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No. 702
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Catholic
newspaper
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diocese
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Diamond day for
Sr
Michael
Episcopal
Vicar
appointed
Surprise treat as
evangelising Sister
meets the Pope in
her 60th jubilee year
by Fr Michael
Griffiths
delegates.
The conference was organised by the Pontifical
Council for the promotion
of the New Evangelisation.
Bishop Seamus, Diocesan
Chief Operating Officer
Mrs Kathleen Smith, and
five members of the Evangelisation Team joined the
conference with over 50
delegates from England and
Wales. The aim was to reflect upon the central
themes of Pope Francis’
Apostolic
Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium, the Joy
of the Gospel and the pastoral renewal of the Church
in the light of the teaching
of the Pope.
The 2,000 delegates were
made up of bishops, heads
of pastoral offices, priests,
religious, deacons, laity,
volunteers and pastoral
workers, and it took place
in the Paul VI Audience
Hall, Vatican City.
Speakers included Dr
John Vainer, who talked
about listening to the poor
as well as presentations on
pastoral ministry in the city
family and popular piety.
Dr Raphael C Monthienvichien chai spoke about
the power of social media,
making the point that more
people in the world had access to a mobile phone than
a flushing toilet.
Fr Marko Rupnik SJ, who
before ordination was an
artist, spoke about the importance of art in conveying the gospel message and
was enthusiastically received by delegates, who
were obviously familiar
with his work on city centre
redundant churches.
Dr Tracey Rowland gave
an insight into the ‘Death of
God’ philosophy that has
dominated modern culture
and that in a post 1968 culture the people of God were
the crucial agents of evangelisation.
The American Archbishop Joseph Di Noia OP
reflected on Pope Francis’
thoughts on Homilies (EG
135-159) and we were left
in no doubt that overly long
theological lectures or
moralistic rants were not a
homily. The delegates gave
loud enthusiastic applause
p at the end of his presentation.
The highlight of the conference was the visit of
q Delighted to meet you, Your Holiness. Sr Michael is given a warm welcome to the Vatican by Pope Francis. Archbishop Rino Fisichella is in the
background. l Sr Michael’s Diamond celebration - Page 2.
Pope Francis on Friday afternoon.
He encouraged the delegates in the centrality of the
work of evangelisation and
referred to the gospel of the
landowner going out constantly to hire workers for
his vineyard.
Pointing to his watch he
reminded us that we still
had an hour left according
to the gospel to go out to
seek people to come into
the vineyard of the Lord.
Sr Michael and Kathryn
Turner have already given
an introduction to the ‘Joy
of the Gospel’ in deaneries
across the diocese and now
the evangelisation team
will be looking at how to
take the work of evangelisation forward in the light
of this conference and the
Pope’s inspiring and challenging Apostolic Exhortation.
Deputy steps up to head charity
q Newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer of St
Cuthberts Care Moira Ashman (left) and her
deputy, Sheila Errington.
THE Board of St Cuthberts Care have turned to
the charity’s experienced
acting chief to become
Chief Executive Officer.
Moira Ashman, former
Deputy Chief
Executive
has been appointed with
immediate effect to lead the
charity that helps some of
the most vulnerable members of society in Hexham
& Newcastle Diocese.
Moira worked for many
years with former Chief
Executive Austin Donohoe,
who retired in April. She
was Austin’s deputy for
five years and has acted as
Chief Executive on several
occasions in the past.
Sheila Errington, Director
of Children’s Services, will
assume the role of Deputy
Chief Executive.
Fr Michael Campion,
Chairman of St Cuthberts
Care,
said:
“Moira’s
knowledge and experience
of the charity are considerable. The Trustees and I
have every confidence in
her leadership and wish her
well in her new appointment.”
Moira, a Chartered Secretary who has over 25 years’
experience of the charity’s
care, business and governance needs, said: “I feel
privileged to lead this wonderful charity. It is one that
I know so well and one that
is so very dear to my heart.
“We have the most amazing, compassionate people
working tirelessly alongside our residents and
clients, day in day out, and
we are blessed with dedi-
cated volunteers and a
strong supporter base.
“Austin Donohoe left us a
precious legacy - a richly
diverse, vibrant, flourishing
and financially stable
Catholic charity. It is now
my remit to build on this.”
St Cuthberts Care offers
residential care for children
and older people, provides
short and long-term fostering and provides specialist
care for people with profound disabilities. It runs
the highly successful and
award-winning
Alan
Shearer Centre in Newcastle and the Alan Shearer
Foundation.
Launched by the diocese
in 1946 and still firmly
rooted within the Catholic
Church, the charity has
grown to a £9.3m business.
Society of the Sa cred Hea rt
POPE Francis was given
the warm wishes of the
people of Hexham &
Newcastle when he visited
a conference in the Vatican, attended by a group
from the diocese led by
Bishop Seamus Cunningham.
Bishop Seamus thanked
the Holy Father on behalf
of the diocese for his inspiration and encouragement
when he was presented to
him at the conference entitled ‘The Pastoral Project
of Evangeli Gaudium’.
But the biggest thrill of
the day was reserved for
Sister Mary Michael Lee,
Evangelisation Co-ordinator of the diocese, who was
a member of the H&N team
at the conference.
Unknown to Sr Michael,
Bishop
Seamus
had
arranged for her to meet the
Pope personally in this, the
60th anniversary of her profession.
Sr Michael was chosen to
meet the Pope in acknowledgement of her contribution to the work of
evangelisation both in the
diocese and nationally and
her presentation was a joyful and proud moment for
all the English and Welsh
BISHOP Seamus Cunningham has announced
two new appointments to
senior positions in the diocese.
Fr Simon Lerche, currently parish priest at St
Paul’s, Cramlington, and St
Joseph’s, New Hartley, has
been appointed to All
Saint’s, Newcastle, residing
at St Bede’s, Denton Burn
He replaces Fr Jim O’Keefe, who has been appointed to lead the
three-year strategic diocesan review.
Fr Simon becomes Episcopal Vicar for Newcastle
and North Tyneside and a
Member of the Board of
Directors in an appointment which took effect on
October 1. He will continue
as Diocesan Chancellor.
Fr David Smith, parish
priest at St John Vianney’s,
West Denton, Newcastle,
has been appointed Promoter of Vocations for the
diocese.
Bishop Seamus acknowledged the contributions of
Fr Michael McCoy and Fr
Marc Lyden-Smith as Promoter and Assistant Promoter
of
Vocations
respectively.
14x2
“T he pierced
Heart of Jesus
opens our being to
the depths of God
and the anguish
of human kind”
Societry of the Sacred
Heart
For more meet us on
www.societyofthesacredheartvocations.co.uk
or contact: Sr Barbara on 0191 272 3000
Our next Vocation
Discernment
Weekend
Wingrove Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
17 - 19 October 2014
Friday 6.30pm - Sunday 1.30pm
Suggested offerings of £25 per person
More details on the website
www.societyofthesacredheartvocations.co.uk
email: [email protected]