CaFE
What is CaFE ?
It is a flexible process designed to create :-
DISCIPLESHIP - helping Catholics get more enthusiastic about their faith in Jesus Christ
COMMUNITY - creating and nourishing small groups where people can share and grow together
EVANGELISATION - empowering Catholics to make more of a difference in the world around them
CaFE groups begin by using videos/ CDs, which are enjoyable and stimulate discussion
C a F E is coming back!
Believe - Reflections on the Creed
Starts Wednesday,April 9th at 7-30pm in the Rosary Room for
6 sessions.
Session 1. Why we believe
Contributors - Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap (Papal Preacher)
Bishop Angaelos (Coptic Orthodox Church, England)
Abbot Christopher Jamison (Worth Abbey)
Lord David Alton (Human Rights and Pro-Life Campaigner)
Session 2. How we believe
Contributors - Delia Smith (Well-known cook and personality)
Rev. Keith Ward (Emeritus Professor of Divinity, Oxford)
Archbishop Mark Coleridge (Canberra, Australia)
Fr. Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (Ecole Biblique, Jerusalem)
Session 3. The Almighty Father
Contributors - Dr. Clare Watkins (Theologian, Cambridge)
Jackie Pullinger (Missionary, Hong Kong)
Fr. Ernest Sievers (Missionary, Uganda)
Archbishop Elias Chacour (Melkite Church, Galilee)
Session 4. The Lord Jesus Christ
Contributors - Fr. Paul Watson (Maryvale Institute, Birmingham)
Rev. Nicky Gumbel (Holy Trinity, Brompton, London)
Session 5. The Holy Spirit and the Church
Contributors - Sr. Maria Natella (Dominican Preacher, Dorset)
Fr. Martin Tierney (Parish Priest and Author, Ireland)
Bishop Joe Grech (Sandhurst, Australia)
Session 6. The Coming Kingdom
Contributors - Francis Cardinal Arinze (Vatican)
Jean Vanier (L'Arche Communities, France)
With testimonies from lay people, Scripture and Catechism quotations, questions for discussion and times of prayerful reflection, these sessions go beyond the words to discover the huge treasure that we have been given in the Creed. All welcome.
If you have any information you would like to contribute towards this page please click here and send an e-mail. Alternatively you can contact Father Jones direct.
Listed below are a number of groups that the Church is involved in with some information. If you have any event information or you know of any other groups that are not mentioned please e-mail us or contact Father Jones direct:
CAFOD - Catholic Fund for Overseas Development
St Mary's Parish works through CAFOD to help the poor in the Third World by praying, campaigning and fund raising on their behalf.
We do this by supporting Lent and Harvest Fast Days, when we pray for and celebrate CAFOD's work with a special Mass and a collection to support CAFOD's long-term development work.
We have a monthly collection for CAFOD's Challenge Scheme for the provision of basic necessities worldwide, and we respond to Emergency Appeals caused by natural disasters.
We actively campaign to "Drop the Debt" and to support Fair Trade. We are all involved in CAFOD when we pray for its work, give generously to collections and support the campaigns by taking time to sign a petition or a postcard or write a letter.
You can keep informed of CAFOD's activities through this website, the Newsletter, the Parish Magazine and the Church noticeboard. Or go to the CAFOD website.
ST MARY'S CHOIR
The choir exists to enhance the liturgy at Easter, Christmas and special occasions.
Practices usually take place after the 11.00 am Sunday Mass in St Mary's Church (or, if there is a baptism, in the Parish Hall). These practices are normally during February, March, November and December. Up-to-date information on practices will appear on the Newsletter page.
New choir members are always very welcome.
We have a wide repertoire, ranging from Taize chants through to Vivaldi's Gloria.
For further information please contact:
Mr Michael Kilcoyne (Organist and Director of Music) 01204 468570
SPA SOCIETY OF ST PETER APOSTLE
This is a mission society and supported by the Church worldwide. Its aim is to pray and to fundraise for the training of priests in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Developing countries are unable to meet the cost of an explosion of vocations and potential priests will be lost if we don't help them.
St Mary's Parish supports the cost of training 3 seminarians from Nigeria, Kenya and Sri Lanka. It costs £500 a year - £10 a week for each student.
We can help by praying for our students and by supporting the variety of fundraising events held in the Parish to fund their training.
For more information contact:
Father Jones or Josie Slack 01204 699141
GIFT AID
From April 2000 a "Gift Aid Declaration" has replaced the Covenant. Tax paid by the donor at any rate can be reclaimed to the benefit of the Parish providing there is a record i.e. by envelope, cheque or banker's order. Gift Aid organisers are:
Gerald Webster 01204 468564
Paul Abbott 01204 693745
Hilary Freeman 01204 699691
CATHOLIC CHILDREN'S RESCUE SOCIETY
Caring for children and families in the Diocese of Salford and offering the following services:
Family Support
Fostering and Adoption
Counselling
Residential Homes
Mother and Baby Units
For further information contact:
Rev Sec Father B Wilson
390 Parrs Wood Road
Didsbury
Manchester
M20 5NA
0161 445 7741 Website:www.ccrs.freeserve.co.uk
KNIGHTS OF ST COLUMBA
The Order of Knights of St Columba is open to all practising Catholic gentlemen. The aims of the Order are:
1. To be an organised body giving entire loyalty to the Catholic Faith.
2. To support members in their vocation as Cathlic laymen.
3. To restore all things in Christ by working for the moral and social welfare of their country.
4. To help Catholic youth develop to the full stature of Christ.
5. To co-operate with other organisations in the furtherance of these objectives.
6. To achieve all the objectives in Charity, Unity and Fraternity.
If you would like further information on times and places of meetings or would like to join the Knights in their work you would be most welcome and should contact:
Paul Hancock 01204 692470
PRAYER GROUP
The Vatican Council (in Lumen Gentium) said very clearly that the Holy Spirit not only Sanctifies the people of God through the sacraments and the ministries but also distributes all kinds of charisms, thus enabling people to serve the body of Christ in many different ministries.
For further information contact:
Margaret Robinson 01204 697321
Rita Bentham 01942 812499
APF MILL HILL - MISSION BOXES
Through the Association for the Propagation of the Faith, we support missionary work everywhere - by our prayers and donations.
"Box Members" hold a red misiion box, emptied quarterly. "Annual Members" make an annual contrbution. "Promoters" find new members and empty the boes. All receive a quarterly magazine.
If you can help contact:
Sheila Sirvinskas (Secretary) or
Joe Murphy (Treasurer) 01204 690209 or
Mill Hill Missionaries
84 Victoria Road
Freshfield
Liverpool
L37 1LP
SCRIPTURE STUDY GROUP
The Parish Scripture Study Group
We reflect, pray and discuss the readings in the context of life at the time of Christ ad the Early Church and their relevance and application today.
We are not meeting at present because we are involved in CaFE. More details of this to follow
Everyone is welcome. For further information contact:
Cath Denton 01204 469820
SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT de PAUL
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30th.
In today's Gospel, Jesus gives us an insight into the consequences of enjoying the fruits of our wealth without concern for the people who are less fortunate. The image of people living off the crumbs we spill is perhaps not a true reflection of our life style, but nevertheless, we are still called on to help those with needs. It is people like ourselves who are told to listen to the cries of the rich man. However, we take consolation in the fact that it is not usual for poor people to beg in the streets.
So has poverty gone away?
In some parts of the world, the image of Lazarus, covered in sores is still present. We cannot ignore the cries of the poor from other parts of the world. However, even in our own country there are still needs, needs that are not being addressed by the welfare state.
People's response to world disasters is always impressive. While it is on our TV screens and in our newspapers we are reminded to help. But for many people poverty is on-going, day in day out. Just because it is not featured on the evening news does not mean it does not exist. Who is it that seeks to help those people who are invisible and forgotten by the world at large ?
One such organisation is the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The Society was started by young students, not content to just talk about Christian charity, but wanting to put it into action through person to person contact. In England and Wales last year, its members made around three quarter of a million visits, being the hands and feet of Christ in our community (-and within this parish)
Behind every visit there is always a story to tell. Take Sarah for example, who had been living in foster care for 18 months when she fell pregnant, because she was underage she was only due to receive a limited maternity grant which would not even cover the basics. Social Services contacted the local SVP and arranged for a visit. The SVP befriended Sarah and provided various basic items such as baby monitor and a bottle steriliser. They continued to visit her providing her with support and friendship before and after the birth of her baby.
There could be thousands of similar stories up and down the country, nothing spectacular, but very meaningful to those who find themselves with no means to support themselves. Much of the SVP's traditional work is at home in our parishes, visiting the elderly, the housebound and the sick. On a wider level the Society runs family support centres, gives debt advice and counselling. We collect furniture that would otherwise go to land-fill, repairing it and distributing it to families, protecting the environment and helping families to cope. There is an expanding programme of Community Shops, not on lucrative high streets but on housing estates, providing low income families with affordable clothing and furniture. The SVP organise Camps for children who would not otherwise have a holiday and can even offer a limited number of family holidays. In several places the SVP, together with sister organisations is involved in providing food and help to the homeless. Nor is our activity limited to this country. Through our twinning programme, England and Wales are linked to India, the Sudan, Grenada, Guyana and Romania
September is a special month for the SVP, as it includes St. Vincent de Paul's feast day and the feast of one of its founders, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1997 as an inspiration to youth. We are trying to make September our SVP awareness month, so that people may be conscious of needs within our community and about an organisation dedicated to helping
Groups exist in many parishes, schools, universities and increasingly in inner cities, wher parishes communities have broken down.
Helping people is not about making headlines. It is about giving something of oneself in Christ's name. it turns concern into action. It inevitably brings its own rewards in terms of developing mutual friendships with those one visits and other members of the SVP
CATHOLIC FAMILY CARE
The aim of the Catholic Family Care is to provide new garments for the poor of the Diocese.
Members undertake to give two new garments and 50p or more each year. Associate members give an annual subscription. The colection will be made once a year to be announced. Garments will be collected at any time. For further information contact:
Cath Denton 01204 469820
FAITH IN THE FUTURE
The Jubilee year gave an ideal opportunity to look at the challenges facing the Church and at the future development of the Church.
The whole process began with a prayer with two questions that needed to be explored:
1) What is our mission?
2) What structures do we need to support that mission?
A Mission Review Group was formed by Bishop Brain consisting of both clergy and laity and they liaised with the parishes through two link people chosen by each parish priest.
The link people for this parish are:
Mrs Joan Birchall 01204 468936
Mrs Cath Denton 01204 469820
