England: permanent deacons increasingAccording to the latest statistics on vocations, reported by the Catholic weekly “The Tablet”, the number of permanent deacons in England and Wales will exceed that of priests this year. Sixteen priests will be ordained in 2009, compared with 50 deacons who will be ordained this summer. “We’ve seen a constant increase in the numbers”, explained Father Peter Edwards, director of the Permanent Deacons Training Programme in nine dioceses in England and Wales. “It’s an interesting development, because not much is being done to promote the diaconate in the same way that other vocations are being promoted”, he added, “although this vocation must not come to be considered as a surrogate for the priesthood”. The number of permanent deacons has indeed seen a considerable growth in recent years. Only ten years ago the archdioceses of Westminster and Cardiff had no permanent deacons at all. Today there are deacons in every diocese with the exception of Salford. “We can see that the idea of the diaconate is being consolidated”, said Father Ashley Beck, chairman of the national assembly of permanent deacons, “people are coming forward in response to the shortage of priests although the diaconate is a vocation in itself”. In 2008 there were 27 ordinations of priests in England and Wales, compared with only 15 in 2007. At the present time there are 136 seminarians studying for the priesthood and 15 in pre-seminary. There are 125 persons preparing to become permanent deacons; the period of training involved lasts three years.Scotland: Pro-Life Day on 31 MayPro-Life Sunday, which is celebrated in Scottish Catholic parishes on 31 May, is dedicated this year to the theme of suicide. The brochures disseminated for Pro-Life Day contain a series of reflections on the theme and offer advice and counselling through the various charities, such as the “Samaritans”, which help those who suffer from depression, and also through the services of parish priests who are able to offer pastoral and social support for those who are thinking of taking their own life. “We thank you, Lord, for the gift of life. Help us to appreciate the unique dignity of each and every human person and the individual contribution they each make to the world to fulfil the task you entrusted to them. Enable us with your grace to promote their well-being by mutually serving each other in a spirit of generosity through Christ Jesus”, says a prayer written for the occasion and quoted in one of the brochures. The issue of the defence of life is very much in the news in Scotland at the present time: a bill on assisted suicide, presented by the Scottish MP Margo MacDonald, will be discussed by the healthcare committee of the Scottish Parliament later this year. According to the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, which forms part of the Pro-Life movement in Scotland, the proposal is “dangerous” because the suicide rate is already higher in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK. According to the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, the bill, if approved, would make suicide an acceptable option and change the way in which disease and disability are viewed by society.Luxembourg: thousands to join the dancing processionThe “Dancing Procession” will take place in Luxembourg on 2 June, Pentecost Tuesday. This is a traditional event that involves thousands of pilgrims in honour of St. Willibrord (658-739). In the little town of Echternach, some 12-14,000 pilgrims annually take part in the procession, somersaulting, jumping and dancing as they go on their way, accompanied to the tune of an ancient popular melody known throughout Europe, in a number of variants. The procession will start out from the courtyard of the abbey at 8.30 am, after listening to a short welcoming address by Archbishop Fernand Franck of Luxembourg. It will then wind its way through the streets of Echternach. The arrival of the last group in front of the basilica is expected at roughly one o’clock. Further info: www.willibrord.lu.
