Conquering the Fear

In March 2020 the Pandemic challenged every part of our life, attacking everything that is so essential to us as human beings. Many were paralysed by fear as their worlds shrunk behind the safety of the walls of their homes. But in the midst of those dark times a host of parishioners came together, determined to do something not just for the parish but for the wider community too. Caring for those who were most vulnerable, the Guardian Angels group was established to help those isolated in their homes, the Prayer Warriors were established to pray and to intercede for people’s many needs, and new online ministries were established to feed people’s souls. The contribution of all these unsung heroes is invaluable and all the comments cannot even begin to express the gratitude that everyone has felt for what they all did, and continue to do!

Thank you very much for the hard work, it is much appreciated.

Thank you for helping everyone in need during the pandemic – we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful parish.

No words to describe what an amazing and even life changing and saving job you do. Knowing I can ask the angel warriors for prayers is so comforting, they have helped me through the loss of dear ones and through difficult times elevating their prayers to the Lord. Thank you everyone, what an amazing job you do. May God bless each and anyone of you always.

Thank you all!

Many thanks to you all for sharing your God given gifts with us all.

Thank you for thinking of others. Good job. God bless you for all you do.

Well done everyone! Excellent job keeping us all connected.

Thank you to everybody who are helping the parish through this difficult time.

Thank you to everyone involved for the spiritual guidance throughout this difficult time.

Great work by all.

Thank you to all who make this parish the warm and welcoming place it is. God bless.

Online services extremely beneficial during this pandemic. Many thanks.

Muchos gratias.

Thank you to all who kept us in touch throughout these terrible months of lockdown and shielding.

Thanks for your hard work.

Congratulations to all who work in the back-up teams without them the church wouldn’t function as effectively.

To all the marvellous people who gave their time and generosity in several areas in the church during this difficult time. Thank you.

A big thank you to all the people who gave up their time to look after others sometimes being the only contact in the lockdown months. I received a plant which is doing well.

So many people in this community are thankful for the wonderful support they received throughout this pandemic. St. Joe’s is so much more than a church. Skerton is very lucky.

Thank you to all the Covid Response Teams. We couldn’t have gotten through the last 18 months without you.

Many thanks to everybody who is  and was involved

The Wonders of Creation

Lisa Vallente-Osborne reports on a remarkable transformation of the wasteland behind the church at St Joseph’s which has become a beautiful parish garden:

“As the Covid lockdown 1.0 saw most retreat to their homes; a new development at St Joseph’s Lancaster began to emerge.  With the change in workload and daily rhythms, Fr Philip began clearing a wasteland area at the back of the church and ordered the seed to sow grassland. 

It was at this point we turned up. 15years ago, when I first saw this land, I have envisioned a community vegetable allotment/kitchen garden. At this point it’s was finally possible!

Over the space of the next few months, the ground was dug by our small family bubble. As the railway sleepers arrived, the grass seed was returned and the veg garden came into being. A plot with a fruiting terrace and three pre-loved recycled greenhouses. The sisters at Hyning Monastery supported us with some veg seedlings for growing in the first year, and taught and guided us through sowing seeds  for this next season. This year’s crop is mainly from seeds. 

As the church reopened and people returned to the building they were welcomed to a new garden. The space provided a Covid safe meeting space, the large greenhouse became a meeting room and a confessional through the passing months. The fruit and veg produce was offered to parishioners for donations, with the proceeds going towards funding the next year’s planting. 

Throughout Covid lockdowns 1.0 and 2.0, as the restrictions allowed, the volunteers emerged to help tend our little Eden. It rapidly became a haven to preserve sanity! The space has rapidly become a little haven where people came to rest, to work and to play, reconnecting with nature and enjoy the outdoor space. 

Local builders became aware of the project and continue to donate any excess from their trade from stone to planks! We even have a local lady who supplies pallets, which has been used to build fencing, benches and various planters! A local supplier brings locally sourced peat free compost, and the most important local, our horse poop lady providers her ‘donations’ on a regular basis! Many of the volunteers and regular donors are not from our regular church community. In fact, most are agnostic or atheist. Through the garden, all feel welcomed, intrigued and love to watch all the ‘developments around the back’ of the church, leaving a little more curious about what makes ‘us Catholics tick’. And as all become more familiar, the conversations deepen. 

Our community plot borders with our St Joseph’s primary school. These children have watched with inquisition and awe as ‘the monsters’ (pumpkins) grew by the fence, and classes visit us regularly to see some of Gods creation unfold. They and others will undoubtedly continue to visit! 

This garden project has linked us in with other local allotment holders. I regularly visits these, and their members come to our St Joes garden too. The links with Hyning Monastery are strong (as I am an oblate there) but also new links are being forged with Nazareth House too! Our garden is on the Hedgehog preservation map, and we have opened Hedgehog highways between us and the school and provided various shelters for wildlife. Our new pond is thriving with tadpoles, and the garden has never seen such a diverse bird population and all their little chicks in quite some time!  

At the beginning, as the garden took shape me and a volunteer prayed for bees and a beekeeper. Little did I know that person being trained would be me! (Note to self- be very careful what you pray for!). So as of today, this latest development has seen us restore one of the Catholic Churches most ancient traditions of ‘bee-keeping’. We joined up the the Lune Valley Beekeepers initially for advice to offer space for hives, and then for support and training. 

So the garden is predominantly an allotment. But since it was apparent that bees were coming, many parishioners have supplied flowering plants, trees and herbs. Our space developed further offering a ‘Snug’ (a seated area perennial garden to supply the bees with nectar all year round) and a specific prayer garden courtyard (where people can sit in peace, reflect and pray). 

The space is used as a safe haven by so many. From parishioners who grab a coffee and sit with their children after a weekday mass, to refugee families who meet up to reconnect. 

From a barren land, Covid helped to bore and birthed, a living, breathing space for connection. It soon became a space to find peace, pray and a place to watch the great tapestry that is the wonder of creation unfold. Through the gentle birdsong, the buzz of the bees and the invisible unfolding of new leaves, our creator connects with humanity; and our mission field expands. 

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of all mankind. — Job 12:7-10 (ESV)

Vision of the Future

Over the past few years Fr Philip has been working out of a team from the parish to explore ways to respond to Pope Francis's call to respond to Christ's mission to proclaim the Good News and to go out to the ends of the world. Currently this leadership team is made up of Zsuzsanna Brenner-Daly, our parish outreach coordinator, Victoria Pawlowski, Barbara Escolme and Robert Burrow. We meet for prayer each week and are passionate about defining a vision for the future of our parish that highlights the many wonderful aspects of our parish community and defines what we are working towards.

We agreed that we want to serve our Lord, our parishioners and broader community through the following strategic aspects:

1. Parish: Being a welcoming parish community that goes beyond itself to celebrate and share God’s love and mercy.

2. Community: providing outreach and support for everyone in daily and specific challenges that life throws at us, regardless of whether they have faith or not.

3. Evangelical: being passionate in helping to invite and bring people to faith.

Therefore our vision statement for St Joseph’s is as follows:

St Joseph’s is the beating heart of our community. We open our arms to all, especially those who struggle and are overburdened. With love and mercy we encourage and accompany all into a joyful encounter with Christ.

We feel excited by this vision and believe it encompasses our priorities, but we would welcome your feedback. Please leave your feedback as a comment on this post or send an email to Zsuzsanna at outreach.stjosephs@gmail.com

Perfect Love drives out Fear

What a crazy year! Everything out of place, everything disjointed, but how do we get back, how do we rediscover our confidence, how do we set out again. In this amazing testimony, Natalie looks back on this year, and what brought her back to St Joseph’s…

Lockdown 1 began after the last physical Mass at St Joseph’s at St Joseph’s in March 2020; this was to be a Mass of mixed emotions. I looked around and wondered how many of our wonderful parish would survive this cruel virus and how many people I would see again face to face. I was approached after Mass to see if I was willing to become a lead on the Guardian Angel initiative, co-ordinating our parish response to those who needed errands run for them, for food, for prescriptions, etc. Of course, I agreed. At least, I thought, it would keep me occupied whilst we had to shield with our son who has had a transplant.

It was such a joy for me to make contact with the older and more vulnerable of the parish. I got to speak to people who I have never really known despite being part of the parish for such a long time.

Days rolled into weeks and weeks into months. I returned to work in a primary school in September 2020 but, apart from that, my contact with the real world was minimal. I continued to attend Mass online, more frequently than if I had been attending in person. I continued to support people during Mass and also contributed to the Liturgy of the Word Facebook page but I was stuck. Massively stuck! Stuck in a rut of fear and worry. What if I were to return to Mass, what would happen? Would I infect people, passing on germs from my littlies at school? Would I catch something and bring it home? The thoughts went round and round in my mind. Fear and worry, worry and fear.

I attended the Masses when it was my rota to read and read at my last Mass on Boxing Day 2020.

Once again January and Lockdown 3 began. Again we settled into a routine of shielding, remote teaching and . . . That was it. Days were the same, I attended Mass online and again frequently, I joined in with prayer groups, and I began to listen to Fr Mike Schmitz Bible-in-a-Year App. But I began to fall into the same old, same old routine and worse, I began to worry and fear what may happen again.

I kept praying for a message, a piece of inspiration, which would lift me from my worries and the first time was the first Healing Service. I felt a piece of light, the words of Father Philip made me cry and I started to feel better. Although I was attending online most days and praying for guidance, particularly from the Holy Spirit, I was still in a place of fear.

Before I knew it March 2021 was here along with Lent and the approach of the Easter period. I prayed I would build up enough courage to return to church. Despite being at school every day I still found it difficult to make the first step into church. Every time I thought I had the courage to take that journey, I fell at the final hurdle.

Easter came and I spent the period worshipping online, rather like the year before.

Then came the push I needed, the rota for readers email popped into my inbox – right now is the time to be brave and get out there, I thought.

Saturday 22nd May was my first return to church in almost 5 months. I went to confession and then sat quietly on my bench enveloped by the love of the building and all the people in there. It was so beautiful to see people I hadn’t seen for such a long time. I knew I was led here by the Holy Spirit, the feast of Pentecost was upon us and, Boy! was the energy surrounding everyone in church.

Whilst I sat listening to the readings of the day I could feel the warmth around me, I knew the Holy Spirit was guiding me and keeping me safe. I felt overcome with emotion whilst I listened to Fr Phil’s homily – when he asked us to close our eyes I could feel my hands start to burn. I had experienced this feeling once before during an Alpha training course I attended. We had to lay hands on a person and pray to the Holy Spirit – I did this to Sister Mary Julian and she had to ask me to move my hands further away as they were too hot to touch her. I know it was the Holy Spirit that drew me to Mass on Saturday; I know that I was drawn back on the feast of Pentecost to experience the love and power of the Church. I know this because during consecration, as Father was calling down the Holy Spirit, there was definitely a rush of wind, the power of the Spirit was moving among us. It was definite, it was almost tangible and I was in church physically to bear witness to that. I knew it was the right time for me and I thank God for being so patient with me.

Faith & Friendship Groups

Over the last few years St Joseph's church has hosted seven Alpha seasons and other groups such as Faith Explorers and The Gift, a Life in the Spirit seminar, reaching about 130 people. It has been a great success and has highlighted the need that people have to share their faith with others. A comment that has come time and time again is that people miss their meeting with others and the sharing of faith in an informal setting when Alpha comes to an end. For this reason, Fr Philip has come up with the idea that small groups of parishioners could meet in different settings to share faith, prayers, discussions in small informal groups to strengthen the parish life outside Mass. Initially, a group will be run for people who in turn think they can start their own group when they feel ready to do so. There is no strict format to this but the vision is that the faith element should be essential at the core of the group. The exact format of a group is to be decided by the people involved in the group themselves and would reflect the interest that people have but would probably include some or all of time for prayer, bible reading, discussions and socialising. The group would be a place to meet not only seasoned parishioners but would also be welcoming to new ones and people unsure about their faith. As you can see there is room for much freedom and interpretation on how to run these groups and if this is something you would like to try, please do come along to the initial group to see if this something you would set up yourself in the future and contact us on alphalancs@gmail.com

Immaculate!

Thank you to all our cleaners, sanitizers, polishers….

Throughout this pandemic year, the church has been sanitised every day after every Mass by a team of volunteers who have donned their PPE and their vinyl gloves and armed themselves with anti-bacterial spray, cleaning every touchpoint, handle, rail, bench and kneeler. This is the unsung army who have kept our churches open and safe, and what an amazing team they have been. But behind the scenes, and every week for decades, there has been another group who have swept and cleaned the church and polished the brasses, making our church look well-cared for and welcoming to all those that come to St Joseph’s. In this Year of St Joseph, we would like to thank them for this work which is so much appreciated. Here are some of the comments that we have collected from grateful parishioners and visitors to the church:

Thank you. Your hard work has kept the church open. You are amazing.

Thank you for keeping the church beautiful.

Thank you to the parishioners that have kept our church so clean and sanitised. For their love and care in keeping us safe.

Thank you! Without you Mass would not have been possible. Thank you so much for your time and dedication. The silent army of angels.

Thank you for a wonderful service. Very uplifting.

Thank you for enabling us to attend Mass in a clean and safe environment.

Thank you for keeping us all safe.

Thank you for keeping us all safe with your cleaning of the church.

A big thank you, you work very hard to keep this church safe and spotless.

Many thanks to all who make St. Joseph’s church immaculate. It is a great pleasure to attend Mass.

Thank you to all our amazing cleaners. You are phenomenal. We really appreciate everything you do.

Thank you so much for all you do to make it possible for us to attend Mass and be close to Jesus.

Prayer has kept us all safe in this church, however, part of this prayer is our wonderful team of cleaners who have used their skills (and sanitisers) to keep us safe from a practical point. God bless them all for everything they do.

Thank you for all the work you do to keep the church clean and sanitised.

To our dedicated team of cleaners who have kept our church as clean as a new penny. Thank you all and God bless.

Thank you so much for all your hard work.

A big thank you to all our ushers and cleaning teams. A fantastic effort in keeping the church shipshape. Well done!

Thank you, much appreciated.

Thank you to all those their have cleaned the church especially through Covid time. It is much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone involved in cleaning, polishing and sanitising St. Joseph’s Church. It looks and feels amazing. Well done.

Thank you for all your work. Thanks to you our church could remain opened during these difficult times.

No words great enough for this army of people.

Thank you for keeping everything sanitised and allowing us to feel safe.

Thanks so much for making it possible that we could come to church throughout lockdown times. Thank and God bless you for your hard work.

Thank you for all of your hard work. Bless you all.

Thank you for all your work and help. The church could not function without you.

 Thank you for keeping our church clean, bright and looking amazing.

Thank you to all who have given their time and service to the people of the parish. Your dedication is truly appreciated in keeping everyone in the parish safe and well. Huge thanks and gratitude.

A big thank you. All your hard work has ensured our church has remained open and safe during the pandemic.

Thank you to all the church cleaners who keep us safe and provide a very needed service also those who sweep and polish. A task that never ends. Thank you all.

--------------------------------------------

Thank you for the lovely flowers, the beautiful church, the welcome, the garden and all who attend.

Thank you Little Joe's

In this Year of St Joseph we want to thank all those in our parish and community who day-in and day-out give of themselves, their talents and their passion, in such hidden and often unseen ways. A few years ago, some parishioners saw that there was a need in the local community for a clothes club where people can share children and babies’ clothes. Clean clothes are donated to Little Joe’s and sorted and distributed to lots of grateful parents! This service has carried on throughout this time of Covid, and the parish are so grateful to Veronica and Karen who have shown such dedication and care. Parishioners have written of their joy at this wonderful work of service, this true work of mercy, which has brought together volunteers and donors from across the whole community. Here are some of the things that people have said:

Thank you to everyone helping with Little Joe’s clothes.

Thank you for all the work you do for the parish. Very inspiring. God bless.

Thank you.

God bless you for your ministry.

Thank you Karen and Veronica for giving your time to help make life a little easier for mums and dads.

What an amazing job you do. I know everyone that has been helped by you really appreciate it. Thank you and may continue this fantastic service.

Well done, wonderful work. Thank you. God bless.

Little Joe’s has been a lifesaver for us. Thank you so much Little Joe’s team.

Thank you for helping St. Joseph’s to support the clothes club for those in need. True spirit in action.

Thank you, Veronica and Karen, for the work that you do in collecting and providing clothing for children at the community. The work of your team is much valued and appreciated.

I know that the ladies do a fantastic job in collecting and sorting the clothes which must be a boost to some families in these troubled times. Also it is a good way to recycle free of charge to people who need them. Very well done.

Thank you and well done to all the teams. May the Lord bless you all.

Just wonderful work you both are doing Karen and Veronica; coordinating Little Joe’s Clothes Club. A great help, supporting young families. Thank you.

Karen and Veronica so well done. God bless you.

Well done for all your great work helping local families.

Thank you for your work. Bless you both.

Thank you for your work.

Thank you to everyone for all your help.

Thank you Veronica and Karen; great way to show families we care as as recycling clothes for the environment.

Little Joe’s is amazing. They have helped so many families and people in need during lockdown. They have reached out far and wide with this wonderful service. We are all so lucky to have them. Brilliant initiative in our community.

Thanks for bringing such wonderful hope, happiness and kindness to so many!

Lord Jesus, We pray for all who use Little Joe’s and praise you for all the blessings you bring to all who help.

General messages:

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Mother of divine grace pray for us. St. Joseph’s is a beautiful church with caring people and priest.

Thank you everyone who has been involved making St. Joseph’s a very happy place during Covid.

Well done to all the teams working for our church.

Thank you to our Altar Servers

In this Year dedicated to St Joseph, we are taking this opportunity to thank all the different groups and ministries within the Church. Over the weeks we have been asking parishioners how much they have been appreciating all those involved in the life of the parish. Today we would like to shine the spot light on our team of altar servers.

At St Joseph’s we are blessed with the most amazing team of servers. For many years now, our servers have been part of the Guild of St Stephen which promotes faithful service, prayer and dedication to the service at the altar, enabling the whole congregation to enter more deeply into the sacred mysteries that we celebrate together. Our servers undergo alot of training, especially in preparation for the major feastdays of the year, and we are all so grateful for their efforts and commitment. We asked parishioners to share their thanks for all that our team of altar servers give to the parish.

We are so fortunate to have so many altar servers at St. Joseph’s. They are so dedicated and we appreciate this.

Thank you for your service, it makes our Masses so much meaningful.

Thank you all you altar servers for giving up your time to serve the Lord and our parish community. Much appreciated.

All the Altar Servers are amazing. They make sure that the Mass is without issues or mishaps, ensure the live-stream is working and have welcomed Cameron into the altar serving family of St. Joseph’s. Thank you also to the two amazing MCs, Chris and Paul.

Everyone is so helpful and pleasant. What would we do without them.

The people who work behind the scenes are fantastic. To look up to the altar and see so many servers is like looking at more members of my family.

Thank you for being here every week and making our Mass so special.

Thank you for your commitment and your calm, still presence.

Thanks for always making our shared services so special. Many thanks.

Thank you for all your hard work and dedication every week and during Easter services.

We are so lucky to have so many altar servers who do such a fantastic job. Well done!

Thank you so much to the altar servers. I love to share in your peace. You are a true blessing to St. Joseph’s.

The parish is very lucky to have such dedicated servers. God bless them all.

Excellent, reverential team work. Much appreciated.

God bless your service.

Thank you to all the altar servers for keeping our parish alive during the pandemic.

Thank you for serving.

Worshiping here has been a blessing to me. The priest and everyone in this parish is lovely.

Thank you for all that you do. God bless you all.

Week in week out the altar servers do it so reverently. Well done to you all. Thank you Paul keeping us all in line.

Thank you for their dignity, respect and obvious devotion which add to a beautiful celebration of the Eucharist.

Thank you so much for all you do to make the sacraments possible for us.

Thank you for your humble faithfulness during this time. God bless you.

Thank you to our dedicated altar servers. Keep it up! God bless!

Thank you for serving our parish, supporting Father Phil and the dedication to your roles as altar servers. Good bless you all!

With love and thanks to the altar servers. They attend week after week and help Fr Philip at Holy Mass.

Thank you.

A fantastic, dedicated and so well organised team. A true blessing for our parish. Thank you so much for your service.

In the Footsteps of the Martyrs

Today, 4 May, we celebrate the Feast of the English Martyrs. To mark this occasion, a new book has been written to shed light on the Lancaster Martyrs, 14 priests and laymen from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries ,sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered on account of their Catholic faith on Moor above the city of Lancaster.

The book is entitled, ‘Like a Deer yearning for running streams’, a quotation from the psalms, etched into the prison walls of the Tower of London by George Beesley, a martyr from Hill Chapel in Goosnargh. There are few villages and towns in Lancashire that were left untouched by persecution of the Catholic Church. Far from the prying eyes of State authority the Catholic faith continued to be practised in Lancashire, but as political pressures ratcheted up in the late sixteenth century, the Catholic faith was driven underground and example was made of priests who were caught administering the sacraments and the lay faithful who assisted them.

The icon of the Lancaster Martyrs

This new book follows in the footsteps of these martyrs. Last year the parish of St Joseph’s commissioned a unique tryptych icon of the Lancaster Martyrs which was blessed by Bishop Paul Swarbrick. Following its installation Fr Philip Conner spent some time working in the special collections of Stonyhurst College, exploring the lives of the martyrs and researching the literature that Catholics drew upon to keep their faith alive in unprecedented times. The result is this little book which provides a fuller picture of these heroic men. The book comprises three parts: an outline of the martyrs and the context in which they lived; a trail linking the martyrs altar at St Joseph’s with the Castle, Judges Lodgings, the martyrs monument near Williamsons Park, and the Cathedral; and, transcriptions of prayers and meditations from sixteenth and seventeenth-century books which fed the faith of the Catholic faithful.

What surprised Fr Philip was the richness of this literature, reaching far back into the Catholic tradition. Quite apart from providing a rich diet of prayers and devotion, the ancient prayers served to underline the apostolic continuity of the Church, linking the persecuted Church of Elizabethan England with that of the early Church that faced its own troubles. And so, writers such as St Athanasius, St Cyprian of Carthage, St Cyril of Jerusalem, St Jerome are set alongside more recent hymns and prayers of the late Medieval and Early Modern period.

The Martyrs Trail, linking St Joseph’s Church to the Martyrs Monument

Cycling and walking around the Lancashire countryside in lockdown times, Fr Philip discovered that just beneath the surface it is still possible to discern vestiges of the Lancashire martyrs: holy wells and crosses, secret shrines, places associated with the martyrs, creating a whole geography of faith which sustained the faithful through turbulent times. On one cross, there is an inscription, ‘The paths you tread in lane or street, long since were trodden by the feet of saints who went before you’. It is hoped that this little book will inspire us to remember their example, be inspired by their witness, and call upon their intercession, as we face the times that we live in today.

Copies of the booklet can be purchased at the church after Mass, or from the Presbytery, for £5 with proceeds going to the Church’s Restoration Fund. They can also be sent out by post by emailing the parish.

From Head to Heart!

In the run-up to the feast of St Joseph the Worker, each day a parishioner is sharing how their faith has changed over this past year, something that they have discovered, something which has led them to go deeper. Today, Eleonora!

In the last year faith became more personal rather than something a bit in the air. I realised that God's love for me is so huge that he gave his only son for me… Wow, I never really thought about it before... As I was raised Catholic, I knew it but only as a ‘head’ knowledge, not a ‘heart’ knowledge. Not only has this knowledge begun to sink into my heart, but also the realisation of the tremendous love Jesus had for me that He willingly died on the cross, not for Himself, for me! Again, something my "head" knew but not my heart. This year a lot of "automatic", "it's a given" faith went straight into my heart; it is difficult to describe: some sort of awe, amazement and light-switch being switched on and allowing me to see in a different way... I started craving the Word of God, I have this thirst and hunger for the Bible, I want to know God, I want to have a relationship... I never before EVER read the bible and when I heard it, most of it came in one ear and out of the other. I am so grateful for God's patience and perseverance, He never gave up on me, I feel so blessed!

This Joyful Eastertide

During this joyful Eastertide, we asked some of those who come to the Church what Easter meant to them. Here goes…

Easter is…

Easter eggs (Emilie, 2021)

New beginnings (Philip, 2021)

A time for remembering what Our Lord did for us all (Dawn 2021)

Easter renews my faith with the knowledge Christ died because He loved me (Robert 2021)

Remembering that Jesus died to forgive my sins because He loves me, carried my burdens with me and gives me Hope of an Eternal life with Him (Clare 2021)

Christ redeeming me, through His death and resurrection; He opens the gates of heaven for me and, when the time arrives, I know I shall see my loved ones again (Maureen 2021)

Dome over the Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Light. When I was a kid I loved the build up to Easter as every night we seemed to get that little bit longer outside to play as the days grew slowly lighter and longer. My mum used to always say come Easter you can stay out until 8pm and I thought that the most amazing thing ever! Easter is always light for me as I’ve always loved the candlelit service of Eastertide. It’s strange the service never loses its magic, if anything I find it more magical with each passing year, as we gradually emerge from the darkness and into the light with Christ’s Resurrection (Leighanne, 2021)

HOPE! Hope in knowing that when darkness of life comes, Christ is my defender, my light, my guide holding out His hand with mercy and grace. Easter also brings comfort, comfort that Our Lady and our Mother will always be with us, waiting patiently by our side in the darkness, guiding us to her beloved Son (Lisa, 2021)

A thousand times better than a birthday! An opportunity to start fresh and to be born again, leaving the past behind and giving to Jesus all the struggles, shame, guilt, unforgiveness and the "not-so-good bits" of myself (Eleanora 2021)

Summed up from a verse from the First Letter of St Peter ... "Praise be to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). Easter is when we reflect (as we do really every Sunday - even every day) on God's mercy & extravagant love in sending Jesus for us & on Jesus' extravagant love in His sacrifice on our behalf, so we now have a real & true hope of Heaven (Jane, 2021)

A time for a fresh start in our Faith and love of God (Veronica, 2021)

The start of our life with God the Father won by the suffering and love of Jesus Christ. Alleluia (Martin, 2021)

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

Is filled with beginnings. After all the sadness and anger of the crucifixion, there is then joy. I feel the presence of the Lord closely as I share in His most important story and my faith is renewed by His sacrifice and love (Natalie 2021)

The day I can finally receive Communion with my husband! (Amy 2021)

Easter reminds me that no matter how hard the struggle is, pick up your cross and carry on (Victoria, 2021)

Easter is the beautiful unveiling. The ashes of the cross bringing forth new life and the world awakening once more (Emily 2021)

Sharing our Faith

Robert Burrow tells us about a course that he recently went on which gave him confidence to share his faith with others…

Recently on World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis reminded us again to become disciples of Jesus Christ saying "the call to mission is not a thing of the past, or a romantic leftover from earlier times." Today too Jesus needs "messengers and agents of compassion."

Whilst we all know deep down it is what we are called to do by Pope Francis, we seem to lack confidence and skills to be able to share our faith, often finding it to be difficult talking to family and friends about our faith, our experience of the Holy Spirit or simply religion in general.

I am no different; I’ve been involved with four different Alpha series of meetings yet still find it difficult and awkward at times inviting people to join the meetings even though I know they would benefit from the whole experience. That is why when I was invited by a friend to take part in the Ananias Training. I was intrigued as to how I would benefit from it.

The Ananias Training has one overall aim to equip people to be an Ananias to other people within the Church and those with little or no faith, using the power of the Holy Spirit. In a similar way as what Ananias did with Saul in Acts 9: 10-19.

The meetings start by exploring how you share your own personal experience with your faith and the Holy Spirit without it being overwhelming or off-putting to another person. The training encourages you to listen more deeply to what another person is saying and gives you the confidence to ask the right questions that will tease out why we are often rebuked when talking about are faith.

I would encourage everyone to take part in the Ananias training, you might think it is not for you but it opens your eyes and mind as to why it can be difficult talking about our faith. It provides you with the confidence to talk freely about your faith and experiences without it coming across in a manner that can intimidate people, allowing them to begin their spiritual journey.

Breathing History

As part of our restoration of the Church, Heritage Lottery Funding has provided some funds for different projects which enable the Church to reach out to the wider community. Here Mr David Howarth, Head of History at Our Lady’s Catholic College, speaks about a project which is bringing the school and church together, past and present.

Our Lady’s history students have been involved in a fascinating local history project with St. Joseph’s Church since 2019.  We were delighted to be invited by Fr Philip in the summer of 2019, and since then have enjoyed a number of stimulating visits and opportunities to explore the rich local history on our doorstep.  Unfortunately, as the project was gathering momentum, and just after our visit to the Church in March 2020, the world went into lockdown and our project was stalled. We are, however, very hopeful that we can begin again as soon as we are able!

After our initial discussions about the project, our first task was to ‘train’ our students in the skills needed for local history research and in particular interviewing people about their memories.  A group of Y10 History students enjoyed a really interesting afternoon at Lancaster University in October 2019.  We worked with Dr. Sam Riches from the Regional History Department, who led us through some of the approaches required in conducting successful local history research.  We toured the thriving campus and visited the enormous library, met with enthusiastic History undergraduates, listened to archive recordings of Skerton residents who were born in the Victorian era, and practised our interview skills in preparation for our research.  The visit was really exciting and so good for our students, many from non-University backgrounds.  As passionate historians, it was great for them to see the potential opportunities and career paths open to students of history.  I think there was also a sense of pride that their local history was being studied, researched and archived at this academic level.

Following the University visit we took another group of students to St. Joseph’s, in November 2019.  A group of Y8, Y9 and Y10 historians enjoyed a really interesting talk from Ruth Baker, a local historian and writer who has subsequently published a marvellous book about the story and history of St. Joseph’s Church. The talk was about the local area from the time of Henry VIII to today, and the history of the local Catholic community.  We were also given a tour of some of the most historic parts of the church, heard the history behind the wonderful new icon dedicated to the Lancashire Martyrs, and were able to handle some items that dated back 500 years to the later Tudor era, a time when Catholics were being persecuted in England.  All in all it was a fascinating visit and the students showed great interest and excellent knowledge.  Again, it was so inspiring for our students to see the different contexts and careers an interest in history can lead to.  Added to this, the realisation that the ‘big’ history that they study at school has been played out so dramatically at a local level was a real eye-opener.  The students were particularly moved and inspired by the stories of the local Catholic community’s persecution, survival, and revival. 

Our next visit was in early March 2020, when our students had the fantastic opportunity to handle and study St. Joseph’s fascinating archive which dates back to the 19th Century. Amongst a wide range of documents, the students were really engaged by primary school registers from the early 20th Century, clippings from local newspapers detailing crimes that had occurred in the parish in the 1920s, tragic records of disease outbreaks during the First World War, and parish records that detailed the local reaction to events such as the evacuation of Dunkirk and VE Day.  We made archive records of what we had discovered and took photos so we can use the information in lessons.  The students had been handpicked by their teachers and showed why they had been chosen - they were really focused, impeccably behaved and showed a real love and appreciation for their history studies and the stories from our local area.

And then, unfortunately, the world changed!

When we are able to, and school life returns to some normality, the plan is as follows:

Organise interviews with some of the older parishioners to gather their memories of life in Skerton, the impact of WW2 and the social changes of the years that followed.  There are members of the congregation who have family links in the area going back several generations, and no doubt memories and stories linked to our school and to local primaries.  

Set up a website / Facebook page to gather the material so that other members of our local community can access and contribute.

Enjoy more visits to the Church allowing more students access to the archive, and use the materials in our history curriculum in school. 

 This project (so far) has shown that local history can be used to teach national and international history in a really rich and diverse way.  The history of Lancaster itself can reveal so much about our diverse island story, but we really are lucky to have St. Joseph’s on our doorstep.  The school, and our students, look forward to a long lasting historical relationship St. Joseph’s!

Ding Dong merrily on high!

Over the past couple of years, alot of work has gone into restoring our well-loved Church to its former glory. We were blessed to have received a Heritage Lottery Grant to help with the high level repairs, particularly at the gable ends, and the pointing and stabilising of the tower.

Within the tower is a 750 Kg Bell which has been out of action for many years now. From footage taken about ten years ago, you can see that when the bell is rung, the whole cradle of the bell begins to move in a frightening manner

In this Year of St Joseph, the aim is to restore this bell, to conserve and re-decorate the bell frame and bell fittings, to repair the bell wheel, and treat the metalwork items with rust inhibitor. This will enable the bell to be swung again and resound across our neighbourhood. Bells are important features of our life, reminding people of the presence of the Church in the world, celebrating the high feast days and occasions such as weddings, and marking those solemn moments too, such as at the funeral of a loved one. We also hope to install an electromagnetically-operated chime hammer to sound the bell for the Angelus at midday and at 6pm and to mark the moment of consecration during the Mass.

Having restored the rest of the Church, it would be remiss not to restore the bell too, and St Joseph’s is looking for donations to this project, that the bell of St Joseph may resound once again over Skerton. If you would like to donate and support this project, please make a cheque out payable to ‘St Joseph’s Church’, or contact Fr Philip for bank details.

Let there be Light!

Over these past five days we have been posting some stories of people’s lives, and how a course which is run at St Joseph’s called Alpha has literally been transforming people’s lives. Today, on this last day of the year, we hear from Robert who is from a farming background and who now teaches at Myerscough College.

This year I believe I have received the Holy Spirit and I have been given the strength to have a deeper understanding of my faith and share it with other people. Starting in September last year I was a group leader for one of the Alpha groups, following on from completing the meetings earlier in the year. This was repeated again in January with a new group.

However, during the Holy Spirit weekend at Castlerigg in March, we divided all the different meeting roles between all the group leaders attending. I volunteered to do the Prayer Ministry in the chapel on the Saturday evening, something I believe without the power of the Holy Spirit I would never have once considered.

During the lockdown period I became involved with different aspects of my faith. I co-ordinate the Angel Warriors prayer group, organise the technology for the online Alpha meetings and I now feel more confident talking about my faith and religion. However, the biggest change has been reading the Bible most days due in part to having more time, although I did feel it was something that was lacking before this having only ever read Mark and Luke’s Gospels. I have now completed reading the whole of the Bible from cover to cover. I don’t think I could have done any of this without having the support and power of the Holy Spirit. 

St Joseph’s is running its next Alpha Course, beginning on Thursday 14 January at 7pm online. Why not join us? From the comfort of your home you can join and watch the videos, share your own thoughts, and make new friends in what is a life-changing experience. For further details, email alphalancs@gmail.com

The Journey Home

Over these coming days we will be posting some stories of people’s lives, and how a course which is run at St Joseph’s called Alpha is literally transforming people’s lives. Today, we hear from Peter who is retired and recently moved to Caton.

I am a convert going back to my school days at St George’s College, Harare, Zimbabwe, and baptised in 1960. Back in 1983 I experienced an incredible infilling of Holy Spirit whilst alone in my vehicle on a long trip. I was sceptical whilst this was going on and I challenged God that if what I had experienced was of His Spirit He should immediately stop me from my smoking habit and my continual delving into porn. Needless to say this is exactly what happened as proof that it had happened whilst I was basking in this amazing experience. In 2002 I lapsed from going to Mass. I guess I was punishing the Church for allowing all the pedophilia that was coming to light amongst some of the clergy. But recently I moved to be with my son in Caton and tried Mass a few times in Caton but I lacked confidence to pull through. My daughter Hilary mentioned she was on an Alpha course at St Joseph’s and how fulfilling it was. Gavin, my son, and Hilary would go to Mass at St Joseph’s. In early February I was invited by them to come with them to Mass and my spirit and soul were zapped at that Mass. Churches were closed because of COVID and I discovered the many electronic activities of St Joseph’s during lockdown . I attended Electronic Mass every day thereafter and have my place back in the embrace of the Church, fully alive and refreshed having been to confession recently with Father Darren in Hornby as a starter. It is a crazy story that I have to tell.

St Joseph’s is running its next Alpha Course, beginning on Thursday 14 January at 7pm online. Why not join us? From the comfort of your home you can join and watch the videos, share your own thoughts, and make new friends in what is a life-changing experience. For further details, email alphalancs@gmail.com

In the footsteps of the Lord

Over these coming days we will be posting some stories of people’s lives, and how a course which is run at St Joseph’s called Alpha is literally transforming people’s lives. Today, we hear from Natalie who is a teacher.

Faith. I think for me it has been a gradual experience which has grown through a variety of experiences. I can say with honesty, years ago I attended Mass, I engaged fully with the time spent in church, but once I left the church building my contact with God was sporadic.

Things changed probably about 6 or 7 years ago: I begin to notice more, make connections and made a little more time for prayer outside of Mass. Five years ago, I changed my job which involved lots of travelling. This was time I spent quiet and alone and I was able to utilise this time for prayer. Prayer for various different reasons but my conversations with God were enhanced by the scenery which surrounded me on my journey through the Lake District.

I took the decision to enrol on the Catholic Certificate for Religious Studies (CCRS) which again was another opportunity to deepen my faith and understanding of my religion, my faith, the Bible and the Catechism. I started to make connections with what I was studying during the CCRS with the readings in Mass. It all began to make sense, became clearer and enhanced my relationship with my faith. I was fortunate to also attend the Kerygma course [a course similar to Alpha], again fulfilling my thirst for knowledge and gaining more understanding. It wasn’t until the last session where we gathered in the church to attend confession that I began to notice a shift. I came back from my confession (I always find confession challenging as it makes me incredibly emotional), and I sat down in the pew behind Martin. As I sat in the quiet of the church with the music playing quietly I knew the Holy Spirit was near; I could feel His presence near me. I have had similar moments like this but never one as visible. I felt the nearness of the Spirit and breath of the wind; it was an amazing moment but not one I chose to share with anyone. I sat there quite stunned and shocked and after the session had ended I left church and sat and pondered in my car. It was quite a moment and one I recall often during my quiet times.

From this moment, my relationship strengthened as I found myself engaging fully in the life of the church and community. I have always been a part but usually on the periphery, always willing to support but never really fully committing. Now I have engaged fully with my union, I read at Mass, I am a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and I try and help the parish as much as I can, family circumstances permitting. I don’t shy away from being open about my faith, I share it freely.

Then the pinnacle of my faith journey, I travelled on the parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land. When the trip was planned, I was applying for a promotion but unfortunately I wasn’t successful. I was disappointed at the time but I tried to convince myself that there was a higher reason, and that it wasn’t meant to be. How right I was - I would never have been able to attend this journey had I gained my promotion. From the moment we set off to the moment we arrived back in the UK, it was a total immersion. The people, the places, the sights and the celebration of Mass but above all the fact that we were walking in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Two places stood out for me: on our first day we climbed up to the Church of the visitation. I sat in the church and wept; I could imagine Mary visiting Elizabeth and the conversation with the Angel Gabriel. I felt the excitement of Mary that she had been chosen for that precious role. It was immense and when I lifted my head, several of the ladies were crying too. What an amazing experience!

The second place was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It makes me shudder when I remember the hustle and the bustle, the women barging to get through, the rudeness of people who called themselves Christians or were they? We entered into the tomb where Jesus lay and were pushed by the Orthodox Priest to pray on the tomb. It was a strange experience and I felt unfulfilled by the experience. Was this what Jesus would have wanted it to be like? I took myself off to stand quietly to one side, and watched the people dashing here and there. It was almost like slow motion until I was pulled towards the slab where Jesus’s dead body was laid when he was taken down from the cross. This rock was anointed in myrrh, and people were wiping cloths, head coverings and crucifixes with the oil. I knelt down to touch the rock and smothered my hand in the oils. I looked up at the large mural depicting Jesus laid out in death and being anointed. The moment passed, I felt calm and blessed as I made my way outside to meet the group waiting. Many of you may know that I have no sense of smell, but all of a sudden I smelt the myrrh. I was amazed, I smelt my hands, I was fascinated so I went back in with a clean cloth to gather some more of the oil. My sense of smell lasted for a short while but the memory of that moment is within my heart forever. I was able to fully participate using all of my senses for that short time. What a blessing from God.

St Joseph’s is running its next Alpha Course, beginning on Thursday 14 January at 7pm online. Why not join us? From the comfort of your home you can join and watch the videos, share your own thoughts, and make new friends in what is a life-changing experience. For further details, email alphalancs@gmail.com

Life Transforming!

Over these coming days we will be posting some stories of people’s lives, and how a course which is run at St Joseph’s called Alpha is literally transforming people’s lives. Today, we hear from Owen, a student who has just graduated from Lancaster University

My first involvement with St. Joseph’s was through Alpha. Before coming to Alpha, I was not baptised into any religion but practising Catholicism and going to Mass fairly often, but I was eager to have a better understanding of the faith. I loved Alpha from the off, but a highlight of Alpha was the weekend away. During this weekend up at Castlerigg, we had a time of prayer in the chapel and we asked to know the Holy Spirit. A few hours later that evening, I felt this overwhelming need to just tell people about Jesus and express my love for Him, and while I’d been a Christian before this, I didn’t have that close relationship with Jesus that I do now, and I don’t know if I’d have found it if it wasn’t for Alpha, St. Joseph’s, and Castlerigg. Alpha also directly led to me being baptised and received into the Church. I went on to become a helper with Alpha a year later and I am now a group leader. Alpha and St. Joseph’s really have changed my life for the better!

St Joseph’s is running its next Alpha Course, beginning on Thursday 14 January at 7pm online. Why not join us? From the comfort of your home you can join and watch the videos, share your own thoughts, and make new friends in what is a life-changing experience. For further details, email alphalancs@gmail.com

A miracle of healing

Over these coming days we will be posting some stories of people’s lives, and how a course which is run at St Joseph’s called Alpha is literally transforming people’s lives. Today, we hear from a young mother called Vicky…

In 2017, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It doesn’t run in my family and I was only twenty-nine years old. A week after my diagnosis, my husband and I found out I was pregnant; we were over the moon, but we realised that this had now become more of a complicated situation and my health was at risk. I’ve always had a faith but I certainly haven’t been a model Christian. After a couple of weeks, I lost that baby, and I did start to question what type of God would take away something so precious. A few months later I was told the cause of losing the baby was because I had another form of cancer called Peritoneal Mesothelioma, which is very rare but if I hadn’t lost that baby, it would not have been detected until it was too late.

I’ve got a friend who has no faith at all and she said to me one day, “Do you still believe in God after everything you’ve been through?” I remember thinking, ‘Well, I have this amazing husband and wonderful friends but this situation has become too much for me to fight on my own and I need to know there’s someone far greater than us to get me through this’.

I went on an Alpha Course organised at St Joseph’s, where you talk and listen to different people’s perspective on life and their perception of God, and, if I’m honest, I had heard you get a free meal and I did like that idea. A few weeks in, we stayed a night at Castlerigg, a retreat and conference centre in Keswick, and in those 24 hours my life changed forever.

At Castlerigg we were taken into a small chapel where we had quiet time to pray and I began praying for my husband and young daughter and that whatever was going to happen to me, that God would keep them safe. In the corner of my eye, I kept noticing a small statue of the Virgin Mary and as I started looking closely at it, I became uncontrollably emotional and I started to pray again but this time, it was like something was telling me to pray for what I really wanted deep down. Even though I knew the cancer was incurable, I just started asking God to save me and help heal my body. Then suddenly an overwhelming sense of warmth and comfort ran through my body. I instantly stopped crying and for the first time in months, I felt like everything was going to be OK. A couple of weeks earlier I had downloaded a Bible App but I had turned the notifications off. I went back to my room that night after this experience and my phone had a notification from this Bible App and it said Acts 11:14, Who shall tell you words, where by you and all your house shall be saved. Two months later, I had major surgery, a six hour operation and chemotherapy treatment. My surgeon said “I am so lucky because by some miracle, I am cured of Cancer”.

St Joseph’s is running its next Alpha Course, beginning on Thursday 14 January at 7pm online. Why not join us? From the comfort of your home you can join and watch the videos, share your own thoughts, and make new friends in what is a life-changing experience. For further details, email alphalancs@gmail.com

Love came down in Skerton

These are difficult times, but one of the good things to come out of all this Covid drama, is the way in which people are pulling together and reaching out to those in need in our midst. Just as Love came down from Heaven in Bethlehem, so love goes out to the ends of the earth. Here’s a little run-down of some good news:

1. With the support of 19 local businesses and friends the Melbourne Food Club launched a Christmas Operation which raised £1300 plus gift donations to provide good quality presents for over 70 local children and families. Together with St Joseph’s church the Food Club continues to regularly feed between 50 and 70 families a week, and over the course of this past year, Fareshare estimate that the Melbourne Food Club has created over 29,840 meals. From its surplus, Julie has been able to give food to to Hyning Hall Monastery, Walter Lyon House, Wildlife Oasis, Womans Aid, and Fathers House.

2. Little Joe’s Clothes Club which is run from St Joseph’s by Karen and Peter, and Veronica, and their team, have continued to support hundreds of families through this year, providing clothing for newly-born babies and children all the way up to the age of 10. Through the Little Joe’s Christmas Appeal, they have made Christmas magical for 33 families, providing toys for children.

3. St Joseph’s parish received a grant from Lancaster Community Fund and through the generosity of parishioners managed to provide 307 Christmas Boxes to families, donating them to Skerton Community Food Club, Melbourne Food Club, Ryelands Primary School, St Joseph’s Primary School and Our Lady’s Catholic College. Students from Lancaster and Morecambe College helped to prepare many of the boxes. As part of the Skerton Community Network, St Joseph’s also initiated a Christmas Card project, whereby the schools of the area have been making cards for the housebound and isolated members of our community, and set up a Christmas Family Trail around Skerton. And finally, our very own parish choir have created a playlist of Christmas Carols for Nazareth House and for the nursing and care homes of the area, and for the wider community so that everyone can enjoy the Christmas spirit.

Delivering Christmas Boxes to Ryelands Primary School

On behalf of everyone at St Joseph’s, Fr Philip would like to thank the amazing work of the parish and all her collaborators, as we seek not to live for ourselves but for all those around us, especially those who are struggling most at this time. If anyone has any prayer intentions or if you need some more practical help, please do not hesitate to contact our team of Prayer Warriors and our Guardian Angel initiative. And have a wonderful Christmas to you all!!!