Issue 02 - The Pilgrim - February 2012 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

Editorial The Pilgrim February 2012
the
2012Pilgrim
50p
December 2011/ January The newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, covering s
A diocese full of character
The Archdiocese of Southwark
Archbishop Peter Smith
020 7928-2495
archbishop@rcsouthwark.co.uk
www.rcsouthwark.co.uk
Area bishops
Kent
Bishop John Hine
01732 845486
jhine@absouthwark.org
South-West London
Bishop Paul Hendricks
020 8643 8007
bishop.hendricks@gmail.com
South-East London
Bishop Patrick Lynch
020 8297 9219
bishoplynch7@btinternet.com
The Pilgrim,
Archbishop’s House
150 St George’s Road
London SE1 6HX
Editor: Greg Watts
020 7928-2495
pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
Advertising: Chris Morley
0161 488-1743
chris.morley@totalcatholic.net
Distribution: Andrea Black
0161 488-1716
andrea.black@totalcatholic.net
Print management, design and
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Group Ltd
Promoting a culture of vocation
Greg Watts
I’ve been very encouraged by
the feedback and ideas I’ve
received after the first edition
of The Pilgrim. The general
view has been that it’s great
that the diocese finally has its
own paper and one that is an
interesting read.
Thank you to all those who
sent ideas for stories. I especially
liked ‘The Biker Deacon’
and the lady in one south London
parish who wears outlandish
hats.
Parishes are full of eccentric
characters (thank God). I once
heard of a woman who always
turned up at Mass dressed in
the liturgical colours of the
day.
Some readers said how much
they appreciated John Pridmore’s
honest and earthy approach
to talking about faith.
I’m sure he has inspired and
encouraged many of the pupils
at St Anselm’s School in Canterbury,
where he recently led
a retreat.
In this edition, John asks
what is God really like. He will
be tackling other hot topics in
the coming editions. Also Father
Victor Darlington, who
combines running the parish of
the Sacred Heart in Camberwell
with teaching at Wonersh,
begin a series exploring the
psalms.
Next month I will be starting
a regular column on the ups
and downs of family life. And
there are plenty of other features
in the pipeline.
Now, I have a confession to
make: I don’t drive. I had a
few lessons some years back,
but never really got the hang
of gear sticks, clutches and all
that. The dodgems are much
easier. So I rely on the Underground,
trains and buses to get
me around. I’ve always enjoyed
travelling around London
by bus. I suspect Bishop Pa
Lynch must do too, as I gather
he arrived at his episcopal ordination
at St George’s Cathedral
on the 196 from South
Norwood.
Sitting upstairs, you see London
from a different angle and
you also the tops of people’s
heads, of course. You hear
some extraordinary conversations,
too, especially on the
188 to North Greenwich and
the 47 to Catford.
London’s bus drivers never
seem to receive much gratitude
for the skilful way they
manoeuvre such large vehicles
in and out of traffic.
So here is my way of paying
tribute to them. It’s called The
Bus Driver’s Prayer.
Our Father,
Who art in Hendon
Editor of The Pilgrim Greg
Watts chats with students
at the 'business breakfast'
at Sacred Heart School,
Camberwell
Harrow Road be Thy name
Thy Kingston come
Thy Wimbledon
In Erith as it is in Hendon.
Give us this day our
Berkhampstead
And forgive us our Westminsters
As we forgive those who Westminster
against us.
Lead us not into Temple
Station
And deliver us from Ealing,
For thine is the Kingston
The Purley and the Crawley,
For Iver and Iver
Crouch End
The role of the diocesan Vocations
Director has changed a lot in recent
years. When I applied for the
priesthood I used to see my parish
priest and a priest at school regularly
but had no contact with the
vocations director until I collected
the application form.
Today such a hands-off approach
would be unthinkable. This is
largely because of a significant
change in the understanding of vocations
ministry since the publication
in 1998 of In Verbo Tuo, a
document dedicated to promoting
vocations in Europe.
In Verbo Tuo was the fruit of a
European congress on vocations
that had taken place the previous
year. It set vocations promotion
within the context of ‘the universal
call to holiness’ which had
been strongly underlined by the
Second Vatican Council.
It recognised that people are
slowly coming to understand the
implications of that call to holiness
and spoke of a need now ‘to
create a true and proper vocational
culture’ calling for a ‘leap
in quality’ in vocations work.
It also criticised the idea that
we can resolve the vocations crisis
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by what it called ‘debatable methods’
such as importing vocations
from other countries. ‘Today’, it
says, ‘No one should delude himself
about resolving the vocations
crisis by going around it’.
The document teaches that vocations
promotion should be an integral
part of the Church’s mission
rather than a reaction to a vocations
shortage. It also teaches
that, because everyone needs to
discern their specific call, vocations
work will tend towards encouraging
all vocations.
Perhaps most significantly, it invites
us to look beyond those already
engaged in the life of the
Church and reach out to those
alienated in different ways which
is why Vocations Directors tend to
get involved with new movements
and those groups promoting the
new evangelisation.
It is often amongst young people
who were once alienated from the
Church that the most solid vocations
arise. This is partly because
the call to holiness engages them
in a real and life transforming way
and also because amongst those
who have experienced the real absence
of God there is often a generous
desire to respond when they
encounter his Real Presence.
If in the past its objective was
‘recruitment’, and its methodology
was ‘propaganda’, today vocations
promotion is understood as a
service to each individual to help
them discern God’s plan for their
lives.
Rather than processing paperwork,
vocations ministry is increasingly
about educating young
people in the faith and forming
them so that they can discern and
respond to God’s call.
Since the publication of In Verbo
Tuo the role of the Vocations Director
has begun to change significantly
in the dioceses of England
and Wales. Increasingly he is proactive
in providing opportunities
for young people to come together
for prayer and for formation in the
faith.
As this has become a reality we
have seen a steady increase in the
number of priestly and religious
vocations in England and Wales.
In Southwark the Vocations Office
is always keen to attend and
help with activities for young people.
Each year we host a retreat,
organised by the Youth 2000 movement,
attracting up to 300 young
people from across the country.
Many of the young people who
have attended this retreat are
now in seminary, others have married,
and a number have joined
religious communities.
We also run two discernment
groups throughout the year. The
first is the Quo Vadis group for
men and women in their college
and university years. The second is
the Seekers Group for older men
discerning a priestly vocation.
Both groups meet monthly and
anyone wanting more information
about them should contact me at
the Southwark Vocations Office.
Fr Stephen Langridge is the
Diocesan Vocations Director
info@southwarkvocations.com