What are you called to be?

Today is vocations Sunday.  The theme for this year is Vocations, the Gift of the Love of God.  

In his pastoral letter Pope Benedict XVI writes: Dear brothers and sisters, we need to open our lives to this love. It is to the perfection of the Father’s love (cf. Mt 5:48) that Jesus Christ calls us every day! The high standard of the Christian life consists in loving “as” God loves; with a love that is shown in the total, faithful and fruitful gift of self. ... It is in this soil of self-offering and openness to the love of God, and as the fruit of that love, that all vocations are born and grow. 

Yesterday we celebrated Sr Maureen's vocation to religious life.  Today we remember especially remember vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  For further details if you are searching to find out what your vocation is, or know someone who is seeking to find out what God is calling them to do then please see the Diocesan website for details of how to contact Fr Andrew Allman, the Diocesan Vocations director and posts about the joy of priesthood, why be a priest, and release of a new film 'The calling'.  

Image from Lancaster Vocations website

And finally, a prayer for vocations from the Diocesan website:

Lord Jesus Christ, as You once called the first disciples
to leave their nets and follow You,
let Your call to the priesthood continue to resound in the Church today.


Raise up for Your Church holy and zealous priests to nourish and care for Your people.
Grant us good shepherds after Your own heart to guide and unite Your flock.
Open the hearts of those You are calling;
give them courage and generosity to respond to Your voice.


May we all bear witness to Your truth and love so that the world may come to know You 
as Lord and Saviour, You who live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

A joyful celebration

Over a 100 people gathered to celebrate the golden jubilee of Sr Maureen.  The congregation included: members of her family, past teachers and pupils, other Urusline sisters including Sr Gwen who spent some time at St Thomas More and Sr Anne, both of whom celebrated their own golden jubilees.  Parishioners and friends from St Thomas More and the Cathedral.

Sr Anne and Sr Gwen

Many people had been busy preparing for the day - food, the room as well as getting the Church ready and rehearsing the music. On the day, visitors were welcomed by some young parishioners, who later helped with the music and the Offertory procession.  The music group used their gifts and talents to lead us in singing hymns chosen by Sr Maureen.

Twig family welcoming
to St Thomas More

Music Group

Mass was concelebrated (a mass said by more than one priest) by Canon Stephen Shields, Fr Hugh Pollock and Canon Luiz Roscillo.After Mass, Sr Anne gave a tribute and shared memories from when Sr Maureen was training to become a nun and listed some of the many things she has done during the past 50 years.

  

One of the many cakes for shared lunch!

 There followed a shared meal - with so many people present some people moved outside to have their lunch in the St Thomas More Peace Garden.  

Kath Law and her sister Leah sharing lunch in the Peace Garden

More photos and memories of the day and the past 50 years in the coming weeks.

Sr Maureen Coyne's Golden Jubilee

Let us always have love burning in our hearts (St Angela Merici)

There was a real sense of love and great joy today as the Ursulines celebrated with Sr Maureen her fifty years as a nun. Sr Maureen renewed her vows:

I stand before you with my heart full of thanksgiving for all I have received from you during the last 50 years as an Ursuline.  I am truly grateful also for all the love and support of for my family, my sisters, my friends and my priests, I now joyfully renew my vows chastity, poverty and obedience which I made  50 years ago on the day of my religious profession as a daughter Angela in the Roman union of the order of St Ursula. Relying on your faithfulness and abiding love for my own fidelity I desire to live as Urusula teachers and I ask for  the help of Mary our Mother, and all the saints and the prayers of everyone here today Amen

In his homily Canon Stephen spoke of the gift we are all given by God that of time - 86,400 seconds each day.  The marvellous thing is that we all get this gift every day.  We are free to choose how we use it.  Both the Canon and Sr Anne (an Ursuline who recently celebrated her own Golden Jubilee) and who spoke after Mass, recalled lots of examples of how Sr Maureen has used her time wisely sharing God's love and responding to her calling as an Ursuline nun. 
The response to the psalm today was How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?  Canon Stephen suggested Sr Maureen should continue as she has for the last 50 years, or should that be 1,577,836,800 seconds?


It is clear Sr Maureen has done her best to live out St Angela's call to:

Live and Serve together in Union with Christ in the Midst of the World

What does 86,400 seconds look like?  Click here for a clock that has a dot for each second ...  The challenge for us all is how we will spend our gift of time.   

The Ursulines celebrate: 50 glorious years

This week we celebrate, along with the Ursulines, Sr Maureen’s Golden Jubilee; fifty years of living a professed religious life – a truly worthy thing to celebrate! A Religious Life is one that requires a public commitment to Jesus Christ, as well as a complete offering of self to Him in the service of His people. The Ursulines strive to share in all things together. This shared life is built on, and strengthened by, the vows they take at their solemn profession.

• In Poverty they share their worldly goods; 

• in Chastity they share affection, friendship and mutual support; 

• in Obedience they work together bringing Christ to the world. 

Through community life the sisters share a sense of belonging and the work they undertake is strengthened as they stand together in a spirit of service. 
The core of the religious life is prayer, public and private, and from this life of prayer springs the strength that enables them to make their communities places of hospitality, where friends and family feel at home, and where people who drop in feel at ease. 


All this we see and know from our Ursulines; we give thanks to God for their presence among us. We rejoice with the sisters and Sr Maureen herself, and give thanks to God for her fifty years of religious life; years which have brought many blessings on her, her community and the numerous people whose lives she has touched, and has yet to touch.

Sr Maureen, Sr Jane and Sr Zela: Ursuline Sisters

We ask God to bless Sr Maureen in this special year and to bless the Ursuline sisters as they continue to give witness to, and to preach the Good News of the healing and forgiveness given to us by Jesus Christ.


Celebration Mass at St Thomas More's Saturday 27th April, at 10.30.  Shared lunch to follow, everyone welcome.

Jesus invited us all to 'come and see'

From the beginning of His public life, Jesus invited all people to ‘come and see’ and so join Him in witnessing and preaching the Good News of healing and forgiveness. Through the sacrament of baptism, this call has continued throughout the ages and is still being answered today. The New Testament also shows us how some people responded to Jesus' call by coming together for prayer and service as the focus of their lives. Several scriptural passages offer us fine examples of people called to a deeper relationship with God and to follow in the footsteps of Christ. 


As the centuries passed, certain ways of life emerged from the experiences of men and women who lived in communities which emphasised the values of devoted prayer, loving service, and simple living. Today, religious men and women continue to commit themselves to these same values, making community living central to their life of consecration as religious priests, brothers and sisters. We are blessed to have two such communities of religious sisters in Lancaster: the Sisters of Nazareth (Nazareth House) and our own Ursuline sisters. 

The peaceful beauty of Lancaster Cathedral

Received with thanks, from a parishioner a video entitled ‘The peaceful beauty of Lancaster Cathedral’ this reminds us of Jesus’ first greetings to the disciples after the resurrection ‘Peace be with you’  

And so whilst we are still in the Easter octave – the eight days when we continue to celebrate Easter – this is something of a treat.

It would be great to have other contributions from parishioners who may wish to share images of video of their favourite places within the Cathedral.  If you have an idea then please get in touch using the contact form.

Welcome ...

At the Easter vigil, last Saturday evening, Vanessa Harwarden was received into the church.  

Vanessa Harwarden and Bishop Michael Campbell OSA

Following the blessing of the water in the baptismal font and when we had all renewed our baptismal vows, Vanessa came forward with her sponsor to make her profession of faith.

I believe and profess all that the Holy Catholic Church believes and teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.

She was then confirmed with the oil of chrism that Bishop Michael had blessed only days before at the Chrism mass.

Queen of Heaven: Regina Caeli

During the Easter season we sing or say Queen of Heaven (Regina Caeli) instead of saying the Angelus.   

The English text: Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia! For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia! Has risen, as He said, alleluia! Pray for us to God, alleluia!

The Latin text: Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia! Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia! Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia! Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!
R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia!
Let us pray. 
O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech You, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Easter - Making up for the missing Alleluias

Although it may sound strange - today, and tomorrow and the next day, in fact until next Sunday we can still say Happy Easter.  This is because for the octave (eight days) of Easter we celebrate as if each day is Easter Sunday.  


Having not said Alleluia throughout Lent we make up for it by saying it during Easter.  The following video for children explains more about Easter Alleluias and introduces children to a traditional prayer to Mary, the Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven).  
More details about the Regina Caeli tomorrow.




Remember during the Easter Octave


5:00pm  Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

5:30pm Sung Vespers (evening prayer) and Benediction 

He is risen, Alleluia

A happy and holy Easter.

Close up of Paschal Candle 2012

Deacon Jim entered a darkened cathedral singing Lumen Christi (Christ our Light) to which we replied Deus Gratias (Thanks be to God).  After this the Paschal candle was incensed and we listened to the new translation of the Exultet.  For those unable to listen to this ancient hymn of praise you may want to listen to the version below.

If anyone has a better image please use contact page to let us know.

Washing of the feet

In John's gospel the reading focuses on our call to service.  

He got up from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. ...

When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table.  'Do you understand' he said 'what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am.  If I, then, the Lord and Master have washed your feet, you should each wash each others feet.  I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.  (John 13: 1-15)

During the Mass of the Lord's supper after the gospel and homily, our own Bishop Michael washed the feet of the confirmandi (young people preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation) and other members of the parish. 

Bishop Michael washing parishioners feet during mass of the Lord's Supper at Lancaster Cathedral  2012

Below you can see the Bishop wearing a dalmatic which is a vestment he wears under his chausible.  Deacons wear dalmatics which match the vestments of the priest and Bishop's chausible.  When it is laid out, the dalmatic has a cross (cruciform) shape, which reminds us of the cross on which Jesus died.  

Bishop Michael supported by Deacon Jim 

For a reminder and further information about the vestments worn by the Bishop and the Deacon which were first used at his ordination click here. 

A call to service

Tonight at the Mass of the Lord's Supper we will listen to John's Gospel when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.  It is a reminder to us all that we are called to service. our confirmation young people and other members of the parish will have the honour of having their feet washed by the Bishop. 


At the Chrism mass there are so many people involved in sharing their gifts and talents and responding to that call to service ... how many different services can you think of?
altar servers, choir, deacons, hospitality, cleaners, leaflet folders, organisers behind the scenes, priests, readers, people preparing vestments, serving in the shop, sorting chairs, and welcomers ... 


This morning at the Chrism Mass the Knights of St Columba welcomed the congregation.  When asked what they do as Knights of St Columba, they explained that they are called to serve in whatever way they can, and today that invovled welcoming .

Knights of St Columba, Chrism Mass 2012

whilst people had refreshments, tidied the cathedral, collected their oil, started getting ready for tonight's mass and the Triduum, Canon Luiz Ruscillo was given a certificate and made an Honorary member of the Knights of St Columba. 

For more information about the Knights of St Columba click here 

Chrism Mass

This morning we celebrated the Chrism Mass, when priests and people of the diocese gathered together in the Cathedral, the mother church of the diocese.  During this mass the priests renewed their vows and the Bishop blessed the oils of the sick, catechumens and of Chrism.  

Holy Oils: Picture from member of the diocese attending the Chrism Mass

During his homily the Bishop spoke about a priest who had helped people on the Titanic by hearing their confession, praying the rosary and offering calming words to the frightened people. Fr Thomas Byles went to school in Rossall school in Fleetwood, hence the Lancaster Diocese connection.  


After mass priests come and collect some of the oils blessed by the Bishop which they will use throughout the year when anointing the sick, or at baptism and confirmation.  There is a unity in all parishes using oil blessed by the Bishop at the Chrism mass.

Priests collecting their oils after 2010 Chrism Mass

An invitation to the Triduum and Holy Week in 2 minutes

Our confirmation young people have designed leaflets to invite all to the celebration of the Easter Triduum on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil.

Collection of adverts created by confirmation young people inviting you to the Triduum

And if you want to know more about Holy week and the Triduum then try this 2 minute video, which we hope will encourage you to come and celebrate and journey with Christ towards Easter.