Author: Carolb56

Trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster – Saturday 25th October 2025

  By

On Saturday 25th October, there is a day trip to the to the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster from Mary Mother of God Parish, Bradford, but all are welcome to join.

In medieval times, the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster was one of the most famous Marion Shrines in England and was the most important Shrine dedicated to Our Lady in Yorkshire. The original statue in the Carmelite friary was destroyed during the English Reformation. A modern shrine was erected in St Peter-in-Chains Church in Doncaster in 1973.

A minibus is doing two pick-ups, the first at St. John the Evangelist’s Church, Buttershaw at 9:45am, then St. Winefride’s Church, Wibsey at 10am.

The trip will include a Mass at the Shrine and a talk about it and the history of Our Lady of Doncaster. There will be time for a picnic or pub lunch.

The trip is being organised by the parish’s Pastoral Worker for Older People, Frances Norton. To attend, just email Frances at: pwop.marymotherofgod@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or the office office.marymotherofgod@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or call the parish office 01274 677992.

Afternoon Tea and Memory Box Crafts – Wednesday 1st October, St Winefrede’s, Wibsey

  By ,

On Wednesday 1st October – International Day of Older Persons – there is a special afternoon tea and memory box crafts event in St. Winifrede’s Hall, Wibsey (part of Mary of Mother of God Parish).

The event is taking place between 3-5pm and all are welcome.

It is being organised by the parish’s Pastoral Worker for Older People, Frances Norton. To attend, just email Frances at: pwop.marymotherofgod@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or the office office.marymotherofgod@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or call the parish office 01274 677992.

Christians on Ageing – Faces of Hope in Later Life – Conference

  By , ,

On Wednesday 24th September, 10:30am – 4:00pm, Christians on Ageing are hosting an online free conference ‘Faces of Hope in Later Life’, focusing on the positive horizons of later life as well as its challenges.

The keynote speaker will be Revd Michael Jackson, formerly Director of St John’s Winchester Charity and author of Still Love Left: Faith and Hope in Later Life.

In addition, the Conference will hear from:

John MacMillan, CEO of the Eric Liddell Community, Edinburgh, whose work with older people in the community embodies Eric Liddell’s values of compassion, inclusion and hope in all circumstances.

Olivia Luijnenburg, pursuing post-doctoral studies on dementia at Kings College London. She is a medical anthropologist with a special interest in residential care for older people, dementia care, spirituality and spiritual care.

The lunchtime interactive workshop will be led by Liv McLennan, co-founder and director of Sounds Better CIC. Liv has a particular interest in working with people with dementia and respiratory conditions. She is currently undertaking doctoral studies in intergenerational music within a care home setting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

To book a place please click here.

Doorways of Hope – online reflections

  By , , ,

Doorways of Hope is a series of three hour long online reflections, hosted by Growing Old Grace-fully.

In the three reflections, Paula Shanks and Mgr. Donal Lucey explore the invitation to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church.

In the three reflections, they explore and offer ways of noticing the nature & presence of hope, what it means to live this hope & how we can share hope with others in our ordinary, daily lives. You can access the three sessions here, the videos on our YouTube channel and a one page summary for each one, produced by Paula. Just click on the image or heading.

Doorways of Hope Part 1: Glimpses of Hope

Paula Shanks & Mgr. Donal Lucey explore the the theme of ‘Springtime’ to explore how we can awaken to the invitation to be renewed in hope. A hope rooted in God who chooses to be with us in how things are, where we are.

Doorways of Hope Part 2: Living in Hope

Paula Shanks and Mgr. Donal Lucey explore how living in the flow of life offers invitations to a deeper sense of hope.

 

Doorways of Hope Part 3: Holding Hope

Paula Shanks and Mgr. Donal Lucey explore how to notice spaces where hope is held out for us in everyday life and the ways in which we do this for others.

We thank Paula and Fr. Donal for leading this powerful series of reflections.

Video and summary sheet from Holding Hope

  By , ,

On Thursday 17th July 2025, we held the third in the Doorways of Hope series of online reflections, Holding Hope, led by Paula Shanks and Mgr. Donal Lucey & Paula Shanks, as part of the Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee year.

Holding Hope explores how to notice spaces where hope is held out for us in everyday life and the ways in which we do this for others.

You can watch the whole session on YouTube here.

There is a one page summary produced by Paula here.

Pilgrims of Hope: Journeying as Older People – event

  By , , ,

Growing Old Grace-fully is hosting a half day event offering a chance to reflect on our own journey into later life, as Pilgrims of Hope. This reflects the theme of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the theme of which is Pilgrims of Hope.

Our aim in gathering together in person is to continue to explore the reflections and conversations so beautifully expressed by Paula Shanks and Mgr Donal Lucey in the “Doorways of Hope” online series. Video recordings of the Doorways of Hope events can be viewed here.

The event will reflect on our own life’s journey, whatever age we are, and explore finding the God of where we are now in our own life.

It will also include suggestions for practical ways of finding and nurturing hope; for example, through meditations on gospel passages, poems and art and also through ways of practising gratitude.

The event will end with a shared lunch over which we can continue the conversations from the day.

If you would like to attend, please book a place on EventBrite here.

From the Jubilee Prayer

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven.

May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.

Amen

Taken from The Jubilee Prayer, Pope Francis

World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly – Sunday 27th July 2025

  By , , , , , ,

The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated for the fifth time in 2025. The date this year is Sunday 27th July.

This special day takes place on the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Grandparents of Jesus. This year their Feast is Saturday 26th July, making this a whole weekend double celebration of later life and older people!

Pope Francis established the Catholic Church’s World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly which took place for the first time on Sunday 25 July 2021.

The theme chosen by Pope Francis for this year’s celebration is:

“Blessed are those who have not lost hope” (cf. Sir 14:2)

Pope Leo’s message for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly 2025, reminds us that hope is a source of joy, no matter what age.

Here you can read the full message from the Holy Father.

Here are prayers and links from the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales to help you celebrate the day.

If you are a grandparent and are able to attend Mass, you could invite your grandchildren to attend with you.

The Catholic Grandparents Association has been at the forefront in campaigning for a greater recognition of Grandparents for their role and vocation in passing on their faith to the next generation. They have also produced resources that you might wish to use.

Holding Hope – online reflection

  By , , , ,

The third and final of the Doorways of Hope series of online reflections is Holding Hope, on Thursday 17th July, 7:00pm to 8:00pm.

Paula Shanks and Monsignor Donal Lucey will invite you to notice spaces where hope is held out for us in everyday life and the ways in which we do this for others.

This is part of the invitation to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ – the theme of the Jubilee Year 2025 – looking at ways of noticing the nature and presence of hope, what it means to live this hope and how we can share hope with others in our ordinary, daily lives. 

Please do join us for Holding Hope on Thursday 17th July, just email growing.old.gracefully@dioceseofleeds.org.uk.

Day for Life 2025

  By , , , ,

This Sunday, 15th June, is the annual Day for Life of the Catholic Church.

Day for Life is the day in the Church’s year dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition.

The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, Day for Life is celebrated on the third Sunday of June each year.

The theme is Hope does not Disappoint: Finding meaning in Suffering. It is inspired by Romans 5:5-6. St Paul invites us to see that Christian hope is not just naïve optimism but, rather, an unshakeable trust in the power and presence of God who is with us always. This hope can endure the darkness of human suffering and even see beyond it.

As an older people’s charity, for Growing Old Grace-fully, Day for Life is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the value of older people and of the gift (and especially this year, the challenges and sometimes the suffering) of later life.

You can download a Day for Life parish poster here.

There is a Bishops’ message and a downloadable prayer book here.

Day for Life Fund

We are very grateful as a charity to have received funding from the Day for Life fund which has been crucial in enabling is to do our work.

The Day for Life Fund provides financial assistance each year to organisations working to support the Church’s mission to protect human life from conception to natural death. Each year, the money donated by the faithful on the Day for Life is dispersed to these organisations to assist them in undertaking specific projects relating to life issues. These can range from educational workshops to advocacy campaigns, practical support services to commissioning research.

We encourage people to donate to the Day for Life fund to support its work. You can donate to it here.

Video and summary sheet from Living in Hope online reflection

  By , , , ,

On Wednesday 14th May 2025, we held the second in the Doorways of Hope series of online reflections, Living in Hope, led by Paula Shanks and Mgr. Donal Lucey & Paula Shanks, as part of the Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee year.

Living in Hope explores how living in the flow of life offers invitations to a deeper sense of hope..

You can watch the whole session on YouTube here.

There is a one page summary produced by Paula here.