FAQ's - The Eucharist

FAQ's - Various

Click here to read an article about our organist, Paul Kerryson. This was in the Catholic Herald, Sunday 24th August 2003 and is re-printed here with kind permission of the Catholic Herald

Does your child have Special Educational Needs?
Do you know a Child who does?
The Saint Vianney School is an answer to your prayers!
For the past 34 years The Saint Vianney School has been the only Catholic School in the Diocese, purpose built to respond to the special educational needs of our children aged 4 to 16. We remain committed to offering the highest standard of education and support for families of Catholic and non-Catholic children with special educational needs. We are here to help- please look at the poster at the back of the Church and give us a call to hear all that we have to offer: 0161 432 0510 or 0161 881 7843.

Don’t Dump it Donate it !!!!!!
The Tree of Life Centre, which is located in Wythenshaw, is a community- based charity selling low cost furniture, white and household equipment. They are also a centre for health and well being offering support to the local community.
They take donations of good quality furniture and household goods, and are willing to collect bulky items.

They now have a Community Shop and Café’ Open Wednesday and Thursday between
10am - 3pm. Please see notice and leaflets at the back of the church.

Proposed Transport Charges for Denominational Education.
(Letter from Shrewsbury Diocese)
As you will already be aware the County's Executive, meeting on September 7th 2006, took the decision to defer the proposed charges. Following on from the Executives action we have been assured in writing by Cheshire's Director of Children's Services "that implementation of any future charging policy, or any other such charge to the school transport policy, will not happen till September 2008".
Clearly at that point we will again work with you to oppose any imposition of charges but in the meantime the delay itself is a real tribute to the campaign mounted by the Diocese, yourselves and all the Catholic community.

Parish Mission 30th June – 8th July 2007
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the building of St Gregory’s Church. To celebrate this occasion we plan to hold a parish mission in the school and parish next summer. The Sion Community a lay order based in Brentwood will lead the mission. Areas to be covered will include youth ministry, celebration of the sacraments, visiting and socialising.

The pre-mission co-ordinator will be visiting the parish on Wednesday 27th September, in the church hall after Mass. She will speak about the Sion Community and their approach to mission. The meeting will be open to any parishioners who wish to attend.

Take a closer look
There is that moment in things, where an occasion either goes right or it turns horribly wrong. In the case of a
hometown return for Jesus, for a moment or two it would appear that a warm celebration of ‘hometown boy makes good’ is about to erupt. But not so. What is about to happen is rejection, the same kind of rejection that would dog his trail all the way to Good Friday. ‘He could work no miracle there.’ It always seems that miracles do not evoke faith so much as faith evokes miracles.
His fellow Nazarenes couldn’t accept his humanity. Neither could some early Christians who gave birth to the first great heresy (Docetism) in the church. It denied the full humanity of Jesus.
Enter the Nicene Creed with it’s’ ‘and was made man’ to counter it. We still say it every Sunday as we still struggle with divine humanity. We want a two-fisted God who comes up like thunder, and we are offended by one who puts himself/herself at our mercy and who now and then looks a lot like our Uncle John. We can be blinded by familiarity and worse – paralyse others and reduce them to impotence, by withdrawing our confidence.
How much energy have we suppressed or discouraged? How much joy stifled? All because ‘we knew them’ or ‘it was tried before and didn’t work.’
(Fr Tom Cox)

Parents: flexibility
Each moment is a new one, and what was necessary yesterday may not be so today. In the field of education flexibility is fundamental. Discovering what the children need involves not imposing our will, recognising the signs they give and resisting the temptation to interfere, to be a know-all, or be too protective. And all this without ever leaving them just to their own devices: they need support and guidance in their lives until they are ready to take full responsibility for themselves. (Don Pascuale Chavez SDB )

The Ascension - Future tense
Ascension Day tells us that if we’re looking for Jesus, we need a new way of seeing, a new way of following, which we have come to call faith. Faith is not having a position or policy on things, it’s about moving forwards.
In the fifth century, St Augustine wrote: ‘You ascended from before our eyes. We turned back grieving, only to find you in our hearts.’ In other words, if we’re looking for Jesus, our faith tells us his presence will be discovered in the community that follows him.
Ascension says that the story of Jesus is not about the past but about the future. Without the Ascension, Jesus would join others among the greatest of history. But our living well in the tensions of today, means that the story of Jesus becomes a story about the future, yours and mine. A future bright and secure.
(Fr Tom Cox)

Children’s Bible online.
The text of the children's Bible "God Speaks to His Children" is now available online. This bible is the most ambitious project of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. In hard copy it is published in 152 languages, including Chinese. To internet surfers it can be read in 20 languages. To read it, click on www.kirche-in-not.de

Matters Salesian

Change of Clergy
Last Sunday Fr Michael Winstanley, Salesian Provincial, announced that this summer Fr Coupe and Fr Malloy will be leaving the parish, and he thanked the parishioners for the affection and support they have always shown. He added that if this was ‘bad’ news, he also had ‘good’ news: namely, that Fr Francis Mageean SDB would be the new parish priest. Fr Francis has been involved in education for many years, including several years as headmaster. The change-over will probably take place around the middle of August.

Silver Jubilee Are you aware that 2006 marks 25 years of ministry in St Gregory’s by Salesian priests? In September 1981 Fr Michael O’Meara, newly-ordained, was the first SDB to be resident in the presbytery as curate, whilst Fr John Corcoran, still living in Shrigley, was nominated ‘Priest in charge’ and later ratified by the Bishop as Parish Priest.
Does this call for some celebration this year?

Mamma Margaret This is how St John Bosco’s mother is
affectionately known to all members of the Salesian Family. 2006 marks the 150th anniversary of her death (25th November). She was Don Bosco’s first ‘co-worker’ or ‘co-operator’ – ‘Mother’ or ‘Mamma’ to the first youngsters Don Bosco brought in from the streets of Turin in the mid 1840s. (please read the following paragraph!)

Salesian Year of the Family Every year the Rector Major (successor of Don Bosco) offers a spiritual theme for the year: this year, with Mamma Margaret in mind, Don Pascuale Chavez has proposed the following: Give special attention to the family, cradle of life and love, place where we first learn our human values. We hope to explore this in appropriate ways as the year proceeds.

The Universal Prayer for Peace for all Faiths.

Lead us from Death to Life
From Falsehood to Truth
Lead us from Despair to Hope
From Fear to Trust
Lead us from Hate to Love
From War to Peace
Let Peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe.
Peace, Peace, Peace.

The Table of Hope

Click image to enlarge

‘The Table of Hope’ is my tribute to the countless street children who experience nightmares in daytime when the monsters are real: a socio-cultural depiction of Christ breaking and sharing bread in a slum area, this work is also dedicated to the great Salesian work which is very close to my heart.

“After a major kidney operation on January 31st 2005, and listening to the promptings of the Spirit, the urge to paint seized me. Having worked for some years in the Youth Centre when I was a student at Don Bosco, I have never forgotten the faces of the poverty and uncertainty that has ravaged young people in our country. Back then, the Salesians taught us that Jesus did not just come to save souls, but to bring us all of life’s blessings.

'The Table of Hope', hope amidst darkness. On a dilapidated table made of scrap-wood crates, the Kingdom of God was brought forth because Christ chose these little ones. This painting is also a legacy to my own children that they may be reminded of the values of love and compassion, that fullness of life is possible also on earth through sharing and by being life-giving”.

THOU SHALT KNOW HIM WHEN HE COMES

Thou shalt know Him when He comes,
Not by any din of drums,
Nor the vantage of His airs,
Nor by anything He wears;
Neither by his crown,
Nor his gown,
But His presence known shall be
By the holy harmony
Which His coming makes in thee.

Don't Dump it - Donate it!
The Tree of Life Centre, which is located in Wythenshawe, is a community-based charity selling low cost furniture, white and household equipment. They are also a centre for health and well-being offering support to the local community. They take donations of good quality furniture and household goods and are willing to collect bulky items. Please see notice and leaflets at the back of church.

Questions people ask
Q. For years we have had a week of prayers for Church Unity. Has there been any advance or improvement?
A. There have been immense advances in respect for other traditions. Instead of black and white issues where we are right and they are wrong, now we are more willing to learn from different ways of understanding the Christian mystery. As catholics, we learn from the familiarity of Protestants with the word of God in the bible. The Orthodox communities teach us about the Holy Spirit, about contemplation with the use of icons, and they have a liturgy which expresses the timelessness and immensity of God. Theologians from the different traditions have issued agreed statements on important issues of belief and practice.

The Gospel of Mark
Mark is the earliest of the gospels. Matthew and Luke quoted extensively from Mark and followed his outline of the story of the ministry of Jesus. Mark is a powerful story-teller with the gift of bringing the reader into the heart of the action. He tells us how Jesus looked at people and touched them with His hand. He presents jesus as subject to misunderstanding and rejection before the news breaks of His Resurrection. There is a powerful message of hope in this portrait of Jesus among those who suffer misunderstanding, rejection and injustice.

Advice of St Francis de Sales
Go courageously to do whatever you are called to do
If you have any fears, say to your soul:
"The Lord will provide for us"
If your weakness troubles you, cast yourselves on God, and trust in Him
The apostles were mostly unlearned fishermen, but God gave them learning enough for the work they had to do. Trust in Him, depend on his providence; fear nothing.

Beacon Children's Prayer Group
Due to demand, Beacon 'Junior' Prayer Group has now expanded and formed a separate group for younger children from 4 to 7 years. Beacon 'Infants' meets at St Gregory's School on Wednesday from 3.30pm - 4.10pm. Children learn to pray a decade of the Rosary in an informal and relaxed setting. If your child would like to join, please speak to Mary Dalzell (262524) or Michelle McCabe (572392).

Don’t dump it! Donate it!
There is a poster in the porch with information about the ‘Tree of Life’ centre in Wythenshawe. If you have surplus furniture, TV, electric fire, fridge, computer, clothes, toys, books, etc., they will arrange to receive them from you. If you would like a more detailed leaflet about the centre, please
ask at the presbytery.

Official recognition of the remains of St John Bosco
On Saturday 12 November 2005, in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians there was the official recognition of the remains of St John Bosco founder of the Salesian Congregation.
Taking part in the ceremony were the Rector Major of the Congregation, Fr Pascual Chávez, together with experts and some Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.
As Dr. Antonio Patriarca pointed out, the recognition had revealed the good state of preservation of the remains. Dr Barbara Rinetti, also present, noted the well-preserved state of the materials and of the sacred vestments in which the body of Don Bosco was clothed.
Before the ceremony concluded, in a moving and devout gesture the Rector Major kissed the saint’s forehead and invited those present to do the same. After today, for an unspecified period, the remains of Don Bosco will be kept in a secluded place where they will stay until they are placed in the casket and put on display once more.

Earthquale Relief (contd) 'When will you come back?'
Fr Peter Zago SDB writes
"People have been amazed at how a group of about 50 young students aged 12-18 could manage in such a short time – two weeks - such a complex work of pitching 200 tents, providing electricity, water, toilets, gas kitchen, cooking and serving food, preparing the interior of tents with beds and mattresses, plus transporting to the camp the many wounded who had been flown in from the mountains by helicopters, and helping doctors and nurses to deliver medical services.
"Fr Miguel and myself, when we handed over the camp to local authorities, were ourselves touched by the generosity of our students. A few days ago, soon after the celebration of the Muslim Eid, we received phone calls from our friends, camp authorities, doctors and nurses, thanking us for the dedication our Salesian personnel had shown in the camp work and asking us 'When will you return'? And indeed we shall’
It seems that news of our project is reaching faraway countries and peoples. We have received positive and generous help from many parishes and individuals from around the world who follow our mission work.
Thanks to those from our parish who have handed in donations. These are guaranteed to go straight to the Salesians in Pakistan.

Barnabus
There have been a number of queries about whether Barnabus accepts blankets – shop bought or hand knitted. The answer is yes. If anyone wants to try their hand at knitting a blanket in squares, we can supply wool. Please phone Joanna Saatchi 820735. We are currently trying to find a knitting pattern for a simple pull-on hat as this is a vital piece of clothing for people who live on the streets in the cold weather. Again we’d welcome anyone volunteering to knit these. They should be brown or black, without a pom pom or large turn up.(The majority of those helped by Barnabus are young men and we are told that they want to be “cool” as well as warm!)

Kashmir Earthquake
On Thursday of this week a Salesian team – two priests and a group of older students – went on a second relief expedition to Manu Gabrah, a place in the mountains at 7,500 feet where there are more than 200 families who have lost everything. Apart from bringing emergency relief supplies they are setting up a workshop to help in reconstruction work. (One of the priests was ordained with Fr George Robson and Fr Eric Darwell). Please pray for this heroic team. Should you wish to make any donations, they will go straight to the Salesians on the spot.

New Initiatives for the Parish
New Beginnings
As a new school-year starts, this is a time for many ‘new beginnings’ in the parish. This may in fact mean literally ‘new’, or perhaps a ‘refreshing look’ at parish life. Below are some examples of current initiatives.

Sacramental Preparation
This September a team of catechists will be launching our new Baptism Programme. This will take the form of a video course with a modern and fresh approach to Baptism preparation.

Bible Study Group
A small group of parishioners will be meeting on a weekly basis for fellowship and scripture study. For more information please ring Helen Bassirat 572410

Youth Liturgy
A monthly liturgy of the word for young people of secondary school age will begin next weekend at the Saturday evening Mass.

New music
The choir and our musicians will introducing new music into our liturgy over the coming weeks.

Café
We have a new Café series ‘Knowing God Even Better’ which begins on Wednesday 5th October.

Junior & Toddler Church
Junior and Toddler Church are an important part of parish life for the younger members of our parish family. However, many of our current leaders have been involved for many years and wish to move on to other ministries as their own children grow and become more actively involved in parish life. As a result, we urgently require new helpers to join the Toddler and Junior Church teams. This may seem like a daunting task, but really only involves leading two or three sessions per term. In addition, all new team members will be invited to shadow one of the current leaders for the first term in order to help them get started.

Please contact either Jennifer Coward (573990) or Julie Taylor (572331) if you think you could assist in providing this essential service for our youngest parishioners. We really do need more help in order for Toddler and Junior Church to continue to grow!

Volunteering overseas
This is not just a dream! There is a Salesian network from nine European countries training and sending volunteers overseas to work with needy young people. Our contact is Fr Bob Gardner in Savio House. Web: www.salesians.org.uk Tel: 01625 560724 E-mail: bobbybosco@hotmail.com

You’re speaking my language
We use the term ‘briefing session’ nowadays. In our word-saturated society, where a ton of verbiage descends with every pronouncement, ‘brief’ can be the most inaccurate word of all. These can be anything but short in length. If briefings are short, they tend to say little of substance or speak in a very condensed technical style of language. Words can literally go over our head, as one T-shirt logo acidly notes; ‘your lips keep moving, but all I hear is blah, blah, blah.’ ‘Jesus held a briefing session and sent out the twelve.’ That’s how one translation of today’s gospel puts it. Just the essentials, the summary, the bottom line, clear and concise, cut to the chase.
Putting it crudely Jesus was telling them to preach locally. Not to far off peoples or even adjacent groups in society. He could say today ‘preach to the deluded and disillusioned of your society, to those who have swapped God’s place in their life for cathedrals of commerce and retail. Tell them ‘The God movement is here.’ Heal the sick, arouse the insensitive, make the outcasts acceptable, expel devils. You received this power as a gift, so share it as a gift. Leave the credit card at home. Travel light and travel far. If they receive you great! If not – that’s their call.’
Whatever language you speak, the challenge is to make God’s message flesh and fresh. It really is your call.
Fr Tom Cox

Questions people ask
Q. Why is Saint Anthony regarded as the saint for finding things?
A.. Anthony was an Augustinian in his native Portugal who travelled to Padua, Italy, to join the new Franciscan Order. He served the community in household tasks. At an ordination ceremony they were stuck for somebody to give a talk. Somebody suggested that Anthony had more education than the rest of them. Everybody was amazed at the knowledge and sanctity of his discourse. He was a talent waiting to be found. Maybe that is why he helps us to find what we have mislaid.
Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap

Notices
In the near future lay members of the parish will read out any notices at the end of Mass.

Vincentian Volunteers
A positive opportunity for young people to undertake interesting charity work for one year, living in community with fellow volunteers. Living expenses paid. If you would like to know more, contact Sr Pauline Gaughan DC: 0151 261 0225; e-mail director@vincentvols.freeserve.co.uk or visit the website www.vincentianvolunteers.org”

Thought from Pope John Paul II
From now on it is only through a conscious choice and through a deliberate policy that humanity can survive.

Questions People Ask
Q. What do we mean by the real presence?
Through the Eucharistic prayer the Holy Spirit acts to change the bread and wine into the sacramental presence of Christ. Unfortunately one still comes across literature that seems to suggest that Christ is physically present in the Eucharistic elements. Both St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas insisted that the Eucharistic body of Christ was not Christ’s physical body. While really and truly present, he is not present in the same way that we are to one another in a room. Rather Christ is present in a real but
sacramental manner. It is important to remember that in the reception of the Eucharist we are not receiving a divine ‘thing,’ we are encountering the” risen Christ”. The question to ask regarding the Eucharist is not, ‘What are we receiving?’ but ‘Who are we encountering?’

Salesian Booklets
Some small devotional booklets produced by Salesians in the USA are in the CTS rack to the left of the Church door. Please take one or more and leave a small offering in the wall box above the newspapers.

Saying of Pope John Paul
‘Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.’

Catholic Children’s Society (CCS)
The CCS, is not currently an adoption agency. However, it is forming an association with the Catholic Children’s Rescue Society (CCRS) of the Salford diocese in order to recruit carers and adoptive families. Salford is having difficulty finding carers to meet the needs of children referred to them. We hope that very shortly leaflets and posters will be available with more information

Getting off the fence
Nicodemus makes a guest appearance in today’s (May 22nd) reading, one of his three excursions in John’s gospel. In all three, he appears a man of hesitation and half-action, the patron saint of all waverers and half-believers. This Sunday we hear how he came at night – for fear that his reputation be damaged. His second encounter was, with growing opposition to Jesus, when he gives not a plea but a timid question: ‘Does our law condemn people without first hearing them…’ No follow up, a query just left hanging in the air. His third appearance was too late: Jesus was already dead. He brought myrrh and aloes to anoint the dead body. He could relate better to a dead Christ.
Let’s not be too hard on Nic, there’s more than a resemblance between us and him. Our failure to speak up and out when we see the weak trodden upon, our inability to say and do the only decent Christ-like thing for someone. What daily opportunities are we missing? In a cooler climate for belief and believers, are we convinced about our beliefs? Is it a ‘perhaps’ to everything? On this Trinity Sunday, do we even know about our faith or bother to learn? It’s worth doing, the reward is out of this world ‘ that everyone who believe in him may not be lost but may have eternal life’. [Gospel]
I pass this way only once, any good therefore that I can do, I must do, for I shall not pass this way again.
Fr Tom Cox

Tumble Trust
Tumble Trust takes its inspiration from the Christian contemplative tradition. It is also good fun. The emphasis is on community and shared journey. Tumble’s learning centres on the stillness and concentration, silence and receptivity, breathing and posture, movement and awareness, play and action. Tumble trust organises relaxation courses at some of the most hospitable retreat centres in the UK.
For further information please take a Tumbler programme at the back of church.

PPC Prayer Group
Last December it was suggested at a PPC meeting that perhaps the PPC members should meet together on a regularbasis to pray: in particular to bring to God all the issues of our parish and to ask for Him to giude us in all our work. So in February we had our first paryer meeting at the Presbytery. It was good. We now meet once during the period between the 'business meetings' which is approximately every six weeks.

Age Concern Volunteers
Age Concern have set up a scheme which, through volunteers,provides support, information and representation toolder people who are vulnerable due to their physical or mental health andwhohave no one else who can advocate for them. The Advocay Service is always looking for volunteers. If you would like to find out more, contact Lucy Quaye on 01244 677777 or email to the following address - coordinator@ageconcerncheshire.org.uk

Report from the PPC
The last meeting was held on April 13th.
The Justice & Peace Group will be launching a project to help us become a 'Fairtrade Parish'. They will be informing us of all the Fairtrade products available and encouraging us