Newsletter 17th July 2022
Dear All, it was a very joyful Celebration on Friday last, 8th July, for the Filipino Community as they gathered for Mass and Social at Corpus Christi, Stechford, Birmingham. Archbishop Longley and a number of concelebrants, including the Chaplain Father Fretch Ballesteros, celebrated Mass with the people giving thanks for 500 years of the Faith in the Philippines, and now carried to the wider world by the Filipino Diaspora, in joy and happiness. The Filipino communities have been growing recently with an influx to the health sector from Saudi and Dubai. See the account of the Filipino Chaplaincy Celebration on the Diocesean Website (https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/news/the-filipino-chaplaincy-celebrating-500-years-of-christianity-in-the-philippines) and soon on our own Our Lady of Good Counsel Ethnic Chaplaincies Website.
More recently we have had a request for a monthly Mass in Tamil for people from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Happily we already have Tamil speaking priests ready to take responsibility for a monthly Mass. We are hoping to have arrangements in place shortly.
I have spoken with Archbishop Bernard about the upcoming Intercultural Mass in October. Having held the last Celebration in Coventry (on the occasion of it being the UK City of Culture) we are thinking of celebrating the next Intercultural Mass in the North of the Diocese. Please be in touch if you would like to help with organising of this.
With all good wishes and prayers for your Ministry,
Mgr Daniel McHugh. Co-ordinator for Ethnic Chaplaincies in the Archdiocese.
Newsletter 1oth July
Dear All, it is the time of the year when I begin thinking about the October Intercultural Mass, when we celebrate our Faith in many languages, our unity as a Church made up of many peoples at local level. Last year we moved from Birmingham to Coventry (marking its being UK City of Culture) and that was a great experience thanks to support from the local Deanery and different Ethnic Priests serving the Church there. This October I am hoping we can celebrate the Intercultural Mass in the North of the Diocese so I have begun to put out feelers: it will be an opportunity to celebrate the many Ethnic Communities of the Church there and to give thanks for the contribution the Church makes to bringing peoples together across the world in “One World Week” – the annual celebration originating with the Churches – in the Week of United Nations Day.
Tomorrow, Friday 8 July, we celebrate 500 Years of the sowing of the Christian Faith in the Philippines. Please remember the Filipino Diaspora Community in your prayers: they contribute so much to life across the world, not least in the quiet way they live their Faith in the Eucharist, bringing their joy to all.
With all good wishes and prayers for your Ministry,
Mgr Daniel McHugh. Co-ordinator for Ethnic Chaplaincies in the Archdiocese.
3rd July
Dear All, I am looking forward to celebrating 500 years of the sowing of the Catholic Faith in the Philippines on Friday next, 8th July, at 7pm, in Corpus Christi, Stechford, Birmingham. Archbishop Bernard will celebrate the Mass and you Priests of the Ethnic Chaplaincies, Eparchies and Missions are welcome to come. Father Fretch Ballesteros SDV is now the Chaplain in Birmingham and, together with Father Vitalis Barik SDV, Parish Priest at Corpus Christi, is hosting the Mass which will be followed by Social Time with Refreshments. The Filipino Community is prominent, especially in Health and Social Care in the UK, and we look forward to celebrating their important contribution to our Catholic life in the Archdiocese. I am attaching a flyer Celebrating 500 Years Flyer which you may wish to use in asking your people to pray in Thanksgiving with us.
Last Sunday, 26th June, the Hong Kong people held a lovely Family Afternoon in St George and St Teresa, Dorridge. We have been conscious that in the Midlands area many have not been able to get places in Catholic Schools. The purpose of the Family Afternoon was to place more emphasis on the Family as a place for Catechesis. We are just at the beginning of working out how to take this forward so any advice you have from your experience of Catechesis and Formation in your Community will be most welcome. We were assisted by Lianne Pap, Marriage and Family Life Co-ordinator. Thankfully the World Meeting of Families was taking place in Rome (22nd– 26th June) and I was able to draw on the online resources for this when I prepared my Reflection given during the half-hour of Prayer and Adoration; I am attaching it (next week it will be available as a Podcast) Welcoming Hong Kongers Family Afternoon Podcast.
I am sending you a flyer advertising the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady Pilgrimage Hednesford Pilgrimageto Our Lady or Lourdes Shrine at Hednesford on 14th August. Fr Jeremy invited me to give the Homily on this occasion; and there will be speakers too from Aid to the Church in Need on the Suffering Church. Please draw this Mass to the attention of your people. It would be great to see the Ethnic Chaplaincies well represented.
I am attaching my weekly Reflection 14th Week of Ordinary Timewhich I hope you will find helpful.
With all good wishes and prayers for your Ministry,
Mgr Daniel McHugh. Co-ordinator for Ethnic Chaplaincies in the Archdiocese.
26th June:
Dear All, this week I went to see Father Julius, the Cameroonian Chaplain, who is returning home at the beginning of July. You will recall his input at the last Chaplaincies Conference where he spoke about catechesis, having specialised in this at Maryvale. I have enjoyed visiting his Parish in Wolverhampton and in particular being with him for the launch of the Cameroonian Woman’s Association inspired by activities in his home Diocese. This Association bought their joy and their cultural expression of Faith in the Eucharist to many gatherings here. I feel sure that Deacon Maxcel Ngamsha and other priests will continue to support the community until a new priest arrives. All good wishes to Fr Julius as he takes up a new appointment back home in the Cameroon, and thanks for his great work here with the Cameroonian Community.
I hope you are finding time to follow the World Meeting of Families livestream from Rome in these days. The opening session yesterday was inspiring, and a great help to me in preparing my Reflection (attached) for the 13th Week of the Year and St Peter and St Paul. It is also very encouraging to me and Families from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland as we gather this coming Sunday afternoon to consider living and passing on the Faith in the Family. With all good wishes and prayers for your Ministry,
Mgr Daniel McHugh. Co-ordinator for Ethnic Chaplaincies in the Archdiocese.
16 June 2022
Dear All, Some of you were able to attend our Diocesan Priests’ Conference in Woodland Grange these last few days. It was a very valuable opportunity to share our hopes and concerns for the future of our Priestly Ministry and to reflect on the joy of our lives today. The general feeling was one of great satisfaction at being able to speak openly and fraternally with each other, and with those who have leadership and organisational responsibilities for the direction of the Archdiocese.
One of the central concerns for the Mission of the Church that came up in conversation was the importance of the Family in handing on the Faith. So, in case you have not received information from Lianne Pap on the World Meeting of Families, which takes place in Rome, 22nd – 26th June, I am forwarding her email which points to resources from that Conference which will be available online and can be shared with Families.
I am also forwarding my weekly Reflection: this time it links the Solemnity of the Most Holy Eucharist to the Solemnity of the most Sacred Heart; I am one of 9 celebrating Novena Masses at Maryvale leading to this Solemnity. I hope you find it helpful.
All good wishes and prayers,
Mgr Daniel McHugh. Co-ordinator for Ethnic Chaplaincies in the Archdiocese.
Petition box WMOF english prayer card WMOF clergy leaflet A4 Birm – updated WMOF A6 prayer card