Catholic News Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales

As the Church enters the season of Advent, on the first Sunday, 3 December, we also celebrate the International Day of Disabled Persons. It's an occasion that reminds us, should we need reminding, that the Church needs to be a place of belonging for people with disabilities.



For this Catholic News podcast we're joined by Cristina Gangemi from the Kairos Forum, her friend Sean, a man who has never let disability get between his love of God and desire to serve the Church, and also Tracy, a lady who helps Sean and kindly assists at those times when Sean's words are hard to understand during this podcast.



Please do use the transcript too in order to follow the conversation more closely.



We discuss: The International Day of Disabled Persons and why it's important, valuability not vulnerability, the four Ps to help us value people with disabilities, and finish with a good focus for prayer this Advent.



Transcript





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Bishop Peter Brignall, the Bishop of Wrexham, has warmly welcomed the news that the Shrine of St Winefride in Holywell, north Wales, has been elevated to the status of a National Shrine for England and Wales.



The shrine, on Bishop Peter's patch, has an unbroken 1,400-year tradition of pilgrimage and is part of the national heritage of Wales.



The Bishops, at their Autumn 2023 Plenary meeting, approved its elevation giving it national status, and the move will likely bring more people to this remarkable place of pilgrimage, prayer, consolation, and hope.



"Everyone is more than welcome, whether they are of faith or not, to come and discover a bit of our country's tradition and heritage, and that they come with open hearts to that commitment to God that they may not have within their own lives, but are able to recognise in the lives of others and be prepared to be touched by that."



Listen to our podcast to learn more about the story of St Winefride and this remarkable shrine in north Wales.



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Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales speaks about the Bishops' Autumn Plenary meeting held at Hinsley Hall in Leeds from 13-16 November 2023.



He talks, in particular, about the resolutions from the meeting and is joined by Father Jan Nowotnik to discuss the longer resolution on the Synod that looks at "Steps Towards Renewal".



On this podcast we address: Environmental concerns, the elevation of the Shrine of St Winefride, Holywell to the status of National Shrine for England and Wales. We also talk about the National Eucharistic Congress that will be held at Oscott College in September 2024, and the conflict in Gaza.



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Dominican friar Fr Samuel Burke OP is a chaplain in the Royal Navy currently serving on HMS Duncan in the Mediterranean. He gave a poignant reflection on remembrance and honouring our war dead on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day.



It was broadcast on 11 November, Armistice Day, known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth.



"If, during the two minutes of silence, the enormous shadow of grief and the haunting prospect of future loss can't provoke each of us to rededicate ourselves to peace then, frankly, nothing will.



"Whatever else you choose to think about during the still moments later today and tomorrow, be sure to make good that solemn promise that we renew each year. We will remember them. They were not so different to us.



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November is a very important month in the Catholic calendar. It's the month when we pause on many occasions to remember our friends and loved ones who have died - the Holy Souls. We also remember those killed in the world's conflicts, especially on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.



For this podcast, produced in partnership with the Centre for the Art of Dying Well, we head over to South Kensington in central London to speak to Father George Bowen, a priest of the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri.



The community has a most beautiful church. Built between 1880 and 1884, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary - the London Oratory - is sometimes incorrectly called the 'Brompton Oratory' and is the second-largest Catholic church in London, with a nave exceeding in width that of St Paul's Cathedral. The architectural style and the atmosphere of the church were deliberately Italianate, in order to bring St Philip's romanità to nineteenth century London.



So why are we here? Well, partly for the person and partly for this stunning place of worship. Fr George Bowen has vast experience as a hospital chaplain and has accompanied many people on their way to the Lord - Catholics and non-Catholics. As a priest and Oratorian, his stock-and-trade extends beyond what happens in the here and now - beyond this world to the eternal kingdom.



"St Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, talks about our experience in life as if we're living in a tent," says Fr George. "We're living in a temporary place and we need to fold up that tent because there's going to be a house built for us in heaven. And in a way, when we walk into a church like this, what it reminds us of is the house which is prepared for us in the next world. It's meant to do that, really. It's meant to put this world into a different perspective."



This podcast is a walk-and-talk tour of the London Oratory's memorials, statues, confessionals, altars, beautiful works of art, and prayerful side chapels - all gateways to a life beyond this world. Prayerful places where we can focus our minds on the Holy Souls and pray for those who have gone before us.



Images



Although we do our best to paint word pictures in your minds, we have an album of images on Flickr that accompany this podcast.



Click here to look through the photos as you listen.



The Centre for the Art of Dying Well



The Centre for the Art of Dying Well is based at St Mary's University. It's founding aim is to rethink the art of accompaniment at the end of life. It focuses on public engagement, policy, and research on the subjects of death, dying and bereavement.



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Director of Policy and Research here at the Bishops' Conference, Philip Booth, joins us to talk about our latest cost-of-living statement.



Philip is an economist who is also Professor of Finance, Public Policy and Ethics at St Mary's University, Twickenham, as well the university's Director of Catholic Mission.



The Bishops' Conference statement, released by the Department for Social Justice ahead of the Government's Autumn Statement, recognises that the cost-of-living crisis is multi-faceted and requires actions at a range of levels, including Government, civil society and the Church.



It makes a number of specific requests of the Government including the call that the taxation system should treat justly those with family and other caring responsibilities. Other requests relate to the provision and cost of housing, welfare benefits, the removal of the two-child cap on universal credit payments, and the transition to greener energy. You can read the full statement here.



Philip also discusses the preferential option for the poor that lies at the heart of Catholic life, what our network of Catholic charities are doing to alleviate poverty, the role of our parishes and schools, and how we can all we can all play a part - no matter our personal circumstances.



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