Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth

Ahead of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom nine Catholic bishops have recorded on camera personal stories about their relationship with God to help people understand the theme of the Papal Visit - ‘Heart speaks unto heart', which was the motto of the soon-to-be beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman. The bishops share a variety of experiences including: a moment when faith was tested during a visit to the Holy Land, the impact of a mother's death, what it felt like during a period of ‘all time low', to articulating in detail feelings of anger and resentment.

A million copies of the ‘Magnificat - Liturgies and Events of the Papal Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom September 16th to 19th 2010' are being distributed to parishes across England, Scotland and Wales over the next two weeks. The handbook contains the texts for the times the Holy Father will participate in public prayer, together with a series of brief articles about the Visit. It comes in a hard-wearing, pocket-sized format which makes it easy to carry around and ‘pray as you go'. It is also a key companion for the Papal liturgies and when following the Pope's visit on television or the internet.

Papal Visit Pilgrims will receive a CD featuring ‘Britain's Got Talent' 2010 finalist Liam McNally, Oscott College seminarians, Archbishop Nichols and Lord Patten. In the week of 6 September those attending Papal Visit gatherings will be given a Pilgrim Passport, a Pilgrim Journey CD, and details about staying in touch after the Visit. Pilgrims are gathering as representatives of their communities from across the UK. The commemorative Pilgrim Journey CD has been produced to help Pilgrims to prepare both spiritually and practically.

Heart Gives Unto Heart is an internet radio station which will be covering the Papal visit and broadcasting from 7am to midnight from Tuesday 14 to Monday 20 September. A variety of other programmes will also be broadcast including: 3 daily Masses recorded live, daily prayers, in-depth studies of Pope Benedict and Cardinal Newman, celebrity interviews and music which showcases Catholic talent.

The majority of the programmes will be produced by young Catholics but they should appeal to audiences of all ages and interests. This radio station is just part of a project to showcase the creative talent in our young people.

For further information and to listen, please visit www.heartgivesuntoheart.co.uk. The station can be joined on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.

On 3 September 2010, a Round-Britain Bike Ride will commence from the port of Hull. Sea-Wheeling is a bike ride consisting of 60 towns in 60 days with one aim - to raise funds for Apostleship of the Sea's work with seafarers. Riders will join and leave the ride as they wish, or indeed cycle the whole way, each raising sponsorship for their individual efforts. Local TV, press and radio will follow this adventure and at ports where Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) has a presence, there will be an opportunity for riders to meet visiting seafarers.

In the Diocese of Plymouth, the major towns being visited are Weymouth, Exeter, Plymouth, Truro, St Ives, Wadebridge and Barnstaple.

St Cuthbert's Seminary, located within the grounds of Ushaw College in Durham, has unveiled the 2010/11 online programme for its Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies. This is offered as an online course with modules available each term between September 2010 and July 2011. Both core and specialist modules are delivered via Ushaw Online.

Core modules include the New Testament, The Church, Old Testament, Sacraments, Christology, and Christian Morality. Specialist modules include Exploring Chaplaincy, Exploring Youth Ministry 1, Exploring Family Spirituality, Exploring Religious Education, Exploring Youth Ministry 2, Exploring Catholic Social Teaching, Exploring Other Religions, and Exploring Parish Catechesis.

It's not good to be alone is an ecumenical Devon Faith in Action Network day which aims to bring together church people engaging with their local community in a variety of situations. This event will take place on Saturday 16 October 2010, 10am-4pm, at the Salvation Army, Armada Way, Plymouth and it will offer advice, encouragement, fellowship and support.

Participants at this interactive day will be able to share ideas, good practice and questions with others working in Devon, and help the Devon Faith in Action Network identify key issues in Devon for those working where church and community meet, and develop a series of workshops across Devon in 2011 targeting those issues, beginning in February 2011.

The Mental Health Project of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has opened a small grants programme, in order to increase spiritual and pastoral support in our Catholic communities, at a local level - i.e. in parishes, schools, hospitals, universities, prisons or organisations, for those with mental health needs, their families and their carers. The Mental Health Fund has been created from the proceeds of two Day For Life collections given by parishioners in 2008 and 2009.

The Fund is making available, to local Catholic communities, a range of several small grants totalling £70,000. There is no minimum grant limit and it is anticipated that the majority of grants will range from a few hundred pounds to a maximum of £8,000, although two projects will be funded up to a total of £15,000 if suitable. However, smaller projects are encouraged. The closing date for applications is 1 October 2010. 

'A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Care of the Dying Person' was launched at the Faith in Health conference in Liverpool on 25 June. It aims to assist front-line staff in identifying spiritual need in their patients, and to feel confident in their ability to provide it. Commissioned by the Bishops' Conference Healthcare Reference Group, the guide was written by Dr Catherine Gleeson, Dr David Jones, Fr Paul Mason and Rev Dr James Hanvey SJ. A draft of the guide was the subject of a public consultation earlier in the year.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Professor of Palliative Medicine at Cardiff University and Consultant at the Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, said: "This guide to spiritual care is so valuable because it enables us all to recognize psychosocial and spiritual distress in the dying. It is applicable to dying people of any faith or none; as the authors observe, ‘we share a common humanity if not always a common faith'. This guide should be read by all who are involved with dying people. Dying is a part of life that will come to us all sooner or later. We must try to see it through the eyes of those who are there now."

‘Ensuring safe Christian communities where each person knows they are cared for.'    Plymouth Diocesan Safeguarding Office Mission Statement

Stemming from our shared Catholic belief in the unique dignity of the person and our natural desire to care for each other, our aim to be the best place we can be for all vulnerable people is central to all that takes place within the diocese. As such, safeguarding is the shared responsibility of each member of the parish, whether clergy or laity. It cannot just be left to ‘Father' or to the Parish Safeguarding Representative to think about. In particular, it is not to be seen as something imposed upon us by government or by the Safeguarding Office.

The official website that has been set up for Pope Benedict's visit to Great Britain - www.thepapalvisit.org.uk - contains a wide range of information and background. It now also features a weekly audio update about the preparations from Mgr. Andrew Summersgill, the Co-ordinator for the Papal Visit. The first update, dated 10 May, focuses on the key subject of invitations to, and attendance at, the papal events in September. Please click here, to access a link to the audio update. In the second update, dated 17 May, Mgr. Summersgill discusses the Missal for the visit - the prayers, instruction and texts for celebrating Mass. Please click here to access a link to the second update. Both link pages also features a range of written questions and answers.

Following the lead of other dioceses, later this year some 200 couples in the Plymouth Diocese will be gathering together to celebrate their years of commitment to marriage. By personal invitation, couples celebrating their 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th or 60th+ wedding anniversaries, or indeed any significant anniversary during 2010, will gather in Plymouth Cathedral at 11am on Saturday, 20 November 2010 to give thanks, renew their vows and pray for their families and all marriages.

Staying in beautiful pilgrim houses in Bethlehem and at the Sea of Galilee, this pilgrimage is limited to 30 places. Scheduled direct flights to Tel Aviv with British Airways. The inclusive cost for 15 days is £1,750.00 per person for two sharing a room. There is a supplement of £150 for those preferring single occupancy. For more information or to reserve a place, please contact Della Shenton at della [at] desertdawn [dot] net.