Nottingham Diocese Interaction

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News to share form our Diocese

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement in Parliament saying that our churches will be able to open again, from the 4^th July, for public worship, I know that many of you will now have some concerns about the practicalities and implications for implementing this within your local parish setting. This announcement today will raise many questions and speculations too. For the present moment, and until clear guidance can be given, I would ask for your patience and forbearance.

Before I can send out to you clear guidance on how we shall open our churches again for public worship, after 4^th July, I must wait to receive all the appropriate guidelines to be followed from the Bishop’s Conference Secretariat, who have been working with the various government agencies on how best this can be done. The Secretariat are now just waiting for final approval of this document. I hope that in the next few days I shall be able to share all the appropriate information with you.

What is certain though as we look towards reopening our churches after 4^th July, is that every church that may wish to open for public worship will need to be able to fulfil all the various government requirements with regard to stewarding, hygiene and social distancing. Permission will only be granted for public worship to resume in a church that has put in place all these government requirements, and completed a full Risk Assessment, in order that we may keep our congregations safe, and to help to avoid the spread of the corona virus.

With prayer and gratitude for your ministry during this difficult time,

Bishop Patrick

Note: Please check the parish newsletter for further information

Our newly appointed  Diocesan Director of Adult Formation for Mission – Mr Joe Hopkins. 

Bishop Patrick writes: ‘I’m delighted to announce that, following interviews of some great candidates, Joe Hopkins has been appointed as our Diocesan Director of Adult Formation for Mission. Joe is currently Lead Lay Chaplain to the St. Ralph Sherwin CMAT and he will take up his new post in August. He brings theological expertise, a variety of catechetical experience and great zeal for mission in our diocese. I look forward to working with Joe to make my three themes of ‘Encounter, Discipleship and Missionary Discipleship’ a living reality across the diocese. I’m sure that you will join me in both welcoming and supporting Joe as he begins this important role. I leave you with a few words from Joe: 

‘I’m really excited about taking up this important post. I’m looking forward to working with the clergy and laity in our parishes in enabling a culture of ‘Encounter, Discipleship and Missionary Discipleship.’ My desire is that every person in our diocese will experience afresh an encounter with God and his life changing love, that they will grow as faithful and fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ, and feel equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be missionary disciples; people who witness to their faith by word and action in the Church and the world.’

The Bishop asks that we keep Joe in our prayers as he prepares to take up this new and exciting appointment within the diocese of Nottingham.

Statement from the Catholic Association for Racial Justice  CARJ has asked that we share a statement which has been. issued by the Catholic Association for Racial Justice in response to the current situation in the United States and concern about endemic racism here in the UK and in many other places. Please download the following

Live Stream Mass for the Sick, their Families and Care-givers – Nottingham Diocese

Recognising that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone, special Masses are being celebrated for the sick, their families, care workers and NHS staff  by one of our diocesan Bishops of England and Wales, in his Cathedral every Thursday at 7pm.

Thy Kingdom Come – Global Ecumenical Prayer Initiative

Please do encourage your parishioners to join in this exciting ecumenical Global Week of Prayer at home, so that we may be more open to the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, and of prayer, in all our missionary work. You may like to make available, via your bulletin, and website, an electronic copy of a Catholic Novena to the Holy Spirit or to sign up to receive by email, and to pray daily at home, during these days between the Ascension and Pentecost, the Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit. found on this Novena website:  https://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-to-the-holy-spirit There are also a wide variety of resources  available to share in the Global Ecumenical Prayer Initiative – Thy Kingdom Come: https://www.thykingdomcome.global 

This important initiative links Christians around the world in prayer between Ascension and Pentecost, that more people may come to know the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves. What started off in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Anglican church in England, has now grown into an ecumenical and international call to prayer during this grace-filled time leading up to Pentecost.

Warmest Best Wishes,

Rosmini Centre

Healing Mass and Prayer.

Greetings from the Rosmini Centre House of Prayer in these unfamiliar times of sacrifice necessary to restrain the spread of the Covid-19 virus.  As with other Christian places of prayer the Rosmini Centre has been off limits since March except for the resident Rosminian community.  We have continued our prayerful celebration of daily Mass and the Divine Office this period of crisis.

Here at the Rosmini Centre the Healing Mass and Rosary will be celebrated by Fr. Denys Labartette every Wednesday: starting with Mass at 11.00 followed at 11.30 to 12.00 by the Glorious mysteries of the Rosary with Adoration/intercession.   This will begin on Wednesday 20^th May until the end of August.

If you wish particular people to be remembered at the Mass, please email their names and these will be placed in a basket on the altar.  Please send the email to rosminicentreinfo@gmail.com. 

Joining together in spirit all are welcome to take part in this prayer of healing and intercession while you are at home.

Wishing you God’s Peace and Blessing, Father David

Cafod

Cafod information to share with Parishioners – https://cafod.org.uk/Fundraise/Parish-fundraising

A message from Christine Allen

Dear Father, 

In recent days, among our dispersed CAFOD teams, planning our global response to Coronavirus, some words from St Paul have come to mind: faith, hope and love.

We are facing an unprecedented emergency in every country where we work; and we are also mindful, each day, of people in our own Catholic community here in England and Wales who are unable to attend Mass; people worried and overstretched; of those who have tragically lost loved ones, and of those who were already enduring loneliness and are now in isolation. We need to respond in faith, hope and love. And so in faith, hope and love, we are reaching out to you.

Coronavirus is affecting every country we work in. The poorest and excluded are most vulnerable. Food prices have risen with borders closing; the poorest are losing their jobs and income with wholesale shutdowns. As you can imagine, the outlook is very serious in places where healthcare is inadequate and washing regularly and social distancing are luxuries. Half the world’s population can’t access basic healthcare, and already struggle to feed their families; and they now face the threat of hunger as the coronavirus shuts down markets and jobs.

As our first response, we have adapted all of our current work across 40 countries, and are also responding to already severe needs with emergency food relief, water and sanitation, and spreading awareness of prevention measures, especially through Church leaders and Catholic media.

But this is very much only the beginning of what will be a massive, and enduring response programme across every country we work in. This virus is changing our entire programme of work across the world. Beyond the immediate loss of life and suffering, long-term vulnerability, poverty, exclusion and injustice will only become more acute. The task is daunting. We and our church partners around the world are looking to God for strength, and to keep us acting in faith and hope, and we know that you across England and Wales are doing the same.

We know all too well that things are far from straightforward in all our parishes right now. We, as a global family, have never faced a crisis of this magnitude –in our own communities, and those communities CAFOD works with. But the scale is unimaginable in the most vulnerable communities of our world, and so as of today, we are appealing for support for our emergency response.  Those communities with nothing, who have everything stacked against them, – our brothers and sisters – have never needed your love and support so much.

To help with adapting parish life to lockdown, some resources and guides are below, and I also include wording for an announcement in your parish newsletter, website and social media.

We are so grateful as always for all of your prayers and support, especially in what we know are distressing times for many here in the UK. At this time, I truly believe that our way through this time lies in holding fast to our faith and to one another. Please remember CAFOD’s work and our appeal in your communications with parishioners and in your prayers.

We are living through one of the global events that will shape humanity, and our response can only be the response of the heart of God. We need to be his hands and feet – we cannot do otherwise.

With my sincere thanks and my prayers

A retreat service is attached for individual prayer for parishioners

Through these challenging times. Please click on the website below from our diocese. http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/Flu/index.shtml along with other prayer services.

Year of Word Campaign – we now have opportunity to: a) Listen to the God who Speaks in a profoundly radical way. b) Deepen our faith in God and in each other through increased Scriptural reflection. c) Build on our relationships across all dioceses and create a renewed Church community together spiritually and scripturally. d) Explore, learn and be more creative in the use of all digital media, reach people in new and dynamic ways, and maintain good communication with local Scripture Champions. e) Enable more Catholics to listen to the God who Speaks throughout the Bible at all times and in all places, and not just in a crisis or in 2020.