Reflections: November 2008

Our new School opened a little behind schedule, it is now fully operational. This is in no small part due to the very hard work of the Head Teacher and all of the Staff, together with some of the Parents. Construction of the Eric Brentini Hall has started and is due for delivery in April 2009. The Governors and the School community wish sincerely to thank the Parishioners for the ongoing financial support. The very good news is that we are close to 50% of our target. A further update will be given in Nov.

CONVENT OF JESUS AND MARY INFANT & NURSERY SCHOOL

The Governing Body and the whole school community would like to thank the parishioners for your continued financial support which helps us to develop and refurbish our school. This summer we completed a total overhaul of the heating system and prior to that in the spring your support helped us to build new toilets and an entrance on the ground floor. We were also able to undertake some essential draining works to prevent flooding which, as you may know, had happened frequently. Our next project will be to replace our heating boiler and to build new toilets for the older children. We hope to get the green light for this in the New Year and will keep you posted.

Schools Building & Refurbishing Fund at 31st October 2008

Balance at 31st July 2008: £32306.97
Lump Sum Donation: 350.00
Monthly Collection
August 2008: £1,372.00
September 2008: 1,743.00
October 2008: 1,808.00
TOTAL: £37,579.87
Average Monthly Collection (18 months): £2,087.77
TARGET (£100,000 over 4 years): £2,083.33
Many thanks for keeping us right on target.

The presence of God and of goodness amongst the ‘new’ generation of human beings has always been under a certain threat since the Garden of Eden. In our own age and city it is probably particularly true. The values picked up from an incredibly powerful youth culture are often very different from Christ’s. And the figures show that the Church, whether parish, family and school is not very successful at holding teenagers. Here’s a snapshot from the last few weeks:

• At a ‘chastity workshop’ for teenagers on 25th October last which Fr Hugh was invited to lead, one participant pointed out, to the others agreement, that that such Christian morality was very hard not least because nothing else in his culture, apart from the Church, was advising him to keep the marital act for marriage.
• Certainly the Government Sex Education certainly doesn’t. Their most recent solution to its failure, as a recent letter to The Times, pointed out, is to say we should have more of it from an even younger age. It’d be a lot better to challenge the below:
• The issue of the popular Sugar magazine bought on our High Rd Saturday before last, which is aimed at 13+ girls, highlights on the front page its French kissing guide, en-couraging them to keep up a respectable weekly rate, advising how to move gradually in this direction, and also (in the ‘Lads’ section) how to make it as erotic as possible for the boy. There is effective encouragement to use Ouija boards, ‘& much more’
• Next week, on Prime Time T.V., the BBC are screening “Apparitions”, a six-part drama about exorcism. It contains a graphic homosexual act, extreme violence, as well as very questionable depictions of Mother Teresa and a priest, etc. If after watching it, you are concerned please write to Ofcom, The Contact Centre, Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA, Tel no. 020.7981.3000 www.ofcom.org.uk or BBC complaints, PO Box 1922, Glasgow G2 3WT www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

At the back we offer free copies of “Internet Safety Tips for Parents”, which is an extract from a Care For The Family leaflet, plus an article from Faith Magazine which highlights very specific and easily accessible threats to our young people on the internet.

Meanwhile we are always grateful for all the spiritual, practical and financial support of our youth work in this parish – and especially for encouraging them to get involved.