Pope invited to Glasgow Celebrating the Gift in Sport

Transcription

Lord, Let Glasgow Flourish by the preaching of Thy Word and the praising of Thy Name
JUNE 2014
JOURNAL OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF GLASGOW
70p
Celebrating the
Gift
in
Sport
Major conference set for Glasgow page 3
Pope invited to Glasgow
Visit would be ‘such a grace’ for John Ogilvie 400th anniversary
POPE FRANCIS has been
invited to visit Glasgow
for a day of celebrations
next year.
By Vincent Toal
visit Sri Lanka and the
Philippines next January
If he were to accept the inThe surprise invitation vitation, it would be the third
came from Archbishop Philip papal visit to Glasgow, after
Tartaglia in a letter to the the Masses of St John Paul II
Pontiff, asking him to visit the and Pope Benedict XVI at
city to mark the 400th an- Bellahouston Park in 1982
niversary of the martyrdom of and 2010.
Archbishop Tartaglia said:
St John Ogilvie, who was executed at Glasgow Cross on “My thought was to provide a
new focus on
10 March 1615.
the figure of St
In his letter,
John Ogilvie –
the Archbishop
his identity as
said: “It would
a Scot, his
be wonderful if
faith journey,
you could come
his vocation,
to Glasgow for a
priestly minday for this
istry, capture
unique event.
and death, and
“I would ensainthood.”
visage your visit
A convert to
as being of a
Catholicism
purely religiouswho
came
pastoral nature,
f r o m
without any spePeter Howson’s
cial civic or state
Banffshire,
Martyrdom of St John
dimensions.”
John Ogilvie
Ogilvie painting in St
Admitting that
was a Jesuit
Andrew’s Cathedral
it was “short nopriest – as is
tice” for the visit
Pope Francis.
of a Pope, Archbishop
He studied on the continent
Tartaglia added: “I present and returned to Scotland
this request to you without any around in 1613. Moving beexpectations or sense of enti- tween
Edinburgh
and
tlement. I do not even know if Glasgow, he ministered clanit is practical! However a visit destinely as a priest at a time
would be such a grace.”
when the celebration of the
Although papal visits are Mass was outlawed.
usually planned with several
Proclaimed a martyr for his
years of anticipation, Pope faith, he was canonised by
Francis has surprised many by Pope Paul VI on 16 October
choosing to make short day 1976. Archbishop Tartaglia
visits within Italy to places of was present at the ceremony,
special significance.
as a young priest, along with
Following his three-day pil- many Scottish pilgrims who
grimage to the Holy Land, last travelled to Rome for the ocmonth, he confirmed he will casion.
Primary Gifts of the Spirit
Picture by Mark Campbell
Looking ahead to the 400th
anniversary of John Ogilvie’s
death, next March, the
Archbishop stressed the importance
of
reflecting
Scotland’s much changed religious climate.
“Our celebrations will be
clearly marked by an appreciation of how ecumenism has
changed the relationship between Christians over the last
four centuries,” he pointed
out.
“We will focus on how
Christians and other people of
faith can make common cause
for the core issue for which St
John Ogilvie died, namely religious freedom.”
Whether Pope Francis is
able to come to Glasgow or
not, Archbishop Tartaglia expressed his hope that the anniversary – SJO 400 – will be
a “celebration and renewal of
faith for the Catholic community, for other Christians, and
for all people of faith”.
He added: “I would hope
that it could be a moment of
reflection on the deeper realities of human existence for all
people of good will.”
Scotland’s national shrine
to St John Ogilvie is housed at
St Aloysius’, Garnethill –
Glasgow’s Jesuit church.
■ Pope’s Holy Land visit –
pages 14–15
THE new kids on the block
upstaged the old sixth
years when they hijacked
the Caritas Award
ceremony to promote the
Pope Francis Faith Award.
Pupils from St Francis
Primary in the Gorbals
demonstrated humour,
confidence and knowledge
as they told an audience of
over 2000 people about the
new award which they are
already embarked on.
In front of most of
Scotland’s bishops, the
Moderator of the Church of
Scotland General Assembly,
senior government
ministers and the Lord
Advocate, they
demonstrated their own
faith learning as they
explained how the Pope
Francis Faith Award is
designed to help children
like themselves to show
“signs of love” in their daily
lives and to be active
members of their local
Church.
The award, being piloted
in 50 primary schools
across Scotland, invites
pupils in Primary 6 and 7 to
use the Gifts of the Holy
Spirit – spelled out on
colourful banners – and to
see how they can bear fruit
in their homes, schools and
parishes.
Its launch follows the
growing appeal of the
Caritas Award which some
1000 S6 pupils completed
over the past year –
learning about, reflecting
upon and putting their faith
into action through little
acts of kindness and loving
service.
■ Caritas Award –
pages 10-12
2
JUNE 2014 • FLOURISH
NEWS
diary
Archbishop’s
JUNE 2014
Sunday 1st – Mass with
Confirmations, Saint
Andrew’s Cathedral
Monday 2nd – Pastoral Care
Trust Board Meeting
Wednesday 4th – SCIAF
Board Meeting
Thursday 5th – The God
Question conference
Friday 6th – Interviews for
Secondary RE Adviser
Sunday 8th – Pentecost –
Neophytes Mass in Saint
Andrew’s Cathedral (3pm)
Monday 9th – McLellan
Commission, Edinburgh
(12.15pm); Catholic
Education Commission
Executive (4.30pm)
Tuesday 10th – Bishops’
Conference, Edinburgh (4pm)
Wednesday 11th – Bishops’
Conference, Edinburgh
(9.15am)
Thursday 12th – Mass for
Pupils in ASL schools, Saint
Andrew’s Cathedral (7pm)
Friday 13th – Mass for
Knights of Saint Columba,
Saint Andrews Cathedral
(7pm)
Saturday 14th – Seminar for
Catholic School Parents,
Xavier Centre, Carfin (10am)
Sunday 15th – Mass in Saint
Gildas, Rosneath (10am)
Monday 16th – Mass of
Thanksgiving on retirement
of Mrs Philomena McFadden,
Headteacher of Notre Dame
High (7pm)
Wed 18th – The Mungo
Foundation Board Meeting
(10am)
Thursday 19th – Mass in St
Oswald’s School (1.30pm)
Friday 20th – Meeting of
Archdiocese of Glasgow
Finance Council (11am)
Saturday 21st – Poverty
Truth Commission, Woodside
Halls, Glasgow (2pm)
Sunday 22nd – Mass of
Corpus Christi, Saint Paul’s,
Whiteinch (6.30pm)
Monday 23rd – Inaugural
Mass of the Episcopal
Ministry of Rt Rev Joseph
Toal as Bishop of
Motherwell, Our Lady of
Good Aid Cathedral (7pm)
Tuesday 24th – National
Prayer Breakfast, Glasgow
City Chambers (7.30am);
Ecumenical Commission
(2pm)
Thursday 26th – Mass to
mark 50th Anniversary of
opening of the Church of the
Sacred Heart, Cumbernauld
(7pm)
Friday 27th – Mass of
Ordination to the Permanent
Diaconate, Saint Andrew’s
Cathedral (7pm)
Sunday 29th – Mass to mark
60th Anniversary of Priestly
Ordination of Fr Noel
Murray, Saint Aloysius,
Springburn (1pm)
Fr Chris Gilfedder
Mgr Des Maguire
Fr Joe Murphy
Fr Gus Hurley
Fr Noel Murray
Jubilee month for Glasgow’s diamond priests
FIVE of Glasgow’s more
senior priests mark their
Diamond Jubilee of ordination, this month – honouring a remarkable
300 years of service between them.
Although retired from
parish ministry, some still
help out where they can and
when called upon.
All retain a deep sense of
appreciation for the call to
service they received and to
which they responded with
generous hearts.
Fr Joseph Murphy former
parish priest of Sacred Heart,
Bridgeton, served also in St
Teresa’s, Possilpark, St
Saviour’s, Govan, St Agnes,
Lambhill and St Louise’s,
Arden. Due to ill health, he retired to his native village of
Ballydesmond, County Cork,
in 1990.
Fr Gus Hurley – ordained
alongside Fr Murphy at St
Peter’s College, Wexford, on
6 June 1954 – was parish
priest of Holy Family,
Kirkintilloch, also served in St
Augustine’s, Milton, St
Constantine’s,
Govan
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Balornock, and St Jude’s,
Barlanark.
Mgr Desmond Maguire and
Fr Christopher Gilfedder were
ordained alongside five others
in St Andrew’s Cathedral on
29 June 1954.
In all the parishes he served
in – Christ the King, St
Gregory’s, Our Lady of Good
Counsel, St Augustine’s, St
Patrick’s, Dumbarton and St
Joseph’s, Tollcross – Mgr
Maguire enabled people to use
their gifts and talents to build
up community and support
one another.
He played a pivotal role in
the development of Mitre
House respite home for people
with profound disabilities.
This gave rise to the
Archdiocese’s Community
Social Services – precursor of
The Mungo Foundation.
In recent years, Fr Gilfedder
has lived within the caring
surrounds of Nazareth House
in Cardonald. His years of
ministry caring for souls are
still recalled in the many
parishes in which he served Our Lady of Lourdes, Our
Lady & St George, Penilee, St
Andrew’s Cathedral, St
Joseph’s, Milngavie, St
Philomena’s, Our Lady of
EYES WIDE OPEN: Frs Hugh Bradley, Neil McGarrity, John Carroll and John Gannon after their
ordination in the Kelvin Hall
Perpetual
Succour,
St
Dominic’s, Bishopbriggs, St
Gabriel’s, Merrylee, and St
Helen’s, Langside.
By way of contrast, Fr Noel
Murray’s 60 years of
priesthood are associated
mainly with one parish – St
Aloysius, Springburn, where
he will celebrate his Jubilee on
Sunday 29 June with a Mass
of Thanksgiving at which
Archbishop Tartaglia will
preside.
Appointed assistant there in
1974, he became parish priest
in 1981 and, in retirement, has
stayed next door to the parish,
on hand to assist Fr John
McGrath.
This year also marks the
25th anniversary of the unique
ordination service which took
place in Glasgow’s Kelvin
Hall when eight men were ordained on 3 July 1989.
The five who have continued with their ministry as
priests – Mgr Hugh Bradley,
Fr John Carroll, Fr John
Big Sis Rena
Currie’s
family favour
ONE of the largest families in
Dumbarton gathered to pay tribute to a
remarkable woman on the occasion of
her 80th birthday.
Rena Currie would have preferred
the milestone to pass without fuss, but
her grateful family wanted to say a
huge “Thank you” for the enormous
contribution she had made to their
lives.
Her brother Michael, a retired
teacher, explained: “When our mother,
Ellen, died in October 1955 Rena took
over the role of ‘mother’ to the rest of
the family – all 13 of us.
“She has continued to be there for
almost 60 years as daughter, sister,
mother and ‘Nani’ to a great many
people.”
The family grew up in Caledonia
Terrace, Brucehill, within the parish of
St Michael’s which, along with St
Gannon, Fr Joe Mackle and Fr
Neil McGarrity – will mark
their Silver Jubilee on or
around the anniversary.
The fruitful summer of
1989 also witnessed the ordinations in Glasgow of Fr
Hugh Seenan, a White Father
missionary now serving in
Mozambique, and Passionist
pair Fr Dermot Gallagher and
Fr Gerard O’Brien – both
based at St Mungo’s,
Townhead.
Rena Currie (front, light blue jacket)
with the rest of the clan
Picture by Bill Heaney
Patrick’s, helped nurture the spirit of
service evidenced by Rena and her
many siblings.
And it was at St Michael’s church
that the birthday celebrations took
place.
During a Mass of Thanksgiving, Fr
Pat Currie – who was only six when
his mother died – paid tribute to his
big sister.
He recalled Rena being involved in a
constant struggle to make ends meet
and remembered her having to rely on
credit facilities and “searching down
the side of the settee for money to pay
the store quarter”.
He also referred to various medical
scares which she had encountered
and, placing her trust in God, met head
on with determination and resolve.
Two of the Currie sisters, Mary and
Margaret, had travelled from Canada
and presented the gifts at the offertory
of the Mass. Another sister, Bertha, led
the music along with some younger
members of the clan.
As well as their late mother and
father, John, the family also
remembered in prayer their oldest
brother, Fr David, who was ordained
priest just five months after his
mother’s death and who died in
August 2000.
At a further celebration in the
church hall after the Mass, Rena
received a framed scroll crafted by the
Carmelite Sisters at their nearby
monastery.
Reluctant to accept all the fuss, she
simply thanked everyone who had
come along and paid tribute to all who
worked behind the scenes.
FLOURISH • JUNE 2014
NEWS
3
Championing sport as a gift
from God to include all abilities
AN ambitious and innovative conference ‘Celebrating the Gift in Sport’
is being hosted by the
on the eve of the
Commonwealth Games,
writes Tony Inglis.
It will explore the vital part
sport can play in proclaiming
the dignity and purpose of
each person, engaging people
of all abilities in teamwork
and friendly competition, as
well as building up communities with shared goals and ambitions.
The team coordinating the
conference on Thursday 17
July includes Professor John
Swinton
and
Cristina
Gangemi, who are leading
voices in the field of disability, faith and sport.
Among others lined up to
speak are Olympic gold medal
athlete Jason Gardener and
former British Taekwondo
champion turned sports commentator John Cullen. Special
Olympic and Paralympic athletes will also share their stories.
Archbishop
Philip
Tartaglia, who will open the
conference at Blessed John
Duns Scots parish hall in the
Gorbals, said: “Sport is a gift
of God and the Glasgow
Commonwealth Games is an
ideal opportunity for us to celebrate that gift and proclaim
the dignity, respect and purpose that God bestows on all
people, no matter their ability
or nationality.
“As well as participation,
sport involves watching, supporting, and training. It en-
Athletes gathered at the Vatican, last year, to celebrate sport and faith
gages the body, the mind and
spirit.
“We want this conference to
reflect the true nature of sport,
enabling people of diverse
abilities to interact creatively
and build upon the aspirations
we have for a more just and
compassionate society.”
The conference will provide
space for the Catholic Church
and ecumenical partners to
build upon the legacy aspirations of the Games and their
organisers, providing food for
thought and space for dialogue.
Keynote speakers will
gather the voices and experiences from the world of sport
and faith, so as to present a
melody of stories from groups
across Scotland as they celebrate ‘the gift in sport’.
Organisers hope the daylong event will attract a broad
spectrum of people – from
sport, theology, legislators,
community activists, professionals and family carers,
Let the Games begin
East40 accompanied by Freddie Cowan on guitar
Picture by Paul McSherry
parish pastoral workers – and
that its insights might impact
in countries across the
Commonwealth.
Cristina Gangemi is co-director of The Kairos Forum
which seeks to highlight and
respond to the spiritual, social
and religious needs of disabled people and is facilitating
the conference.
She said: “Sport acts as a
language of equality where
personhood is not defined by
shape or thought but by the
joy of training, competing and
participating together.
“This conference will allow
some of the greatest thinkers
and practitioners in the field to
lead the Church and society in
recognising how both athlete
and spectator can be a witness
to the profound dignity and
hope found in all bodies”.
Celebrating the Gift in
Sport will highlight the good
work being done within
churches through initiatives
like SPRED to include people
with intellectual disabilities in
the prayer life of parishes.
It was also include input
from The Mungo Foundation
which has championed the
promotion of people with disabilities through its longstanding commitment to life,
justice and community.
But the conference will also
confront the need for faith communities and others to engage
more with disabled people in
challenging stereotypes, confronting exclusion and bringing
about change in society.
Mgr Paul Conroy, chair of
Catholic 2014 Service through
Sport, a group overseeing the
Archdiocese of Glasgow’s involvement
in
the
Commonwealth Games, is delighted to see the conference
taking shape.
He said: “This conference
will be the first of its kind in
Scotland. It will bring together
people who are interested in
the fields of disability, community, culture, sport and theology in the hope that together
we can meet the aspirations
for all who wish to participate
in sport and faith.”
Parishes
within
the
Archdiocese are invited to
consider supporting a representative to participate in the
day’s discussions.
• Celebrating the Gift in
Sport, Thursday 17 July
(9.30am to 5pm) in Blessed
John Duns Scotus parish
hall, Gorbals. To book
tickets – £40.00 (lunch
included) – contact
[email protected]
Glasgow school children have joined forces
with music superstars to record a song
celebrating the Commonwealth Games.
Young stars from nursery, primary and
secondary schools across the East End of
Glasgow performed Let the Games Begin with
Freddie Cowan, lead guitarist from The
Vaccines, who’d flown from America for the
launch.
East40 is made up of pupils from the nine
schools in the St Mungo’s Learning Community
– including St Anne’s, St Denis’, St Michael’s,
Sacred Heart and St Thomas’ Primaries, as well
as St Mungo’s Academy.
The song has already caught the imagination
of hundreds of pupils in the city, not only
because of its inspiring message from the
children to the athletes coming to the Games,
but because the song has been written and
recorded with the help of band members from
The Vaccines, Franz Ferdinand and Frightened
Rabbit.
Speaking at the launch in St Anne’s Primary,
Freddie Cowan said: “I have been very
A logo has been created to
illustrate the Archdiocese of
Glasgow’s involvement in
the 2014 Commonwealth
games.
It features the open doors
of a church – almost like St
Andrew’s Cathedral – which
also double as a running
track.
the organising group, Service
through Sport, explained how
the Church wants to serve
the community of people who
will come to Glasgow for the
games.
“We also want to highlight
how people give service
through their involvement in
sport especially with young
people.
“Through participation in
sport at all levels, we can
demonstrate the value we
attach to the human body
and the gift of life.”
As part of its service to
athletes during the
Commonwealth Games, the
archdiocese will provide
chaplains within the Games
Village as part of a multifaith chaplaincy service.
Mass will be celebrated each
morning.
It is planned that
Archbishop Tartaglia will
celebrate Mass in St
Andrew’s Cathedral on
Sunday 27 July to which
members of all the Commonwealth countries will be
invited.
St Aloysius church in
Garnethill will host Night
Fever on Saturday 2 August
before the games close.
honoured to help these children realise their
potential. For every effort I put in they respond
with double back.”
The project is a way for Glasgow’s young people
to celebrate Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games
and create both a musical and sporting legacy for
Scotland and Commonwealth countries.
Louise Hamilton, headteacher of St Anne’s, said:
“It has been so exciting and inspiring to have had
the chance to work with such talented artists both
in the writing and performing of our song.
“We work very closely in St Mungo’s Learning
Community, striving to ensure our children have
the highest quality learning experiences and are
able to develop their talents in order to really shine
and make a difference to the lives of others.
“We all believe that we are just at the start of a
spectacular journey of creating a wonderful legacy
through our music.”
The song, composed by Glasgow songwriter
Jonathan Carr, celebrates the spirit of youth and
sport across the Commonwealth and will benefit
the work of UNICEF in helping to save and change
children’s lives in Scotland and around the world.
4
NEWS
Mothers’ pride
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The Union of Catholic Mothers marked the close of the apostolate
year with Mass in St Paul’s, Shettleston, celebrated by
Archbishop Philip and their chaplain Fr David Brown.
The Archbishop thanked the mothers and grandmothers for
their commitment to the lay apostolate – supporting families,
speaking up for the dignity and value of human life, and backing
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various good causes and initiatives.
At the end of the Mass, the diocesan president of the UCM
presented a cheque for almost £1500 to Archbishop Tartaglia to
support the care of sick and retired priests and gave a similar
gift to Brian Bonnyman of the Wayside Club which carers for
homeless men and women in the city.
Dementia friendly parishes can
break down fear and isolation
AS the population of
Scotland ages, the number of people diagnosed
with some form of dementia increases every
year, writes Vincent Toal.
As a result, more and more
people find themselves facing
the uncertainty which comes
from a diagnosis of dementia,
and more and more families
are faced with accompanying
a loved one on an unpredictable journey.
Recognising the need for a
more personal pastoral response, parishes are being encouraged to become dementia
friendly.
Among the first in Glasgow
to heed that call was Our Lady
of Good Counsel, Dennistoun.
Parish priest Fr Tom
Kilbride said: “Living with
dementia can be frightening
and lonely. We don’t think it
is right that someone should
face that journey, with all its
uncertainties, on their own.
“We aim to be a community
where fears can be addressed,
where those living with dementia find support and
friendship, and where families
and carers are also given emotional, practical and spiritual
support.”
Little by little, parishioners
are being encouraged to become more sensitive to the
needs of people with dementia, while the whole parish is
learning to adopt practices
which take account of people’s experiences.
“Parishes are already serving people with dementia
sacramentally, but often there
is little recognition given to
what might be done beyond
this,” Fr Kilbride suggested.
“Presence is important.
Alzheimers Scotland Memory Bus
outside St Thomas’, Riddrie
then it is very easy for them to
become isolated and feel forgotten.
“It is not easy and can be
frightening, but we have to
shine a light and embrace people regardless.”
With almost 90,000 people
in Scotland diagnosed with
dementia, there can be hardly
any parish untouched by it.
Our Lady of Good Counsel
has forged links with
Clincarthill Parish, in south
Glasgow – the first designated
Dementia Friendly Parish in
the country.
Network
Being with someone assures
them we remember who they
are, even if they no longer remember who we are.
“Who we are matters.
Whenever other things fail us
and the memory of things is
lost, Jesus continues to call us
and cherishes us.”
Appreciated
Referring to the experience
of his mother, Sally, he said
that retaining contacts, friendships and assurances of support all have a part to play in
ensuring the person with dementia is not left feeling useless or isolated.
“They might not be able to
do the things they used to or
communicate the way they
once did, but they still have
gifts to share. In my mother’s
case, her gift is prayer which
is greatly appreciated.”
Prayers for all those living
with and affected by dementia
were offered at a Mass in St
Thomas, Riddrie, to mark the
start of Dementia Awareness
Week, Sunday 1 June.
Caroline Brown admitted
that she cried for three years
after her mother, Kitty
Keegans, was diagnosed with
dementia nine years ago.
She turned for support to
Alzheimers Scotland and has
become an advocate for their
awareness raising work and
practical advice which they
help deliver through their mobile Memory Bus.
As both her mother and late
father, James, attended daily
Mass – showing courage and
witnessing to their faith
through times of trial –
Caroline is determined to promote dementia friendly
parishes.
“We need to do all we can
to ensure that people do not
lose contact with the parish
community,” she urged.
“Unless we make a special effort to reach out to families,
While raising awareness
and encouraging a greater
openness in addressing issues
around, the parish is in the
process of setting up a fullytrained support group of people who have had experience
of caring for people with dementia, who will offer support
to other people and families
affected by it.
Agnes Malone, a parishioner of St Matthew’s,
Bishopbriggs, who has devoted her life to caring for
people and promoting the values of community, believes
parishes could form a care network along similar lines to bereavement support.
“When we introduced bereavement support in parishes,
over 20 years ago, the response was immediate,” she
said. “It was a simple and effective way of saying we care,
we’re thinking about you and
are here for you.
“It really is tough for families and carers of people with
dementia, so having others to
call on for support or a listening ear can make a real difference.”
NEWS
5
Firm proposals emerge from deanery talks
ANOTHER milestone has
been reached on the
roadmap towards radical
changes in pastoral provision
across
the
Archdiocese of Glasgow.
By the end of May, meetings had taken place in every
deanery bringing together
thoughts, criticisms and concrete proposals from various
parish consultations since the
beginning of the year.
Reports have been passed to
Archbishop Philip Tartaglia
for him to consider before outlining some of his plans for
the way ahead.
the pastoral provision steering
group, said: “At this juncture,
it is good to acknowledge the
amount of prayer, reflection
and serious thought that has
gone into the process.
“Hundreds of people have
engaged in discussion and we
have reached the point where
the summer affords us an opportunity to take stock and reflect
on
the
deanery
submissions.”
Indications suggest a broad
acceptance of the need to
merge parishes, but also a
strong desire to have more
than one church building
within larger parish communities.
“We recognise that each situation needs to be considered
according to particular circumstances,” Mgr Conroy assured.
“As has been indicated all
along, we are mindful of
population shifts, proposed
housing developments, accessibility, transport provision
and also circumstances in
neighbouring parishes within
By Vincent Toal
other dioceses.”
In recent weeks, with illness
depriving parishes of the services of their parish priest, adjustments have been made to
the times and number of
Masses in some areas.
Also, following the appointment of an administrator to
All Saints, Barmulloch,
parishioners have accepted
that the parish would be best
served by formally merging
with
St
Catherine’s,
Balornock.
The proposal was ratified
by the Council of Priests, last
month, and will take effect on
13 July. The church, built in
1971 to serve the area around
the Red Road flats, is earmarked for closure.
Mgr Conroy explained that
such a decision did not contradict an overall strategic approach but reflected the need
to balance it with the demands
of day-to-day management.
“We cannot spend all our
energy and resources on maintaining structures that are no
longer working,” he said, reiterating a point made earlier
this years.
“Painful decisions have to
be confronted. Churches
which people made great sacrifices to build and in which
much emotion is invested will
close.”
Mgr Conroy stressed that
the principal aim of the review
was to ensure vibrant and sustainable faith communities,
equipped with sufficient resources and personnel to carry
on the mission of the Church,
spreading the joy of the
Gospel and sharing God’s
love with all people of goodwill.
Call for catechists
An Information Evening is
being held this month for
anyone interested in
becoming a parish catechist.
It will provide all you need
to know about the two-year
course which the
offers alongside Glasgow
University School of
Education.
Since it began in 2007,
four groups of students have
completed the course and
been formally commissioned
to serve as catechists within
their parishes. Another two
groups are still engaged with
the course which combines
class work, discussions,
workshops, and personal
study. The course usually
runs from September to
June, each year
Fr Tom Kilbride, director of
the Archdiocese of Glasgow
Religious Education
department said: “During
this course you will cover a
variety of topics including
Sacred Scripture, major
topics in theology such as
the person of Christ, the
nature of the Church and
other aspects of Faith, Moral
Theology, Sacramental
Theology, Fundamental
Theology and Liturgy.
“We’ve had a good
response to the course over
the past seven years and
parishes have benefitted
from the ministry of
catechist in sacramental
preparation, children’s
liturgy and RCIA, as well as
other areas of local church
life.”
The information evening is
being held at the
Archdiocesan Offices, 196
Clyde Street, G1 4JY on
Monday 23 June at 7.00pm.
Fr John Sweeney joined by Fr Joe Boyle, Mgr John Gilmartin and Fr Joe Sullivan,
along with deacons Kenny McGeachie and Eddie McDonald
East End parish an inspiration
TEARS were shed and appreciation
expressed at a Mass of Thanksgiving to
mark the closure of St Philip’s church,
Ruchazie, on Saturday 3 May.
A full congregation included local
families as well as former parishioners
whose lives were touched by the
celebrations of faith they shared over the
years within the walls of the church.
Among them was Mgr John Gilmartin,
parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes,
Cardonald, who grew up in the East End
parish and recalled serving at the altar
when the new church opened in 1957.
He joined former parish priests Fr
Joseph Boyle and Fr Joseph Sullivan in
accompanying Fr John Sweeney, parish
priest of the now extended parish of St
Maria Goretti, in celebrating the Mass.
In his homily, Fr Sweeney reflected on
the sense of loss felt at the closure and
commended the spirit of goodwill by
which people have accepted change.
“We are merely the custodians of this
parish,” he said. “The mission of
previous generations was to build up the
buildings, territories and lives as this city
People fill the pews as St Philip’s closes
Pictures by Paul McSherry
revelled in the baby boom and the postwar desire for God and community
rebuilding.
“In a different way, our lives and
community are effected by social
demographics – a decline in population,
belief and practice – and yet somehow
we are asked to continue to evangelise,
to keep the faith and to be signs of God’s
presence.”
He added: “The gracious and faithfilled way in which you have accepted
this decision is an example to the
diocesan community as we face these
difficult times of change.
“Yours is a truly humble and truly
catholic example, for you know through
the eyes of faith the reality of the
challenges that face the local church.
“The way that most of you have
already integrated into the new parish
community at daily and Sunday Mass is
an inspirational example to the East End
deanery and the whole diocese.”
Appropriately, the Mass honoured the
Feast of St Philip and St James, and Fr
Sweeney proposed the old parish patron
as a model of discipleship going forward.
“From St Philip we must learn an
ardent love of God, and desire to see the
Father,” he urged. “Like him we will be
tested. At times our faith may be weak,
but like him we must respond, filled with
the Holy Spirit, and take part in the next
step of the journey into new territory and
among new people.”
Already, former St Philip parishioners
are playing their part in the life of St
Maria Goretti parish and the church
based in Cranhill. Initiatives begun in St
Philip’s to reach out to economically and
spiritually needy neighbours are
continuing.
When the parish of St Philip’s was
founded 60 years ago in 1954, the first
Mass was offered in the school building
on Bellrock Crescent – within the parish
of St Maria Goretti, founded a year
earlier.
The journey back to their roots is one
that many parishioners across the
archdiocese will be asked to make over
the next few years.
6
FEATURE
Day for Life message encourages young people to follow
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Donal climbed God’s mountain
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EVERY day people say
I’m brave, that I’m
courageous and I hate
that. I’m just doing what
I have to do to survive, to
live another day.
I had a friend, Stuart
Mangan, he said he wasn’t
brave because he didn’t have
a choice.
He didn’t have a choice to
be paralysed (in a rugby accident) but he chose to live
every day of his life with a
smile on his face.
And, even though he knew
he didn’t have long to live, he
spent the time he had designing technology for people who
would end up like him. That to
me is brave and inspirational...
I live in a part of the world
that is surrounded by mountains. I can’t turn my head
without finding a hill or
mountain and I suppose those
were God’s plans for me. To
have me grow up around
mountains and grow climbing
a few too.
And that’s exactly what I’ve
done. I may have grown up in
body around them but I’ve
fully grown and matured in
mind climbing his mountains.
He’s had me fight cancer
three times, face countless
deaths and losses in my life,
he’s had my childhood dreams
taken off me but at the end of
the day, he’s made me a man.
Impact
I am always called brave,
heroic, genuine, honourable
and so many other kind compliments, but I have to try and
explain to everyone why I
seem to reject them.
I have never fought for anyone but myself, therefore I
cannot be brave or heroic. I’ve
only been kind because my religion has taught me so.
What impact could I ever
make on the world if I was
fake or how could I ever be
honourable if I was not honoured to be here.
I am me. There is no other
way of putting it, little old
Donal Walsh from Tralee –
one body, one mind with a
few other cobwebs and tales
thrown in.
Some days I would wake up
and I could easily appreciate
the beauty of the world that I
was leaving behind, although it
does make me upset that I will
never get to experience the
feeling of living that I had on
the bike or in the gym, or that I
will never get to see my sister
walk up the aisle next to the
love of her life, or that I will
never get to travel the world
and see places like New
Zealand, Asia or America or
that I won’t get the chance to
Last month, fearless Oscar Knox lost his battle against
neuroblastoma but not before he won the hearts of countless
admirers and motivated a wave of goodwill that reached far
beyond the five year-old’s native Belfast.
Also, inspirational teenage cancer victim Stephen Sutton
helped raise almost £4m for charity by his upbeat witness to
life in the weeks before his death on 14 May.
Another inspiring youngster, whose death occurred a year ago,
was DONAL WALSH, a 16 year-old from Kerry who dreamed of
playing rugby for Munster.
His #Livelife message, highlighting the tragedy of youth
suicide, featured in the recent Day for Life appeal from the
Scottish bishops.
Alongside the thoughts of his mother, ELMA WALSH, Donal’s
powerful account of scaling ‘God’s mountain’ makes poignant
reading and stands in sharp contrast to the fatalist advocacy of
euthanasia trumpeted incessantly by media ‘celebrities’
Stephen Sutton
see my four best friends do as
good in life as I know they
will.
But I have to remember that
God is using me; whether He
is using me as a symbol for
people to appreciate life more
or whether His first two
Wee Oscar with Hoopy
at Celtic Park
mountains weren't high
enough for me, all I know is
that I am walking with Him
along His path.
I’ve climbed God’s mountains, faced many struggles for
my life and dealt with so much
loss.
And as much as I’d love to
go around to every fool on this
planet and open their eyes to
the mountains that surround
them in life, I can’t. But
maybe if I shout from mine
they’ll pay attention.
23 June – 25 July 2014
Pilgrimage to
Santiago de
Compostela
500 miles in support
of Mary’s Meals
Donate:
mydonate.bt.com/
fundraisers/
caminonortechallenge
follow us:
Twitter
@STAcamino
FEATURE
the example of those who show strength in adversity
There is joy in hope amid
struggles, assures Pope
Elma and Fionnbar Walsh
founded the Donal Walsh
#Livelife Foundation to provide
age appropriate teenage
facilities in hospitals and
hospices as well as promoting
their son’s anti-suicide message
Take time to cherish the
good in life
There is help out there and
all you have to do is ask. As
Donal said, “suicide is not a
solution to life’s problems”.
God gave Donal a challenge
and he took it on, and he asked
his peers to appreciate life and
to live it.
Donal’s spirituality came to
the fore towards the end of his
life and today there is not
enough emphasis placed on
the positivity in spirituality.
The simple things, like taking time out on your own to
contemplate your own problems and to appreciate the
good you have in life in a
prayerful way.
About six months before
Donal passed away, he asked
to receive Holy Communion
every day. He had a routine of
prayers and he was not shy
about telling his friends this.
As a result of Donal speaking out about his faith, I have
had some of his friends and
some complete strangers tell
me how they now pray and
carry the rosary with them all
the time.
Some have said Donal made
praying cool. Others seem to
be grateful to have had Donal
as the means that brought
them back to prayer.
Difference
Prayer is a personal conversation between you and God,
and there is nobody that can
take that away from you.
We all have problems – it is
how you deal with them that
makes a difference.
For me, it’s like any parent
trying to come to terms with
the loss of a teenage son who
died of cancer. For Donal it
was coming to terms with ter-
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minal cancer and having
chemotherapy radiation.
For people with the mental
pressures of everyday life, it is
having the courage to ask for
help and taking the necessary
steps towards a positive mental health attitude.
I know from the amount of
letters that we receive that
there is a lot of sadness and
upset out there for people who
are depressed and can’t see
there is a way out for them.
And then on the other hand,
from the people who are left to
cope with suicide.
We get letters from people
whose brother or sister took
their own life over 50 years
ago and only after seeing
Donal on television felt that
they could let go.
We also have letters from
young widows and widowers,
telling us they can’t speak to
their spouse’s family about the
suicide or explain to their children why their parent took
their own life. These are the
harsh realities of suicide that
should be highlighted and spoken about.
We need to let children
know from a very young age,
that no matter how much it
hurts, no matter how bad life
gets, there are no reasons bad
enough to make them do this.
If we can get this message
out at a young age, then
teenagers can speak freely and
openly about any issues they
might have. This is the key
factor for promoting positive
mental health.
There are so many causes of
suffering, from illness to unemployment, but there is also
a promise as the Gospel says:
Your sadness will turn to joy,
he stated.
“We must tell the truth:
Christian life not just one big
party. Not at all!” the Pope
stressed.
“We cry. We cry so many
times. When we are sick.
When we have a problem with
our son, in the family, with
our daughter, or wife, or husband.
“When we see that our
salary does not reach the end
of the month and we have a
sick child. When we see that
we cannot pay the mortgage
on the house and we must
somehow survive.
“So many problems, we
have so many. But Jesus tells
us: ‘Do not be afraid!’”
Pope Francis pointed to another ‘sadness’ – the sadness
“Hi”
that comes “when we take the
wrong road”.
When people try to buy the
happiness and joy of the
world, they end up in a void.
“This is the sadness that
comes from seeking the
wrong sort of happiness,” he
said.
Although it is hard to recognize it at the time, Christian
joy is purified by trials, the
Pope added.
“It’s hard to go to a sick person who is suffering greatly
and say: ‘Come on! Come on!
Tomorrow you will have joy!’
No, you cannot say this!
“We have to help them feel
what Jesus made us feel.
When we are in the dark, we
do not see anything, yet we
say ‘I know, Lord, that this
sorrow will turn to joy. I do
not know how, but I know it!’
“To help us understand the
sadness turns to joy, Jesus
takes the example of a woman
in labour. It’s true, women
suffer a lot in childbirth, but
then when she holds her child,
she forgets.
“That is the joy that remains. We do not feel it in bad
times, but it comes later. A joy
in hope.”
S PA C E
NOT all Christian life is a
celebration but there is
joy in hope, Pope Francis
said in a recent morning
homily at daily Mass in
St Martha’s House.
Donal had a simple message and it is ‘to live
your life’, states Elma
Walsh.
7
You’ve just done the hardest part
We try and make it easier for you
to open up when you’re feeling down
0800 83 85 87
www.breathingspacescotland.co.uk
8
EDUCATION NEWS
Praying that common sense prevails
over Milngavie school closure decision
THE future of Catholic
school education in
Milngavie hangs in the
after
East
balance
Dunbartonshire Council
voted 14-10 in favour of
closing St Joseph’s
Primary School.
Despite overwhelming opposition, the majority of councilors supported plans to
merge St Joseph’s with St
Andrew’s Primary, Bearsden,
creating a new building on the
Bearsden site.
The decision was greeted
with outrage by parents and
denounced
by
the
Archdiocese of Glasgow.
“This is a deeply disappointing decision and one that
causes us great concern as the
council is effectively planning
to end Catholic education in
Milngavie,” a Church statement said.
Urging
the
Scottish
Government to call in the
plans, the Archdiocese stated
the hope that the decision
“will be overturned and common sense will prevail.”
It added: “We recognise
that the local authority has difficult decisions to make and is
facing major budget restrictions. We want to work constructively with them to
provide a solution which
would maintain Catholic education in Milngavie.”
In the wake of the 15 May
vote, interested parties had a
three-week window to make
representation to government
ministers to call in the decision. That deadline passed on
4 June.
The Scottish Government
has until 25 June to decide
whether or not to intervene
and request the decision be
called-in for further scrutiny.
Should they do so, the government then has the right to
approve the decision, approve
the decision with conditions
applied or refuse permission
to proceed.
Area MSP Gil Paterson said
he was “fully supportive” of
the campaign to reverse the
council decision and keep St
Joseph’s in Milngavie.
“This decision is not in the
best interests of the children or
the wider community of
Milngavie,” he stated.
“The SNP group on the
council and myself have been
against this proposal from the
outset and have been liaising
with parents and campaigners
to keep the school open.”
St Joseph’s Parent Council
thanked parishioners and the
wider community for their
support and urged them to
keep praying for a more
favourable outcome.
“We will continue to fight
tirelessly to keep our wonderful school and maintain a
Catholic
presence
in
Milngavie,” the parents
vowed.
Blessing for new Notre Dame
Notre Dame Primary School in the west end of
Glasgow was opened officially on 8 May with
Archbishop Philip Tartaglia praying for God’s
blessing on pupils, staff, parents and all who
played their part in the magnificent renovation
of the Havelock Street building.
Formed through the merger of St Peter’s,
Partick, and Notre Dame, Dowanhill, the new
school opened its doors at the beginning of
the 2013-14 term, last August.
And, as children and staff have settled in to
the daily routine of learning and teaching, the
building – which also houses Elie Street
nursery – continues to attract a stream of
admirers.
A mixture of renovated Victorian and
contemporary, the school recently won awards
in the conservation and education categories
of the Glasgow Institute of Architects Design
Awards.
Headteacher Margaret Gordon said: “Those
hectic days of last August, when we moved
into our new Notre Dame with the final coats
of paint still being applied, seem far distant
with all that has gone into the course of the
year.
“We have much to be thankful for and count
all our blessings. As our school motto daily
reminds us – How good is the good God.”
Before the official opening was carried out
by Councillor Stephen Curran, the school
community made the short walk to St Peter’s
church where the Archbishop celebrated Mass
with them.
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Archbishop Tartaglia sprinkles children with Easter water
after they renewed their baptismal promises
Giving thanks for primary years
AS they near the end of
their primary years, P7
pupils from Catholic
schools across the archdiocese have gathered in
St Andrew’s Cathedral to
give thanks for all the
graces and blessings
they have received.
Over the course of the Easter
Season, Archbishop Philip
welcomed the children to a se-
ries of mid-morning Masses
during which they renewed
their baptismal promises.
The Archbishop invited the
pupils to thank God for all the
learning, teaching, fun, laughter, growing up and friendship
they have experienced over
the past seven years.
“During those years, you
have been invited into a
deeper friendship with Jesus
through the sacraments you
have received,” he said.
The Archbishop also reminded the children that “we
all belong to Jesus”.
“We are not alone, and
should never be afraid to come
into the church to speak to
Jesus in prayer,” he encouraged.
“That way, we can continue
to follow Jesus more closely
and serve one another – just as
we have learned to do
throughout our primary school
years.”
NEWS
Dom invites you to a gig
LIKE most 21 year-olds,
Dominic O’Neill loves life.
He likes to be part of the
buzz, eating out with friends,
enjoying a laugh – and if
there’s music playing, he’s at
his happiest.
Along with musician friend
Curtis Logue and his mates at
the Full Circle Foundation,
Dominic stars in a music
video Fix You.
On a recent family trip to
Liverpool, the experience of
being in the Cavern Club,
home of The Beatles, lit up the
young man’s face – even
though it meant his dad,
Martin, bumping a wheelchair
down a seemingly endless
flight of steps.
“Dominic has lived with
cerebral palsy all of his life,”
his mother, Claire, explained,
“but he is out and about every
day.”
Whether it’s going to college, playing music in a band
or swimming with old classmates from St Ninian’s High,
his zest for life is infectious.
And it is in the hope of finding someone with similar getup-and-go to be a companion
for Dominic that his parents
are appealing for help.
“Although he is totally de-
Dominic with his young brother Michael in the Cavern Club
pendent on other people, like
most youngsters Dominic
likes his own space,” said
Claire. “He really doesn’t
want us with him everywhere
he goes.”
The family are seeking a
male assistant, similar in age
and outlook to Dominic, to
augment and enhance an existing support network which
is arranged through the Thistle
Foundation – a Scottish charity enabling people with dis-
9
Sister Agnes bids farewell
abilities to live life to the full.
“Person specific training is
provided,” said Martin. “What
we are most interested in is
finding the person with the
right qualities who will empathise with Dominic and be
at ease in his company.”
So if you’re outgoing and
engaging, and fancy the occasional gig in town or a
Saturday night in Sweeney’s
On the Park, you might be the
answer to the wee man’s
prayers.
On a Sunday morning,
Dominic is usually at Mass at
St Cadoc’s, Newton Mearns.
He has been on pilgrimage to
Lourdes – where he made
friends with Archbishop
Tartaglia in his Paisley days –
but is just as happy in the oasis
of prayer at Carfin Grotto.
He might not express it with
words, but for all the support,
love and companionship
which he receives and shares,
Dominic is truly thankful.
His big smile and a blink of
the eye says it all.
■ If you want to help
Dominic live life to the
max, contact Yvonne
Canning on 0141 886 3375
or yvonne.canning@
thistle.org.uk
AFTER six years as mother
general of the Little Sisters of
the Poor community in
Glasgow, Sister Agnes has
moved to St Anne’s in north
London.
Her period at the helm
included celebrations in 2012
marking the 150th anniversary
of the arrival of the Little
Sisters in Glasgow, and the
canonisation of the congregation’s founder, St Jeanne
Jugan, in October 2009.
Sacred Heart Forty
hours
An all-night vigil spanning the
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and Feast of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary is
taking place in St Maria
Goretti’s church, Cranhill, from
the evening of Friday 27 to
morning of Saturday 28 June
The vigil will include a series
of talks, as well as the Rosary,
Stations of the Cross and silent
adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament. It begins with
Mass on the Friday at 8pm and
closes Mass on the Saturday
morning at 6am.
Organiser Liam Coyle said:
“In previous years, there has
been a fantastic turnout with
people enjoying the varied
programme. You can come for
as long or as short a time as
you feel you can manage.”
adoration
Sunday 8 June
Saint Anthony’s, Govan
Saint Joachim’s, Carmyle
Sunday 15 June
Saint Augustine’s, Milton
Saint Helen’s, Langside
Saints Jude and John
Ogilivie, Barlanark
Sunday 22 June (Corpus
Christi)
Corpus Christi, Scotstounhill
Holy Cross, Croy
Sunday 29 June
Saint Bartholomew’s
Castlemilk
Holy Hour starts at 3pm
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join in ato
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be preceded
a Holy
Hour in Stwill
Patrick’s,
William Street,
Anderston,
G3 to
8UR
Paul’s,
1213A
Road,
Whiteinch,
G14 9UP.
will 1213A
be recited
duringRoad,
the
3pm
to 4pm.
TheDumbarton
procession will
leave
at 4.30pmGlasgow,
from St Patrick’s
andThe
walkRosary
to St Paul’s,
Dumbarton
procession.
Holy
Mass G14
will9UP.
be celebrated
at 6.30pm
in during
St Paul’s
by Archbishop
Tartaglia.
Afterwards
Whiteinch,
Glasgow,
The Rosary will
be recited
the procession.
Holy Philip
Mass will
be celebrated
at
there
will
be
a
light
buffet.
6.30pm in St Paul’s by Archbishop Philip and his brother priests. Afterwards there will be a light buffet.
10
CARITAS AWARD FEATURE
“My dear young Catholics of Scotland…
this is the challenge the Lord gives to you today:
The Church now belongs to you!”
Pope Benedict at Bellahouston 2010
Congratulations to our Caritas Award winners in 2014 from the school community of
Holyrood RC Secondary, Glasgow. We pray that God’s love will continue to be an
extraordinary force in each of your lives as you continue to develop and grow in your
learning, reflection and witness of your faith.
“Brotherly love is the closest testimony that we can
give that Jesus is alive, that Jesus is risen.”
Holyrood Secondary
Pope Francis 2013
Holyrood RC Secondary School, 100 Dixon Rd, Glasgow G42 8AU
Tel: 0141 582 0120 Email: www.holyrood-sec.glasgow.sch.uk
Caritas creates
COR UNUM
ET ANIMA UNA
Pupils, parents and staff members of Fernhill School send their
gratitude to all who have helped bring
the
love of Christ alive in their schools
and parishes by successfully
completing the Caritas Award.
THE fame of the Pope Benedict XVI Caritas
Award is spreading beyond Scotland, as
witnessed by the presence of leading
Catholic educators from Australia at this
year’s award ceremony in Glasgow.
FERNHILL
school
“There is only one thing which lasts: the love of
Jesus Christ personally for each one of you.”
Pope Benedict to the
young people of Scotland,
September 2010
[email protected]
0141 634 2674
www.fernhillschool.co.uk
Fernhill School, Fernbrae Avenue, Rutherglen, Glasgow G73 4SG
Congratulations to all who received the Caritas Award
Teaching in Catholic Schools
Would you like to be a Catholic teacher in the Catholic sector? At the
School of Education at the University of Glasgow you can take the
Catholic Teacher’s Certificate as part of our teacher education degrees,
Masters in Education (MEduc) or Post Graduate Diploma in
Education (PGDE). Your school placements will focus on the Catholic
sector and you will benefit from the expertise of our professional and
academic colleagues. You can enjoy being part of the wider University
community, particularly its lively Catholic chaplaincy.
Check out our website at: www.glasgow.ac.uk/education
Notre Dame High
Despite murmurings of disquiet about its value,
the message delivered among the 2000 people
gathered in the
Clyde Auditorium
was unequivocal –
this award is worth
investing time and
energy in as its
fruits will be
reaped for many
years to come.
“All the bishops
are delighted to
note that this year
even more young
people have participated in the
Laura Seggie has built on
Caritas Award and
her 2012 Caritas Award
taken up the invitation to engage in
acts of service in your schools, parishes and local
communities,” Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, the
President of the Scottish Bishops’ Conference
stated.
“By showing loving kindness to children, to
those with special needs, to the sick and elderly, to
people in the developing world and to fellow
parishioners, you have been encouraged to reflect
God’s love in your lives.”
He added: “We are sure that, through prayer and
participating in the life of local communities,
young people of all faith traditions will see that a
life of faith can be nurturing, fulfilling and inspiring for themselves and for others.”
In a message sent through Papal Nuncio
Archbishop Antonio Mennini, Pope Francis urged
the young people to “courageously witness to the
love that God has for every individual person, from
the moment of conception until natural death, and
to proclaim clearly for our society the truth of the
Gospel of Christ while building up God’s kingdom.”
Actively engaged
Quoting a passage from his encyclical,
Evangelium Gaudium, the Pope reflected: “How
beautiful it is to see young people are ‘street
preachers’ joyfully bringing Jesus to every street,
every town square and every corner of the earth.”
Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish Government
minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs,
reflected that the expectations and pressures placed
on young people were increasing all the time, and
that they needed to develop a greater range of understanding and skills to meet today’s challenges.
She expressed admiration for the Caritas Award
and the encouragement it gives young people to actively engage in the community, enabling them to
practice what faith teaches – to love, respect and
serve everyone irrespective of circumstances.
As well as the near 1000 roll call of names coming forward to receive their commemorative medal,
a posthumous Award was made on behalf of
St Margaret Mary’s
Secondary School
2014
St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School
would like to send warmest wishes
and pray for God’s blessing on
recipients of Caritas Awards, their
family, teachers and friends.
St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School
9 Birgidale Rd, Glasgow G45 9NJ
Tel: 0141 582 0250 Fax: 0141 582 0251
Web: www.st-margaretmarys-sec.glasgow.sch.uk
St Margaret Mary’s Secondary
chain reaction
Regane MacColl, a parishioner of St Mary’s, couraged Scottish Catholics to do during his visit in
Duntocher, and pupil of St Peter the Apostle High, 2010 – speak up for faith in the public square.
Giving the weekly Time for the Reflection at the
Clydebank, who died in tragic circumstances, last
February. She had helped at children’s liturgy in Scottish Parliament, Laura testified to the joy that
her parish and took part in a service trip to living out her faith in a spirit of service for others
has given. Despite social pressure, many young
Tanzania, last summer.
The range of activities Caritas has encouraged people recognise the value of faith, she said – exyoung people to serve through was expressed in pressing the hope that more will have the courage
their own testimonies. Doing the heavy lifting with to do likewise.
St Vincent de Paul group, organising and playing
Impact at university
sports with children, singing in the church choir,
giving loving attention to homeless and abandoned
Bishop John Keenan reflected on his experience
children in Romania – letting them know they are as a university chaplain, pointing to the early imloved by God through the help given.
pact that the Caritas Award is having on a new genIt was heartening to hear the witness of Laura eration of students.
Seggie, a second-year history and politics student at
“Young people are taking greater responsibility
Strathclyde University, who gained the Caritas for finding opportunities to put their faith into acAward in its first year in 2012.
tion,” he said. “They are forming
The parishioner of St
groups, getting involved in the life of
Augustine’s, Coatbridge, and
the Church and recognising that the
Nicholas McDonald, former
former pupil of St Ambrose
Gospel has no boundaries in directSt Aidan’s, Wishaw, pupil
High has not allowed her gift
ing us to go out to those most imentertained
to lie dormant and has helped
poverished in society.”
form a Catholic Society at uniBishop Stephen Robson paid tribversity. The Caritas principles
ute to the work of teachers, directors
of learning, reflecting on and
of religious education and school
putting faith into action have
chaplains in “transforming Catholic
stayed with her.
education” after years of seeing so
She said the experience of
many young people drift away from
involving fellow students in
the practice of their faith.
the life of faith was facilitated
“When you show love to someone,
by the fact so many of them
you are bringing them closer to
had taken part in Caritas.
God,” he observed. “It creates a
Last month, the 19 year-old
chain reaction, and really is contadid what Pope Benedict engious.”
Love mercy, act justly, walk humbly with your God
ST THOMAS AQUINAS
RC SECONDARY
Sends congratulations
to all 2014 Caritas
Award Winners
The mission of St Thomas Aquinas RC
Secondary is to develop as a community
of faith and learning, providing the
highest quality of education and
supporting the formation of each young
person through the promotion of Gospel
Values. Follow us on twitter
@StThomasAqSec
Dear young people, Jesus gives us life, life in
abundance. If we are close to him we will have joy in
our hearts and a smile on our face.
Pope Francis
11
St Thomas Aquinas Secondary
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St Ninian’s High School, Kirkintilloch
The community of St. Ninian’s
would like to congratulate our
CARITAS award winners and
acknowledge the outstanding
contribution they made to the
spiritual development of our
school community.
School Prayer
(written by CARITAS pupils)
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the graces you bestow
upon us.
We ask you to ignite our school with your
Holy Spirit.
Guide us with your love
And aid us in our everyday learning,
For all knowledge leads to you,
Through Christ, our Lord
Amen
Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom; Pray for Us
St Ninian, Pray for Us
“A good school provides a rounded
education for the whole person. A
Catholic school, over and above this,
should help students to become saints”
Pope Benedict XVI,
Twickenham,
17th September 2010
St. Ninian’s High School, Bellfield Road, Kirkintilloch, G66 1DT
www.st-ninians.e-dunbarton.sch.uk
12
Lourdes leavers’
lasting impact
INVITED to take part in
the Caritas Award, a disparate group of sixth
year pupils of Lourdes
Secondary
hesitantly
came together, last
September.
While some were already
involved in their parish, others
were at best lukewarm about
faith.
All had experienced countless opportunities to help others, but few really appreciated
the value that ‘random act of
kindness’ gave to their own
lives, their perceptions and
sense of fulfilment.
A year down the road –
after a prayerful retreat, reflection on Scripture and the
teachings of Pope Benedict
XVI and Pope Francis, and a
great variety of opportunities
to be ‘signs’ of love in action
within the Cardonald school
and parish communities –
much has changed.
Above all, the logic of
God’s love has become apparent, as explained by former
school captain Catriona
McCallum.
She said: “The good that we
do for others is God’s love in
action. God has not abandoned
people, but asks us to be that
force for good which gets
alongside people in any need
and to challenge injustices.
By Vincent Toal
“For me, Caritas has been a
personal journey which has
brought me back to faith. I had
stopped going to Mass and
was quite happy to say that I
didn’t believe in God.
“I thought I knew everything, but I didn’t know myself in terms of faith and its
power for good in my life.”
The influence of Caritas is
exemplified in Catriona’s
powerful witness which is
shared in a round-table discussion with her peers, teachers and Lourdes school
chaplain Fr Gerry Walsh.
Such an honest appraisal of
the journey of faith would
have been unthinkable only a
few months ago.
Paul Mallaney, a parishioner of St Antony’s, Govan,
suggests that Caritas has
helped him to be more at ease
within the Church, confident
about expressing his beliefs
and receptive of the opportunities to help others.
“Caritas has taught me the
value of recognising the good
I can do, rather than worrying
about how I might be perceived,” he said, recounting
the opportunities he had to
mentor and support younger
pupils and also become involved in his parish.
“To keep the gifts that God
has given us to ourselves is
pointless. They only become
meaningful if we spread them
about.”
Likewise
for
Nathan
Kavanagh who shared his talent for football within the
youth group in Our Lady of
Lourdes parish – even giving
up his free time on a Friday
evening. In school, he spent
time working alongside
younger pupils with additional
support needs.
Others like Lisa Milligan,
Athul Mathankuddy and
Christie
Jordan
simply
overcame their fears about
speaking in public to lead
school prayer services and
become involved in parish
liturgies.
“We have gone from asking
‘do I need to do this?’ to stating ‘I want to do this’,” they
agreed.
The transformation has delighted RE teacher Terri Killin
and the school’s Caritas coordinator Christine Downie.
“The group has been an inspiration,” said Miss Killin,
who joined the Lourdes staff
in January. “They have gone
/:
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Lourdes Secondary pupils – and more below
out of their comfort zones and
have become real ambassadors for the value of faith in
action around the school.”
That view is shared by Mrs
Downie who has seen Caritas
grow in popularity but also in
significance.
“All our sixth year pupils
are involved in leadership and
values education, but Caritas
adds that extra faith dimension
which glues it all together,”
she said. “Caritas is a real
badge of pride around the
͞ĞĂƌǇŽƵŶŐƉĞŽƉůĞ͕
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^ĂŝŶƚ:ŽŚŶWĂƵů//
In this year of our two
new saints, heartfelt
congratulations
to all Caritas Award
Recipients from
the staff and pupils of
Notre Dame High School,
Glasgow.
͞dŚĞƐĞĐƌĞƚŽĨĞǀĞƌǇƚŚŝŶŐ
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school with its influence
spreading among younger
year groups.”
As the newly appointed
parish priest of St James’s,
Crookston, Fr Walsh is delighted at the commitment
shown by young people but
recognises that not all parishes
have the same resources and
goodwill to call upon.
“The testimony of the
young people themselves
demonstrates the value of the
award,” he said. “If the fruits
are not seen for a few years,
we need to keep encouraging
them and showing the same
confidence they have in believing in the goodness of
love.”
As she prepares to head to
St Andrews University,
Francesca Woulfe is determined to build on what she
has gained in her Caritas year
and will be making herself
known in the parish when she
moves east.
CONGRATULATIONS TO CARITAS AWARD WINNERS
IN CARDINAL WINNING SECONDARY SCHOOL
‘We are not some casual and
meaningless product of evolution.
Each of us is the result of a
thought of God. Each of us is
willed, each of us is loved, each of
us is necessary.’
Pope Benedict
DIONNE REDMOND
RACHEL MONAGHAN
CAMERON MACMILLAN
NEWS
13
Alistair answers SCIAF call Busy retirement awaits
Care-free Liz
A SEASONED worker in
international relief and
development – and onetime Jesuit novice –
Alistair Dutton is to be
the new director of
SCIAF.
He comes to the Glasgowbased post after five years as
humanitarian director with
Caritas Internationalis – the
global confederation of
Catholic aid agencies headquartered in Rome.
In that post, he helped
spearhead a number of major
emergency relief efforts, including Caritas’ response to
last year’s devastating typhoon in the Philippines
A chartered engineer, who
studied physics at Durham,
and philosophy, politics and
economics at Oxford, Mr
Dutton (47) has worked in the
international relief and development sector for 18 years.
His involvement began
while a Jesuit novice working
with the Jesuit Refugee
Service and he was seconded
to Caritas Nepal. Since then
he has worked in over 30
countries in Africa, Asia,
Latin America, the Caribbean,
Eastern Europe and the
Middle East.
Speaking ahead of his
August move to Glasgow, he
said: “I’m delighted to have
been appointed as SCIAF’s
new director, and grateful to
the board and staff for the confidence and trust they have
Alistair Dutton meeting
Pope Francis
placed in me.
“I have known SCIAF well
for many years and worked
closely with them in several
countries, and I greatly respect
their spirit, staff and work. I
look forward to joining them
very soon and to going on to
even greater things together.”
Ongoing
As director, Mr Dutton will
oversee SCIAF’s ongoing
commitment to providing
emergency aid and practical
long term support to those affected by hunger, poverty, war
and natural disasters in some
of the poorest countries in the
world.
That work is supported
through Catholic parishes,
schools and the wider community across Scotland where
people are also challenged to
address the root causes of
global poverty and injustice.
Bishop
Peter
Moran,
SCIAF’s president, welcomed
Mr Dutton’s appointment
which comes ahead the charity’s 50th anniversary, next
year.
“Alistair will play a vital
role in enabling SCIAF, its
staff and volunteers, to seize
the opportunities ahead and to
rise to the challenge of creating a more just world for all,”
Bishop Moran said.
AFTER 15 years as development officer with the
St Nicholas Care Fund,
Liz McQuade has retired
– with the offers of voluntary work mounting
up.
Although happy that she no
longer
has
to
leave
Dumbarton each day for
Glasgow city centre – even
with her newly acquired bus
pass – she admitted that the
decision to give up a job she
loved was not easy to make.
“Who wouldn’t revel in the
opportunity of helping some
of the most economically deprived communities with support to set up or maintain a
much needed lifeline,” she
pondered.
“That’s what the St
Nicholas Care Fund is able to
do thanks to the generosity of
people across the Archdiocese
of Glasgow.
“It has been my privilege to
visit schools, parishes and
community groups who contribute towards the fund and,
at the same time, forge partnerships with some remark-
able grassroots initiatives providing all manner activities
and support services in places
where they are needed most.”
At a farewell presentation
within the Archdiocese’s curial offices, Liz was thanked by
her staff colleagues and also
the trustees of the St Nicholas
Care Fund who expressed
their appreciation for the work
she did in generating funds
and administering grants.
Interest
“The trustees found in Liz a
woman who worked faithfully, constantly and always
with good humour,” said
Sadie Fitzpatrick.
“Often she worked when
she was not in the best of
health herself, yet she always
showed interest in the health
and welfare of others.”
She added: “The St
Nicholas Care Fund only has
to look at the £1.8million
worth of grants it has given to
the widest possible range of
groups, meeting a plethora of
needs, to know that Liz has
been constantly networking,
visiting, encouraging and advising people to seek our help.
“At the same time, she has
been promoting, cajoling and
representing us while seeking
ways of attracting funds to
allow us to give such help.”
On behalf of the office staff,
Mgr Paul Conroy thanked Liz
for her commitment over
many years and the support of
her colleagues, especially
within the finance office
where she helped out with the
parish Gift Aid scheme.
He also acknowledged her
service to the wider diocesan
community as a member of
the
Glasgow
Lourdes
Hospitalite over many years
and parishioner of St
Patrick’s, Dumbarton. He suspected her retirement might
elicit greater demands for her
skills from parish priest,
Canon Gerard Conroy!
Letter from New York Pressing the case for
By Mgr Peter Smith
NUCLEAR weapons don’t
make the news the way they
used to in the 1960s and 70s
when the whole world, it
seemed, was concerned about
the four minute warning and
approaching Armageddon.
Today, any news focus is usually
on whether Iran is stockpiling nuclear weapons – and that is of massive significance to the balance of
world power. Also, North Korea’s
intentions are widely mistrusted –
not without reason considering their
firing of a number of test missiles in
recent years.
As all of these actions are cloaked
in secrecy, no-one is absolutely sure
whether Iran or North Korea have
nuclear bombs or how capable they
might be of using them.
In war-torn Syria, the question of
chemical weapons hit the headlines,
last year, escalating the threat of
armed intervention. The United
Nations inspection teams seem satisfied that Syria is making progress
on dealing with these weapons by
handing them over to inspectors
who supervise their destruction.
There is no doubt that a nuclear
disarmament, including
deadly small arms
Berlin Wall
bomb has devastating efand collapse
fects. We have seen these
of Commuin
Hiroshima
and
nism
has
Nagasaki when as many
meant that the
as 250,000 people lost
world is less
their lives in the bombafraid of a nuings of August 1945.
clear annihilaAs a priest, I conducted
tion and so
the funeral for a lady who
the number of
had been in Nagasaki
n u c l e a r
when the bomb was
weapons has
dropped. Her death came
fallen from
40 years after the event,
70,000,
in
but she had lived with the
Statue of St Agnes
1986,
to
effects and nightmares
salvaged from Nagasaki
a r o u n d
throughout the interven17,000 today.
ing years.
About 5000 of these weapons are
In the UN building here in New
York there is a statue of St Agnes re- generally considered enough to eftrieved from the cathedral in fectively destroy human life. So,
Nagasaki. It has two different these days, we could wipe out all hucolours, front and back – the back mans from earth three times over. Is
having been in the path of the blast. that really any better than being able
It is a vivid reminder of what even to do it 15 times over? Once is more
standing in the way of a nuclear than enough!
For some of us, the question of
blast will do.
Over 30 years ago, the Bishops of nuclear weapons is a significant facScotland in their letter regarding nu- tor in the debate on an Independent
clear weapons taught us that if it was Scotland and, as the referendum apimmoral to use a nuclear bomb, it proaches, we might wish look at this
was immoral to have them in the very carefully and reflect on what
the best, the most moral, position
first place.
Subsequently, the fall of the may be as we decide how to vote.
Yet, nuclear weapons of mass destruction – terrifying and devastating as they are – need to be kept in
perspective.
Only twice – twice too often, for
sure – have nuclear weapons been
detonated against human beings.
There were multiple thousands of
casualties in those detonations but it
has not happened again in almost 70
years.
Each May, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is discussed at the UN
in the context of disarmament and
promoting peace.
During this year’s discussions,
former Canadian Senator Douglas
Roche and the country’s ambassador
for disarmament launched his new
book – Peacemakers: How People
Around The World Are Building A
World Free of War.
It was interesting to note that this
well-respected and widely experienced peace advocate, whilst being
absolutely opposed to nuclear
weapons, pointed out that it is a long
time since such a weapon has actually been used, and that the world is
more peaceful than in past centuries.
People these days are killed by
small arms – by hand-held guns, in
other words. Despite concerns over
nuclear war, the reality is that the
most lethal weapons of mass destruction are guns of which there
seems to be an endless supply.
People all over the world die because of the indiscriminate use of
guns. Yet, where is the outcry
against their ready accessibility?
Small arms are easy to move
around and devastate lives even
when one individual decides that he
knows best and will remove other
people from his life – it happened
again here in the States, just a few
days ago, when a young man seems
to have decided that not having a
girlfriend was sufficient reason to go
on a shooting spree.
Today, the reality is that little
guns kill more people than nuclear
bombs. That does not mean we
should be in favour of nuclear
weapons, but we need to keep
everything in perspective.
We need to keep our minds focused on the realities if we seek to
bring about world peace.
Big or small, nuclear, chemical or
hand-held, all weapons are capable
of causing destruction and death,
that’s the very reason they are created – disarmament is just as pressing a case now as it always has been.
14
VOCATIONS
Thinking about Life Choices?
Peace prayers flow after
POPE Francis has called
on the world’s Christians
to pray with him for
peace in the Middle East.
Sr Frances will help you
choose what’s right for you!
Visit: www.sistersofnazareth.com
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 07906 372786
JERICHO
The Compassion of Jesus
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the Distressed, and all being ‘passed by on the other side.’
A COMMUNITY OF MEN OF PRAYER
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Vocation info. from Bro. Patrick Mullen,
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Scottish Charity SC016909 Tel: 01505 614669
While peace is a gift from
God, it is also built out of the
day-to-day handiwork of individuals: true “artisans of
peace,” who are capable of
crafting fraternity and reconciliation with people of all cultures and religions, he said.
The Pope was speaking in
St Peter’s Square on returning
from his three-day trip to
Jordan, Israel and the
Palestinian territories.
He told the tens of thousands of people in the square
that his visit to the Holy Land
– “that blessed land” – was a
great gift of grace for the
Church and himself.
He said he had gone to
“bring a word of hope, but I
received one in return, too”.
He spoke of meeting people
who still hope against hope,
enduring much suffering –
like those who fled their own
country because of conflict, or
who are facing discrimination
and persecution because of
their faith in Christ.
Builders
“During the pilgrimage,”
Pope Francis said, “I encouraged authorities to continue
efforts to diffuse the tensions
in the Middle East region,
above all in martyred Syria, as
well as to continue to seek a
fair solution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.”
That is why, he said, he invited Israeli President Shimon
Peres
and
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas –
“men of peace and builders of
peace” – to come to the
Vatican to pray together with
me for peace.
BROTHERS IN ARMS:
The Pope, Rabbi and
Imam at the Western
Wall in Jerusalem
As the people in the square
applauded, the Pope urged:
“Please, I ask all of you not to
abandon us; pray hard so that
the Lord gives us peace in that
blessed land.
“I am counting on your
prayers – pray hard, and a lot,
so that peace may come.”
The Vatican later announced that the “prayer for
peace” encounter would be
held on 8 June – Pentecost
Sunday.
There are no “industries of
peace – outside, super-entities
that can magically mass-produce a world free of conflict”
– Francis told the crowd.
Peace is created day-by-day
– handcrafted by individuals
whose hearts are open to
God’s gift of peace.
“That’s why I urged
Christians to let themselves be
anointed by the Holy Spirit, so
they may always be ever more
capable of gestures of humil-
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ity, fraternity and reconcilia- munity”.
He asked that God bless not
tion in their interactions with
people of different cultures only the refugees, but those
who come to their aid, and
and religions, he explained.
Throughout the Holy Land called on people to ask all intrip, Pope Francis encouraged ternational bodies to help
Jordan in its efforts.
everyone to work for peace.
Despite the importance of
“Each time I did it as a pilgrim, in the name
of God and humankind, carrying in my heart a
great compassion
for the children
of that land, who
have lived with
war for too long
and have the
right to finally
experience days
of peace.”
Francis said he
was especially
struck by the
generosity of the
Jordanian people
A Syrian refugee child delivers a
for welcoming
powerful message as he meets the Pope
in Jordan
refugees.
He thanked the
country’s leaders
and people for their humani- fostering peace in the Middle
tarian efforts, “which merit East, the Pope said the main
and require constant support aim of his trip was to comfrom the international com- memorate the 50th anniver-
!
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VOCATIONS
15
Pope’s memorable Holy Land visit
Church born to go forth
DURING his visit, Pope
Francis met and kissed the
hands of Jewish survivors of
the Holocaust.
He prayed at the Western
Wall in Jerusalem where he
embraced Rabbi Abraham
Skorka and Omar Abboud,
Jewish and Muslim friends
from Buenos Aires who
accompanied the Pope on
the trip.
Francis also made an
impromptu stop to pray at
the wall which divides
Israelis from Palestinians on
the outskirts of Bethlehem.
He ended his visit by
offering Mass in the Cenacle
– the Upper Room where
Jesus offered the Last
Supper with his disciples,
Celebrating Mass in the
Upper Room
Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew pray together in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
sary of the historic encounter
between Pope Paul VI and
Patriarch Athenagoras of
Constantinople.
“That prophetic gesture
marked a milestone in what
has been an arduous, but
promising journey toward
unity for all Christians,” Pope
Francis attested.
His own meeting with
Patriarch Bartholomew of
Constantinople – “beloved
brother in Christ” – was the
high point of the visit, he said.
“We prayed together at the
Holy Sepulchre, along with
the Greek Orthodox Patriarch
of Jerusalem, Theophilos III,
and the Armenian Apostolic
Patriarch Nourhan, as well as
archbishops and bishops from
various
Churches
and
Communities, civil authorities
and many faithful,” Francis
recounted
“In that place, where the
proclamation
of
the
Resurrection resounds, we all
felt the bitterness and suffering of the divisions that continue to exist between Christ's
disciples, and this has really
done great harm, harm to the
heart.
“We are still divided. In that
place, where the proclamation
of the Resurrection resounds,
where Jesus gives us life, we
are still divided.”
But he added: “We strongly
heard the voice of the Risen
Good Shepherd who wishes to
bring together all his sheep in
one flock.
“We felt the desire to heal
the wounds that are still open
and to follow with tenacity the
5RPDQ&DWKROLFSULHVWVDQGEURWKHUVVLQFH
The first step is personal dialogue, when the other person
speaks and shares his or her joys, hopes and concerns.
Pope Francis
-HVXLWYRFDWLRQVRUJXN
path to full communion”.
Pope Francis went on to explain that, like his predecessors, he asked forgiveness “for
what we have done to promote
that division”.
He added: “I pray that the
Holy Spirit may help us to
heal the wounds we have inflicted on other brethren.
“We are all brothers in
Christ, and with the Patriarch
Bartholomew we are friends.
“We have shared the desire
to walk together, to do what
we are able to do today: to
pray together, to work together for God's flock, to seek
peace and protect creation.
We must move forward like
brothers”.
where appeared to them
after his Resurrection and
where Mary and the
disciples received the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost.
“The Upper Room reminds
us of sharing, fraternity,
harmony and peace among
ourselves,” Pope Francis
said in his homily.
“How much love and
goodness has flowed from
the Upper Room. How much
charity has gone forth from
here, like a river from its
source, beginning as a
stream and then expanding
and becoming a great
torrent.
“Here the Church was
born, and was born to go
forth,” he proclaimed.
“Through their life of faith
and prayer, and with their
greatly appreciated educational and welfare assistance,
they work for reconciliation
and forgiveness, contributing
to the common good of society”.
THE REDEMPTORIST VOCATION
PREACHING THE GOOD NEWS
(SINCE 1732)
www.redemptorists.co.uk
Witnesses
The pope had special words
of thanks for the Franciscan
Custody of the Holy Land, responsible for preserving the
sites commemorating the
birth, death and resurrection
of Jesus, as well as welcoming
pilgrims and helping those in
need.
“These Franciscans are
amazing!” he exclaimed.
“Their work is wonderful, the
things they do!”
He also thanked the
Jordanian,
Israeli
and
Palestinian officials who welcomed with “so much courtesy and friendship”.
Francis also acknowledged
that the trip had offered the
opportunity to confirm the
faith of the Christian communities, who suffer greatly, and
to express the gratitude of all
the Church for the presence of
Christians in that area and
throughout the Middle East.
“These brothers of ours are
courageous witnesses of hope
and charity, 'salt and light' in
the Land,” he stated.
What is God asking of you?
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Vocations GB
16
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Diabetic priest scaled heights
Father Jim Byers died
suddenly at his parish of
St Bernadette’s, Erskine,
on Saturday 24 May.
He was a much-admired
priest of the Diocese of
Paisley, but his influence
spread well beyond Renfrew
and Inverclyde.
In the early days of Radio
Clyde, he was a regular contributor to the station’s daily
reflections, easily transmitting
his zest for life over the airwaves. For many years, he
was diocesan press officer and
vocations promoter.
A keen mountain climber,
he became the first insulin-dependent diabetic to climb
Scotland’s 284 Munros —
twice.
Two years ago, he did a
sponsored hike up Ben
Lomond for the diabetes unit
at the Royal Alexandra
Hospital in Paisley.
Born in Glasgow, James
Anthony Byers was a pupil of
St Aloysius College before
going on to St Peter’s,
Cardross, to train for the
priesthood. He was ordained
priest in 1971.
Part of his early ministry
was spent on the staff of St
Vincent’s College, Langbank,
in the mid-1970s.
Popularly known as JAB
(his initials), the nickname
also reflected his daily appointments with the insulin
needle. He survived his share
of hypoglycemia scares – not
least on a camping expedition
in the Arrochar Alps in May
1977 when he had to be
stretchered off the Cobbler.
Amid a group of wide-eyed
junior seminarians, Fr Byers
was remembered for his enthusiasm, his exhortations to
‘Smile, God loves you’, his
ability to communicate the
essence of faith – with a little
help from the Peanuts’ character Charlie Brown – all set
against a background of John
Denver songs.
While his music tastes may
have broadened, he remained
focused in his ministry as a
priest which saw him serve in
parishes across the diocese –
Greenock, Paisley, Newton
Mearns, Renfrew and latterly
Erskine.
Among his many friends
were Greenock couple Tom
and Carol Ann Tracey, who
accompanied him on some of
his climbs.
Mr Tracey said: “The abiding memory I will have of Jim
is his enthusiasm for everything he did.
“He was enthusiastic about
the words of Jesus and spreading them to as many people as
would listen to him.
“He was enthusiastic about
hillwalking and climbing, and
inspired generations of people. He climbed to access the
beauty of Scotland’s countryside and to experience the
deep spirituality that he felt
while there.
Mr Tracey added: “Jim will
be greatly missed by all his
family, friends and everyone
he has known.
“However, I have no doubt
that his enthusiasm will continue through the many thousands of people he has
influenced over the years.”
Bishop John Keenan, who
had just reappointed Fr Byers
as press officer, said people
were “shocked and devastated” at the sudden death of
the 67 year-old priest.
He added: “This is a big
loss to the diocese and everyone who knew Jim. He always
wanted to cheer people up and
was a very kind person.”
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mouth to create his
works, died last month
aged 52.
A parishioner of St
Conval’s, Pollok, he was
paralysed from the neck down
following a diving accident
while on holiday in Spain in
1984.
After this brush with death,
Eddie took stock of his life, rediscovered his faith in God
and decided to try his first
love, painting.
The gift of a Mouth and
Foot Painting Artists calendar
spurred him on to attempt
painting by mouth and he was
accepted as a student artist by
the association. His work was
exhibited in many galleries
and appeared on the MFPA
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PILGRIMAGES
17
Regensburg return for Scots
SCOTLAND’S rich spiritual ties with the German
town of Regensburg
were recalled and celebrated on a recent pilgrimage to the region by
the Knights and Dames
the
Scottish
of
Lieutenancy
of
the
Equestrian Order of the
Holy Sepulchre.
As part of their commitment
to deepen their spiritual lives
and at the instigation of their
grand prior, Archbishop
Mario Conti, nearly 30 members of the order, family and
friends took part in the five
day trip in mid May.
The Archbishop had discovered the rich spiritual heritage
of the Bavarian town when he
was Bishop of Aberdeen, a
city which is twinned with
Regensburg (also known as
Ratisbon). He had also met
German members of the Order
By Maria Gilmore
who provided guidance and
generous hospitality for their
Scottish counterparts.
Regensburg is the city
where Joseph Ratzinger (Pope
Benedict XVI) taught theology for many years and where
his brother was master of the
world famous cathedral choir.
The pilgrims heard that choir
as they participated at Mass in
the Cathedral on the opening
day of their pilgrimage.
Wherever they went in and
around the town, the pilgrims
discovered a strong Scottish
heritage and were touched to
contribute to it.
The local bishop celebrated
Mass with them in the 12thcentury Scottish Church of St
James. Although founded by
Irish monks, it passed to the
hands of Scots and later was
used as an educational centre
and seminary for Scots during
the Reformation period. It was
touching to see the tombstones
of Scots who had lived and
died there in years past.
Today, the former monastic
buildings house the diocesan
seminary – home to 53 seminarians for Regensburg diocese alone!
On a visit the nearby town
of Eichstatt, the knights and
dames were delighted to discover that it was a staging post
for medieval pilgrims on their
way to Jerusalem. After visiting the impressive cathedral,
the group celebrated Mass in
the former church of the
Capuchins, now belonging to
the Passionists.
Within the church is a 12th
century facsimile of the tomb
of Christ in the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
With a relic of the True Cross
displayed on the altar in front
of it, Mass was a moving reminder to members of their
spirituality rooted in the
Resurrection and their work to
support of Christians in the
Holy Land.
Everywhere the group went
it was received with warmth
and hospitality. At the spectacular Benedictine monastery
of Weltenburg, pilgrims were
received by the Abbot with
whom they shared prayers and
lunch.
On another day, they were
entertained to lunch by the
Abbess of the largest
Cistercian convent in Europe,
Seligenthal, in whose church
they celebrated Mass.
On the feast of Our Lady of
Fatima (13 May), the group
celebrated Mass in the splendid pilgrim church of Our
Lady in Frauenzell where the
Bürgermeister was proud to
relate that in the long history
of the church this was the first
time that Mass had been celebrated in English.
And in Regensburg itself
the new Oberbürgermeister
provided a generous civic reception while the director of
the diocesan museums, Dr
Hermann Reidel, ensured that
no religious, cultural or civic
monument escaped the visitors’ attention.
Besides all these sites, the
group visited and prayed in
the 10th century crypt of St
Emmeran’s Abbey containing
the tomb of St Wolfang, patron saint of Regensburg.
On returning home, the pilgrims were united in their appreciation of a “wonderful
week”.
“We have been overwhelmed by the graces we
have received and the hospitality shown to us,” they
agreed.
Knights and dames with Archbishop Conti in Regensburg
College Schola boys on tour
SINGERS from the St
Aloysius’
College
Schola have been selected to sing as part of
the
prestigious
National Youth Choir in
a series of concerts
around Scotland.
Adam Maconachie and
Patrick Hagerty of P6 were
selected to sing in the
National Choir along with
Ciaran McChord of S1 and
Grant Haddow of S3.
During the Easter holiday
the boys took part in a week
long singing and music
course with
t h e
National
Youth
Choir at
Loretto
School in Edinburgh.
Following this, all four St
Aloysius’ boys took part in
a concert in Perth, with
Grant – who sings in the
College’s Senior Schola
Cantorum – also performing
at Glasgow’s Royal Concert
Hall.
Patrick and Ciaran will
next perform with the
National Boys Choir in July
when they will sing with
Chicago’s Madison Boys
Choir at a joint concert as
part of the Aberdeen
International Youth
Festival.
Castlemilk
churches together
on Iona
Cathedral men in Fatima
A group of men who meet at
St Andrew’s Cathedral in
Glasgow for prayer and
reflection on the First Friday
of each month recently
travelled to Fatima for a
short pilgrimage.
The group visited the sites
of the Our Lady’s apparitions
at Fatima and other places
associated with the lives of
the shepherd children to
whom she appeared, and
joined in the services and
liturgies at the shrine.
Mgr Chris McElroy,
administrator of the
Cathedral, travelled with the
group and celebrated the
afternoon English-speaking
Mass at the Apparition
Chapel on the second day of
the visit.
The trip coincided with the
canonisations of St John
A group of pilgrims from
Castlemilk made a trip to
Iona, last month.
Part of a programme of
events organised by Castlemilk Churches Together, the
pilgrimage was made up of
parishioners
from
St
Bartholomew’s
and
Carmunnock Parish churches.
Recognising the importance
of celebrating their common
XXIII and St John Paul II, and
the new saints were
included in prayers and
petitions during the
pilgrimage.
The picture shows the
group at the Hungarian
Calvary which completes the
outdoor Stations of the Cross
near the shrine.
Aside from the spiritual,
the group also made a stop
in Lisbon for a visit to the
football stadium where
Celtic triumphed in the 1967
European Cup final.
All men are welcome to
join the group, which meets
after the 5.15pm Mass on
the first Friday of each
month at St Andrew’s
Cathedral. There is
Exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament before Mass at
4.45pm.
bonds, the trip sought to bring
the Church communities
closer together and to allow
participants to discuss attitudes surrounding sectarianism.
The visit to the isle of St
Columba gave the opportunity
for prayer together and in the
abbey they shared a service
based around their shared
Christian baptism.
18
SCRIPTURE
Ancient Pentecost feast opens door to proclaiming faith
I DON’T remember this
happening before – at
least, not during the ten
years I have been writing
this column – that an entire month’s Sunday
liturgies been devoted to
Solemnities.
Admittedly, we ended last
month’s reflections with the
7th Sunday of Easter, which
fell on 1 June. But, from 8
June onward, we have in
weekly succession Pentecost,
Holy Trinity, the Body and
Blood of Christ and Sts Peter
and Paul. The last week in
June also includes the
Solemnity of the Birth of John
the Baptist (24th) and
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
(27th).
Pentecost brings the Easter
season to its conclusion, just
as for the Jewish people it is
the last act of Passover, and
Trinity Sunday traditionally
follows one week after
Pentecost.
The Body and Blood of
Christ has, for many years,
been transferred from the
Thursday following Trinity to
the next Sunday.
Finally, we have the
Solemnity of Sts Peter and
Paul on the 29 June, which
Canon
Robert
Hill
this year falls on the final
Sunday of the month.
Incidentally, another feature
of two of these celebrations is
that there are additional sets of
readings for two vigil Masses
– Pentecost at the beginning of
the sequence and Sts Peter and
Paul at the end.
Sunday 7/8 June
Pentecost
John 7:37–39/John
20:19–23
Pentecost was a Jewish feast
long before it entered the
Christian calendar. It was the
last act of the seven week period of Passover. Likewise, for
Christians, it is the final act of
Easter.
This is important to keep in
mind if we are to understand
the two gospels for this feast,
one of which refers to ‘before
the Spirit was given’ and the
other to the day of resurrection.
It is not helpful to think of
the sending of the Spirit as a
one-off on the day of
Pentecost. It is an on-going
process first promised by
Jesus (John 7:37–39), then
given by him as a consequence of his resurrection
(John 20:19–23), and handed
to the Church as an on-going
gift for all ages, as symbolised
by the Pentecost story itself
(Acts 2:1–11).
The Acts reading is interesting because it highlights one
aspect of the Jewish Feast –
the commemoration of God
giving the Law to Moses on
Mount Sinai.
The Law was God’s gift to
his people, teaching them all
they need to know. This happened in the contexts of wind
and fire coming down on the
mountain.
Acts describes fire coming
down on each of those in the
upper room – not indicating
the giving of the Law this
time, but the giving of the
Holy Spirit whom Jesus said
would teach his disciples all
they need to know.
The Spirit is the Paraclete –
both Advocate and Comforter
(Consoler).
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The Ambo
The word ‘ambo’ is
a Greek word that
means ‘step’ or ‘elevated’.
The importance of
the Word of God in
the life of the Church
should be evident
from the ‘elevated’
place from which the
Scriptures are
proclaimed.
As such, the ambo
is the place on the
sanctuary reserved for the proclamation
of the Word of God—the Readings, Psalm
and Gospel, and perhaps also the Prayer
of the Faithful.
As the place where the Word of God is
proclaimed and where the priest, deacon
or bishop preaches on that Word, the
ambo should be the place for the Word
and not for any other words.
Sunday 15 June
The Most Holy Trinity, Year A
John 3:16–18
Trinity Sunday is firmly
within the context of Ordinary
Time. There is something appropriate and even comforting
about this because in Ordinary
Time we span the entire ministry of Jesus from just after
his baptism to the very end of
the gospel narrative.
When Jesus was baptised in
the Jordan, the Spirit descended on him like a dove,
and the Father’s voice proclaims: “This is my Beloved
Son. My favour rests on him”.
After Jesus’ baptism we
read about the Trinitarian
presence of God who is
Father, Son and Holy Spirit –
in whose name we are each
baptised as missionary disciples.
Nicodemus, whom we meet
in the Gospel, was the
Pharisee who came to Jesus
by night, and who struggled to
understand Jesus’ insistence
on the need to be born again
by water and the Holy Spirit.
In this text, Jesus spells out
for us exactly what is God’s
intention or purpose for humanity.
God’s love for the world is
so great, says Jesus, that the
Father gives his Son so that
everyone who believes in him
may not be lost, but may have
eternal life.
God revealed as Father, Son
and Spirit is the mystery of the
Trinity. God does not exist in
solitary individualism but in a
community of love and sharing.
This means that a Christian
– baptised in the name of
It is not the place for appeals,
announcements, commentaries,
conducting or rehearsing singing. Where
necessary, another suitable place should
be found for such activities.
Just as we should accord respect and
reverence for the Altar and Tabernacle,
so should we show a similar respect and
reverence for the Ambo, from where God
speaks to his people.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit –
is called to go out from self,
living in communion with
God and in service of neighbour.
Every time we gather for
Mass or in prayer we begin
and end invoking the blessing
of Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
reminding us of God’s closeness and our mission to model
our lives on his love.
Sunday 22 June
The Body and Blood of
Christ (A)
John 6:51–58
Today’s gospel is taken from
the Bread of Life discourse in
Chapter 6 of John. This gospel
famously has no account of
Jesus instituting the Eucharist
at the Last Supper, but it has
this magnificent commentary
on the significance of the
Eucharist.
Jesus is uncompromising.
He insists: “I am the living
bread which has come down
from heaven. Anyone who
eats this bread will live for
ever; anyone who does eat my
flesh and drink my blood has
eternal life, and I shall raise
him up on the last day”.
These words are so important because they tell us that
Eucharist, receiving Holy
Communion, the Bread of
Life, is not an optional extra.
It is the source and the sustenance of the life which will
never end and which comes
from God alone.
No wonder successive
Popes have insisted that the
Eucharist is the high point,
and indeed the summing up of
all that we can ever do in
Church. Without Eucharist,
we would have no Church.
Christ is present in the
Eucharist and all who share
his Body and Blood are called
to bring his presence into the
world, carrying his love and
mercy into the lives of those
around us.
Sunday 28/29 June
Solemnity of Sts Peter and
Paul
John 21:15–19/Matthew
16:13–19
Naturally, only one from
this pair of saints gets a gospel
mention: Paul did not come on
the scene until after Pentecost.
The two gospel passages
applied to Peter however also
have great relevance for Paul.
Both died a martyr’s death,
and after early actions which
were in opposition to Jesus’
mission (Peter denying that he
knew Jesus and Paul persecuting his early followers), they
were called, one way or another, to show their love for
Jesus by caring for the flock of
which he is Shepherd.
Peter famously was metaphorically given the keys to
the kingdom of heaven and
the commission to bind and
loose authentic teaching.
It’s often forgotten that the
power to bind and loose was
given
(according
to
Matthew’s gospel) to the
apostolic community as a
whole. Paul is the first and
most famous teacher-theologian of the apostolic church.
Both Peter and Paul, therefore, share in the one great
mission of Christian discipleship – caring for the flock
through their teaching and embrace of God’s mercy.
NEWS
Young thirsty for more
took part in the One Way
Day, pictured below, which
the team hosted at the end
of their stay.
“The whole NET team's
enthusiasm was very
evident,” the 15 year-old
said. “Sadly, there is not
youth ministry at parish level
giving opportunities for
teens to come together and
really celebrate their faith
within the Church’s great
traditions.”
Rachel McKechnie
experienced NET from their
involvement within S Peter
the Apostle High School in
Clydebank.
“We have a long journey
ahead in trying to get more
young people involved in and
committed to events. We
have to keep trying to stir up
enthusiasm and making the
most of the opportunities we
get to be together.”
Young Catholics have
thanked the NET team of
peer evangelisers who spent
eight months within the
encouraging them to
celebrate and live their faith.
The five-strong team has
returned home to various
parts of North America,
assuring that Glasgow and
Scotland will always have a
place in their hearts.
Aimée Coultas, a
parishioner of St Margaret’s,
Clydebank, where the
Netters were based, said
they had been a powerful
force for good.
“Their friendliness and
enthusiasm has encouraged
me to search for more ways
to be involved in my faith.
They have shown young
people that we shouldn't feel
as though we have to hide
our faith, that it's good to
profess what we believe and
to find happiness by living
out our faith.”
The last few months have
made me feel like better
version of myself, the person
I was searching for and
through God I’ve been able
to find that side of myself,
and with this I have found
happiness.
Paul Mario, from St
Dominic’s, Bishopbriggs,
St Robert’s altar servers heading to States
AMERICAN Catholic musician, Jackie Francois is
no stranger to singing at
gatherings
attracting
thousands of young people.
But turning up at St
Robert’s church in Pollok, recently, she was happy to be
part of the south Glasgow
parish’s small band of worshippers.
Jackie and her husband,
Bobby Angel, were in town to
meet up with St Robert’s
parish
priest
Fr
Neil
McGarrity whose friendship
they have valued through
shared involvement in Life
Teen and Theology of the
Body conferences.
Fr Neil was invited to officiate at their wedding, last
August, but turned down the
trip to California to attend to
parish duties at home.
“Coming to Glasgow was a
‘second honeymoon’ for
Jackie and Bobby, but I’m not
sure Holy Week was the best
time,” Fr Neil said.
“However, we made good
use of them as they were able
to help out at the Triduum
liturgies and offered prayerful
support and encouragement to
our own group of musicians
and altar servers.”
Two of those servers,
Louise Gemmell and Derek
‘A Welcoming Space in the Heart of the City’
2014/15 Programme
EVENTS
1. ‘A New Moment For Church’ 8th June 2pm – 4 pm:
A reflection led by Fr James Hanvey SJ on the future of
the Church in light of Pope Francis’ first year.
2. ‘Conversations in Faith’: 11th June 7pm–9pm – a
conversation on the Sikh faith led by Mrs Ravinder
Kaur Nijjar
3. Closing Day of ISC Programme ‘The Literature of
Love’ Saturday, 14th June 10.30am-4.30pm.
This day, led by David Lonsdale, will explore Ignatian
Spirituality and its echoes in literature. Booking is essential
as a light lunch will be provided.
4. Opening Day of ISC Programme 2014/15
Saturday 13 September 10.30am-4.30pm
Professor David Jasper will offer a series of three separate
days entitled The Poetry of the Sacred. The first of these,
“The Sacred Desert” on September 13th will reflect the
desert places and experiences of our world and our lives
as spaces of beauty, holiness and challenge. The days will
include reflections on scripture, literature, image and
film. For full details of this day and the whole series
please contact the I.S.C.
RETREATS
Two Residential Individually Guided Silent Retreats
in the Drumalis Retreat Centre, Larne, Co Antrim
The ISC and the Epiphany Group are delighted to join
in the joint venture with the team of Drumalis, a
beautiful Centre in Larne Co Antrim to book please visit
www.drumalis.co.uk
• 3 Day Retreat - Saturday, 28th June to Wednesday,
2nd July 2014
• 6 Day Retreat – Saturday, 28th June to Saturday, 5th
July 2014
The Bield at Blackruthven, Tibbermore, Perthshire,
14th-17th October 2014.
A silent mid-week individually guided retreat, led by a
Team from the Ignatian Spirituality Centre.
Accommodation is in single rooms (max 9 retreatants).
Please book via the Ignatian Spirituality Centre for this
retreat.
COURSES – 2014 – 2015
Growth in Prayer and Reflective Living
This is a one year programme for those who want a closer
relationship with God. It provides opportunities
• to reflect on our understanding of God and self;
19
• to become aware of the many ways in which God
communicates with us;
• to become familiar with different methods of prayer as
tools for engaging in conversation with God;
• to explore different faith traditions and their
spiritualities as responses to God’s communication;
• to develop skills for reflective living;
• to explore how to support one’s faith journey;
• to begin to develop a personal spirituality that will
help shape one’s approach and response to life.
The course is open to all: to people of all denominations
and none; to those engaged or interested in pastoral
work; to those simply wanting space to explore and
reflect. No expertise in prayer or reflection is required,
just a desire to know better God and self.
The course takes place on Tuesday evenings (6:45 –
9:15) and four Saturdays (10:30 – 4:30): Saturdays: Oct
4th / Dec 6th / Mar 28th / May 23rd. Tuesdays: Oct 7th
– May 12th, with Christmas and Easter breaks.
Suggested Donation: £375 (equivalent of £12.50 per 2½
hour session); £325, students & registered unemployed.
Donations can be received in installments if preferred.
Grant possibility – pending early application. Please
contact ISC for an application form.
Spiritual Conversation Course
This course based in the Jesuit tradition of St Ignatius
Loyola will be offered again in the coming year 2014–15.
It explores the attitudes, skills and ways of listening and
sharing contained in good spiritual conversation. Topics
include: Listening Skills, Personal Prayer and Ways of
Praying, Discernment, and the Practice of Spiritual
Conversation in day to day life. Applicants should have
completed the Growth in Prayer and Reflective Living
course or its equivalent.
Times: Monthly: Friday afternoons (1.30pm – 6.30pm)
and Saturdays (10.00am – 4.00pm).
Dates: 2014: September 26/27, October 24/25,
November 21/22, December 12/13. 2015: January
16/17, February 13/14, March 20/21, April 24/25,
May 15/16, and one final day on Saturday May 30th.
Please contact ISC for an application form.
Art & Spirituality Course
A course over 4 sessions for those who wish to creatively
explore the ‘second week’ of the Spiritual Exercises of St
Ignatius. Course runs on Tuesdays (18:30 – 21:00) from
26 May – 9 June 2015
Please browse our website, www.iscglasgow.co.uk, which has more information on the events, courses and retreats.
For bookings or a copy of the programme contact: The Administrative Secretary, Ignatian Spirituality Centre,
35 Scott Street, Glasgow, G3 6PE • Tel 0141 354 0077 • Fax 0141 331 4588
e-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.iscglasgow.co.uk • Registered Charity SC 040490
Jackie Francois leads the music group at
St Robert’s and, inset, Louise Gemmell
with her Caritas Award
Pictures by Mark Campbell
McIntyre will be reunited with
the couple – who are expecting their first child in the autumn – when they cross the
Atlantic to attend the
Steubenville San Diego youth
conference in July. Over
20,000 Catholic youngsters
are expected to attend.
Generous parishioners are
supporting the St Robert’s
teenagers who are also doing
some of their own fundraising.
“We are really grateful for
all the support and are so looking forward to being among
and meeting thousands of
other young people with the
same beliefs as we have,”
Louise and Derek said.
“As young Catholics it can
be difficult to live our faith
due to the pressures of society,
but the Steubenville weekend
will allow us to express our
faith in the way that we love
to, with other people the same
age!”
The enthusiastic duo, who
are familiar faces around St
Robert’s, added: “We hope
the weekend of prayer, praise
and reflection teaches us more
about our faith and helps us to
continue following the path of
Jesus.
“We also hope that when
we come back we can inspire
other young people of this
generation to express their
love for Christ.”
As a recent recipient of the
Caritas Award, Louise sees
the trip as the icing on the
cake of a particularly fruitful
year of blessings.
Home of the Redemptorists in Scotland
Kinnoull
Centre for
Spirituality
St Mary’s Kinnoull is set in natural
woodland overlooking the historic city
of Perth, gateway to the Scottish
highlands. It provides an environment
for Rest and Retreat.
Healing in the Spirit: A Spirituality of True Self-Esteem
Fr. Jim McManus CSsR & Miss Marie Hogg · 21–25 July 2014
Living a healthy spirituality of true self-esteem ensures that the upsets, the disappointments and the hurts of life
can never invade our inner selves because each day we know how to open our hearts to the healing love of God’s
Spirit. This becomes all the more important as we get on in years. A retreat is an opportunity to listen to the God
who speaks to us in Jesus Christ. His Gospel is the work of life and we need to hear it afresh if it to touch our
hearts and change our lives. A time of retreat gives us the opportunity to discover the ways in which God
communicates with us through the language of our ordinary, everyday lives.
Summer Retreat: Plentiful Redemption
Fr. Kieran Brady C.Ss.R & Team · 28 July–1 August 2014
We spend a few days reflecting on God’s love for us made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. He is the one who walks
with us in all our ways. God is with us in all the changes in our journey. God’s Priority is the human heart in all
its beauty and vulnerability. God can do for us more than we imagine because “with him there is plentiful
Redemption”
Silence: A Most Necessary Gift
Fr. Thomas MacCarte C.Ss.R · 3–6 August 2014
If you love to listen you will gain knowledge and, if you pay attention you will become wise (Sirach 3:33). The
notion of intentionally spending time in silence and prayer is almost unimaginable to a loud and busy world, but
silent retreats are, and always have been, an important part of Catholic prayer life. Make time to listen to your
true voice. Spend a few days in this idyllic place finding your inner peace.
A Retreat for Religious
Fr. Dan Baragry C.Ss.R. · Monday 11–Monday 18 August 2014
A retreat is an opportunity to listen to the God who speaks to us in Jesus Christ. His Gospel is the work of life and
we need to hear it afresh if it to touch our hearts and change our lives. A time of retreat gives us the opportunity
to discover the ways in which God communicates with us through the language of our ordinary, everyday lives.
Fr. Dan has ministered in Leadership and Formation in Ireland for many years.
Sabbaticals in Scotland
Spirituality of True Self-Esteem 26–30 October 2014 & 31 May – 4 June 2015; The Healing Ministry 2–6 November
2014 & 7–11 June 2015; Jesus in the Gospels 23–27 November 2014 & 21–25 June 2015; Celtic Spirituality 9–16
November 2014 & 14–21 June 2015; Transitions in Life 16–20 November 2014 & 28 June–2 July 2015
Redemptorist Centre of Spirituality
Tel: 01738 624075 Email: [email protected]
www.kinnoullmonastery.co.uk
20
NEWS
Clergy back in swing as golf season tees off
SHARING house with his
bishop is reaping rewards for keen golfer Fr
Gerry McNellis.
For the parish priest of St
Laurence’s, Greenock, has hit
a rich vein of form since
By Maria Gilmore
Bishop John Keenan pitched
up at his humble abode on
Kilmacolm Road.
On the opening day of the
Clergy Golf Society’s 2014
season, the 50 year-old
Paisley priest was unstoppable
as he played an almost flawless round of the Troon
Lochgreen course which was
bathed in sunshine.
The favourable conditions
also brought out the best in
Paisley’s veteran of the fair-
Fr Brian McNaught with the cup alongside Ft Gerry McNellis
and the rest of the clergy golfers at Lanark
ways, Fr Sean Cunney, who
beat Fr William Boyd of
Galloway into runners-up spot
in the competition sponsored
by Anderson Maguire Funeral
Directors.
As Glasgow priests are well
within
the
represented
Society, their failure to feature
among the opening-day prizes
aroused some soul-searching.
Maybe the sea air was too
much for the city boys.
With the next outing at
Lanark, no such excuses
would suffice – and none were
needed.
Fr Brian McNaught, parish
priest of St Augustine’s,
Milton, answered the critics
with some solid driving and
careful reading of the greens
to take top prize.
The day was sponsored by
AS Homes and Fr McNellis,
the Bishop’s housemate, was
knocking at the door but had
to be satisfied with second
place.
Another fine day greeted
the men of the cloth when they
met for the third of May’s
competitions at Renfrew Gold
Club – close to home for most
of them.
But it was the farthest travelled, Fr Pat Boylan from St
Alexander’s, Denny, who
stayed the course and emerged
victorious.
Burns Publications provided the sponsorship for the
day. Keeping to the script and
the form book, second prize
was captured by a beaming Fr
McNellis.
His run of success has been
keenly debated across the dinner table in the post-match social gatherings.
Has Bishop Keenan put
something in his tee? Or
maybe Fr Gerry is just sticking determinedly to his promise of obedience – bring home
the cup!
As the season continues, an
alternative handicap is being
discussed – invite the bishop
to be his caddie!
Relaxing after
a few rounds
at Renfrew
Golf Club
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■ Editorial: Flourish Publications (Scotland) Ltd, 196 Clyde Street, Glasgow G1 4JY; telephone 0141 226 5898, email [email protected]. Charity no SC015900
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Pope invited to Glasgow Celebrating the Gift in Sport

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