The Parishioner - Edition 23

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dignity and joy was restored to the lives of the leprosy sufferers, even to those most severely affected and they loved Mother Marianne amd her Sisters. In admiration of her work a few notable people, having overcome their fear of the disease, would often visit Mother Marianne and her patients on Molokai. These included the renowned Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Mother Marianne always asked her visitors not to view her patients with glum curiosity, but greet them with a smile and to focus instead on their lovely personalities beyond their disfigurements. Although Mother Marianne and her Sisters were in direct contact each day with the leprosy patients, they were never afflicted with the disease, as she had promised. This was seen by many as a great act of faith, after thirty five years of devoted care of the leprosy patients in Hawaii. Mother Marianne died from natural causes on August 9th 1918 and was buried on Molokai. She was eighty years old. She was beatified in 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI and canonized by the same Pope on October 21st 2012. In his homily the Holy Father gave this tribute to St. Marianne Cope; “At a time when little could be done for the suffering from this terrible disease, Marianne Cope showed the highest love, courage and enthusiasm. She is a shining and energetic example of the best of Catholic nursing Sisters and of the spirit of her beloved St. Francis.” Today many Franciscan Hospitals, schools and child development centres have been founded worldwide in her memory and she is still remembered in Hawaii with deep affection. In 2004 the Order of Franciscan Sisters arranged the return of St. Marianne Cope’s remains from Molokai to the convent of her congregation in Syracuse, New York, where she now rests in an ornate shrine adorned with beautiful carved symbols of love and esteem from the Hawaiian people. A RABBIT’S EYE VIEW OF MOATENDEN AND THE TRINITARIANS “For hundreds of years rabbits have lived in the fields around Moatenden, and those there today can probably trace their ancestry back to the days before humankind came to settle in these parts. Let’s imagine that they can talk and that the story of the priory has been passed down to each generation of rabbits. In this way, we can hear of how strange men from France came to live here in the early 13th century....” On Saturday 12th July, Father Michael Woodgate launched his book, A Rabbit’s eye view of Moatenden and the Trinitarians at a meeting in the church of St Thomas of Canterbury in Headcorn. Although originally intended as a children’s book (hence the rabbits), it will interest all ages as it traces the history of the Order of the Most Holy The Trinitarian Seal Trinity for the Redemption of Captives, the Trinitarians, from its founding in 1198 at Cerfroid in Northern France by two men, John de Matha and Felix de Valois. It was the time of the third Crusade and the order was dedicated to helping Christian captives by buying their release and caring for sick prisoners. In the early 13th century they built a priory and small church at Moatenden, near Headcorn, which was suppressed at the Reformation and no longer exists today. The Trinitarians still exist and work all over the world. There is a community of Trinitarian Sisters in Bromley, Kent. Father Michael had invited John Pontifex, who now works as Head of Press and Information for Aid to the Church in Need. It was great to see John again. He was the original editor of the Parishioner when he was a St.Francis parishioner in Maidstone and worked as a reporter on the Kent Messenger. For the ACN he now travels to places where there are conflicts which affect local Christian communities and reports back to the organisation what is needed for their support. He is also the spokesman for the organisation in the press and on television. His talk was most interesting and very disquieting. Much of what he spoke about is not generally reported in the press and mainstream news. He spoke of Christians being killed by extremist Islamic groups in Africa, the Middle East and Iraq or ejected from their homes, their priests murdered and churches desecrated or destroyed, of overcrowded refugee camps, disease, suffering and despair. He asked for our prayers that the work of ACN might bring relief to our persecuted fellow Christians. Find out more about the ACN at www.acnuk.org John Pontifex and Fr.Michael Woodgate After John’s talk, tea and cakes were very welcome and we had the opportunity of buying Fr. Michael’s book. If you would like a copy (or copies), they are available from the St. Francis Repository or ask at the Priest’s House. Price £4.50. The proceeds of the book will be going to a project in the Phillipines 12
Parish Trip to the Houses of Parliament and Greenwich Olga D’Silva The Houses of Parliament was so popular as our parish trip at the end of October 2013 that it sold out within days. There was such a long waiting list that I decided to go for a ‘repeat run’ in April 2014. Canon John joined in October and thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly as, like many from our group, he had never visited the Houses of Parliament before. Westminster Hall is the only part of the medieval Palace of Westminster remaining today. Here, you have to look down as well as up; at the wooden hammerbeam ceiling, at the stained glass window that the Commons and Lords gave to the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee, at the plaque where the late Nelson Mandela addressed both Houses of Parliament, where Charles I received his death warrant, where the Trial of William Wallace took place, where 20th century monarchs have laid in state, and, I haven’t even mentioned Guy Fawkes! For the more modern 19th century architecture, we have to thank Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, who commissioned Augustus Pugin to transform the Palace of Westminster to what we know today. The ‘bonus’ to our visit was to take a boat trip on the Thames to the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich Park and the must see twin domes designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The October group Every month in St Francis’ Church, a collection is held by the Dew Association to help people who we know are among the poorest in the world. Usually around £500 is raised. In most instances, when the pound is transferred into the currency of the recipient country, the benefits are enormous. The Association helps people across the globe; in India, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Philippines, Zambia and Zimbabwe, to name just a few. We work with trusted partners in these places and always receive confirmation that the money has arrived and how it is being spent. Fr Peter Adu in The Gambia was supported by the Dew Association from August 2004 until August 2008. In total, £2490 was donated. This money helped build St Francis’ Senior Secondary School, turning the building from one classroom without a roof into a wellequipped education establishment for 500 pupils. In 2008, Fr Peter, who is originally from Ghana, had to leave The Gambia, because of a law preventing foreign teachers from teaching in the country for more than ten years. His superiors in Rome then sent him to America to study for his MA at Pittsburgh University. Upon completion of his course, he returned to Ghana. Once again, he was asked to build a school another senior secondary establishment in a very poor and remote area where a school had been promised for over 20 years. It would be the only school within a 70 kilometre radius. The school site sat on 20 acres of dense rainforest, and work to clear the area began in August 2011. Fr Peter himself borrowed a JCB, supplied his own fuel and worked to clear the entire site, with were fortunate to tour the Painted Hall and the College Chapel before we left for home with the light fading. The April group had more time here as we arrived in Greenwich in the morning. However, only the Chapel was open but we had time to visit the Queen’s House, the National Maritime Museum, the Greenwich Discovery Centre (all free of charge) and wander around the Cutty Sark (if you did not wish to pay a rather hefty ticket price). The main highlights for us were that our guided tours of the Palace of Westminster also included seeing the Monarch’s Robing Room for the State Opening of Parliament, as well the Chambers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. On both occasions we were blessed with good weather and I can honestly say that the experience on both days was ‘iconic’, not least because of the relaxing boat trip between Westminster Pier and Greenwich Pier and seeing famous London landmarks from the river on the way. One notable for me was the Tower of London and my discovery that Traitors’ Gate was not ‘Traitor’s Gate’, ie, more than one traitor was expected in those days! Fortunately, I had not booked a one-way ticket for our parish trip there. The work of the Dew Association By James Dowling help from local villagers. The Dew Association provided funds from 2011 until April 2014, donating over £2340 in total. With this support, the Lieberman Senior Secondary School in Elubo, Ghana was finally a reality. The money from the Dew Association helped Fr Peter overcome many difficulties. For instance, at one time he had received permission from his superior to employ six local people to do labouring work. But when the work was complete, he was told there was no money to pay the workers. They were angry, becoming threatening and aggressive. But a Dew Association collection received around this time enabled Fr Peter to pay £400 to the labourers before the situation escalated into nasty crisis. The school now has six classrooms already built and work is currently underway to complete a dormitory, which will hold 150 female livein students. There are currently over 80 students at the school. The aim is to accommodate over 500 secondary school students. Earlier this year a priest in The Gambia celebrated his fiftieth anniversary of priesthood and he sent Fr Peter an airline ticket to attend the celebrations. When Fr Peter arrived, he found thousands of exstudents from the first school he built also in attendance. The St Francis School he originally built to teach 500 students now teaches 900 and is known as one of the best schools in The Gambia. When we support the Dew Association we never fully know in this life what excellent help we offer or what results we have achieved. Hopefully, we will know in the next life. 13
Page 1 and 2: S T F R A N C I S ’ C H U R C H M
Page 3 and 4: First Confession Nervous before, ha
Page 5 and 6: New parishioners received into the
Page 7 and 8: P E N T E C O S T Homily given by D
Page 9 and 10: The flame Youth Group was establish
Page 11: St Marianne Cope Written and Illust

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