Relics of St Theresa of Lisieux in Manchester

The relics of St Theresa of Lisieux - the "Little Flower" - is presently on pilgrimage throughout England and Wales. The relics will be in Salford Cathedral for the weekend 25th until 27th September 2009. We have booked a slot to visit the relics and pray together on Saturday, 26th September from 4.00pm until 5.00pm. A bus will leave from the Schoenstatt Centre - St John Fisher at 3.15pm. If you would like to be on the bus, please call the Schoenstatt Centre (01204 572077) beforehand to reserve a place. If may avoid disappointment on the day.

Fun Dates for your diary in September

We have two fun evenings planned for the month of September. There will be a Family Quiz Evening, led by the Barnes Family, on Saturday, 19th September, beginning at 7.30pm. The Quiz last year was a great success and was a real fun night out for everyone. Please pass the word and come along. Refreshments and snacks will be available. The second fun evening is our traditional Auction with Dame Nora Hartley. This will be on Saturday, 26th September beginning at 7.29pm. Please bring something along for the auction. The Auction last year raised hundreds of pounds. So come along and join the fun. Special Thanks to the Scottish Families in anticipation for coming down to lead the auction.

Meditation - The Schoenstatt Method

A little booklet has become very popular recently - "Meditation, the Schoenstatt Method". It is a brief outline of Father Kentenich's suggested method of taking some time with God in prayer and meditation. hundreds of the booklets have already been collected by pilgrims and visitors to the Shrine. It has been designed to fit into a wallet or pocket for easy access and use. Copies available at the Shrine. we can also send them to you by post. Please include a donation for post and packaging with your request.

New Volunteers arrived for 2009-2010

We offer a warm welcome to Christopher and Alex, who arrived on 7th August to begin their time here as volunteers for one year. they have settled into the cottage flat and are already feeling at home. Our last two volunteers - Feliz and Erhard - ahve both returned home. Erhard went with friends to Italy for a short break before starting his studies in English and Sport at the University. Felix decided to go on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and he walked around 400 kilometres. when he arrived at the Basilica, it is customary to "hug" the statue of St James, the apostle. He hugged it twice - once for the first time when he didn't know that you do this and a second time for his present-day pilgrimage. Felix will soon be starting at the University of Trier, stydying geography. We wish Felix and Erhard a good start and a new beginning and our two new volunteers that they feel completely at home and find good friends.

Shrine T-Shirts have arrived

Recently, we received a delivery of the new Shrine T-Shirts, polo-shirts and jacket hoddies with the shrine logo. they look very smart indeed. if you are interested in having one, please get in touch with the Schoenstatt Centre and we will help you out. Telephone: 01204 572077

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!

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!