Update on Safeguarding

Safeguarding is much more than completing lots of forms,  but rather about promoting the well being of children and vulnerable adults in our Parish.  We have to ensure that parents and carers can be confident that our volunteers have been “cleared” and also that we are all aware of “Best Practice”.

There have been several developments since the last update:

Alpha Cards   These wallet size cards contain a short summary of what to do if a problem is suspected. They will be distributed in the next few days.

Diocesan Support  The Safeguarding Office in Salford have a heavy workload in processing clearance applications as well as dealing with cases.  The Bishop has recognised this and an additional person has been recruited to the team so that the application process should speed up

Incident Report Forms   The Incident Report Forms are designed to capture any issues such as falls, faints or “near misses” to ensure that we can alter our processes or make repairs where necessary.

Web Site    We shall soon be unveiling the Safeguarding page on the Parish website which will give access to local information as well as Newsletters from Salford Diocese.

Help Needed  Bridget has now moved from the Parish and I’m sure that we’d all like to thank her for her hard work.

It’s important that we have two Safeguarding Reps to ensure that one of us is always available – especially with so much ground to cover over the three Churches.  I’d be really grateful if someone could volunteer to be a new Rep.  There is the odd flurry of activity on admin side, but mainly it’s about being available if someone has a question or a concern.  No direct  experience is necessary – just a willingness to ensure that we are keeping each other “safe”.

If you have any further concerns (or wish to volunteer!!), please contact me on anhark456@aol.com

WORLD DAY OF THE POOR: SUNDAY 19th NOVEMBER

In June, Pope Francis instituted an annual World Day of The Poor, the first being on November 19th.

In announcing it, he said: “It is my wish that, in the week preceding the World Day of the Poor, …. Christian communities will make every effort to create moments of encounter and friendship, solidarity and concrete assistance”. He continues: “This Sunday, if there are poor people where we live who seek protection and assistance, let us draw close to them: it will be a favourable moment to encounter the God we seek.  Following the teaching of Scripture, let us welcome them as honoured guests at our table; they can be teachers who help us live the faith more consistently.”

As a centre piece for the Diocese’s World Day of the Poor, Caritas Salford will be launching the ‘ Refugee Dine With Me’ initiative across the Diocese on Wed 15th November at 6pm at Guardian Angels parish centre in Bury. This was successfully piloted by OLOTV parishioners last year, and Caritas hopes that people who took part in the pilot will come along and share their experiences.

In the preface to the Toolkit, Bishop John Arnold says: “I am very pleased to introduce the launch of this new initiative: ‘Refugee Dine with Me’. It is a very simple but effective way of welcoming people into our parishes who have left their homes and families to seek refuge and safety amongst us. When people sit together to share a meal, especially people from different cultures and life experiences, there is an opportunity to share more than just food. They create what Pope Francis has called a ‘culture of encounter.’ In accepting to share a meal together both host and guest are opening themselves to a very human encounter that breaks down barriers and builds new friendships. ‘Refugee Dine with Me’ creates such an opportunity that also leads us to a deepened understanding of human dignity and to a greater empathy for those who have journeyed to our shores seeking sanctuary. My hope is that you will take up this initiative as a part of the life of a missionary parish.”

If Parishioners want to participate in the initiative, please contact Tom or Kathryn Clay on 07962136749 or email tomclay48@hotmail.com.

Dear Parishioners,

You may remember that in a recent Pastoral Letter the Bishop announced the launch of a pastoral programme in the Diocese, called “Hope in the Future”.

Bishop John comments: The first part of the programme will help us acknowledge and celebrate all that parishioners, groups and communities are doing in the parish and what they are achieving. It is important for everyone to realise that the work they are already doing has value and that their contribution counts.”

The project should be lay-led but initially he has asked each parish priest to form a small team that can drive the initiative forward. Thereafter, I should step back and allow the team to carry the project forward.

As you are aware a team has been working with me on a similar project over the past three years, as we have, among other issues, studied Pope Francis two encyclicals, so I have asked them to continue with this project. The group have adopted the name ‘Missionary Steering Team’ (aka MST group) and the members consist of Alison Rowley, Peter Donnelly, Janet Hall, Michael Smith, Ann Cooke, Neil Wallace, Nichola Dixon, Damian Buggy and Teresa Mercer. “The team members have divided into three groups. Each group will be responsible for one of the following sessions within the communities of Dunsop, Sabden and Clitheroe (hence, each community will have an opportunity to attend all three sessions in their local area)

The first three sessions are:

• Rebuild My Church (reflections on St Francis’ call to mission before the Crucifix of San Damiano; (pictured on the front of the newsletter)
• Recognising and celebrating our gifts;
• Using our gifts in the service of others.

These meetings will begin after the New Year.

The newest Parish group, formed in response to my call for volunteers to begin implementing Pope Francis’ vision spelled out in Laudato Si, met on Thursday in the Presbytery. They decided to explore the possibility of us becoming a “Live Simply” parish. Mark Wiggin was elected Chair and Anthony Brown Secretary. To find out more or to join the group please come to the next meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday 30^th November in the Presbytery.

Fr John

Dear Parishioners,

Today is World Mission Sunday, a day on which Catholics of every land  join together in prayer for the Worldwide Mission of the Church and contribute towards its support. We shall take a retiring collection.

What does mission mean in practice?

Bishop Paride Taban is called South Sudan’s Desmond Tutu. Now, aged 81, he is one of the few South Sudanese who can remember peace in their country. In 1999, Bishop Paride started a farm on the eastern edge of South Sudan. Today that farm has become the Holy Spirit Peace Village: an oasis of peace. In stark contrast to the rest of this scarred and divided country, the Peace Village is home to people from 24 different tribes who live and work happily together. It is a model of harmonious and sustainable living and the place where he lives in a very active retirement.

Recently, Bishop Paride’s spirit of peace prevented a revenge attack after a little child, John, was kidnapped. Before the spirit of peace took hold, John’s ordeal would have triggered ‘an eye for an eye justice’ from one tribe to another. Cattle would have been stolen, or another child abducted or killed. But John was returned to his family in good health. After a week of tears, John’s mother is happy again, declaring that: ‘Without the Peace Village, our child would just have disappeared. Although l am angry with the people who did this, I know that we must learn to live alongside the communities around us.’

Recently, Bishop Paride received the Hubert Walter Award from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, at a ceremony in London in recognition of his half a century promoting Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation, often at great personal risk.

Without the help of money donated to Missio over the past 90 years, Bishop Paride could never been educated and ordained a priest and he could never have built up his diocese or achieved so much in the service of the Gospel.

Now to another important issue. This Friday, 27^th of October,

a rally will be held in Parliament Square with a minute of prayerful silence at 11.05 am, commemorating the moment the Abortion Bill became law. In St Michael & St John’s, the Rosary will be prayed at 11.30am on Saturday. Please try and join us and certainly don’t let 50 years and the deaths of 8 million children pass without marking this tragic anniversary in some way.

Fr John

Dear Parishioners,

We have been asked by the Bishop to support this survey.

In 2016, Pope Francis called Modern Slavery a ‘true crime against humanity’ and urged the Catholic Church to assist in the fight to eliminate it.  The eradication of Modern Slavery was included in the United Nations Sustainable Development goals in 2015.  As a Church we are in a privileged position as many of those exploited look to the church and come to the Church for help. In this survey we are asking you to help us identify these vulnerable communities – who they are, where they are, what they need, and what you need to support them effectively.

The Modern Slavery Act (2015) defined the crime of modern slavery as occurring when any person holds another person in slavery or servitude, or when a person requires another person to perform forced or compulsory labour.  In this country there are many faces of modern slavery: people who find themselves in situations of domestic servitude; women and girls from abroad and from the UK trafficked for sexual exploitation; men and women abused by drug cartels and organized crime groups who end up in car washes, nail bars and as cleaners; and finally the thousands of people recruited from Eastern European countries who are exploited in various industrial and agricultural sectors – farming, fishing, poultry and factories.  Human trafficking, more specifically, occurs when one person arranges or organises the movement of another person (within the same country or across national borders) so they can exploit or enslave that person.

Parishes and chaplaincies across the UK are asked to assist with this short survey about modern slavery. It will help the Church, via the Santa Marta Group, in gathering important data in the fight against Modern Slavery.  Please go to the link below and input the password: Bakhita  https://stmarys.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/informational-survey-2017-modern-slavery

And with another question: Should you give money to street beggars? Watch the following 6 minute video made by Fr Jim McCartney for the answer.
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/video/169368ref=rss                                                                     

Fr John