Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us

This banner hangs at the back of the Cathedral along with the Bishop's coat of arms and an image of St Cuthbert. Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, principal patron of the Diocese of Lancaster. The feast is celebrated in the Cathedral with a sung Mass at 12:15pm; this evening the Bishop will lead the Rosary (with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament) at 7pm, then preside at sung Vespers at 7:30pm. Vespers will end with a short candlelit procession in the Cathedral. It's our diocesan feast, and all are most welcome to come along.

Cathedral 150 Club

Here's a simple and fun way - open to all blog readers - to support the Cathedral. Our '150 Club' was launched in April 2007 with the intention of raising money for the Cathedral's 150th anniversary celebrations. When those celebrations came to an end, most of the club members decided they wanted to carry on with the club, so new money raised by the club now goes towards paying for the upkeep of the Cathedral. It's very simple: members pay £1 per week for each ticket, and each week there is a £50 prize. If the number of tickets exceeds 200, we'll add a second weekly prize of £20, so the chance of winning is increased. To date the club has generally been only for parishioners, but now we'd like to open it to Cathedral supporters wherever they are. You can pay by standing order or by cheque. If you'd like to take part, it's simple: just download the form (available here in pdf format) and send it back to us by post. If you'd like more details, please contact us and we'll be happy to help. The winners are published each week on the parish newsletter, available online here.

Pope Benedict addresses the Bishops of Scotland

Yesterday it was the turn of the Scottish bishops to meet with Pope Benedict, as their Ad Limina visit takes place. The Holy Father spoke on a number of issues, including two important challenges facing the Church at present: supporting faith schools and promoting the sanctity of human life. He also encouraged the bishops to promote vocations to the priesthood and to work effectively with lay people, and as expected he confirmed that his forthcoming UK visit would include a trip north of the border. You can see a short video summary of the Pope's address by clicking on the image above, and the full text can be found here.

Impact Presentation

Back in November, young people in the parish Impact group had a collection at St Thomas More's after the Sunday Mass and raised around £85. A donation from the group's subs brought the total up to £100, and last Sunday Phil McGrath, General Secretary of Lancaster's YMCA, came to accept the cheque and to speak a little about the organisation's work. He told the group members that it costs YMCA around £200 per week to house a young person who might otherwise be homeless, so money is greatly needed to support the work. The parish Impact group, which meets fortnightly, works to help those in need, promoting acts of charity and good works inspired by faith. If you're a young person in the area in school year 9 or above, you would be most welcome: contact us to find out more.

And for the rest of the month...

With the Ad Limina now over, we turn our attention back to life closer to home and - slightly later than usual - a look at the month ahead. The image of penitents seen here is from the Cathedral's Chapel of St Charles Borromeo, and serves as a reminder that Lent is nearly upon us. Ash Wednesday begins this holy season, and this year takes place on 17th February. Before that we have the feast of our diocesan patron, Our Lady of Lourdes, which is celebrated on 11th. There will be a sung Mass at 12:15pm, and the Bishop will then join us in the evening to lead the Rosary at 7pm and then preside at sung Vespers at 7:30pm. This is a diocesan celebration, and it would be wonderful to see a good number of people there, so please come along if you can. The 30th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Romero will be marked at the 10:30am Mass on Sunday 14th (which the Bishop will celebrate); the Mass will be followed by a talk about the Archbishop, in the Cathedral Social Centre (12:15pm). Once Lent is underway, there will be additional times of prayer and some catechetical talks. On Fridays there will be Stations of the Cross at 7pm, followed by a meditation on the Passion at 7:45pm and sung Compline (night prayer) at 8:15pm. You can come for all or any part of the evening. And, as noted earlier, our 'Curious about Holy Week' talks begin on Tuesday 23rd. You can find more details here. Add to that the Diocesan Rite of Election (on Saturday 20th, and a fairly busy time is ahead of us. The full diary for February at the Cathedral is available on our main site: click here to take a look.

Ad Limina: the photographs

Today we wrap up our coverage of the Ad Limina visit with a few images showing the Bishops with the Holy Father. The picture above shows the successors of the Apostles listening to the successor of St Peter, delivering his address which was detailed in the previous post.

After their audience, the Bishops posed with Pope Benedict for a souvenir photograph. You can enlarge each image by clicking on it.

If you're really keen-eyed, you might spot Bishop Campbell, second from the right on this image.

He's much more visible on this image, just a to the right of the Holy Father. All of the above images are (c) L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's newspaper, and are used with permission.

The Vatican's photographic service carries a few images of the Bishop's private audience with the Pope, which took place last Thursday. Note the map of Britain on the table - no doubt each bishop had the opportunity to show the Pope the geography of his diocese. Copies of photographs in the archive can be purchased from the service: for details, and to see other pictures, click here. (If necessary, click the option 'English Version' at the top of the page, then 'Simple Search' over on the left hand side. Typing 'Lancaster' into the 'page caption in Italian' section seems to bring up a few images of the Bishop's private meeting with His Holiness).

This final image shows the Bishops gathered for a photo during their visit, and is from the Bishops' Conference website (http://www.catholicchurch.org.uk/). You can see a good selection of other images from the visit on the Church's Flickr site: click here to take a look.

Ad Limina: Pope Benedict's address

Today we feature a series of short quotations from Pope Benedict's address to the Bishops of England and Wales, which he delivered yesterday at the Vatican. The images are screenshots taken from Vatican television. Many news websites have always picked up on the first official confirmation of the Holy Father's forthcoming visit to Britain, which was mentioned near the beginning of the Audience. Referring to the faith of people in our land, he said, "On the occasion of my forthcoming Apostolic Visit to Great Britain, I shall be able to witness that faith for myself and, as Successor of Peter, to strengthen and confirm it. During the months of preparation that lie ahead, be sure to encourage the Catholics of England and Wales in their devotion, and assure them that the Pope constantly remembers them in his prayers and holds them in his heart."

He then turned to a matter which has clearly been discussed by the Bishops during their visit: that of religious freedom. The Holy Father said, "Your country is well known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society. Yet as you have rightly pointed out, the effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs." There is a clear concern that some recent legislation has unfairly restricted religious liberty in our society.

Developing his argument, Pope Benedict spoke of the Gospel's "right to be heard" in our country: "Fidelity to the Gospel in no way restricts the freedom of others – on the contrary, it serves their freedom by offering them the truth. Continue to insist upon your right to participate in national debate through respectful dialogue with other elements in society. In doing so, you are not only maintaining long-standing British traditions of freedom of expression and honest exchange of opinion, but you are actually giving voice to the convictions of many people who lack the means to express them: when so many of the population claim to be Christian, how could anyone dispute the Gospel’s right to be heard?"

There was a powerful call to unity, which - the Holy Father noted - is even more important at a time when there are great challenges before us. It is important for all members of the Church to work together: "Make it your concern, then, to draw on the considerable gifts of the lay faithful in England and Wales and see that they are equipped to hand on the faith to new generations comprehensively, accurately, and with a keen awareness that in so doing they are playing their part in the Church’s mission. In a social milieu that encourages the expression of a variety of opinions on every question that arises, it is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate. It is the truth revealed through Scripture and Tradition and articulated by the Church’s Magisterium that sets us free."

It seems highly likely that the Pope will beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) when he visits Britian (probably in September), and he made reference to the Cardinal in his address, linking him with the current 'Year for Priests': "Much attention has rightly been given to Newman’s scholarship and to his extensive writings, but it is important to remember that he saw himself first and foremost as a priest. In this Annus Sacerdotalis, I urge you to hold up to your priests his example of dedication to prayer, pastoral sensitivity towards the needs of his flock, and passion for preaching the Gospel. You yourselves should set a similar example. Be close to your priests, and rekindle their sense of the enormous privilege and joy of standing among the people of God as alter Christus."

The Holy Father ended his address by entrusting our country to its patrons: "With these thoughts, I commend your apostolic ministry to the intercession of Saint David, Saint George and all the saints and martyrs of England and Wales. May Our Lady of Walsingham guide and protect you always. To all of you, and to the priests, religious and lay faithful of your country, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord Jesus Christ." These brief extracts give a sense of some of the issues the Pope - and no doubt our own bishops - wanted to highlight, and perhaps a flavour of some of the concerns that the Holy Father will speak about when he comes to our country. The full text is quite short and is well worth reading. You can find it here. It's also worth taking a look at Archbishop Nichol's greeting to the Pope, the text of which can be found on the Bishops' Conference website, here.

Video: Pope Benedict addresses our bishops

Just posted on the Vatican's YouTube channel, this short video gives a summary of the Holy Father's address to the Bishops of England and Wales, which he delivered earlier today. Already the headlines are centred around the fact that he made reference to his forthcoming visit to Britain (thereby giving the first official confirmation of the trip), but there is a great deal else to consider in his words. We will have more on the address tomorrow, but you can find out more by watching the video (click on the image above) and by reading the Pope's address in full - click here for the full text, from the Vatican website.

Ad Limina: the Bishops at Mass in St Paul's

As you may know, we normally begin the month with a look at the forthcoming events, but our 'diary' post will be a little delayed to make space for other entries. It will appear later in the week, but meantime don't forget that tomorrow is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas), and there will be an extra Mass, beginning with a candlelit procession, at 7pm in the Cathedral. For now, though, we head back to Rome to catch up on the Bishops' Ad Limina visit, which is already past the half-way point.

The pictures here show the Bishops at Mass in the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls; the Mass took place last Wednesday. Our own Bishop can be seen second from the left on the front row.

The principal celebrant at the Mass was Archbishop Bernard Longley, recently installed as Archbishop of Birmingham (see our post on the installation here). Red vestments are being worn; presumably a votive Mass of St Paul was celebrated, as the altar here is only a few yards from the Apostle's tomb.

Here are the priests who concelebrated the Mass. Fourth from the left on the front row is Mgr Mark Davies, who will be ordained coadjutor Bishop of Shrewsbury on 22nd February. Mgr Davies was granted an audience with the Holy Father earlier in the week, along with the current Bishop of Shrewsbury, Rt Rev. Brian Noble, who hails from our own Cathedral parish. Also in the picture above (third from the right) is Darren Carden, a seminarian for our Diocese, who is currently studying at the Pontifical Beda College just across the road from the Basilica. Thanks to Darren for sending in these images. After the Mass the Bishops were treated to a meal at the Beda. We'll have more from Rome over the next few days, when the Pope addresses our Bishops as the meeting draws to a close. Meanwhile, if you'd like to see more on the Basilica, an earlier post shows images of the Cathedral parishioners' visit on our pilgrimage last October.

Curious about Holy Week?

With just over two weeks until Lent begins, it's time to look ahead to our programme of catechesis taking place in the run-up to Easter. The popular 'Curious about...' series is back, this time looking at Holy Week, the time between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Five sessions will explore the meaning of the death and resurrection of Christ and the way in which we celebrate this great event in the liturgy. There'll be insights into the liturgy of the sacred Triduum, and also the other events of the week, including the Chrism Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. All the talks are free and take place on Tuesday evenings, beginning at 7:30pm in St Walburga's (the 'day chapel', accessed from Balmoral Road). The first talk is on Tuesday 23rd February; a full list of dates and talk titles, along with other information, can be found here.

Haiti Collection

Over the last two weeks Cathedral parishioners have been contributing to a collection for victims of the earthquake in Haiti. These collections, private donations and fundraising efforts at the Cathedral Primary School raised a total of just over £3650. This money has now been sent to three Catholic charities which have launched emergency appeals for relief work in Haiti: Aid to the Church in Need, Cafod and Mary's Meals. All three are currently working to provide emergency help for the many thousands in Haiti left without water, food and shelter, and each received £1219 from the Cathedral parish. Please continue to remember all the victims of the earthquake in your prayers.

Ad limina: private audiences

The Vatican's Bollettino, the daily round-up of news which (amongst other things) gives details of the Holy Father's engagements, reveals that yesterday our Bishop had a private audience with the Pope as part of the Bishops' Ad Limina visit. The picture here is of an earlier meeting, in September 2008. Pope Benedict will meet with all the Bishops who are in Rome for the Ad Limina, each of whom spend a few minutes in private conversation with him. Aside from Bishop Campbell, yesterday the Holy Father received the Archbishop of Liverpool, along with his auxiliary and retired auxiliary bishops; the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, the Bishop of Hallam and the Bishop of Wrexham. It's a unique chance for the Pope to hear about the life of each diocese, of the challenges and the signs of hope present there. So if you are part of the Diocese of Lancaster, know that this morning Pope Benedict today knows a little more about the Church in your part of the world!

From our friends in Slovakia

Blog readers in Slovakia enjoyed our coverage of events here at the Cathedral last year, it seems. Maria from Filakovo emailed and told us that she and her friends had been moved by much of what they had seen, especially pictures of the visit of St Thérèse back in September. They also enjoyed pictures of the Rome pilgrimage, especially as they had made their own trip to the Eternal City in April. Here are a few images of their trip, starting above with their group of about 90 pilgrims...

... and here their priests, seen with the Bishop.

One of the highlights of their trip was the Papal Audience. As you can see, it was a typically sunny April day in Rome, and they managed to get a good view of Pope Benedict. Maria also wished us well for the Holy Father's visit to the UK later this year.

Much like our group, the pilgrims from Slovakia did a tour of Rome's great churches. Above is one of their pictures of the Cathedral Church, the Lateran Basilica of St John.

One place they went that our pilgrims didn't visit was Assisi, the home of St Francis. Perhaps we should consider another pilgrimage...

Drop in for prayer days

Once a month in our parish, at St Thomas More's, the Ursuline sisters offer a sort of open day under the title 'drop in for prayer'. During these days there are meditations, times of prayer and plenty of space for people to pray quietly, to read or to talk to one of the sisters. There's also an evening spirituality session, which each month focuses on a different theme. The most recent was centred on the recent visit of the relics of St Thérèse, giving people a chance to share their memories of the visit and to explore the symbolism of the icon which travelled around with the relics (a copy of this icon was displayed, as the pictures show). The session's theme was chosen in the hope that those present could build on the positive experience of the visit as they seek to deepen their spiritual lives.

Two smaller icons linked to St Thérèse were also used as a focus for reflection, one being the icon of the Holy Face, which was so dear to Thérèse. This has provided the theme for the forthcoming sessions, which will take as their theme "Seeking the Face of Christ" through Scripture, mainly the Gospel according to St John. If you'd like to come to any of the forthcoming sessions, they generally take place on the second Monday of the month, and details are included on the parish newsletter (in pdf format here). Meanwhile, we couldn't let this post pass without wishing our Ursuline sisters a very happy feast day: today is the feast of St Angela Merici, who founded their order in 1535.

Ad Limina Apostolorum

As noted in the previous post, yesterday was the feast of the conversion of St Paul. At some point within a few years of his conversion, Paul travelled to Jerusalem to meet with the leaders of the Church there, most notably St Peter. If it was important for the Apostles to meet with St Peter in those early years of the Church, it is no less important that their successors meet with the Pope, who occupies the chair of St Peter today. So it is that - in a rolling programme which takes a few years - all the bishops of the world travel to Rome to meet with the Holy Father and the various departments which oversee the Church's life and mission around the world. These visits, which take place country by country, are known as 'Ad Limina Apostolorum'.

Yesterday the Bishops of England and Wales began their Ad Limina visit, which will last for about ten days. Over this time they will pass through the gates of the Vatican (such as the Porta Sant'Anna, seen here) for meetings in Vatican departments. These departments (known as 'congregations') oversee every aspect of the Church's life: faith, liturgy, education, missionary work, the appointment of bishops, ecumenism and so on. At their meetings with our bishops, they will discover more about the life of the Church in our country, so that their understanding of the life of the worldwide Church may be kept up-to-date. Each bishop prepares reports about his diocese in advance of the visit, to help this process. The congregations may also suggest to the Bishops some ways forward, based on their knowledge of the Church's progress elsewhere across the globe.

Each week the Pope meets with many bishops, as we saw during our recent parish trip to Rome (pictured). During the Ad Limina, however, the Holy Father will not only meet with the Bishops, but also address them. He is likely to offer them some encouragement and advice about their ministry in these difficult times, and perhaps will make reference to his forthcoming visit to England, which seems likely to take place in September.

The term Ad Limina Apostolorum is translated 'to the threshold of the Apostles', and refers to the fact that the Bishops will also visit the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, to venerate the relics of these two great saints. Each bishop is required to make this visit every five years. Keep an eye on the blog during the visit, as we will bring you any information that makes its way back from the Eternal City!