People and Places

The Sons of the Divine Providence have produced an illustrated calendar for 1979 showing pictures of church sculptures and wall paintings together with short sayings of the Order's founder, Fr Orione. It costs 50p and is available from the Order at 25 Lower Teddington Road, Hampton Wick, Kingston-uponThames, KTI,
Owing to the overwhelming number of requests for details of their hand-writing competition, the Knights of St Columba have decided to extend the final date for entry to Saturday, February 3. Any teachers or parents who would like details of the competition should write to David Smith (Grand Knight KSC), 2 Fawsley Garth, Peterborough, PE3.
An ecumenical service for a peaceful Christmas in Argentina will be held at 1.30 pm tomorrow at St Aloysius Church, Phoenix Road, London, NWI. Bishop Victor Guazzelli, Bishop in East London will preside and Dr Colin Winter, Anglican Bishop of Damaraland, will preach. Miss Pauline Webb of the Methodist Church Overseas Division will lead the prayers.
Quaker Peace and Service has organised a Workshop on Disarmament to be held on Saturday, January 6, at Friends House, Euston Road, London, NW1, from 10.30 to 4.30. Speakers will incluee the Rev John Hastings, of the Social Responsibility Division of the Methodist Church and Arthur Latham, MP. Details from the Quaker Peace and Service.
The Forest School Choir from Waltham Forest, London, will sing carols in Front of the Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square in aid of Help the Aged from 4 to 5 pm tomorrow. At the same time on Sunday the choir of King Edward School, Southampton will sing. conducted by Derek Nimmo, also in Trafalgar Square.
* * * A report called "The Social Psychology of Minorities" has been produced by the Minority Rights Group. Written by Professor Henri Tajfel of Bristol University, it tries to convey the feelings of minorities and the way they perceive society. Copies from MRG, Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven Street, London, WC2. Price 75p plus 15p postage and packing.
The National Children's Home, Methodism's child care agency, has opened its doors to refugee Vietnamese families, In liaison with the Ockenden Venture, NCH has reopened Sunshine House at Alverstoke, near Portsmouth, for the accommodation of 30 refugees made up of six families with ages ranging from one to 57 years.
"First Coming, Second Coming" is the theme of a New Year retreat designed for busy people with family, oarish or community commitments to be held at St Anne's Convent, Crossway Green, Chepstow, Gwent, from December 29 to January 2. The cost is £23.50 plus £1.85 VAT.
The Crusade of Maiy Immaculate holds a weekly prayer group every Thursday at 8 pm at the National Crusade Centre, 2 Reticlyffe Road, Manchester. Every first Saturday in the month there is a Crusade rally at the centre with a Rosary, Litany and Mass. Details from the Crusade Director at the centre.
Mr Dick Wilson, chairman of the Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority, was the guest speaker at the recent annual festival meeting of the Society of St Vincent de Paul Nottingham District Council. Mr Wilson spoke of' the difficulties of providing facilities for the elderly in
One of the most popular priests in the Midlands, Fr Peter Lees of Lichfield, Staffordshire, celebrated his Silver Jubilee recently. At a ceremony held in the Civic Hall, Lichfield, Fr Patrick Armstrong, a former curate of the parish, handed over a cheque for £850 on behalf of the parishioners.
the Nottingham conurbation. Three new SVP conferences have been formed in the area this year, including a woman's conference with 20 members.
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Lord Longford, Fr Gerry W. Hughes, Fr Gerry J. Hughes, SJ, and Fr Roger Ruston, OP, will be the speakers at the National Christmas Conference organised by the Catholic Student Council. The theme of the conference, which is from December 29 to January 2, will be "Morality". It will include talks on the principles of morality, sexual ethics and the morality of penal punishment.
* * * The Cathedral Players, the Notre Dante School and St Georges Junior and Infant School were among those who took part in the annual celebration of carols at St George's Cathedral, Southwark, on Sunday. Archbishop Michael Bowen was present.
Third World First has changed, the dates of the second Third World Action Conference from January 5-7 to April 20 22 because of problems about confirming speakers and about hooking during the Christmas and New Year period. The conference will be held at the Oxford Catholic Chaplaincy and the theme will be "The Wastemakers". Susan George, author of "How the Other Half Dies", will be one of the speakers.
* * * A carol service for Christmas shoppers was held at St Patrick's, Soho Square, London, WI, on Wednesday night. The collection went to CAFOD. The service was held at the inspiration of Fr Austin Garvey, who worked in Peru for 12 years.
The National Secular Society has spoken out in support of what it calls the "uncompromising view of the Gospel Message" put forward by Dr Edward Norman in his controversial Reith Lectures. The NSS said Dr Norman was "quite right" in saying that the Christian creed did not lead logically to progressive political action and was not really compatible with progressive political actions.
The Christ Today Community Trust in the East End of London is appealing kr people in Poplar, Bow, Mile End and Tower Hamlets to become involved in the running of its house for homeless women at 31 Gillender Street, London, E14. Anyone willing to help should contact Sister Mary Bernardine at that address. She is currently trying to form a management committee.
The centenary of the death of Princess Alice, Queen Victoria's daughter, was commemorated recently at the home in Princess Alice Drive of the National Children's Home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. A new chapel and modern accommodation for the NCH Midlands Regional Headquarters was opened by Lady Brabourne. The seminarians of Allen Hall joined the boy singers of the Church of Our Lady of Grace, Chiswick, for an Advent carol service at the seminary last Friday. Mgr John Coghlan, the Rector of Allen Hall presided.
The Council of Europe is again offering social welfare fellowships for four weeks in '1980. Marriage guidance is included in the range of subjects which can be studied. Full information and application forms which must be returned by January 24, 1980, from the Higher Education and Science Department, the British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London, SW1,
* * * A talk on the work of "Women Caring Trust" which raises funds for women and children in Northern Ireland will be given to members of the Civil Service Catholic Guild at the Parish Rooms, St Anselm and St Cecilia's, Kingsway, London, WC I, on January I I at 6.30pm. The speaker will be Mrs Joan Robins, OBE. The Civil Service Catholic Guild will hold its annual meeting, dinner and national council meeting in Blackpool from May 12 to 13. Details from the Guild Secretary, Mr Michael Kennedy, 64 Criffel Avenue, Streatham Hill, London, SW2.
Dr Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury, will spend an hour and a half today at the Borstal in Dover, where he will meet some of the trainees and staff and go on a tour of the workshops. At the end of the visit he will be taken to the Christian Centre, as the chapel is called. Yesterday he read the last of the nine lessons in a carol service at Dover Castle.
The Church in Papua New Guinea is looking for an information officer to be in charge of publicity for all the churches on the 1,000-mile-long island. The successful candidate will have to be able to stand the heat of 85 to 90 degrees, with high humidity, as well as liking climbing mountains and being prepared to cope with about 750 languages. Amnesty International is appealing for people to write letters to help secure the release of Heinz Reinecke, a 37-year-old sculptor who has been a prisoner of conscience since 1977 in the German Democratic Republic. They are asked to write a courteously-wor!cled letter appealing for Reinecke's release to Mr Erich Honecker, Chairman of the State Council of the GDR, c/o Amnesty Intenrnational, Tower House, 8 14 Southampton Street, London, WC2. Name and address should be included on a separate sheet.
St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey will mark the start and the finish of an ecumenical service and torchlight march of witness next Thursday, the Feast of the Innocents, to commemorate the deaths of all the unborn children killed since the abortion law came into operation nearly 11 years ago. The event is being organised by Christians in the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. It starts at 4.30 pm.
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