.’

There are 47 daily sections, from AshWednesday through to Easter Sunday,usually a couple of pages long, beginning

with a short quote from an experiencedauthor, then a scripture reading, followed bythe author’s pondering and prayer. BethCrisp is a survivor, a resurrection individual,but her honest and disturbing reflectionshelp the reader to understand the deeplydevastating effects of such trauma as shehas suffered. Only by accepting suchvulnerability can there be deep healing froma loving God. Without the full-felt passionthere is no resurrection.

Each of us as a human being has to come toterms with times of rejection, humiliation orfear of what has happened in the past: inthe end we can opt for despair or hope, andthe choice is ours to make. Each of us maywell have to face ‘patterns of being orthinking which are doing us no favours’. ThisLenten journey is like no other I’ve beenthrough, and I encourage you, dare you, tolet Beth take you by the hand and make itwith her.

Just a click away…We continue with ourcompendium of worthy websites:www.Leukaemia.org- fighting cancer in children

www.RedCross.org.uk - recently revamped Red Cross website

www.SmileTrain.org - free cleft surgery for children in poor countries

www.nff.org.uk – magazine of the Naval Families Federation

www.TeamsGB.org.uk- Catholic organisation for Christian married couples

www.WorldCatholicDating.com - new style social website for Catholics

www.CatholicGapYear.com - for those contemplating a gap year

www.UkVocations.org - for direction and advice on vocations

(URLs are generally not case sensitive. Title/Upper casing is to improve

readability. Submissions for ‘JACA’ warmly invited. Ed.)

Country Profile (BBC): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asiapacific/country_profiles/1136253.stm

Tourism and travel information:www.lonelyplanet.com/new-zealand

Travel Guide: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/new-zealand

National Tourist Office: http://www.newzealand.com

Travel advice: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/asia-oceania/new-zealand

Internet Radio Stations (37 available):www.live-radio.net/

BOOKMARKFr Denis Blackledge SJ selects more good reads

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

BEYOND CRUCIFIXION: Meditations on Surviving SexualAbuse - Beth Crisp [DLT, pbk, 116 pp, £10.99]

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It’s hard saying ‘No’. Whether from peer pressure, guilt orforce of habit, we have all at some point had difficultyuttering that monosyllable. Despite your New Year’s

resolution to visit the gym three times a week, you struggledto say a firm ‘No’ to being a couch potato in the chilly secondhalf of January. While the intention is to give up biscuits forLent, you know it’ll be a mission to say ‘No’ when the tin ofchocolate digestives is passed around at work.

Now imagine saying ‘No’ when agun is being pointed at you.Imagine that the gun belongs to aguerrilla soldier, and theconsequence of saying ‘No’ isfleeing from your home, yourbelongings and the life you knew.This is what Amparo, a motherfrom Columbia, had the courageto do.

Amparo used to live on abeautiful island on a river in thenorth of Colombia. Her familydidn’t have much, but they werehappy.

‘It was a peaceful and naturallife,’ she says. ‘We had land tofarm, crops to grow. I used tofish for our dinner and we hadvegetables and fruit to eat.’

When guerrilla solders tried to recruit her son, she stood up tothem and said ‘No’. Moments later, she was staring down the barrelof a gun. She and her family ran for their lives, leaving behindeverything. ‘We took nothing,’ she says, ‘just the clothes we werestanding up in.’

The family fled to a town where they tried to put their life backtogether. They built a corrugated iron shelter and Amparo’schildren attended school. Amparo eked out a living washingclothes but barely earned enough to feed her children. She oftenwent to bed hungry, exhausted and depressed.

At her moment of need, Amparo was discovered by CAFOD’spartner, Pastoral Social, who provided her with counselling andfood packages. Life improved further when CAFOD’s partnerhelped Amparo to learn the practical and business skills she neededto open a metal furniture workshop, together with six colleagues.It is still early days for the business, but a regular wage means bigchanges.

‘The business project is a great opportunity – the best I’ve had in mylife,’ she says. ‘Now we have food to eat and regular money to buyclothes and shoes. Best of all, I rely on myself – I can provide whatmy family needs.’

Today, Amparo, also pictured here with her daughter and at work,is one of four million Colombians starting again after being madehomeless by conflict. She still has a long road ahead, but thecourageous mother is determined to work hard for a better futurefor her children, and she values the difference CAFOD donationshave made: ‘Thank you for all you have done – I can assure you itis a lot! I am so pleased with my job; it’s given me and my childrenhappy faces.’

Amparo’s message ends with a simple request: ‘Please continue tofind it in your hearts to help other people who are experiencingtough times.’

I feel that you and I would be excused, on this occasion, for notbeing able to say ‘No’.

So, this Lent Fast Day (18 March 2011), please help others transformtheir lives by giving, praying and taking action. Lent is a time fortransformation: a time to look at our own lives and make changeswhich bring us closer to God. By giving to, acting with and prayingfor CAFOD and those we work with, the changes we make in ourown lives could echo around the world, transforming the lives ofpeople living in poverty. For more information contact CAFODPortsmouth 012 5232 9385 [email protected] or visit ourwebsite www.cafod.org.uk/portsmouth

26 PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

CAFOD Media Volunteer Luxmy Gopalakrishnanreflects on CAFOD’s invitation to give something up and transform lives this Lent.

FEATURE

It’s hard to say ‘No’ when you’re staringdown the barrel of a gun

Back

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Eligible men enquiring into priesthood as a vocation are asked to contact their Parish Priest.

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

Hints & Wrinkles

Catering for catholic tastes …PP brings the world’s cuisine to your table

Heat two tablespoons of oilin a large pan; brown fourchicken quarters cut in half;take them out and cook achopped onion gently in theoil for five minutes. Addthree red peppers (ordinarypimentos, not hot chili) deseeded and cut into strips,two peeled sliced cloves of garlic, about 8 oztinned tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, one inch ofcinnamon stick (or a good pinch of groundcinnamon) and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer gently forabout 40 minutes until cooked. Before serving, tasteto see if it needs more salt, and remove the cinnamonstick. This dish can be cooked ahead and re-heatedgently.

Catalan Chickenand

Pepper Stew

Living out my baptismal vocation -I know God loves me and has called me by name. I know Godwants me to live out my life in response to that call to holinessand my baptism into God’s ‘chosen race, royal priesthood, holynation’. (1 Pet 2:9)

Discerning my particular vocation - I want to discern what definite service God has planned forme. I pray, asking the Lord what He has in mind for me and Ispeak to friends and/or family and/or other trusted people.

Testing my Vocation to the DiocesanPriesthood (initial conversations) -I want to ask the Church to help me discern my vocation so Ispeak to my parish priest or the diocesan vocations promoterwho will try to support me in this process. He might put me intouch with a spiritual director and point me in the directionof resources and gatherings to give me opportunity to exploremy vocation further.

Testing my Vocation to the DiocesanPriesthood (formal application) - I’m ready to offer myself to the Church as a priest so, if thevocation director agrees that I am ready, I begin the formalapplication. This includes writing about my faith journey; apsychological assessment, undergoing safeguarding checks; aselection weekend with interviews looking at my relationshipwith God and others as well as my academic ability (to check I willbe able to cope with the studies). There will also be an interviewwith the Bishop, who is responsible for the final decision.

Beginning my formation -If the Bishop accepts me I will begin my studies for the diocesanpriesthood, which are likely to last 6 years (possibly less formature students) at a seminary and there may also be anadditional preparatory year in Spain. This time will give me andthe diocese further opportunities to discern my vocation andfor me to undergo formation in the following areas: spiritual,human, pastoral and academic. As with each of these stages Iwill be offered support in lots of different ways and will needto take increasing responsibility for my own formation.

Pathway to Priesthood

Every journey towards priesthood is unique but the following might give someinsight into the shape a typical route might take:

CHAPLAINCY- caring for patients, relatives and staff -- here for people of all faiths and none -

Can YOU help at QAH?We are always looking for more volunteers to share in the work

of the Chaplaincy at Queen Alexandra Hospital, by visiting patientson the wards, and showing God’s care and compassion to any

people who find themselves in hospital.

If you have a caring heart and some time you can give during weekdayworking hours, then we would love to hear from you.

If Sunday mornings are a better time to help then we also need people toassist patients in attending Chapel and to care for them during the service.

For more details please contactThe Chaplaincy Department on 02392 286408,

or email [email protected]

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Nowadays it is sad to seesome people turning awayfrom the Church. Yet it issometimes said thatChristianity hasn’t beentried and failed - it has

never properly been tried. Perhaps we couldsay that Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on theMount has never really been tried. The Sundayreadings between 30 January and 6 March giveus extracts from this great charter forChristian life. This is the first of five majorteaching blocks in Matthew’s Gospel.

Just as the Old Testament has five booksassociated with Moses, so Matthew’s Gospelpresents five sermons given by Jesus, the newMoses. As the Book of Genesis describes God’scall to the first members of the people ofIsrael, so the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew5-7) teaches God’s call to the first followers ofChrist. The Exodus sermon is the missionsermon (Matthew 10), spoken to thoseapostles going out to preach God’s kingdom.The Leviticus sermon (Matthew 13) isconcerned with the mysteries of the kingdomof heaven, here presented in parables. Just asthe Book of Numbers tells of the Israelitesjourneying through the desert, so the fourthsermon (Matthew 18) deals with the church onits way to God’s kingdom. Finally, theDeuteronomy sermon (Matthew 24-25)prepares the new Israel for entering into thepromised land of heaven.

The Sermon on the Mount begins with Jesusclimbing a mountain to give his teaching, likeMoses ascending Mount Sinai. But instead ofrepeating the Ten Commandments, full ofprohibitions, what Jesus offers is eight positivebeatitudes: ‘Happy are the poor in spirit, thegentle, the mourners, the justice-workers, themerciful, the pure-hearted, the peacemakers,and the persecuted.’

Jesus promises a reward for those struggling tobring God’s kingdom to others. Among his firsthearers, it is the meek who will inherit the land

(Psalm 37:11), not the Zealot fighters seekingto defeat the Romans. By living humbly andpeaceably for God’s kingdom, Christ’s discipleswill be like a light for the world. Just asJerusalem was meant to be a city set on ahilltop, a beacon of light for every nation(Isaiah 2:2-5), so Jesus’ followers are nowcalled to be.

Thereafter Jesus deepens the teachings ofMoses. It is not enough for us to avoid killing;we are also to avoid anger. It is not sufficientfor us to avoid adultery; we are also to avoidlustful thoughts. It is not good enough for usto swear truthfully; we are called to avoid anyswearing of oaths. Instead of revenge, we arecalled to respond with kindness andforbearance. Our love is not just to berestricted to those closest to us, but to reachout even to enemies. Such difficult teachinginspired great figures like Leo Tolstoy andMahatma Gandhi. It can also be a challengefor us today.

If such teaching offers us a challenge, there isreassurance in what follows. Instead of being

like the pagans, worrying about food and drinkand clothing, we can trust our heavenly Fatherto provide what is needed. If we seek to bringabout God’s kingdom of justice and goodness,everything we need will be given to us. In atime of economic hardship, this message canoffer us hopeful reassurance.

The end of the Sermon on the Mount offers usa choice. In the Book of Deuteronomy (Deut11:26-28 and 30:15-18), Moses gives hispeople a choice: ‘See, I set before you today ablessing and a curse: a blessing if you obeyGod’s commandments, or a curse if youdisobey.’ Likewise, Jesus offers us a choice. Ifwe obey his words, we will be like a wiseperson building a house on solid rock. But if wedisobey, we will be like someone building ahouse on sand, liable to subsidence andflooding.

Pope Benedict’s recent apostolic exhortationon the use of Scripture (Verbum Domini)reminds us: ‘Possessions, pleasure and powershow themselves sooner or later to beincapable of fulfilling the deepest yearnings ofthe human heart. In building our lives, we needsolid foundations, which will endure whenhuman certainties fail. … Whoever builds onthe Lord’s word, builds the house of his or herlife on rock’ (paragraph 10).

And so the Sermon on the Mount presents tous the challenge of living Christian life today.This may not always be easy, but Jesuspromises us the reward of the kingdom ofheaven. Let it not be said of us thatChristianity has never properly been tried inour lives. Instead, let us seek God’s kingdomand his righteousness, trusting that everythingwe need will be given to us.For Pope Benedict’s recent document VerbumDomini see: www. zenit.org/article-30942?l=englishFor recent articles on scriptural topics see theCatholic Biblical Association of Great Britainwebsite: www. cbagb.org.uk

A native of Reading, Fr Jeremy Corley has been teaching Scripture at Ushaw College in Durham since 1998. He edited a collection of articles, New Perspectives on the Nativity (T&T Clark, 2009).

Portsmouth People is the diocesan publication for the Catholic Diocese ofPortsmouth. It is distributed free of charge to parishes and other groups in theDiocese which covers Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Isles and parts ofBerkshire, Dorset and Oxfordshire. The Portsmouth Roman Catholic DiocesanTrust is a registered charity (number 246871) with its address at Diocesan Office,St Edmund House, Edinburgh Road, Portsmouth PO1 3QAwww.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Editor:

Dr Jeremy L Kettle-Williams Department for Pastoral Formation Park, Place Pastoral Centre,Winchester Road, WICKHAM, Hampshire PO17 5HA

[email protected]: +44(0)23 9283 3121f: +44(0)23 9287 2172www.portsmouthpeople.org.uk

Advisory panel: Fr Denis Blackledge, Barry Hudd, Paul Inwood, Nicky Stevens

Distribution Manager: John RossArea Contact (Romsey, N. Badd): Dawn Harrison ([email protected])Area Contact (Reading and Newbury): Colin Parkes ([email protected])

Portsmouth People, printed on forest-sustainable paper in Rotis Semi Sans 10 pt, is a bi-monthlypublication distributed no later than the last working day of every odd month. Material forpublication should be submitted to The Editor in electronic format (Guidelines available on request)no later than the first working day of every month of publication. All rights of reproduction,translation and adaptation reserved for all countries. The Editor reserves the right to edit material.All material received for publication is understood to be free of copyright and any form of restraint.No undertaking, except by prior arrangement, can be made to return any material submitted bypost. There can be no guarantee of publication for material submitted nor can the Editor or anyother officer enter into discussions regarding decisions to edit or not to publish. PortsmouthPeople does not commission nor accept material on a fee basis. Views expressed in PortsmouthPeople are not necessarily the views of the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth, its affiliated companiesand charities, employees thereof or persons otherwise associated directly or indirectly. All materialis published in good faith, without guarantee.

PORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

FEATURE

GUIDANCE FOR OUR LIVES by Father Jeremy Corley

Woodcut Gustav Doré (1832-1883):The Sermon on the Mount

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CHURCH IN FOCUSWith this issue we look at the

Church of St Colman

The next issue ofPORTSMOUTH PEOPLE

will be distributed at theend of March 2011

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Catholic Church of St ColmanSt Colman's Avenue

CoshamPortsmouth

Hampshire PO6 2JJ

t: 023 9237 6151When you have finished reading this magazine,please pass it to a friend or dispose of it responsibly for re-cycling