News briefing Britain and Ireland

A pupil at a Catholic primary school in West London has raised more than £7,000 to fund a new climbing frame for younger children.

Eight-year-old James “JC” Connor, a pupil at Our Lady and St John’s in Brentford, raised £7,410 after learning through the school council that younger pupils hoped for improved playground equipment. With the encouragement of teachers and family, he organised a school raffle and launched an online fundraising campaign, inspiring parents, friends and members of the wider community to support the project. The fundraising effort eventually raised enough money to fund the installation of a brand new climbing frame, which pupils will begin using this week following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school. Teachers said his initiative reflected the spirit of Catholic Social Teaching, which encourages young people to serve others and contribute positively to their communities. JC said: “When I joined the School Council I heard younger pupils saying they wished they had a better climbing frame. So I decided to raise the money to make it happen.”

Ushaw Historic House, Chapels  and Gardens has been awarded £400,000 in funding by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England to develop the site. The funding will help secure the long-term future of Ushaw as a heritage destination, conserve its architectural assets and enhance visitor experience. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £250,000 and Historic England, £150,000. The money will go towards the project, “Unlocking Ushaw: Heritage, Community and the Spirit of Emancipation”. Lucy Jenkins, co-chief executive at Ushaw, said, “Unlocking Ushaw builds on our first decade as a heritage visitor attraction, enabling us to care for this extraordinary place while opening it up more fully to communities, with a programme of activities underpinned by values of care, collaboration and social impact. This investment allows us to plan for long-term sustainability, ensuring Ushaw remains a living, relevant heritage site for generations to come.” Ushaw has 15 listed buildings and 550 acres of gardens, grounds and landscapes. Lianna Francis-Kelly, Historic England’s partnerships team leader in the northeast, said, “Ushaw has a special place in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in England, and the vast complex includes architectural gems by leading architects of the Gothic Revival.”

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe OP spent two weeks in Ukraine from 27 February to 13 March. He met church leaders, wounded soldiers, volunteers, and Orionist Sisters working with single mothers and children. “All of us must remember that the suffering of Ukraine is not only the suffering of one country – it is the suffering of the whole world,” Cardinal Radcliffe said. “The question before us is whether we will remain a world in which freedom and democracy endure. Ukraine is on the front line not only of its own conflict, but of a decisive moment for the world. At this time, we must remember that the Ukrainian people who suffer are our brothers and sisters.”

John Studzinski, the author and philanthropist, urged people to work towards creating a “more generous society” at a Catholic Union pub talk last night chaired by former Tablet editor Catherine Pepinster. Focusing on the common good, he spoke about the inherent importance of dignity and urged attendees, particularly younger people, to find the cause or organisation that interests them and to give their time and involvement.

The Catholic Union of Great Britain is looking for a new director to lead, influence and expand the Union’s impact in the Church, publish life and wider society. The right applicant will be “ an exceptional leader who can act as a credible spokesperson and ambassador for the Catholic Union, building trusted relationships across the Church, parliaments and wider society and helping to grow the Catholic Union’s influence and engagement in the years ahead,” said the Union. To apply please contact Anita Motha: anita.motha@macaulaysearch.com. Deadline for applications is Friday 10 April.

Primary and secondary schools across the UK will join an online event to pray the Stations of the Cross on Friday 20 March. The half-hour prayers and reflections will be led by Bishop Gerard Bradley of Southwark archdiocese, Georgia Clarke, the project manager for parish renewal in Southwark and Greg Finn from The Mark 10 Mission. They will be filmed at the parish of St Anthony of Padua in Anerley.

Baroness Scotland, former Commonwealth Secretary General will give a keynote speech at a panel discussion exploring the growing challenge to religious freedom worldwide. Other speakers include Dr Brian J. Grim, an expert on the socio-economic impact of religious freedom while Fr Dominic Robinson SJ will chair the discussion. Survivors of persecution will also provide testimonies at the event held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street at 3pm on Sunday 19 April. Co-organised by Aid to the Church in Need and Farm  Street Church, it will also be streamed live online. Register here.

Archbishop of Westminster Richard Moth awarded the St Mary’s Medal to Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald M.Afr and the emeritus Archbishop of Southwark Kevin McDonald for their contribution to the field of inter-religious dialogue. The medals were distributed at “Examining Nostra Aetate”, an event at St Mary’s University Twickenham, marking the sixtieth anniversary of the Vatican II declaration on the Church’s relationship with non-Christian religions.

The inaugural John Bruton Award for Leadership in Faith and Public Life was presented to former Tablet director Dermot McCarthy. The former secretary general to the government and secretary general to the Department of An Taoiseach was recognised for a lifetime of leadership marked by integrity, moral courage and a deep commitment to faith in public and professional life. It was presented to McCarthy, who now serves as a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Dublin, by Fionola Bruton, wife of the late John Bruton, at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

The Irish bishops have established new working groups to develop recommendations on the seven national priorities identified through the Irish Synodal Pathway’s listening process. Each group’s task is to research best practice and make recommendations for the National Synodal Team and the Irish Bishops’ Conference ahead of the National Synodal Assembly on 17 October. The new groups all include a bishop, a member of the National Synodal Team and others with expertise from diocesan, parish and institutional contexts. The seven priorities are belonging, co-responsibility and lay ministry, family, formation and catechesis, healing, women and youth.

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