A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Good morning

Yesterday’s feast of St Clare and today’s of St Jane Frances de Chantal got me thinking about the role of women with the Church. It’s probably not appropriate to get involved in too many arguments here about whether we should now have women priests or deacons but it is an opportunity to reflect on the massive contribution that women have made to the Church and to civic society worldwide, particularly through the pioneering work of women religious.

The list is enormous: medicine and nursing, chaplaincy to hospitals, education of children and adults, the care of the poor and the sick, care of the most vulnerable adults and children, missionary evangelisation, the spiritual formation of young and old, often going to those places where even ‘angels fear to tread’. We would not have our culture and civilisation as we know it without the tremendous witness, dedication and giftedness of so many women of different backgrounds, languages and cultures.

St Clare wanted to follow the example of St Francis but was made to form her community within a cloister - the Poor Clares. Likewise St Jane who had had 6 children and managed her husband’s great estate wanted to serve the widows and orphans of her region in France which she did for a number of years before being cloistered. Thankfully, that pattern changed as the centuries went on and their apostolic endeavours embraced all aspects of human life - 'reaching out to Jesus in his most distressing disguise’. (Mother Theresa)

Our own sisters (FMSJ) have a wonderful track record as missionaries of various hues right across the world, in this country, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America - they are a blessing on our parish and diocese.

We owe women religious an enormous debt of gratitude and we need to keep praying for vocations to both the active and contemplative life - the Church runs on half a tank only if we don’t have women in positions of leadership in its various forms. It is worth noting that Pope Francis has recently been appointing more and more women to the Vatican civil service in his programme of reform.

'The appointees will serve in the 15-person Council for the Economy. Francis created the Council in 2014 as an international group to oversee the Vatican’s finances and set financial policy. The appointment of so many new women is the pope’s latest move to fix the gender imbalance at the Vatican. So far, he has named women for deputy foreign minister, director of the Vatican Museums and deputy head of the Vatican Press Office, as well as an additional four women as councillors to the Synod of Bishops.’ (VOA)

Let us pray for the young women (and men) of this parish, that they will be attentive to the presence of God in their lives and to respond to his call with courage and generosity.

St Joseph, pray for us

Every blessing

Fr John

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