As Christians we must help ensure everyone has access to education, ensure our schools include the margins of Society.  Importantly, it is for us to tackle the root causes of poverty and inequality that mean millions of people are being denied there basic human rights.  Today we pray and celebrate education together, additionally though, every Christian, not just those directly involved in teaching, is called to support young people and students in our communities and churches. Please give generously to the retiring collection today but also throughout the year in whatever way you can to education.

With love and prayers to you all.      Fr Rory

*http://web.worldbank.org/website/external/topics/exteducation/0,,contentmdk:

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Further, as we get to know the communities, we should be aware of people, who we would expect to be present but may have been absent for a week or two, in order to ensure that they are not unwell or even in hospital. Perhaps the visiting of the sick and disabled could also be a service offered by the Welcomers.

If you are interested in taking an active role in our Parish Liturgies please speak to Fr Rory today or call:

Fr Rory   841504

St Wilfrid`s Ann Fielder  843361

St George`s Margaret Piegrome  870990

The SMA is a community of Catholic missionaries who come from around the world with a commitment to serve the people of Africa. For over 150 years, SMA missionaries have been present in Africa. They strive to be a living witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ among their brothers and sisters in that continent and among people of African heritage wherever they live.

SMA was founded in 1856, by Melchior de Marion Brésillac, a passionate visionary whose challenges in missionary life seem very contemporary. He struggled against church and family opposition to his missionary goals. He believed strongly in equality and sought to establish local churches with indigenous clergy. 

Today, SMA is a thriving worldwide organization with international headquarters in Rome and missions that serve the people of Africa and those of African descent around the world. Committed to the vision of their founder, SMA missionaries work continuously to establish indigenous clergy wherever they serve.

To find out more about the SMA Fathers visit www.smafathers.org . Please give generously to today’s appeal.

Rethinking Education

What are schools for? Often focus is on a league-tables, exam reports, future economic prospects, the easily measurable outcomes of the education system. Assumption that the higher the grades the better the education and the better the school. Catholic schools often find it hard to take any different stance. The temptation is to ignore the bigger question: what is education for? Is it feeding in information for future reference? Is it a practical training, the imparting of certain technical competencies? Is it society`s investment in the productivity of the future work-force? Is it the socialisation of a new generation into shared values? Of  course, education involves all these practical elements and there is no excuse for not striving for excellence in each and every classroom.

Addressing the whole person

But if we want to measure educational success or failure we need to pursue our reflections further. What is education? The word itself gives a clue. Educare in Latin means `to draw out`. Education is about bringing out what is already there as a potential in those being educated. Students are not just hoppers into which information can be fed. They are human persons and a Catholic understanding of education is that it must address the whole person-ensuring their physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual development. We need to ask ourselves whether the evidence for a social malaise in our culture (think of the riots last summer) isn`t the result of downplaying the physical, moral and spiritual dimensions of education in the pursuit of narrow intellectual goals. On this year`s World Day of Prayer for Peace Pope Benedict is asking us to reflect on `Educating young people in justice and peace`. Firstly, of course, that requires that our homes, parishes and colleges be places where young people can live in safety and be treated with dignity. But, as well as this minimum requirement for the educational enterprise, we need to open the eyes of the young to the challenges of our world – the astonishing inequalities in wealth, health, educational opportunities and life expectancy around the world, the suffering of so many of our brothers and sisters.

Offering a vision of peace

The task, not only of the school but also of the parish and of the family, is to awaken the imaginations of the young, to offer them a vision of the world as it could and should be – what Jesus called `The Kingdom of God`, a community in which all are treated with justice and mercy and in which the needy and vunerable are put at the heart of things. We need to show them that the way of violence leads nowhere and that there are tried and tested alternatives to conflict, to warfare and to unsustainable living. Over the last 75 years, the international Catholic peace movement, Pax Christi, has built up a body of expertise regarding how to educate the young to work for peace and justice and also a track-record of working with the young in schools and elsewhere to share the Gospel vision of peace.

Please remember them in your prayers and consider making a donation to the work of  Pax Christi this Peace Sunday.

The Above Article is by  Fr Rob Esdaile, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Lourdes, Thames Ditton, Surrey.

First, this feast day celebrates the first manifestation of Jesus to all the nations of the  earth. When Jesus was presented in the temple to do what the law of the Lord required-the prophet Simeon, a devout upright man, took him in his arms and he said “Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.” This is the clearest most important presentation of the truth that Christ brings God`s salvation to the whole world.

Then second, the Church is the body of Christ while here on earth. Throughout the whole of this time leading up to the great feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to go out into the world to bear witness in the same way, to God`s salvation to overcome the powers of darkness and to establish the Kingdom of God. This is our purpose and please God we will carry out Our Responsibility to the best of our ability. From time to time through the seasons I will return to this theme, highlighting God`s presence to us through the liturgy, but eqully through our response to this call  to live out our Christian lives; that we might do all in our power to bear fruit, fruit that will last.

May God bless and keep you always.

                                                                                   FR.Rory

It is important that we continue to support one another and to build ourselves up as the body of Christ. To try to show willing and to be positive in our approach is a very good beginning. But things are never that simple; so good communication, and indeed patience are also very important.

The Society for the Protection of  Unborn Children have a pivotal role to play in an important area in the life of the Church. More than anything else I commend them to your prayers and if there are persons who have been called to strengthen their prayers by fasting, I particularly commend their cause to you. They are only human and sometimes their approach might be better but certainly, they do better than I do, so I always try to be encouraging of them and support their cause. I think it is right that an opportunity to contribute financially to their cause is good, so a collection outside the church can happen.

Back to our leaven groups, a change of day is needed for St Wilfrid`s, it will be on Thursday evenings, with the next one on the 12th January combining with a meeting of the project group. St George`s remains on Wednesday`s and so the next is the 11th January.

The social evening before Christmas was a real blessing and please God we will prosper together in the coming year.

Grace and peace to all.

                                                 Fr Rory

CRIB COLLECTION:

This year’s crib collection is to be shared between CABRINI Children’s Society and children in the Holy Land.  CABRINI was established in 1887 and, over the years, has adapted its services to offer a flexible and responsive approach to the changing needs of communities. Cabrini is a charity providing wide ranging services to children, young people, families and to adults with learning disabilities.  Rooted in Catholic social teaching, its mission is to encourage, inspire and support the individuals it works with, to find their way in the world.

The donations to Christian children in the Holy Land will be distributed via the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, a charitable organisation which supports schools and parishes there. Currently, and sadly, only 2% of the Holy Land population is Christian. This land was God’s chosen land, Jesus was born there in a stable in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. It is extremely important that we support the ‘living stones’ the Christians, who are struggling in the Holy Land and particularly the children, who are their heritage. Today Christians in the Holy Land, including Bethlehem, are experiencing extreme difficulties and dangers. They are marginalised in Palestinian and Israeli society, with the lack of peace, stability and absence of justice.

Please be generous with prayers and money to help both these worthy causes.  With love and prayers to you all.  Fr. Rory.

How much things have changed, but the truth of it all remains the same.  Recently I read an account from a priest who has witnessed to the great graces he has received, all through the years, since he followed the instructions given to him by a monk, written on a scrap of pink card.  The five instructions: Prayer for enlightenment; reflective thanksgiving; survey of actions; contrition and sorrow;  and, resolution for the future.  He says, “Although I never saw the monk again, I read that pink index card hundreds of times, and as I started to do what the card said, the results were miraculous.  Within days I felt my God in a way I had never experienced before.  I knew then what everyone meant when they talked about what it was to be born again”.

With love and prayers to you all,  Fr. Rory.

Fr. Rory writes:
A Big Thank you to Colin – for his support in directing our music and leading our excellent choir.  We will truly miss his tenacious support in making our services sing from the roof tops.  We also take this opportunity to thank Shirley for stepping up to carry on, in Colin’s words, “the strong tradition of music for the worship of God”.

With love and prayers for you all,  Fr. Rory

As two communities of real faith, our liturgies and generous giving is something to be proud of. Yes there is salt and that salt must become tasteless. A really good suggestion was a social occasion for the leaven groups, the parish finance teams and the website and liturgy groups, to mark our December meeting. Everything that helps with communications helps to provide for our lamps.

With love and prayers for you all

                                                                             Fr Rory