Issue 120

December 2019

We have seen his star in the East, and have come with gifts to adore the Lord. (Entrance Antiphon, The Epiphany of the Lord)

An early Christmas present for us from the Safeguarding Team! With every joy, peace and the Blessing of Christmas, Chancellor

Regarding Training for Clergy and the Celebret process

The Safeguarding Team would wish to thank you all for your ongoing commitment to safeguarding and ensuring our Parishes are a safe place for children and vulnerable adults.

In respect of DBS: it has now been confirmed that the expectation is for all clergy to have a DBS check every 3 years. Thank you to those who have responded to the contact from the Safeguarding office so promptly.

In respect of training: it is expected that all clergy must receive updated Safeguarding Training every two years. This is in two parts: - Firstly, the completion of 2 Educare modules on ‘Child Protection’ and ‘Safeguarding Adults’, or if you have already completed these in the last two years, the expectation is to complete the refresher modules. - Secondly, to attend safeguarding training. There are three training days in 2020: Tuesday 14th Jan, Tuesday 11th Feb, Thursday 16th April. These training days will take place in Westminster Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue, 10am-5pm. Lunch will be provided. To book on this one-day course, please email Gabriele Sedda, the Safeguarding Team Administrator on [email protected] specifying your dietary requirements.

In respect of the Celebret- Westminster Celebrets include a statement that says the ‘has an enhanced DBS check and has undergone the required safeguarding training’ and as such, the holder has a

current Enhanced DBS check, renewed within the last three years, and he has received safeguarding training as detailed above within the last two years.

Please send contributions for the next edition to [email protected]. Deadline for the next edition is 8th January 2020.

CLERGY NEWS

For those who have died

Mr Stephen Foster on 15th November. Stephen attended daily at Ware Carmel for over thirty years. Stephen was a man of profound faith, prayer and artistic sensibilities with his artwork adorning many churches in the British Isles and in particular our . A memorial Mass will be arranged in London to follow.

May he rest in peace.

Appointments

Incardination Fr Stewart Keeley, Priest at Kingsbury Green, into Westminster Diocese from the Diocese of Lancaster

Parish Fr Voytek Przyjalkowski returning from sabbatical to St Joseph’s, Carpenders Park And South Oxhey Fr Paulo Bagini from St Anne’s, Underwood Road and Brazilian Chaplaincy to St Gregory the Great, Ruislip South

Assistant Priests Fr Vinsen Mbu' SVD to Westminster Cathedral (from February 2020) Fr Sanjeeb Xaxa SVD to Our Lady and St Joseph, Hanwell

Other Appointments Mgr Roger Reader as part time Chaplain to the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School alongside his ministry as Parish Priest at Willesden Green Fr John Hemer MHM as Vicar for Religious in succession to Fr Tom O’Brien AA Fr Hugh MacKenzie as Cathedral Chaplain alongside his ministry as Chaplain to the Hospital of Ss John and Elizabeth Fr Sebastian Chamakala John from the Syro-Malabar of Great Britain to ministry in Kerala, India

Unless specified, appointments take effect from beginning of January 2020.

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CHANCERY REMINDERS

Christmas / New Year Office Closure

The Chancery Office will be closed over the Christmas and New Year period from Monday 23rd December 2019 until Friday 3rd January 2020 (inclusive), due to additional staff leave.

Our aim is to clear all paperwork received up to and including Friday 20th December. We would advise you to send in remaining paperwork for January - no later than Wednesday 18th December, so that it can be cleared and posted before we close. Paperwork for February onwards can be sent in after Christmas and will be dealt with immediately upon our return.

With every good wish for Christmas and the New Year from Fr Jeremy, Brenda and Laura.

NEWS AND INFORMATION

Cathedral Adult Confirmations 2020 Saturday 18th January at 6pm: Paul McAleenan Saturday 28th March at 6pm: Bishop Nicholas Hudson Saturday 4th July at 6pm: Bishop John Sherrington Saturday 3rd October at 6pm: Bishop Nicholas Hudson If you wish to put an adult candidate forward for Confirmation at the Cathedral, please contact the Cathedral Registry for an application on 020 7798 9376 or [email protected].

Thanksgiving Mass for Religious and The annual Thanksgiving Mass for Religious and Consecrated Life will take place at 11am on Saturday 1st February at Westminster Cathedral, and will be followed by lunch in Cathedral Hall. Invitations have been emailed to all communities for whom we have email addresses. We would like to ensure that all Religious congregations are aware of the Mass and have the opportunity to attend. Parish priests are kindly asked to bring this Mass to the attention of Religious living in their parishes and encourage them to reply to indicate whether they will be attending. Enclosed is the letter with details and reply form that can be given to Religious communities.

SVP Vinnie Packs for the Homeless St Vincent de Paul Society are appealing for help with their campaign to distribute Vinnie Packs to the homeless. The response so far this winter has been very slow. Thus, they would be especially grateful if you might include the following in your parish notices and newsletter:

The SVP are distributing 11,500 Vinnie Packs containing cold weather essentials to the homeless this winter. Would you be willing to help? To donate (£3.50 per pack is suggested), please send cheques payable to SVP to Vinnie Packs, PO Box 72264, London SW1P 9EZ, or to donate by bank transfer to Natwest sort code 60-60-04, account number 4608 8237.

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Caritas Representatives for Social Action Caritas Westminster would like to invite parishioners to become Caritas Representatives in 2020 in order to further strengthen the links between Caritas and the parish, facilitate best practice sharing between parishes and develop our missionary outreach. Please encourage one or more parishioners to become Caritas Representative(s) and once selected, please let us know by calling us at 020 7931 6077 or emailing [email protected]. For more information, visit www.caritaswestminster.org.uk/parish-social-action.php

Below is a suggested insert for your parish newsletters:

Caritas Westminster is recruiting at least one Representative for Social Outreach from each parish to help communication between the Parish and Caritas to support and grow charitable activities. They will help to display posters and flyers, speak in Masses, learn about new tools and models for social action and share best practice between parishes. If you would like to become a Caritas Representative, please speak to your Parish Priest.

Holy Places Collection 2019 The Commissariat of the Holy land has written to thank parishes for the of £4,295, the proceeds of the Good Friday Holy Places Collection. The friars and people of the Custody thank parishoners for their continued support of the Holy Land.

Justice & Peace Co-ordinator Colette Joyce, currently Parish Catechist at St Michael and St Martin, Hounslow, has been appointed as the new Justice & Peace Co-ordinator in the Diocese. Colette will start work on January 6th 2020 and will be working in conjunction with the Justice & Peace Commission and Caritas.

DIOCESAN COURSES, RETREATS AND EVENTS

Vocations Events 2020 – Amended Poster Please encourage those who are discerning the call to serve God to attend the Vocations retreat on 25th January at SPEC, or one of the parish events on 8th March in Bow or 24th May in St Albans. Please help the Vocations team to have a great year discovering and encouraging the women and men that God is calling. For more information, contact Stuart Wilson at [email protected] or Fr Mike Maguire at [email protected]. Poster with amended details is enclosed.

Faith in Politics Faith in Politics is a Catholic Parliamentary and Public Affairs internship scheme for recent university graduates, which offers a foundation of Catholic faith and spiritual formation for those who believe that they may have a vocation to public service in politics or public affairs. Importantly their journey begins and ends with a retreat, and spiritual guidance is an integral part of the year.

Applications for Faith in Politics 2020-21 are now open for those in their final year at university. More information can be found at www.faithinpolitics.org.uk. Applications close on 28th February 2020.

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Journeying with the Bible

Fr Javier Ruiz-Ortiz PhD and Sr Monica Cardona PhD are running a series of talks for the Year of the Word on the Bible. The dates and topics are: - ‘What do we mean by Bible?’ on 14th January 7-8.30pm - ‘Who speaks in the Bible? To whom does he speak?’ on 28th January, 7-8.30pm - ‘Where does the Bible come from and when did it take place?’ on 11th February, 7-8.30pm All will take place at Vaughan House, 46 Francis Street, SW1P 1QN. Suggested donation £5. Please register at [email protected]

Learn From Me: Catechesis and Mission Formation Programme An information evening about the programme will take place on Thursday 23rd January 2020, 7.30- 9pm at Vaughan House. The ‘Learn From Me’ programmes include: - Certificate in Parish Mission and Ministry: one-year part-time distance learning course - Certificate in Catechesis: two-year part-time distance learning course - Catechesis on Marriage and Family: six-month distance learning course. For further information and application forms please contact Anna Dupelycz on [email protected] or 0207 798 9150.

Scripture Road Show All are invited to Westminster Cathedral from 30th January to 1st February to explore the Year of the Word in the ‘Tents of Meeting’ which will be set up in the side chapels, and view specially commissioned artwork around the theme of ‘The God Who Speaks’. Resources, activities and presentations will suit all ages, groups welcome. For further details see https://rcdow.org.uk/faith/

Exploring Old Testament Treasures The first of three talks by Fr John Hemer MHM on ‘Finding Christ in the Old Testament’ will take place on 5th February, 7pm at Allen Hall, 28 Beaufort St, Chelsea, London SW3 5AA. Refreshments will be served at 7pm, followed by the lecture in the Chapel at 7.30pm, and Night Prayer at 8.45pm. Donations welcome. Please register at [email protected]

A Journey with Jesus Wintershall Education team is running a time of reflection on the Word for catechists on Saturday 22nd February 2020 from 10am to 2pm at Sacred Heart High School, 212 Hammersmith Rd, W6 7DG. On the threshold of Lent in this Year of the Word, catechists will experience and reflect upon ‘Encounters with Jesus’ and the Stations of the Cross. Suggested donation £5.00. Bring packed lunch. To book a place contact Warren Brown at [email protected] or call 0207 798 9152.

Landings Programme 2020 The Agency for Evangelisation is working with Landings to offer a series of taster days which seek to encourage parish teams to undertake training in delivery of Landings programmes. Landings supports parishes in responding effectively to Catholics who have felt alienated from the Church, but now want to take another look at what their faith offers.

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These taster days will run on Saturday 18th Jan at Vaughan House, Saturday 15th Feb at St Mark’s School, 106 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EJ, and Saturday 29th Feb, Niland Conference Centre, Rosary Priory, Bushey Heath, Herts WD23 4EE. All days last from 10am to 2pm.

A full training day will run on Saturday 21st March 2020, 10am-4pm at Vaughan House. To book a place on a Landings taster day or training day contact Warren Brown at [email protected] or 0207 798 9152. All days are free to attend, please bring a packed lunch.

OTHER COURSES, RETREATS AND EVENTS

Society for Ecumenical Studies Day Conference This conference will take place on 8th February 2020 from 10am-4pm at Cheyneygates, Westminster Abbey. The Revd Dr Susan Durber will talk on ‘The Church: Towards a Common Vision’ and Revd Dr Paul Goodliff on ‘Principles of Christian Law’. The event’s cost includes a light lunch; for members £10 and non-members £20. Flyer enclosed, to register please go to the Society of Ecumenical Studies Eventbrite page. For more information, email [email protected]

College of Preachers Workshop ‘Preaching the Good News of Matthew’ is a workshop for preachers to explore ways in which we can most effectively share the good news of Matthew’s Gospel through our preaching. This workshop will be led by the Revd Dr Stephen Wright, Vice Principal and Academic Director of Spurgeon’s College and takes place on Friday 17th January 2020, 2-5pm at Mount Street Jesuit Centre, 114 Mount Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 3AY. This workshop is free but places are limited. To book a place, please email [email protected]

Catholic Spirituality Network 2020 Conference The CSN 2020 Conference ‘Come to the Waters’, takes place from 20th to 22nd March 2020 at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire. It will be led by Christopher Chapman and Julie McCann as liturgist. Booking information is available at http://csn.retreats.org.uk/conference.php. Poster and Booking form enclosed.

Catholic Spirituality Network Day Led by Fr Chris Thomas, director of the Irenaeus Project in Liverpool, the CSN is running a day on ‘The God Who Speaks, Exploring the Spirituality of the Scriptures’ on 8th February 2020 at Holy Family Centre, Allestree, Derby. For further information contact Margaret Palladino at [email protected] or call 07756 864784.

St Francis of Assisi Catholic Ramblers’ Club The Catholic Rambler’s Club invites new members to join it in 2020, with weekly walks taking place in South-East England, accessible by public transport. Membership is open to all walkers who are happy to respect their Catholic ethos. Poster Enclosed, for further details please visit www.stfrancisramblers.ukwalkers.com or email [email protected]

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DIARY

21st December Thanksgiving Mass for Cardinal’s Golden Jubilee of Ordination (Cathedral)

2020

18th January Adult Confirmations (Cathedral)

1st February Mass for Consecrated Life (Cathedral)

8th February Lourdes Mass for World Day for the Sick (Cathedral)

29th February/1st March Rite of Election (Cathedral)

11th March Council of Deans

28th March Adult Confirmations (Cathedral)

7th April Chrism Mass (Cathedral)

23rd May Mass for New Catholics (Cathedral)

27th May Council of Priests

30th May Mass for Matrimony (Cathedral)

13th June Diaconate Ordinations (Cathedral)

27th June Ordinations to the Priesthood (Cathedral)

4th July Adult Confirmations (Cathedral)

3rd October National Servers’ Mass (Cathedral)

3rd October Adult Confirmations (Cathedral)

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