Church Papers Archive

A&B News History

Newspaper for the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton

Mar 2020 edition of the A&B News

Page 1

To read A&B NEWS on line please visit www.abdiocese.org.uk/publications The Catholic Newspaper for the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton MARCH 2020 - No.350 A&B News FREE 8am – 5pm Come and visit us to ﬁnd out more… NURSERY OPENING HOURS STGEORGESWEYBRIDGE.COM/VISIT Still no Room at the Inn? S TILL NO ROOM AT THE INN? was the theme of the annual Justice and Peace Assembly held at the St Philip Howard Centre on 25 January. With an estimated 4,000 people sleeping rough on British streets every night, this is a national problem - but with particular impact on the South East - and the speakers gave compelling evidence of the reality of the problem and of the various ways we can help. The Assembly culminated with Bishop Richard signing an application to join the Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN). Caritas is the second largest humanitarian agency in the world, with Caritas organisations in 165 countries, actively promoting Jesus’ message of love and care for the poor. Bishop Richard said ‘The annual Assembly attracts good numbers of people, all of them keen to see the Social Teaching of the Church lived out in the life of parish and diocese. This year’s assembly, with speakers from charities across Sussex and Surrey, focussing on the needs of the homeless, was especially timely, given the number living on our streets or in inadequate accommodation. The formal application to join CSAN is an important development for us, since it will open up new possibilities for the Social Action of the Diocese.’ Pictured at the CSAN signing, L-R, Canon Kieron O’Brien Episcopal Vicar for Formation; Ashley Ralston Chair Social Action Commission,Bishop Richard; Ged Edwards Caritas National Development Ofﬁcer,Tessa Rickets, Adviser - Social Action. Pictured below: A section of the 130-strong audience in the hall at the St Philip Howard Centre. A full report on the Assembly can be found on pages 4 and 5. Rededication of England Timetable - Page 7 A&B D i v ine Reno v ation N et w o rk Page 8 D ann y F a v o r M a y o r of Ea s t Gr in s tead Page 11

Page 2

2 A&B NEWS March 2020 T HE RT REV MGR CANON PHILIP MOGER (right) is to become the next Rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. The role of the Rector is to oversee the mis- sion of the National Shrine and to be re- sponsible for the pastoral and spiritual care of pilgrims, the Shrine Chaplains and visiting clergy. The Rector also promotes the message and work of the Shrine nationally and internationally. Mgr Moger will take up his new responsibilities in September 2020, following the end of the ﬁve year term of ofﬁce of the current Rector of the Shrine, the Rt Rev Mgr John Armitage. Mgr Moger is a priest of the Diocese of Leeds and is currently the parish priest of St John Mary Vianney in Leeds. Story and picture: Catholic Communications Network New Rector for Walsingham E IGHT SIXTH FORM PUPILS from Catholic schools across Surrey and surrounding areas took part in this year’s Province 19 Catenian Public Speaking Competition, providing a thought-provoking evening for the 80 people who attended. Parents, teach- ers and Catenians lent their support to what turned out to be an excellent evening at St Joseph’s Parish Hall in Epsom. ‘It was a very competitive night, with an extremely high standard from all the speakers,’ said David Walsh, the schools’ coordinator for Epsom Circle. ‘Our three judges had their work cut out, because it was such a difﬁcult task to select the winners.’ The competitors were not afraid to tackle difﬁcult subjects. Talks in- cluded: ‘Do we deserve a Democracy?’, ‘To What Extent is your Culture your own?’ and ‘Students on the Edge’. Winner Sebastian Bramley from St George’s College, Weybridge, will now represent Province 19 in the National Competition on 13 September 2020 in Manchester. His theme was highly topical: ‘Voting is not a Right, but a Duty’. Sebastian won £100 and the honour of holding the shield which was presented by Catenian Director of Province 19 David Arundel. Malachy Walker from Richard Challoner School in New Malden was second (£50 prize) and Luke Farrelly from Thomas More Catholic School, Purley, took third place (£25 prize). All other competitors from The John Fisher School in Purley, Salesian College in Farnborough, Salesian School in Chertsey, St Mary’s School in Ascot, and the Ursuline High School in Wim- bledon were awarded a prize of £10. Story & picture: Vince Yearley Catholic Schools Hit High Standard in Public Speaking Parish Repositories I N OUR OCTOBER 2019 TO JANUARY 2020 issues, we carried stories of reposi- tories and bookstalls in a number of parishes across the diocese. We found an interesting spread of resources, providing somewhere fairly ac- cessible wherever you live. They are listed below, with a contact phone number where you can check availability. Should you be thinking of starting a parish repository or bookstall, some con- tributors included ideas in their article. Archive copies of A&B NEWS can be viewed on the diocesan website at www.dabnet.org/publications . You can contact a contributor on: Caterham 07905 292 936 Dorking 01306 743166 Ewell 0208 393 5572 (Parish ofﬁce) Horsham 01403 253667 (Parish ofﬁce) Selsey 07876 688 304 Woking 01483 760652 (Parish ofﬁce) Worth Abbey Whenever the Abbey church is open Worthing 01903 200416 (Parish ofﬁce) T h e To w e rs S c h ool to C lo s e - In a formal announcement issued by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament on 15 January, they advised that, with regret, they ‘con- sider that the possibility of reaching agreement which would avoid closure of the Towers has been exhausted and, as a result the consultation period has now come to an end. The Trustees have resolved to implement the proposal to close the school at the end of the summer term.’ WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE SCHOOLS ON THIS PAGE FOR SUPPORTING THE PAPER A magnificent 25-acre campus in the heart of Surrey “Parents are confident of the academic standards...” Good Schools Guide Visit our website: St. Joseph’s Specialist Trust & click on ‘Recruitment’ St. Joseph’s Specialist Trust If your School would like to If your School would like to wish our readers a wish our readers a Happy and Holy Easter in Happy and Holy Easter in the next edition, please get the next edition, please get in touch by in touch by Monday 16th March. Monday 16th March. Contact Janet on Contact Janet on 07931 836907 07931 836907 or email or email janett@cathcom.org janett@cathcom.org SUNDAY TIMES TOP 100 PREP SCHOOLS PERSONAL TOURS Please call to arrange a visit Independent Catholic primary school and nursery welcoming boys and girls aged 2 - 11. ISI rated ‘Excellent’ in all areas with small classes and affordable fees. Scholarship and 100% 11+ success (2019/20) 01892 783414 www.sacredheartwadhurst.org.uk We always advertise in the A&B News as it is the perfect place to promote our school to our target audience at very reasonable rates. The advertising team is pleasant and efficient to deal with and we see it as a way of giving something back and supporting the work of the Diocese. Independent Catholic primary school and nursery. ISI rated ‘Excellent’ in all areas. 01892 783414 www.scaredheartwadhurst.org.uk

Page 3

A&B NEWS March 2020 3 H AVING RECENTLY LEFT THE ROLE of Catholic Chaplain to the University of Sussex after 13 years, I have been reﬂecting on the role of chaplains in our universities. Bishops are required by Canon Law to provide priest chaplains and chaplaincy centres to serve our universities, but with the pressures on manpower faced by the bishops, many ﬁnd this a difﬁcult duty to fulﬁl. Going to university, for most young people, marks a huge shift in their experience and a major turning point in their lives as they leave home for the ﬁrst time. By providing them with chaplaincy centres, we give them a place of welcome, support and security, where they can meet like-minded people and form lasting friendships within their faith community. The provision of full-time priest chaplains, available for them at any time of the day or night (students tend to keep unsocial hours) shows that the Church takes our young people seriously at a vulnerable time in their lives. Young people make a valuable contribution to the life of the Church today and will be the movers and the shakers in the Church in the future. Stu- dents are generally able to have a much closer relationship with their university chaplains than they would be able to do with priests in a busy parish, and the sense of community, which is at the heart of the life of the Church as the body of Christ in each place, can be much stronger in a chaplaincy than in a large parish. Role of University Chaplains Former students Dr Jonny Blackwell, Fr Peter Merva and Mark O’Farrell with Fr Paul Wilkinson pictured at the ordination of Fr Peter in Hungary Joyous Occasion at East Grinstead O N THE EVENING of Thursday 23 January, we welcomed Bishop Richard to Our Lady and St Peter, East Grinstead, for the installation Mass of Fr Jack Lusted ( pictured above) . Also on the altar were Fr Raymond Tumba (Crawley), Fr Francis Ezennia (Horley) and Deacon Tom Kent. (See picture on the right.) Fr Jack has been with us since March and in sole charge since the retirement of Fr Stephen Purnell in June. In his homily, Bishop Richard touched on the range of Fr Jack’s experience. A real Sussex man, Fr Jack was born in Eastbourne, educated in Hailsham and studied at the University of Sussex. After graduation, he taught physics and then worked for British Telecom before answering a call to the Anglican ministry. He served in Chichester Chaplains also have an important role to play in encouraging the sense of vocation in the students and staff they serve. This is vocation in its widest sense, but chaplains have a particular role in encouraging an openness to the idea of religious vocation. In the time I was at Sussex, students and former students going into some form of religious formation averaged just under one every two years. I recently went to Hungary for the ordination of Peter Merva, a former psy- chology student. (See picture below.) Both he and another former student, Mark O’Farrell, now a seminarian at Maynooth, commented that their involvement in the chaplaincy had played a signiﬁcant part in their developing sense of vocation. I’ve also been asked to celebrate many weddings around the world, and many former students have kept in touch long after graduation, making clear the important part their experience of the chaplaincy has played in the journey of their lives. University chaplaincy is a very specialised ministry, working within institutions which do not always hold the same values as the Church, and dealing with young people at a critical time in their lives. It is quite different from school chaplaincy and parish ministry, and requires chaplains of maturity and plenty of ‘life experience’ as we not only have to deal with often complex personal, mental and social problems, with people from many different cultures around the world, but are often acting in loco parentis to young people far from home. It is not by accident that most university chaplains are in their ﬁfties or sixties or older. As chaplains we play a small, but priv- ileged, role in young people’s journey through life. As St Oscar Romero put it: ‘We plant seeds which one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We may never see the end results. We are prophets of a future that is not our own.’ Story and picture: Fr Paul Wilkinson diocese until the autumn of 2014 when he was received into the Catholic Church. After training at St John’s Sem- inary, Wonersh, Jack was or- dained a deacon in June 2018. He worked as a deacon in Crowbor- ough until his ordination as a priest in Arundel Cathedral in December 2018. Bishop Richard welcomed Jack’s wife Sarah and daughter Esther as well as representatives from other churches in East Grin- stead. Parishioners of Our Lady and St Peter attending ncluded East Grinstead town mayor and mayoress Danny and Maribel Favor. Following Mass, a buffet reception was held across the road in the church hall of Moat United Reform Church. We are grateful to Moat Church for their welcome as our own hall is too small for large gatherings. Story: Clive Carpenter Pictures: Nick Bozzini Open Morning Saturday 2 May 2020 Marden Park, Woldingham, Surrey, CR3 7YA woldinghamschool.co.uk Leading independent Catholic day and boarding school for girls, set in 700 acres of beautiful Surrey countryside.

Page 4

4 A&B NEWS March 2020 A&B NEWS The official monthly paper of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton Edito r : Harry Robertson D e pu t y Edito r : David White Edito r ial Ass i s tant s : J ackie Ballard, John Lodge, Veronica Peppiatt S p ecial C o rr e s p ondent s : Peter Burholt, Pauline Groves A dmini s t r ati v e Ass i s tant : Ruth Gerun Edito r ial O ffice : St Philip Howard Centre, 4 Southgate Drive, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 6RP Telephone: 01293 513052 Email : abnews@abdiocese.org.uk W eb s ite : www.abdiocese.org.uk D i s t r ib u tion en qu i r ie s : Ruth Gerun, Editorial Office P u blication date : Last Sunday of the month for the follow- ing month. Opinions expressed by contributors are not nec- essarily those of the Editor or the Diocese. The Arundel and Brighton Diocesan Trust is a registered charity: No. 252878. A d v e r ti s ing : Janet, janett@cathcom.org 01440 730399 or 07931 836907 P u bli sh e rs : Bellcourt Limited, Business Centre, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7BN E DI T O R IAL B O A R D of A&B N E W S Canon Kieron O’Brien, Harry Robertson, Dr Kate Williamson, Laura Maydew-Gale A SHLEY RALSTON, the Chair of the Diocesan Social Action Commission, opened the event on Saturday 25 January followed by Tessa Ricketts, the Diocesan Caritas Social Action Adviser, who read from Isaiah and concluded with the Lord’s Prayer. Bishop Richard welcomed everyone and added that the diocese has a great tradition on how we can respond to homelessness, a problem especially in Brighton. The MC, Miranda Litchﬁeld, a member of our Diocesan Social Action Commis- sion, introduced herself and then the main speaker Dr Pat Jones, ( below ) who took the platform. Pat began by asking us to think about the importance of having a home, a place to be. Many homeless people only have a bed in a hostel, someone else’s sofa, or a room with damp and cockroaches; none of these is an adequate home. A home is not just shelter or a physical space. It is also a theological space; the place we are is the place in which we deal with God and discover our freedom to re- spond to God’s love. It’s a place where, in the words of psalm 137, we can sing the Lord’s song. It’s also a political space; having a home declares that we are part of society, citizens. It gives us belonging. That’s why the situation of refugees mat- ters so much; they have lost their home, they are in exile. Again, remember psalm 137; how can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? She then presented some voices talking about the experience of being homeless, and asked us two questions: - What connects us and the homeless peo- ple whose lives we glimpse? - How far is their ﬂourishing our responsibility, and why? (The stories and voices of people experiencing homelessness can be found on the Instagram account, #thepeopleproject ) C at h olic S ocial Teac h ing Next Pat explored what Catholic Social Teaching (CST) can offer that helps us understand these questions and work out why we should respond, and how. Pat began by explaining how she sees CST, the documents that express how the Church through its teaching voices carries out what Benedict called its ‘mission of truth’. CST looks like an accumulation of texts; but in fact it’s a developing, changing, gradually expanding set of tools for working out what to say and what to do. It has gaps; it changes and expands into new areas; it’s conditioned by history and context; it also contains enduring truths grounded in theology. Pat pointed out that housing and home- lessness is one of the gaps in papal teach- ing. The last document from a Vatican department was in 1987, then Pope Fran- cis included several paragraphs about housing in Laudato Si in 2015, but there has been no substantial treatment. But there are moves towards greater atten- tion in CST to homelessness. In 2018, three documents were issued by local bishops’ conferences. Our own Catholic bishops in England and Wales issued Abide in Me (available here www.csan.org.uk/wp- content/uploads/2018/11/Abide-in-Me- CSAN.pdf ) through their agency, CSAN, a document which invites discussion, de- bate and action at every level of the Church. The Bishops in Australia and Ireland also issued documents analysing their own homelessness and housing challenges. All three are worth reading. But in another sense, she continued, this is not a gap. No papal document does not mean no social teaching. In the area of homelessness, teaching is also communi- cated in deep Catholic concern and practi- cal engagement. She described the examples of Vincentian charities and the global Vincentian family’s work on homelessness, and all the initiatives of Pope Francis and his almoner, Cardinal Krajewski, with homeless people. These communicate important messages. So Pat next asked whether CST does have something important to offer? Per- haps it starts from Pope Francis’ ques- tions. In New York, when visiting some homeless people in 2015, he said ‘And those of us who do have a home, a roof over our heads, would also do well to ask: Why do these, our brothers and sisters, have no place to live? Why are these broth- ers and sisters of ours homeless?’ Ch a r it y Pat then reﬂected that we tend to think that response to homelessness is about charity or caritas; attending to people’s suffering and needs. Pope Benedict writes beautifully about it in Deus Cari- tas Est. He explains how loving response to people in need is part of the essential nature of the Church, as important as the liturgy or sacraments. It is something we do because God loves us ﬁrst; we fail to respond to that love if we do not feed and shelter those in need. This always matters; but sometimes it may not be the most helpful thing. Giving money to people begging may make us feel better but it may not be the most loving re- sponse. Our idea of charity may also be inﬂuenced more by what it means in our culture, a rather thin idea of donating, and even expecting praise and freebies in return. There are two risks with this thin ver- sion of charity. First, it casts people as recipients, not people who are agents in their own lives. Dina Nayeri writes: ‘Ac- cepting charity is an ugly business for the spirit. It rubs you raw, especially if you were once someone with pride and lofty goals, someone who shook hands and locked eyes.’ Secondly, it only tells part of the truth about the relationship between me and the person who is home- less. There are other dimensions, both personal and structural. Justice is in- volved, as well as my own ﬂourishing, what I gain and why I need to act. The justice dimension is about the economic and political structures which allow homelessness when it can be eradicated. Danny Dorling, an eminent academic ge- ographer comments ‘ we have more hous- ing in the UK than we ever had before; we just share it out more unfairly ’. T h e C ommon G ood Pat then proposed that we need to look at homelessness using the idea of the common good, a central principle in CST, but one that often seems vague or ab- stract. Pope Benedict explains that work- ing for the common good is political path of charity. Vatican II explained it as the social conditions that allow everyone access to their own fulﬁlment. The key elements of the common good idea are that it’s about everyone; about all the dimensions of being human; and it has to be participatory – it can’t be done to people or for people. It’s a process, always incomplete, because of our failures and weakness; Theologically, it can be seen as the groundwork for God’s Kingdom to grow. Crucially, it’s something we seek together with people of goodwill. We have to rea- son and feel our way towards the social goods that construct it. It’s both about deep ethical principles – dignity, rights, justice – and about pragmatic realities, such as homelessness and housing. It’s often easiest to see what it means when we recognise it is absent or missing, when we say about something, or about someone’s situation – this is not right. In relation to homelessness, the per- spective of the common good asks us to see that we’re all connected to the situa- tion of homelessness that some people experience, we’re all implicated. Home- lessness happens in our society, in which we have homes and property; in which we can examine the policies of those seeking ofﬁce and vote, locally and na- tionally. The fundamental question that the common good asks is also asked by our faith; do we believe that we can only fully ﬂourish when all of us, everyone, can ﬂourish? The starting point is compas- sion, Benedict’s caritas; our faith nudges and schools us in this, and we can see compassion as a kind of reasoning, using our imagination to see what is lacking and what is owed to each person. But it has to go further; we have to be attracted to the good of all for its own sake; and for us as Christians, because we know that this is what God wants, what God calls us to do. P r actical S u gge s tion s What can we do? Pat concluded with three practical suggestions: - W h ene v e r w e get into con v e rs ation s abo u t h o u s ing o r h o u s e p r ice s, r e s i s t t h e economic v ie w t h at h o u s ing i s j u s t a commodit y; h o u s ing i s a s ocial good . E v e ry time w e tal k abo u t h o u s e p r ice s, w e ’r e getting s u c k ed into a fal s e logic , a logic of ca p itali s m . - I n o u r p a r i sh e s, w e can t ry to tell a la r ge r s to ry abo u t h omele ss ne ss and h o u s ing . W e can al s o inte rr ogate o u r p olitician s, and in s i s t on anot h e r w o r ld v ie w. I f t h e a r g u ment s ta r t s f r om c h a r it y, it need s to e x p and to t h e idea of t h e common good , and t h e t r u e w a y of s eeing in wh ic h an y one ’s h omele ss - ne ss h a s im p lication s fo r o u r o w n ﬂ o u r i sh ing and t h at of o u r c h ild r en . - W e can p r omote h o s ting s c h eme s. Justice and Peace Annual Assembly 2020 ‘Still, no room at the Inn? How can w e respond to the Homelessness Crisis facing our Society JUST A THOUGHT T HE WALSINGHAM BOOKSHOP was overwhelmed with orders for the free copy of ’ 33 Days to Morning Glory ’, Fr Michael Gaitley’s guide to consecration to Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary, and they ran out – but have now received fresh stocks. Coinciding with the programme for the rededication of England, personal rededication is scheduled for 29 March, assuming that the 33-day consecration plan for individual consecration started by 21 February. So, if you did not receive a copy of Fr Gaitley’s guide by 21 February, you may be concerned at missing out on personal consecration. The good news is that the 33-day con- secration can begin anytime during the year - or any year - and page 2 of Fr Gaitley’s booklet suggests appropriate Marian feast days for starting and con- cluding the project. The Walsingham bookshop (01328 821794) and SPHC (contact jon.har- man@abdiocese.org.uk) have supplies of ’ 33 days .’ A great project for Lent! M eeting ‘ T h e G od W h o S p ea ks’ t h i s L ent IT’S EASY FOR THE ‘THEMED’ years proposed by international bod- ies to pass us by. (2020 is the United Nations Year of Plant Health – who knew?!) But I hope you have regis- tered that (for English & Welsh Catholics, at least) 2020 is ‘The Year of the Word’. It’s particularly ﬁtting that this invi- tation to explore God’s Word should coincide with the ‘Year A’ cycle of Sunday readings, because its Lenten Gospels are those traditionally used to prepare adults for baptism. First, we hear Matthew’s take on the stories we hear every Lent – both the Temp- tation in the Wilderness and The Transﬁguration. But then we switch to John’s Gospel to meet the woman at the well, the man born blind and Lazarus emerging from his tomb. Such is ‘the God who speaks’ (to bor- row the year’s subtitle): the Christ who waits, unrecognised, at the well to ask us for a drink; the Christ who heals our blindness; the Christ who leads us out from our places of death. Together with all those preparing for baptism in our parishes at the Easter Vigil, may these forty days make us thirstier for God’s Word, clearer in our vision, more alive in our faith, hope and love. Fr Rob Esdaile Our Lady of Lourdes, Thames Ditton

Page 5

A&B NEWS March 2020 5 U n p ac k ing t h e My t hs J o h n H ol s t r om , t h e Ch ief E x ec u ti v e of T u r ning Tide s, and Ch a s W al k e r, t h e Ch ief E x ec u ti v e of t h e YMCA D o w n s lin k Gr o up (pictured below L-R) took the platform for their presentation titled Unpacking the Myths. John explained that T u r ning Tide s originally was set up by the local churches in Worthing to end local rough sleeping and local omelessness. They have around 120 staff and 320 volunteers to provide hubs, hostels and move on accommodation in Worthing, Littlehampton, Horsham and Mid Sus- sex. They know anyone’s life can unravel into homelessness and bring together compassionate individuals and organi- sations to transform the lives of people in the local community and change perceptions of homelessness. They provide a warm, safe space to listen to anyone who comes for help. Local people experiencing homeless- ness are supported and empowered to become conﬁdent and ﬁnd the strength and belief in themselves to create a brighter future. While progress has been made, to reduce rough sleeping all communities and local charities must continue to work together. Chas explained that YMCA is the oldest and largest youth movement in the world with over 7,000 local YMCA’s in 120 Countries providing services to 65 million people. He said that at the heart of YMCA are the founding Christian values supporting our mission that all young people should be able to belong, contribute and thrive in their local com- munities. YMCA D o w n s lin k Gr o up supports nine local YMCA’s across Sussex and Surrey reaching over 13,000 young lives every year including providing housing to 1,400 young people, counselling sup- port to over 6000 children and young people and youth services for over 5000 young people. He explained that one of their activi- ties was to provide a place and space for young people to feel safe through accommodation, training, learning, support and advice, counselling and mediation that will lead to better life chances and a positive future. Speciﬁc comments and suggestions followed from both Chas and John: - Rough sleeping has increased by 250% over the last two years. - Homelessness is not all about rough sleepers but includes sofa surfers, those who sleep in cars and the like. - Housing authorities has a legal duty to provide temporary accommodation for priority needs but there is a short- age of available housing. This includes the 16-18 age range, but after 18 years age there is considred no priority need. How to Help - Contact your local housing authority for their statistics, including temporary accommodation, and then you may identify how to open doors. - Get involved – volunteers do make a profound difference, especially for young people. Go to your local YMCA where one-third are volunteers. - Respond to begging – ask the person’s name ﬁrst, give advice on where to go, such as Turning Tides, Streetlink, Um- brella Brighton & Hove, and Snowﬂake Night Shelter St Leonard’s-on-Sea. It will give the individuals hope and allow them to be treated as human beings. Cr a w le y Op en H o u s e I an W il k in s of Cr a w le y Op en H o u s e (C O H) spoke on How can we respond to homelessness? He explained that COH has served the homeless and vulnerable of Crawley and Sussex since 1994. Today it runs a 26 bed high-support hostel, a busy drop-in day centre open 365 days a year, three move-on houses and a com- munity outreach team. No one locally does more to try and support those who have fallen through the cracks, for what- ever reason. It’s an independent charity and relies heavily on the generosity of places of worship, companies, schools, Trusts and individuals. Ian (pictured above) related stories of some of those who were brought back into the community including a 72-year- old retired pilot, a building worker who was no longer estranged from his family after three years, and many who needed help with forms and appointments. He added that they have many volun- teers who have skills in hairdressing, chiropody, cooking, PAT testing, bikes reapir, football etc. and this helps treat people as people and gives them heart. How to Help He went on to say that COH often- needs volunteers to help in the kitchen and food warehouse, other ways to help include: - Donations of new socks & under- wear, tinned food, toiletries, dog food and sleeping bags are gratefully received year round - Hold a bake sale, quiz, cycle ride or dress down day in your ofﬁce to raise vital funds - Come and visit – we’ll show you around and tell you more about our work. More details and how to contact COH at www.crawleyopenhouse.co.uk Ian concluded by commenting that compassion is not enough it also needs wisdom and action. If you have a life skill use it. H omelin k J oan W ignall , t h e Ch ai r and Chr i s tine T u tt t h e S ec r eta ry of L e w e s D i s t r ict Ch u r c h e s H O M E LINK – H el p ing Peo p le into H o u s ing (pictured below) explained that they are an ecumenical charity, working in Lewes District, to prevent homelessness. They aim to assist people who have nowhere else to turn for help, enabling them to stay in their area, near their families, schools and friends. Over the past two decades, they have helped over 2,500 people into privately rented accommodation. They also make about 40 grants annually to local people in need of essential items, or to those with nowhere to go on release from HMP Lewes. Set up in 1998, by local church representatives, HOMELINK now works with many different partner organisa- tions supporting new tenancies across East and West Sussex. They offer interest-free loans to cover deposits and advance rent, allowing those of limited means, who are able to live independently, to access the private rental sector. Finding an average of £1,600 upfront costs makes moving house prohibitively expensive for appli- cants, the majority of whom have been served a Section 21 Eviction Notice and may already be in emergency Council accommodation. They have adopted a sustainable cycle of giving in which each beneﬁciary plays a crucial part. The loan is repaid at an agreed rate – typically £30 a month over 5 years – that is genuinely afford- able to each tenant. These repayments form the mainstay of Homelink’s income: by making and completing them, our tenants are helping the next individuals and families who apply for assistance. In 2018 they facilitated 95 new tenan- cies and made 40 small grants, and in 2019 facilitated 98 new tenancies and made 35 small grants (with 5 more agreed). Feedback stories include: ‘With your help I am now able to start to rebuild my life after spending 10 years in prison. I am a testament to how you are helping to change lives’ and ‘I was living in a women’s refuge, a long way from my children. HOMELINK were generous, kind and empathetic and actually lis- tened.’ S etting U p a S imila r O r gani s ation They will help others to set up a similar organisation but do not want to expand there area as they are settling down to a level they can sustain, and it would dilute their local content which is a vital part of their work. They can be contacted via the website at www.leweshomelink.org.uk L ife - P r egnanc y M atte rs A presentation was made by V ic ky O ’Br ien , L in k 4 Manager of L ife , on H el p ing H omele ss W omen . Vicky (pic- tured right top) advised that they sup- ported young mums and did not turn anyone away. They have a shop in East- leigh, Southampton. As an example of their work they re- cently supplied 180 pregnancy test kits. How to Help To help they need fundraising, dona- tions, volunteers such as cooks and handymen (and women) and to adopt a Life House. Talks can be arranged in parishes. They can be contacted at lifecharity.org.uk C a r ita s Po r t s mo u t h K e v in G allag h e r of C a r ita s Portsmouth (pictured below) ex- plained that Caritas deals with in-coun- try as opposed to CAFOD which deals with overseas. They have six strategic projects and homelessness is one of them and they use Caritas principles to develop homeless projects. They promote refugee community sponsorship and are following Pope Francis’ ‘May every parish take in one refugee family’. These sponsorships are awarded to schools who present their projects. One initiative is the provision of mats for coffee cups – one red saying ‘Not today’ and the other green ‘Hello’. How to Help Contact them if your parish or school would like to start a Caritas project. Kevin concluded with a quote from St Oscar Romero ‘Those who have a voice must speak to the voiceless’. C lo s ing P r a y e r Ashley Ralston concluded with thanks to everyone and read the P r a y e r fo r t h o s e w o rk ing w it h t h e h omele ss (r efe r - encing Is aia h 58 : 7- 8, T h e M e ss age ) www.thesanctuarycentre.orgjwhere - worldandworshipmeet Justice and Peace Annual Assembly 2020 continued See www.sussexheritage.co.uk Contact Maria on 01903 413606 INDIVIDUALLY GUIDED RETREATS 6 - 9 April 3 Day 31 May - 4 June 4 Day 2 - 11 November 8 Day DAYS OF REFLECTION 10 March Lent Day 12 May Living the Resurrection Beautiful country house near Arundel Time, peace and space to listen to God Please support our Advertisers

Page 6

6 A&B NEWS March 2020 Lenten frontal project at Heron’s Ghyll ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST Church is in the village of Heron`s Ghyll, to be found in the Wealden district of East Sussex. Our church was built at the end of the nineteenth century but in the style of early 13th Gothic. So, when it came to designing a new Lenten superfrontal for the altar it was appro- priate that medieval artistic traditions inﬂuenced the design of its embroidery, and in particular, that the design drew inspiration from the gospel of our church patron. In medieval England, when embroidery was an important art form known as Opus Anglicanum (1050-1380 AD), coloured glass beads were used in the ﬁnest work. Ecclesiastical bead embroi- dery has since found intermittent favour in Christian art, but this century has been revived at Heron`s Ghyll and the beadwork on our superfrontal is in shades of gold with some red beads alluding to the blood of Christ. It was the custom for ladies in the middle ages to embroider orphreys for the `good of their souls`; two of our parishioners offer their ‘cunning work’ Exodus (26:1) and live in hopes of salvation! St. John’s gospel is steeped in inner biblical allusions, showing how Jesus fulﬁlled Old Testament prophecies - like Isaiah’s - but it is also abundant in sym- bolism. A variety of Christian symbols related to the passion are illustrated in our superfrontal. T h e c r o ss e s Three crosses command the middle of the purple damask. A passion cross with the titulus crucis at the head (John 19:20) is central (John 19:18). Red and clear crystals appear on the left side of the cross for ‘one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and at once there came out blood and water’ (John 19:34) thus fulﬁlling the words of the prophet Zechariah (20:10). The two other crosses were embroi- dered to resemble the Lampedusa crosses of our own day. Tragically, the Mediterranean Sea remains the largest migrant cemetery in the world and during the creation of this frontal at least 5,000 refugees perished there. The island carpenter, Francesco Tuccio, fashioned crosses from driftwood as a reﬂection on the survivor’s salvation from the sea and hope for the future. Returning to St John’s gospel it is notable that only he makes no moral judgement on the ‘two others’ cruciﬁed with Jesus; in his words they are simply ‘others’ - not thieves or robbers as described by the other evangelists. Moreover, his gospel is the only book in the Bible claiming it was written for the express purpose of bringing people to eternal salvation. (John 20:30-31) Plant s and animal s Across our superfrontal panel, t wo birds on either side are set amid scrolling goldwork embroidery with plants , most of which are mentioned only by St John: for instance Christ’s thorn (John 19:2; 19:5), hyssop (John 19:29), myrrh and aloes (John 19:39), spikenard (John 12:3; 12:7), and palm leaves (John 12:13). Spikenard alludes here to both Mary of Bethany (John 11:2; 12:3 & 7) and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25); it is also used in Catholic iconography to represent St Joseph. Pope Francis has included spike- nard in his coat of arms for this reason. As the super- frontal has been worked during his papacy, copies of that image have been used. In the Middle Ages, the thistle became a Chris- tian symbol as the white mark- ings on the leaves were said to be caused by milk dripping from Our Lady while she breast- fed the infant Jesus. St John’s is the only Gospel to record the Virgin Mary’s pres- ence by the cross (John 19:25), so the milk thistle has been used in our design. The embroidery of the thistles was worked while one of our parishioners was abroad adopting her baby thus further enhancing this frontal with profound emotional signiﬁcance. As the symbol of St. John is an eagle, relevant birds seemed appropriate in showing his account of the Passion. Four birds were chosen for their red details to reference the blood of Christ: a cockerel with his red comb (John 13:38; 18:27), a goldﬁnch with his red face (from a post-biblical legend), a pelican in her piety (from Physiologus , a second cen- tury Christian publication) and a red- legged partridge representing St John (from a tale in Jacobus de Voragine’s thirteenth century Golden Legend ). Scrolling goldwork was used to recall the old testament prophets and the parchment scroll of Isaiah found near the Dead Sea. While the only record we have of Jesus writing was ‘on the ground’ (John 8:6), for our part we have drawn up a document detailing this embroidered work for parish records; it has been researched and written commemorating the medieval guild which served illuminators, scribes, manuscript-makers and parchment- makers and others in the book trade. Based in Bruges, Belgium, it was called the Guild of St John the Evangelist. The Lenten frontal project has been embroidered in memory of a parish- ioner who, for 51 years, was a loyal member at Heron’s Ghyll church until her death in 2017. We hope that it will also be a means of helping onlookers towards a closer union with God through a contemplation of these em- broidered symbols inspired by the gospel of St John the Evangelist. Story & pictures: Liza Vaughan-Hughes

Page 7

A&B NEWS March 2020 7 Rededication of England as the Dowry of Mary Mary, our Mother M ARY IS OUR DIVINE MOTHER. Jesus gave her to us from the cross saying ‘ here is your mother’ (John 19: 27); and my Catholic heritage tells me this is much more than some abstract theologi- cal concept but a very real gift, from an abundantly generous God, should we choose to accept it. As with most mothers she wants entirely what is best for her children. She knows that a relationship with her son, Jesus, and trust in God the Father and an openness to the Holy Spirit is what is best for us. She is also the perfect example of how to know, love and serve Jesus; and to have trust and faith in Him. Mary leads us to Jesus ﬁrstly through her ‘yes’ to him at the Annunciation. Her example of joy and praise that she sings in her heart in the Magniﬁcat at the Visitation, and surely at his birth too, shows us how to honour and praise Him. At the wedding feast at Cana she knew beyond doubt that he could help, that nothing really was impossible for Him just as the angel Gabriel had promised. As a mother myself I can picture the scene where she brings the problem to her son`s attention: did Jesus really not see the issue, did she give him a look that only a mother can give her child to silently encourage his response, or did Jesus himself want generations to know of her loving inﬂuence on him? Whatever the case, her presence was considered pivotal enough to be men- tioned by those writing about Jesus`s ﬁrst miracle as ‘ he revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him "’(John 2:11- 12). She understands our pain when we lose our way and sight of Him during life`s journey; she lost Him herself when He was 12 years old and only found Him after three days of searchng. Mary shows us that he can be found in ‘his Fa- thers house’, and through the word of God in scripture ‘ sitting among the teachers listening to them and asking them questions ’(Luke 2:46-47). She shows us from her physical closeness to Jesus on the cross how to respond with trust and faithful persever- ance in God when pain, separation and death come, as it ine vitably does. Her silent witness shows us that pondering God`s ways in our heart is often the best response when the inexplicable hap- pens. She also shows us that to ask ‘how can this be’ is not an unreasonable question when we are blindsided by the unexpected. Finally, it was she who witnessed ﬁrst hand the power of the Resurrection and who understands better than us the big- ger picture of our salvation. We, as chil- dren, still very much setting out on the journey of faith need her steadying, lov- ing, maternal inﬂuence to bring us to Jesus. If we have Him we have every- thing; and Mary, our Divine Mother, knows this. Story: Jackie Ballard M a ry S aid ‘Y e s’ to G od , w ill y o u al s o s a y ‘Y e s’ in 2020? M a ry’s ‘Y e s’ T h e A nn u nciation ‘ ..Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your Word.’ (Luke 1:38) A T THE ANNUNCIATION, Mary said yes to the Angel Gabriel, who asked her to give birth to God’s son. She freely accepts God’s will in her life. We also are free to say yes or no to God. The story of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) perfectly describes the route of our spiritual journey: Before ever we seek God, He is seeking us and initiates the conversation; but we are hesitant and fearful; as we seek to understand God’s will in our life; God reminds us of our experience of His love for us, and that ‘nothing is impossible for God’. If we, like Mary, say yes to God, we will conceive the Word in our heart, and bring Christ’s love into our families, communities, and our world, for we shall share her joy that ‘ My soul gloriﬁes the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour, for the Almighty has done great things for me. ’ (Luke 1:46) Ou r Pe rs onal Y e s T h e Rededication , 2020 ‘Stand at the crossroads and look, seek for the ancient paths: which was the good way? Take it and you will ﬁnd rest for yourselves.’ (Jeremiah 6:16) The loneliness of our modern world is not eased by a superﬁcial happiness. Hope arises from a deep well within us that is known as joy! We relentlessly seek momentary happiness, but we have forgotten the meaning of joy. Joy is a consequence of knowing that we are unique because we are loved, and this love begins with God. Joy is to happiness, what the deep sea is to a puddle. Happiness, like puddles, dry up quickly. Happiness is often temporary and mostly dependent on our choices, feelings, or events. Joy is like the deep sea; ever present, life-giving, and uncontrollable by its nature. It is a form of companionship, an inner strength, that gives comfort. It is a presence that is gentle, and as we journey through life it is the reassurance we are never alone. With Joy in our lives, like Mary we shall hear the words of Gabriel, ‘ Do not be afraid, Mary... for nothing is impossi- ble for God. ’ (Luke 1:26-38). Surely the most joyful words ever spo- ken, and when we take them to heart, and proclaim our ‘Yes’, we shall ﬁnd the peace and happiness we so desire because we will have the joy of God in our hearts. A joy which gives us the grace to build a family and a country that truly knows the meaning of peace. The Re-dedication of England as Mary’s Dowry is a personal and communal entrustment of our lives as individuals and the people of our coun- try. Following in the example of Mary’s ‘Yes’ at the Annunciation, it is our own renewal of the ‘Yes’ which has echoed through our history, for her guidance to Christ and our protection under her. The prayer of the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham (below), lays out for us the path to follow that we may say our Yes. Open your heart, that you may bring Christ to life for others, and with Mary’s prayers and protection continue to wel- come Him into your life, and you will build a ‘Holy House’. 2020 Timetable FORMAL PUBLIC ANNOUNCE- MENT by the Bishops of England and Wales about the rededication of England as the Dowry of Mary. Catholics, and anybody else who wants to join in, will be invited to begin a PERSONAL 33 DAY CONSE- CRATION to Jesus through Mary following the method of St Louis de Montfort. Free books written by Fr Michael Gaitley entitled, `33 Days to Morning Glory’ will be sent from the shrine, on request. Wednesday, the Feast of the Annunci- ation. All who are following the consecration will CONSECRATE THEMSELVES to Jesus through Mary on this day . A three-day TRIDUUM OF PRAYER in which all will be invited to recite the litany of Saints and Martyrs of England and pray the rosary in preparation for the rededication. A PERSONAL REDEDICATION as the dowry of Mary. This will be done in Westminster, Walsingham, every Cathedral, every cooperating parish, and as many homes as possible. It is a personal rededication following the guidelines in the book `The Angelus Promise` which can be obtained from the Shrine. 1 J an u a ry 21 F eb r u a ry 25 M a r c h T h u rs da y, Fr ida y & S at u r da y, 2 6- 28 M a r c h S u nda y M a r c h 2 9 T H E ANG E L U S PR O MIS E THE ANGELUS PROMISE is a spiritual exercise created to assist you to embrace the message of Our Lady, as expressed in the Angelus. It invites you to ‘share in the joy of the Annunciation’ by following Mary’s openness to God’s call, through her faith-ﬁlled ‘yes’. Through your own faith-ﬁlled ‘yes’, the Lord will work wonders in your life. R : T h e A ngel of t h e L o r d decla r ed u nto M a ry V : A nd sh e concei v ed b y t h e H ol y S p i r it As God once chose Mary to become the Mother of His Son through the message of an angel, so He chooses me this day, and invites me through the ministry of the Church or the example of another, to seek and do His Will at this moment in my life. H ail M a ry f u ll of Gr ace … R : B e h old t h e h andmaid of t h e L o r d V : B e it be done u nto me acco r ding to t hy W o r d M ary’s response to her invitation, ‘let it be done to me according to your Word’, opened her heart to God’s grace and all things became possible. Let my ‘yes’ today take away fear, as I embrace God’s Will, and like Mary ‘ponder these things in my heart’. H ail M a ry f u ll of Gr ace … R : A nd t h e W o r d became ﬂ e sh ( Bow or genuﬂect) V : A nd d w elt among u s At a moment in history, Mary’s faith-ﬁlled ‘yes’ conceived Him, ﬁrst in her heart, which then led to the birth of our Saviour. Through accepting Him in my heart, enable me to recognise my role in bringing Christ to my sisters and brothers today. H ail M a ry f u ll of Gr ace … R : P r a y fo r u s mo s t h ol y M ot h e r of G od V : T h at w e ma y be made w o r t hy of t h e p r omi s e s of Chr i s t Let us pray: O Holy Mother of God, pray for us, and assist us as we dedicate ourselves this day. Your Yes at the Annunciation brought our Saviour Jesus into the world, and you invite us to contemplate the great mystery of the Incarnation, sharing your joy in announcing that ‘the Word was made ﬂesh and lived among us.’ May our yes, this day, open our hearts to serve our sisters and brothers in this your Dowry, that they too may share our joy in the Good News that God walks among us. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen. Picture: Francis Fernandes IN S U MMA R Y We make a personal promise by praying the Angelus Promise, a prayer in which we say ‘Yes’ in union with Our Lady through the words of the Annunciation. As the people of England & Wales, we will renew our vows of dedica- tion - ﬁrst made to Mary by King Richard II in 1381 - by praying to- gether the Act of Entrustment. This Rededication is both a personal promise of the people of our country, and a renewal of the entrustment vows made by King Richard. On this day we accept God’s gift of His Mother, the cause of our joy, as she leads us to Christ through her example as the First Disciple, and invites us to ‘ Do what- ever He tells you. ’ (John 2:5). PR AY ER O F T H E F E AS T O F O U R LADY O F W ALSINGHAM L ORD GOD, in the mystery of the Incarnation, Mary conceived your Son in her heart before she conceived Him in her womb. As we, your pilgrim people, re- joice in her patronage, grant that we also may welcome Him into our hearts, and so, like her, be made a holy house ﬁt for His eternal dwelling. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.’

Page 8

8 A&B NEWS March 2020 Diocesan Formation Team Serving the communities of our Diocese CCRS Course C at h olic C e r ti ﬁ cate in Religio u s S t u die s Available from September 2020 Following a successful year in 2019, the CCRS is again available starting September 2020. Based at the St Philip Howard Centre in Crawley on Saturdays, this course offers ﬂexible studying. The Catholic Certiﬁcate in Religious Studies has been established since 1991 and provides an introduction to Catholic theology and an understanding of the central truths of our Faith. It is open to teachers working in Catholic schools, Catechists, people involved in pastoral and liturgical work and other interested adults Full details can be found at www.brs-ccrs.org.uk/index.php For more information and to express an interest in attending the course, please email jon.harman@abdiocese.org.uk A&B Divine Renovation Network L AST APRIL’S EDITION of the A&B News included an article by Lizzie Wakeling on the Divine Renova- tion Conference in Birmingham which the Diocesan Formation Team had taken part in a few weeks earlier. As Lizzie explained in that article, Divine Renovation was originally a book written by Fr James Mallon, a Canadian priest who decided to write about his experiences of running a Parish. It was so successful that he and his team now mentor other parishes around the world; they have produced a guide book and other resources to help Parish Teams move their parishes ‘from maintenance to mis- sion’. A number of parishes in the diocese have been working to develop along the lines suggested by Fr James Mal- lon; consequently, on 30 January the Formation Team organised an after- noon at the St Philip Howard Centre, Crawley, where experiences could be shared by representatives of parishes already involved in Divine Renovation (DR) and anyone interested in ﬁnding out more could listen to these experiences and ask questions. Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, DR Regional Organiser for the UK, gave an overview of how that seminal work by James Mallon has grown into an international organisation which sup- ports parishes in leadership coaching in 40 dioceses spanning seven coun- tries. She recalled how, when she started in her role as Regional Organiser, she would meet with a small group of priests once every few months and she said how heartening it was to now be meeting with 50 people from all cor- ners of the diocese who had turned out on a damp January afternoon. Fr Con Foley, who had come from Christ the Prince of Peace, Weybridge, talked about how James Mallon’s book had been the trigger for him and how after sharing copies amongst some parishioners, a group had got together and started to implement some elements of the book, working to ‘elevate the expectations of parishioners,’ as one put it. There was general agreement that an active Alpha group is a very good foundation on which to build, but it can also be an effective way in to Di- vine Renovation where no group exists already. Ideas were shared on how to make effective use of IT and the wide range of resources available. Fr Paul Turner, Camberley & Bagshot parish, talked about how he had become committed to DR, again inspired by James Mallon’s book, and a member of his team testiﬁed to the way the parish had changed in two years to become a much more vibrant parish community. However, it was also emphasised that DR is a long-term process which does take time. As Hannah had empha- sised at the start: ‘This isn’t about just tinkering with the way things are done in a parish – it’s a much deeper, more fundamental change.’ And as Fr Paul said: ‘DR is not a silver bullet, but the book is often a springboard to people coming together to share experiences and to learn together.’ Story: Veronica Peppiatt CCRS Student Gemma-Kirstie Talks about Bible Study to Jackie Ballard H a v e y o u t r ied r eading t h e B ible befo r e ? Since last year, I have discovered a schedule online where you can read the Bible and the Catechism in a year. It gives you 3 small Scripture passages to read and a few paragraphs of the Catechism (there are many online guides (such as chnetwork.org ). I am doing that again this year and will continue to each year as studying Scriptures is a fundamental part of our Catholic faith. I like spending time studying the Scriptures and trying to understand God’s word especially as we are in the year of The Word Who Is Life and the 2030 initiative. D id y o u e v e r r ead ( o r e v en t h in k abo u t r eading o r w e r e e v en a w a r e of ) an y of t h e Ch u r c h’s V atican 2 doc- u ment s s u c h a s D ei V e r b u m ? In RCIA, there was a mention of the Pope Francis’ Gaudete Et Exsultate so I obtained a copy and read it while I was in hospital recently. I have read Lumen Gentium as it was mentioned recently on the CCRS by Fr Tony Milner when we were studying The Church module. Since then I have read a few of Pope Francis’ works including Seeking the Face of God (Vultum Dei Quarere) and Cardinal Angelo Scorla’s Church and the Vatican Council II (Gaudium et Spes). I have read John Paul II’s encyclical on the Eucharist and the Church and the apostolic letter on the Holy Rosary. I aim to read more encyclicals and apostolic letters. H a s t h e CC R S im p r o v ed y o u r u nde rs tanding of t h e B ible ? H o w? Yes. It has opened my eyes to the depth of the text that you can’t get out of it just by reading or reading commen- taries. So many scholars have dedicated so much time to studying it. It has made me ap- preciate it, and how much it has had an impact on our lives and what Jesus went through for us. D id t h e CC R S do mo r e t h an im p r o v e y o u r intellect u al u nde rs tanding of t h e B ible ? I n wh at w a y(s)? Yes. By listening and understanding what our teachers say, I have begun to try to picture what it was like for Jesus and his disciples and the coming of the Messiah in the Old Testament and how God worked through others to create the world he created for us. It has given me a greater appreciation and I view it in a different way knowing more background. Is t h e fact t h at p eo p le can inte r p r et a B ible p a ss age in diffe r ent w a ys c h allenging o r en r ic h ing ? Both. People have their own perceptions which make a good debate! The way one person views a passage may be different to others, which gives a greater insight to the text. We have the written word and interpreting the Bible by reading is good, but there is also expression in the spoken word which is not there. That element of tone of voice can make for very interesting meditation on the word. D o y o u belie v e t h at G od i s s p ea k ing to y o u p e rs onall y t hr o u g h t h e B ible ? H o w? Yes. I often ﬁnd hidden meaning or a verse in Scripture that has signiﬁcance to me when reading that I write I down in a book which I have found helpful especially when I am in a cri- sis. I have found that in some of the Divine Ofﬁce readings, and when I am struggling, that the Lord is there to help under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, A fte r CC R S w ill y o u r ead t h e B ible mo r e ( o r le ss) o r s t u d y it diffe r entl y (h o w?) I will still continue to read every day and when reading will apply some of the knowledge I have learned on the course and apply it to the Scrip- ture readings, so I can understand it more and see parts of the Bible differ- ently to just reading the text on a page. D o y o u ﬁ nd y o u get mo r e o u t of B ible r eading s at M a ss? ( do y o u a p - p r oac h M a ss diffe r entl y?) Yes. If it’s a reading we have studied I can recall some of what was spoken about and it makes me want to listen and focus on the reading and listen with more depth. I have learned to appreciate the Bible more and I put more effort in to listening and absorbing His word and applying it to my daily life. I appreciate He is speaking to us/to me when the reader is reading. Each reading is important for a reason and it is essential we listen especially as we are underpinning the initiative The Word Who Is Life. H a s it im p r o v ed y o u r a pp r eciation of h omilie s? Yes, Fr Alexander gives good homilies and I particularly like the ones he does when there is special Saint. You often don’t learn about the Saints formally so it was good to learn and I am impressed by his knowledge. Often the homilies convey an important message related to the readings. As he is so insightful I have learned to appreciate the Bible more through his homilies. H a v e y o u been in s p i r ed to r ead mo r e on t h e B ible o u t s ide t h e CC R S sy llab u s? Yes. The assignments have been challenging! But it makes you read around the subject and I have found myself more curious and wanting to understand as well as completing the as- signment. H a v e y o u t h o u g h of j oining ( o r e v en s ta r ting ) a B ible s t u d y g r o up in y o u r local p a r i sh? We have a Scripture Reﬂection group which runs on a Thursday by Kate Williamson which take place instead of 10am Mass and focuses on the daily Mass readings for the day. Often during Lent and Advent Fr Alexander will run Scripture Reﬂection evenings where we look at the Scriptures more closely. He also runs the Stations of the Cross and we look at each station in detail. Gemma-Kirstie Noble works in the Estates Department of Worthing Hospital. An active mem- ber of her church community at St Peters in Hove, she is particularly involved in the parish music min- istry as ﬂautist - and plays an additional 10 instruments! Jackie Ballard Are you interested in helping Young People deepen their faith at Big Church Day Out? Come along to our Information Evening on 25 March at 7pm, St Philip Howard Centre We hope to have a good representation of Diocesan Young People at this years Big Church Day Out at Wiston House on 23 and 24 May, so if you lead a youth group and want to get involved, or would be interested in helping lead those who are not currently aligned to a youth group, please RSVP lizzie.wakeling@abdiocese.org.uk

Page 9

Coming Soon to Horsham... ...One Good Friday 2020 Dunsmore who plays the part of Jesus in Trafal- gar Square. Peter said: ‘I am really enjoying working with such an amazing cast and crew and am looking forward to bringing the story to life in the centre of Horsham.’ Story & picture: Rosemary Couchman email: horsham@onegoodfriday.com A&B NEWS March 2020 9 Diocesan Formation Team Serving the communities of our Diocese T HE FIRST of our series of evenings for young people who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Conﬁrma- tion took place on Friday 24 January. We were welcomed to the wonderful Parish of the Nativity of the Lord in Redhill by Fr Tony and his Catechist team, and were joined by candidates from Redhill, Crawley, Oxted and War- lingham. We had a lovely time together, with the Youth Advisor telling some of her life story and how she came to en- counter the love of God more fully. She then led a very silly game of ‘monkey snake dragon see: monkey snake dragon do’ , which became very competitive and came to a nail-biting conclusion after six rounds of pretending to be monkeys, snakes and dragons! Bishop Richard then took centre stage to teach the young people a bit about prayer. Now we all know that prayer can be difﬁcult at times and have experienced different seasons of prayer, but the Bishop wanted to share some thoughts from some professionals – the Carthu- sians. Sufﬁce it to say, they appear to struggle as much as the rest of us, with one monk eloquently stating that some- times he feels like a sack of spuds! We also learnt that prayer was simply putting ourselves before God. In this year of ‘The Word Who Speaks’ we are being encouraged by Bishop Richard to try Lectio Divina or ‘Holy Reading’ of scripture (as was mentioned in his pastoral letter on 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time). He very kindly spent some time leading the young people in the practice of Lectio Divina, which they all engaged with beautifully, taking the time in silence to contemplate the Gospel passage and then sharing the word or phrase that they felt God was speaking to them. We ﬁnished the evening by exploring some of the wonderful opportunities there are for young people within our Diocese; these include Big Church Day Out – an amazing festival with a dedicated youth stream, Rooted – an opportunity to encounter faith and take part in adventure activities, Redshirts – the Lourdes Pilgrimage youth service group, and the Ascent – a discipleship programme aimed at those who want to engage with their faith more deeply. To ﬁnd out more about these opportunities, please contact: elizabeth.wakeling@abdiocese.org.uk Please note, there are still some places available for our upcoming evenings of reﬂection, if you have not booked in, but would like to attend, please contact: rosie.read@abdiocese.org.uk Story & Picture: Elizabeth Wakeling An Evening of Reflection with Bishop Richard Preparing for LENT 2020 T HIS YEAR the Diocese is pleased to share the Lent programme from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. A number of churches are keeping 2020 as ‘the Year of the Word’ so this course, with its focus on scripture, will be an ideal resource for Lent 2020. The course can be downloaded as one booklet from: www. ctbi . o r g . u k./ lent You may wish to liaise with your parish ofﬁce if you need to produce several copies. We hope you will ﬁnd the material helpful. Jon Harman Adviser for Formation and Spirituality I T HAS LONG BEEN Wintershall’s dream to bring their Passion Play alive across the nation,sharing their awe-inspiring full-scale re-enactment of the Passion with communities throughout the UK, performed by local volunteers in each location. Good Friday, 10 April 2020, will see the Passion Play performed in London in Trafalgar Square, as usual, but also across other UK locations including Horsham’s Carfax, where a local cast will present the much-loved produc- tion at 12 noon and at 3.15pm. Rehearsals are well underway. The lead actor, Peter Bergin (pictured), has been the understudy for James Burke-

Page 10

CRYPTIC Across 1 Annals from one or two books (10) 8 Travel to an old city having found someone with taste (7) 9 Director introduced learners to string instrument – but not violin (5) 10 Pick up a sailor the French wanted first (5) 11 Vile embrocation no team applied with robustness (3,4) 12 Raise the profile of a line manager (6) 14 Polish detective to the fore in tripping up receiver (6) 17 A result of the sun one gets in California and a spot in Sicily (7) 19 Judge a bishop`s academic following (5) 21 Fabrication of Lully`s overture and the coda in this key (5) 22 Characters that make the Epistles? (7) 23 He reformed after salvo Aaron blasted (10) CRYPTIC Down 2 Nigerian with Cuban capital, but without any transport, reaches America (5) 3 Family group of agents adopted 007`s change of leadership to `M` (7) 4 During performance it`s tense, all in one piece (6) 5 Aristo that`s disappeared is concerning one of the Gospels (5) 6 Deal`s naval connection brings nothing to Allies landing here (7) 7 Seen in craters close to Aleppo is a type of plant, in general, found in Babylon (10) 8 Geldof clan`s upset seeing an idol shattered? (6,4) 13 Bar within limits, on the fringes, is just about the place to be when camping (7) 15 Hymn book each sailor keeps (7) 16 Cardigan`s arm of leadership in the Crimean War? (6) 18 Strict veggie turned up replacing an A with an E supplement to fill the void (5) 20 Expertly introduce Schubert piece live (5) QUICK Across 1 Two OT books which record the early history of Israel and Judah (10) 8 Epicurean; connoisseur (7) 9 Four-stringed bass instrument of the violin family (5) 10 Assimilate: detect (5) 11 With vigour (music) (3,4) 12 Mould to raise against low relief (6) 14 Smart cellular handset (6) 17 Port on the eastern coast of Sicily, at the foot of Mt Etna (7) 19 Judge of Israel for eight years, son of Hillel the Pirathonite (5) 21 Mendacious; double-dealing (5) 22 Colossians or Ephesians, for instance (7) 23 Italian priest and reformer (1452-98), who fought against immorality and corruption (10) QUICK Down 2 Predominantly Muslim people, and their language, living chiefly in northern Nigeria (5) 3 1970s American band (7) 4 Complete; whole (6) 5 Relating to St Luke (5) 6 Landing beach site for the Invasion of Italy (1943) (7) 7 His beheading is portrayed by Donatelli, among others (10) 8 Image made by Aaron which has come to mean an un worthy or inappropriate object of worship (6,4) 13 British holiday institution since 1936 (7) 15 Book of hymns or poems associated with the OT (7) 16 Kind of sweater sleeve design: Welsh castle (6) 18 Desert area north of Sinai (5) 20 Reside; inhabit (5) 10 A&B NEWS March 2020 A RUNDEL AND BRIGHTON DIOCESE has been invited to join hundreds of young people and adults across the country and stay siLENT. Each Lent Million Minutes (Catholic national youth charity) runs siLENT, whereby individuals, parishes, schools and communities are invited to take time to give up the things that ﬁll their life with noise and restlessness. By staying siLENT they are standing in solidarity with young people who don’t have a voice, for whom silence isn’t a choice. Collectively they aim to create a million minutes of silence in the process! Each minute is sponsored to raise money for young people to change their lives and their local communities. With all of the money going to fund youth-led social action projects across the country that live out Catholic Social Teaching (CST) principles. I n s p i r ation of A a r on O moto sh o In Lent 2020 Aaron Omotosho (Catholic award recipient) is joining Million Min- utes for 24 hours of silence by taking time away from his phone and social media accounts. Aaron, aged 20, was inspired to take part after meeting a young homeless asylum seeker, Pitchou, on the streets of Manchester. Aaron quickly realised the man spoke no English but was in desperate need of some food. From there, a friendship developed. Over the coming weeks Aaron put in place plans to make sure Pitchou was cared for. From those small beginnings, ‘Help Manchester’, a homelessness project was formed. Aaron (pictured) explains: ‘I`m fortunate to be in a position where I can do something to help people. But when I met Pitchou it made me realise that it could be anybody, that could be me, that could be any one of my friends, my family and I know if they were in that position, I would do anything I could to help them out.’ During Lent Aaron will be helping create a deafening silence for overlooked young people like Pitchou. Aaron explains the difference he wants to make: ‘Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Sometimes we need a hands-on approach. It doesn’t have to be any- thing major. The smallest things can make a difference. That’s why I am joining siLENT. I’ll give up my phone and social media accounts for 24 hours and commit to action. I know every penny raised will go to help young people change the world.’ Through this action Aaron is directly supporting youth-led grant-funded projects across the country. In his hometown of Manchester students with learning difﬁculties from St John Vianney Special Education Needs school have built an allotment project, funded by Million Minutes, which is helping feed young refugee families in the local area. Aaron reﬂects: ‘Having arrived in the UK myself in 2011, I can sympathise with the refugees who live in my local area. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, my work in Manchester is a symbol of that, and hearing about what St John Vianney’s are doing, the students often overlooked themselves, they are doing their part too. Together we are making our world a kinder and better place to live. M illion M in u te s Danny Curtin, CEO of Million Minutes, said ‘This Lent, let’s speak up with si- lence. Sign up now for siLENT 2020. Instead of simply cutting out sugar or choco- late, take time to give up the things that ﬁll life with noise and restlessness. By doing this you will not only allow time for silence, but your sponsorship will make a real difference to young people supporting the Church to accompany young people, especially those without a voice.’ SIGN U P T O DAY at : www. millionmin u te s. o r g /s ilent / S ta y s i L E N T : I n v e s t in y o u ng p eo p le , Ch ange t h e w o r ld It was his tireless dedication to his local community that saw Aaron become the 2017 recipient for the Pope Francis Celebrating Young People Award. The awards, organised by Catholic charity Million Minutes, make up one of the charities CST inspired activities, and honour the achievements of those remarkable young people who make our communities and our world a better place. Since 2011, Million Min- utes has recognised over a thousand young people. Million Minutes have run an annual sponsored silence since 2011, raising tens of thousands of pounds for youth led, CST inspired projects. In Lent 2019 ‘siLENT’ clocked up a 353,936 minutes of silence, they are looking to build on this in 2020! Million Minutes also runs the Celebrating Young People Awards, the Courtyard detached youth work project and Million Minutes of Change. Million Minutes was founded in 2011. It raises money and supports youth action and advocacy activities that give voice and support to young people to transform their lives and their world, inspired by CST. It supports young people making a difference through participation in society, assuming responsibility and developing as leaders. It works alongside other organisations, including For Jimmy, Cardinal Hume Centre, and the Young Christian Workers. Its champions include TV chef Delia Smith, Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB and Margaret Mizen OBE, mother of Jimmy Mizen, who was murdered in 2008, who now runs For Jimmy. Join us as we create a million minutes of social action. The Million Minutes of Change resources pack will help introduce guiding principles, enabling young peo- ple to explore concerns and connect to a concrete social action plan. Commit to ac- tion today: millionminutes.org/change If you are interested in the work of the Million Minutes Charity and would like further information on the event, please contact Kate Eastmond (Engagement Ofﬁcer), by emailing kate@millionminutes.org . www.millionminutes.org Story and picture: Kate Eastmond, Engagement Ofﬁcer, Million Minutes Join Aaron and be a voice for the voiceless – stay si LENT with Million Minutes 2-in-1 Crossword by Axe You can use both sets of clues to solve the puzzle: the solutions are the same. So, if you want to try the CRYPTIC puzzle, for instance, but are unsure, use the QUICK clues to help you work out the solution. Similarly, if you try the QUICK clues, use the CRYPTIC clues to help you prove the solution SOLUTION Across: 1 Chronicles, 8 Gourmet, 9 Cello, 10 Learn, 11 Con brio, 12 Emboss, 14 IPhone, 17 Catania, 19 Abdon, 21 Lying, 22 Letters, 23 Savonarola. Down: 2 Hausa, 3 Os- monds, 4 Intact, 5 Lucan, 6 Salerno, 7 Holofernes, 8 Golden calf, 13 Butlins, 15 Psalter, 16 Raglan, 18 Negev, 20 Dwell.

Page 11

A&B NEWS March 2020 11 BEFORE AFTER W HEN DANILO (DANNY) FAVOR came to the UK in 2000 to work at the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in East Grinstead, little did he think that nearly 20 years later he’d be Britain’s ﬁrst Filipino town mayor. ‘G od-gi v en o pp o r t u nit y’ Danny, an ophthalmic clinical nurse specialist, says that entering British politics was a ‘God-given opportunity’ and one which he never expected to have. ‘It was not in our plan and beyond my dreams and expectations. In 2011, one month before the election, I reluctantly signed the nomination to stand after I was encouraged by one of the councillors to join them. My wife, Maribel, agreed, saying that I didn’t need to worry as the chance of me winning was slim. The re- sult was a landslide victory and I re- ceived the second highest number of votes in our ward.’ ‘The second time in 2015, I was more conﬁdent and won for the second term. This year was a hugely different experi- ence, I was feeling unsure, as on top of all the usual anxieties at every election, we have had to cope with Brexit.’ Danny was re-elected and is now serving his third term. In May 2019 he made history following the mayoral elec- tions. He says: ‘This achievement means so much to me, my family and friends. It’s an honour and privilege that we will treasure forever. I`m proud to be Pinoy and proud to be British. l am feeling so blessed and thankful to Almighty God and to everyone who supported and sent me their kindest thoughts, best wishes and prayers. I’m happy and feeling so honoured and privileged to be given this rare opportunity.’ D edicated c h a r it y w o rk e r In addition to his professional life, Danny is a dedicated charity worker spearheading and organising charity fundraising events to support various Pantomime at Eastbourne T HE ANNUAL Eastbourne parish pantomime took place this year on 25 January in the hall at Christ The King. This year it was Robinson Crusoe, written and directed by parishioners - Chris Snook and Julia Galvin. The cast included several children from our local Catholic schools who had spent months rehearsing and preparing for their performances. It was a great occasion enjoyed by over 200 parishioners. Money raised at the two shows was given to local charities Matthew 25 and Eastbourne Community Land Trust. Story: Dominic McIlhargey Picture: Ian Bratley Eastbourne Charity New Initiative B EFORE CHRISTMAS the Eastbourne Council of the Knights of St Columba (KSC) had a new fundraising initia- tive, selling poinsettia plants to parish- ioners at ﬁve churches in the Eastbourne area. £200 of the proﬁt was donated to the local charity, Children with Cancer fund. The picture shows Brian Sutcliffe and Gerhard Neyenhuizen presenting the cheque to the charity at their Polegate of- ﬁce. £25 was also donated to the KSC Na- tional Project, supporting the John Fos- ter Home for Boys, in India. Story and picture: Bob Waters,Grand Knight East Grinstead Parishioner now Mayor charities locally and in the Philippines. They are in schools, churches and livelihood related projects and in relief operations to the most needy. In an interview Danny commented ‘I balance life as a councillor on top of the demands and needs of my personal and professional lives. This is very chal- lenging at times but God always ﬁnd a way and things are done accordingly. I am very lucky to have a wife who is more than one hundred percent supportive and committed. These achievements and successes were surely impossible to realise with- out continued support of everyone, God abundant blessings and guidance.’ M a y o r al Ch a r itie s As Town Mayor I am so privileged to be able to support three Mayoral Chari- ties this year with the aim of promoting awareness, raising proﬁle and generate funds as follows: Queen Victoria HospitalCharity The funds provide better service, and ex- cellent quality of care. It help improve the hospital environment and facilities, buy new equipment, fund research and educational work, and continue to de- A T ST ANNE`S Catholic Primary School we asked the children to ﬁll shoe boxes of gifts for needy children close to home. We collected over 140 boxes. Year 3 delivered their boxes to Abbey Chase Residential Home, which was a truly memorable and special experience. Some residents do not get regular visitors and this will have meant a huge amount to them. On Monday, 16 December the school Religious Education Council visited the Rainbows charity for seriously ill children and delivered 40 boxes. The organisation came out and applauded the children, sharing with us that this would mean a great deal to so many families. We then visited the children`s ward at St Peters hospital which was an experience we will never forget. We were allowed to deliver individual boxes to poorly children and then sang in the ward. There was not a dry eye in the house and we are incredibly proud of our children. Finally, we delivered boxes to the food bank in Chertsey. Again, we were hugged and thanked, with the ladies sharing with us the impact these boxes would make to so many lives. Story and picture: Hanorah Murphy, Deputy Head velop new and innovative treatments for patients. East Grinstead Community First Responders They are a team of local residents who are volunteers responding to selected 999 calls within their local area. They work alongside South East Coast Ambulance Service aim to respond to category A 999 calls within 8 minutes. They often will arrive before an ambulance and can start giving ﬁrst aid and emergency life saving treatment. East Grinstead Street Pastors Youth Com- munity Support Project These are group of volunteers working alongside the police to patrol the streets of East Grinstead in response to urban problems, anti social behaviour, engaging with people to care, listen, dialogue, be- friend and to help.’ C atenian Danny, a member of East Grinstead Catenian Circle, is still working at the Queen Victoria Hospital in the Corneo Plastic Unit. Maribel also works as an ophthalmic nurse. Story and pictures: Nick Bozzini M a y o r D ann y, M a y o r e ss M a r ibel , and Pa r i sh P r ie s t in 201 9 Fr S te p h en P u r nell Love in a Box

Page 12

12 A&B NEWS March 2020 T R A V E L I N S U R A N C E arranged for readers of A B News A N N U A L T R A V E L I N S U R A N C E AVAILABLE TO ANYONE UP TO 85 YEARS OF AGE. MOST PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS ACCEPTED T O P Q U A L I T Y C O V E R With a 24 hour helpline and an air ambulance get-you-home service. Mention this advert to get a Special A B News discount. Don’t forget we also offer SINGLE-TRIP COVER, with no maximum age limit and up to £20,000 cancellation cover per couple. CALL FOR DETAILS AND PRICES 0116 272 0500 Real people - not nachines! Authorised and regulated by the FCA FT Travel Insurance UK based Please remember my intention/s in prayer. …………......………....……........................................ ...........………………..…….………............................ ........................………………..….………................... ..................................................................................... I would like to help your Mission Foundations. My gift of £____ is enclosed (payable to Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). Thank you! Please send me vocations information. Name :…….…………............................….................. ...... Address:…..………................................................. ............. ..……………………………………………………… …………….......……...........................……... Please print. REPLY TO: Mother General, Tyburn Convent, 8 Hyde Park Place, London, W2 2LJ Tel.: 020 7723 7262 Living in the heart of London, the Tyburn Benedictine Community has as its special mission, prayer for the people of England and Wales. Our monastery is built on the site of the Tyburn gallows where 105 Catholics were martyred during the reformation. Our life of prayer draws Sisters from many nations. Already We hold you in prayer. St Joseph`s Nursing home East Street, Littlehampton, West Sussex. BN17 6AU Contact: Home Manager Sarah Etherington 01903 - 711325 All denominations welcome. Mass everyday . Within view of the town centre. Caring and supportive environment. House of Prayer 35 Seymour Road, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 0PB We hold a space of silence and solitude which will support and deepen a developing life of prayer and relationship with God. We welcome individuals and groups for day and residential retreats. To find out more please contact us: T: 020 8941 2313 E: admin@christian-retreat.org www.christian-retreat.org BISHOP’S DIARY F eb r u a ry Sat 29 2.30pm Rite of Election at Arundel Cathedral 7pm Evening of Reflection, St John’s Seminary, Wonersh M a r c h Sun 1 7pm Meeting with Confirmation Group at St Peter’s, Hove Mon 2 Church Leaders’ Retreat, Waverley Abbey, Farnham Wed 4 12.30pm Vocations Meeting, High Oaks Thu 5 11am Meeting at Eccleston Square, London Sat 7 10am Day for Readers at Arundel Cathedral 7pm Evening of Reflection at Wonersh Mon 9 10am Stonepillow Resource Hub opening at Bognor Regis 6pm Vespers with Wellspring, Brighton Tue 10 2pm Standing Committee, Eccleston Square, London Wed 11 11am Council of Priests’ Meeting, St Philip Howard Centre, Crawley 2pm Episcopal Council Meeting, St Philip Howard Centre, Crawley Fri 13 7pm Evening of Reflection at St Mary Magdalene’s, Bexhill Mon 16 11am Visit to Chestnut Tree House, Arundel Tue 17 9am Meeting at High Oaks 4.45pm Lent Reflection Evening, Mayfield School Wed 18 10.45am Education Committee Meeting, St Philip Howard Centre, Crawley Thu 19 11am Episcopal Ordination of Bishop elect David Oakley of Northampton, Northampton Cathedral 7pm Arundel and Chichester Catenian Circle clergy night, Chichester Fri 20 11am Chapter Mass, Arundel Cathedral Sat 21 3.30pm Meeting at Arundel Cathedral Tue 24 11am VI Form Theology Session at St Peter’s School, Merrow Wed 25 10am Day of Recollection for Prison Chaplains and volunteers, Worth Abbey Thu 26 11am Deans’ Meeting, St Philip Howard Centre, Crawley Fri 27 Spring Graduations at St Mary’s University, London NOTICE BOARD Transforming communities through local experts O N FRIDAY 6 MARCH 2020, CAFOD will celebrate sixty years of Fast Days – an annual tradition where Catholics stand alongside people liv- ing in poverty by giving up a meal, eat- ing simply, or attending a soup lunch. Over the years, generous donations have helped millions of people and this Lent will help support the work of local health experts, like Sr Consilia from Z imbab w e (pictured). When Sr Consilia was a girl, she and her sister caught malaria. They had no choice but to walk four hours - through pouring rain and across a ﬂooded river - to receive treatment. Determined that other girls wouldn’t have to make the same treacherous journey, Sr Consilia trained as a phar- macist. She now works at a local health centre dispensing medicine and advis- ing new mums and families. ‘When I’m able to work with patients, I feel happy,’ said Sr Consilia. ‘Through treating and caring for them, I try to show them the love which Christ gives us.’ The local experts CAFOD works with live alongside the people they support, so they understand their needs. This Family Fast Day, could you support one of our local experts, like Sister Consilia, to save the lives of people in need? Find out more at cafod.org.uk/lent Elouise Hobbs – CAFOD Regional News Ofﬁcer FAIRTRADE NEWS I F YOU’RE ONE of the 350,000 people who opted for the vegan lifestyle this January, well done! If you need a little inspiration for your vegan meals, why not check out our fair trade, vegan curry – bursting with goodness in every mouthful, you’ll wonder how you ever got through Veganuary without this tasty and simple recipe! Introducing The London Tea Company – we’ve just launched a range of Fairtrade, ethical, herbal blends. Cre- ated for and run by tea lovers, LTC’s teas come in packs of 20 in bright and vibrant packaging, making them handy for guests or the perfect little gift for friends and family. www.traidcraft.co.uk . Ten Fairtrade products you didn’t realise were vegan! Whether you’re looking to grad- ually introduce more plant-based foods into your diet, already vegan, or one of the ever- increasing number of people that committed to Veganuary (we’re impressed) there are plenty of choices to go vegan and Fairtrade: ice cream (fudge brownie), roasted chilli al- monds, quinoa, Fairtrade coconut milk, Fairtrade spices, lots of luxury chocolate that’s vegan and organic, wine, and popcorn, vegan fudge (non-dairy). You might also like – 8 ways Fairtrade farmers protect the environment and 7 Fairtrade switches to reduce plastic use. www.fairtrade.org.uk. Find out more at www.fairtrade.org.uk Cr a w le y M o r ning S e rv ice : 10 am at t h e Fr ia ry Ch u r c h, To w n C ent r e R H10 1H R F ollo w ed b y r ef r e sh ment s in t h e Fr ia ry H all E v ening S e rv ice : 7 p m G at w ic k S e v ent h D a y A d v enti s t S t M ic h ael and A ll A ngel s Ch u r c h L o w ﬁ eld H eat h R H11 0 P Q F o r mo r e info r mation : ma j a j a sk o @ bl u e y onde r. co . u k HOSANNA! 2020! S t D u n s tan ’s Pa r i sh H all , Sh aft s b u ry Road , W o k ing G U 22 7 D T at 2.30 p m on S at u r da y 4 A p r il P ERHAPS YOU WERE THERE at Burgess Hill on the day before Palm Sunday last year? Perhaps you wanted to be there but couldn’t go? Perhaps you heard about it after the date and wished you had been there? But what was it, you may be asking. I t is Hosanna, a cantata written by Anne Ward retelling of the events of Holy Week from the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to the devastating cruciﬁxion on Good Friday, with a hint of what happened next. Hosanna! Needs an audience to work, s o w e a r e in v iting an y one in t h e dioce s e wh o can get t h e r e to come and p la y t h e p a r t of t h e c r o w d who shouted ‘Hosanna’ and ‘Crucify him’. Hand-in-Hand will lead us in word, mime and song as we relive that week in one afternoon. We will laugh and cry as the disciples try to make sense of what is happening in these unusual events. Hand-in-Hand is an integrated Diocesan group of adults with and without learning difﬁculties who come together to pray, to explore and deepen their faith and to enjoy friend- ship. They express and share this faith with others and lead people in prayer, especially using ways beyond words such as drama, mime, symbol and movement. For more details about Hand-in-Hand contact: Denise Adamson c/o the St Philip Howard Centre or email dadamson@btopenworld.com There will be refreshments served after the performance. International peer grief resolution ministry for those who have lost a spouse through death, divorce or separation

Page 13

St Martha’s St Martha’s Convent Convent House of Welcome and Peace in the charming historic village of Rottingdean by the Sea for holidays, quiet breaks, private retreats. En-suite rooms, home cooking, private chapel, 5 minutes from church. Minimum stay 2 nights. S.A.E. for brochure to St Martha’s Convent, Rottingdean, East Sussex BN2 7HA Tel: 01273 302354 To book a marriage preparation course or for a local appointment with a relationship counsellor call 0800 389 3801 or visit www.marriagecare.org.uk For healthy couple relationships – and support when they are not JOE WALSH TOURS PILGRIMAGES 2020 MEDJUGORJE 12 & 19 MAY & 2 JUNE | 7 NIGHTS From Manchester » Direct return 昀ights to Croatia » Breakfast & evening meal served daily » Staying near St. James’s church » Full religious programme » Tour the Shrine, Hill of Apparitions & climb to Mt. Krizevac HOLY LAND 28 OCTOBER | 7 NIGHTS From London Luton » Return 昀ights to Tel Aviv » 4 nights Bethlehem | 3 nights Tiberias » Breakfast & dinner served daily at hotels » Private air-conditioned coach transfers throughout » Professional English speaking guide throughout £ £ 1345 pps LONDON: 0203 468 0617 | MANCHESTER: 0161 820 8790 www.joewalshtours.co.uk | info@joewalshtours.co.uk Licenced by the Commission for Aviation Regulation, TO 052 and TA 0689 in compliance with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangement Package Regulation 2018. £ £ 645 pps Free Sample Pack of Foam & fabrics sent by first class mail. When phoning please quote ABN101 A&B NEWS March 2020 13 The Leaven Carmelite Secular Institute Single and widowed women Seeking to dedicate their life to God Through vows in secular society Contact: The Secretary, The Leaven, c/o The Friars, Aylesford ME20 7BX Tel: 01582 766580 Email: theleavensi@gmail.com Website: www.theleaven.org.uk CALLING ALL DIOCESAN EDUCATION SERVICE W E KNOW THAT more and more people are living with poor mental health and that this is having a devastating impact on individuals and communities. Young people of all ages are facing unprecedented pressures in life, leading to anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders. Right now, more and more young people are struggling to cope with their mental health. For this reason, the health and well-being of young people is a key priority in all our schools. As an Education Service, we believe a nurturing school community can have a signiﬁcant impact on a young person’s emotional well-being and welfare. Our family of schools have a vital role to play in supporting pupils’ mental health and well-being; good mental health allows pupils to develop resilience, engage fully in their learning and grow into healthy adults. For a student’s well-being to thrive during school hours, teachers need the skills, conﬁdence and knowl- edge to nurture young people’s development. Equally, we recognise that teachers need to be supported with their own mental health and well-being throughout their career. In the Autumn Term the Diocesan Education Service ran a two-day Mental Health First Aid course to promote the role of Mental Health Champions in school. The two-day course provided delegates with: an in depth understanding of young people’s mental • health and factors that affect well-being; practical skills to spot triggers and signs of mental • health issues; conﬁdence to reassure and support a young person in • distress; enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgmental • listening; knowledge to help a young person recover their health • by guiding them to further support—whether that’s through self-help sites, their place of learning, the NHS, or a mix- engaging with parents, carers and external agencies • where appropriate; ability to support a young person with a long-term • mental health issue or disability to thrive; • tools to look after your own mental well-being. • The training, which was warmly received by all partici- pants, ensured that all trainees could return to their school communities conﬁdently equipped to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a ﬁrst aid basis. As part of their Catholic mission, schools are encouraged to be proactive and take positive action to establish communities where pupils and staff are nurtured and supported. Increasingly, we see more and more outstanding examples in our schools where emotional well-being is being placed at the heart of the school curriculum. Where best practice is evident, whole-school approaches and activities designed to ensure pupils and teachers can thrive include things like: Designated mental health leads • Mental health and well-being governors • Mindfulness and meditation sessions • Cognitive behaviour therapy • Thrive programmes • Rainbows – bereavement programme • PSHE and SEAL programmes • Activities to promote exercise • Forest school approaches • Circle time; • Classes on self-esteem and resilience; • School pastoral teams and home liaison workers. • To support schools in developing this practice further, future training days on Mental Health and Well-Being are being scheduled. Schools will have the opportunity to learn from experts in this ﬁeld and share best practice case studies from their own school setting. For more information about Mental Health and Well- Being training in schools, please contact Claire Martin, CPD Administrator at: claire.martin@abdiocese.org.uk M ental H ealt h and W ell- B eing Supporting our young people in schools ‘ He heals the broken hearted and bandages their wounds.’ Psalm 147:3

Page 14

14 A&B NEWS March 2020 155 Lewes Road, Brighton 01273 626 326 56 Goring Road, Goring-by-Sea 01903 505 757 38 Blatchington Road, Hove 01273 771 332 217 South Coast Road, Peacehaven 01273 585 818 68 High Street, Shoreham-by-Sea 01273 464 647 72 Newland Road, Worthing 01903 215 255 The greatest care down to the ﬁnest detail from your local caring funeral director We’re right by your side. caringlady.co.uk B a l l a r d & S h o r t a l l F u n e r a l D i r e c t o r s C . P . J . F i e l d . More than a funeral director since 1690. Because every life is unique Crawley 01293 520 011 | East Grinstead 01342 323 092 Forest Row 01342 822 120 | Horley 01293 820 377 Horsham 01403 257 243 | Lingfield 01342 834 925 www.cpjfield.co.uk FROM THE PARISHES ADUR VALLEY CHRISTMAS and the start of the New Year seem such a long time ago now but having had some beautiful and crowded Masses around Christmas it is time to get back to our many normal activities. To that end we have had a Sign Up Sunday at all ends of the parish. We have now recruited 11 new volunteers at St Peter’s in Shoreham and 6 at Christ the King in Steyning – these range from Eucharistic Ministers; Child Liturgy Helpers; Servers; Cleaners; Flower Arrangers; Counters and Welcomers, all of whom help with the smooth running of our churches. A week of Guided Prayer has been held. This offered us the chance to meet each day for 30 minutes with an experienced Prayer Guide one-to-one who will help us to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. This has been a beautiful experience. Our social activities too have returned to normal with our Lunch club; our Secret Singers; the art group and a fan- tastic Burns Night with a three course dinner, a quiz, rafﬂe and a ceilidh raising money for a charity providing art projects for those with learning difﬁculties. Penny Richardson EASTBOURNE FR RAGLAN celebrated Mass on the Feast of St Agnes with refreshments afterwards in the hall. It was a wonder- ful celebration and well attended. A Murder Mystery evening was held at Hay Will Manor (including a meal). It was a very successful evening comple- mented by all the hard work Maura and the organisers put into the event which was to raise money on behalf of the Red- shirts Team. St Valentine’s Day was celebrated with a Romantic Tuesday Tea, those who were romantic or not were all invited to this very popular parish tea which is held once a month in the parish centre. The HCPT held their annual quiz night on behalf of the young adults whom they help to go to Lourdes in September. The local branch of the Knights of St Columba have announced that a £200 do- nation has been made to the Children With Cancer fund, Polegate, following a sale of poinsettias just before Christmas. The Knights expressed their gratitude to those parishioners who had helped raise this sum. The white ﬂower collection held in Jan- uary to support the valuable work of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children raised £180. Mary Stafﬁere and John Carmody GODALMING CORRECTION: In our January Edition, a report on the Induction Mass of Fr Jonathan How in Godalming referred to Fr John McKay as having been a curate in he parish when Fr Michael Parry was the Parish Priest. Fr John was curate ﬁrst to Fr Maurice Pledger and then to Fr John McSheehy. Fr JR McKay WEST BYFLEET TO MARK EPIPHANY, we blessed our homes with the traditional chalk mark- ing. At Candlemass our Crib offerings were sent to the Catholic Children’s Society A&B Crisis Fund. The highlight of the month was the well attended Epiphanytide Dinner, concluding with music and singing. With the start of the New Year, we resumed our usual activities of: - Children’s Liturgy at the 9.15am Sun- day Mass; - Meetings of the Catenians, the Widowed and Separated Group, and the Justice and Peace Group, who are planning to hold a Quiz at the beginning of February; - Exploring Catholicism Meetings, which discussed among other What is a Sacra- ment, with those wishing to know more about the Catholic Faith, perhaps with a view to their being initiated into the Faith at Easter; - Children’s Club, for 3-6 year olds, pro- viding games, dinner and activities to help children grow in their faith; and - Our Lady’s Art Group meeting on Tuesdays at 10.45am. We joined our fellow Christians for Prayer at St John’s Anglican Church, West Byﬂeet. Paul Tipple UPDATED NOTICE - TO ALL OUR CORRESPONDENTS I TE MS F O R T H E A p r il 2020 i ss u e m u s t r eac h t h e Edito r ial O f ﬁ ce at Cr a w le y b y 10 am on M onda y 2 M a r c h 2020 and fo r t h e M a y 2020 i ss u e b y M onda y 30 M a r c h 2020. C ont r ib u tion s ma y be s ent b y e- mail to abnews@abdiocese.org.uk and if s o p lea s e al w a ys incl u de a contact tele p h one n u mbe r. I t i s h el p f u l to u s if C o rr e s p ondent s k ee p t h em to no mo r e t h an 200 w o r d s and incl u de a w o r d co u nt . Plea s e u s e t h e h ig h e s t r e s ol u - tion p o ss ible wh en ta k ing p h otog r a p hs and do not r ed u ce t h e qu alit y wh en y o u s end t h em to u s. O r iginal good qu alit y digital p ict u r e s sh o u ld be s ent a s e-mail attac h ment s. W e r eg r et w e a r e u nable to u s e p h otoco p ie s o r co p ie s p r inted f r om com pu te rs. P L E AS E TE LL U S y o u h a v e C O NS E N T F O R P U BLICA T I O N and t h e SIGN E D wr itten and / o r email e v idence F O R ALL ID E N T IFIABL E PER S O NS INCL U DING T H E P H O T O S O F ALL CHILD RE N AND V U LN ER ABL E AD U L T S. I n addition if p h oto s a r e to be ta k en at an e v ent p lea s e con ﬁ r m t h at : P H O T O G R A P HY W ILL B E T AKING P LAC E w a s ad v i s ed w it h a v e r bal anno u ncement at t h e commencement of t h e e v ent ; t h at o u r s tanda r d P h otog r a p hy N otice w a s di s p la y ed on t h e da y of t h e e v ent ; and identif y to u s an y one wh o ad v i s ed t h e y did not w i sh to be p h otog r a p h ed . Ou r P h oto C on s ent F o r m and P h otog r a p hy N otice w ill be s ent on r e qu e s t . A D V A N C E N O T I C E Diocese of Arundel & Brighton Formation Team Marriage & Family Life Ministry of Consolation Annual Formation Day with Bishop Richard for those who support the bereaved in their Parish Wed 20 May, 9.30am to 4pm , St Bernadette’s Church, Tilgate Way, Crawley, RH10 5BS. Information from Simon South mfl@abdiocese.org.uk Bookings rosie.read@abdiocese.org.uk 01293 651161 The God who Speaks 2020 Year of the Word of God A series of talks at St Joseph’s Dorking By Fr Tony Milner BSc STD Fr Tony has recently completed his Doc- torate in Biblical Theology at the Grego- rian University, Rome In the continuation of this series of talks, one connecting theme will be the power of the Word of God 26 March - The Gospel of John Focusing on the Lent readings 23 April - The Acts of the Apostles Living the Resurrection 21 May Who were the Prophets? Messengers of God’s Word More talks to follow. Themes will in- clude ‘The Story of Israel, Deaing with Difficult Texts’ and The End Times All talks at 8pm on Thursday evenings (after the 7:30 Mass) in the Parish Hall at St Joseph’s, Falkland Grove, Dorking, RH4 3DL

Page 15

A&B NEWS March 2020 15 Format: Paperback Pages: 38 pages Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) ISBN: 9781528905862 £10.99 Monsieur Claude’s Great French Adventure By Julia Beacroft Monsieur Claude, the ‘Beanie Baby’ crab, is upset and worried. His family lives in France and he would dearly love to visit them because his mum hasn’t been well. His owner, Jamie, is going on holiday to Paris but only two of Jamie’s ‘Beanie Babies’ can go with him. And Monsieur Claude isn’t chosen to be one of them... However, the rest of his ‘Beanie Baby’ friends devise a cunning plan to smuggle Monsieur Claude into Jamie’s backpack! But disaster strikes at the airport when Monsieur Claude falls from the bag! Will he be rescued? Will he ever see his owner again? The little crab has a thrilling series of adventures along the way, but will he ever be re-united with his mum? Age 6-8 years Available online at Amazon, Book Depository And Austin Macauley Publishers - £10.99p Branches also at: Billingshurst, Horsham & Hurstpierpoint Independent and family - run since 1855 Holly Lodge, 25 & 27 Brighton Road, Southgate, Crawley RH10 6AE www. freemanbrothers .co.uk 01293 540000 Take away the financial worry from your loved ones with a pre-paid Funeral Plan. With competitively priced plans, no hidden costs and a simple application process, Freeman Brothers make everything easy and stress free. O N THE FEAST of the Conversion of St Paul, 25 January 2020, St Pancras Church, Lewes celebrated the 150th anniversary of the opening of the ﬁrst Catholic Parish Church in the town since the Reformation. Lewes was traditionally staunchly Protestant. On the day of the consecration in 1870, around 3,000 people surrounded the church to protest against the opening, shouting and jeering so much that the service of compline was brought to an abrupt end and the bishop and guests were hustled and threatened by the crowd. A local doctor came to their rescue and enabled them to reach the station to depart in comparative peace. As a result of the disturbance eight persons were arrested and sentenced to six weeks imprisonment. How things have changed since 1870! On 25 January 2020, St Pancras hosted a gathering to mark the end of the octave of prayer for Christian Unity. It brought together representatives from most of the 13 local churches of Churches Together in the Lewes Area. Our Parish Priest, Fr Jonathan, welcomed everyone, explaining that it was a special day for us and gave a brief history of our church. The Rev Canon Judith Egar from St Anne’s Anglican Church, our nearest neighbour, in her opening prayer gave thanks for our Parish ministry and wished us well for the future. The theme of the gathering was ‘Practising Hospitality’, considering how we could be more hospitable to people from other churches or from outside the church. We were reﬂecting on the account of the shipwreck of St Paul in the Acts of the Apostles and how the Maltese people looked after him and his companions. The event was divided into three parts consisting of three readings from the Acts, questions to promote discussion and each part ending with a prayer. The afternoon began and ended with a convivial chat over tea and cake, with so much to celebrate. Story: Pauline Colwell and Brenda Robinson B ISHOP RICHARD conducted a Visitation to the Parish of Chichester with the Witterings on 2-3 November. During Mass at St Richard’s in Chichester, Bishop Richard blessed a new statue of St Richard of Chichester, carved and greatly prayed over by sculptor Rosie Bradshaw. Pictured are Bishop Richard with Parish Priest Canon Tom Treherne and Sculptor Rosie Bradshaw, and an enlarged version of the statue. Story and pictures: Becky Sleven Celebrating 150th Anniversary Bishop Richard Visitation to Chichester with the Witterings Please support our Advertisers

Page 16

16 A&B NEWS March 2020 Dear A&B News reader, Life with cataracts has not been easy for three-year-old Leah, living in East Africa. Unable to see, every morning she sits on an old car tyre, hearing the sounds of her brother and cousins going to school. She feels left out and alone. Leah’s mother is heartbroken that her daughter is needlessly blind. She told us, “Sometimes she cries because of the discomfort. It is as if she sees stones instead of light in her eyes.” Cataract surgery to restore sight can take just 45 minutes, but many families in low- income countries cannot afford the £95 for surgery. You can change that with a gift to CBM today. £95 could fund cataract surgery for not one but two children like Leah. That’s because every pound you give will have double the impact - you could fund twice as much equipment and medical supplies, medication and a skilled surgeon’s time, as well as any follow-up care, including eye drops and glasses. Give before 12th May 2020 and every £1 you donate to our See the Way appeal will be doubled by the UK government. God bless you, Louise Shute CBM Programme Manager Registered in England and Wales under 1058162 and Scotland under SC041101 Please return this form to: Freepost Plus RSKK-HXAX-CYGZ, CBM, Oakington Business Park, Dry Drayton Road, Oakington, Cambridge CB24 3DQ Yes, I want to donate to help twice as many blind children like Leah. I will give: £95 My choice amount of: ___________ Title: First Name: Surname: Address: Postcode: If you are a UK taxpayer and if you tick the Gift Aid box when you make a donation, HMRC will add an extra 25p for every pound you donate. I want to Gift Aid my donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years to Christian Blind Mission. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax or Capitals Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. We will need your name and address to claim the additional 25% of your donation from Gift Aid. Increase the value of your gift by 25% I enclose a cheque/postal order/CAF voucher made out to CBM or Please debit my Visa/Mastercard/Maestro Card/CAF Card Card holder’s name: Card number: Expiry date: M M / Y Y security number: signature: Date: / / 3-digit Cardholder’s You can also call 0800 567 7000 to make your donation today, or visit our website seetheway.org. Until 12th May 2020, the UK government will double all public donations to our See the Way appeal up to £2 million. We will send you an update on Leah’s surgery. We’d love to keep you informed about our life-changing work and how you can support it by making a donation. By giving your email address or phone number below you give CBM UK consent to contact you using these methods: Phone: Email: We like to contact our supporters with postal fundraising messages and updates from the projects we support. If you do NOT want to receive such messages from CBM UK in the future please contact us on 01223 484700 or email info@cbmuk.org.uk. You can update your contact preferences or unsubscribe at any time. You can view our privacy policy at www.cbmuk.org.uk/privacy. How it works Help people in the world’s poorest places See the Way to a brighter future - give before 12th May 2020 and every £1 you donate to our See the Way appeal will be doubled by the UK government. Help people in the world’s poorest places See the Way to a brighter future – give before 12th May 2020 and every £1 you donate to our See the Way appeal will be doubled by the UK government. UKAM20-0220PR22 Public donations will support CBM’s work preventing blindness and transforming lives wherever the need is greatest. Match funding from the UK government will improve access to sight saving eye- health services in Malawi.

Find your local Catholic Historical Church newspaper. Scroll to find yours.

Contact Us
Current Catholic Papers
Church Advertising
www.CatholicDirectory.org

© CathCom 1997 - 2024