Dear Parishioners,

As you have probably heard, Pope Francis has appointed 61year old Bishop John Arnold, an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Westminster, as Bishop of Salford diocese in succession to Bishop Brain who last December reached the retirement age of 75.
He hails from Sheffield but headed South to study Law at Oxford University before he set his mind on the priesthood. He trained in Rome from where he was ordained Priest in July 1983. He then gained a Doctorate in Canon Law before being appointed to Westminster Cathedral and chaplain to the Westminster Hospital in 1985. A wide variety of appointments followed before his ordination in 2006 as an Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster.
Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, said of him: “For many years Bishop John Arnold has been a faithful and devoted priest in the Diocese of Westminster. He has served as assistant priest, parish priest, Vicar General and, for the last eight years, Auxiliary Bishop. In all of these roles he has won the admiration and deep esteem of us all. In the name of Westminster Archdiocese, then, I rejoice in his appointment as the next Bishop of Salford, a major responsibility for which he is well suited. We shall miss him. His new Diocese, I know, will welcome him and quickly come to appreciate his many gifts, his profound dedication and his generous spirit.”
Bishop Brain has written: “I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you all for the prayers that you have offered for my ministry among you: I have been very conscious of that strength behind me. I am also grateful for the affirmation and collaboration that I have received from the Diocesan family in so many ways: it has been a privilege to serve you all. I recognise that I did not always get it right and at times some of you were frustrated by my decisions but I pray God that, together, we have done some great things for Him and that we are in good heart to go forward on the journey of faith with Bishop John. So I simply say, thank you, God bless you. And I promise to keep you all in prayer. I have enjoyed being part of this family of God, and the last words I would like to share with you I take from that great and holy Lancashire lass, Alice Ingham: “Isn’t God great!”

Bishop John Arnold will be installed as Bishop of Salford on 8^th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, details of which will be released later.

Fr John

Manolo Fortich Dear Parishioners,

As you are probably aware an important meeting, a synod, of the Pope with representative bishops from around the world and other experts will gather in Rome from 5^th to 29^th October to discuss the challenges facing family life and the Church. In its support we are asked to pray the following prayer, written by Pope Francis, until the conclusion of the Synod.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
to you we turn with trust.

 Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.

 Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalized
find ready comfort and healing.

 Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the approaching Synod of Bishops
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.
Amen

 Fr John

Dear fellow Parishioners,

Today is Home Mission Sunday – a day we are invited to pray for and support the Church’s work of Evangelisation in our own country.
As Baptised Christians we evangelise best by our witness to our faith in our daily lives: generously helping someone in need, for example, or not drinking alcohol in Lent when going out with workmates to the pub on a Friday, or by a teenager having the courage to come to Mass on Sunday despite his or her friends’ mockery. To do this we have to renew our own commitment constantly. As Pope Francis says, “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ. The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk”. So take some time to reflect on your relationship with Christ. Do you devote time to prayer? Does your lifestyle mirror your commitment to Christ?
Secondly, we need to reflect on our family life. So, parents: how do you pass on the faith to your children, and are you transmitting God’s values to them? Children: what do you do to help family life? What can you do to make the world a better place? As members of a family we evangelise best by our witness in our daily lives: coming to Mass every Sunday, praying together and working together as a family.
Thirdly, we need to reflect on the life of our parish family. As a parish we evangelise by the witness of our shared commitment to parish support for others: support of the food bank; the work of the SVP and Eucharist Ministers who take the Church and Communion to the housebound and to care homes; catechists and teachers who sacrifice time to prepare our children for First Communion; the HTCP and Right to Life sponsored walks; the RCIA team – to name but a few. Are you a part of these and other activities. And if you are unable to actively support these, do you pray for them?
Fourthly, we are called, to quote Pope Francis, to reach out to “the baptised whose lives do not reflect the demands of Baptism, who lack a meaningful relationship to the Church and no longer experience the consolation born of faith.” Research suggests that an estimated 80% of Catholics in England and Wales rarely or never attend Mass. They are our responsibility; they are members of our faith family. We must try to find out why they are not participating in our community’s faith life, to find ways of attracting them back to the practice of the faith, and to be welcoming when they do return. People do reconnect, they do come back!
God does not hold grudges and does not demand an accounting. He offers simply a “Welcome home.” But we are the ones who must deliver the invitation!

Fr John