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"THE LIFE BLOOD OF THE CHURCH"
- Fr JohnFoulkes, St. Kentigern's Blackpool
THE CEREMONY OF ELECTION
Saturday, February 12th, 2005
Fr John Foulkes has hardly missed a Ceremony of Election in the twelve years that they have been held.
For John, the R.C.I.A. is what his work as a priest is about, sentiments echoed by Fr David Elder at Garstang. In all, fourteen parishes were represented in the Cathedral, and the look of expectation and joy on the faces of those on their way to full communion with the Church at Easter, put it all beyond dispute. All
generations from the four corners of the diocese and from the other side of the world were represented.
Bishop Patrick presided and preached on the readings from the first Sunday in Lent. Just as Jesus had faced a crossroads in his life in the wilderness, so too the candidates and catechumens. The journey ahead needs an act of faith, a deep trust in the Lord. The Bishop assured those gathered of the Church's prayers, reminding them that they were joining, not just the diocesan family, but 'the assembly of God's family throughout the world'. As in the previous year, he exhorted us all to go out in a spirit of invitation and each return with a new person the following year. His previous words had obviously worked as we saw a doubling of numbers this year!
At the end of the service, Bishop Patrick thanked the staff of the Diocesan Education Service at Balmoral Road for working with the parishes to make it all happen. [Easter Message From Bishop Patrick]
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