Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth

A consultation draft of a Guide on the spiritual care of the dying person has been published by the Bishops' Conference of England & Wales. The aim of the Guide is to provide some practical pointers for busy healthcare professionals in the delivery of good spiritual care at the end of life. The Guide includes sections on ethical issues regarding treatment at the end of life, and the use of the Liverpool Care pathway. It also includes a more reflective exploration of death, and some of the specific issues that arise in delivering care to Catholic patients and those of other faiths.

A ‘Faith in Health' Conference, with the theme ‘Beginnings and endings - caring for the whole person' is being held from 24 to 26 June 2010 at Liverpool Hope University. The event is open to all health and social care professionals, of all faiths or none. This is the second of the ‘Faith in Health' National Conferences organised by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and it is supported by the Conference of Religious and the Catholic Medical Association.

CYMFed - the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation for England and Wales - has attracted some of the best known speakers in the Catholic world to its first national Congress for youth leaders. The Congress takes place in London on Saturday, 27 February with the theme ‘We have set our hope on the living God'. It will also see the first presentation of new and important research into the life and faith of Catholic young people. Fr Timothy Radcliffe and Abbot Christopher Jamison are headline speakers. Archbishop Vincent Nichols will give the closing exhortation within the final liturgy.

A coalition of faith groups, people seeking sanctuary and refugee support groups has recently started a Plymouth Citizens for Sanctuary group. ‘Citizens for Sanctuary' has developed a Sanctuary Pledge to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by the General Election - which will be taking place later this year - particularly as there are likely to be many new MPs who lack a ‘history' in asylum matters.

Building on the recommendations of the Independent Asylum Commission, ‘Citizens for Sanctuary' has partnered with almost every major national faith and denomination in the UK, from the Church of England to the Chief Rabbi, Muslim Council of Britain to the Salvation Army, Catholic Bishops' Conference to the Methodists - all committed to backing the Sanctuary Pledge. The Pledge itself is simple - five key asks, the most important of which is for politicians to finally end the detention of children. You can read the details of the Pledge on the website: www.sanctuarypledge.org.uk.

Men's Rites of Passage (MROP) is a 5-day, life changing programme for men, developed by Fr. Richard Rohr OFM, which is offered annually. First run in the UK in 2003, since 2008 the MROP has been held in rotation in the countries of the UK and Ireland. This year the event will be held on 26-30 July 2010 at ‘The Bield', Perth, Scotland.

A feature of each MROP to date has been the attendance of men from the different countries and also men from mainland Europe. The Perth programme will be led by the Rev. Belden Lane, assisted by a team of experienced and accredited leaders. The cost is £385 - to include full board, or £300 camping (own tent, meals provided). Reductions are available for the unwaged.

Each week, BBC Radio Devon presents a Sunday Service led by South West ministers and worship leaders from churches across the county. They include the Rev. Delian Bower who is Deacon as Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Exeter. Recordings are made on location at special events during the year. Listen to the service at 6am or 4.30pm every Sunday on the radio - also, via the BBC Devon website, on the BBC iPlayer, live or at a time of your choosing (for seven days following transmission).

BBC Radio Devon broadcasts on 103.4 FM countywide; 95.8 FM, 990 medium wave and DAB in Exeter; 95.7 FM and DAB in Plymouth; 104.3 FM, 1458 medium wave and DAB in Torbay and South Devon; 94.8 FM and 801 medium wave in North Devon; in the Okehampton area on 96 FM.  

A Day Conference - ‘What's so special about the Healthcare Chaplaincy team?' is taking place on 10 February at Saltash Baptist Church, Culver Road, Saltash, Cornwall, PL12 4DR from 9.30am to 3.30pm. This event is open to all healthcare chaplains, chaplaincy volunteers and anyone interested in spiritual care in a healthcare setting or in qualitative research. The guest speaker will be Dr Harriet Mowat, head of Mowat Research, and author of the Mowat Report on research into Healthcare Chaplaincy. From 3.30pm to 4.30pm there is an optional ‘masterclass' on ‘How to carry out research'.

The cost of attendance is £18 per head. Further details are available from Revd. Rodney Baxendale on 01752 792313 or rodney [dot] baxendale [at] phnt [dot] swest [dot] nhs [dot] uk.

Event dates - January and February 2010 - together with information from the Diocesan Justice & Peace Office. If you are interested in attending an event, please check the details via the individual contacts given.

Mary Conway, the Bishop's Adviser on Justice & Peace, can be contacted on 01752 260856 or by email at jp [at] plymouth-diocese [dot] org [dot] uk. Please get in touch with her for requests to be added to the mailing list for monthly email updates from the Justice & Peace Office, or to send details of events/information for the update mailings.

The January Bishops' Conference newsletter has a wide range of topics including news of Catholic Parliamentary Internships for 2010-11, a look back on the Sixth World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees, an update from the Catholic 2012 desk, details of the Caritas Social Action Network dementia and spirituality DVD and more.

To access the January newsletter and previous issues, please visit the Catholic Church of England & Wales website. There is also a ‘sign up' facility there to receive the electronic newsletter directly as each issue is produced.

Following the devastating earthquake in Caribbean Island of Haiti on 12 January 2010, CAFOD has launched an appeal to raise much needed funds. As a member of the Caritas Federation, CAFOD has immediately pledged £100,000 to their Caritas partners to assist with the relief effort. CAFOD is appealing to individuals and to parishes in the Plymouth Diocese and across England and Wales to give their generous support to this urgent appeal. The money raised will help CAFOD's partners supply water, food, medicines and shelter to people in the worst affected areas and help people to rebuild their lives in the long term. Your prayers for the people of Haiti are also sought.

Devon Churches Green Action are organising a Green Christian Gathering on Saturday, 20 March 2010 from 10.30am to 4pm at the Methodist Church, Tavistock, Devon. Local churches are developing green groups. This event provides an opportunity to share in what they are doing and the day includes worship, stories, networking and planning. The speakers are Tim Gorringe and Clare Bryden.

To book, please contact Joan Harris - tel: 01392-294940; e.mail: joanie [at] exeter [dot] anglican [dot] org

The finances of the Plymouth Diocese were a prime focus of the October 2009 meeting of the Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC). Bishop Christopher, writing in the December DPC Newsletter, says: "For the first time since its inception the Diocesan Pastoral Council had a session on Diocesan Finances. The management of our finances is a far more complex matter than when I first came to the Diocese. The financial resources have always been well administered, thank God, and I am very grateful to those who have gone before us and took so much care in building up reserves. They are currently being administered in exemplary fashion by John Cunningham and his colleagues."

"However, new regulations from the Charity Commission and HM Customs and Revenue have made the operation more complex. We have many staff at Rosary House and are well served by them. All our material goods must ultimately be about mission. It is not the main aim of the Diocese to balance its books, but good stewardship requires us to do so. Our main aim is about mission, to enable people to live their Christian faith and to share it with both confidence and realism."

Many people in prison need more help and support, at this time in their lives, than at any other. Roman Catholic Chaplains work to ensure the Sacramental and Pastoral needs of Roman Catholic prisoners are met. As Chaplains, they carry out faith specific and generic duties, within a multi-Faith team, taking part also in a range of resettlement activities including engaging with the local Faith communities.

To obtain further details, including the requirements to be considered as a Chaplain, please click on the attachment below and visit the current recruitment section of the HM Prison Service website at www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk to initiate a job alert for current and future vacancies.

‘Catholic Tradition Alive at Home' is a series of 13 A5 wipe-clean, recipe-style cards produced in the Plymouth Diocese's Exeter Deanery to help families practice their faith together at home, building on time-honoured Catholic traditions. The cards range from Making the Sign of the Cross and Blessing the Home to Making a Prayer Corner. Each card offers something of the rationale behind the tradition, referencing scripture in some cases. Simple prayers are offered as well as some ‘top tips' to help families share these traditions within their busy family lives.

Silent retreats led by members of the Plymouth Diocesan Ignatian Spirituality Team take place each year at various venues. These individually guided retreats are in the Ignatian tradition and they are open to Christians of any denomination who would like to step back from everyday life, review their journey in faith and be strengthened in their vocation as disciples of the Lord. There are 6 retreats in the 2010 programme. Several are of six days in length with the remainder being weekend retreats, including a ‘Taster' retreat which is suitable for anyone wishing to try a retreat for the first time.

For further information about the retreats, including dates and venues for 2010 and a booking form, please visit the Diocesan Retreats page of this website.