CA Hospitalité AGM

For those attending the AGM, the CA Hospitalité Secretary has provided us with the draft AGM agenda, so that attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or seek answers at the meeting.

Annual General Meeting 2011
12th February 2011, 11.00am – 12.15pm - Corpus Christi, Wokingham

President Welcome: Chris Buller
Opening Prayer and Act of Consecration: Fr Simon Blakesley.
Apologies
Secretary’s update: Nimal Hemelge
Treasurer’s update: Richard Long-Fox
Lourdes 2010 review: Read by Anna Jackson
Lourdes 2011:
· Spirituality and 2011 Lourdes Theme : Fr Simon Blakesley
· Chief Branc and Chief Handmaid: Matt Betts and Anna Jackson
· Travel Details: Matt Betts
· Chief Nurse: Sue Woodford
· Chief Doctor: Dr Adam Famer
· Young Helpers Group: Tina Walker
· Glanfield Group
· Stage
· HCP
· Music

Newsletter: Nimal Hemelge
Fundraising
Future Events
· Retreat: Pat Richardson – Walsingham

· Next AGM: 11th February 2012.
· Pilgrimage dates 19-26th August
· CA Sponsored Walk 2011
CA Hospitalité Insert: Matt Betts
Pilgrimage DVD:
BBC Documentary Production: Anna Jackson
Any other business

Followed by:

12.30pm : Mass, celebrated by Fr Simon Blakesley (CA Hospitalité Chaplain) in the Parish Church.

1.30pm : Lunch

If you still need to vote and advise your attendance/send your apology, please view details here.

Appeal from the BBC

The BBC are putting together a documentary film project about being Catholic in the UK.

Three 60 minute documentary films are being made for BBC4 by Wingspan Productions, an independent production company, about the experience of being Catholic in Britain today. The films will be made over the coming 12 months.

Wingspan are currently planning to make one film about men, one about women, and one about children. They are researching a number of possibilities for each film but are actively considering basing the film about women around a pilgrimage to Lourdes. They would therefore like to speak to women planning to go to Lourdes in 2011, either as nurses, handmaids, or indeed pilgrims themselves.

The production company would like to speak to both seasoned volunteers and those for whom this will be their first trip; those travelling alone and also those bringing family; and both those who are devout Catholics as well as those who may be less certain about their faith but nevertheless see the value of such acts of Catholic charity or pilgrimages.

In the first instance the company are really just hoping to speak to people as part of their research; getting in touch with them in no way commits you to taking part in the programme.

If you would be interested in finding out more about this project, please contact Anna Jackson (Chief Handmaid) on Chief_Handmaid@catholicassociation.co.uk.

We would love to hear from you.

Barbara Barnes

The CA Hospitalité is extremely sad to announce the death of Barbara Barnes (Northampton Diocese), a long standing handmaid of the CA Pilgrimage, who passed away last week.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.

May she Rest in Peace.

CA Pilgrimage Calendar

The CA webteam have recently added a new calendar to the CA website here: http://www.catholicassociation.co.uk/pilgrimage/calendar.shtml.

The calendar includes various application form deadlines, Hospitalité events, and Pilgrimage events.

If anyone has any events or dates that they would like to add, please let the webteam know here.

AGM 2011

The Hospitalité President and Hospitalité Council would like to invite all members to our Annual General Meeting 2011.

The AGM is an opportunity for you to put forward your ideas, receive updates from the Council, to meet with your friends, to bring a little bit of Lourdes back into your daily life and much more.

The AGM hosted by the diocese of Portsmouth will be taking place at Corpus Christi Church and Hall, 60 Sturges Road, Wokingham, RG40 2HE on 12 February 2011. The nearest station is Wokingham and the Parish Church and Hall are only a 15 walk away through the town.

The AGM will start at 11 a.m. in the Keenan Rooms (Parish Hall) and attendees may arrive from 10.45 a.m. when tea and coffee will be served. Mass is at 12.30 p.m. After mass, lunch will be served in the Keenan Rooms and will cost only £15 (including wine) per person. Please email us to let us know if you will be attending at: agm@catholicassociation.co.uk. Please don't forget to vote too, more information here.

Vote!

As you will have seen in the newsletter and in Lourdes, Andy Joyce has served his full term, and his position is up for reelection.

Three Hospitalité members have been nominated and are canvassing for your vote.

Andy Joyce
Nominated by Antony Lester and Sue Woodford.

I have been an elected member of the Council for a number of years now and have enjoyed it immensely. I wish to re-stand for election because I believe that I can build upon the work that we have already achieved and continue to promote the message of Lourdes and the Hospitalité.

My time on the Council has been enjoyable. I have helped a number of the Heads of Service over the years, and have been involved in a couple of the Preparation Days too. I find all of this rewarding and so by standing for re-election I hope that you will allow me to continue the work that I have so much enjoyed and appreciated.

Mary Lycett
Nominated by John Cribbin and Rachel Easton

Lourdes 2011 will be my sixth consecutive year with the CA, volunteering as a handmaid, and since last year, as a nurse aid.

I come with the Stonyhurst Group and have partaken in Accueil care and hotel rolling, night duties and in 2009 I was deputy team leader with James Silsbury.

Back in the UK, I have been very fortunate in obtaining a degree from The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, after partaking in my first professional show aged 13 and first professional opera aged 17.

I am now undertaking a degree in Nursing at Cardiff University and am currently in my second year. It is from my experiences in Lourdes that changed my profession, and I owe it all to the fantastic people I have met in the CA and Hospitalité.

As an elected member, I hope to further the good work of the Hospitalité by being proactive rather than just reactive, assisting the Heads of Service, to take the time to listen to people and in doing so, give people the best service I can.

Dail Maudsley
Nominated by Patrick Noble and Matthew Sharrock

This year’s Pilgrimage was my seventh trip to Lourdes. For the past four years I have worked with the Glanfield Children’s Group and I was previously a member of the Stonyhurst group for three consecutive years.

Throughout this time I have held various roles and have been involved in both rolling and working in the Accueil as a handmaid, as well as acting as a carer for children with disabilities whilst working with Glanfield.

For me, my first journey to Lourdes was a life-changing experience. It has led to my involvement in more than just the Pilgrimage each year and amongst other things I am a member of the CA web-team, I attend the AGM and help to organise various fundraising events for the CA and Glanfield Children’s Group – a black tie ball and two cycle rides from London to Lourdes to name just two.

It is the wonderful people I have met and continue to meet in Lourdes that inspire me to return each year. Some of my greatest friendships have been forged during the hard work involved and I’m proud to be able to help support that work as well as to be part of it.

In the ‘real’ world I continue the charity theme and work as Managing Editor for the Royal College of Physicians as well as planning and organising the various charity fundraising events I am involved with throughout the year.

I would like to increase my involvement with the CA and believe that by working with Heads of Service throughout the year as well as in Lourdes, and using my experiences in the Accueil as well as the Glanfield Children’s Group, as an Elected Member I can enhance working relationships and have a significant impact, bringing those within the CA closer together.

If you would like to come to the AGM and vote for one of the above candidates, please email:
AGM@catholicassociation.co.uk.

If you email your attendance and vote, payment for lunch needs to be provided at the AGM. Please send your vote and notification of attendance by 31 January 2011. Only Hospitalité can vote in this election.

Bishop Michael Evans

Bishop Michael Evans of East Anglia has been having treatment for prostate cancer for the last five or more years. During that time he has carried on heriocally with a full diary. He has just told all those in East Anglia diocese that he now probably has only weeks to live and that he is as prepared for that as he can be, accepting it with faith as a gift of God's grace.

In a letter to the Diocese, Bishop Michael said: "In the last few weeks, the cancer has rather quickly taken control. My oncology and palliative care consultants informed me openly and honestly just before Christmas that I now probably have only weeks to live, and I am prepared for that as I can be, accepting it with faith as a gift of God's grace."

"Rather than resign, I would like to continue among you as your bishop and the father of our diocesan family until this stage of my life ends. I do not know how long that will be. I am most grateful for the ways you have cared for and so prayerfully supported me in recent years. You remain very much in my thoughts and care. As I am sure you understand, I am able to do very little, and will need to rely on others. Please can I ask you to limit any expressions of care to prayer for now, rather than anything else to which I cannot respond."

"As I live now under the shadow of death, my prayer is very much that of St. Paul that I may know something of the power of Christ's resurrection and a share in his sufferings, trusting that the Lord is with me. I pray that even now, I can joyfully witness something of the good news we are all called to proclaim." Read full letter here.

Please keep Bishop Michael, his diocese and his family in your prayers at this very difficult time.