The Parish of "Our Lady Of Furness"

3rd Sunday Lent 2017.pdf

​On Saturday the 4th March a good number of those preparing to either enter into full communion with the church or wish to be baptised attended the rite of election at Lancaster Cathedral. This group of people have weekly been attending the RICA programme in our parish.

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is a formal program of catechetical instruction, ascetically practice (prayer and spirituality), and liturgies whereby adults called catechumens are formally admitted into the Church and receive the Sacraments of Initiation Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. (The Sacrament of Penance is received later since baptism washes away all sin original sin and actual sin.) The “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy” of the Second Vatican Council decreed, “The catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps, is to be restored and brought into use at the discretion of the local ordinary (Bishop).
This is what the Bishop had to say on his blog about the Rite of Election
The Rite of Election is a significant step for those who want to be received into the Catholic Church – preparing to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist at Easter .It is also an occasion of joy to these individuals’ families, friends and local fellow-parishioners and clergy who work to accompany their journey of faith. After the candidates have completed their formation in the Catholic faith, the Rite of Election is celebrated by the local Bishop who chooses them and elects them in the name of the Lord and of the local Church (for us the Diocese of Lancaster) to which they belong. The call, the election, of the Church embodies in human voice the call of God to which the candidates have already responded. They are then asked to express their response here and now in the presence of the Church “Do you wish to enter fully into the life of the Church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist?” They respond “We do.”

Please keep our brother and sisters in your prayers as they continue on the journey of RCIA 

Everyone had an early start this morning, with rooms to today and bags to be packed before setting off on the mini busses for Westminster Cathedral.  We attend the sung Mass at 10:30am which four young people from our group brought up the offertory.

The Mass was a little over an hour, by which time the young people were ready for McDonalds.

After the young people had eaten it was time for some good byes as some of the Barrow young people returned via train and the Preston people returned via the mini busses.

Please continue to pray for our young people as they grow in faith.

The Flame event confined after lunch with some young people giving their experience from working overseas with the poor. After this Cardinal Nicola lead a time of pray with then lead into a period of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Once this had been completed Matt Redman.  The whole theme of Flame this year was 10,000 reason to hope, the young people where invited to join Flame giving 10,000 messages of hope for those refugees forced out by war, poverty or persecution.

http://cymfed.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/10k_reasons_to_hope_worksheet.pdf

Cardinal Nicols also launched the the feedback APP for the synod in 2018, he said the Pope want to hear what young people had to say in their contribution to the Synod. This APP went live last night. The Cardinal said that hall the responses would be collected and put together to form part of the Synod on youth in 2018.

Last night after the Flame event had finished the group went for a tour of London, covering Oxford street, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, China town.

After the small tour of London we return to the Kiaros Centre, to be ready for an early start on Sunday morning.

During the brake for lunch the crowds went out into the afternoon sun

As ever the boys managed to find a football

Of course they won and came back with the victory walk

SPEAKER – Cardinal Charles Bo was the Keynote speaker at Flame 2017. He is a Salesian priest, and currently leads the Catholic Church in Burma. Cardinal Charles Bo was made a Bishop at the age of 37 and spent many years walking with the people of his Diocese, walking with them literally. He walked many miles to reach the people most indeed. He spoke of how these people, especially the young were caught up in child prostitution and human trafficking. He said that in England we have experienced freedom for so long that we don’t think about the past, yet the people of his country are still experiencing a serious lack of freedom. He said that everything depended on who hands it was in, a tennis in the hands of a cardinal was worth nothing, but in the hands of Andy Murray, is worth the number one spot in the world. He went on to say a basketball in his hands was worth nothing, but in the hands of the Los Rolenzaz football team, it’s worth millions.  He finished by saying our lives are in the hands of God and there is no better hands to be in.

SPEAKER Cardinal Vincent Nichols is chair of the Catholic Bishops conference in England & Wales.  The Cardinal said in his endorsement of Flame “Flame has now become an important part of the Catholic Calendar and mission in England and Wales. It is a unique opportunity for young Catholics to experience a joyful and missionary Church. In that setting, they experience Christ’s presence through times of prayerful worship and inspiring speakers, as well as through music and much true enthusiasm”.

Fr. Augusto Zampini Davies, works for CAFOD

Fr. Augusto, passed on the thanks from all at CAFOD for all that the people of England have done to change so many lives. He asked the young people if they wanted to change the world, in reply there was a loud 10,000 YES. Fr Augusto then took part in a question and answer session.

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This morning everyone was up bright and early to prepare to travel to Wembley Arena. The morning began with breakfast before the group came together for morning prayer. We then traveled to the Arena together in the mini busses, the arena was only 8 miles away but took 40 minutes with the London traffic. Although there are 10,000 young people here it only took us 10 minutes to get into the Arena.

Yesterday a number of our young people left for the long journey to London to join 10,000 other young people at the Flame event. The young people travelled by train from Barrow to Preston where they joined some other young people who all then travelled to London via mini busses. The young people have been staying at the Kairos Centre in Roehampton. Kairos is a Greek word that means ‘right or opportune moment’ indeed this weekend for our young people is right and an opportune moment. Last night the group spent some time getting to know each other before spending so time together in prayer.

2nd Sunday Lent 2017