Vocations success
The Dominican Order’s success in attracting vocations continues with news that four novices made their first profession last week in Ireland, as five new postulants began their novitiate year. In the same week, Br Matthew Farrell made his solemn profession at St Saviour’s in Dublin.
In July, former Manchester United footballer Fr Philip Mulryne (pictured) was ordained into the order in Dublin. In August, four novices, three Irish and one Lithuanian, were received into the new Franciscan International Novitiate in Killarney, Co Kerry.
The good news on vocations to religious orders contrasts with a warning from Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin, that if he does not bring in priests from abroad, the schedule of Masses in his diocese will “change drastically”.
College looks to Asia
Stonyhurst College, the co-educational Catholic independent boarding school in Lancashire, is to open a school in Malaysia. Stonyhurst Penang International School hopes to attract up to 1,200 international and Malaysian students, aged three to 18, as part of the Penang State government’s vision to develop the region as an educational hub. Alongside a British curriculum preparing students for entry into UK and international universities, the lessons will include Malaysian subjects for local students. Stonyhurst’s head teacher, John Browne, described the Malaysia opening, planned for 2019, as “a historic milestone for the school”, which he hoped would “benefit both the community of the school and the wider community around it.”
Food bank figures
One in every 20 adults went without meals last year because they could not afford food, while just under a million people used a food bank, according to new research commissioned by the Church Urban Fund. The figures come days after charities criticised Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg for saying that the rapid increase in food bank usage painted a “rather uplifting” picture of a “good, compassionate country”.
ComRes conducted the survey of 2,048 adults in order to gauge the extent of food poverty and financial distress in Britain. Of those interviewed, 13 per cent said they had experienced anxiety or worry about being able to afford enough food for themselves and their families. A similar number said they had cut down on the amount of fresh food that they bought to save money.
Benefit changes ht homeless
A youth homelessness charity has backed a National Audit Office report, which found that welfare reforms are hindering the Government’s efforts to cut homelessness. The NAO said that although homelessness had increased significantly “in all its forms” in recent years (up 60 per cent since 2011), the Government “has not evaluated the impact of its reforms on this issue and there remain gaps in its approach”.
Depaul UK, which specialises in working in communities affected by generations of poverty and unemployment, highlighted delays in allocating initial universal credit payments. The charity’s chief executive, Martin Houghton-Brown, urged ministers to “look again at the amount of time people have to wait to receive their first Universal Credit payment”.
Memorial Mass date for Cormac
A memorial Mass for Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor will take place at Westminster Cathedral on Wednesday 4 October at 5.30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. The Funeral Mass and burial of the cardinal took place at the cathedral on Wednesday of last week. The principal Celebrant was the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols. The homily was given by George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff. He spoke of Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor’s “gift for friendship ... together with his insightful mind and depth of faith”.
Volunteers’ work worth £90m
Scottish politicians have highlighted the work of volunteers from an estimated 9,000 community projects in Scotland for contributing over 11 million hours of voluntary service to local communities.
It is estimated that this work is worth over £90 million in time and resources each year. Addressing the Scottish Parliament, Kate Forbes MSP, commended the Serve Scotland coalition of church-based groups as “a mark of a healthy civil society… to be welcomed as part of a modern, plural Scotland”.
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