December 2003 Edition Archive

THE POPE'S SHOPPING LIST
HE KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS

Bishops were hard to find during the second half of October, at least in this country. They were in Rome making their official visit to Headquarters, known as an "Ad Limina" visit. Their visit coincided with the beatification of Mother Teresa as well as the celebrations for Pope John Paul’s silver jubilee. Along the way they made their reports as all bishops do every five years and then on their very last day there, the Holy Father himself spoke to them.
The speech is six pages long, but it contains a direct straightforward listing of what the Pope feels are the urgent requirements of the Catholic Church in England and Wales just now. It is a shopping list of actions and approaches the Pope wishes to encourage among the Bishops of this land. Here are the main items on Pope John Paul’s list.

  • Bishops to be passionate in preaching Jesus as the source of all Hope.
  • Humble and holy priests who will inspire the people of God to holiness
  • Promote a culture of vocation
  • Uphold the uniqueness of marriage
  • Help parents in educating their children in the faith
  • Foster a clear understanding of the faith in teachers.
  • Stem the tide of secularism
  • Work with the media
  • Build the future with those to whom it is entrusted, the young.

    There was a final rallying cry at the end of the speech when he said to the Bishops, "United in our love of the Lord and inspired by the example of the newly beatified Mother Teresa of Calcutta, let us go forward in hope!"

    • Happy Christmas

    The pupils of St. John Vianney's School, Blackpool say "Happy Christmas" to all the schools of the diocese


    Features...

    Discard not Your Dreams; Go To Hell For Them
    Part 1 in a series of articles by Fr Val Farrell

    Lancaster Sings The Praises Of God
    Celebrating the musical life of our diocese

    Cenacolo At Dawn
    Rev Bernard Loveland
    Deacon, Holy Trinity & St.George, Kendal

    Happy Christmas Lancaster
    A Christmas Reflection
    E. Alty

    The Pilgrim Way
    Anne Grimley

    Out Of The South
    Michael Caine

    Obituaries

    A Church For Children Too

    St. Francis Xavier
    Feast Day December 3rd

    New Knight Invested
    Shaun Baldwin

    SVP Youth Day
    Peter Reid

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