President's Ousting Dinner 2013

A slightly grander President and First Lady

Bro President Edek was well and truly ousted from office last Wednesday but I can confidently say he enjoyed every moment of it!  The occasion was the annual President's Ousting, which for the past few years has taken the form of a buffet; this year, however, it was decided to revert to a former practice and make the occasion into a formal dinner.  The venue was Mannings Heath Golf Club, a very gracious and comfortable setting for a good meal and convivial company.

Our Press Officer, Bro Mike Newman, was very evidently in evidence with his camera during the evening (close-up shots seeming to be his speciality) and so I'm sure a fine set of photographs will be appearing on this blog shortly!

By now Bro Edek will have several times expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Circle for their support during his year of office, and indeed he did so during the Ousting Dinner.  I'd like to take this opportunity to express my thanks too, as "President's lady".  It's been a very enjoyable year and we have both felt much goodwill extended to us by all the Circle members and ladies.  This has been particularly appreciated given the difficult personal circumstances we have been contending with.  Thank you all very much... and for the gorgeous bouquet of flowers with which I was presented during the evening!

We now pass, of course, into the Presidency of Bro Mark Forster and his First Lady, the lovely Lucy.  Backed up by Bro Vice-President David Innes and his wife Irene, we know they will lead the Circle from strength to strength.   Bro Edek and I would like to offer them our very best wishes and prayers.

Please act now to protect family life

Our Catenian motto declares our determination as an organisation to "strengthen family life".  Well, family life is now under threat in a way it has never been before.  I am talking about the Government's proposed legislation to legalise same-sex marriage.  A draft bill could be published imminently so the necessity for us all to take action is urgent.

Yesterday I had the good fortune to attend, along with another member of St John's Pro Life Group, an Information Day for clergy and laity organised by SPUC.  These Days are being held around the country with the aim of informing us about the issues involved and suggesting concrete ways in which we can help the campaign against this bill.  Please do visit our Pro Life website here for more details of what we learned, but in brief some of the main points raised were:

- Gay marriage does not just affect those involved.  No man is an island.  There can be no concept of some sort of "justice" for individuals without taking into account the wider rights of all members of the community.  Gay marriage, which has no procreative potential, breaks down the many familial bonds and responsibilities which result from natural marriage, to the detriment of our social structures and of our self-identity and security as individuals;

- Marriage is not just a religious or social concept.  It is a natural reality which precedes both religion and society and upon which both (throughout the ages) have been structured. No government has the right to arbitrarily redefine it;

- Far more abortions occur outside of marriage than within it.  Therefore marriage has a foundational role in protecting the unborn child (one reason why SPUC has got so involved in this campaign);

- Despite the Government's protestations about freedom of conscience, it cannot be guaranteed under Human Rights legislation that once the equality of all sexual relationships is enshrined in law, professionals such as teachers or pastors who refuse to positively promote same sex marriage will escape monitoring, legal penalties or even the loss of their jobs, as indeed we are beginning to see already;

- What do we want our children taught in schools?  "Gay sex ed" is already creeping insidiously into curricula via an image here, a phrase there, all of which begin to create a certain mindset amongst young people.  Once same sex marriage is legalised this process will escalate;

- Civil unions already provide gay couples with the same legal protections vis-a-vis inheritance and property rights that married couples enjoy.

There are several positive actions we can take and I would suggest that, as Catenians faithful to our motto, we should seriously consider doing so.  First and foremost, lobby and/or write to your MP.  If you haven't yet signed the Coalition for Marriage petition, please do - they are aiming for a million signatures.  Consider leafleting local houses (leaflets available from SPUC here together with useful briefing notes to use when contacting MPs).  We should soon be receiving, in our parishes, postcards issued by the Bishops for parishioners to send to their MPs; could you organise a table at the back of your church where people could sign these and which could then be sent off or hand delivered en masse (to save people putting them down at home and losing them, or being unwilling/unable to pay the postage)?  Parents and grandparents might want to contact their schools.

And of course, above all, pray, pray, pray!

Thank you so very much, from myself and also per pro Bro President Edek.

Happy New Year from Bro President!

Our current Circle President, Bro Edek, would like to wish his Catenian brothers, their families and our Circle widows all the best for 2013.

'A couple of days late, for which I apologise, but I’d like to wish all members of Crawley Circle and any other Catenians reading this – in fact, all our readers! – a very Happy New Year.  Anneli and I sincerely pray that God will bless you and yours richly in 2013.

'As I write, today - 3rd January - is the Memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus, that name in which lies the hope, and the only hope, of the salvation of humankind.  It is the name under whose banner the Catenian Association goes forth to witness to our Catholic values in the world, particularly those of our motto – “Strengthening family life through friendship and faith”.  You don’t need me to enumerate here the multitude of ways in which family life is under attack these days, and even friendship can often be founded on quite a superficial basis.  In fact human relationships in general suffer from the onslaught of the individualistic “me” mentality that is so prevalent these days, when it’s all about “self-fulfilment” and “what’s right for me” because (as a major cosmetic company frequently reminds us in order to sell its products) “I’m worth it”.

'The harsh truth, of course, is that in and of our sinful selves we aren’t worth it – or more accurately, we are only worth it insofar as we are God’s beloved children, created and redeemed by Him.  That’s why the “faith” component of our motto is so important; in fact, it’s what gives meaning and orientation to “family life” and “friendship”.  Only through faith in Christ are we truly given the strength to resist the many pressures towards selfishness that society brings to bear on us.  By keeping the Holy Name of Jesus before our eyes we are reorientated outwards, towards God and others, and set free from the prison of self.

'It really helps to have like-minded companions supporting us in our endeavours to live a good Catholic life.  As I mentioned earlier, as the Catenian Association we go forth under the banner of the Holy Name of Jesus.  It’s just that – a banner, not a flag, and as such is not designed to be carried alone!  As we sally forth into 2013, let’s give thanks to God for the Catenian Association and in particular for our own Province and Circle and let’s pray for each other.

'I leave you with a poem that many of you may know (famously quoted by King George VI as part of his 1939 Christmas broadcast to the British Empire) but which I think can’t be beaten as an expression of trust in God for the year ahead.'

 
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.  
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

 
 
So heart be still: 
What need our little life 
Our human life to know, 
If God hath comprehension? 
In all the dizzy strife 
Of things both high and low, 
God hideth His intention.