I have booked my long weekend in Whitley Bay

Lourdes pilgrimages, world youth days, youth retreats, flame... the problem of how to sustain enthusiasm after a big event when the mundane of the day-to-day is returned to is an old one.

Always impressed that the strategy in Hexham and Newcastle includes community development work for a year before and after a school mission  in order to support parishes in their efforts to sustain that enthusiasm once the excitement of the event is diminished. I don't know how successful it is - I am not in that part of the world to see - but it seems an eminently sensible idea.

Do you think where the Salesian News site says:

Speaker guests for the day included the astrologer and author David Wells

they have got the wrong fella?

It inspired a lot of people to want to make a difference and think about what they can do to help. Which if nothing else is a good starting point for development education. So rather than deciding whether it is good or bad - which I got caught up in a little yesterday - perhaps using the passion it has engendered to encourage critical thinking about issues and how we might support them is a way forward?

This is a question they are putting a lot of thought into in the Liverpool diocese at the moment inspired by the moving of confirmation to age 7(ish) and the desire to continue working with teenagers in parishes. Next Saturday there is the second day about resourcing and encouraging parish youth workers and an impressive list of Catholic organisations are going along once more to share how they can support parish youth work. The first event was excellent. The second look like it will be better.

This is a very specific Liverpool thing so I don't know if they would be open to a visitor from elsewhere (you can but ask) but if you knew anyone from Liverpool who is to be at that day they may share some ideas and resources with you

Well, maybe I used the title "shanty town" too losely. All I heard was there was going to be some kind of "clearing" of some area(s) and that it was a moral issue and there were safety concerns. I wish there were a way of finding out more information about this. It would be a good thing to look into and debate with young people. I don't think the Church would or could be party to such a thing but given the close proximity of the WC and WYD it is easy to be tarnished with the same brush I suppose.

ALSO...all of the above may not be accurate. I keep on adding these disclaimers purely because the whole thing is vague!

I asked a couple of clued up j&p people who I thought would know and they can shed no light on the matter. Not quite sure where else to turn but will keep asking folk.

Maybe I should email Tim Vickery (South American football expert on the world football phone in on 5Live). He ought to know if there are any misdeeds

Welcome to the site Chris.

Sadly the tradition of Jack buying a pint for every new member is long since ended. But he sometimes bakes for us

Good to have you hereabouts



*not every claim made in this post is entirely true

According to the Tablet this week, Bolton Wanderers' manager Owen Coyle is happy to speak of his Catholic faith to the press

Wanderers give thanks

AFTER SEVEN successive defeats at home, Bolton Wanderers’ return to form was dramatic with a 5-0 win over Stoke City last Sunday. The manager of the premiership team, Owen Coyle, has attributed the victory at the Reebok Stadium to divine intervention and thanked his parish priest for including the hymn “Hail, Queen of Heaven” at Mass the night before. The first verse of the hymn includes the lines, “Mother of Christ, star of the sea, pray for the wanderer, pray for me.” Speaking to the BBC after the game, Mr Coyle said: “I had a good feeling coming into the match. I went to Mass last night. The leaving hymn was ‘Pray for the wanderer’, so I need to thank my parish priest for that.” Mr Coyle and his family are active members of the parish of St Mary’s in Langho, Lancashire, and the Diocese of Salford. The parish priest, Fr Leo Heakin, a Burnley fan, said: “After Mass, Owen turned to me and thanked me for the hymn. I went to Lourdes recently and brought him back rosary beads. I’m glad they have worked.”

I must point out that the victory is all to do with God being a Port Vale fan and loving seeing Sjoke destroyed 5-0 rather than God intervening on behalf of Wanderers specifically 

I was encouraged by my spiritual director not to take on any additional youth ministry outside of school.

I spent ages trying to ensure I did not do much beyond work for the sake of my relationship, energy and sanity. And then it all went wrong in three weeks in June when I got into a terrible habit of agreeing to things. So now I am on the PPC, trying to organise a parish justice and peace group and am running a youth group in the next door parish.

I tell myself that I am giving them a few months to see how they effect things but the truth is I rather enjoy the new stuff (except the PPC which is tedious) and am unlikely to stop them easily

Should school chaplains join teaching unions? and strike?

Quick thoughts while I am passing this way...

Should they join teaching unions? I tend to think that one should join a union (for the legal support if nothing else) but perhaps there are more suitable ones for the specific needs of the chaplain. I am a member of CYWU, part of Unite - although admittedly not as a chaplain - because in catering for youth workers it is much more how I understand church youth work thanthose which exist for formal educators.

Should they strike? A question I have asked myself given that my union might well strike soon... Part of being in Unite means I am in a union with some of the hardest hit. Justice demands that I stand in solidarity with them. But striking when one works for a social justice organisation which would probably class standing on the picket line in solidarity as work is absurd. So I won't formally strike but mission demands I do something.

Is ministering to teachers on the picket line part of the chaplain's job?

[Sorry, I tend to see an interesting topic and post without looking at the board. just seen that this is school chaplain's chat and therefore not a place for me as such. Happy for mods to delete this if I have spoken out of turn]

I'm Matt. I am the youth and schools worker for Pax Christi. I did some other stuff, retreat centre, chaplaincy, parish stuff and the like, but that all seems a long time ago. I am a great supporter of Cake Thursday and, since it is Thursday, recommend you have cake.

Any heresy, indiscipline or scandalous opinion posted under this username is purely my own. If I am posting in a professional capacity I tend to ...