Lord our God,
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us,
he is the Savior of every nation.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
To be read in all churches and chapels of the Archdiocese of Liverpool on the First Sunday of Advent, 29 November 2009.
My dear People,
Let this Advent Letter begin with an Advent prayer we make at every Mass: ‘As we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ.’ At the very time I felt that these words should shape what I share with you today five things happened:
Five young men died in one incident in Afghanistan: how can we wait in joyful hope?
One of our priests dies ages 46: how can we wait in joyful hope?
Unemployment among young people touched a million: how can we wait in joyful hope?
Someone visited me to tell me of growing redundancies, negative equity among house-owners, re-possessions of homes, collapse in income received through investments. How can we wait in joyful hope?
And one of the greatest friends any Archbishop could ever have, Norman Jones my driver and so much more died suddenly of a heart attack. How can we wait in joyful hope?
My only answer is in the word hope: hope is not the same as optimism; optimism is reflected in a song popular after the great depression in the 1930s. ‘Happy Days are here again.’ Its feel is: soon everything will return to normal; it will be like it used to be. That cannot be true for the families and friends of those young soldiers, or for those who have a burden of debt in their mortgage, or been declared redundant, or seen their income fall drastically; and certainly not for me without Norman.
Hope says, because Jesus is risen, the same as he always was yet different too, there can be a new creation, new ways of living, new wonders. For very many Christmas this year cannot be the same as last Christmas. But the word of God today proclaims what is possible and cannot fail: ‘May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you.’
This same spirit is the reality of our journey called Leaving Safe Harbours. It grew out of the inevitability of change: we could not just go on as before; there has been for many bereavement as their parish has merged or a church filled with precious memories has been closed. There has been death. But because we are an Easter People, that is a people not called to be optimists, but a people who day by day are invited into our Lord’s risen, new, unexpected life, the signs to give us joy are precisely not where we have managed to hang on to the way things were, but where new ways have been carefully undertaken and begun to bear fruit.
Let me give you some examples:
Pastoral Areas are learning to work together in new and exciting ways: in sacramental celebrations and their preparations: in retreat days and evenings, in the on-going formation of Eucharistic ministers, readers, and catechists. Isolation is breaking down. Priests are working together and parishes are collaborating. There are signs of shared concern for justice and peace, and the confidence that grows when together we reach out to those who are in need through joint SVP groups. In some places where activities were failing due to lack of numbers, a spirit of collaboration has brought new life and new fruits. And in this same spirit the Pastoral Area Working Groups have enabled people to take their rightful place as together we shape the future. And since there is an ever louder call from the Holy Spirit to serve precisely by the witness of our unity, it will be good to see ever more sharing with our sisters and brothers in the other Churches and Christian communities. To seek to do together whatever we can. This is much more than being efficient; it is an imperative from our Lord to heal a broken world.
All of this has called for a great sense of generosity from many people and priests. I thank all those who have undertaken extra tasks and responsibilities and those preparing development plans so that each Pastoral Area can discern and lay the foundations for the future. It is so clear that the circumstances differ from one area to another: Warrington is not Wigan; Liveprool is not the Isle of Man; Chorley is not Kirkby. It is no surprise that things are developing in different ways and at different speeds. So, for example, in Liverpool the declining population presents us with some extremely difficult issues. Where an Area is in the early stages, other Areas would say: do not be afraid; new ways are possible; there is hope.
When we set out on our journey it was not possible to provide all the help and support that was needed. Now, through our re-invigorated Pastoral Formation Department and through our Vicariate for Evangelisation, we can provide what is needed. Our new Diocesan web site, still in its infancy, will give you a chance to see what is on offer and what resources you can now call upon. If your area has not yet started please get in touch with Father Philip Inch; he will co-ordinate the help needed.
At the end of January I will be going with all the other Bishops of England and Wales for the five-yearly visit we make to give an account to the Holy Father and his advisors of our stewardship. In preparation for that I have had to send of a report. I end this letter with the final page of that report:
‘The over-arching issue is demographic. The decline in the population of the diocese continues inexorably. Warning was given on the day I wrote this that nationally unemployment could rise to over 3 million in the next two years. Almost certainly we will see more people leaving this area, where for decades employment has been precarious, and with that decline the general poverty but especially cultural, intellectual, poverty will increase. It is also certain there will be fewer priests and many fewer religious than in the past.
‘The most pressing challenge is to be a church that proclaims hope. The virtue most needed, but already evident in the priests and people is endurance, patient endurance, and fidelity. Among priests and people I discern authentic religious vitality and a pattern of formation emerging that enables us to live faithfully before the Lord who died to gather into one the scattered children of God. The need, addressed especially in the pastoral plan which we call “Leaving Safe Harbours”, is to “heal fragmentation”.
I am sure all of this is true to the spirit of Our Lord’s words today as our agenda for Advent: yes, indeed at this time: ‘nations are in agony bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying in fear as they await what menaces the world.’ But we choose to take our stand before the Son of Man: so stand erect, head held high, because in him we find life and hope. In this season whatever others may do we shall watch ourselves, lest our hearts become coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life: we shall stay awake, praying all times and the spirit of our prayer shall fearlessly be:
‘As we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ’.
Patrick Kelly
Archbishop of Liverpool
The Archdiocesan Vicariate for Evangelisation with St Cuthbert’s Catholic Community College, St Helens, has produced a helpful and prayerful resource for Advent. It is called simply the ‘Sunday Gospel’. For each Sunday of Advent and the Christmas Season, there is a reflective and prayerful version of the Gospel which can be viewed on an iphone, mp3 player or computer. Have a look. There is also a digital Advent Calendar – minus the chocolate, but filled with much tastier surprises. All this can be found on the following web site: http://www.sundaygospel.co.uk
Saturday 19th December at 7.30 pm
St Mary’s, Lowe House, Crab Street, St Helen’s
Contemporary song writing duo Boyce & Stanleywill perform ‘The Promise Concert’ with original music, as well as popular Advent and Christmas songs. Tickets £8.50 for adults, £6.00 concessions (only available in advance) from the Animate Office (01744 740460) or http://www.cjmmusic.com/boxoffice
Helping you stay in your own home
Do you need repairs, maintenance or adaptations to your home?
Are you a homeowner or privately rent and are over 50 or disabled?
From small repairs to major improvements and adaptations, we are here to help you. We will visit you in your own home to discuss your needs and help you find the right solution. Ring us direct on 01942 825849.
Young people in Year 10 at St Mary’s Catholic High School should have received an invitation this week to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation after Easter next year.
The first meeting for candidates from St Richard’s, Sacred Heart, St Gabriel’s, St Ambrose Barlow and Holy Family will be after school on Tuesday 1st December, 3.15 - 4.15 pm, at St Ambrose Parish Hall. Please remember to bring your completed application forms to the meeting.
For further information, please contact Fr Paul or Fr Dave.
Ecumenical Advent Carol Service at St. Phillip’s, Atherton
Sunday 29th November at 6.30 pm
Advent Reflection Evening at St. Ambrose Barlow
Tuesday 1st December at 7.00 pm
Advent Liturgy of Hope at Holy Family
Tuesday 15th December at 7.00 pm
During Advent, the Archdiocesan Justice & Peace Commission will be presenting two evening reflections in the Pastoral Area on the themes of ‘Live Simply’ and ‘Climate Change’.
Monday 30th November at Twelve Apostes, Leigh, and Monday 7th December at St Ambrose Barlow: 7.30 - 8.30 pm.
Services of Reconciliation
Tuesday 1st December - Twelve Apostles, Leigh
Wednesday 9th December- St Richard’s, Atherton
Wednesday 16th December - Sacred Heart, Leigh
Tuesday 22nd December - Holy Family, Boothstown
All services begin at 7.30 pm
It is almost a year since the death of Fr. Arthur Mulcahey who served the parish of St. Ambrose Barlow, Astley, for many years. To mark the first anniversary of his death there will be a Memorial Mass for Fr. Arthur on Friday 27th November at 7.00 pm at St. Ambrose Barlow. Please come along and join us in prayer.
Today, the Feast of Christ the King, is the last Sunday of the Church’s Year and National Youth Sunday. We celebrate the place of children and young people in the Church. In his annual message to young people, Pope Benedict XVI speaks about hope. He says: “Christ is the great hope to which we all aspire and who never disappoints”.
There will be a Second Collection in each parish today to support the work of Animate - the Archdiocesan Youth Service. You can find out more about Youth Sunday at this website: http://www.nationalyouthsunday.org.uk and about Animate at this website: http://www.animateyouth.org
The Archdiocese of Liverpool has a new website: http://www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/
Today (Sunday) is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
In our prayers, let us remember all who have been killed on our roads and those who grieve their loss.
Let us also remember all who have been injured and the emergency services who attend the scene of accidents.
Ashton, Leigh and Wigan NHS are looking for volunteers to work as visitors during the present influenza pandemic (swine flu).
They need volunteer help with the following roles:
A) Volunteer Flu Friend – this involves the collection and delivery of medication. (must be CRB checked).
B) Flu Friend Plus – which involves the above plus helping with shopping, walking the dog, etc. (must be CRB checked).
C) Promotion of Self-Reliance – making sure that people are aware that swine flu HAS NOT gone away and letting them know that to access medication they will need to be able to send someone to collect it for them and that they should start to consider this now.
If you feel you could help in any of these roles, then please contact Lynne Calvert on 01942-481725.
The voice of His Holiness features on a new album from Music From The Vatican called “Alma Mater� to be released on 29th November. It is a beautiful collection of modern classical music performed by the Vatican Choir. There are further details on the noticeboards at the back of churches, or check out the website: http://www.musicfromthevatican.com