http://beccajcampbell.com/books/why-character-matters-in-story-amreading-suspense-dystopian/ Archbishop Peter Smith’s Homily for Christmas and the Year of Mercy

“The people that lived in darkness had seen a great light. On those who live in the land of deep shadow, a light has shone.”  These themes of light and darkness were often used in the ancient world as symbols of people’s experience of life.  Light associated with goodness, knowledge and hope.  Darkness symbolised evil, ignorance and despair. In the time of the prophet Isaiah, the Israelites were an embattled people, oppressed by foreign powers and driven into exile.  In those dark days they were convinced that the God of their fathers had abandoned them and in their misery pleaded with God to have mercy on them.  God responded to their plea through the prophet  giving them hope that he would indeed come and save them, for there is a child born for us, a son given to us and this is the name they give him:  Wonderful Counsellor Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.   As Christians we believe that this promise was fulfilled on the first Christmas night when God became man, in the person of Jesus Christ,  the long awaited Messiah, the saviour and redeemer of the world, – Emmanuel, “God  with us!”.   That was the astonishing joyful news announced to the shepherds on the first Christmas night, “Listen I give you a great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour ahs been born to you.  He is Christ the Lord.”  And that truth is reiterated in St John’s gospel, when John says of Jesus Christ, all that came to be had life in him and that life was the life of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower. The true light that enlightens all men because in him we see made visible the God we cannot see. So whilst our hearts are filled with hope and joy tonight we can’t ignore or forget the pain and  tragic experiences of so many people in the world today nor the heartbreaks and sadness witch arise from time to time in our own lives and in the lives of others.  I’m thinking especially of the terrifying events in Paris just over a month ago, the persecution of Christians and many others, the refugee crisis in the Middle East and other parts of the world, famine in Ethiopia and extreme poverty and lack of education in other countries. The list is endless.  These tragedies remind us that the world is still in need of redemption from sin and evil.  As Christians we believe that the work of salvation and redemption is literally a labour of love and mercy which God pursues through, with and in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.  That process of redemption has to be worked out through every age until the second coming of Christ at the end of time.  By taking on our wounded humanity he became our brother our closest friend and companion on the road of life sharing our pain and isolation, came to share our lives intimately,  to show us how to carry our burdens and share in his example of how to care for those most in need.  He is our model for Jesus said of himself:  “I am the way the truth and the life.”  And he came to show us the way back to the house of our heavenly father, the prodigal father, slow in anger and rich in mercy who waits with infinite passion and patience the final eternal home of all his children so for us and all people of good will Christmas is pre-eminently  a season of joy and hope The challenge for each one of us of us is to allow Jesus to be born again in our hearts, to allow his love mercy and compassion to become incarnate in our heart and minds so that in our own times we too might be lights in a world that has become so dark with selfishness and sin.  And in this Jubilee Year of Mercy Pope Francis is calling all Christians and all people of good will to a profound conversion of heart turning away from selfishness and self interest to reveal in our lives that infinite love and merry of God making our own unique contribution to the task of healing human brokenness, to foster peace and harmony in human relationships and through the corporal works of mercy feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, healing the sick so to bring a little of Christ’s life into the darkness of the world in which we live.  So my prayer for you all tonight is that message of Christ will find a home in us and that the peace of Christ may reign in our hearts tonight and throughout the coming year.  And let us all commit ourselves to living this Year of Mercy, and in doing what we can to help all those in need we can be quite sure that God will show mercy to us too.

Dear Parishioners,

At the end of July, representatives of our parish Combating Human Trafficking Group will meet the Bishop to agree how he might best add his voice to our work.
Human trafficking is a crime against humanity that requires continued global and local cooperation between the Catholic Church and law enforcement. The twin strategies of police cracking down on the criminals behind trafficking, and Church and social workers aiding victims, must go together. These were the words of Pope Francis at the second international conference on human trafficking in Rome in April 2014.

In the UK, the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and the Bakhita Initiative are putting the Pope’s words into practice down to parish level. Our Parish group is a bottom up approach in the same spirit.

So how does a parish group like ours fulfil a twofold aim of aiding victims and cracking down on criminals?
Firstly we work with the Englewood Medaille Trust which provides safe housing for victims rescued from trafficking. The Trust has government funding for a limited period only, after which victims will be without any form of benefit and many will become street homeless. Without charitable donations we shall fall short of the Church’s aim of aiding victims. Last October we raised over £2,200 for the Medaille Trust at the Traffik Jam concert in the social centre and in the last 6 months people have taken hundreds of Medaille magazines. The magazine is free, though it invites readers to donate money.
Secondly we are working with the Police via parishioner DCI Sion Hall who has the lead on trafficking and child sexual exploitation in East Lancashire.

Pope Francis has said: “Every Citizen of every country must be made aware of human trafficking and join the fight against it.” Through talks to adults and in schools, the Parish website, emails within the Group, and the media, we can become the eyes and ears of the Police. Major opportunities for awareness raising will arise with Ant-Slavery Week in October. For the Year of Mercy, called by Pope Francis to begin in December, our Deanery is to adopt trafficking as its Social Justice activity.

On 21 July we meet at 7.30pm in the Presbytery to formulate plans for our meeting with the Bishop later in the month. All parishioners are welcome.

Anthony and Mary Brown

PRESS STATEMENT

For immediate release – 20 April 2015

Bishop Patrick Lynch:  Mediterranean Migrant Deaths

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the men, women and children dying almost daily in the Mediterranean Sea as they desperately search for a safer life in Europe. We call on all EU member states to involve themselves in the relief efforts and to work collaboratively to find a swift, just, effective and compassionate solution to these humanitarian disasters.”

Bishop Patrick Lynch

Bishop for Migration, Department for International Affairs, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

FULL HOUSE FOR HOUSING JUSTICE ROADSHOW

A full house of 80 delegates representing over 45 charities and organisations, including local authorities, joined the Housing Justice conference hosted by Caritas Diocese of Salford on Thursday 16^th April. Housing Justice is the national voice of Christian action on housing and homelessness, speaking out and enabling practical church and community responses.

The Manchester Roadshow brought together people from churches, housing and homelessness organizations, and others from the voluntary and statutory sector. The aim of this ecumenical event was to encourage and motivate churches to be part of the housing solution in Manchester and to work in partnership with others.

Mark Wiggin, CEO Caritas Diocese of Salford welcomed delegates from the Greater Manchester housing and homelessness services; Rt. Rev John Arnold Bishop of Salford led the gathering in prayer and reflection on the Christian response to poverty and homelessness. Alison Gelder, CEO Housing Justice set out the national context and Amanda Croome, CEO The Booth centre and Chair of the Multi-Disciplinary Homelessness Form in Manchester set the local and regional needs and service gaps. Across the nation and in Greater Manchester, homelessness and lack of decent housing have a devastating impact on lives. The introduction of welfare benefit reform has made this situation worse for many families and single people. The information presented revealed a very difficult situation of raising needs an falling resources but a solidarity and determination of providers to work together to address the growing needs of people.

Workshops explored Faith in Affordable Housing: using surplus church, land and buildings for affordable homes; Night Shelters – the importance of night shelters for homeless people & how churches can get involved; Mentoring & Befriending – how supporting people in housing need changes lives and also a workshop on addressing the needs of homeless migrants with no recourse to public funds

There is significant housing need in all areas of the country and the Roadshow gave an excellent opportunity to share good practice and discuss how working together can bring real change to communities. Hopefully, a legacy form the Roadshow will be a strengthening of collaborative working between service providers and a more united voice on the issues of homelessness in the region.

Mark Wiggin

The Modern Slavery Bill received Royal Assent yesterday.

Cardinal Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said: “I welcome the Modern Slavery Act 2015 as the Bill receives Royal Assent today. While no Act can cover everything in the serious criminal activity of human trafficking and modern slavery, which abuses vulnerable people, the enhanced support and protection for victims is particularly to be welcomed.

This will be the largest Catholic youth event ever held in the UK. Matt Redman will be leading the music.  Matt is a great singer with a great band behind him.  Listen to him singing 27 Million, a song about human trafficking.

A range of interesting people will be speaking including Cardinal Luis Tagle, recently by the side of Pope Francis throughout his visit to the Philippines. This event is open to young people and young adults year 10 upwards. Full programme and booking details on http://www.cymfed.org.uk/flame2

Caritas Diocese of Salford is the charity of the Bishop of Salford and began its mission in 1864 when the then Bishop of Salford, Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, invited the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph (FMSJ), a  Salford Diocese founded congregation,  to begin a ministry in industrial Lancashire to rescue children from poverty and the work house. Today, 111 years later, Caritas Diocese of Salford is still working directly with the FMSJ sisters in Caritas projects with homeless and vulnerable people, some sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester,  and with older people and their carers offering respite. Our newest project, again involving the sisters,  is one that we ask your prayers for. It is  our work with young people with life limiting medical conditions so complex that these have the ability to shorten their  young lives. To these young people, we offer a 24 hour nursing and personal care service in our new purpose build home that from the outside looks so ordinary but one you enter through the door you immediately appreciate the atmosphere of love, hope and joy of both staff and young people alike.

Sunday 8^th February is Caritas Sunday when we invite you to be part of the rich heritage of charity in our diocese and to reflect on the part that we all as members of our church and community have to play in bringing about a fair and compassionate society. Sunday 8^th February is also the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita and we have been asked to especially remember the plight of trafficked people caught up in the terrible curse of Modern Day slavery. Again, Caritas Diocese of Salford is involved in supporting the charitable work of the Medaille Trust who have two safe houses in the Diocese for rescued victims of trafficking. Caritas also supports a brand new anti-trafficking initiative started in our diocese by members of the Parish of Our Lady of the Valley in Clitheroe.

Please remember the work of Caritas Diocese of Salford in your prayers this week support this worthwhile charity.

Thank you

Mark Wiggin, CEO Caritas Diocese of Salford

St Josephine Bakhita

Born 1869 Darfur, Sudan

Died 8 February 1947 Italy

 When St Josephine Bakhita was seven, she was kidnapped by Arab slave traders and over the next eight years was re-sold five times.  She was so traumatised by the brutality of her captors, she could not remember her birth name. her kidnappers gave her the name “Bakhita” which means fortunate.  Her final owner, the Italian Consul brought her to Italy to be a nanny for his daughter. When the family had to go away on business, they left Bakhita and the child in the care of the Canossian Sisters of the institute of Catechumens in Venice. It was there she came to know and experience God’s love.  In 1890 Bakhita asked to be baptised and received the name Josephine.  When the family returned to reclaim their daughter and Bakhita, Josephine resisted and her case went to court which upheld her freedom, since slavery was not recognised in Italian law.  In 1896 she took her vows as a Canossian Sister and for the next fifty year she led a life of simplicity, prayer and service (especially as the doorkeeper in the convent) always showing kindness to everyone especially the children in the street. In her final years she suffered from sickness and the haunting memories of the flogging and beatins she received whilst in slavery.  Josephine Bakhita died in 1947 and in 2000 she was canonised – the first Sudanese ever to be proclaimed a saint.

 Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking

 O God, who led Saint Josephine Bakhita from abject slavery to the dignity of being your daughter and bride of Christ, grant we pray, that by her example we may show constant love for the Lord Jesus crucified, remaining steadfast in charity and prompt to show compassion.

 Through Christ our Lord.

 St Josephine Bakhita:

 Pray for us