The Dominicans are to hand parishes in Glasgow and Durham back to their respective dioceses.
The English Province of the Dominicans released a statement that said: “A generous spirit had moved the friars in Britain to over-extend their commitments in several areas, and consequently a strain was being felt.
“It was decided then that the friars must reconfigure their deployment around Britain, building up their presence in some localities while gradually scaling back and withdrawing from others.”
At a meeting of friars in England and Scotland it was decided that care for St Columba’s parish in Glasgow and St Cuthbert’s parish in Durham should be returned to diocesan clergy. The churches have been looked after by Dominicans since 2005 and 2012 respectively.
The friars decided that there should also be a gradual withdrawal over the next few years from St Dominic’s parish in Newcastle. This Dominican house has been run by the diocese since 2004.
The aim of the reorganisation, the statement said, was to “strengthen community life by providing firmer foundations for the future, including stronger support for the increasing numbers of young men entering the order in this country.”
The statement noted that seven men will enter the noviciate in September. “The province foresees a positive future, which will eventually bear good fruit for its mission in Britain,” it said. The friars are to try to maintain a presence in Glasgow, Durham and Newcastle, even if sustaining full communities is not possible.
Cathedral spikes ‘are not there to deter the homeless’
Westminster Cathedral has denied reports that it has introduced spikes to deter homeless people from sleeping at the cathedral doors.
An online petition calling for “anti-vagrant spikes” to be removed gained 500 signatures after pictures of the spikes circulated on social media. Jack Reason, who proposed the petition at change.org, wrote: “Isn’t the Catholic Church supposed to show compassion towards the poor? Not deter them with these unwelcoming spikes …”
In a statement released by the cathedral a spokesman said: “Westminster Cathedral has been made aware of a photograph circulating on social media of a ledge near the Cathedral doors, entitled ‘Westminster Cathedral – now with anti-homeless spikes’.
It saddens us that selective photography and inaccurate text have been combined to give the misleading impression that the Cathedral is hostile to people in difficult circumstances.
“The spikes in question appear to be an architectural feature dating back to the completion of the building work in 1903. They were not recently installed as so-called anti-homeless spikes.”
Priest celebrates 100th birthday
A priest who has just marked his 100th birthday has said he has no plans to retire.
Fr Tom Kennedy, parish priest at the English Martyrs, Haydock, Liverpool, celebrated the day with his family in Ireland. Fr Kennedy, who has served as a priest for 73 years, told the BBC: “The reason I haven’t retired is I liked the people I worked with and they liked me – at least, they said they did.”
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