Saturday, May 16, 2009

Kentenich Talks for June

Kentenich Talks – Discovering, Following, Sharing Christ
The Kentenich Talks continue this year with a three-session course on three Wednesdays in June – 3rd, 10th and 17th June – all beginning at 7.30pm. This year the themes centre on Father Kentenich’s original understanding of Christ, which aims to bring people to a life-changing encounter with the Lord Jesus.

The first evening is called “Discovering Christ” (Wednesday, 3rd June). Here we share together the vision of Jesus in his relationship to the Father, to Mary and to each one of us. His relationship to us is a call to conversion. The Holy Father, Pope Benedict wrote: “We are Christians only if we encounter Christ… We can touch Christ’s heart and feel him touch ours. Only in this personal relationship with Christ, only in this encounter with the Risen Lord do we really become Christians.”

The second evening is called “Following Christ” (Wednesday, 10th June). Father Kentenich’s charisma was to find ways for everyone to live a life of discipleship in a practical way. Here we will be looking a several concrete expressions of a life in Christ.

The third and last evening is called “Sharing Christ” (Wednesday, 17th June). This offers his “know-how” of practical skills of how to share the Gospel message with others. Pope John Paul encouraged the Church, when he said: “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church, can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples”. Sometimes even though we may desire to tell others about Christ, we may not know where to begin or how to go about it. Here we will look for concrete ways.

The hope is that these Talks will motivate, inform, and equip Catholics to discover, live, and share their faith with others. Everyone is welcome! Hope to see you there!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Shrine returned to former glory

After three days of hectic work and effort, the Shrine has been repainted and returned to its former glory. Four coats of paint were needed to cover all the soot, ash and burn marks. The carpets and cushions were throughly cleaned and everything has been given a new shine. The decorators worked from 9am in the morning to 7pm without any breaks to try and get it right. Sincere thanks to everyone who showed their support by sending emails or 'phoning. also a big thank-you to Erhard and Flexis, Father David, Mary and Margaret for the tremendous effort put in to make everything right for the May Day on Sunday. Thank you!

Garden Mania!

A great deal of work and effort has been put into the garden in the lst couple of weeks. The rendering on the cottage had to be repaired as it fell off before Christmas leaving a huge, ugly space in the wall. Michael has repaired the garden door and it is a huge improvement. The walls of St John Fisher have been repointed and cleaned; also the lintel above the fire door has now been replaced. John Higgins has been over, painting the garden benches for the summer. He brought the family dog Oliver. People saw one working and the other sunbathing. It is still unclear, which was which. The gardeners were sitting at one of the picnic tables having their well-earned lunch, when the entire table collapsed and sent everyone and everything flying. Truly gaden mania! Sincere thanks to those who keep our gardens looking so well and for our Gardening Team: Michael Quirk, Bill McEvoy, Brian Madden and John Higgins (or should we say Oliver?

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Do you believe in love?

Do you believe in Love?
Thoughts on
Humanae Vitae
forty years down the line

If you mention the teaching document
Humanae Vitae
in Church circles today, you either get a gasp, or a loud moan, a cry of despair, or even a sad look of embarrassment. Forty years have passed since this Encyclical of Pope Paul VI was offered to the world. Is it something we should quickly forget? Or is the inspiring message of
Humanae Vitae
prophetic for our times? In a series of short articles for the MTA Magazine, we can unravel the vision and the guidance that this teaching offers. Let’s look firstly at one of the big issues of
Humanae Vitae
: What does love mean in marriage?

Before we start, we need to understand
the dignity of the human person
first. What does it mean to be human? As Christians we share a global vision of what it means to be a person. Human life is more than just a collection of biological, social or psychological factors. Every one of us should be treated as an unique person who has a vocation – in this life and in eternal life - and whose dignity embraces body and spirit. The unity of body and spirit is essential to our understanding of who a human person is. We are created and made in the “image and likeness of God”
(Genesis 1:26-27).
We are not like any other part of creation, or any other animal on the earth. Human beings, therefore, should never be treated as an object, i.e. as a means to an end. Only when we bring body and spirit together in this close unity, then we will have a healthy and solid basis for deciding what is right and wrong in human life and relationships.

Keeping this global vision of the human person in our minds, let’s look at what the message is regarding love in marriage. The Encyclical begins with a ‘trumpet blast’ of a basic Christian conviction: Love in marriage – like all human love – comes from God Himself, who ‘is love’. All love comes from God and returns to him, the Source. It is God’s wonderful plan of love that brings people together; they fall in love and by giving themselves completely to each other, begin to establish an original “communion of persons”. The love between couples is not mere chance, it has a unique nobility and value because it is a part of God’s plan of love for us. Marriage is where two people share everything they are and have. This is called the “unitive” aim of marriage. To get a clear picture of what the vision is, we have to remember
four dimensions
about love in marriage that are raised in
Humanae Vitae
.

First of all,
love means giving yourself completely
. Love carries us through the ups-and-downs of life – the joys and the sorrows. Love, by its nature, never wants to stay in the same place, it wants to grow and increase and embrace everything and everyone. Love in marriage is an invitation to become a unity with “one heart and one mind”, where both spouses look out for each other and want the best for each other. In other words, if we love each other in a Christian marriage, then we want to make each other happy and fulfilled.

Secondly,
married love is a deep friendship
. Love involves sharing everything with a great generosity of spirit. Love wants to enrich mutually. Love is all about a deep friendship. A couple, in the Sacrament of marriage, don’t have two separate lives anymore, they want to live a community of life and love, where they share everything with each other. Couples love each other, not because of what they can receive from each other, but because true love urges people to love someone just for the sake of loving, just for their own sake. Christian love is always altruistic in the true sense of the word.

Thirdly,
love in marriage is faithful and exclusive
- “till death do us part”. The media and the entertainment industry often suggest that faithfulness in marriage is a nice ideal, but in today’s world it is totally unpractical, in fact, quite impossible. As Christians, we beg to differ. We base this on the example and testimony of so many married couples down the centuries, who have remained faithful to each other – even in extreme difficulties and problems – and have found true happiness because of their lasting commitment to each other. The entertainment industry and some politicians too readily would have us believe that adultery and unfaithfulness are almost inevitable, and that making “nuptial contracts” before marriage is the best way and most sensible way to go. In actual fact, they undermine marriages and promote suspicion and financial calculation over trust and an unconditional commitment.

Lastly, marriage in the Christian sense
brings new life
. Pope Paul Vi writes:
“the whole of this love is certainly not contained within the communion of the spouses alone, but it tends to extend itself and to give rise to new lives… Children are surely the supreme gift of marriage…”
Love is not a static reality, it is a dynamic and creative reality. It either grows or it diminishes. In the Christian vision, being open to the gift of new life, is an essential dimension of marriage. This is called the “procreative” aim of marriage. For Christians, children are not a nuisance, or a burden, but a gift. For God, there is no such thing as an “unwanted” pregnancy.

Compare these four dimensions of our Christian vision of marriage to what you see on television and what you hear from some politicians today. Father Joseph Kentenich once commented:
“You can only counteract a bad vision, by promoting a better one”
. In the vision of the married and family life, Christians have never been more counter-cultural, or never been more “a sign of contradiction” as they are today. How can we pass on this message of authentic love to others?

In the next issue: What does it mean to be a mum or dad?

Father Duncan McVicar SI
(For further reading, please have a look at the book from G.J. Woodall, Humanae Vitae – Forty years on.)

Monday, May 4, 2009

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

INTERCESSORY PRAYER – YOUR SHRINE NEEDS YOU!

Intercessory prayer has an image problem. You could be forgiven for thinking it is not the most exciting of titles for an article so well done for getting this far! In spite of all the reverence that surrounds prayer, some people dismiss it as a weak alternative to practical action. They think that offering to pray for someone is often nothing more than a graceful way to excuse ourselves from an awkward situation: it’s an exit line. Let us now
try to dispel this myth. Intercessory prayer simply means to go between God and His people, to go on another’s behalf or to plead for another person or situation.

When I was young, my mother used to ask me to pray for certain things, perhaps a neighbour who was ill or a friend who was in need. I used to think, why? Why is this necessary? If God is good, if He knows about these problems, if He has the power to fix them, then why does He need me to pray? Why does He wait for me to ask Him before He acts? I used to wander whether God was a little contrary but I prayed anyway because I loved my mother and that was what she wanted me to do. With hindsight I am not too sure how effective my prayers were coming from a heart that was not very trusting and yet I am certain that God did not dismiss them for He meets us where we are.

The answer to my childish questions was, of course, God wants us to intercede for others because He would like us to rule and reign with Him. He does not want puppets or sophisticated toys for His own amusement. He created us in His image and likeness so that He could communicate with us and have a two-way relationship with us. We can see how God regards man in psalm 8: 4-6:
“What are human beings that you spare a thought for them,
or a child of Adam that you care for him?
You have made him little less than a god
You have crowned him with glory and beauty.
Made him lord of the works of your hands.”

In Genesis, God created Adam and Eve with a capacity and a drive to make a difference. He said to them: ”Be fruitful and multiply, fill the
earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and all living creatures that move on earth.” Gen.1:28. He then gave Adam and Eve the freedom to be creative by telling them to name the birds, beasts and wild animals thereby encouraging them to take charge and rule and reign with Him. Interestingly, this was before the fall, before things went wrong. We talk of Jesus coming to redeem mankind but He also came to redeem the original purpose for which mankind was created.

We find a pattern unfolding throughout the Old Testament of God wanting to work in partnership with His people. God tells Noah he is tired of their generation going the wrong way and He wants to turn it around so He asks Noah to partner with Him to build an Ark. Again, God asks Jonah for his cooperation in preaching repentance to Nineveh. Jonah proves to be a most unwilling partner but he consents eventually. Also, God works with Moses who bargained with Him to prevent the Israelites being destroyed because of idolatry. Amazingly, God relented and no punishment was brought. Hence we see God determined to make us players, to work through us and sometimes He will even allow Himself to be persuaded to a change of mind. Richard Foster, who wrote a book on prayer, says that sometimes God is looking at a couple of options and either of them could flow consistently from His character. He could have been justified in wiping out the Israelites but Moses persuaded Him to do otherwise. So God wants us as partners but it is a responsibility and we must realise there are consequences if we do not accept it. In Ezekiel, 22:30 God says: “I looked for a man to stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” No one took up God’s offer to stand in the breach that sin had made between God and Israel so He punished the House of Israel. As we see, God takes man seriously. We are sometimes guilty of a false humility when we say to God: “I am nothing, I cannot do this” but behind that is a desire to abdicate. Stunningly, you never see this with Mary, the Mother of God!

The New testament carries on this theme of partners and co-workers but it also gives us sons and daughters. The Spirit testifies that we are God’s children and, if we are children, we are heirs with God and co-heirs with Christ. In Galatians 4: 7, St. Paul states “…you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an heir.” Rob Clarke, the Christian speaker, likens it to God calling us to be partners in the family business. He expands by saying that in a sense, though it cannot be said as an absolute, God refuses to work independently or in isolation, but only in response to our prayers. He rules the world through the prayers of his people because he has adopted us as his sons and daughters. Now it is always a challenge to get the balance of this partnership right, as we want to take ourselves seriously but not too seriously. The partnership is a bit like the picture we have in our home shrine. In it there is a tiny insignificant figure sitting in the corner of a room praying, but his prayers are magnified through the towering, imposing presence of Jesus. My faith in intercessory prayer is always strengthened every time I reflect on that picture.

Let us take a look at prayer in the life of Jesus. He said he could say and do only what he heard and saw the father do. He therefore had to spend a lot of time listening and seeing and he did. There was a recognisable rhythm in the life of Jesus. He would withdraw to meditate and then go out to minister. Again and again this pattern repeated itself. The public life of Jesus was supported by his private life of prayer with the father. The Acts of the Apostles is filled with prayer meetings because every forward thrust that the early church made was immersed in prayer. At Pentecost the apostles prayed for ten days and preached for ten minutes and three thousand people were saved. Today, we pray for ten minutes and preach for ten days and are ecstatic if any one is saved. You see the power is in the prayer! Prayer is not a substitute for God’s work or a preparation for God’s work. Prayer
is
God’s work. If you get it right, if you are faithful to it, everything else falls into place.

When we are involved in intercessory prayer we are often engaged in spiritual warfare. The author, Ronald Dunn, tells us: “In a sense the primary target in intercession is not the person or the problem or the situation. The primary target is the power behind these things and there are evil powers trying to thwart God’s work at every turn.” St. Paul says we do not fight this battle with weapons of flesh but must have spiritual armour and spiritual weapons. He tells us what we need in Ephesians 6: 13 – 18 and in summary says “Stand firm… praying with all prayer and
supplication.” Prayer is the warfare! It is the battle upon which the spiritual war is waged. The battle is won or lost here. Dunn says “Before we ever step onto the battlefield of preaching or teaching or witnessing, the outcome has already been determined on the battlefield of prayer.” This is vividly portrayed in Exodus 17: 8-13 which beautifully captures intercessory prayer and is one of my favourite episodes in the bible.
The Amalekites attack the Israelites in the valley of Rephidim
. Moses says to Joshua, “Get your men and go down in to the valley and fight Amalek and I will go on top of the mountain and hold up the staff of God in prayer.” So Joshua follows Moses’ orders and leaves to fight. Meanwhile Moses is on the mountain with the staff of God and a strange thing happens. As long as Moses keeps his arms raised Israel has the advantage: when he lets his arms fall the advantage goes to Amelek. Eventually Israel is successful but we need to ask the question where was the battle decided? In the valley with Joshua? No, it was decided on the mountain with Moses. The victory in the valley is won by the intercession on the mountain. Ronald Dunn comments: “ The church could win more battles in the valley if it had more intercessors on the mountain lifting high the staff of God.” Prayer is the warfare. The battle for lost souls, for new family groups, for family days, for October days, for the evangelisation of the shrine is won by prayer and intercession. Dunn says, “Evangelism is not the attempt to win the battle – it is the mopping up operation after the victory has been won by intercession.” God is still looking for intercessors today to stand in the gap before Him for the sake of the land. When Jesus returns I want Him to find me on the mountain praying, holding up high the staff of God. Will He find you there too?

I’m glad my mother asked me pray intercessory prayers when I was a child because it not only helped those I was praying for but it encouraged me to think about my faith. I do not understand everything about prayer and at times I have seriously struggled with it. However, whether I understand or not I know this much: God assures me that my prayers will make a difference and he should know because Prayer was God’s idea!



Would you like to work in partnership with God to pray for the evangelisation of the Shrine?

Would you like to join an intercessory prayer group and commit to praying either in the Schoenstatt Shrine or in your own home shrine once a week?

Do you think God is calling you to this?

Please contact:
Joan Roddy 0161 301 4875/ Father Duncan 01204 572 077.

A Big Party for Families

A Big Party for Families

The Church is hosting a celebration for families around the world. The 6th World Meeting of Families took place in January 2009 in Mexico City, Mexico. Mexico has the second largest Catholic population in the world. The Meeting is held every three years. World Meetings of Families were begun by Pope John Paul II, who convoked the first one in Rome in 1994. Successive world meetings have been held in Brazil in 1997, in Rome in 2000, in the Philippines in 2003 and in Spain in 2006. The opening address in Mexico City was given before 10,000 participants and the final Mass on the Sunday included over one million people. The theme for this year’s Conference is: The Family as Teacher in Human and Christian Values.

A participant commented in the news; "
A lot of people are waking up. I've seen a lot of people who are already actively trying to help their family. People are coming back to the faith. They want to fix their family relationships. They are discovering that their family relationships are breaking apart, and this is because they haven't put God first. They stopped invoking him. They've stopped going to Mass. They stopped going to catechism or sending their children to catechism. And now that they see problems, they want to come back."


What are some of the main themes from the World Meeting?

Rights of Families
Everyone talks about rights today. However, they are usually talking about their own individualistic rights as absolute rights. The Christian vision also looks to the rights of the family and how the family can grow and be the foundation of a new humanity and a new civilisation of love. Rights also correspond to duties.

Family as the standard-bearer of society
If we truly wish a better world then we need to strengthen the family. In the family people learn humanity and how to love, or not. The family is the school of faith, especially in the face of the ethical and moral relativism, which is so prevalent today. The family is the place to learn freedom from the slavery of the 21
st
century – namely pornography and drugs. The family crisis, however, is not just a problem of morals; it goes much deeper and is rooted in various misunderstandings about the very nature of men and women and what it means to be human.

A cultural Battle
Political lobbies and pressure groups – usually with substantial financial backing – promote a vision of the world without God. They promote a disorder in values, where, for example, certain nations adopt laws that recognize homosexual couples as marriages, and even permit them to adopt children. They swamp society with the ideology of “gender theory”, which basically means that if someone is male or female it doesn’t make any difference, it is irrelevant. The subjective desires of the individual are paramount making the sexual difference practically insignificant, to the point of trying to equate heterosexual union and homosexual relations. According to this ideology the sexual difference inscribed in the biological reality of the man and the woman does not have significant influence in the sexual identity of the individuals because it is the result of a subjective orientation and a social construction. These well-organized pressure groups pursue their own interests to the detriment of the common good and a healthy society.

Family as the School of Love
We need to appreciate more the huge contradiction between the teachings of the Church regarding life and love and what it means to be human and the policies and rhetoric of powerful national and international governments and organizations. At the root of the enormous gap between the Church's call to respect the 'language of the human body' and the gift of human life and positions assumed by influential groups and governments about marriage and children, lies an impoverished and incomplete appreciation for the meaning of life itself: loving service, death to self as the path to 'finding oneself.'" For most people the family is the place where one learns to love, or not. At crucial developmental periods in life, if we do not come to understand what it means to experience an attentive, secure, sacrificial love, we will likely find it much more difficult to give and receive love later on. The family, as a "school of love", is "relentless" in assigning homework on the subject of the give and take of unconditional human love.

Life Lessons
The family is also where people learn many important life lessons that we can’t learn, in the same way, anywhere else. The family is where we first see the building of a bridge between males and females, between younger and older, and between diverse personalities. We learn the meaning of compromise, sacrifices and sharing. We learn what religion 'looks like' when it is lived out. We learn to forgive and experience first hand what fidelity means.

Cherishing the Gift
In the family, we learn - because we experience it totally with our bodies, our minds, our emotions and our spirits - the relationship between adult love and the blessing and gift of children. In the family, we practice loving the human person in his or her entirety - their body, their soul, their gifts, their promise, their hopes - and we love persons from the first moment of their existence to their last without exception. Is it any surprise, then, as John Paul II has said so often, that the family is where we get our first and most important glimpse of the character and quality of God's love? Marriage and the gift of children remain among the greatest blessings God has given us. Human beings in history will always glimpse God's face in such love. The unique constellation of total union, commitment, fidelity, and openness to new life that is marriage, will continue to offer the safest haven for the children God entrusts us. Like our Mother Mary, our inspiration, we must heed God's words, 'Do not be afraid' as we recommit ourselves to God's causes in marriage, motherhood and fatherhood.

Re-discover the Beauty
Christians should not focus all their energies on combating a secular and erroneous concept of marriage. Rather they should rediscover its beauty for themselves and propose this ideal to the world by living it in joy and conviction. Christians need to rediscover the biblical ideal of marriage and family so they can promote this ideal to the world. We propose our vision to he world with our actions and life, more than with our words and ideas. Perhaps Pope Benedict’s Encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" received such an ""uncommonly positive" welcome around the world, precisely because it is an Encyclical that insists on this vision of human love as a reflection of the love of God. The strategy, is not "to combat the world" but to "dialogue with it, drawing out the good even from criticisms and opposition.


The Virtue of Solidarity

Solidarity is key to discovering the truth about the family and the foundation for building a civilization of love. The concept of solidarity was first expressed by socialist Pierre Leroux as an alternative to "the Christian idea of love -- as the new, rational and effective response to social problems." However, it was Pope John Paul II, who purified the concept of solidarity, even to the point of describing solidarity as 'undoubtedly a Christian virtue' which 'finds its deepest roots in Christian faith' and 'is expressed in Christian love.' Often we speak in this regard about “communion”. We are all created in the image and likeness of God, i.e. this doesn’t simply mean that we are fashioned as such, but it also means that we should function as an image of God – committed to a life of loving communion with others. Solidarity's role in and through the family is more than just another 'social virtue' along with truth, freedom, justice, subsidiarity and charity. If solidarity's future must be built upon this communion of persons, then the champion of this communion is first and foremost the family. Without solidarity within the family, there can be no solidarity beyond the family.

More than a Meal
It is no more complicated than sitting down together at the table, but simply sharing family meals is key for children's development. The breakdown of the family is a symptom of a sick and weak society. Problems of all sorts increase in irregular families: Women are more likely to be abused, kids are more likely to use drugs, and women and children of broken families have a higher probability of living in poverty. Though it cannot be the solution for every problem, the simple act of eating together as a family has an effect on the development of children. According to a study done by the National Centre on Substance and Addiction at Colombia University, when comparing adolescents who eat dinner 0-2 times a week with their families and those who eat dinner 5-7 times, those who eat with their families more frequently are 40% more like to talk to their parents about a problem. Meanwhile, 171% of the teens who don't eat with their families note more tension at home. Academic performance went up 38%. Kids were 142% less likely to smoke, 93% less likely to drink, 191% less likely to use marijuana and 169% less likely to have more than half of their friends be drug users.

Parents take charge!

Parents must take hope that it is possible to pass on Christian values to their children, and take action to claim the right to educate their families. Some families do this brilliantly with great effort and devotion. However, he pointed out that many families fall short of this, because they have delegated much of their responsibility as educators to the local schools. No matter how good the school is in transmitting Christian values – and we have lots of fantastic schools in this regard – it can never substitute the education at home. Another force that takes education out of the hands of the family is the so-called "global youth culture." In this culture, the two most influential forces are the "sexual revolution" and the music and entertainment industry – aimed at a teenage audience. Instead of being introduced into a culture of love, children were and are abandoned to a culture of the use of each other for pleasure. Parents must wake up and take action! We must recall that it is our inalienable duty and therefore also our inalienable right to educate our own children. We need to spend time with children so as to transmit values, and become involved in their education for life. The unhealthy global youth culture is not an irresistible force. It is possible to pass on our own Christian culture. Many parents and families are already doing it.

Chastity Education
Sex education is chastity education - and these are lessons best taught in the family. The family creates favourable climate for sex education in a hyper-sexualized culture. However, there is a need to win back what the word “chastity” means. We need to clarify the concept of chastity: This virtue is a spiritual energy, which knows how to defend love from the dangers of egotism and aggressiveness, and knows now to promote it toward its total fulfilment. The reduction of sexuality to the merely instinctual dimension has favoured, moreover, in its most extreme and lowest manifestations, the spread of pornography and sexual violence. It is urgent for families to take on the primary role that they have in the affective and moral formation of their children. We can give children a lasting support and help through motivating them to sense their own dignity, to help them develop the capacity to possess and control oneself, openness to interior balance, and to be committed to the values of procreation, life and the family. We need to introduce them to the full truth about the human person and support them in loving the truth.

The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome
Are you as oblivious as Humpty Dumpty when it comes to the media, naively considering yourself a critical thinker when in actuality, you meekly swallow the preaching of today's opinion-makers? A great deal of the content to which children and young people are exposed through the media, is an educational challenge for the family. Violent content promotes violent actions. The same is true for TV programs with sexual content. What is worrisome is not limited to what is shown but "how it is presented," he said, noting a study that showed 80% of adolescent programming included sexual content. The media industry’s presentation of reality is like a set of crazy mirrors in front of a society, where everything can become a bit distorted and, in effect, unreal. Like Humpty Dumpty, the egg who was oblivious to his fragility, people are impoverished in their capacity to grasp reality due to the effects of media. They don’t take seriously enough that the media and entertainment industry for many families is the “master of the house” and the most influential teacher.

The Meeting of families in Mexico, involving approximately 80 nations, has a powerful message for the world. The families and speakers come from all five continents. The participation of families and individuals from Africa is particularly notable, proving that despite the distance and the cultural diversity, the value of the family and the formation of children is a constant in all of the cultures of the world. More than 150 presenters have come together to share their diverse charismas and support-tools in achieving a healthy and harmonious development in the family, as much in the economic realm as in the cultural and spiritual. Let’s hope that their message can be heard and can become the motivation for change.

(Father Duncan McVicar, taken from the News Bulletin)

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Article - A Big Party for Families

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Fire in the Shrine

Today, around 12 noon, a small fire started in the shrine, where the votive candles are lit. There has been some damage, but it could have been worse. Erhard (our volunteer) was the hero of the moment. Thankfully, he spotted the fire before it took hold. An unforgettable scene, was Father David running down to the Shrine with a watering can. I suppose the thought is what counts!

The grace of Confirmation

Today, Sunday 3rd May, we have the Sacrament of Confirmation for seven children and two teenagers. We congratulate Agnes Juan, Francis Kenyi, Luke Whittaker, Jack Berry, Chloe McGreavy, Emily Charleston, Sean Kavanagh, Kian Kilpatrick, Niamh Thorne. We wish them the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Please keep these young people in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you!

"Waste time" with the Lord

On Monday, 3rd May at 7.30pm, there is the start of a new initiative at the Shrine. Martin and Joan Roddy are beginning an hour of prayer in the Shrine on the first Monday on every month. The prayer is an intercessory prayer so that those who come to the Shrine may experience many graces - healing, renewal, new strength, inner peace. Everyone is invited to join in or take part at the same time in the Home Shrines. For more information 'phone the Schoenstatt Centre. Let's 'waste time' with the Lord and his Blessed Mother Mary!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Holy Family Project Ready!

The couples who completed the training course successfully last year are now available for minsitry the Diocese of Salford. The couples offer family days or retreats in parishes on the the themes of marriage and family life. Information and booking forms are available at the Schoenstatt Centre and will be distributed in the monthly announcements of the Bishop.

Ordination in Schoenstatt

Sincere congratulations to Daniel Borkovec and Frank Riedel who ordianed Deacons in the community of the Schoenstatt Fathers on 21st March 2009. We wish them every grace and blessing on their way to the priesthood.

Have a Picnic at the Schoenstatt Shrine

Spring and summer are in the air! Why not come and have your own famiyl picnic at the Shrine. there are beautiful sitting areas and open spaces for everyone! Tea and Coffee can be provided on request. We look forward to see you!

Month of May

Today is the first of May and signals a special month of prayer and renewal of faith with the help of our Blessed Mother Mary. In this month, there is a special invitation to come and visit the Shrine of Our Mother Thrice Admirable at Kearsley, Bolton. Before the Celebration of the Eucharist, there will be a decade of the Rosary in the intentions of our families and loved ones. here is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 5.00pm until 6.00pm. On Saturday, from 11,00pm until 12 Noon. Holy Mass Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 6.00pm and on Thursday at 7.300pm (afterwards refreshments) and on Saturday, at 12 noon. The Mass of the Parish Family is on Sunday at 9.30pm. We look forward to welcoming you at Schoenstatt!