A congregation of over six hundred worshippers, including fifty priests attended the ordination of John Peyton at Sacred Heart & Holy Souls Church, Acocks Green on Saturday 19^th July.

World Youth Day Sydney 2008 has now come and gone. It was a remarkable gathering of young Catholics from over 170 different countries, meeting with Pope Benedict over four days.  A hundred youngsters, four priests and I went from the West Midlands and enjoyed every minute. The event has gone, but I have not yet come home, staying here in Australia a little longer for a holiday.

The event was a fantastic experience. First there was its sheer size. Over 400,000 people came to the Final Mass last Sunday. This was the biggest gathering ever in the history of Australia. 

Then there was the welcome. The organisation of the event, building on the experiences of the Olympics, was really good.  But the welcome and the warmth of the atmosphere were exceptional. Everyone was so welcoming, from civic leaders to thousands of families and parishes. It was lovely to hear a police spokesman say that not only was there no trouble but never before had his officers been so thanked and appreciated on the streets.

So Sydney, a modern city, so cool on religion, took these pilgrims and their joyous faith right to its heart. It was a wonderful experience to be part of the happy, singing flood of youthful humanity moving through the city streets to one or other of the major gatherings.

But most of all this World Youth Day was a religious event. These huge crowds of people came to express their faith in Christ, to be strengthened by one another and to draw encouragement from the teaching and example of Pope Benedict. Time and again they showed beyond doubt that the project of Catholic faith is alive and well in the world. And it is a source of joy and hope. This is a real antidote to those who can interpret faith only in negative terms. These youngsters love and trust the Church. They appreciate the Christian vision of life and the sense of community it gives.

There was a stunning presentation of the Stations of the Cross, the final journey of Christ’s life, from the Last Supper to the Tomb. It was played out with great drama at all the iconic landmarks of Sydney Harbour. The Opera House become Pilate’s palace; the crucifixion took place at the water’s edge, against the last light on the western horizon.

Yet a different moment stands out for me. Last Saturday there was a candlelit vigil, which brought together 200,000 people – and the Pope. For 15 minutes, that huge crowd knelt in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. It was an incredible experience.  A silence descended which was almost tangible and certainly profound. A single focus united that great throng, youngsters and Pope alike. The focus of that silence and that attention was the presence of Christ, nothing more, nothing less.

All of us who were there will remember this for the rest of our lives.

Now the great crowd has dispersed. As one commentator said, the streets of Sydney return to their mixture of work-day crowds and night-time drunks and trouble-makers. Many have said they would much prefer the Catholic youngsters. But our hope must be that as these youngsters return home they will not lose their readiness to speak out, to express their infectious joy and hope. They have such freedom in their faith. It gives them such a sense of purpose. The Pope described this as their mission: it is better to have one clear mission of love than a hundred options.

We can all benefit from World Youth Day 2008.

XVincent Nichols

Archbishop of Birmingham

Archbishop Vincent Nichols has encouraged Catholics to pray for the success of the ten-yearly Lambeth Conference of the world-wide Anglican Communion that opened at the University of Kent in Canterbury, on Monday 21 July, writes Peter Jennings.

In a special message to Catholics throughout his diocese, the Archbishop of Birmingham, who is in Australia where he took part in World Youth Day, said: "Prayers for the success of the Lambeth Conference are so important.

"I encourage Catholics to remember the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams and all those attending the Lambeth Conference.

"A weakened Anglican Communion, or Church of England, does not help the proclamation of the Christian faith."

Archbishop Nichols added: "World Youth Day in Sydney has shown the vitality of the Catholic Church and its young people.

"I very much hope that the Anglican Communion can draw strength from these Catholic traditions and the assurance of prayers from Pope Benedict XVI."

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) ON THE OCCASION
OF THE 23rd WORLD YOUTH DAY
(JULY 12 - 21, 2008)

WELCOMING CELEBRATION BY THE YOUNG PEOPLE

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Barangaroo, Sydney Harbour
Thursday, 17 July 2008

Dear Young People,

What a delight it is to greet you here at Barangaroo, on the shores of the magnificent Sydney harbour, with its famous bridge and Opera House. Many of you are local, from the outback or the dynamic multicultural communities of Australian cities. Others of you have come from the scattered islands of Oceania, and others still from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Some of you, indeed, have come from as far as I have, Europe! Wherever we are from, we are here at last in Sydney. And together we stand in our world as God’s family, disciples of Christ, empowered by his Spirit to be witnesses of his love and truth for everyone!

I wish firstly to thank the Aboriginal Elders who welcomed me prior to my boarding the boat at Rose Bay. I am deeply moved to stand on your land, knowing the suffering and injustices it has borne, but aware too of the healing and hope that are now at work, rightly bringing pride to all Australian citizens. To the young indigenous - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders - and the Tokelauans, I express my thanks for your stirring welcome. Through you, I send heartfelt greetings to your peoples.

Cardinal Pell and Archbishop Wilson, I thank you for your warm words of welcome. I know that your sentiments resonate in the hearts of the young gathered here this evening, and so I thank you all. Standing before me I see a vibrant image of the universal Church. The variety of nations and cultures from which you hail shows that indeed Christ’s Good News is for everyone; it has reached the ends of the earth. Yet I know too that a good number of you are still seeking a spiritual homeland. Some of you, most welcome among us, are not Catholic or Christian. Others of you perhaps hover at the edge of parish and Church life. To you I wish to offer encouragement: step forward into Christ’s loving embrace; recognize the Church as your home. No one need remain on the outside, for from the day of Pentecost the Church has been one and universal.

This evening I wish also to include those who are not present among us. I am thinking especially of the sick or mentally ill, young people in prison, those struggling on the margins of our societies, and those who for whatever reason feel alienated from the Church. To them I say: Jesus is close to you! Feel his healing embrace, his compassion and mercy!

Almost two thousand years ago, the Apostles, gathered in the upper room together with Mary and some faithful women, were filled with the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14; 2:4). At that extraordinary moment, which gave birth to the Church, the confusion and fear that had gripped Christ’s disciples were transformed into a vigorous conviction and sense of purpose. They felt impelled to speak of their encounter with the risen Jesus whom they had come to call affectionately, the Lord. In many ways, the Apostles were ordinary. None could claim to be the perfect disciple. They failed to recognize Christ (cf. Lk 24:13-32), felt ashamed of their own ambition (cf. Lk 22:24-27), and had even denied him (cf. Lk 22:54-62). Yet, when empowered by the Holy Spirit, they were transfixed by the truth of Christ’s Gospel and inspired to proclaim it fearlessly. Emboldened, they exclaimed: repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 2:37-38)! Grounded in the Apostles’ teaching, in fellowship, and in the breaking of the bread and prayer (cf. Acts 2:42), the young Christian community moved forward to oppose the perversity in the culture around them (cf. Acts 2:40), to care for one another (cf. Acts 2:44-47), to defend their belief in Jesus in the face of hostility (cf Acts 4:33), and to heal the sick (cf. Acts 5:12-16). And in obedience to Christ’s own command, they set forth, bearing witness to the greatest story ever: that God has become one of us, that the divine has entered human history in order to transform it, and that we are called to immerse ourselves in Christ’s saving love which triumphs over evil and death. Saint Paul, in his famous speech to the Areopagus, introduced the message in this way: “God gives everything – including life and breath – to everyone … so that all nations might seek God and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. In fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17: 25-28).

And ever since, men and women have set out to tell the same story, witnessing to Christ’s truth and love, and contributing to the Church’s mission. Today, we think of those pioneering Priests, Sisters and Brothers who came to these shores, and to other parts of the Pacific, from Ireland, France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe. The great majority were young - some still in their late teens - and when they bade farewell to their parents, brothers and sisters, and friends, they knew they were unlikely ever to return home. Their whole lives were a selfless Christian witness. They became the humble but tenacious builders of so much of the social and spiritual heritage which still today brings goodness, compassion and purpose to these nations. And they went on to inspire another generation. We think immediately of the faith which sustained Blessed Mary MacKillop in her sheer determination to educate especially the poor, and Blessed Peter To Rot in his steadfast resolution that community leadership must always include the Gospel. Think also of your own grandparents and parents, your first teachers in faith. They too have made countless sacrifices of time and energy, out of love for you. Supported by your parish priests and teachers, they have the task, not always easy but greatly satisfying, of guiding you towards all that is good and true, through their own witness - their teaching and living of our Christian faith.

Today, it is my turn. For some of us, it might seem like we have come to the end of the world! For people of your age, however, any flight is an exciting prospect. But for me, this one was somewhat daunting! Yet the views afforded of our planet from the air were truly wondrous. The sparkle of the Mediterranean, the grandeur of the north African desert, the lushness of Asia’s forestation, the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the horizon upon which the sun rose and set, and the majestic splendour of Australia’s natural beauty which I have been able to enjoy these last couple of days; these all evoke a profound sense of awe. It is as though one catches glimpses of the Genesis creation story - light and darkness, the sun and the moon, the waters, the earth, and living creatures; all of which are “good” in God’s eyes (cf. Gen 1:1 - 2:4). Immersed in such beauty, who could not echo the words of the Psalmist in praise of the Creator: “how majestic is your name in all the earth?” (Ps 8:1).

And there is more – something hardly perceivable from the sky – men and women, made in nothing less than God’s own image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26). At the heart of the marvel of creation are you and I, the human family “crowned with glory and honour” (Ps 8:5). How astounding! With the Psalmist we whisper: “what is man that you are mindful of him?” (Ps 8:4). And drawn into silence, into a spirit of thanksgiving, into the power of holiness, we ponder.

What do we discover? Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption. Some of you come from island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising water levels; others from nations suffering the effects of devastating drought. God’s wondrous creation is sometimes experienced as almost hostile to its stewards, even something dangerous. How can what is “good” appear so threatening?

And there is more. What of man, the apex of God’s creation? Every day we encounter the genius of human achievement. From advances in medical sciences and the wise application of technology, to the creativity reflected in the arts, the quality and enjoyment of people’s lives in many ways are steadily rising. Among yourselves there is a readiness to take up the plentiful opportunities offered to you. Some of you excel in studies, sport, music, or dance and drama, others of you have a keen sense of social justice and ethics, and many of you take up service and voluntary work. All of us, young and old, have those moments when the innate goodness of the human person - perhaps glimpsed in the gesture of a little child or an adult’s readiness to forgive - fills us with profound joy and gratitude.

Yet such moments do not last. So again, we ponder. And we discover that not only the natural but also the social environment – the habitat we fashion for ourselves – has its scars; wounds indicating that something is amiss. Here too, in our personal lives and in our communities, we can encounter a hostility, something dangerous; a poison which threatens to corrode what is good, reshape who we are, and distort the purpose for which we have been created. Examples abound, as you yourselves know. Among the more prevalent are alcohol and drug abuse, and the exaltation of violence and sexual degradation, often presented through television and the internet as entertainment. I ask myself, could anyone standing face to face with people who actually do suffer violence and sexual exploitation “explain” that these tragedies, portrayed in virtual form, are considered merely “entertainment”?

There is also something sinister which stems from the fact that freedom and tolerance are so often separated from truth. This is fuelled by the notion, widely held today, that there are no absolute truths to guide our lives. Relativism, by indiscriminately giving value to practically everything, has made “experience” all-important. Yet, experiences, detached from any consideration of what is good or true, can lead, not to genuine freedom, but to moral or intellectual confusion, to a lowering of standards, to a loss of self-respect, and even to despair.

Dear friends, life is not governed by chance; it is not random. Your very existence has been willed by God, blessed and given a purpose (cf. Gen 1:28)! Life is not just a succession of events or experiences, helpful though many of them are. It is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this – in truth, in goodness, and in beauty – that we find happiness and joy. Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth.

Christ offers more! Indeed he offers everything! Only he who is the Truth can be the Way and hence also the Life. Thus the “way” which the Apostles brought to the ends of the earth is life in Christ. This is the life of the Church. And the entrance to this life, to the Christian way, is Baptism.

This evening I wish therefore to recall briefly something of our understanding of Baptism before tomorrow considering the Holy Spirit. On the day of your Baptism, God drew you into his holiness (cf. 2 Pet 1:4). You were adopted as a son or daughter of the Father. You were incorporated into Christ. You were made a dwelling place of his Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 6:19). Indeed, towards the conclusion of your Baptism, the priest turned to your parents and those gathered and, calling you by your name, said: “you have become a new creation” (Rite of Baptism, 99).

Dear friends, in your homes, schools and universities, in your places of work and recreation, remember that you are a new creation! As Christians you stand in this world knowing that God has a human face - Jesus Christ - the “way” who satisfies all human yearning, and the “life” to which we are called to bear witness, walking always in his light (cf. ibid., 100).

The task of witness is not easy. There are many today who claim that God should be left on the sidelines, and that religion and faith, while fine for individuals, should either be excluded from the public forum altogether or included only in the pursuit of limited pragmatic goals. This secularist vision seeks to explain human life and shape society with little or no reference to the Creator. It presents itself as neutral, impartial and inclusive of everyone. But in reality, like every ideology, secularism imposes a world-view. If God is irrelevant to public life, then society will be shaped in a godless image. When God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose, and the “good” begins to wane. What was ostensibly promoted as human ingenuity soon manifests itself as folly, greed and selfish exploitation. And so we have become more and more aware of our need for humility before the delicate complexity of God’s world.

But what of our social environment? Are we equally alert to the signs of turning our back on the moral structure with which God has endowed humanity (cf. 2007 World Day of Peace Message, 8)? Do we recognize that the innate dignity of every individual rests on his or her deepest identity - as image of the Creator - and therefore that human rights are universal, based on the natural law, and not something dependent upon negotiation or patronage, let alone compromise? And so we are led to reflect on what place the poor and the elderly, immigrants and the voiceless, have in our societies. How can it be that domestic violence torments so many mothers and children? How can it be that the most wondrous and sacred human space – the womb – has become a place of unutterable violence?

My dear friends, God’s creation is one and it is good. The concerns for non-violence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity. They cannot, however, be understood apart from a profound reflection upon the innate dignity of every human life from conception to natural death: a dignity conferred by God himself and thus inviolable. Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. This is the work of the Holy Spirit! This is the hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew at Baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at Confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the world!

The Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints has requested that the body of the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman, 1801-1890, be exhumed from his grave, and placed in the Birmingham Oratory, as part of the process for his beatification, writes Peter Jennings.

The Newman Cause is now far advanced in Rome and it is anticipated that Pope Benedict XVI will issue a Decree declaring the Servant of God, John Henry Newman as Blessed, sometime during December this year.

 Cardinal Newman, Founder of the English Oratory of St Philip Neri, died in his room in the Oratory House, in Edgbaston, on Monday 11 August 1890, aged 89. His Funeral Mass was held in the old church a week later, on Monday 19 August,

In a tribute to the best known English churchman of the 19^th century more than 15,000 people of all ages lined the route to the Oratory House at Rednal, situated on the outskirts of Birmingham . Here the great English Cardinal was buried in the small, secluded cemetery along with deceased members of his community.

Fittingly, the body of Cardinal Newman will be put in a specially made, simple, marble sarcophagus and placed inhis Memorial Church, opened in 1907, on the site of the old church, next to the Oratory House. Details of the sarcophagus and its exact position will be made public during late September.

Fr Paul Chavasse, Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and Postulator of the Newman Cause, said: "One of the centuries-old procedures surrounding the creating of new saints by the Catholic Church concerns their earthly remains. These have to be identified, preserved and, if necessary, placed in a new setting which befits the individual's new status in the Church.

“This is what we have been asked to do by the Vatican with regard to Cardinal Newman's remains, which have lain at Rednal since his death in 1890.

“We hope that Cardinal Newman's new resting place in the Oratory Church in Birmingham will enable more people to come and pay their respects to him, and perhaps light a candle there.”

Fr Chavasse, added: “Many will surely wish to honour this great and holy man.”

Meanwhile, Fr Chavasse and the Archdiocese of Birmingham are now in direct contact with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Sir Suma Chakrabarti, to obtain the necessary permission to exhume Newman’s body from the grave at Rednal.

There has been a delay of some weeks as officials at the Ministry of Justice appeared to procrastinate, but it is expected that this permission will be granted in the near future.

At the request of the Congregation for Saints no announcement whatsoever will be made in advance of Newman’s body being moved from the cemetery to his new resting place at the Birmingham Oratory.

In his sermon at the ordinations at St Chad’s Cathedral on Saturday 12^th July 2008 Bishop William Kenney said that in the reading from the prayer of Christ as part of the farewell discourse, we can see that there are at least three themes which are relevant to the priesthood. (Bp Kenney pictured with Fr Robert Devaney (L) and Fr Bernard Garratt (R))

Firstly, Jesus is speaking to God on behalf of the faith community. Jesus, as he goes towards his death, is not giving final instructions to the disciples about how to live in his absence, but commits the future of the community to God in prayer. The community’s life is in God’s care and this is the only thing that matters. The Church ultimately does not rest on our own work but on God’s providence. Listening to the prayer of Christ we hear, and possibly understand, the love which God has for the Church and for each of its members. This is what priesthood is about: not what I do, but on what God wishes to do through me.

Secondly, we see the intimacy of Jesus’ relationship with the Father. This has been the theme of John’s Gospel and we see it most clearly in this final prayer. Jesus is bold enough to remind the Father of the promises he has made and, therefore, asks for this protection and relies on the fulfillment of the prayers. Jesus is moving towards his death and what he does is not to try and avoid it but to commit his own future into the hands of God, as every priest must do. The priest in particular must bear witness to this intimacy which he must already know through his own life of prayer.

Thirdly, we are given a glimpse of the goal, what it is we are heading towards. The prayer in John chapter 17 points us towards a future where everything we do is in the hands of God, where we have learnt to trust and love completely, and we see that intimacy with God is what heaven means.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols to highlight Year of St Paul at World Youth Day as Bible Society launches resources for Catholic Church.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, a Vice President of Bible Society, will highlight the importance of the Year of St Paul during his catechesis for young pilgrims participating in  World Youth Day (WYD08), in Australia, writes Peter Jennings.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols has been awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Letters) by the University of Leicester, as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, writes Peter Jennings.

Ordination to the Priesthood of Andrew McCann

Sunday 6 July, 2008
St Augustine of England, Solihull, West Midlands

Archbishop Vincent Nichols ordained Fr Andrew McCann to the Sacred Priesthood, at St Augustine of England parish in Solihull, West Midlands, on Sunday, 6 July, writes Peter Jennings.

Fr McCann, aged 37 has been appointed to serve as Assistant Priest at St Augustine, where he has been working as a Deacon for the past ten months.

At the start of Mass, Archbishop Nichols congratulated the Parish Priest, Fr Dominic Kavanagh, who has just celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his Ordination, and Canon Sean McTernan, also at St Augustine, who this year reaches 58 years of active ministry.

In his thought-provoking homily the Archbishop of Birmingham spoke of the priest as a "minister of life". He said: "On this 'Day for Life', kept by the Catholic Church in England and Wales, we remember that only in Christ do we find life in its fullness. It is the task of the priest to nurture this life, which blossoms into eternal life."

Archbishop Nichols emphasised: "The life of the priest is one of service, in the Church, of this eternal life. This is the fruit we are commissioned to bear, and it is, in Jesus' words, 'fruit that will last'." (John 15).

After his ordination, Fr McCann concelebrated Mass with Archbishop Nichols and more than 40 of his brother priests. His parents, brother and sister, relations and friends, were in the congregation for the memorable two-hour ceremony.

Members of Fr McCann's home parish, Holy Family in Small Heath, Birmingham, were also present to support and pray for him on his Ordination Day.

Ordination to the Priesthood of Paul Smith
Saturday 5 July, 2008
St Ambrose Barlow, Hall Green, Birmingham

Fr Paul Smith was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese on Saturday 5 July at the Parish of St Ambrose Barlow in Hall Green.

The packed church enjoyed a beautiful and moving ceremony attended by Paul's mother and his family and friends. In his homily Archbishop Vincent Nichols spoke of the calling of the priest to remain always close to Christ. Quoting from the Gospel of St |John, the Archbishop highlighted the call of Christ to us to be his friends. 'You are my friends if you do what I command.' (John 15.14), and these commandments are to 'remain in my love' and to  'love one another'. In the life of the priest, 'remaining in my love' means being faithful in prayer, to the promise of celibacy and in maintaining willing obedience to the bishop. In the life of the priest, 'loving one another' means serving the people in preaching the Gospel well and diligently, in making the sacraments available, especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation and being a regular and prayerful celebrant of the Mass. Fr Paul is now appointed to serve as assistant priest in Our Lady of My Carmel Church in Redditch. (picture by Sue Conway)

"A SUMMER OF EXCEPTIONAL GRACE" SAYS ARCHBISHOP NICHOLS
There are seven ordinations to the Sacred Priesthood in the Archdiocese of Birmingham this summer, writes Peter Jennings.

In a short statement issued on Sunday 6 July, Archbishop Vincent Nichols
said: "This is a summer of exceptional grace for our Archdiocese as seven
new priests are ordained.

"They come from different backgrounds and are of different ages. This shows that the priesthood remains powerfully attractive to those who seek to know God and serve God. It is a joyful and fulfilling way of life."

The Archbishop of Birmingham added: "I hope many more men, young and of more mature years, will come forward to offer themselves to the priesthood."

The following deacons will to be ordained to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Birmingham during the next three weeks:

On 12 July, Deacon Robert Devaney will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop William Kenney, at St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham. Fr Devaney, who studied at the Beda College in Rome, will serve as Assistant Priest at St Austin's, Stafford.

Also at the same ceremony Deacon Bernard Garratt will be ordained to the
priesthood. Fr Garratt, who studied at Oscott College, will serve as Assistant Priest at the Immaculate Conception, Bicester.

On 19 July, Deacon John Peyton will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Philip Pargeter, at the Sacred Heart and All Souls parish in Acocks Green, Birmingham. Fr Peyton, who studied at the Beda College in Rome, will serve as Assistant Priest at St Patrick's Dudley Road in Birmingham and as Chaplain to the City Hospital.

Meanwhile, on 27 June, Fr Joseph Welch, a member of the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Oxford, was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop William Kenney, at St Aloysius, The Oxford Oratory.

Ordination to the Priesthood of Christopher Miller
Saturday 28 June 2008
St Wulstan’s, Wolstanton

Homily preached by Bishop David McGough (Picture by Sue Conway) 

Tomorrow the Church throughout the World begins to celebrate the year of Saint Paul. Today, the vigil of Saints Peter and Paul, we begin our celebration of these two great foundations of the Church’s mission. Paul, the Apostle to the nations and Peter, the Rock on which Jesus established his Church.

We celebrate these two great Saints not so much by what we say as by what we do. Peter and Paul are not a memory from the past - they live in the present as the Risen Lord invites us to stand with them and share their. mission.

It is for this reason that the ordination we celebrate today is a celebration for the whole Church and not simply for Christopher, his family, friends and parish. Today we celebrate the grace that was so powerfully at work in Peter and Paul continuing in the Church as Christopher accepts Christ’s call.

In a special way, of course, this is a celebration for Christopher and for this Parish. Many years of careful preparation have led to this day. You can be certain, Christopher, that the prayers that have accompanied you thus far will continue in the future, and will become a constant support to your ministry. I invite everybody here today to consciously commit themselves to pray for Christopher as he responds to Christ’s call.

The vigil readings that we have heard in the Liturgy of the Word are a wonderful encouragement to each of us today, but especially for Christopher.

The life of a priest is sometimes described as a lonely calling. The Readings that we have shared today contradict that apparent loneliness, reminding us that those the Lord calls are never alone, that their deepest identity rests in the presence of God.

This was the reassurance that gave strength to Paul’s ministry as it must give strength to the ministry that Christopher now begins. Paul spoke of himself as one specially chosen in his mother’s womb.

What we celebrate today is not the conspiracy of chance circumstances that have led to the ordination of a priest. Never doubt Christopher, that the Father has chosen you, chosen you while you were still in your mother’s womb, chosen to reveal his Son in you.

As you look back over your life you will be aware of a kaleidoscope of changing circumstances. There will have been triumphs and disappointments. Christopher, never doubt that in all of this there has been the guiding, sustaining presence of the Lord. Let that be your strength and hope for the future.

Any priest will tell you that while the day of ordination is a day of great joy, it is also, to a certain extent, a day of great intimidation. How can we possibly live out the commitment that we make today? We know what we are, and it would be strange if we did not feel inadequate to the task.


The Account of the healing of the cripple at the Temple speaks to the insecurity that we all feel. We hear in Acts that the cripple looked to Peter and the Apostles expecting to receive something from them.

As a priest, Christopher, many will look to you with the same expectation. They will look to see Christ reflected in your life, they will look for you to share their deepest fears and joys. In matters great and small they will expect more than you can possibly offer. That will be the time to remember the words spoken by Peter to the crippled beggar.

“ I have neither silver nor gold, but I give you what I have: in the name of Jesus the Nazarene, walk!”

Let those words be the foundation of your ministry. Today Christ himself is entrusted to you for the ministry. He will be more than enough, especially when you are more than conscious of the little that you have to offer.

Today’s Gospel, Saint John’s account of the ministry entrusted to Peter, is an inspiration for every priest.

It comes at the conclusion of John’s gospel, and so it both reviews the past and looks to the future.

Jesus had carefully prepared Peter and the other disciples for their ministry. The time that he had shared with them had revealed both their strengths and their weaknesses. Peter had always been at the forefront. He had been ready to speak up, but he had, at the same time, frequently spoken without thinking. Remember the way in which he had been so ready to confess Jesus as the Christ. Moments later, thinking only of himself, he had wanted to dissuade Jesus from the coming passion. Think of the way in which he had protested that he would lay down his life for his Lord. Within hours he had denied him three times. Think of the part he played on the Mountain of transfiguration. Where was he on Mount Calvary?

The unspoken background to this final encounter between Peter and his Lord was the frailty of our humanity, the frailty that no priest can afford to ignore.
The words spoken by Jesus healed and strengthened that humanity. They showed that despite our fickle enthusiasms, only one thing really matters.

“Simon, son of John, do you love me.”

Jesus knew what Simon could and could not do. The time had come when this no longer mattered. All that they had shared would finally be resolved in one question, a question that stood alone and was repeated three times.

Do you love me?

Christopher, we wish you every joy and blessing at the beginning of your priestly ministry. We pray that it will be long and fruitful. As we stand on the threshold of your ministry I can promise you one thing with unfailing certainty.

As the years pass few will remember the wise words that you will speak. All the initiatives that you undertake, however successful, will eventually fade into the background. Even the disappointments and failures, inevitable in every ministry, will be forgotten.

One thing will be indelibly fixed in the minds of all who come to know you.

They will remember the way in which you loved them as Christ loved them.
They will remember with good reason, because it will be from this love, and this love alone, that you will feed them.

Simon, do you love me? Yes Lord, you know I love you. Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.

Christopher, nourish that love in your heart. Think of God’s love as his presence within you, ready to reach out to length and the breadth, the height and the depth. Its only limit is the fullness of God himself.

Truly believe that this love of Christ, at work within you, can achieve infinitely more than you could ask or even imagine.

Archbishop Nichols visited St Pauls Bookshop by St Chad’s Cathedral on Friday 27th June to receive an icon of St Paul, donated by the Bookshop.

It is hoped that the icon, hand painted by a Monk of Mount Athos, will form an important part of the diocese’s response to the Holy Father’s call for us to learn from the life and writings of St Paul throughout the Year of St Paul.

A number of new publications will be made available from St Pauls throughout the Pauline Year, the first of which, The Greatest of these is Love - a book of daily meditations with St Paul, written by Bishop Michael Campbell Coadjutor Bishop of Lancaster, was published on 28th June.

Ordination to the Priesthood of Cecil  Rogerson
Saturday 7 June 2008
Our Lady and All Saints, Stourbridge

Homily preached by Bishop David McGough,