Bishop's Documents

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

I am pleased to have this opportunity to be with you through the written word today, Vocations Sunday.

In the gospel chosen for today’s Mass we hear the final words of Jesus in which He makes reference to Himself as the Good Shepherd.  He uses the image, to help the people catch a glimpse of who He is and the special relationship He has with them and they with Him.  We note, for example, that he is aware that the Father has entrusted to Him the whole of the human family and chosen Him as leader, protector, and nourisher.   This is a role He plays to perfection to the point of laying down His life for those entrusted to His care.

Within the family of the Church we are all called at different times in our lives to guide, to protect, and to nourish those who are placed in our care.  However, the title “shepherd” is used in recognition of those who exercise a particular role of service within the Church – sister, brother, priest, deacon, bishop.  Today, Vocations Sunday, we are asked to remember them in prayer especially and, in particular, to pray that others will join their ranks.

At the end of the homily at the Chrism Mass almost a month ago, I invited the people gathered that day to pray for three intentions.  Firstly, I asked them to pray for your priests and bishop that through our words and actions you will always experience the protection and love of the Good Shepherd.   Secondly, I invited them to remember in prayer those who are already on the journey to full time ministry that they be open to what God asks of them and the courage to follow.  And, finally, I asked them to pray that new hearts will hear the call to the priesthood and religious life here in the Diocese of Hallam.  I would like, for a moment to reflect on the third intention.

When I was growing up there was, what could be called, a vocations culture in our parishes, our schools, and in our homes.  I think that it is fair to say that this is something we have lost in recent years for a variety of reasons.  It is not necessary to list those reasons here.  Now, I believe, is the time to be bold enough to reclaim it and positively encourage our young people (and not so young!) to seriously consider priesthood and religious life!   When I was Vocations Director in the early eighties, I coined the phrase, “People have the right to be asked”.   It is no less true today.

Vocations promotion is the work of the Holy Spirit and prayer is at its heart.  If we do not ask for vocations, we should not expect vocations.  This is why I am launching a prayer campaign for vocations in the diocese today.   You will have received a prayer card on the way in to church today.  I would like this Prayer for Vocations to be recited every time you come together to pray in your parishes.   It is a very simple way for the parishes to exercise their responsibility for promoting vocations.  It would be wonderful, too, and I strongly encourage it, if the prayer were recited at home.

Finally, a word for those who are listening and maybe thinking about priesthood or religious life.  If you would like to explore further the idea that the Lord might be calling you, I invite you to meet with me at Bishop’s House, 75 Norfolk Road, next Saturday at 11 am over a coffee.   No strings attached!

In his message for today, World Day of Vocations, the Holy Father has these words for you:

Do not be deaf to the Lord’s call.  If He calls you to follow this path, do not pull your oars into the boat, but trust Him.  Do not yield to fear, which paralyses us before the great heights to which the Lord points us.  Always remember that those who leave their nets and boat behind, and follow Him, the Lord promises the joy of a new life that can fill our hearts and enliven our journey.

We ask the prayers of Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help and Patron of our diocese, to help us all discover the Lord’s plan in our lives as it unfolds day by day and the courage to walk in the path that He has chosen for us.

Yours sincerely in Christ, the Redeemer.

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

 

In late August this year, you may recall that the World Meeting of Families took place in Ireland in the presence of Pope Francis. The event was a little overshadowed by the revelations of historical child abuse cases in Ireland.  However,  I know, having spoken to some people who took part in the event, that it was an enriching experience. To gather with families from across the world to celebrate family life in its many aspects was clearly a special moment for those who took part.

 

Pope Francis took the opportunity to hear stories of families from around the world and to speak about the family.  For a few moments I would like to reflect on three of the aspects of family mentioned by the Holy Father during this time: the family as a school for holiness, the family as a model of forgiveness and the family as a model for a new alliance between the older and the younger generations.

 

The Family – a School for Holiness.

 

Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.  I think we sometimes find holiness difficult to talk about.  We often think of others as holy or called to holiness but never ourselves. Indeed, we feel awkward and embarrassed when others suggest that we might be holy.  But we should not be afraid of holiness.  It is simply striving to be our best selves in our relationship with God and one another.  It is within the family that we learn the ways of holiness midst the ordinary stuff of life. It is in the family that we learn to believe and share our belief, to show acts of kindness, to speak a word of forgiveness.

 

Speaking at the Pro Cathedral in Dublin, Pope Francis said

 

It is in the home that we learn to believe, through the quiet example of parents who love our Lord and trust His word.  There in the home, which we can call “the domestic church” children learn the meaning of fidelity, integrity and sacrifice.

 

 

The Family – a Model of Forgiveness.

 

Our readiness and willingness to forgive is key to the growth of any friendship or relationship but especially within the family. In Croke Park, speaking of this important aspect of family life, Pope Francis remarks:

 

Forgiveness is a special gift from God that heals our brokenness and draws us closer to one another and to him.  Small and simple acts of forgiveness, renewed each day, are the foundation upon which a solid Christian family life is built.

 

When I was in parish ministry, each year I used to work alongside the parents of the children who were being prepared by the parish catechists for first Reconciliation and Eucharist.  I would always take the opportunity to remind them that their children would understand little or nothing about the Sacrament of Reconciliation if they do not see or experience forgiveness and reconciliation in the home. Sometimes we need to speak and hear the obvious!

 

The Family as the model for an Alliance between the Young and Old.

 

The importance of the forging a new alliance between the old and the young is something close to the heart of the Holy Father and he sees the family as leading the way in this. For example, he speaks affectionately of his relationship with his own grandmother, Rosa.  Again, speaking at Croke Park he says

 

A society that does not value grandparents is a society that has no future. A Church that is not mindful of the covenant between generations will end up lacking the thing that really matters, which is love…….our grandparents are a treasury of experience, a treasury of wisdom for the new generation.

 

Indeed they are!  Drawing on their deep reservoir of experience and wisdom, they can show the young what it is to have a spirit of gratitude for gifts received, to reassure the fearful young who are anxious about their future, to show those who are focussed on themselves that there is more joy in giving than receiving and that love is expressed in both words and actions.

 

Having been brought up by my paternal  grandparents, you can imagine that “the covenant between the generations “ is close to my heart, too, and it has given me much to be grateful for in life.

 

Today we ask the prayers of the Holy Family of Nazareth as we continue to try to make our own families schools of holiness, models of forgiveness and reconciliation and true alliances between the young and old.

 

Yours sincerely in Christ the Redeemer.

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

 

Happy feast day!  Each year, today’s feast of Christ the King marks the end of the Church’s liturgical year and heralds the season of Advent. For many years now, today is also celebrated as National Youth Sunday.

 

As some of you may know, I spent the month of October in Rome along with cardinals, bishops, priests, religious men and women and youth from around the world for a synod/meeting on the theme: Youth, Faith and the Discernment of Vocation. The meeting or synod was two years in the preparation, gathering the voices of young people from around the world during that time including some young voices from the Hallam Diocese.  Finally, a pre-synod youth meeting took place earlier this year and the production of a document that was our “steer” during the course of the meeting.  I felt enormously privileged – if not exhausted at times! – to be part of the synod experience.

 

In particular, there were two highlights for me. Firstly, the presence of the Holy Father throughout the time of the synod.  He was there to welcome us to the St Paul VI centre for each of the plenary sessions of the synod. During the many presentations he listened attentively to what was said. His own words throughout were few but wise.   In all this, and more, he showed himself to be a true pastor.

 

The second highlight for me was to hear the stories from the particular Churches around the world and, especially, some truly inspirational stories of the personal love for Christ and commitment to the life of the church of some of the young in the different Churches. . There were many such stories of the young witnessing to Christ and the giving of their lives: Sister Lita Castillo, a Dominican Sister of the Annunciation, aged 22, who died cruelly at the hands of intruders, Anwar Samaan aged 21 and his younger brother, Misho 17, both Salesian animators with a passion for the Salesian charism, who died in Syria, in 2015, after missiles hit their house and killed them and their mother.  Or, Safia Al Abbia, a 24 year old Iraqi Coptic Christian present at the synod who told us that one Sunday leaving Mass he said goodbye to his friends and that he would see them the following week.  He never did.  They were killed by a car bomb planted outside the church.

 

As our journey together unfolded it slowly became clear to us that a model for understanding the Church’s mission towards our youth is the story of Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. You will recall that Jesus walks with the two disciples who had not understood the meaning of his story and are moving away from Jerusalem and the community.  Jesus appears to them and seems happy to walk in their company even though they are walking away from their community.  He asks them questions and listens to their version of recent events to help them recognise what they are experiencing.  Then, with love, He announces the Word to them leading them to interpret in the light of the Scriptures the things that have happened to them in recent days.  He takes up their invitation to stay with them.  In listening to Him their hearts burn with love, their minds are opened and they recognise Him in the breaking of bread. The disciples then choose themselves to continue their journey back to the community in Jerusalem and share their experience of their encounter with the risen Christ.

 

Our journey over the three and half weeks of the Synod reflected the journey of Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. “Jesus himself came up and walked by their side”. (LK 24:15).  The first part of our journey was to recognise and note the context in which young people around the world live out their lives, how they live their call to a life of faith and to be aware of their strengths and challenges.  “And their eyes were opened.” (LK 24:31).  The second part of our journey was to interpret the information received from the Churches and come to some understanding of it in the light of the scriptures. “They set out at that instant and returned to Jerusalem”. (LK 24:33).  On the final part of our journey, we gathered some of the choices to be made and the actions to be taken on return to our own particular Church to help us fulfil our mission to the young: that they will know themselves to be loved, valued and listened to.

 

Here in the Diocese of Hallam we have, in a way, anticipated what the synod is asking of us.  Earlier in the year, the Trustees commissioned a review of the provision of Youth Ministry for 11-18 year olds in the Diocese to help us plan for the future.  I await the findings due soon.  Also, it is hoped that the builders will begin work on the new MissionHub early next month.

 

With these two new projects, we are putting out into the deep in our commitment to the Youth and Young Adults of the Diocese.   We pray that they will bring in a great haul for the Lord!

Dear Brothers and Sisters

At a Service on New Year’s Eve in 2013, Pope Francis encouraged all those present (including himself!) to look back over the year and “courageously ask ourselves: ‘How did we live the life God gave us?’”.   And he went on to say that there are:  “So many people, marked by material and moral poverty, poor people, unhappy, suffering, who appeal to the conscience, not only of the public authorities but of every person”.

Human need is everywhere and we are invited to respond to it, however and whenever we can.   Sometimes a kind word or helping hand is enough.   However, there are other times when people need more professional help.

A significant development this year will be the establishment of Caritas Diocese of Hallam which will encompass all the social action projects in the Diocese. Caritas will be inaugurated on March 3^rd and your priest will be asked to send representatives from your parish to this event.

The word Caritas means ‘charity’. It encapsulates Christian love for all mankind – a love expressed in social action.  Establishing Caritas Diocese of Hallam means that we become part of a national network seeking to strengthen and facilitate Catholic charitable activities, and to ensure that the voices of the poor and Catholic teaching are heard in guiding public policy.

The response to a questionnaire sent to all priests to assess the scope of social action in Hallam was 100% which was very encouraging and appreciated.  It is revealing to learn of the amount of good work that is being carried out. I never realised how much.

This weekend February 10 and 11 is the annual Diocesan Collection for Hallam Caring Services. In the Caring Services, which will be part of Caritas, we have a growing team of dedicated and competent professionals whose ministry encompasses all these issues and offer individual and group support to those who seek it.

One project I visited this year is Carmel Care in Hillsborough, which provides welcome, unconditional acceptance, nurture and growth for those experiencing social isolation, loneliness and addiction. Here is what one person said,

“Then I visited for the first time: as I went through the door, a warm welcome and a hot cup of tea at the table.  No questions asked. I was received as a family might receive a beloved guest. I felt genuinely valued, and I can say from the bottom of my heart that my life was changed that day.”

The most casual look at the Hallam Caring Services Annual Newsletter reveals the breadth of services that is offered to individuals, families and vulnerable people in our schools and parishes.  The newsletter is available on the Diocesan website or from your parish priest.

Hallam Caring Services depends on your generosity to maintain and develop their ministry.   Every penny of your money is used to support, strengthen and heal all those who seek their help.

I know you will be as generous as you can.

Yours sincerely in Christ, the Redeemer.

Bishop Ralph – Pastoral Letter for the Feast of the Holy Family – Sheffield Catholic Cathedral.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Bishop Ralph – Diocese of Hallam – Pastoral Letter – Sheffield Catholic Cathedral.

TO BE READ AT ALL MASSES ON THE WEEKEND OF THE FEAST OF THE ASCENSION 2017

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

Today’s feast celebrates Jesus ‘coming full circle.’ He came to us from the Father to accomplish his own unique mission and now he returned to the Father having achieved what he was sent to do. It must have been a particular joyous moment for Jesus but one of the most difficult moments for the disciples on their journey with Jesus. Their Master and Teacher who had opened their eyes and had been taken from them in a most horrific way and returned from the dead and had walked with them. Now, it would seem, they are going to lose him for a second time.

But today’s feast is also about ‘passing on the baton’. At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus set out his stall announcing that the Kingdom of Heaven was close at hand, calling the people to repentance and to believe in the Good News. Now the responsibility for the task/ministry was being passed on to the apostles and disciples. He mandates them to continue his saving work, drawing all nations to the truth of the gospel. He knows that his life’s project will only continue if those whom he commissions are committed to make it work.

Matthew reminds us that Jesus’ mandate to his disciples, then and now, is to go, to make disciples, to baptise, and to teach.

TO GO: Communion and Mission are intrinsically linked. At the end of every Eucharist, for example, we are dismissed with these or similar words: “Go forth. The Mass is ended.”

TO MAKE DISCIPLES: As Jesus called the fishermen and trained them up as “learners”, imitating his way of life and, little by little, understanding his message, his followers ever since have been entrusted with the responsibility of calling others and training them to understand his message and follow his ways.

TO BAPTISE: Baptism is not an optional extra for the followers of Jesus. Rather it is the public and visible way by which we are marked out as his disciples and share in the name of the living God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

TO TEACH: The Gospel of Jesus promotes a lifestyle that is different. As his disciples we are to give the time and energy to learning and practising this lifestyle ourselves and sharing it with new disciples.
Last weekend marked the third anniversary of the announcement of me as your Bishop. It has been an interesting period in my life to say the least! As I have moved around the diocese, I have been touched by the warmth of your welcome and encouraged to see for myself the many good initiatives that are happening in the parishes. It has been my special joy to visit the schools in the diocese.

But as I have moved around the diocese I have also observed for myself a diocesan structure created to serve a mass-going population of over 30,000 when the diocese was set up and now serving a mass attendance of under 12,000. My judgment is that the present cannot be sustained and the work of renewal can no longer be deferred.

In Evangelium Gaudium, Pope Francis spells out my role as Bishop in this regard:

The Bishop must always foster this missionary communion in his diocesan Church, following the ideal of the first Christian communities in which believers were of one heart and one soul. (Acts 4:32). To do so, he will sometimes go before his people pointing the way and keeping their hopes vibrant. Other times he will simply be in their midst with his unassuming and merciful presence. And yet at other times, he will have to walk with them, helping those who lag behind – above all – allowing the flock to strike out on new paths.

With this in mind, in recent weeks there have discussions and consultations across the diocese about the future of the diocese in general and about the shape of our parish communities, in particular, and, how we might, given our present resources, make them ‘a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey and a centre of missionary outreach.”EG28. Some of these discussions have concluded and decisions taken. Other discussions are on-going and there will be more difficult decisions to be taken at the end of these. I know that my name will be held less than ‘hallowed’ over the next few weeks and months that lie ahead!

Inevitably, there will be a sense and experience of personal loss for some as we look to the possibility of mergers and closures. Of all, I seek understanding, flexibility and spirit of self-sacrifice. I genuinely fear that not to act now, would risk the future of our diocese. I am conscious, too, that one day I will have to give an account of my stewardship as the Bishop of the diocese.

One thing I wish to make clear is that the decisions I have already made and will take in the future are not about managing decline, but rather preparing and planning for the future of the diocese, so as to enable it in the years to come to effectively carry out Jesus’ mandate in this corner of the Lord’s vineyard: TO GO, TO MAKE DISCIPLES, TO BAPTISE AND TO TEACH. Above all, we must not give way to pessimism for we have his promise in today’s gospel, ‘And look, I am with you always; yes, until the end of time.’

Yours sincerely in Christ, the Redeemer.