Gerry O'Malley and Bob Lavery, who drove the van containing the relics of St Bernadette during their visit to the UK last year, were awarded papal medals last month in recognition of their service to the Church at a Mass in Lourdes. Fr Dennis Touw, the director of the Westminster diocesan pilgrimage, announced the award at the end of a Mass in the Grotto on 26 July, and Cardinal Vincent Nichols made the presentation. The relics covered 11,500 miles in September and October in the course of the tour, during which an estimated quarter-of-a-million people visited them.
Peter O’Sullivan was ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus on 29 July, at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Farm Street. Cardinal Vincent Nichols conducted the ordination at the Jesuit church in Mayfair and preached on the “hunger for the Lord” at the heart of the call to the priesthood. Fr O’Sullivan was trained in the UK, Canada, France and Belgium and ordained deacon last year. He said that recent months had “reconnected me [with] why I followed this path, to be guided by Christ, who in time of trouble and difficulty would help me doing what was needed and where it was needed”.
This year's National Novena at Knock Shrine in the west of Ireland, on 14-22 August, will take the theme of “Caring for Creation”, with workshops, screenings of The Letter and speakers including Elma Walsh, who started the Donal Walsh Live Life foundation in memory of her son, and Fr John Joe Duffy whose parish of Creeslough was devastated by an explosion in October. Fr Richard Gibbons, the parish priest at Knock, told The Tablet that the speakers would offer the “lived expression of faith” which makes the shrine “varied and attractive”, with pilgrim numbers high since the beginning of the year. “We don't examine what faith you have when you come here, but something might strike you,” he said.
A Liverpool primary school is the latest to achieve School of Sanctuary status, in recognition of its dedicated work around inclusion. Headteacher of Faith Primary Academy, Miss Sarah Williams, said she was “thrilled”, adding, “We have been working hard to achieve this accreditation and it is wonderful to be recognised for our efforts”. Faith Primary Academy, which is part of All Saints Multi Academy Trust, is a joint Catholic and Church of England primary school. Schools of Sanctuary is a national network of more than 400 schools committed to creating a culture of welcome and inclusion for everyone, especially those seeking sanctuary.
A memorial service was held at Coventry Cathedral last Sunday – Hiroshima Day – to mark the 78th anniversaries of the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Around 150 people attended and prayed that nuclear weapons will never be used again. Guests of honour were Minister Yasuyuki Okazaki from the Embassy of Japan and Cllr Jaswant Singh Birdi, the Lord Mayor of Coventry. Midlands Community of the Passion, Pax Christi, Fellowship of Reconciliation and Christian CND all had members at the service. Ann Farr, Chair of Pax Christi England and Wales, said, “I have a firm belief that most people, including politicians, have no idea of the awfulness of nuclear weapons and I think this time of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is very important to give us the opportunity to tell the world.” The annual service is part of Coventry’s continuing work for peace and reconciliation.
Catholic groups such as Catholic Social Action Network are preparing for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Sunday 24 September. Pope Francis has offered a message on the theme, “Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay”. It echoes many of the principles found in the document on refugees and migrants published earlier in 2023 by the bishops of England and Wales, “Love the Stranger”. The Church has celebrated the World Day of Migrants and Refugees since 1914. It is an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers.
A pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the Diocese of Westminster and the Church of England’s Diocese of London has been organised for March 2024. Parishioners of Westminster diocese are being invited to accept the opportunity to join “a unique ecumenical pilgrimage to the Holy Land”. The pilgrimage will be led by Bishop Nicholas Hudson, auxiliary in Westminster, and the Rt Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Bishop of London. Visits include Jerusalem Old City, the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem and Nazareth. A key purpose of the pilgrimage is to meet and support local Christian communities.
The London Jesuit Centre will host a symposium, “A Tent of Learning – Synodal Conversation and Conversion in Receptive Ecumenism”, on 23 September. Speakers from seven Christian traditions will reflect together on how churches can be truly “synodal”. It is organised by the Society for Ecumenical Studies, in conjunction with the Centre for Catholic Studies, Durham University, and the London Jesuit Centre. The welcome will be given by Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, vice-chair of the Society for Ecumenical Studies and parish priest of Farm Street Church. The keynote lecture will be delivered by Dr Callan Slipper, the society’s chair, and other speakers include Prof Paul Murray and Dr Clare Watkins.
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