The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light;
on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.
Isaiah 9:2
We wish all our friends and supporters God’s richest blessings for Christmas and the coming year.
Blue Christmas
There is a paradox at the heart of this season of Advent and Christmas. Joy and cheer can sometimes be overwhelmed by sadness. Christmas can be a hard time for those who have lost loved ones or who are suffering emotionally and the older we get, the more likely we are to be living with some loss. The joyful Christmas melodies may not sound in our hearts and yet we may feel compelled to deny these feelings and ‘put on a happy face’. Holding a Blue Christmas Service in your parish can help people express their sadness and pain and help provide a safe place of rest, comfort and healing.
A Blue Christmas Service is designed for people suffering with pain, loss, isolation and grief in the Advent season. The service is often held on or around December 21st, the longest night of the year, but can be held anytime during Advent. The service may include candles, meditative music, Psalms of lament, prayers for healing, blessings, and a message for people feeling a sense of loss. It might be a service of particular interest to those who lead a Bereavement Support Group in your parish. You can find some ideas here of what to include in a short service of prayers and readings for a parish Blue Christmas and some reflections here.
Blue Christmas can help to remind us that Christ, always with us in the midst of our pain, sadness and loneliness, is light in the darkness.
Growing a dementia friendly Diocese
We are really delighted that Marcus, our Bishop, has given his blessing for our Diocese to start the process of becoming a dementia friendly one. Dementia affects many people and not just the person living with the condition. There are over 24 million people who know a family member or friend living with dementia. Parishes have a huge role to play in helping people live well with dementia, and to support the carers. Following the example of Liverpool Archdiocese, we have formed a Working Group to develop a Diocesan Action Plan. If you would like to be part of the Working Party, we would very much like to hear from you. We are particularly looking for people working within Community Health Care as well as people who are living with dementia to be part of the Working Group. Please contact Rachel on 07702 255142 or email growing.old.gracefully@dioceseofleeds.org.uk .
Parish sessions offered
We offer a short one hour session to encourage ‘Growing a Dementia Friendly Parish’, which so far has helped to create more than 100 Dementia Friends across 10 parishes. We also offer other sessions to help parishes explore practical ways to be more Later Life Friendly. To find out more or arrange a session, please call Rachel on 07702 255142 or email growing.old.gracefully@dioceseofleeds.org.uk .
Warmest thanks for your interest in and support of our work across the Diocese.
Pippa Bonner, Trustee Carol Burns, Chair Anne Forbes, Trustee
Paul Grafton, Trustee Maria Longfellow, Trustee Cath Mahoney, Trustee
Mgr Peter Rosser, Trustee Rachel Walker, Project Worker Ann West, Trustee