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Thank you to all Members who joined us this year on Zoom! It was wonderful to see you all.
As always, please do be in touch on cahospsec@gmail.com with any thoughts or questions.
The minutes can be found by clicking the button below:
The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated on the 11th of February. This is day is also known as the World Day of the Sick. Saint John Paul II inaugurated this day, and since 1993 each year this day is set aside in a special way as a day of prayer for the sick and the suffering, and our ministry and service in caring for them through our medical profession and loving service.
This year for the 29th World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis has taken the theme, “You have but one teacher and you are all brothers” (Mt.23:8) – calling for “a trust-based relationship in our care for the sick”.
The Pope reminds us that “sickness always has more than one face: it has the face of all the sick, but also those who feel ignored, excluded and prey to social injustices that deny their fundamental rights” (cf. Fratelli Tutti, 22). In this great list we also acknowledge those who suffer silently, not having anyone to share their pain. Illness, whatever form it takes reminds us of our human vulnerability and it is in this place of our utter vulnerability God meets us with the invitation to “come to him”.
Pope Francis says that “A society is all the more human to the degree that it cares effectively for its frail and suffering members, in a spirit of fraternal love”, and invites “to empathise with those who suffer”. He urges us to strive to achieve this goal.
It is almost a year since, as a nation, we experienced the first lockdown due to the present Coronavirus pandemic, and almost a year worldwide. During this year our medical professionals, family members and many other – both young and old – have ministered faithfully and lovingly for the sick, the vulnerable and the forgotten, and continue to do so making many sacrifices. We recognised and acknowledged their unselfish loving service when as a nation we gathered to “clap for them” at 8.00pm each evening during the first lockdown. We continue to remember those who serve and minister to the sick and the vulnerable and we salute them, and pray for God’s blessings and strength so that all of us will be able to continue to serve each other with love and care in Jesus.
The Pope refers to the Biblical figure of Job in his message for this year. Job laments the harshness of life he has to endure. Like Job, for our sick and the suffering their lives may seem an unbearable burden laid upon them. We pray that through our loving care and service we may be able to support them and comfort them, helping them to know the healing hands of the good Lord are upon them. Like Job we turn to God in trust knowing fully well that God is with us in all our sufferings. We turn to our teacher, the Lord himself, so that we can learn from him, just as he served without any boundaries, how to serve one another. We pray that our love be genuine, our service sincere and our faith in God strong in spite of our weakness.
Our Lady of Lourdes – Pray for us.
St. Bernadette – Pray for us.
Bishop Paul Hendricks
Chairman, The Catholic Association
Canon Edward Perera
Director, Southwark Lourdes Pilgrimage
We look forward to gathering for a Mass and Rosary this evening, to mark the 163rd anniversary of the first apparition to Bernadette in Lourdes, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of Prayer for the Sick.
How to join!
(1) 7pm, Livestream Mass from the Diocese of Clifton Homepage
Follow this link to watch the Mass: https://cliftondiocese.com/
(2) 7:45pm, the Rosary on Zoom
After Mass, click the link to join the Zoom call for the Rosary: https://zoom.us/j/95469482981?pwd=QUpjcGVSbjlPUSs0dzQ0eEtFcWJHQT09
Zoom Meeting ID: 954 6948 2981
Zoom Passcode: 458890
(Given that the evening is in two parts, it might be worth having your Zoom
set up and ready to go before joining Mass!)
And lastly, if you would like to watch the Mass and Rosary Live Streamed
- and not be on the Zoom call - that is also possible via https://www.facebook.com/CAPilgrimage/live
If you have any questions about technicalities, timings or anything else at all
please email contact@catholicassociation.co.uk
or call Flora on 07427605868 who will be on hand to help.
Please join us to mark
on Thursday 11th February
7pm Mass: Led by Fr. Liam Slattery at St Peter’s Church Gloucester
(Live Stream via https://cliftondiocese.com/ )
7:45pm Rosary: Led by Fr. Nicholas King SJ via Zoom
(a link will be posted here on the CA website)
It is with regret that we announce that there will be no formal and medically supported Catholic Association pilgrimage to Lourdes this year. The full pilgrimage to Lourdes scheduled for 21-27 August 2021 is therefore cancelled. However, we will be announcing a schedule for special virtual events throughout 2021 and the virtual pilgrimage programme very soon.
The Catholic Association Board of Trustees have taken this decision to cancel the pilgrimage in light of the on-going effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although there is encouraging progress with the vaccinations taking place in the UK, the Trustees consider that it may not be wise for us to take any assisted pilgrims (i.e. those with medical, nursing or care needs) to Lourdes in August. The Trustees were also mindful that many of our volunteer helpers may not be able to join the pilgrimage this year and, in particular, our medical and nursing volunteer helpers, who lead the care of our Assisted Pilgrims.
We understand how disappointing this decision will be for many of our past pilgrims, especially our Assisted Pilgrims who are at the heart of everything we do and are the reason the Catholic Association exists. We hope that we will all be together in person again in Lourdes in 2022. In the meantime, we are busy planning some special moments for 2021 that will enable us to stay in touch as the Catholic Association family and to still celebrate in the miracle of Lourdes. We look forward to welcoming you all to the virtual pilgrimage once again and to our events programme throughout the year. We shall be writing soon with more details of how to join us.
We recognise that some of you may still plan to visit Lourdes in August for personal reflection and spiritual healing during this very challenging time, or as proxies for those unable to travel themselves. Tangney Tours, our long-standing tour operator, intend to run a pilgrimage at the end of August 2021 which may be of interest to you and on which the Catholic Association plans to be represented. Please note that there would be no medical, nursing or care assistance on this pilgrimage. If you would like to find out more, please visit Tangney Tours' website at www.tangney-tours.com or phone them on 01732 886666, or keep an eye on our website.
The CA trustees have again reviewed the possibility of any form of CA pilgrimage to Lourdes in August 2020. They had already concluded, as previously publicised, that it would be neither appropriate nor safe, given the Covid-19 pandemic, to attempt to organise medical and care support for assisted pilgrims.
It has now become clear that restrictions on flight availability mean that a week’s pilgrimage for the CA group as a whole in August would be impossible.
The CA trustees have therefore reached the regrettable conclusion to cancel this year's pilgrimage to Lourdes entirely and there will be NO CA PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES in 2020.
Instead, the CA, in partnership with the Stonyhurst Group, will be organising a Virtual Pilgrimage on 21st to 28th August 2020 to help bring the spirit of Lourdes directly to you (for more details, please see here).
For those still interested in travelling to Lourdes this August, Tangney Tours are organising a five-night pilgrimage (more details available here).
We very much hope you will join the Virtual Pilgrimage, and that we will all be back in Lourdes together in 2021.
