A Wave of Hope, from Truro!

A “Wave of Hope” banner will go up at Our Lady of the Portal church from Tuesday 1st June onwards, visible from the street below and the Trafalgar roundabout. It will include hands made by parishioners, in a big wave of our hope for a healthier, fairer and greener world. Thank you to Fr John for permission to put this up.

It forms part of a Cornwall-wide initiative to send a message to the G7 Conference delegates, advocating for people on the margins and living in poverty. The Conference will be meeting in Carbis Bay from 11th to 13th June, where they will also see a display of waving hands representing churches and faith organisations from all over Cornwall, including ours.

If you haven’t sent a hand but want to actively join in this initiative exercising “the prophetic voice of the church in support of stewardship and appropriate environmental action”, please let us know on theportico@icloud.com and give us your “hand” by Monday evening (so better get drawing!)

Catechist: an Ancient Ministry made new

Pope Francis announced great news for parish ministry last Wednesday morning in Rome: he is establishing an official lay ministry of Catechist. The Holy Father wants to officially sanction the role of the hardworking parishioners who help to pass on the faith, giving them an official responsibility and recognising their talents. Our parish catechists are in the frontline of supporting enquirers,  families and children in their journey of faith.

This continues the recovery of an understanding that has existed in the church since the earliest times and that the “A Precious Place” project will try to restore: that true parish ministry is about collaboration and working as a team. Parish Catechists are a vital part of that team – their work, especially communion and confirmation classes, lies at the heart of sustaining a good parish. Catechists offer our young people a vision and view for the future, and are in a unique position to LISTEN to what our young people are saying to us. 

It is wonderful to think that we will be able to come together as a community to witness our Catechists offer their services in the same way that our Lectors (Readers) and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion do.

As the Pope observed: “Being a catechist is a vocation … and is a true and genuine ministry in the church” (20/09/2018)

The Pope’s Apostolic Letter ‘Antiquum Ministerium’ (Ancient Ministry) is on the Vatican website: HERE

Acknowledgement: this post is substantially based on an article by Fr Gerry O’Shaughnessy SDB on 11 May 2021 on http://www.salesians.org.uk

G7 Conference: Wave of Hope

CAFOD, Christian Aid and Tearfund are asking churches in Cornwall to send a strong message to world leaders who will attend the G7 Conference in Cornwall next month, urging a response to the Climate Emergency. 

They say, “We would like to start a ‘Wave of Hope’ across the County and ask all churches to make a display of HANDS outside each church in the fortnight ahead of the G7.” 

If you can display a waving hand at home, please send a photo to theportico@icloud.com for us to publicise more widely.

Hands from churches all over Cornwall will also form a Wave of Hope display which will be put up on St Anta church in Carbis Bay for all G7 delegates to witness, several times a day!  If anyone wants to lend us a ‘hand’ making a one to send representing Truro, let us know!

Other ideas for action can be found in the Wave of Action Supporters Guide on our “Editions”.

A Precious Place – Restart Event

On Saturday,  Bishop Mark introduced a Precious Place relaunch event attended by 200+ clergy and laypeople from our Diocese. Michael Dobbs from Ottawa was the main speaker for both sessions, which also included smaller discussion groups.  They impressed on us the immediacy and priority of our co-responsibility as clergy and laity to “go and make disciples”, and that this takes place in “the parish” where we live out our faith. 

Talk and discussion also focused on issues such as what success looks like, what is a “church on fire” with the holy spirit, and conditions needed for parish renewal.

How can we become that joyful, vibrant, prayerful community which draws others into a knowledge of Christ? This is the central challenge we were asked to take back into our parishes.  However, in order to set goals for the future, we have to know where we are today. We need a really honest review of our current state as a parish (no blame; no judgement) – only then can we make a plan to become truly a ‘church on fire’. This is the next step in the Precious Place parish restructuring review.

May: Month of Mary

Flores de Mayo 

(Spanish for “flowers of May”) is a festival that originated in the Philippines. It is one of the devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and continues for the entire year. This lovely photo of Rita and Tony Barber was taken when this event was celebrated here in Truro a few years ago – thanks to Ginny for the photo.

Pope opens Marathon of Prayer with Rosary

This month sees a Marathon of Prayer, when each day the Rosary is said in a different Marian shrine. 31 Marian Shrines around the world will take part in this Marathon. 

“At the beginning of this month dedicated to Our Lady,” the Holy Father said at the launch, “We join together in prayer with all the sanctuaries spread throughout the whole world, with the faithful, and with all persons of good will, to entrust into the hands of our Holy Mother the whole human race, sorely tried by this period of pandemic.” At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Holy Father blessed special Rosaries which will be sent to the shrines taking part.

All the faithful during the month of May unite in the recitation of the Holy Rosary to ask for the end of the pandemic and the resumption of social and work activities. Details on the Vatican website here.

Diocesan Environmental Policy

Bishop Mark has published our first Diocesan Environmental Policy, agreed by the Trustees in January. Issued in response to The Catholic Bishop’s Conference document “Call of Creation” the policy “promotes serious reflection on our relationship with God, with our neighbour and with the earth through the way we manage our resources as a Church and School community” and is firmly rooted in the principles set out in Laudato Si as well as Fratelli Tutti. 

Links to full texts are below:

Bishop Mark’s Pastoral Message &

Environmental Policy Document.

Thy Kingdom Come

13 – 23 May 2021

 Bishop Mark is encouraging us to participate in the Thy Kingdom Come global Christian initiative. He writes: “the period between the Ascension and Pentecost has always been a most precious time for Christian believers. For Catholics, those nine days, we often pray the Novena of the Holy Spirit.” He urges us to visit the website for resources for both adults and children, that help us “to pray, during that period, for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit”

Bishop Mark’s message: here

website: Thy Kingdom Come

Memories of Tremough Convent School

Les Filles de le Croix, a religious order founded in France in 1641, included in its mission providing girls with the same educational opportunities as boys. At the beginning of the second world war, the Sisters had a school in Falmouth, but wanted to open for boarders. They bought Tremough and the school opened in 1943. 

 In 1970, I was a newly qualified teacher seeking a post in Cornwall. A lecturer told me about Tremough Convent – I thought the chances of a vacancy for a Maths teacher were remote, but he kept asking if I had heard, so I applied, to show that I had tried. I could not have known that my letter of application would arrive on the same day a Maths teacher announced that she wished to retire! – and so in due course I was appointed. I was delighted but did not expect to stay for more than a year or two – I remained for twenty eight. 

The academic standard was good and the secret was excellent discipline – not oppressive, but it was the norm.  New pupils did not always come with good manners and behaviour, but they soon adapted. Teachers had a warm relationship with the pupils and the whole atmosphere lent itself to high standards of behaviour, academic achievement and university entrance. It was a very special place.  The Sisters set standards of love and care which permeated the whole school.  The atmosphere of kindness and welcome was almost tangible. 

Sadly, times change. Many boarders were sponsored by the armed forces and when their criteria changed, numbers reduced.  At the same time, a boys’ school became co-ed and parents with both boys and girls preferred them to attend the same school.  The Sisters sacrificed so much to keep the school open, but could not ward off the inevitable. Tremough closed, with much grief and sadness, in July 1998. My time there was one of unfailing joy. I miss it still and it is a pleasure to hear how, after all these years, past pupils speak so highly of their time at Tremough.

Monica Biscoe

A Truro Wedding, at last!

Helen and Christian finally got married at Our Lady of the Portal Church on 17th April, after several postponements due to the pandemic. Helen is of course familiar as a regular singer in the church choir and has even been known to perform for us with her ukulele!

Helen’s mum Evelyne writes “I can’t thank Fr John, Rosemary and Genevieve enough for their kindness – they even brought out a chair for Wyn to sit on as she was determined to throw petals over the couple when they came out. We really hope to give a party for the parish when the Covid restrictions are lifted.”

Our best wishes and prayers to Helen and Christian as they start their life together.