Catholic Church of Mary Immaculate and St Gregory the Great

The New Atheism

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:19:12 +0000

by Fr Jeremy

It seems that atheists are having a rethink about religion. Until recently, the prevailing attitude (of their spokespersons, at least), has been to dismiss all religion as complete nonsense, as a bunch of endearing fairy story tellers and dangerous fanatics. But it would seem there is a quiet thoughtful revolution going on in their collective minds. No, sadly, they have not come to realise we are right after all - they still think we believe in fairy stories - but there is a growing appreciation of how we live our faith and hand it on to the next generation.

In a recent talk, the writer of essayist Alain de Botton described how we religious people use education in a didactic way to tell people how to live moral sober lives, that sermons reinforce this message over and over throughout our lives, that our use of a calendar of feast days and other saints’ days help underline various aspects of our faith and give it a sense of structure. He even praises our religious institutions, recognising the huge benefits of living as a community of faith under strong leadership.

By contrast, he says, the atheist lives in the mind, is largely isolated, working and thinking alone, and is expected to learn about the rich complexities of life in a random and fleeting way. He argues that if the atheist is to get the best out of life, he or she should learn from the way religions work. He told his audience that religions and religious practice are not to be dismissed and abandoned to the religious alone, “they are for all of us.”

This was great stuff, and I encourage you to see his talk (click on the video below). But what I found interesting was the assumptions he made about modern Catholic faith and practice here in the UK. Many Catholics shy away from the didactic form of living out and handing on our religion. How many times have you heard a parent say, “I’ll leave my children to decide what religion to follow when they grow up” or thought to yourself, “The Church teaches this, but I’ll believe in that instead.” Our Catholic education system has, since the 70’s, been far more “touchy feel-y” than didactic, trusting that the Holy Spirit will teach the children rather than the teachers. Hence, you may be reading this piece aware of how little you know about your religion thanks to the education you received. It has meant there have been too many assumptions made about what the Church teaches and what we as Catholics are expected to believe. Thankfully, this attitude is slowly losing ground as we realise the huge gaps in knowledge and understanding among our Catholic population. Parents, for example, are expected to come to catechism classes to encourage growth in their faith so that, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, they will want to teach their own children. After all, faith is first and foremost taught in the home.

I really hope the bishops decide to change the dates of Epiphany and Ascension back to their rightful place in the liturgical calendar and not celebrate them on the nearest Sunday. It seems strange to me that while we slowly give up our age old practices to bend to a modern liberal agenda, the non-believing community is increasingly looking to us for insights into how to live happier and more fulfilled lives.

Today, we welcome Christians from our sister churches to our collective Unity service here at 15.00. We celebrate what unites us, which far outweighs what divides us, and we do so in a world that increasingly looks to us for answers to the deep questions about life. It strikes me we should hold on to our age old traditions of teaching, sermons and liturgical ritual. Even atheists see their benefit and who knows, they may even discover the real motive behind our desire to teach and live our religion - it’s truly life giving!

Website updates

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:04:40 +0000

The Green page now includes the regular bulletin from the Diocese of Westminster’s Justice and Peace Commission. Dates of events are advertised on the January/February edition. Click on Green Page above.

The Pastoral Council minutes of the November meeting are now published in the Pastoral Council page above. There was no meeting in December due to illness.

The Photos 2012 page has now opened (the photo pages for previous years are on the Archives page). Please send in your photos to add to the site of parish events. Email the parish office: barnetrc@me.com

Keep up to date with events at St Catherine’s School by reading their weekly newsletter.

Education in our time

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:37:56 +0000

by Fr Jeremy

Today is the World Day of Prayer for Peace and Pope Benedict is asking parishes to reflect of ‘Educating young people in justice and peace’. Education is rarely out of the news. Politicians see it as their right to tamper with the system of education at will to achieve measurable outcomes that will boost the country’s economy. Yet education is far more than tool to make people economically productive. In fact, if that is our sole understanding of education then something is seriously amiss. The word education comes from the Latin educare, meaning ‘to draw out’. Education is about drawing out what is already there. Education, therefore, addresses the whole person, developing them physically, intellectually, emotionally, morally and spiritually. If you only concentrate on the intellectual, downplaying the phyisical, moral and spiritual dimensions, then not only is that person stunted in their development, but the whole of our society suffers. It could be said the riots of last summer are evidence of this.

The raising of hearts and minds in our young takes place in our homes first and foremost, with the parish and school assisting and developing those skills. For the most part, our Catholic schools are beacons of excellence in showing how best to educate our children, but they are not alone. There is a growing desire among teachers in all faith traditions and none that are pushing for a more holistic approach to education. One event that strikes a particular chord in schools is Holocaust Memorial Day, this year commemorated on 27 January. Children across the country are encouraged to reflect on the horrors of war and racial hatred in the context of the atrocious acts carried out in the last century. We need to encourage more of this kind of reflection to stir in our young a deeper desire for personal growth in holiness and to strive for peace and justice in our society and wider world. Pax Christi (an International Catholic peace movement) is committed to this task.

As part of the Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations this year, I will be screening the BBC concert performed in Auschwitz in 2004 on Sunday 29 January at 19.45 in the Meeting Room. A sequence of carefully chosen music, all connected in some way with the Holocaust, was interwoven with the powerful accounts of three survivors from the men's and women's orchestras. The film includes music from the Jewish liturgy as well as works by Chopin, Górecki, Messiaen, Viktor Ullmann and Bach. It is well worth seeing. Please come along.

Check out the latest St Catherine’s newsletter. Click on the page above

Spiritual Formation Course Taster Sessions

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 16:47:01 +0000

A nine day course in spiritual formation following the movements of the Spirit in company with Henri Nouwen

Venue: Parish Meeting Room

Dates: Monday 30 January – Friday 3 February inc. & Monday 6 February – Thursday 9 February inc.

Times: Either 10.45 - 12.15 or 19.30 - 21.00 each session. Participants choose either the morning or evening slots.
(If necessary they can change the occasional slot by prior arrangement with the organisers)

Cost: £5.00 for whole course. Participants may also wish to buy the book that accompanies the course, ‘Spiritual Formation’ by Henri Nouwen, price £12.99 (you can order this book through the parish)

To Book: Call the presbytery, 020 8449 3338 or email barnetrc@me.com

TASTER SESSIONS: Thursday 12th January 10.45 and Friday 13th January 19.30. Come along and find out more. No commitment.

Preview Of 2012

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 16:43:10 +0000

by Fr Jeremy

Last week, I wrote a review of 2011 (click HERE), and here I write a few thoughts on 2012.

National events are God-given opportunities to share our faith with others and there are two major events coming up this year, the Queen’s diamond jubilee and the olympic games. Yes, I know there’s also Euro 2012, but football is so partizan I have to leave it to one side. But for the other two, I want us to take the opportunity to celebrate these events in some way. Every parish is being encouraged to take part in the ‘100 days of peace’ surrounding the olympic games and I shall be looking for ways in which we can do this in discussion with the Pastoral Council. You can read all about it at www.peacelegacy.org.uk. Your ideas would be most welcome. The diamond jubilee will be celebrated ecumenically with a special service planned for Saturday 2 June. Details to follow. We will also mark the jubilee in the parish with a celebration on Sunday 3 June. Again, details to follow.

Sharing our faith with others was highlighted in my review of 2011. I am very excited by the development of parish areas or ‘zones’. The Pastoral Council is looking at how we can be more effective in using these zones to strengthen our sense of community.

There are many Catholics on our data base who have ceased being part of our faith community. I often find myself reflecting on why this is so. After all, our faith is amazingly life-giving. What is it we’re not doing that discourages so many from staying with us? One way of finding out is doing a major survey of the parish, asking you about your faith and practice and seeing what you feel about the parish. The Pastoral Council are putting together a questionnaire which will be distributed sometime during the year. I hope everyone in the parish will take part in this as a valuable exercise in planning for the future.

The Pastoral Council will also be issuing an Environment policy this year which will go out to all parish groups for feedback in line with the Inclusion Policy which is also being updated. They are also looking to develop our welcome ministry at Mass and general leadership skills, again building on the work of previous councils.

Adult faith formation is another key area the Council is focussed on. I have put together a 9 day course of intense spiritual formation beginning on 30 January entitled ‘From Darkness to Light’. Working in collaboration with Kate Brown and Julie Loh, I have based this course on a book focussed on the writings of the great spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen. For anyone interested in the spiritual life, this course is a must. Each session lasts only an hour and a half, but it’s a journey over nine consecutive days (excluding the weekend) that will give you the basic tools for bringing spiritual reflection and meditation into your daily life. Read the details of this course opposite and sign up today. If you want to find out more, come to one of our taster sessions.

Preparations are getting underway for another production of the Mystery Plays, to be performed in the autumn. We last put these on in 2006 and since then I’ve been looking for an opportunity to do them again. The opportunity came up a couple of months ago in discussion with local ministers of our sister churches who were keen on some kind of unifying ecumenical project. So our production will have an ecumenical dimension with the proposal that it is performed in different churches. So if you’re a budding actor, singer, musician, costume maker, set designer, lighting designer or like working ‘front of house’, get in touch.

The future of our youth ministry is looking very bright under the guidance of Mary Boland and her team. ‘Plugged In’ begins again next week in preparation for the Confirmation programme and the Youth SVP is growing popularity. I’m also excited by the development of our Taizé services on the third Sunday of each month. Frances is fronting these and I encourage all young adults to come along to play, sing and, of course, pray.

On the subject of youth and the future, I’m concerned for the future of retreats for our Confirmation group and all other youth groups for that matter. Now that SPEC is closing, we have no firm idea as yet what provision will be made. The diocese seems to be in transition in its youth ministry and I hope we will be given a clearer idea what support we can expect over the next few months.

The diocese seems to be very clear, however, about its main aims over the next five years - raising money for the maintaining of elderly priests and our seminary. At some point our parish will be asked to take part in a serious fund-raising drive. When this will happen is not known at present, but talking to priests in pilot parishes, it will involve parish meetings and personal visits. I can only hope it will be done with great sensitivity, given the economic crisis we face.

Finally, I’m putting some quotes together to do some decoration in the presbytery (long overdue) and church. The diocese has thwarted our attempts at doing any significant structural change to our church building for economic reasons. Therefore, the money we have been raising for our building will go towards improving the interior of the existing church, with specific focus on the floor, ceiling and sanctuary. Much of this is essential work that we had been holding off in anticipation of a major project.

So there is my general overview of 2012. There is much to do, and much to look forward to. Thank you in advance for your contribution to these parish endeavours. We may be living in difficult times economically, but the Gospel is as vibrant today as it has always been. Don’t be afraid to share it with all those in your life, family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. Above all, strive for holiness yourself. Don’t let another year go by filled with good intentions to grow in your faith that come to little. Pray every day, attend Mass every Sunday, gives thanks for everything, and never lose hope. As Oscar Wilde once said, “every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” There’s hope for us all!

God bless you and your loved ones in 2012.

Happy New Year

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:03:08 +0000

Happy New Year to all our readers of this website. Thank you for your support. Please feel free to comment on anything you see or read here. God bless.

Click on the Green Page above to see a video roundup of extreme weather events this year around the world. It gives pause for thought for all the millions of people who suffer from natural disasters. Our hearts go out to them.

Plugged In 2012

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:33:50 +0000

by Mary Boland

This is an invitation for you to join other young people on a programme of discovery as a preparation for Confirmation Programme in Year 10.

The programme is called ‘Plugged In’ and it runs for six months, meeting once a month on a Wednesday evening from 19.30 - 21.00 in the parish hall . Please note that to be accepted on the ‘Plugged In’ programme, you should be a member of our parish (i.e. attending Mass regularly in our Church)

Download and complete the application form HERE

The following are quotes from the young people's end of programme questionnaire

What have I enjoyed most about the course?
"Meeting up with a group of Catholics my age who understand, respect and share my beliefs"
"Participating in group conversations and going bowling"
"Meeting new people and becoming aware of the Catholic community"
"EVERYTHING!"

Do I see God differently now?
"Yes, I use to think that he was strict"
"I feel I connect better with him now"
"I'm not afraid to go to confession because God loves me unconditionally"

Were there moments that you experienced God?
"At the end of each session while we were in a big circle in the dark. Just listening and experiencing God"
"When we prayed together as a group"
"When we were talking about him"

Has your faith changed?
"I feel I can be more confident knowing my doubts and insecurities are shared by others"
"I feel it is stronger"
"I am not embarrassed to say I am a Catholic"
"I feel more confident"

What challenges do you see for yourself in living your faith out?
"I do see tough challenges ahead but feel ready to overcome them"
"I need to always believe in what I think, not others as someone (God) is always there"
"Peer pressure"
"Weekly attendance at Mass"

We look forward to having you on board.

Review of 2011

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:24:05 +0000

by Fr Jeremy

As we step into the New Year it is worth taking a momentary glance back over the past year to acknowledge our achievements and remember a few key events. This is dangerous, of course, as I’m bound to forget something or mis-remember something but more likely, I’m unaware of the most important events because they are hidden in the personal lives of each of us, and within our families. All that we are and all that we experience is brought to the eucharist Sunday by Sunday and placed before the Lord who offers us to the Father in the sacrifice of the Mass. Our liturgical life, the regular celebration of Mass, is therefore always the central ‘event’ of the year from which all else blossoms and flourishes.

So it is no surprise, therefore, that I start this review by remembering the launch of the new translation of the Roman Missal which was introduced in September in all English speaking countries. We in Barnet launched it in style after a series of weekly video talks with a spectacular “Go Live” celebration on Sunday 18 September. Our two hour Mass included new music and drama as well as teaching on some of the updated words and phrases. Afterwards, we had a big party followed by sung Evening Prayer and Benediction. No one could be in any doubt the new translation had arrived!

Along with the updated Mass texts the other significant development in our liturgical life was the arrival of Frances Novillo, our music co-ordinator, in March. Frances has extensive knowledge of, and love for, the liturgy. Not only has she a background in working in parishes, she is also on the diocese’s music committee and works for the Royal Schools of Church Music. In short, we have a valuable new member of the parish team and Frances’ impact on our liturgies has been recognized by all those who attend our various sung Masses.

Beyond the frequent celebration of Mass, a number of other regular services take place in church weekly and monthly such as Morning Prayer said every week day at 9.30, Evening Prayer and Benediction sung every Sunday at 17.45 (with a Holy Hour on the first Sunday of each month at 17.15), the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help every Wednesday (very popular among our Filipino community), Fr Fred’s Apostolate of St Joseph on the first Wednesday of the month, and since September the introduction of a Taizé service after the evening Mass on the third Sunday of the Month. These services are exact copies of the services celebrated in Taizé itself, with chants, prayers and readings and silence around the cross. The sanctuary is lit by many candles around a new Franciscan cross that is placed in front of the altar (at all other times it hangs in the Meeting Room). These services are designed to appeal especially to younger adults of all Christian denominations. I hope these services will begin to take on a life of their own during the coming year with Christians from other churches joining us. Spread the word!

Our flourishing liturgical life is matched by the number of groups meeting for prayer, study and cups of tea around the parish. The Ascent Group (open to retired people) has been meeting regularly at Summerhill Convent and the Valley Centre, the Knights have their monthly meeting in the parish hall, our Justice and Peace group meet regularly in the Meeting Room, as does our newly formed social group for the elderly, the Friendship Club, on Wednesday afternoons.

2011 saw the introduction of a series of Masses celebrated in parishioners’ homes, an idea that I hope to see developed in the future with the new Pastoral Council which was commissioned in the summer. One of its aims is the development the zone structure we introduced for the Papal Visit in 2010 to encourage parishioners to be more aware of one another in their local areas. It was lovely at one of the zone Masses to hear an elderly parishioner say that was the first time she realized other Catholics lived in her road.

Reaching out to others has been the developing theme of 2011. Our SVP group has had an amazing impact on the lives of individuals and families struggling with life. This is set to expand with the introduction of a local food-bank set up with other churches in the area. The SVP meet on Monday evenings at Summerhill Convent for prayer and reflection before going into action.

I’m delighted that 2011 saw the introduction of a Youth SVP group under the guidance of Mary Boland, our lead catechist. This group was formed out of the Confirmation group Confirmed in May. You can read about their endeavors in last week’s bulletin and on the parish website.

Our provision for youth increased over the past year with more children joining our youth clubs and football club as well as our catechetical programmes. Mary Boland has been successful in bringing more parents on board to help lead these groups.

The development of leadership in the parish was also a priority in 2011. I, together with members of the Pastoral Council, a Jesuit priest and a member of the adult formation team in the diocese, put together a leadership course for those already in leadership roles in the parish. It was well received and is something I hope to develop in the coming year with the expansion of groups and activities in the newly formed ‘zones’.

Communication is the key to a thriving parish. I’m delighted our weekly bulletin is well received and parishioners make use of our parish website. It was great to have our website recognized by the diocese by giving us a ‘silver award’ in their newly formed Communication Awards.

Physical changes in the church have included the re-hanging of the large crucifix so that it now hangs directly above the altar. On Good Friday, it was brought down and used for the veneration of the cross. It was very moving seeing parishioners who had gazed on the crucifix over the past 30 years, now being able to touch and kiss it. The procession took far longer than usual.

Finally, this review cannot be complete without a mention of the parish dog which arrived in the summer. Having trumpeted the arrival of Nala (and her sister Sofia) I handed her over to Janet, our parish secretary, as a gift to her family. Nala still visits us in the presbytery occasionally during the week, so in a sense she is still the parish dog. It’s great keeping the tradition of previous Parish Priests having a dog around.

2011 has been a busy year. Next week I’ll write my thoughts on 2012. We have much to build on, and much for which to give thanks to God.

You can read this article on the Photo 2011 page and see the updated photos from this year

Barnet SVP and Youth SVP

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:04:33 +0000

Discover how many parishioners are helping bring joy and happiness into the lives of local residents through the work of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. We now have a vibrant Youth section that is have an amazing impact on the lives of our children and local elderly residents. Click HERE

The Mystery Of Life

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:44:07 +0000

by Fr Jeremy

Listening to the familiar Christmas story we hear of mysterious events, a virgin birth, angels talking to shepherds and wise men following a wandering star. These events give many people the excuse to dismiss the Christmas story as a fairy tale for kids. When did anyone ever see an angel, or what wealthy wise person would travel hundreds of miles star gazing? And what do we mean by a virgin birth? It makes for a nice story but...

How sad it is that we have become so cynical in our society today. Anything that doesn’t immediately relate to the world as we personally know it is dismissed as being dangerous and therefore to be destroyed or irrelevant and therefore harmless fun to be ridiculed. We think we already know how the world works, and if we don’t we will soon find out either with a hedron collider or genome project or some other clever scientific tool or discovery.
The Christmas story challenges us to look again at the world with a different set of eyes. An authentic response to this story is not to dismiss each event as fable, nor is it to accept every detail as historical fact in the scientific sense, but to enter into it with a listening ear, with an awareness of yourself, with an openness to mystery. The Christmas story, like all the stories in the Bible, doesn’t give us the answers in the exam paper sense of that word, but it gives us the opportunity to discover how to frame the right questions. The birth of the infant King gives birth to our real questions about the meaning of our life, the universe and the God who created it all.

The invitation is there again this year Accept the invitation with courage, and enjoy the experience. Your life will never be the same again!

Fr Fred and I wish you every blessing for this Christmas Season.