Annual Memorial Mass for Father Werenfried van Straaten
Bishop John Cunningham of Galloway (right) with members of Saint Bride's Aid to the Church in Need Fundraising Group
23 November 2009 19:30
St Bride's Church
21 Greenlees Road
Cambuslang
Glasgow
G72 8JB
Aid to the Church in Need supporters in Scotland once again remembered Father Werenfried van Straaten, the charity’s founder, at an annual memorial Mass in his memory.
People travelled from dioceses across Scotland to fill Saint Bride’s Church, Cambuslang, near Glasgow, for the Mass in honour of Father Werenfried, who died, aged 90, in 2003.
During the Mass, Bishop John Cunningham of Galloway, who was the chief celebrant, underlined the importance of supporting Christians who suffer for their faith.
He recalled Father Werenfried’s ‘Peace on Earth’ appeal at Christmas in 1947. Father Werenfried called on Belgians to help reconcile with their former enemies – the Germans – many of whom were suffering extreme poverty after being forced to leave their homelands.
The bishop told the congregation the work of reconciliation continued through the mission of Aid to the Church in Need today, asking: “Do we ever think of praying for people in need?”
Bishop Cunningham presented cheques to the charity’s UK National Director Neville Kyrke-Smith on behalf of parishioners dedicated to supporting the Church in need.
Saint Bride’s, Cambuslang, raised £14,500 split between support for the training of youth workers in Vietnam and help for the Daughters of the Resurrection Sisters in the Democratic Republic of Congo – including medical training for one of the Sisters.
Meanwhile, Saint Patrick’s Church in Shieldmuir collected £2,300 for Grodno Seminary in Belarus, a project which the parish has supported since 1999.
The bishop paid tribute to Aid to the Church in Need’s Scotland team including Scottish Secretary Doctor John Watts and new Scottish Administrator Dermot Lamb, who said: “The Mass was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the work of Aid to the Church in Need and its supporters as well as to recall the continuing challenge left to us by Father Werenfried to respond to our persecuted brothers and sisters.”
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Find out more about the life and work of Father Werenfried van Straaten