Jubilee Year message of hope will be proclaimed at the Fringe

Jubilee Year message of hope will be proclaimed at the Fringe

By Ronnie Convery

The message of Pope Leo for this Holy Year – that ‘Hope does not disappoint’ – is to be proclaimed loud and clear at this summer’s Edinburgh Festival thanks to a new AGAP play.

The play, entitled ‘Pilgrim of Hope’ has been encouraged by the Vatican’s Culture Office and last month also won the enthusiastic backing of the Papal Nuncio during his visit to Glasgow.

In the drama, the main character (played by Artistic Director Stephen Callaghan) begins a quest that will take him through an array of quirky situations as he attempts to answer the question: where does one find hope today?

It has been described as ‘a funny, poignant fable about life, death, air-fryers and one man’s search for hope’.

This will be the third Edinburgh Festival run for AGAP in its role of evangelising culture by taking the Christian message to worlds unfamiliar with the vision of the Church.

Tickets at: https://res.cthearts.com/event/34:5017/

The indignity of Dungavel

By Ronnie Convery

The plight of desperate asylum seekers being held in a former castle in the remote countryside of Lanarkshire was highlighted last month.

Archbishop Nolan joined supporters of Justice and Peace Scotland on Fathers’ Day to protest at the unlimited detention to which more than 100 men and women inside the unit are subjected.

Deportation

The so-called ‘Removal Centre’ at Dungavel House is intended to hold asylum seekers awaiting deportation.

But in recent years more than half of those being held have successfully appealed their sentence and won the right to remain.

The Archbishop said: “These people are being held inside for the simple reason that they are foreigners who have come to this country. They may have come to escape violence or poverty in their homelands.

“Today is Fathers Day and inside, behind the barbed wire, are young fathers separated from their families who are not allowed to see their children. They are locked up and they don’t know how long they will be locked up for. They are detained and there is no limit to that detention. That is not treating people with dignity.”

The protesters prayed outside the detention centre and left notes and small gifts to show solidarity with those held against their will inside.

Pope’s ambassador visits Archdiocese of Glasgow

By Ronnie Convery

The Pope’s representative to Great Britain was given a traditional Glasgow welcome as he paid his first visit to the Archdiocese since being appointed.

Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía saw a broad spectrum of the life of the Archdiocese during his visit, including leading the annual Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Croy.

It was a proud moment for the former mining village to have Pope Leo’s ambassador lead the celebrations which saw a special flotilla carrying the Blessed Sacrament following a long procession of parishioners and first communicants (right).

The Nuncio also visited Barlinnie Prison to see the chaplaincy work being done there and spent time with the Carmelite Sisters, visited the University, and Glasgow Cathedral.

Arts

In a meeting with groups working in the field of evanglisation he singled out for special praise the Arts Project, AGAP. He said: “I have never come across this kind of activity in other dioceses. It is so important to evangelise the world of culture and I was very impressed by what I heard and saw.”

The Nuncio was in Glasgow just a week after meeting the new Holy Father who had called the world’s nuncios to Rome. He outlined the key qualities of the Pope which, he said, offered as insight into the Holy Father’s approach.

“He is a man of God. A calm person who listens before making decisions. He is a man of the people who has had direct pastoral experience of people’s lives as a missionary and a bishop in Peru.

“He is a man with experience of governing with charity after leading the Augustinian Order for many years. He is a man of his time with pastoral insight who is keenly aware of the digital challenge and the issues of Artificial Intelligence.

“He is neither a progressive nor a liberal – these labels have no meaning in the Church.

“Rather he is a man of God whose agenda is to bring people to encounter Jesus Christ.”

The young heroes who are not afraid to put their faith into action

By Brian Swanson

It’s just before one o clock on a sunlit afternoon on the banks of the Clyde and apart from a smattering of stewards lining up outside the Armadillo it seems a day like any other. Nothing to see here…

Then the hiss of air brakes heralds the arrival of the first bus load of Caritas Award winners as the class of 2025, immaculate in their blazers, tumble out of their hired coaches, mobile phones at the ready, clearly buzzing with noisy excitement.

An excitement, it must be said, that was not confined to pupils. Class teachers, school chaplains, education officials, parents and grandparents, mingled with more than a few bishops in a faith filled atmosphere of shared pride. 

The Caritas Awards Ceremony was back to where it began 11 years ago. In that first year medals were awarded to 450 young people, regarded as a modest but deeply encouraging figure with potential for future growth.

And so it proved.

This year, medals were presented to no fewer than 2100 youngsters from 60 centres – a term used because some areas of Scotland do not have Catholic Secondary schools.

The awards were instigated after Pope Benedict XVI famously urged young people to become ‘saints of the 21st century’ during his visit 14 years ago.

That challenge was immediately and enthusiastically taken up by the Bishops’ Conference and the Scottish Catholic Education Service and since then, these young saints have been marching on, in impressively growing numbers, receiving awards for work they did with parishes, church organisations, school communities and as individuals.

Once again the eagerly-awaited event was hosted by husband and wife broadcasters David and Maura Currie, both parishioners of St Charles Borromeo in Paisley, who have loyally given their time since the very first ceremony and who changed their holiday plans this year to watch their son Andrew, a pupil at St Andrew’s Secondary in Paisley, receive his Caritas medal.

But before that it was time for the traditional march of the school banners with David and Maura encouraging the pupils to ‘raise the roof’ with their cheers – a request that, given the upbeat mood in a hall filled with faith, seemed almost superfluous.

Changed

Then it was time to hear of the many unique ways, often reflecting the way the world has changed, that young people have undertaken to help strengthen their faith and that of others.

When the Caritas programme began there were no foodbanks, no energy crisis, no Covid epidemic, but each generation of Caritas pupils has responded to the world as they found it, and, in the words of scripture, clothed themselves in compassion.

This included works of charity including volunteering at food banks, raising money for schools in countries facing appalling poverty cause by war, famine and disease, writing letters of welcome to refugees, sending birthday cards to residents in care homes, and ‘adopting’ parishes.

Some raised money with sponsored climbs, cycle rides, and litter picking. Others worked with the Wayside Club, in Glasgow, or held the hands of those in hospices. Yet more worked in community cafes, and collected money in a variety of novel ways so that children with additional needs could enjoy pilgrimages to Lourdes.

Some ran eco-projects, helped out in homeless shelters, visited the sick and housebound, assisted with the children’s liturgy, read at Mass in parishes and schools or helped younger pupils with literacy and numeracy.

Other groups recycled prom dresses and cleaned and repaired school uniforms to help those facing hardship because of rising energy and food prices.

But, as speaker after speaker pointed out, the award ceremony was not the end of a journey but a beginning.

And as one observer noted as the crowds drifted away it was about time we took pride in the collective faith of our young people upon whose future the Church relies.

And if ever there was a time and a place to show that collective pride it was inside that cavernous hall on the banks of the Clyde more used to hosting rock concerts, pantomimes, and conferences.

The annual Caritas awards ceremony, let there be no doubt, remains a joyful and eagerly anticipated fixture in the calendar of our Catholic schools. And long may it continue!