THE CHURCH IN MOORENDS
Living, Changing, Worshipping

One indicator of the health and vitality of a Christian community is the extent to which its members see themselves as members of the Body of Christ, coming together for the honour and-glory of God meeting each others needs and those of the community in His name The early life of the parish has many examples of flourishing sodalities. There was the Guild of the Blessed Sacrament and the Knights of St. Columba (Council No. 181), a list of whose officers is still in our possession, dating back to 1928. We also have records of some Legi5n of Mary activities in the early 1930's. We know from parishioners that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has always done and continues to do sterling work in the parish.

But the Church, the body of Christ, like any other body, is organic growing and adapting to the changing circumstances, constantly being renewed. Since the Second Vatican Council, the laity have been urged to take a responsible role in the church, to become active in the Church's mission; this involvement is reflected in the active part they are required to take in the liturgy.

Recent parish developments, too, mirror some of these desirable developments in the Church at large. The Ladies Group, and the Mothers and Toddlers Group are examples of a new kind of sodality in the Church, growing organically out of the immediate needs of individuals, but also looking outwards to the whole body, beyond the groups and beyond the parish. The formation of a "Life" group is another indicator that the concern of Christians must embrace issues of world-wide importance, speaking out wherever there is evil or injustice to be combatted.

Ecumenism is also high on our list of priorities. Our own parish is well represented by lay people on the Thorne and District Council of Churches, working to co-ordinate the efforts of the local churches towards united Christian action. It has also been our joy in recent months to share many prayerful occasions with our Anglican neighbours at St. Wilfrith's.

Spreading the Good News about Jesus Christ is a task in which we must all play a part; it is not just the work of the ordained priest. Lay people gifted with good powers of communication are encouraged to use these gifts as parish catechists; we currently have two of our parishioners training for this task. But most of us have experienced a journey in faith which is well worth sharing with others and that is just what Christ wants us to do. Thus, our recently established regular talks are not just open for non-catholics but for anyone who wishes to share in them. We all have much to learn from each other.

Catholic Education - past and present

Religious instruction and Catholic schools have always been considered most important features of parish life. Ways and means of providing these have to be found, but the challenge of achieving their provision has been met with characteristic determination in the parish of St. Joseph's Moorends.

For example, one reads in the Church Notices for Low Sunday 1953: "Beginning next Tuesday, all school children of 7 years of age or over must assemble in our church at ten minutes to nine every schoolday morning for catechism and religious instruction, after which they must be back in school before 9.30 a.m. Instructions were given in Moorends by Mary Harker and in Thorne by Mary Mangan.

Even though to date there is no Catholic School within the parish of Moorends-Thorne, it has always been linked throughout the years with Stainforth for primary education and Cantley and Carlton for secondary education. The parish has demonstrated its commitment to its Schools and to Catholic Education in general by the unstinting way in which it has supported them financially.

A few facts taken at random amply demonstrate this commitment. One of the Sisters of the Company of Mary, who established the convent school in Stainforth writes, "The Parish Priest, Rev. T. 0. Kelly, C.R.P., ... has provided the convent, and now it was the parish priest of Moorends, Rev. J. C. Neill. . . who set about having two beautiful and spacious classrooms built in the convent garden'

In May 1962, Fr. Dodds, C.R.P., parish priest of Moorends was informed that the estimated cost of Holy Family School Stainforth was £65,879 and that half of this would be debited to Moorends parish. In 1963-64 Moorends contributed its share (8.5%) along with other schools in the Doncaster deanery to the cost of extensions to the school at Cantley. By October 1968, Fr. Zyerveld, C.R.P. was informed by the Diocesan Financial Secretary that the debt for Moorends which comprised one half of the cost of the School in Stainforth, one sixth. of the cost of Holy Family, Carlton and a small payment for the use of the school at Cantley, totalled £42,533.00. Before his death in 1981, all of this debt had been c1eared.

The support given to our school by priests and parishioners past and present is indeed ,a great tribute to them. And this support continues. The fact that there are 121 pupils from the parish currently attending Holy Family School, Stainforth is a further tribute to our caring parents and parishioners who obviously treasure their Catholic Faith so much that they wish to hand it on to the children.