In the news again ....

Same old, same old ...

Here is the News item in our local paper, the Evening Sentinel, about our parking problems. You can get to the original here: http://tinyurl.com/8xfm8b.

WORSHIPPERS celebrating Christmas returned to their cars to find traffic wardens had been busy issuing up to 50 parking fines.

On Christmas Eve the congregation of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, in Jasper Street, Hanley, discovered an unexpected present from council parking officials who had been busy while they were inside for a special evening mass.

Parish priest Father Peter Weatherby has vowed to fight Stoke-on-Trent City Council, saying the parking wardens' actions lacked Christmas spirit.

And he is urging his congregation to refuse to pay the fines and appeal to the authority to scrap the tickets as a gesture of festive goodwill.

He says people visiting the church had parked on nearby streets or council-run surface car parks, which become free after 6pm. The tickets were issued just moments before the parking restrictions were lifted.

He said: "I am livid. We are calling on those issued with tickets not to pay the fines but to appeal.

"What is especially annoying is that mass began at 5.45pm, just 15 minutes before surface parking becomes free in the city centre, so most tickets must have been issued just minutes before traffic charges for surface parking in Hanley were lifted at 6pm.

"All the shops were shut. Clearly the wardens must have known the cars belonged to families worshipping in the church."

Church wardens reported that a vehicle carrying several traffic wardens arrived after a neighbouring business made a complaint about an employee's vehicle being blocked by churchgoers.

Father Weatherby said: "The church wardens tell me that the scene appeared like a raid. The fines were being issued to worshippers, just as we were singing In The Bleak Midwinter inside the church.

"It is such a shame that Christmas began for so many people like this.

"We had our largest Christmas congregation for many years, almost 400 people.

"We are the only mainstream Christian church left in the city centre, yet action like this will drive good people away. This is so sad."

Father Weatherby has written a letter of protest to the city council.

He is also calling upon all those who received a ticket to appeal the fine and contact the parish so a full list can be drawn up of those affected.

At his services over the weekend, he mentioned the tickets from the pulpit, telling all his congregation members about the campaign.

Parishioner Paul Bradley, aged 43, from Trent Vale said: "There have been parking problems here for years, but you would think a bit of commonsense would prevail at Christmas.

"Many people coming to church on Christmas Eve are not regulars and they obviously did not know about the parking restrictions."

Julie Gallagher, aged 32, of Tunstall, was given a £35 ticket on Sunday, December 21, when she parked outside the church.

Julie, a customer relations manager, said: "To be fair I was just a little bit over the lines but there was nowhere else to park.

"I had three young children with me and my gran, so I didn't want to park miles away.

"I have paid it but I sent them an email saying I was at church and I hope they have a merry Christmas."

Another parishioner, who asked not to be named, said her son-in-law received a ticket on Christmas Eve.

She said: "My daughter and her husband had come up to see us from Birmingham, and he discovered it when he came out of church.

"It's not just that it's unfair, it's immoral – they're just trying to extract money from people any way they can."

A city council spokesman said: "Penalties are issued when vehicles are parked in violation of the restrictions. On-street parking restrictions apply until 6pm. Motorists who are issued a penalty are welcome to appeal the decision and details of how to appeal are on the back of the ticket."

Traffic wardens at the city council are meant to give motorists five minutes grace before issuing a ticket to allow people who have gone to get change for a parking meter to return to their car.

I am concerned that most comments made to the story on the paper's web site either engage in an attack against religion in general or on Muslims in particular. I have even had one (former) local councillor ring up to tell me that traffic wardens are instructed not to issue tickets to those parked outside the local mosques. As I tried to explain to her, it is hard to prove a negative - that someone has not received a ticket. Anyway, the photo makes me look rather imperious - 'he surveys all he commands' - or - 'they shall not pass'. Mmm.

An Unwelcome Christmas Present

A news release emailed today:

Christmas worshippers leaving Sacred Heart Church, Jasper Street, Hanley on Christmas Eve discovered an unexpected present - not from Fr Christmas, but from traffic wardens who had visited the area around the Victorian Church and issued up to 50 tickets to worshippers at the Christmas Mass.

Parish Priest, Fr Peter Weatherby, is livid.

"We are calling on those issued with tickets not to pay the fines but to appeal, " he said. "What is especially annoying is that Mass began at 5.45pm, just 15 minutes before surface parking becomes free in the City Centre, so most tickets must have been issued just minutes before traffic charges for surface parking in Hanley are lifted at 6pm. All the shops were shut - clearly the wardens must have known that the cars belonged to families worshipping in the Church."

Church wardens reported that a vehicle carrying several traffic wardens arrived after a complaint had been made about a vehicle which was causing an obstruction. "The church wardens tell me that the scene appeared like a raid - fines were being issued to worshippers, just as we were singing 'in the bleak midwinter'! " said Fr Weatherby.

"It is such a shame that Christmas began for so many people like this," said the priest. "We had our largest Christmas congregation for many years - nearly 400 people - and it was wonderful for us to welcome the Bishop for this celebration. We are the only mainstream Christian Church left in the City Centre, yet action like this will drive good people away. This is so sad."

Fr Peter has written a letter of protest to the City Council. He is also calling upon all those who receiving a ticket to appeal the fine and to contact the parish so that a full list can be drawn up of those affected. Worshippers can use the website www.sacredhearthanley.org.uk or write to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1 Eastwood Place, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3DB.

Bless all the dear children ...

Fortunately, the funerals of children are few and far between. My only hospital chaplaincy work was in a Geriatric and a Rehabiliation unit, so, though I have often been called out to the dying, I have fortunately conducted very few funerals of babies and children. I don't just use that word, 'fortunate', as a matter of form. Those few funerals have been some of the hardest to conduct, for all kinds of reasons. The circumstances can be so tragic and the words one can say about the deceseased him or herself so few, that they are certainly the toughest for a priest to do.

Tomorrow (December 7th) I am taking a leading role in a memorial service for Babies and Children at our local Cemetery and Crematorium. (Next weekend I do the 'adults' service). I'm not actually leading the service, though I have had a large role in planning it. However the order of service and the choice of readings has been finally decided by the City Council staff - not by me. That in itself would probably be one step too far for some of my colleagues. There is no biblical reading, and there is a clear brief not to make it too 'religious' in order to be as inclusive as possible. (Last year's service was conducted by a humanist, though that apparently was almost too 'unreligious'). there are some tensions there, and some sensitivity, but in the main it seems to have been worked out very amicably and positively. There's obviously a few points for reflection there, but that - at the moment at least - is by the by.

However, writing my words has been extremely difficult. We will be singing a couple of carols - and Christmas is certainly a good time to offer support to the bereaved, but also a very sensitive time too.

My words cannot be too, let's say, 'sacral'; they of course must be sensitive, and offer some comfort; and they should surely extend some hope and however gently present some of the attractions of the Christian message. I've got to be compassionate, but not sentimental. No easy task.

I find the Order of Christian Funerals invaluable, and especially the short service for an unbaptised child 'Rite of Final Commendation for an Infant'. It has, I was once told by a member of (the old) ICEL, an interesting provenence. The prayers were written by a mother on ICEL at the time who herself had lost a child. And it is one section where the word 'baby' was retained in the prayers despite objections that such a word is 'sentimental'. Some priests and lay assistant chaplains in hospitals may use these prayers often, but I guess that most priests do not even realise that they are there. They are gems.

I do speak from some little experience. My wife and I lost twins just a short time after they were born, some 21 years ago. It was some time afterwards that I discovered this short rite and saw its relevance. Just twelve months ago I conducted a simple informal funeral for our stillborn grandchild. Again, these words helped.

Anyway, this is too long an introduction already. Here follow my words for the Memorial Service tomorrow. Comments are welcomed.

Opening Prayer and Reflection

This service is made up of a lot of words. We will listen to a number of Readings. We will hear and join in the words of prayers. We will sing hymns, carols, about silent nights and a baby in a manger. Words, a lot of words.

And yet can there be no words which can possibly express what any of us might feel. We might use a lot of words, but in our hearts we are lost for words. In fact, although we have all gone through similar experiences, no two of us feel exactly the same. No one can honestly say ‘I know how you feel’. And when people try to express their sympathy, out of kindness, they can do one of two things: either be lost for words, and so avoid speaking to us about our loss, or, out a desire to say something, open their mouths and say words which though meant well, become awkward and even hurtful.

Yes, words fail us. Yet we will still desperately want to use them. When we have suffered loss many of us cannot speak of it - yet others of us can’t stop talking, telling the story, sharing our experience. We might say the same thing over and over again, and what we say may mean very little, but say it we must. A pain shared is a pain halved, or so they say.

But the truth of it all is that the words don’t answer our questions, or heal our pain, but they do provide us with comfort, and some consolation, and sometimes even a little hope.

Prayer

Let us pray

Loving Father in heaven,
In the face of death all our human wisdom fails.
We are lost for words and struggle for answers.
We place our hope in your Love,
Who came down from heaven to be born amongst us,
And who taught us, by his three days in the tomb
That death has no hold over us any more.
In the midst of our sadness,
We place our trust in you
That one short sleep past,
Our beloved children will wake with you eternally.
We make this prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen.


.......



Concluding Prayers

Trusting in Jesus, the loving Saviour,
Who came amongst and lay in a manger,
We ask him to bless all the dear children
In his tender care
And make us all ready to share the new life
With the Father in heaven as we say:

Our Father ...

Lord God, ever-caring and gentle,
We commit all these children to your love
Who brought joy to our lives, but for so short a time.
Enfold them in eternal life.
We pray for these parents, so saddened by their loss. 
Give them courage and help them through their pain and grief,
May they all meet one day in the peace and joy of your kingdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

........



Blessing

May the God of all consolation
bring you comfort and peace
and may almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

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