ST PAUL’S POST St Paul’s Province Weekly Newsletter: 132 17 June 2019 Our birthday Rose Donnelly 17 June girls this Monica Byrne 21 June week are: A Constant Grace ….(continued) You can’t manufacture this (uncreated Grace) by any right conduct. You can’t make God love you one ounce more than God already loves you right now. You can go to church every day for the rest of your life. God isn’t going to love you any more than God loves you right now. You cannot make God love you any less, either—not an ounce less. Do the most terrible thing and God wouldn’t love you less. You cannot change the Divine mind about you! The flow is constant, total, and 100 percent toward your life. God is for you. We can’t diminish God’s love for us. What we can do, however, is learn how to believe it, receive it, trust it, allow it, and celebrate it, accepting Trinity’s whirling invitation to join in the cosmic dance. Suddenly, this is a very safe universe. You have nothing to be afraid of. God is for you. God is on your side, even more than you are on your own! (R Rohr) MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS Our Sisters: Cephas Wearden Carmel Comerford Agnes Marie Joy Margaret Collins Mary Sloan Kathleen Kinane Nora Horan Maire Murphy Kathleen Shelly Regina Boland Marie Antonine Rita McStay Please pray for Sister Monica’s sister-in-law, Mary, (Donal’s wife) who is very seriously ill. Relatives/friends of Sisters: Francine’s brother-in-law, Bill Knowles, & her sister, Rita; Marguerita’s brother, Pat; Nicky Allan, Co-Manager of Elmleigh; Damian’s brother, Brendan, now seriously ill; Michael Clyne, Brigid Murphy’s brother-in- Anna Hainey’s brothers, Danny & Jim; law; Eily May’s brothers, Tade & Jack, Michelle Reid, Rita McStay’s niece-in-law; and her sister, Mary Philomena White; Elaine Plunkett, Keighley Associate; Lorraine’s Mum, Mary; Carmel Comerford’s sister, Clare; Francis’ niece-in-law, Val McCartan; Barbara Sexton’s brother, Denis, and his Kathleen Doran’s niece-in-law, Kerry; wife, Breda, and Barbara’s sister-in-law, Mary Curtin’s niece, Breed; Angela; Julie Thompson, the Briery Cook; Maura, sister of Annette Kelly; Alex Kelly, Cecilia Wilkinson’s nephew; Mary McLean, Margaret Travers’ sister. Please pray for Anna Kearns, grandniece of Sr Annie McCambridge. Sr Annie writes to say that the parents of Anna Kearns wish to thank the Sisters who have written to say that they are praying for Anna. The prognosis from the oncologists was a shock, and they say that because of the intensive treatment she had previously, it would be harmful to her to have any more cancer treatment. Please continue to pray that God will work a miracle, through MMJ. This is her only hope. She is 17 years of age. Thank you. Fr John Kearns also asks that you keep Maria Somers and her family in your prayers. Maria is married to their Province Development worker, Paschal, and has just been diagnosed with a brain tumour. She was told last week that she will need surgery within the next fortnight and will then need radiotherapy. Their three children are all in the middle of exams at the moment and so won't be given this news till the weekend. It will come as a great shock to them, so your prayers are needed for more reasons than one. Part One—Introduction: The Inspiration of our Foundress, the Servant of God, Mother Mary Joseph of Jesus, in saeculo Elizabeth Prout St Gabriel’s University Hall of Residence for Women Students, Victoria Park, Manchester, opened by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ in 1920, was a logical development of their apostolate for the poor initiated by their Foundress, the Servant of God, Mother Mary Joseph of Jesus, in saeculo Elizabeth Prout, when she began to teach in St Chad’s poverty-stricken school in George Leigh Street, Ancoats, Manchester in 1849. She was so successful in that post that St Chad’s won a government grant for a new school beside the new St Chad’s church at Cheetham Hill. During the rest of her life, until she died aged forty-three in 1864, Elizabeth Prout and her Sisters taught in St Chad’s Infants’ School, Dyche Street, Angel Meadow, Manchester; St Mary’s School off Deansgate, Manchester; St Joseph’s Mixed School, Goulden Street, Manchester; St Mary’s Girls’ Day and Boarding School, Levenshulme, Manchester; St Ann’s, Ashton-under-Lyne; St Anne’s, Sutton; St Mary’s, Blackbrook; St Joseph’s, Peasley Cross; and Parr Hall Girls’ Boarding School near Blackbrook. In accepting responsibility for this very select, fee-paying girls’ academy, Elizabeth Prout was leading her Sisters into higher educational circles. By reducing its fees and admitting local girls as well as boarders, she opened Catholic secondary education to girls in that vicinity. Within the next few years, during the Lancashire Cotton Famine which affected Catholic girls and women in Ashton-under-Lyne very deeply, Elizabeth Prout realised that Catholic working girls who had left home to move into the industrial towns needed protection in safe boarding accommodation: they needed homes. Homes, not hostels, for she envisaged that, in addition to having that protection, the young women could have a contemplative element of prayer without the obligation of Religious Vows and, of course, they were free to leave whenever they liked. After her death on 11 January 1864, Elizabeth Prout’s Sisters continued her apostolates, opening both schools and homes in St Mary’s and SS Peter and Paul’s parishes in Bolton. In 1889, while teaching in St Mary’s school, Tonman Street, Deansgate, Manchester, they opened a home in Byrom Street and about the same time another in nearby Hulme Street. In 1894 they moved both Manchester convents and homes to The Crescent, Salford. In Yorkshire they opened St Mary’s Home in St Ann’s parish, Bradford in 1899 and in 1913 St Monica’s Home in St Joseph’s parish, Bradford. In the meantime realising, as Elizabeth Prout had, that intelligent but poor Catholic girls had as much right to a secondary education as the girls in Parr Hall, the Cross and Passion Sisters had opened girls’ secondary day and boarding schools at Mt St Joseph, Bolton and at St Joseph’s College, Bradford. But why should their poor but intelligent girls be deprived of a university education because they had nowhere to stay? Like the working girls, they needed a Home. St Gabriel’s was the response of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion to that need, in the same tradition that in 1862 their Foundress, Elizabeth Prout had responded to the needs of the Catholic working girls in Ashton- under-Lyne. Sister Dominic Savio Hamer CP (copyright) On Thursday afternoon last, a unique event took place in the grounds of St Matthew’s Church, Ballymacarrett, to mark the 120th anniversary of the foundation of the Cross and Passion Convent in Bryson Street, Ballymacarrett. Former members of the Order, now retired, travelled from various locations in the North and from Dublin to attend the unveiling of a special marble plaque at St Matthew’s Church. Also in attendance The Irish says that this (plaque) honours was the Mother Provincial, Sister Therese O’Regan CP, who the Sisters of the Cross and Passion for their service to this Community. travelled from Manchester especially for the unveiling. The spatters are of Holy Water following The foundation stone for the Convent was laid on the 15th June, the blessing by the Parish Priest, Fr Carolan! 1899, and was opened in Bryson Street on 26th September, 1900, with the arrival of the first two nuns, Reverend Mother General Josephine Magee, along with Mother Clare. Thus began a connection with the parish of St Matthews that would continue until the final nuns left the parish in March 2014. The Convent itself was demolished in 1991. Speaking at the event, one of the organisers, John Quinn, said that: “When we look at our history, we must remember and recognise that our social history is as important to remember as our political history; in fact, in districts such as this, the two have often intertwined.” He went on to say: “It is a history fraught with social and economic hardship and conflict, driving factors that led to the strong empowerment we see within our parish today.” The plaque was unveiled by the Mother Provincial and organiser Ella Fitzsimons, to the delight of all those present. Father Carlin then proceeded to bless the plaque, which faced towards the former site of the Convent. The ceremony was followed by lunch in the Short Strand Community Centre, where the Mother Provincial spoke of pride in the connection the Order had with the parish. “When we thought or spoke of Belfast” she said, “we always thought of Bryson Street. It was a special place for all connected to the Order.” Sr John Vianney, now retired, said: “It was the happiest place that I ever lived in.” A special commemorative booklet was produced for the event by John Quinn and Ella Fitzsimons and given to all those who attended the unveiling. ...continued over... Annette Kelly catching up with a neighbour. Pictured here are Sr Therese with Enjoying delicious refreshments Ella Fitzsimons and John Quinn who in The Short Strand Community were the chief organisers of the Centre. project and who also produced a booklet, with Margaret McCabe, who was involved in the organization of the day.