The Irish Church has appointed Julieann Moran as General Secretary of the Synodal Pathway in Ireland. Since 2016, she has been working as National Secretary for the Society of Missionary Children at Missio Ireland raising mission awareness and develop evangelisation resources for dioceses, parishes, and Catholic primary schools. The role of Secretary General of the Synodal Pathway will involve promoting synodality in the Irish Church, coordinating the work of the national Synodal Pathway, and supporting Ireland’s contribution to the Synod on Synodality. Ms Moran will be responsible for consultation, planning, communications and administration. Welcoming the appointment, Bishop Brendan Leahy of the Synodal Steering Committee said he believed Ms Moran would “engender a vibrant networking of individuals, parishes and dioceses, as well as congregations, movements and organisations, as we delve into the key Synod question: ‘What does God want from the Church in Ireland at this time?’”
An ecumenical prayer service in Liverpool’s Catholic cathedral on 24 August marked both Ukraine’s independence day and six months since the Russian invasion. The service was led by auxiliary bishop Thomas Neylon and Fr Taras Komych, chaplain to the Ukrainian community in the city, who said it was the appropriate to “join together in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, the Prince of Peace, and in Liverpool where I see this outpouring of love”. The service included members of the Ukrainian community and music from the Ukrainian choir “Svitoch”, and was linked to a service in Drohobych Cathedral in western Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family announced the release of a single from the British choir SANSARA to mark six months of war and to support the work of the Ukrainian Welcome Centre on its cathedral premises. A Quiet Night – Tyhoyi Nochi sets the words of President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian poet Serhiy Zhadan to music by the Kyiv-born composer Natalia Tsupryk. Chris Gunness, director of the Myanmar Accountability Project, commissioned the piece to combat the threat to Ukraine’s cultural identity. “The destruction of cultural heritage is a common feature of conflict,” he said. “This piece is a beautiful reminder that there must be full accountability for these acts of barbarism.”
The Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols has called for support for Prisoners’ Sunday on 19 September. Pact, the national Catholic charity that supports prisoners, people with convictions, their children and families, is posting packs to every Catholic parish in England and Wales. Cardinal Nichols, president of Pact, said: “It is good to know that Pact is there for people of all faiths and none, supporting prisoners and their families on our behalf and with our help. Pact reports that more than 81,000 men, women and young people are in prison today and 92,420 children have a parent in prison.”
Church organisations have produced resources for the Season of Creation beginning on 1 September. The liturgical season was introduced to implement Pope Francis’s vision articulated in Laudato Si’, and this year has the theme “Listening to the Voice of Creation”. The Columban Missionary Society has issued a resource by the Australian priest Fr Charles Rue for each Sunday of the season, which runs until 4 October, the feast of St Francis of Assisi. In Scotland, Laudato Si’ Animators have produced a penitential rite and prayers of the faithful based on the Pope’s words on care for Creation for Sunday Masses in the season.
A restoration of the popular shrine of Aylesford in Kent, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, has been taking place over the past two years. Also known as The Friars, Aylesford Priory was one of the ancient houses of the Carmelite Order and a significant place of pilgrimage before the Reformation. It has been back in Carmelite hands since 1949 and medieval buildings were restored around that time. Two government grants have enabled repairs to the roofs and the drainage of the shrine. Internally, St Joseph’s, the Relic Chapel and Main Shrine have all now been painted. St Anne’s Chapel is being restored by professional art conservators, and the vibrant colours are being seen again. Work has just been completed on the restoration of the carved statue of Our Lady of the Assumption by Michael Clark. A peace garden is currently being developed alongside the medieval gatehouse. Later this year the friars hope to restore some of the ceramics along the Rosary Way, including a major project on the Scapular Shrine. They said: “All this important restoration work would not have been possible without the aid of grants and the generosity of our kind supporters to whom we are indebted.”
The Scottish Bishops have expressed solidarity with the persecuted Church in Nicaragua and urged the government there to enter into a “respectful dialogue with the Church in the hope that both church and state may co-exist peacefully”. Responding to the arrest and detention without trial of clergy and summary closure of eight broadcast stations run by the Catholic Church in the country, the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland issued a statement saying that “We offer the promise of our prayers for a just resolution to the current situation, which will allow the people of Nicaragua to enjoy such fundamental rights as freedom of speech and freedom of religion and permit them to worship, pray and manifest their faith freely”. President Daniel Ortega authorised the house arrest of Bishop Rolando Álvaez Lagos, who has been prevented for celebrating Mass, after accusations that the well-known government critic had “conspired” against the government by calling attention to human rights abuses. The President has also blocked public protest and barred NGOs with a religious background from operating in the country.
Catholic aid agency Trócaire has called on the Irish government to increase its contribution to overseas aid in the forthcoming budget. Noting that Ireland’s overseas aid has not recovered from post 2008 budget cuts, Trócaire CEO, Caoimhe de Barra, highlighted that it has remained at 0.32 per cent of gross national income for the past eight years. “As countries face the devastating impacts of climate change, conflict and Covid, we call on Ireland to play its part and increase aid towards our international commitment of 0.7 per cent of gross national income,” she said. According to Trócaire, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance globally has increased over the last two years from 135 million to more than 345 million. “The conflict in Ukraine is exacerbating the already devastating food crises across the world, as commodities and energy prices rise,” Ms de Barra said. In the Horn of Africa, the hunger crisis is linked to the climate crisis which has caused the most severe drought in the region in 70 years.
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