WELCOME TO OUR MAGAZINE
Hello and welcome once again to the Messenger. Many thanks for all the articles, poems and snippets. Please keep them coming in! Should you have any news, views or other items for the parish web site, please pass them on to Kate. www.ourjo.org.uk
Below are more statements about the Bible written by children during a Catholic Elementary school test. They have not been retouched nor corrected. (i.e., incorrect spelling has been left in). Hope they make you smile!
Finally on behalf of the Communication Group may we take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and peaceful Christmas!
"WHAT SORT OF CHURCH IS GOD CALLING US TO BE?"
So said the Bishop to us in his recent pastoral letter. The future isn't just about falling numbers of priests, parishes combining, and far fewer seminarians. Through those things, and other issues and influences, God is challenging us to BE THE CHURCH in exciting and new ways, ways that will be effective in this new century. So we should certainly not be fearful or anxious; our first task is to ask God the question the Bishop is asking:-
WHAT SORT OF CHURCH DO YOU WANT US TO BE? Say it out loud! See how it sounds! Say it in different ways;
WHAT SORT OF CHURCH DO YOU WANT US TO BE IN MOORENDS?
And then put yourself in the picture:-
So, WHAT PART DO YOU WANT ME TO PLAY IN YOUR CHURCH IN MOORENDS?
Yes, I go to Mass; I gift-aid my offering; I try to say my prayers and live by your commands; But, how do you want me to help strengthen and build up your church in this parish? How do you want me to use the gifts you have given to ME? Ask these questions in your prayers; Write it out and stick it on the bathroom mirror and then wait for the answer!
Over the last few weeks we have been asking for people to respond to God's call and do various tasks in the life of the parish:-
Become a catechist: Help with the children's liturgy: Read at Mass: Contribute to the web-site: Represent the Parish at the Deanery Forum: Contribute to the Messenger--and some others.
The response has been very slow. A few extra readers and two new altar servers, and we thank God for them.
So, back to the QUESTION.
LORD, WHAT PART DO YOU WANT ME TO PLAY IN STRENGTHENING YOUR CHURCH?
WHERE AND HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO USE THE GIFTS YOU HAVE GIVEN ME?
The Bishop is going to give us some questions to ask regarding our parishes and the future; and he expects some replies.
But it really begins with each and every one of us:-
So ADVENT this year we pray about this and your part and my part in it all.
PRAY AT HOME and PRAY ON THURSDAY EVENINGS AT MASS, NOVENA and BENEDICTION AT 7pm.
Father Roy Pannell
THORNE MOORENDS CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
The initial meeting of The Thorne Moorends Cancer Support Group took place on Monday I5th November 2004 at Micky B's Breakfast Club, The Circle Moorends (opposite Moorends Labour Rooms).
The meeting was short but informative regarding planned actions. Funding applied for and also the present position with regard to the official launch, which will take place on January I5th 2005. Several people attended the meeting and It was planned from the meeting there will be a further short meeting in December before the launch, which will be the major event in the short term.
The officers of the group were very excited and had their own ideas of how things will go, but these are only short term plans and were open for discussion to all who attended, there was also a copy of the constitution and letterhead given out. Mick Ball, Ken Brown and lan Edwards are already working hard in partnership with local community worker Anne Hammond and Liz Cruddas of Doncaster CVS to make this much needed group really work for the people who need help.
Again the telephone number for all enquiries is 0 I405 74I60I where messages can be left on Mick's mobile which is 07705 I793 009.
Apologies to the lady who phoned from West Cowick but your message was mistakenly deleted from the voicemail, as it was believed that I had received it, the gremlins have struck. I do hope that this lady will attend the meeting next week or contact Mick on the above mobile number.
Denis Finnegan
The Finnegan family have had a book published in memory of their late brother Denis. It was written by Denis on his trip around the world.
To view the website visit www.finneganstrust.com
Buy the book and enjoy a good read, and also give money to Children in Need.
Thank you
Can we help someone you know?
SSAFA Forces Help is the national charity helping serving and ex Servicemen, women and their families including widows and widowers in need.
If you or a member of your family has at least one day's service in any of HM forces or are or have been in the Reserves, you are eligible for help with any of your welfare needs.
To find out more about how we can help or how you can help us please visit our National website www.ssafa.org.uk or contact your local office at:-
S.S.A.F.A. FORCES HELP, THORNE
Mr R Harper
Divisional Secretary
5A Browns Lane
Thorne
DN8 5AF
(Within the C.A.B. Building)
Telephone 812291 or 07720 053334
Office hours
Tuesday & Thursday
2.00 - 3.30 p.m.
MICKY B'S BREAKFAST CLUB OFFICIAL OPENING
This venture was started at the beginning of the Autumn Term; this followed the withdrawal of provision by the local schools. We obtained short term funding of £16101 from Doncaster East Primary Care Trust, under SRB6 Health Block Fund the funding to cover provision until 31st March 2005
This has resulted in the part time employment of three local residents, leasing premises, obtaining planning permission fitting out the premises with foodstuffs being provided by local shops. To state that the venture has been an enormous success would be an understatement, within the first six weeks we have had user numbers for six months. From the first two days of a handful of clients using the service to as many as fifty per day attending.
We believe that the service was required by the community and have been only too happy to provide it, not only are we meeting the needs of the community we have provided employment and put money into the local business community. It is our aim to secure future funding for this desirable service to continue and the provision being supplied by ourselves.
LISTENING 2004
Way back in May parishes were asked to send in their views on family life. We sent fourteen replies from Thorne/Moorends. The findings from the replies from all parishes in the diocese were collated by Susan Tym and Martin Harpham in Sheffield and every person in the diocese was invited to drop in for discussion of these findings at St.Bernard's in Rotherham on Saturday November 13th.
A mere handful of people took the trouble to attend this day - which in itself raises the question of whether family life is no longer important or possibly whether this is the right way to strengthen family life in 2004.
Three main areas were identified as being of greatest concern:
1. There is a tension between some of the Church's teaching and the reality of family life. What steps can we put in place to manage these tensions?
2. There is a lack of credibility due to the handling of scandals and the role of women in the church. How can we restore credibility?
3. Young people do not generally feel connected to the Church. What needs to happen to enable a closer connection?
There was a very productive discussion between the lay participants, Bishop John and Bishop John Hine from Southwark who is overseeing the national programme of Listening 2004, together with Elizabeth Davies. The latter summarised the findings from all the other dioceses of England which they have visited in the past six months. The key concerns are those listed above.
What has this got to do with our parish? Well - we all belong to families, with all the blessings, struggles, conflicts and sorrows that involves. We all want to do the right thing. We want our children to grow up knowing and loving God as creative and active members of the parish and wider Church. We want our young adults to marry in Church, be faithful to each other and bring up their families with Christian values. We do not want people to feel excluded from the life of the Church because of divorce. Loneliness is a dire problem for many in our society - and at all ages. There are hundreds of things we would like to put right. How can we help to put our Christian love into practice? Each person present at the meeting was asked to pledge one task which s/he would fulfil to help begin this work of restoring family life. This is the start - so I will leave you to guess what I pledged to do………..!!!!
JUSTICE AND PEACE
DIOCESAN DAY IN ROTHERHAM OCTOBER 2004
"They're all terrorist and scroungers" was the answer from one person I asked about his view of Muslims in the UK. It is a widespread attitude but is it correct or Christian to see Muslims in this very negative light? The short answer to both questions is - NO!
There are not many Muslims in Thorne/Moorends - at least I don't know of any - so it is tempting to think that this issue has nothing to do with us. In the cities of Sheffield and Doncaster the need to understand other faith followers is urgent and necessary if we are all to live in peace together. There have been various initiatives in Sheffield - a shared public meal, for example, which demonstrated to the wider community that people of many faiths can come together in friendship and peace.
Ian Linden, who was director of the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR) for many years, gave a fascinating insight from his own personal experience in Africa of the values we, as Christians, share with Muslims and those we do not. We both believe in one God but the Muslim view is that God is so far beyond the reach of man in holiness that even the holiest of men comes nowhere near to God. This reminded me of earlier attitudes in the Catholic teaching on God- there is a line in a hymn which talks of "the vast abyss of sin between the God of holiness and man". Christians, while still admitting the supreme holiness of God, nowadays seem to focus more on the privileged position we have as children of a loving father, God, and brothers of Christ. Perhaps we have lost some of the reverence we once had in our worship.
Much discussion in the conference produced the conclusions that we each need to act as individuals to get to know and respect each other in our everyday living. A smile rather than a scowl can do a lot to further understanding, We can enrich our own prayer lives by being faithful to our own religious traditions . Devout Muslims pray five times every day. We have a lot in common with people who are ridiculed or persecuted for their faith. This was the position of Catholics not so long ago in Britain. One thought we could pursue is to try to understand rather than instantly condemn, as our newspapers do, those who are different. Witness to the God who created and loves us is vital from all believers in a cynical society.
DOWN MEMORY LANE
The photograph is of six happy dancers in the "Sweat Box" taken in the mid 1950's.
For those of you who do not know what the "Sweat Box" was, it was the old Church of this parish, before the one we have today. It stood where the new bungalow stands today, next to the one the parish priest lived in near the church gates.
Built of timber and tin sheets, it served the parish for many years. The parish priest at the time of the photo was Father Dodds.
It was turned into a dance hall in the 1950's. A dance was held every Sunday night 7pm to 10pm costing one shilling and sixpence entrance fee (about eight pence today). It had a good polished wooden floor and candle wax was scattered down by Jim Corrigan, the gentleman wearing the bow tie who was in the Memory Lane photo of the last Messenger. He looked after the hall along with many others.
At the start it had a large pot bellied coke burning stove giving off plenty of heat on cold winter nights. Maybe it got its name "Sweat Box" from that. The ladies of the parish looked after the cloakroom and tea bar; no hard drink in those days. You left your coat behind the counter for three pence old money.
People travelled from Mexborough, Doncaster, Stainforth and Goole, it was well known. "Frankie Browns Dance Band" played here every week. He was a catholic and came from Bentley.
The "Have a Go" weekly draw was drawn in the interval every Sunday night. What was that? Well, you paid a shilling a week for your numbers (five pence today), and most of the people in the parish collected this in from neighbours, friends and others. It was a well known weekly draw. All the numbers were on small brass discs, and were hung on boards in the priest's house. The boards had small hooks numbered one to twenty, twenty-one to forty, and so on. You paid your shilling and your numbered disc went in the drum. First prize was thirty pounds, which was a lot of money. Monies from these events went to paying off the debt of the new church.
The Women's Guild of the Blessed Sacrament held their weekly meetings in the hall, and it was also used for other events such as wedding receptions etc. before becoming the first Bingo Hall in the area, where bingo was played weekly for prizes, not money. Wilf Blackham (also on the last photo) along with others ran this for a few years, until we bought the shell of the old picture house and turned this into a dance hall.
Some great groups appeared here, also wrestling, and dance demonstrations given by well known ballroom dancers.
I cannot recall the old sweatbox being vandalised in any way all the years it stood.
How times have changed!
Denis Woodward
CHOOSE LIFE!
On Sunday, 10th October, members and supporters of Doncaster LIFE boarded a bus that took them to London to take part in the CHOOSE LIFE Rally. They were welcomed in Parliament Square by Church leaders, including Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, and leaders of pro life organisations from around the world who thanked them for their support
As they walked along the banks of the River Thames, they scattered handfuls of petals on the water in memory of the 6 million innocent lives lost through abortion in the United Kingdom alone since the passing of the 1967 Abortion Act. At Harmsworth Park they heard young students and others, including the Anglican Bishop of Southwark, pleading for the Government to recognise the right to life and to provide the same protection for our youngest brothers and sisters, the unborn, as we all enjoy.
THE PLACE TO BE, MICKY B'S
It's 7.20 on a murky November morning and the queue is already forming in keen anticipation of breakfast. Seven thirty and the door opens to a surge of hungry chattering bodies urgently ordering beans on toast, spaghetti hoops or co co pops and a choice of tea, coffee and fruit juices. The toaster is working double time to turn out slice on slice for tomato, jam or toast solo. The noise dies down, but not a lot some semblance of order prevails as the customers concentrate on the business of eating. Mickey B's Breakfast Club is in session. Soon the young people give way to children from the Primary School and later Mums with toddlers call for a tea and chat. On occasion even two reverend gentlemen have been known to drop in for a snack.Opened in September, part of a pizza parlour in Moorends Bull Ring, the breakfast ladies serve a variety of breakfasts till 10.30. The object is to encourage healthier eating and to tempt appetites to try less junk food once fruit and other goodies are added. Head of West Road Primary, Mr Skill, praises the project remarking that performance has improved with children having something on their stomachs to face the school day. Parishioner Mick Ball tells us that parents whose children had to be prised out of bed to go unwillingly to school are surprised to see offspring disappear at the crack of dawn to get a place in the queue. Breakfast ladies Margaret, Deanna and Ellen are developing drawing colouring and other activities.
Micky B's is not confined to the Breakfast Club, but is used in the day for seminars and workshops on Child Protection, Cancer and Hospice Support Groups. Hopefully from small beginnings, the Club will provide a social presence in the Village.