cHURCHES IN BRIEF
Germany: pastoral letters for LentThe dialogue on the Church reforms is the main focus of the pastoral letters for Lent, written by the German bishops and read out last Sunday in all German dioceses on the eve of the plenary assembly that began in Paderborn on March 14th. Mgr Robert Zollitsch, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, invited the faithful of the archdiocese of Freiburg to take part in the process of dialogue on the future of the Catholic Church. “The Lenten season is a particularly propitious time to assess the spiritual situation in our communities”, wrote Mgr Zollitsch. Mgr Gerhard Feige (Magdeburg) expressed the hope for “a sincere and frank dialogue”. Card. Reinhard Marx (Munich) highlighted the need for a “debate on the reforms, for a spiritual renewal” and for “greater courage in undertaking new paths”, but remaining rooted “in the great tradition and in the faith”. Mgr Ludwig Schick (Bamberg) reaffirmed that the Church must accept “justified criticism” and reject “unjustified criticism”, bearing in mind that “penance and conversion should become again fundamental to us Christians and to the whole Church”. Mgr Gebhard Fürst (Rottenburg) finally observed: “the pre-Lenten period could become a ‘spiritual door’ for the process of dialogue on the Church reforms”.England: Day of prayer for DementiaOn March 19 will be celebrated the national Day of Prayer for Dementia, a pathology involving over 820,000 people in the UK. According to estimates, 1 in 25 are aged 70-79 years. ” “I am very pleased to commend the Day of Prayer for Dementia on 19th March”, said the Archbishop of Birmingham, Msgr. Bernard Longley. “It is a way of highlighting the daily struggle that many people experience just to keep going on life’s path and it is a good opportunity for us to ask Our Lord to strengthen them on their pilgrimage of faith. It is also a way of encouraging each of us to be a support and understanding friend to those who experience dementia and those who take care of them”. It is an initiative of the “Pastoral care Project” charity, which provides assistance to people affected by dementia since 1994. The charity enjoys the support of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales Mental Health Project 2010-2012. Resources for parishes, organizations and schools can be downloaded from www.dayofprayerfordementia.org.uk. The Project will be giving assemblies in several schools and are also so encouraged by the number of care homes asking to take part and to do something special in the lead up to the Day on 19th March. The theme is ‘Wear Yellow’, and everyone is encouraged to use yellow ribbons, balloons, and music to encourage friendship. Various ideas and resources can be downloaded from the website. A live prayer is available on the website and on You Tube to reach a wider audience. “It is such a privilege for everyone associated with the Project to be with the person who is vulnerable. In their forgetfulness of time or place there is the moment during prayer or sacramental liturgy when they have a deep sense of knowing that the Lord is present – they are receptive to the Holy Spirit and share this love with us. The sick and the elderly have a great deal to teach us”, the charity declared.Spain: on line shop for the DayThe online store of World Youth Day, where people can buy the official products of WYD, is already open. Among them T-shirts, hats, laptop bags, computer mouses, key rings, and a book with the stories of those who have participated in one of the 25 WYDs celebrated so far. As many as 40 products will be made available over the next few months. The prices range from 1 to 30 euro. “The idea to open a WYD online store comes from the many requests we have received from young people from all over the world who want to have a souvenir of World Youth Day – said Anne Merche Muñoz in charge of the WYD store – both because they will not be able to take part, and because they want to be an active part of the meeting in the months preceding the event”. Young people themselves have chosen some of the products of the store by expressing their preferences in a forum on Facebook. The WYD store works with more than 20 Spanish no-profit institutions and companies. Among the foundations collaborating in the production of some of the products: a project by Caritas supporting women in situations of social exclusion; the John Paul II Foundation, whose work is to improve the life quality of adults with mental disabilities; the “Summa Humanitate” Foundation; and the NGO “one kilo of help for education”.
