Words of inspiration for young Catholics

Not all young Catholics can attend such events as those at Youth 2000's annual prayer festival at Walsingham, so I thought to share with you one of the talks featuring an amazing speaker, and inspirational Franciscan Friar. In these videos, Fr. Stan Fortuna mentions the importance of being involved with the faith, and stresses the importance for as many young Catholics as possible to be at one of the Papal events in two weeks time, with our faces painted white and gold, and waving our flags proudly!

UK Papal Visit video attracts thousands more viewers than any UK 'Protest the Pope' video on youTube

Hello everyone! No weekly round-up this week, as I´m on holiday. But wanted to leave you with this amazingly profound and emotional  video created by Seminarian Guy Nevard, who I interviewed offline. Enjoy!



Who are you?
My Name is Guy Nevard and I have just been accepted for training for the priesthood and will be sent to Spain for my first year.

Why have you made this video?
I wanted to do something to publicise and prepare for the Papal visit, I thought why not make a video? Not knowing the first thing about video making I got to work. 
  
What´s your message?
I made a draft video about 2 minutes long, however, it didn't give much information about what was happening in the country when the Pope got here. At this point I got a friend of mine, Vincent Freely (who is in his second year at Cardinal Vaughn 6th Form) involved. It was good to have someone to bounce ideas off and for a second opinion. We got to work researching what the Holy Father was doing and finding pictures and videos of similar things he had done before.

Did you encounter many technical difficulties?
I got to work clipping, snipping and editing the footage until it all went seamlessly together. This was the gruelling bit because I would watch it and a piece of music would start too early or there would be a slight gap between transitions that didn't quite "flow". 

You chose some truly beautiful music...
Setting the music was one of the harder tasks since it's always the music that makes or breaks something like this, so it needed to fit. To start with we had very choral triumphal music which was emotionally stirring but it just didn't "fit". Eventually, I came across this piece of music and when I showed everyone they all agreed that it fitted perfectly. 

... and people´s reactions to your video?
I was really pleased when the video hit the 1000 mark and now it has reached over 4000, it´s just brilliant.
One of the things that we encountered was the negativity expressed towards the Papal visit, people would air there misconceptions they have about the church. In a way this was good because they could be put right, on the plus side the amount of positive feedback we have received is heart warming.

Thank you so much, Guy, for making this lovely video. I hope the rest of the UK will hear your voice, and feel your prayer through this video loud and clear. 

You can watch the video directly on youtube by clicking here.

Why I (a young practicing Catholic) don´t think Pope´s Hyde Park entertainment reflects the young Church

Ask me for a selection of my favourite hymns, and I'd name one or two of those on the list to be performed at Hyde Park. That's it! One or two. 

Who on earth chose the liturgical music? It's important to question if we have any right to express our preferences, because seriously... did any of us Catholic youth have any say?

Yesterday the line-up was shared online here.

I ask, because I have a gut feeling that we'll all be hearing and seeing at Hyde Park, something reminiscent of Sunday's 'Songs of Praise' - which is far from what the youth of the Catholic Church actually enjoy and/or engage with. As much as I appreciate the BBC bringing God to peoples' homes with this program, I'm sorry, but... quite frankly the music bores me!

Please don't get me wrong - I'm a classically trained singer, with an ability to sing R'n'B, Gospel, and contemporary styles (yeah, we do exist), so with all my heart, I love organ and orchestral arrangements that one may find at some Catholic Masses. But in reality, those aren't usually the Masses us young peepz go to. Most of the time, you'll find Catholic youths in attendance at Mass where music is shared by a small group accompanied very simply with a guitar and if lucky, a keyboard too. But the stuff sung, more often than not, comes straight from the heart in praise to our God, and becomes one with the Mass. Not a performance. This makes all the difference to me, and explains why I love attending a Catholic African Mass, with its earthly rhythms and rich voicing. OK... the music isn't so technical, but it´s delivered from the heart.

It has always been a worry if mine that too much emphasis is directed on the technicality of music for events such as this, that heartfelt messages are lost to the musicians/singers performing them. I can imagine this happening with the Rutter piece that will be performed in part two. Possibly the only pieces I can predict young people relating to, are Foley's 'one Bread, one Body', the Taize chants, and Tantum Ergo. Oh, and lol... I have no idea who Dudley-Smith is. Do you? What about bringing in a little Matt Redman (whose material is often sung pre or post-Communion, and us young Catholics just love his music)? The Hallelujah chorus version I want to hear is this one:

 

And 'Shine, Jesus shine' is so old-skool, and so overplayed back in the early 90's that we try our hardest to avoid that one! Is this really meant to be Catholic entertainment for young people? All I can say is that it certainly doesn't reflect the majority or style of what us young Catholics sing at Mass.

Believe it or not, Catholics of all ages do enjoy the evangelical sounding versions of traditional hymns, and young people do enjoy singing traditional pieces like Salve Regina... and we so aren't 'happy-clappy'! In fact, I think the term ´happy-clappy worship´ belongs more to the CofE and Methodist sides of Christianity in the UK.

Congregations are truly affected by music that is so clearly from the heart. Music could be an instrument for bringing us young people closer to God, because it is a major part of our everyday lives, and it is ususally the first thing a young person relates to during a Mass. I certainly wouldn´t have that  many of that list on my mp3 player (exception of Rutter, Tantum Ergo and some Taize). According to these studies, 78% of Britons agree that Christians and the Churches are doing a poor job in reaching out to young people, and 83% of Roman Catholic Youth in England and Wales (practising and non-practising) describe the Catholic Church as boring (among other things). Our Church must then realise that music can really help to bring more young people back to Sunday Masses. Get it right, and we´ll attract young interest. This Papal Visit is the Catholic Church's opportunity to achieve this, and also show the young outside our faith that our Church is very much alive, and full of hope. Us Catholics like to praise our God in different styles, and from the heart: and young people dig this! If what they´re about to see on TV is a live version of ´Songs of Praise´, then I´m afraid they´ll get the wrong impression.

Need I also remind people of how multi-cultural the Catholic Church is in England and Wales. I hope that these lively and loving communities get an opportunity to represent themselves, and offer some sort of entertainment to the Pope and the Great British people. My parish has groups from all continents contributing so much to the Church, and have their little traditional dance classes and choirs that practice in our parish centre. I´m not just talking about our friends from Ireland. I´m talking about the representation of hundreds of West African, South Asian, far-East Asian and South American Catholic communities, showing the world how proud we are of our global and unified Church in the UK. We love our faith, and young practicing Catholics will profess that with all our hearts between 16th and 19th September 2010 when Pope Benedict XVI, a successor of Jesus´disciple Peter, comes to our lands.

Despite all that, music and entertainment isn´t as important as the strength of my faith, and so I think young people will have to rely more on our visual  and personal representation, than our aural one! No matter what impression people walk away with regarding the Catholic young after Hyde Park, my own witness is lived out in my everyday life, and hope that those who know me can relate to that. The theme being 'cor ad cor loquitur' (heart speaks unto heart) means that the music and entertainment too must come from our hearts. And whilst I pray that this will be the case, unfortunately, I just do not feel the selection of music is a true reflection of what the faithful and vibrant Catholic youth of today have to offer His Holiness.


I´d love to hear what you´ve got to say! Leave a comment if you agree or disagree.

Weekly Roundup 02

Issue 02

Top Website

- Benedict in the UK

This is the best place to find summarised national, regional and even international news relating to the Papal visit. The complete dedication of this site to all Papal coverage in the UK means you can keep track of what is being said in the news on a weekly basis in preparation for Pope Benedict XVI's arrival in September. Links are easily accessible and you'll find some hidden jewels in its very own shop and bookstore. You can follow them on twitter: @PopeB16FanClub, and their site is definitely worth a check.

Shining Star

- Twibbon!

If you support the Pope’s visit to the UK in September (and believe me... we need him!), why not show it with the Papal twibbon? Everywhere on the net, we're bombarded with profile images - and it's so easy to get your profile images showing your support too! I'll be updating my images with the twibbon, and also post other examples of it in use soon!

Audio

- Elgar's 'The Dream of Genrontius' to be performed at Birmingham on 18th September

Can't make Hyde Park on 18th September? Live anywhere near Birmingham? Ex Cathedra Choir and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment perform this special production based on the poetry of Cardinal Newman - as publicised on thepapalvisit.org.uk (link to site is under header).
Video: Youtube post by roy13820. Soloists: Heddle Nash, Gladys Ripley and Denis Noble with the Huddersfield Choral Society and the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dr. Malcolm Sargent. - (Part 1 of 10) - Overture. 

Video

- Catholic Voices are ready to be interviewed. If you are interested in interviewing a Catholic about the Papal Visit, then please contact them by clicking the link!

Article

- Papal Visit - A Test of Britain's Reputation

@lukecoppen posted his morning must-reads one day, and through him I read this wonderful article (plus made my first ever public comment on a national newspaper site). It isn't packed with historical information about Papacy coming to town, neither is it informative. It's just a perfect article highlighting the concerns of many, in relation to our reputation as Brits when our reaction to Pope Benedict XVI's visit becomes world news. Norman Tebbit does a great job simplifying the effect of religious differences in this article, and is my reason why everyone (religious or not) should check the article out.

Humour

- easyJet offers Pope a free ride!

I don't know about you, but I never find those budget airlines actually help my budget. In fact, I've never had a 'low-cost' flight on easyJet OR Ryanair for under £100! But woo-hoo... there is good news to be had from our famuos orange easy-goers: His Holiness is being offered a free ride with easyJet from Rome to London for his visit! This is such a positively funny offer, perhaps none other can beat it! It's great publicity for them... eh! 

From CBCEW
- The Official Papal Visit website’s latest news

-More videos and photographs of previous Papal Visits by Pope Benedict XVI have been uploaded on the official facebook page. Don’t forget to click ‘Like’!
- Pilgrims will receive a 12 track CD in their packs containing music by Alessandro Cherin, and a performance by 'Britain's Got Talent' 2010 finalist Liam McNally.

- BBC looking for interviewees

Contact clare.ward@cbcew.org.uk if you’re interested in sharing your faith by becoming an interviewee for the BBC.

Top Twitter must-follows

@thepapalvisit and #ukpv2010

@PopeB16FanClub @heart2hearRad and @Rdispatches

Coming soon

- Stages to Sainthood

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Sorry I haven't been able to deliver 'Catholics and Climate Change'... it'll be ready for September. Follow me on twitter for instant news on Papal Visit activity by the people - for the people!

Is God Calling You?

• Have you been experiencing an unusual force inviting you to open up to religion? 
• Have the controversial headlines in the UK been influencing your curiosity about  the Pope´s Visit in September?
• Do you feel that something is trying to get to you, but you have no idea what it is?

It´s time to discover if God is calling you.

Faith and God may not be something you´re used to... but they could be things you´re more open to than you think. Now that the Pope is visiting our lands, you may feel something tugging at your heart strings; but you don´t know what they´re being pulled to do.

It could very well be God working through the Holy Spirit, asking you to acknowledge Him and the Catholic faith.

"How do I identify if God is really trying to communicate with me?!", one might ask.The answer is this: As long as you´ve opened up to the possibility that God exists, then you´ve made the tiniest room in your heart for Him to squeeze in. If you are capable of loving your fellow humankind, then you have already made it possible... because God is Love.

Identifying that God is communicating with you, may not seem like such a big deal... but many Catholics aren´t chosen for such a privelage as this in their faith-conscious life. It is a great and wondrous joy and honour for anybody, but can understandably be a petrifying experience if you aren´t a person of faith.

There are various ways God might call on you. I have a friend who was called to the Catholic faith through the intercession of St. Patrick in a dream. Bernadette in Lourdes, and Fatima´s Jacinta, Franciso & Lucia received apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Paul received his message directly from God, on the road to Damascus. God can contact you in various ways, such as through prayer, an act or words of another, a place, a situation you´re in, or even whilst watching the sunset.
You may realise it straight away, or it could take you years, to realise God´s been trying to reach you.

No matter what the circumstance of you identifying God´s call is, don´t be afraid. Think about it a little, ask yourself all the questions you need to, prepare yourself for your task (this could take minutes to years!). Talk to a priest or another true believer if you feel the need to. If God is sending you a message that needs to be shared, then the Papal Visit website has a great resource for guiding you on how to communicate God´s message. As a result of your encounter with God, you might feel the need to learn more about the Catholic faith. A great way (but not the only way) to do this is to try out an upcoming event with the Pope.

The Pope is a man of great spirituality, and communicates with God probably at a rate that you and I drink water. So take advantage of the time Pope Benedict XVI will be spending here in the UK. It could be just the thing you need to help you connect or reconnect with God, and discover His call deeper. Heart speaks unto Heart was Cardinal Newman´s motto, and is the theme for this visit. Let God speak into your heart by opening it up to the possibility of the Catholic faith.

Visit the Papal Itinerary page, or speak to a priest and/or practising Catholic for some guidance.

Our Champions

"     Our voice needs to be heard... because we have a big part to play                                                             in society                                  "

Catholic Voices team are now available to interview

Weekly Roundup 01

Issue 01



Shining Star

- Platinum selling Irish Priests headline Hyde Park Papal event

Even celebrities support the Pope! Susan Boyle will perform at Bellahouston Park, and Carol Vorderman will present the warm-up acts at Hyde Park. But the stars of the show are these lovely sweet Irish men nicknamed ‘Holy Holy Holy’: The Priests. Maybe it’s just me and my softspot for the Irish, but I simply can’t wait to be at Hyde Park listening to these guys with tears in my eyes. Hopefully they’ll have a stall selling their CDs at the event. ^_^ Praise God for such beautiful talent!

Audio

- Heart gives unto Heart radio coverage by young Catholics, for Catholics

This amazing project led by singer/songwriter Gerry Coates, includes not only ‘out-on-the-field' live interviews with attendees of the events aired live, but also competitions and all the other juicy bits you’d get from a regular Catholic radio station!

They’ll be broadcasting live from 14th-20th September, 07:00-00:00. Any young Catholics interested in this project should get in touch through the website.

- Podcasts!
Why aren’t there any?! Or am I just completely ignorant of where they are? Let me know if Papal Visit podcasts do exist!

Video

Coming up soon!

Articles

- The fate of Catholic Europe on The Economist

This is one of the best articles I have read for a while about Catholic issues, and the state of the Catholic Church. As @AnnaArco says on twitter, it really is a fascinating read. I just love it when writers actually do their research and inform us all of facts – whether they’re positive or not!

Top Website

- Protect the Pope website

If you support the Pope’s visit, I highly recommend you subscribe to Protect the Pope’s website. It is a great resource for Catholics who are concerned about the safety of Pope Benedict XVI whilst he’s in the UK, as it puts you in-the-know of anti-Catholic news. I love it ^_^ (the website, I mean, not the anti-Catholic news of course!)

Humour

- Place your bets NOW! (Or don’t if you’re Catholic!)

Oooooh yes… Paddy Power are taking bets on which Papal Visit souvenirs will sell best (Papal bunting’s on top at the mo!), and betters are also keen to bet on total sales generated on the official Papal Visit merchandise store. So give these betters a run for their money, and purchase something from thepapalvisit.org.uk’s store now! The mug looks pretty nifty ;)

From CBCEW
- The Official Papal Visit website’s latest news

Videos and photographs of previous Papal Visits by Pope Benedict XVI have been uploaded on the official facebook page. Don’t forget to click ‘Like’!

- BBC looking for interviewees

Contact clare.ward@cbcew.org.uk if you’re interested in sharing your faith by becoming an interviewee for the BBC.

Top Twitter must-follows

@thepapalvisit and #ukpv2010

@catholicherald bloggers @annaarco & @lukecoppen

Coming soon

- Catholics and Climate change

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I’m away on holiday for the next 2.5 weeks, but will continue to keep you posted on the latest and greatest ;) Follow me on twitter for instant news on Papal activity!

Blesséd Atmospheres

Catholic crowds will make Papal Events more sacred.

Unless you are a journalist, or a practicing Catholic, it's gonna be pretty tough for you to get through the entrance gates at  one of the Bellahouston, Hyde Park, or Cofton Park events. This may be, to some, unfortunate. But not to me.

The downside to the exclusion, is that others outside my faith don't get to witness this holy man in person. At World Youth Day in Sydney, I was fortunate to feel a sense of the Holy Spirit there amongst us - because the prayers of thousands of young people were profoundly focused on the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI. I remember speaking to some non-Christian youngsters with passes afterwards, and they thoroughly enjoyed the whole event. If they didn't enjoy the Pope aspect, then surely they wouldn't have enjoyed the whole event! Plus, the fact that they were present means that somehow, their curiosity about the Catholic faith, or Christianity, or the Pope himself must have been piqued. Whether or not they felt an element of a greater power there, I don't know. Nonetheless, a significant moment and special encounter such as that, is best reflected upon personally first anyway.

Open-minded people who wish to attend a Papal event peacefully, should be able to, in my opinion. But I believe they should make every effort to consciously watch and observe, and not disturb the surrounding people who wish to pray. These are our moments of communication with our Lord, and also self-reflection. A presence such as the Pope's serves to boost our willingness to open up to God more. The last thing anyone wants whilst meditating, is to be disturbed by disrespectful people. If you wish to scoff, ridicule and giggle at what you think is an absurdity, then leave the grounds, and do it outside the gates. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But we're also entitled to our personal time with God, and there has to be a mutual respect between these two things.

At a Catholic event such as the Papal Vigil or Beatification Mass, Catholics will experience the same sort of atmosphere as any other person would at a music festival or a football match. Yes, we wave our arms in the air too. Yes, we also get slightly too excited at the fact that there's someone we adore, and admire up on that stage - so much so that before we know it, we're screaming and chanting. And yes, we do feel the electric atmosphere that unites us as one crowd, as one body in the Lord. I posted this (edited) description of a Catholic's experience at such an event on My Papal Visit 2010 facebook site:

When just one person feels the glory of God right down to the depths of their being, the power of the Holy Spirit is brought to life. Can you imagine how electric that power is if there is a group of people submitting to their all-consuming love for God? Can you imagine if that joyful group wasn't just 50, or 150 people, but thousands?

As a collective, this joy is a gift - a personified example of God being Love, and love being the quintessential goal of every human being. It's so simple... just like our love for the LORD. And we're here to believe it with every ounce of our being.

But yes, that is also all I can do. Believe and profess it. I have no way of physically proving my faith. The closest thing to physical proof of God's existence is through the healing and miracles that take place throughout the world day by day. Rigorous examinations of these healings and miracles have been done in the past; for example when The Immaculate Conception appeared to Bernadette at Lourdes. I've been touched by healing through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, and I've also encountered God's all-encompassing love. That is why, I believe. And that is why I personally prefer to be amongst others that believe too; whether Catholic, or any other denomination of Christianity respectful of the way we do things.

So when the Pope's over, I wish to celebrate this same love with the people who wish to celebrate the same thing as me. I wish to be able to momentarily free myself into His hands in the vicinity of the powerful Holy Spirit, magnified in the unity of thousands. I wish to be... in a crowd with a blesséd atmosphere.

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• Have you recently experienced a blessed atmosphere? Perhaps you've just been on a pilgrimage and have God's presence stronger outside the crowds? 
• Aren't Christian, but empathise with what I'm saying?
• What if you can't stand crowds but want to experience this love too? 

If so, I want to know about it! Post your comments!

Countdown

I've created a countdown widget to the Papal Visit. The fully working example is at the bottom right corner of my page.

The background is transparent, so all text and numbers will project on the chosen designs of your own blogs, websites and social media pages.

The title is customisable by your own tools (i.e. you don't have to call it countdown if you don't want to).

I'm happy to send you the code to have this installed on your pages! Email me at pilgrim.claz@gmail.com, and I'll reply with the html. Alternatively, you can have the widget installed direct at http://bit.ly/ds3l8o.

What's up?

Well so much is up! There's already quite a lot going on, and it's beginning to get really exciting :) Sanctuary@Walsingham (Youth2000 festival) is happening in 22 days time, and of course the Papal Visit next month! Here's the latest:


Papal Visit Update

Information for pilgrims - today's update from Monsignor Andrew Summersgill
Pilgrims are the term given to all those people who will be attending any of the public events that the Pope will be present at. Coordinators have been busy finalising information that pilgrims will need - things such as pilgrim passports, lists of what to bring and what not to bring, what will be available in terms of food & facilities, maps. This information will be available from the Papal Visit website by the end of the week. Detailed information about timings will be revealed later.

Money talk
Following feedback from London based pilgrims, there is a reduction toward the Hyde Park contribution by half (from £10 to £5). The cut has been made by excluding travelcards from the pilgrim packs as most Londoners own Oyster cards. Contributions don't have to be direct, so for example the contribution can be raised through Parish fundraising.

Official online merchandise store
... contains many official customisable souvenirs available to buy now, but if you're unable to purchase now, you'll be able to pick souvenirs up at the events where merchandise providers will also be present!

Media Accreditation
... is being handled by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The site opened today. Journalists are invited to register their accreditation by clicking: https://www.thepapalvisit-media.org.uk/LandingAgreement.aspx
Applications need to be submitted by 00:01 BST on Wednesday 18th August.

Dress in style
Now I'm not saying the official Papal clothing ain't cool - I'll certainly be buying something from there, but I just wanted to point you to some slightly more urban looking gear! http://www.catholicswithattitude.net/ have a great selection of stylish youthful hoodies and shirts. I particularly like the benedict xvi hoodie for girls, and the Benedict 16 polo shirt for boys.

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Key Upcoming Events

Sanctuary@Walsingham 
When: Thursday 26th August – Monday 30th August (Bank Holiday Weekend)
Where: The National Shrine to Our Lady in Walsingham, Norfolk, NR22 6AL

Visit the Walsingham festival blog that's now up and running! http://is.gd/e2vkL
Sanctuary@ Walsingham is Youth2000's (Y2k) annual prayer festival. I've never been before personally, but so many friends have recommended it to me, and I look forward to going this year! The Y2k Events webpage contains more information about getting there. If you would rather contact someone personally, get in touch with me, and I can pass you details!


Brazilian Night 
When: Saturday 4th September 2010 at 19:00 - 23:00
Where: St Mary's Hall, St Alphonsus Road, Clapham Common, SW4 7AS
 
A night of live latino music, Samba & other Latino dancing, as well as fundraising for YWAM-Carlisle. Pure entertainment and a great night out at affordable prices! Be there, or be square!

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Don't forget to contact me if you have questions - I can try to help as much as possible, or at least put you in touch with someone who can!

Heart Speaks unto Heart

The Visit

The Papal coordination officials from the Vatican made their final visits to the sites that Pope Benedict would be visiting about a week ago. According to thepapalvisit.org.uk, the prayer Missal has gone to the printers, and I'd suspect will soon be available from your Parishes in the coming weeks. On this website you will also be able to find the liturgies (available if you want to follow the Pope from your Parishes, or even your homes), and also souvenirs with the Vatican emblem.

There will also be opportunities to greet the Pope outside of the Mass and Vigil times. Details of this will be available on the program released towards the end of August.

 _______________________________________

Local News within the Diocese of Westminster 

Just yesterday, an interview with the Archbishop of Westminster was published on The Sunday Telegraph's website. 

Archbishop Vincent Nichols speaks of his hope that the new government will do whatever it can to achieve the common good. I particularly like the way Archbishop Vincent speaks openly about the idea of becoming a more united, and cohesive society; and his optimism that faith groups can once again potentially play a big part in helping to rebuild communities. He also speaks very briefly of the Papal Visit, introducing the Sunday Telegraph readers to the concept of hope through humanitarianism and faith in God. What an inspirational man!

The interview was conducted by Jonathan Wynne-Jones of The Sunday Telegraph - click the link above for the full article.

 _______________________________________

"I hope he is arrested for attempting to cover up child molestation across the world"...

It can be difficult to tell what is controversial and what isn't, when gauging responses from your friends, colleagues, and local community about the Pope's visit... the response, will more often than not be a negative one. Just the other day, I posted a status on my facebook asking for positive responses. Almost immediately, the response in inverted commas above was posted, by a person I used to live with in halls during the first year of Bradford University.

I've recently been on a pilgrimage - I walked El Camino. And one very valuable thing I learned from that experience, was that things will happen in God's good time. This includes communicating what you feel on the spot! I've learned the gift of patience: it's better to wait, and gather your thoughts, before you communicate a response to something that has ignited a strong feeling within yourself. I've noticed that, quite often, what I felt as an immediate response, didn't need to be communicated in the end.

As a person of faith, my opinion is that judgement day will come, and we will all be judged ultimately by God. And you're right... there is absolutely no justification in the sickening thoughts and acts of child abuse. For such cases as these, I'm ashamed to be associated with such evil-doers, even by my own faith, and am deeply sorry to those victims, and sorry for the perpetrators. I would just like to post what I feel is a message of hope which Archbishop Peter Smith gave during his homily at his Installation Mass in the Diocese of Southwark nearly two months ago:

... The Church is a Church of saints and sinners, constantly in need of redemption and reformation. Yet we know it is also true that in spite of the weakness and failures of individuals, and at times the institution of the Church, it is within the Church that the risen Christ continues his redeeming work through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.”

So I simply want to say to you today, “Be of good heart!”

Source: catholic-ew.org.uk

The theme for the Holy See's visit is 'Heart Speaks unto Heart'. So if there is anything you wish to speak of, to a Catholic stranger, good or bad, then you can always email me through pilgrim.claz@gmail.com. Or you could simply leave a comment below. I'm not a psychologist, counsellor, or a preacher, but I'm a good listening ear. After all, I'm learning to curb my reactive self, and keep these things internal, and offering them up to God.