CHANGE IN THE AIR

When things don't turn out as you thought then you can either carry on or change them.
Carrying on may mean that things will improve in the future or it could mean that they get worse. I realised that doing vocations work full time is not right for me and that it was not working out as I thought it would. There are several reasons why it has not worked out but I won't bore you with them.
So I asked for a change. I am not giving up the vocations work yet but I asked the Bishop to consider me for a parish again when one became available. One did come up and I was asked to go and I said yes. So from 1st May I will be parish priest of All Saints in Anfield, Liverpool.
There are several reasons to be delighted with the appointment. It is a good parish and I look forward to getting to know the people. It is near the area in Liverpool I was born and lived for the first 2 years ( I don't remember those 2 years ) and in which I went to school from the age of 11 to 16. Going there means I can continue the vocations work as well as being involved in the parish. For me it is a great appointment.
It is also great for my 2 brothers who go to watch Liverpool FC as the football ground is only about half a mile from the church. They can park outside the house while they go to the match.
It may be good for me as well. As a liverpool fan I can go to the match. Well now and again perhaps. I wonder if the club are looking for a Catholic Chaplin. I could advise Rafa about the best team to put out. I may knock on the club door and ask, you never know they may say yes or they may chase me off the premises.
Anyway that is what is happening for me in May.
Before then we have Holy Week and Easter to look forward to. I decided to do something different this Holy Week and Easter because it is the only time I will not be in a parish. I managed to get on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I am joining a group from America which is being led by a Fransiscan Priest and I will be in the Holy Land for the Palm Sunday Procession and all the Triduum and on Easter Sunday we will go to Emmaus after the Easter Day Mass. I am very lucky to be going on such a pilgrimage and I hope it will be a time of blessing for me.
In mid April, ( 12th/13th ) we have Vocations Sunday. With that in mind may I encourage any of you reading this to consider your vocation and if you feel that you may be called to priesthood or religious life then do something about it. Talk to your parish priest or your vocations director. If you are in Liverpool then get in touch with me. Above all be open to what the Lord may be calling you to do in your life. As I have said before you will not be sorry. Serving the Lord is a great blessing and privilege. Please act upon the prompting that the Lord is giving you by reading this. I look forward to hearing from you.

God bless all of you and have great and holy Holy Week and Easter.
Fr Steve

WEDNESDAY PRAYER

Just a note to let you know that St Richard's Church in Skelmersdale is closing this week until end of April for building work.
Due to this the Wednesday prayer for vocations will not take place after Wednesday 30th January until further notice.
The 1st Friday prayer continues this Friday at the Carmelite Convent at Eccleston St Helen's from 5.00pm to 8.00pm
God bless
Fr Steve

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year to all.
I had a different Christmas this year. For the first time I was not in a parish and did not have the usual events in school and parish to attend so there was not the normal run up to Christmas that i am used to.
I said Mass on Christmas Eve night at the Carmelite Convent in Upholland and then on Christmas Day I was at Seel street in Liverpool city centre which is the home of the Missionaries of Charity.
Over Christmas my mum was in hospital and so as a family we were visiting her in hospital so Christmas was different for all of us as she was not at home for it. She is back home now.
My hopes for 2008 are quite simple. More vocations. It is interersting to go around the diocese and to know that people are saying that they think so and so has a vocation to priesthood but he has not made his mind up yet. Well if you are a one of those men who are thinking about it then stop thinking and do something about it. It would be great to hear from you. Let 2008 be the year that you take the next step and offer yourself for the priesthood and explore the pssibilty that God is calling you.
The prayer continues and this Friday( January 4th ) we have 1st Friday prayer at Carmel in Knotty Ash Liverpool from 5.00pm to 8.00pm
From next Wednesday 9th jJnuary the prayer begins again at St Richard's Skelmersdale with a new time for Adoration. From next week it will be 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Keep on praying and have a wonderful and grace filled 2008
God bless
Fr Steve

Since my last blog I have now recovered from the mini stroke thing I had and have been back at "work" for the last month.
In that time I have done a couple of appeals for vocations in parishes and have bookings through December and January.
The Prayer for Vocations continues and this Friday, 7th December we have Prayer at the Carmelite Monastery in Upholland from 5.00pm to 8.00pm. You are very welcome.
I have been to Ushaw to visit the lads there and all is well. As you may know they face some changes now that Mgr Drainey has been made Bishop of Middlesborough but I am sure that they will be OK with whatever happens.
I also made a trip out to Rome to see the seminarians at the Beda and the English College. I would like to thank James for the exciting ride from the airport to the English College. It was dark, wet and the Rome traffic was what you expect. After a few wrong turns, following trams, some good driving, a bit of guess work and one or two prayers we arrived safely. I enjoyed my visit to both colleges and as usual was made very welcome.

Advent is about to begin. A season of waiting in joyful hope. A time to prepare to welcome our Saviour Jesus Christ. A time to reflect and pray about your vocation. Take the opportunity to spend time in prayer this Advent and be open to the possibility that God is calling you to priesthood. Do something about it. Talk to your PP or contact your vocations director. If you are in Liverpool Archdiocese then I look forward to hearing from you.
My new email address is frstevemaloney@btinternet.com
Happy Advent to you all
God bless
Fr Steve

PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

First may I apologise to Stephen I am sorry that you came for prayer at Upholland and at Skelmersdale. I should have made it clear that the prayer at Skem starts on 24th October and will be on every Wednesday from 6pm - 9pm The 1st Friday prayer starts next month 2nd November at St Helen's Carmelite Monastery.

And so to the prayer............

Every Wednesday at St Richard's, Liverpool Road Skelmersdale,the church will be open for prayer for vocations before the Blessed Sacrament from 6.00pm -9.00pm

On 1st Fridays there will be prayer at one of the Carmelite Monasteries from 5.00pm to 8.00pm

Carmel Liverpool January April July October

Carmel St Helens February May August November

Carmel Upholland March June September December

If you can come to any of these prayer times for a short or long visit then you are most welcome......
I hope to see you there
God bless
Fr Steve

never expected that............

Hi
my last blog in September was supposed to begin a more regular blog of my new role as full time vocations director for the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Having bemoaned my computer for the glich which lost most of my last blog I did not expect that a week later my human computer would let me down...........let me explain

I moved into my new address and was making it homely, I had quite a few appeals/promotions lined up in parishes around the Archdiocese.......new posters had gone out advertising the regular prayer around the Archdiocese for vocations and I was present at our 4th Ordination of the summer on Sat 15th Sept. Jean Paul had been ordained and we where stood on the Sanctuary for the Eucharistic Prayer when I had a funny turn ( well not so funny actually ).
I managed to hang on to the priest next to me and did not fall down.........which was great given the amount of videos on show, I hope none of them captured the moment.
Anyway I was eventually helped back to the presbytery and an ambulance was called and I ended up in casualty in the Royal Hospital in Liverpool. I was there a few hours and saw the doctor who strongly suspected a mini stroke from the symptons I was displaying. They let me go home to my family and I have ben staying in Waterloo in one of the retired priests flats which is empty at the moment.
I am now in the process of investigation. A couple of scans, many blood tests and questions before seeing the consultant again on 25th October. Until I see him again I am not allowed to drive............don't we miss our cars when we are forced not to use them........fortunately I am blessed with a great family and friends who have taken me here and there when necessary.
Watch this space then for news of my recovery. I'll let you know how things turn out after I have seen the consultant later this month.

As you will agree it is not the start I was expecting but it has given me the opportunity to rest and reflect on what I am doing. What am I doing.........well as my friend in Ghana, Fr William always puts in his email " if the Lord does not build the house..........in vain do we labour "
It is true for all of us. We must remember that it is the Lord's work we are engaged in and it is to him that we must turn to for support in prayer. My first thought when going full time with this vocations work was to get people in the Archdiocese praying............from my contact with parishes I know that many have regular prayer for vocations with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Rosary. I also felt it would be good to enlist the support of the 3 Carmelite Monasteries we have in the Archdiocese and between them we will be having Exposition and Prayer from 5pm to 8pm on each 1st Friday. Every Wednesday there will also be Exposition and Prayer for Vocations here in St Richard's Skelmersdale from 6pm to 9pm. Perhaps the message from my recent experience is that vocations work is long haul and needs a firm and rooted foundation in Prayer...........get that right and the rest will follow.
If you are able you are very welcome to join in the Prayer at the Carmelite Monasteries or here at St Richard's. Each parish in the Archdiocese should have a poster with all the details.....if they haven't then ask the pp to put up the one he should have received or ask him to get in touch with me and I will send him another one.
I think I had better sign off for now before the wiring in my computer or my head goes wrong.
Please pray for me and if you are thinking about a vocation to the Priesthood do something about it........it is something you will never regret, Priesthood is a great life with many blessings.
God bless you
FR Steve
ps Monty is on good form although a bit confused by all the moving around he has had to do

FLAMING COMPUTERS

Hi yes computers are a blessing and a curse
I have been writing a new blog all about the changes that have taken place for me and the computer encounters a problem and I lost all the script.
Anyway quickly before it happens again I have moved from St Marie's and am now full time Vocations Director for the Archdiocese. Don't worry Monty has moved with me, thats my dog for those who have not seen his picture.
I am now based in Skelmersdale and have a roving commission to promote and support vocations. Keep me in your prayers.
I will give a fuller blog soon but just now I don't want to spend a long time blogging only for the computer to have a glich again.
bye for now
God bless
If you think you have a vocation call me or your own vocations director........go on...I dare you
Fr Steve