WITH HEARTS AND MINDS
“FULL HOUSE” SIGN GREETS DAY ON LITURGY
ENTHUSIASTIC LAUNCH OF NEW RULES FOR MASS

Fr Bernard Woods
Most people’s Saturdays are spoken for well in advance and studying the rules for celebrating Mass is not usually high on the agenda. Yet on October 15th, parishioners from all around the diocese did just that. They crowded into Lancaster University Chaplaincy to hear Fr Geoff Steele, Fr Paul Johnstone and Simon Stewart launch the new document from our Bishops, “With Hearts & Minds” which is designed to help us all get to grips with the new rules for celebrating Mass.

In the past we left all this to the priest, the choir, the sacristan and a few altar servers. But the Mass is our treasure. It belongs to all of us. It is not enough for us to celebrate Mass correctly, according to the rules, we must also do it well, according to the spirit of the rules. Clearly, the parishioners who had come from all around the diocese agreed. Said Fr Steel afterwards, “It was a great day. People are in no way complacent about the way Mass is celebrated, nor do they take anything for granted. We are going to need another of these days to give more of our people a better understanding of what this is all about. Then the real work of studying the document in our parishes can get underway”. All Parish Priests have been asked to get copies of “With Hearts and Minds” and arrange for parishioners to study it. It is readily available from Covenant Books at Holy Family Church Ingol, Preston. Additional material for the course With Hearts and Minds, and many other useful liturgical resources are freely available on the website of the Bishops' Liturgy Office in London: www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources

CLEATOR CLOSES “YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST”

The shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes at Cleator was the scene of the last of our diocesan celebrations for the Year of the Eucharist. It was by some distance the best attended event at this diocesan shrine for many a day. Over 800 parishioners and clergy came from all parts. Appropriately too, the event was the finishing point for the Young People’s Walk of Faith through the Lake District. The grounds at Cleator were immaculate, a worthy tribute to the nature of the event. Parish Priest, and diocesan Vocations Director, Fr Emmanuel Gribben preached while Bishop Patrick was main concelebrant. A procession followed Mass together with the blessing of a new Cross for the grounds of the shrine. All in all then, a very Catholic day, in a very Catholic setting and with very Catholic hospitality afterwards at the Grove Hotel. Thanks to the Knights of St Columba, the general management of the day was efficient and effective, but hardly noticeable.

BARROW RETREATS TO HYNING

Rev Nick Donnelly
St. Mary of Furness parish, Barrow-in-Furness, held their third annual retreat in the peace and spiritual conviviality of the Monastery of Our Lady of Hyning, at the end of October. Over the past three years a family atmosphere has grown among those who attend, with all eager to return the next year. Marking the end of the Year of the Eucharist, the theme of the retreat was ‘The Eucharist and healing’. Fr. Stephen Wright OSB gave an number of insightful and inspiring talks on Eucharistic spirituality, the development of the Mass, as well as a workshop on meditation for children, and a powerful healing service. Martina and Nick Donnelly led an audio-visual meditation on the Rosary. Being a Catholic retreat, one of the highlights of the weekend was the ‘pub quiz’ and live music evening, starring on piano Terry Russell, and Fr. John Watson, with Fr. Stephen on clarinet.

CARMEL IN THE NORTH 2005

Patricia Wilson
‘Walking With God’, a day of prayer and reflection led by northern Carmelites, took place at St. Bede’s Church, Carlisle, on Saturday, 17th September. It was attended by over 100 Carmelites, friends and Cumbrian parishioners. The day was the feast of St. Albert of Jerusalem, who had given the early Carmelites their Rule of Life. The readings and reflections in the morning showed how this life of prayer, community and service, bound together by contemplation (pondering on the Law of the Lord both day and night), following the examples of Mary and Elijah, applied not just to Carmelites but to all Christians. As one teenager had remarked, “There’s nothing there that a Christian shouldn’t be doing anyway”.

The talks in the afternoon continued the theme of ‘Walking with God’, with Fr. Willie Moran, OCD, showing how St. Therese of Lisieux walked with God on her ‘Little Way’, and Fr. Michael Cox, O. Carm, looking at how Our Lady’s utter devotion to God, pondering his words and deeds, resulted in a life of prayer, community and continuing service. She walked with God physically but, as Jesus pointed out, her spiritual walk with God was more important than that. All enquiries about his group’s activities should be made to Patricia Wilson. 01451-40434

IN CARLISLE CHURCH

Anna Burdett,
Carlisle News & Star/Cumberland News
IT took two months of 10-hour days for Ukrainian artist Ruslan Narayevskiv to create his masterpiece in a Carlisle church. The 32-year-old inspired by Michael Angelo's Sistine Chapel started painting ceilings in Ukrainian churches at 17. He was asked to paint the dome and ceiling of St Bede’s Roman Catholic church in Wigton Road while he was in England painting the ceilings of Orton Park in Carlisle. His brightly coloured paintings depict traditional scenes including the Baptism of Christ, the Last Supper and the Pentecost. Most of the work was done kneeling or sitting on scaffolding 25 feet up but Ruslan said he never got an aching neck because he loves his work so much. He said: "It is very difficult to design a dome when you have to create the illusion of someone standing straight when the ceiling is curved. "I never feel my paintings are finished and I have to be told when to stop." Now, Ruslan plans to return to his small village 300 kilometres from Kiev and rest. He added: "I have already painted eight churches in Ukraine, this is what I want to do forever." The paintings are part of a £100,000 refurbishment of the 1959 church which needed rewiring and new central heating when Father Jim Allen arrived a year ago. It was his idea to create the ceiling painting, which he believes is unique in the North West. He said that some parishioners had found it difficult to accept the Ukrainian artist's bright new paintings. He added: "Most of the parishioners are happy with it but some people don't like change. I am hoping that these paintings will help encourage more people to come to church."

JUBILEES & RETIREMENTS:

CANON McARDLE
Bill Scott
Canon Nicholas McArdle has retired as Parish Priest of St. Mary's Hornby and Caton and on Thursday 8th September he celebrated his retirement with a most wonderful Mass at the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, Caton, followed by a supper in the Village Institute. After Mass he received by way of farewell gifts, a parchment scroll of the names of all the incumbents of St. Mary's Hornby since the Church was consecrated in 1762, a framed print of 'The Annunciation' by Fra Filippo Lippi and a cheque. The group in the picture gathered around Canon McArdle shows from left to right, Jenny Pate who chaired the organising committee, Marie Hopkinson, Norah Edmundson, Betty Byrne, and Gavin Thatcher Chair of the Liturgy group, which gave us such a wonderful Mass.

CANON RUSCILLO
Andrew Seacombe
October 1st marked the end of an era at the 900-year-old shrine of Our Lady of FernyhaLgh at Ladyewell near Preston. Some 400 pilgrims from many parts of Britain gathered to say farewell to the two people who led the move to build up the shrine over'the past l8 years: Canon Benedict Ruscillo and his housekeeper/administrator Miss Catherine Stirzaker.

In his homily at the Rosary Procession and Benediction, Father lan O'Shea of Shevington near Wigan said of the Canon, who is retiring after 65 years as a priest - he will be 87 in November - "it is 18 years since he gave up the immediate prospect of a quiet retirement and came here with his housekeeper and right arm, Catherine, intent not only on keeping the neglected shrine going but on developing it and making it more widely known and loved. If we could turn the clocks back you would be sitting on the grass, I'd be standing under the open sky, there would be no conservatory at the back of Ladyewell House, no developments in the house itself, no Stella Maris chapel, no Martyrs Chapel, no Rosary Way, no Way of the Cross - the list goes on - by any standard, a wonderful achievement." Commenting on the importance of Ladyewell as a centre for the ecumenical movement, Father Roger Park, who was there with six other Anglican pilgrims from Burnley, said it was remarkable how little known it was that there was "this beautiful shrine to Our Lady in the middle of Lancashire." The Anglican 'Forward in Faith' annual pilgrimage had been going to Ladyewell for some eight years.

FR. JOE GEOGHEGAN
Pauline Drake
On Sunday July 10th. St. Joseph's, Ansdell celebrated the Golden Anniversary of Fr. Joe Geoghegan's ordination to the Priesthood. Since then Fr Joe has retired to his community’s home base at Formby near Liverpool, so this was also something of a send-off. There was Mass at twelve noon celebrated by Fr. Joe and concelebrated by many friends from the Mill Hill order at Freshfield and further afield, friends from the Deanery and the Diocese. Fr. Joe's own family were also present. Fr. Jim Daley, a friend of Fr. Joe who had worked with him in Kenya, preached the Homily. After Mass 75 guests and parishioners gathered in the church hall for a celebration lunch. The Parish Social Group had spent the previous day decorating the hall in gold. Fr Joe was very surprised to see the results of our efforts! There was a very interesting display of photos from Fr. Joe's years in the Missions and a cake baked and decorated by Bill Drake. The lunch and many speeches took up the whole afternoon. It was a wonderful and joyful occasion enjoyed by all, most of all by Fr. Joe!