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LADY'S CATECHISTS WELCOME!
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ARCHIVES Details for an exciting
Oscott College Cost of Weekend: £120.00 Theme:
'Paul - The Letter Writer'
The main train station is Birmingham New
Street in the City Centre, 6 miles from the College. As taxi
cabs from New Street cost
approximately £16 .00 - it would be a good idea to share, if possible. Two local cab companies are cheaper - Kingstanding Cars 0121 377 6666 and StarCars 0121 3731111. There is also a local train from New Street to Chester Road. A map on directions to Oscott could be provided on request. However this is downloadable from www.oscott.net.
For further details contact Carol Taylor at
36 Ingledene Close, Bedhampton, PO 9 1DG
Group Photograph
taken by Wendy Piper at the July Meeting 2008 at Oscott this year.
We hope to have a report on the September day in York here fairly soon.
Our Lady’s Catechists Conference 13th - 15th April 2007
The Christian Call to Love
Sr. Mary Fox RIP Sr. Mary Fox died suddenly on 24th April
2006.
Sr. Mary Fox - Obituary
REPORT ON THE LAST CONFERENCE AT PLATER
Morning Prayer led by Fr. Harry Curtis on
Sunday, 3rd April 2005
GOOD-BYE TO PLATER
The Conference of 2005 will be remembered for two events which none of us will ever forget: We will remember that our beloved Pope, John Paul II died on Saturday evening, 2nd April 2005, the eve of the Feast of Divine Mercy which he himself had instituted in 2002, at the Canonisation of St. Faustina, who painted, at the request of Jesus Christ, the picture of Him radiating His Divine Mercy to all who repent their sins.
And we will remember dear Plater College, set up with such enthusiasm so long ago, who has hosted our Conferences for so many years. Much has been written about the College and a visit to their web site will give some of its history. This year's Conference was a tremendous success and it was regretted that so many of our students were unable to attend . Every year it is such a great occasion of fellowship and friendship as people renew earlier acquaintanceships which turn into something warmer and more permanent. Father Harry Curtis, our Chaplain from Oscott was there to greet us, and while his comment was that he always left after his time with Our Lady's Catechists really uplifted, we could probably say the same for those who attend these Conferences after his ministration and cheerful leadership. The Committee had planned a most interesting Conference, and the talk given by Sister Mellitus Lawlor is set out below. The most poignant moment of the Conference though has to be the moment the 'Open Forum' was interrupted while we listened to the radio report, as it happened, of the moment Pope John Paul II, one of the most charistmatic Popes in the entire line of succession since St. Peter himself, left this world to claim the crown for which he had worked the whole of his life. We thanked God for giving us such a Pope in our lifetime, and pray for his successor, who will be laden with a cross of immense proportions. God, we pray you have mercy on both these men. . . .
THE COMMITTEE, WHO ARRANGED SUCH A GOOD CONFERENCE!
L. to R: Elizabeth Rogers, CWL Representative; Jane Barham Secretary; Glenise
Ellis, Chairman; Marie Francis, Treasurer; Also present at the Conference, in addition to the students, were Margaret Jones, Registrar, Diploma Course; Beryl Wakefield, Registrar. Foundation Course; Wendy Piper, Registrar, C M S Course, Theresa Plunkett, Co-opted Member, Cardiff and Menevia; Sr. Joyce Barnes, Co-opted Member, Liverpool. Apologies: Sheila Barradell, Anne Criddle, Monica Davis, Marie Harris, Joan McCarthy, Brigid Murphy, Anne O'Rorke and Jean White.
REDISCOVERING THE ROLE OF THE LAY CATECHIST
A
VISION FOR THE FUTURE Talk by Sr. Mellitus Lawlor Introduction: link with Women’s World Day of Prayer theme - ‘Let your light shine’ - Prologue to St. John’s Gospel : ’The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the World. He was in the World that had its being through him and the World did not know him. He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him. But to all that did accept him he gave power to become children of God’ (John 1:9-12)
In this setting I would like to share thoughts with you about rediscovering the Role of the Lay Catechist and a Vision for the Future.This will not be all me – I want to learn from your rich experience so that together we may come, at the end of the – possibly during our evening Open Forum – to articulate the Vision for the Future and how we need to prepare ourselves for that time. In the first session I would like us to both look back to or roots – the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles – and forward to our future and its challenges. I will share with you some of my own recent experiences in two very different parishes – each with its own great richness – and, some time back, a spell spent in a Mission parish in Kenya. We will briefly look at some statistics (just for information) and refer to some more recent Church documents in which reference is made to the role of the Catechist. In the second session, after a brief introduction, we will, in small groups, address some questions which will help us to look forward, not with fear, but with eager anticipation of the challenge! As I am preparing this talk in the latter days of Lent I am conscious how Jesus, although being hassled by the authorities and the establishment, continued to teach and live the message given Him by His Father. In this we must find our courage also Today we live, as a Church, in times of change and of great challenge. In many ways we are like the early Christian communities, struggling to live the new-found Faith, struggling to come to a greater knowledge and love of Jesus in a society mainly pagan, or one with many other gods who were worshipped in a variety of ways – some even with the offering of human sacrifices – Jesus said ‘The time will come when anyone who kills you will think he is doing an act of worship to God.’ Few of us will face persecution to the degree of giving our lives for the Faith, but we are all living in an increasingly secular society – one which is not pagan but is apathetic towards religion and Faith and its practice. ‘Whole countries and nations where religion and the Christian life were formerly flourishing and capable of fostering a viable and working community of Faith are now put to a hard test, and in some cases are even undergoing a radical transformation, as a result of constant spreading of an indifference to religions, of secularism and atheism. This particularly concerns countries and nations of the so-called ‘First World’ in which economic well-being and consumerism, even if co-existent with a tragic situation of poverty and misery, inspires and sustains a life lived ‘as if God did not exist’ (‘Christifideles Laici’ [CFL]Para 34 1988) It is here that I feel we should look back at the early centuries of the Church in re-examining our role as catechists. In St. Paul’s time, the word ‘catechesis’ meant ‘to hear’, ‘to learn’ or ‘to instruct’, and it is about hearing, learning and teaching - leading to an echoing of what is taught and learned – ‘an echo is like a reflection – when we look at a reflection we know that what we look at is a picture, an image and not the whole reality itself. A catechist is like a mirror. Those who learn from a catechist are catching glimpses of the Figure, they are hearing echoes of a Voice who is calling to them and drawing them to himself through the words and life of the catechist. (Echoes Session 1 – Catechesis). In the early Church there were many small communities – sometimes large extended family domestic communities. These shared the instruction that had received from the Apostles, but also worshipped together and offered the Eucharist. To groups of these small communities in the larger towns like Ephesus, Jerusalem, Rome and others, the Apostles – particularly Paul – came on visits and affirmed, confirmed and guided the elders/catechists in the spreading of the Faith. Today we find ourselves in a world where there are large and small parish communities and our faith is challenged by a society which does not share our faith or our values and in many cases does not know Jesus as God made man and our Saviour. It is in such a setting that, as catechists, we find ourselves. ‘Therefore a systematic approach to catechesis, geared to age and the divers situations of life – is an absolute necessity (CFL Para 60) I apologise if this is a very simplistic view of today’s situation and that of the early Church, but I feel that, in many ways we need to return to our roots in prayer and reflection – not to turn back the clock – but to look at how best we can help in the Lord’s work of both sowing and nurturing the seeds of Faith and reflect the image of the Figure and the Voice of the One who calls us I would now like to look at some of the changes in the Church – mainly with reference to the First World - then within our own country, the changes in parish structures at present being explored, ‘tried out’ or ‘piloted’ and conclude this session by sharing with you some of my own experiences of the catechetical scene in two very different parishes and my short spell on a Mission station in Kenya..
CHANGES WITHIN THE CHURCH GREATER LAY INVOLVEMENT FEWER CANDIDATES FOR THE PRIESHOOD AN AGEING PRIESTLY POPULATION MANY MORE LARGE ONE-PRIEST PARISHES THE POPULATION IS ALSO AGEING
MORE MOBILE YOUNG
POPULATION MANY MORE WORKING MOTHERS MORE ECUMENICAL INVOLVEMENT INCREASING NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
COURSES OPEN TO LAY PEOPLE THEOLOGY CANON LAW PASTORAL MINISTRY CATECHETICAL TRAINING SPIRITUAL DIRECTION CHAPLAINCY IN HEALTH CARE CHAPLAINCY IN SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PREPARATION FOR PARISH LEADERSHIP TO INCLUDE SPIRITUAL, THEOLOGICAL AND MANAGEMENT TRAINING.
CHANGES IN PARISH STRUCTURE CLUSTERING OF PARISHES TWINNING OF PARISHES LAY-LED PARISHES CLOSURE OF MASS CENTRES (but not closure of the community) CLOSURE OF PARISHES
A look at statistics – from CATHOLIC DIRECTORY FOR 2004 FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
COMPARISON OF TWO DIFFERENT PARISHES
* * * * *
SESSION TWO
Refer back to session one and then ask – this is the challenge – How are we going to prepare for these changes? The problem today of the number of non-catechised young adults and young parents, together with older Catholic who, for one reason or another, have ‘leaked out of the boat’ – some through ignorance of the changes in the Church and why these have come about:. How can we reach out to these people? Is it catechesis that is needed here or evangelisation? (Reference here to an article by Clare Watkins in The Tablet of 26th February) – Back issues of ‘The Tablet’ available. http://www.thetablet.co.uk/tabletshop.shtml#backissues How can those involved in Church catechesis work successfully with parents to ensure the on-going formation of children in the home? (Editor’s note: Not mentioned during the course is a highly recommended book, ‘Daring to be Different – Being a Faith family in a Secular World’ by Sarah Johnson. Published by Darton Longman & Todd @ £9.95 ISBN0-232-52398-3) The vision for the future in the light of these changes:
In the cluster of parishes the need for a Catechetical Co-ordinator, paid a just wage, assisted by a Pastoral Administrator/Parish Secretary who could also be a Catechist.
I see the lay catechist as a key person in the Church now and in the future, both at leadership level and in the area of the re-Christianisation of Europe. Now I would like us to look at this in more depth by spending some time discussing some questions relevant to a vision for the future.'
The meeting ended with a general discussion on the content of the seminar.
Annual Conference & AGM 11-13 July 2008 at Oscott College
AUTUMN DAY We hope to have a report and photograph of this meeting shortly Saturday 20 September 2008
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