Four new priests were ordained at Westminster Cathedral on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 25 June. Cardinal Vincent Nichols ordained David Cherry, Daniel Daley, Matteo Di Giuseppe and Michael Guthrie. Joined by family, friends and many of the faithful, the cardinal said they were “surrounded by a great assembly of encouragement and example”. He added: “They are giving their hearts to the Lord, and thereby to us too. In offering themselves for ordination, they hand over the very depth of their being that they may be bound ever more closely to our Blessed Lord so that he may use them for service to his Body, the Church.”
Two new priests were ordained for the Archdiocese of Armagh by Archbishop Eamon Martin at St Patrick’s Cathedral last weekend. In his homily for the ordination of Fr Colm Hagan of Drumcree Parish and Fr Stephen Wilson of Coalisland Parish, Archbishop Martin said: “It is important for us priests to realise that we do not have a monopoly on the ‘charisms’ for building up the Church, including in leadership and decision-making.” Rather, he said it was important to see the vocation to priesthood as one of service, and especially of service to the family. The Primate of All Ireland said it has been clear during the synodal journey to date, that despite the negativity that often accompanies discussion about the Catholic Church in Ireland, there remains a significant body of lay women and men who are deeply committed to their faith and passionate about the future of their Church. He had a “strong sense that any lasting renewal of faith in Ireland can only come about via a renewal of our commitment to the ‘domestic church’ that is the family.” The double ordination in Armagh follows the ordination of Fr Stefano Colleouri of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in the diocese earlier this year.
The first new priest ordained in three years in Argyll and the Isles was welcomed into the diocese by Bishop Brian McGee last Tuesday. Bishop McGee first met Fr Philip Bua, from Nigeria when they were volunteering in Western Kenya at an HIV/AIDS clinic, and Fr Philip was ordained on the feast of St Aloysius, patron saint of AIDS sufferers. Bishop McGee said that Fr Philip’s journey from Nigeria to Kenya to the Beda College and thence to Oban in Argyll and the Isles was a sign of “divine providence, part of God’s mysterious and wonderful plan”.
The Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace (CSJP) has announced that its investment portfolio is 100 per cent fossil-free. The sisters made the decision to divest in 2018. The portfolio managed in the UK was fully divested in 2019. The portfolio managed in the United States is fully divested as of June 2022. "We decided it was morally imperative to divest fully from carbon rather than profit from activities which hasten the climate crisis," reported Assistant Congregation Leader and Treasurer Sister Susan Francois CSJP. "We worked with our investment advisors to put our values into action," said Congregation Chief Financial Officer Melody Maravillas. In 2021, the Congregation made a commitment to a seven-year plan to achieve ecological sustainability and participate in the Laudato Si' Action Platform organised by the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Development in the Vatican.
The Jesuit Refugee Service in Ireland and the Irish Refugee Council have written jointly to the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Children and Integration to express their concern at the “unacceptable situation” of asylum seekers sleeping on floors or on makeshift beds using chairs in hotels. The letter to Minister Helen McEntee and Minister Roderic O’Gorman referred to the situation of 300 international protection applicants being accommodated in an overflow area of the Red Cow Moran Hotel in Dublin. The letter highlighted that two of the hotel’s ballrooms were being used to accommodate people. “No beds are provided, and people are sleeping on the carpet or on makeshift beds from chairs. There are 25-plus people in each section of the ballroom.” Speaking to RTE Radio’s News at One programme, Eugene Quinn, National Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) said these are the “worst conditions” he has seen in his 16 years in the sector and described them as “unacceptable”. After their summer meeting, the Irish bishops expressed concern “about reports on the conditions that some Ukrainian and other refugees are experiencing in Ireland”.
A letter from the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales was read at the funeral last week of a teenager killed on his way home from a school prom. Kajetan Migdal, 18, died of his injuries in hospital after the attack in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on 27 May. Around 700 people attended his funeral at St Hugh of Lincoln Roman Catholic Church in Letchworth on 22 June. The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, expressed "deep sadness" at his "tragic death".
Westminster Auxiliary Bishop, Paul McAleenan, conducted the funeral service with Fr James Garvey, St Hugh of Lincoln’s parish priest. They were joined by nine other members of clergy from across the Stevenage Catholic Deanery. Hundreds of young people and their families came from the St John Henry Newman school, where Kajetan was due to take his A-Levels this week, and from his former primary school St Thomas More. Family from the UK, USA and Poland were present. Representatives from across the UK dance community were also in attendance, since Kajetan was a promising dancer, and appeared in the BBC show, ‘The Greatest Dancer’. An 18-year-old man has been charged with murder.
The University of Roehampton was among several institutions criticised this month for planned cuts to arts and humanities programmes. The University and College Union warned of a “bonfire of arts and humanities provision” at a number of universities following a 50 per cent funding cut from the Office for Students. Digby Stuart College, which houses the university’s arts and humanities faculties, originated as a Catholic teacher training college run by the Sacred Heart Sisters.
In its report on the synodal process, the Archdiocese of Glasgow has called for a greater role for women in the Church and for discussion of the possibility of married clergy. The report states that where the principles of co-responsibility, inclusion and open-mindedness are lacking or at risk “the Church is the weaker for it”, but asserts that a deep love of the Church in Glasgow should act as a guarantor of these virtues. The report also calls for greater interaction between the Church and other religions, which will be facilitated by the recent letter of friendship with the Church of Scotland; further effort in vocations and evangelisation; and an enhanced role for the laity in Church affairs.
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