FREE MAY 2012 CATHOLIC POSTwww.dioceseofleeds.org.uk www.catholicpost.org.uk THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS Olympic Values Inspire Young People to Pass on The Flame National Youth Congress at Wembley Arena provided the perfect backdrop for the official unveiling of Pass it On, CAFOD’s Olympics peace campaign aimed at children and young people in England and Wales. Inspired by the 100 days truce that accompanied the Ancient Olympics, CAFOD is encouraging its young supporters to take part in the online initiative by uploading video clips and posting the Peace personal messages to all those in the world who are not living in peace in 2012. Helen Peyton, Lay students who was ‘I live in Korogocho, one of very hard but the sports to know each other here will pass on website, including Chaplain from St. John extremely grateful to have the largest slums in society helps kids in the and feel and live out in their The Most Reverend Fisher Catholic High been invited to go.’ Nairobi, bordering the city slum to have fun, and at comfortable. We are own community.’ Vincent Nichols, School in Dewsbury, said, Four young CAFOD dump. the same time it teaches building peace in our So far, hundreds of Archbishop of I found the whole event ambassadors joined Abdi “Life is very hard for them confidence, team own community. This people have shown Westminster, Father inspiring. Dima, from CAFOD’s young people. High work, tolerance and is the message that I their support for Christopher Jamison It reaffirmed for me Kenyan partner the St poverty and discipline. Our motto is bring today, a Pass It On, by and Olympic everything we aim to do John’s Sports Society, on unemployment easily “Pamoja Tunaweza” message of peace uploading their champion Jason with our young people in the Wembley stage to leads to drugs, crime and (Together we can), and we that I hope everyone image to the Gardener, MBE. their relationship with launch Pass it On. They violence. In 2008, after the are open to everyone Christ. The speakers, shared their own personal Kenyan elections, there regardless of their ethnic music, worship and accounts of how they was terrible violence background and religious adoration and being in the have seen sport bring between rival factions and beliefs. presence of thousands of people together before ethnic groups. I saw ‘My life would be a young people celebrating orchestrating an 8,500 people burned out of their disaster without karate, their faith and commitment strong Mexican wave homes and forced to flee without it I could have to peace served to around the arena to for their lives. It was sad fallen into the many traps enhance and deepen my symbolise the ‘passing on’ to see so many young that await young people in own personal faith. of peace to everyone in people of my age Korogocho. Instead I am The journey home was there. engaging in violence part of something positive filled with the buzz of Speaking on the day of against each other. where people can come gratitude from one of our the launch, Abdi said: “Life since then has been together, play together, get CAFOD Director, Chris Bain said: “It was excellent to see so many young people come to the Flame Congress, and participate with such enthusiasm. It is testament to the fact that – despite the bad publicity young people in our country often get – the vast majority are good, caring, enthusiastic individuals who want to make the world a better place. CAFOD takes great pride in the work we do not just to support young people in the poorest countries in the world, but to empower young people here in Britain to take positive action in their communities. The Pass It On campaign is a great example of that.” Page 2 Leeds Catholic Post The Post Says Cardinal Keith O'Brien is the leader of the Scottish Former Pupil makes a Catholic Church, not the English one, but David Cameron is still his Prime Minister. He has told Mr Cameron that he should not be helping the rich, but rather the poor. He says that Mr Cameron is out of touch with the needs of not only the poor but the middle classes as well: he calls for the welcome return introduction of the Robin Hood tax – a widely supported small levy on city business dealings. n Monday the 23rd of April St Bede’s, The Cardinal talks too about those who have OBradford, had a special visitor via the saved for retirement, and then find savings and Sky Sports living for sport scheme. pensions devalued or vanished, and about young Rachael Mackenzie a two weight world champion Thai boxer and a former pupil couples who find it hard to make ends meet. To of St Joseph’s College, Bradford. allow the suffering of such people, because of The boys from Year 10 had been selected financial disasters in the city is, he suggests, to join the course to give them a more immoral. We should not say to people 'you have to positive outlook on their school lives and manage' whilst the rich are sailing along 'in their build confidence in school, giving them something positive to focus on in school. own sweet way'. The Cardinal’s attack comes on The scheme started 4 months ago with the same day as the latest Sunday Times “Rich the boys coming out one lesson a week to List” showing that the assets of the 1000 participate in the course training and wealthiest people in Britain have increased yet learning how to coach boxing. The boys again. responded very well to the course and have reduced the level of behavior problems in The Cardinal’s words suggests that government lessons and built up their confidence around policy is in need of a dose of compassion: the school. American idea of everyone standing on their own Rachael was designated as our mentor two feet, with the weakest going to the wall is for the course and came in for half a day literally foreign to us. The Christian principle of and also a full day which was on the 23rd of April. community tells us that whatever the politics, The day started with Rachael coming and something needs to be done to encourage fairness delivering an assembly to all the students in with justice in our country. the school showing a video of her fights We always have to remind ourselves of St James which took the students breath away with letter: “ what good is it my brothers and sisters if the ferocity and intensity of the fights and you say you have faith but do not have works? If a how successful she had been in her career. After this the students from the course did brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and an hours training session with Rachael. The one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm boys said this was one of the hardest and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their training sessions of their lives because of bodily needs, what is the good of that?” intensity and the amount of work they absolutely fantastic with the youngsters, and their school lives and how important Governments need to be aware that you cannot completed within the hour. really helping them develop the new skills to hard work and training to the best of your In the afternoon 16 of the most talented promote the promise of prosperity, without the a very high ability. ability is when you are striving to be the very year 7 students trained with the year 10 Rachael then gave the students a master best. reality of compassion. boys and Rachael. The boys were class on how to balance their training lives Parents greet children returning hildren from St Stephen’s School, CSkipton, have been studying the solar after space flight system and “Our world” as a special topic within the whole. In order to launch the project the children visited Holy Family School, Keighley, to take a journey around the planets without ever leaving the science laboratory. They completed a number of experiments to test the surface temperature and composition of the planets as well as finding out how to operate several items of lab equipment Getting Together Over A Cuppa This week they returned with their parents to close the project ue to the amalgamation with St. Brigid’s, Churwell and Our Lady of the The children brought with them the DNativity, Ardsley, some of the ‘stalwarts’ of the St. Francis parish have opened displays that they had created to show their up the group to meet on the last Tuesday of the month. After Mass until parents. They also recreated most of the lunchtime, 27 ladies and gentlemen attended in March, which was only our experiments that they had done to explore second meet. Also open to neighbours in and around the church of all the nature of each of the planets. denominations. To close the morning Raf Stabler, Head of Our June meet is to be name a ‘Papal Breakfast’ in celebration of the Diamond Science at Holy Family School, launched Jubilee of which Morley is celebrating in a huge way throughout the year. We will be water powered rockets to acknowledge the having locally picked strawberries and fizz! One of the parishioners, Councillor journey that the children had taken through Catherine Crosby, is now on the local Town Council and has encouraged us to become space.