Llandudno -
Our Lady Star of
the Sea
Parish Priest: Fr Antony Jones STL - Telephone: 01492 860546 [Email]
Sunday, February 11th, 2007 (6 C)
Dear Parishioner,
I’m worried. I’m worried about the young Poles who have come to live among us. The town seems to be full of them. They are in all the restaurants, all the shops, you see them in the streets, the boarding houses are jam-packed with them – the only place where you don’t see much of them is the church.
Pope John Paul II is currently turning in his grave. His great love was for the Church’s young people, and, especially, the young people of his native Poland. He so wanted them to keep faithful to the Church and to enrich it with all their enthusiasm and vision, and to be enriched in turn, more than ever they could imagine.
There are, of course, a minority of Poles living among us who do come regularly to church – our organist, Irek, is a good example. These are very faithful, the kind of young people the late Pope would have been proud of.
We are talking about young men and women who have been brought up in a country where Christian values are still the values of society as a whole. These young people have spent their adolescent years where Christianity was respected and reverenced, not ridiculed and rejected, as it is among us. For this reason, there is more hope of getting these young people back to recognising the intrinsic values of Catholicism than there is with regard to our own young people.
In this country we, with our secular and godless ways, have virtually lost a couple of generations of Catholics. This is not always the fault of the parents, for many have done their uttermost to instil the Faith into their children; it is the fault of the caustic and erosive society in which our young people are growing up. With the Poles there is a better chance.
Every single one of us has a responsibility in this regard. We cannot afford to forget what our Catholic Faith has to offer. As St Paul says, we are under obligation to everyone to protect and share this treasure.
I’m wondering whether the way forward is to meet with these young Poles who do practice their faith and let them talk. I have put into my diary Thursday, 22 February, 730pm at Stella Maris. Will you come along? There are lots of things we can talk about. How can the immigrant Poles further enrich our parish community? How can our parish community further support and help them? Could there be a Polish Club of some sort formed? Could we help with language problems? Could there be a Polish Mass arranged? Is there room for some Polish customs and celebrations to find new life within our parish?
My anxiety about the Poles is equally matched by my anxiety about the Filipinos. “Where have all the Filipinos gone?” Pete Seeger could well have sung. We did try such initiatives with them, but they came to nothing. Just observe the corrosive power of our society!
And with the indigenous young people of our Parish – what are we doing about them? Our best, I hope. But the responsibility on us all is heavy. I am greatly heartened by the way the Altar Servers have become a very significant youth group within our parish family. I am grateful to the catechists who try to instil Catholic doctrine into those 11 to 13 year olds who make the effort to attend.
For the “older young people” there is a diocesan trip to Taize being arranged. Fr Andrew and Mr Mike Hendry (of this parish) are the motive force behind it. It is scheduled for the week 21 -28 July. Travelling by coach, it will cost £160, which will cover transport and food. You will need to take your own tent. The lower age limit is eighteen. If you are interested, and it would be an experience of a life-time, give Fr Andrew a ring on 01352 7131181.
Our society is coming undone at the seams and our young people are suffering as a result. The Church keeps reminding us that the glue that keeps society together is marriage, that life-commitment to be there for the other person and the children. Next Sunday at 4pm we have our annual Service of the Renewal of Marriage Vows. Open to everyone, it is a Cytun service led by the Rev Jane Allen and myself. Please get the message out to others and come yourself. And after the short service, there will be opportunity at Stella Maris to toast the health of your beloved.
God bless you, Fr Antony Jones
Parish Priest: Fr Antony Jones STL - Telephone: 01492 860546 [Email]
Sunday, February 11th, 2007 (6 C)
Dear Parishioner,
I’m worried. I’m worried about the young Poles who have come to live among us. The town seems to be full of them. They are in all the restaurants, all the shops, you see them in the streets, the boarding houses are jam-packed with them – the only place where you don’t see much of them is the church.
Pope John Paul II is currently turning in his grave. His great love was for the Church’s young people, and, especially, the young people of his native Poland. He so wanted them to keep faithful to the Church and to enrich it with all their enthusiasm and vision, and to be enriched in turn, more than ever they could imagine.
There are, of course, a minority of Poles living among us who do come regularly to church – our organist, Irek, is a good example. These are very faithful, the kind of young people the late Pope would have been proud of.
We are talking about young men and women who have been brought up in a country where Christian values are still the values of society as a whole. These young people have spent their adolescent years where Christianity was respected and reverenced, not ridiculed and rejected, as it is among us. For this reason, there is more hope of getting these young people back to recognising the intrinsic values of Catholicism than there is with regard to our own young people.
In this country we, with our secular and godless ways, have virtually lost a couple of generations of Catholics. This is not always the fault of the parents, for many have done their uttermost to instil the Faith into their children; it is the fault of the caustic and erosive society in which our young people are growing up. With the Poles there is a better chance.
Every single one of us has a responsibility in this regard. We cannot afford to forget what our Catholic Faith has to offer. As St Paul says, we are under obligation to everyone to protect and share this treasure.
I’m wondering whether the way forward is to meet with these young Poles who do practice their faith and let them talk. I have put into my diary Thursday, 22 February, 730pm at Stella Maris. Will you come along? There are lots of things we can talk about. How can the immigrant Poles further enrich our parish community? How can our parish community further support and help them? Could there be a Polish Club of some sort formed? Could we help with language problems? Could there be a Polish Mass arranged? Is there room for some Polish customs and celebrations to find new life within our parish?
My anxiety about the Poles is equally matched by my anxiety about the Filipinos. “Where have all the Filipinos gone?” Pete Seeger could well have sung. We did try such initiatives with them, but they came to nothing. Just observe the corrosive power of our society!
And with the indigenous young people of our Parish – what are we doing about them? Our best, I hope. But the responsibility on us all is heavy. I am greatly heartened by the way the Altar Servers have become a very significant youth group within our parish family. I am grateful to the catechists who try to instil Catholic doctrine into those 11 to 13 year olds who make the effort to attend.
For the “older young people” there is a diocesan trip to Taize being arranged. Fr Andrew and Mr Mike Hendry (of this parish) are the motive force behind it. It is scheduled for the week 21 -28 July. Travelling by coach, it will cost £160, which will cover transport and food. You will need to take your own tent. The lower age limit is eighteen. If you are interested, and it would be an experience of a life-time, give Fr Andrew a ring on 01352 7131181.
Our society is coming undone at the seams and our young people are suffering as a result. The Church keeps reminding us that the glue that keeps society together is marriage, that life-commitment to be there for the other person and the children. Next Sunday at 4pm we have our annual Service of the Renewal of Marriage Vows. Open to everyone, it is a Cytun service led by the Rev Jane Allen and myself. Please get the message out to others and come yourself. And after the short service, there will be opportunity at Stella Maris to toast the health of your beloved.
God bless you, Fr Antony Jones