KSC PROVINCE 6 – Cumbria: Past & Future Events

Stephen Scott - Provincial Grand Knight.

May 29th Annual Pilzrimage to Our Ladv's Grotto at Cleaton
Pilgrims from throughout the area joined local parishioners and members of KSC Province 6 Cumbria at their Annual Pilgrimage to “Our Lady's Grotto'' Cleator, Cumbria on Sunday 29 2005. The main celebrant at Mass was Father Dan Darragon who expressed his delight at being invited to take part in the Pilgrimage. In his homily he spoke of the need and importance of us all to live out in our daily lives what our Catholic Faith stood for. Concelebrating priests were Fr D Duane - KSC Province 6 Chaplain, Fr M Carney - Parish Priest St Begh's Whitehaven, together with Deacons Rev I Kennedy and P Connor. Fr Manny Gibben - Parish Priest of St Mary's Cleator kindly provided the music. Also taking part was the Provincial Grand Knight of KSC Province 6 - Bro Stephen Scott and the Deputy Supreme Knight Bro John Doran and Brothers from Council 74 Whitehaven. It way also a great pleasure to have present visiting brothers from Province 4 - Northumbria.

Sunday, July 10th, Annual Mass for Deceased Brothers of Province 6
This will be held at Our Lady of the Wayside church, Ambleside. The chief concelebrant will be Fr D.G. Duane - Chaplain to Province 6. The Mass will commence at 3.00 p.m. If you are in the area on that day or you would like to attend - you are more than welcome.

Marriage Care is looking for Receptionists

At our various centres throughout the country, we employ volunteer receptionists who welcome clients, accept payments and record further appointments. Receptionists are vital members of our team. We do not allow our counsellors to work with clients unless there is a receptionist present in the office to act as a chaperone. Without the help and support of local people in this role, Marriage Care would not be able to provide its counselling service. We would be very interested to hear from you if you are willing to help with reception cover on Tuesday evenings at our Blackpool Centre, 25a Clifton Street. If you think you can help please ring Margaret on 01253 734526

Civic Sunday in Blackpool

St Kentigern's Parish, Blackpool welcomed the newly elected Mayor & Mayoress, Cllr Mr and Mrs Phillip Dunne and his family to a Thanksgiving Mass on Sunday 22nd May. Civic dignitaries from the Fylde & Wyre, local councillors and representatives from the Police, Fire, Guiding Associations and others joined the parish in this celebration. Fr John Foulkes will act as the mayor's chaplain for the next 12 months. The celebration finished with cream teas served in the Parish Centre.

Youth SVP leads the way in this Year of the Volunteer

Peter Reed
During 2005, officially designated as the Year of the Volunteer, Youth SVP will reach a remarkable milestone. Since March 1999, over 9000 young people have joined Youth SVP groups in Catholic secondary schools, parishes and universities nationally. The figure is expected to top 10,000 by the end of the year.
In the tradition of their parent organisation, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, founded by a young French student called Frederic Ozanam, Youth SVP groups meet together regularly to pray and to plan their visits to people in need in the local community. The activities that the young people are engaged in are wide-ranging and imaginative. In the Lancaster diocese, for example, there are groups that visit the elderly, help homeless people and help in local primary schools as well as helping the handicapped.
The Youth SVP programme is managed and supported by Paul Lever and his assistant Tom Lyon, two national youth development officers employed by the St. Vincent de Paul Society and some volunteer diocesan youth development officers. There is also a group adviser linked to everyone of the 130 registered groups now operating throughout England and Wales.
Paul Lever, a former Head of RE who has been around since the start of the programme, has personally visited and spoken in more than a THIRD of this country’s 450 Catholic Secondary schools. He says: “Young people are genuinely motivated by three words beginning with ‘s’ – spirituality, social justice and socialising. The success of Youth SVP is due to the fact that it combines all three of these aspects in a structured way. By becoming members of a Youth SVP group, many Catholic teenagers are being given an opportunity to express their Catholic faith through service to others locally”.
In July, representatives of the various Youth SVP groups will gather for four days at Ampleforth for the annual Camp Vincent. The discussions and workshops organised give the young people an opportunity to share experiences of their Youth SVP work. As usual the event is fully booked. This diocese will be represented by the Youth SVP groups at St. Mary’s High School, Blackpool and St. Teresa’s Parish, Cleveleys.
Paul Lever believes that Youth SVP and Camp Vincent have become vehicles for the development of future leaders within the Church. “Having been involved in organising youth events for many years, I can honestly say that Camp Vincent attracts some of the finest of Catholic youth. At a time when the conduct and attitudes of young people are under question, it is a joy to meet such faithful, respectful and concerned young people”.
One of Paul’s main tasks is to ensure that the group advisers are well supported. There are various resources available including newsletters, membership booklets and certificates of achievement. Guidelines are provided on various aspects of running a group including current health & safety and child protection procedures.
Anybody interested in finding out more about Youth SVP is invited to visit their very thorough website on www.youthsvp.org.uk

Confirmation at St Gregory’s Wokington

Attached is a photo of our confirmation group last Thursday. Left to right - Kelsey Sparrow, Ashton Wilson, Bishop Patrick, Rachel McAllister and Charlotte Smith. The families and members of the Parish Development Group gathered at 5pm for a buffet supper with Bishop Patrick before the confirmation Mass at 7pm. We were blessed with beautiful weather and were able to enjoy one another's company outdoors in the garden. After the four young people were confirmed as adult members of the church, the congregation gathered in the social centre with Bishop Patrick for some finger-lickin-chicken provided by Elizabeth Doran. The four girls were presented with a "holding cross" each - crosses made of olive wood from the holy land and designed to be held in the hand for prayer rather than "gazed upon".

DETAILS OF ANNUAL DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES

Cath Morgan
The following people are arranging transplant to Manchester Airport from their local districts.
Fleetwood, Blackpool, Poultonl: Mr K Byrne 297B. Fleetwood Road. Fleetwood. Phone 01253 872398.
St. Annes and Fykde Coast, Mr. R. Byrne Sandhurst Court, 3-5 South Promenade St. Annes. FY8 1LS. Phone. 01253 720277.
Cumbria. Barrow , Kendal: Mrs W McWilliams The Grannery, Biggar village, Barrow in Furness Phone. 01229 471695.
Preston and Ddistrict- Mr Gerard Vandome, 21,Northway, Fulwood, PR2 9TP Phone. 01772 719797.
Any problems please contact Cath Morgan on 01253 or her assistant, John Baldwin: 01772 682553

GATHER LITTLE CHILDREN

Katey Davy of Catholic Caring Services
Those two pillars of our faith, love of God and love of each other, were enthusiastically explored at the annual Good Shepherd day Gathering in our Cathedral held this year on Wednesday, May 18th. Over 400 pupils from our Catholic schools took part in workshops to learn about the struggles of many people in our society. Workshops covering topics as diverse as adoption, sign language and prison resettlement were run by Catholic Caring Services staff to help the children and young people develop their social awareness, sensitivity and responsibility. The Cathedral resounded with joy as the day culminated in a joyous liturgical celebration – an act of praise to God as what had been learned about loving one another was offered in worship.

THE APOSTLESHIP OF THE SEA

On Sunday July 10th, our churches will behaving their annual special collection for the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS). Some 100,000 seafarers visit British ports each year. Sixty percent of all seafarers are Catholic. AOS chaplains and ship visitors take Christ’s love to seafarers, welcoming them to our shores as brothers. They provide practical assistance, pastoral support and the opportunity to receive the sacraments.
On June 4th, Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, the Cardinal charged with co-ordinating the Catholic Church’s pastoral outreach to seafarers, blessed a new icon of Our Lady Star of the Sea, ‘Stella Maris’, at the annual conference of the Apostleship at London Colney.
AOS was founded in Glasgow and on the same day as the icon was blessed London Colney, a gathering was held in Glasgow to celebrate a Scottish success story. Among those present at the Gathering were: Rt Hon Michael Martin MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, Most Rev Mario Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow and Rt Rev Peter Moran, Bishop of Aberdeen

Cathedral Events

Saturday July 2nd, “Nrityavani” the voice of dance from Bangalore (via Paris) to Lancashire classical and traditional Indian dance gospel stories-inter faith relations. Tickets FREE; A collection will be taken towards the expenses of “Churces Together”
Friday July 15th, Organ Extravaganza with Carlo Curley Internationally acclaimed organist and entertainer. Tickets £10: in aid of the Cathedral Organ Restoration Fund. Tickets available from Cathedral House, Balmoral Road, Lancaster LA1 3BT. Tel 01524 384820.

Golden Jubilee of Religious Life

Sr Joan Stewart, of the Our Lady of the Missions sisters celebrated her Golden Jubilee recently at St. Catherine’s church, Farrington, Preston. She was joined by sisters from London and the Northwest, and by relatives and former school friends at Winckley Square school, Preston. Mass was concelebrated by Bishop Ambrose Griffiths and Parish Priest, Fr Gerard McCusker. Her companion Sr Veronica Keaveney flew in from New Zealand to be with her. They both received treasured Papal blessings from Pope John Paul 2. Sr Joan has spent sixteen years in education in New Zealand and Western Samoa. She is now a member of the Catholic Missionary Union of England and Wales engaged in Mission Appeals around the country.