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Dementia Prayer Week  is an initiative of Pastoral Care Project, an ecumenical ministry that focuses on the spiritual needs of  persons with dementia and that helps their carers to recognise and to respond to those needs. It is located in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England. The Project was started by Mrs Frances Molloy, originally from Rathlin Island, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. During my time in Britain, 2000 to 2002, I became involved to a limited degree with the Project and have kept in touch since. That involvement opened my eyes to a pastoral need that I had not been aware of before. Here is  a link to my post  on Dementia Prayer Week in 2018. The Week is a reminder to us of the spiritual needs of persons with dementia throughout the year. St Louis Martin  [ Wikipedia ] The Church has canonised at least one saint whom we know suffered from dementia in the last years of his life,  St Louis Martin , father of  St T...

Painting owned by   Pastoral Care Project Pastoral Care Project © Charity No. 1094766.  All rights reserved. There is more on this painting by Sr Annie Bromhan IBVM along with reflections on the Pastoral Care Project website  here . This is an edited version of  a post  published on 13 March 2013. May I ask anyone who reads this to check out the website of  Pastoral Care Project . This wonderful ecumenical ministry, initiated by Mrs Frances Molloy in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England, focuses on the spiritual needs of persons with dementia. This is the tenth annual Dementia Prayer Week initiated by Pastoral Care Project. Long ago I used to be a young man and dear Margaret remembers that for me. The Dutchman   is a song written by Michael Peter Smith in 1968. It's about an elderly couple living in Amsterdam, Margaret and the title character. The unnamed Dutchman has dementia and Margaret cares for him with a sad...

Madonna and Child with the Lamb of God, Cesare da Sesto Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales,) Gospel John 1:29-34 ( NRSV ) The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’ Sunday Reflections for the Feast of the Santo Niño (Philippines) are here . San Alfonso de Liguori Parish, Rom...

The Dream of St Joseph , Rembrandt, 1650-55 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) Now after the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”   Then Joseph   got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,   and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to ful...

Long ago I used to be a young man and dear Margaret remembers that for me. The Dutchman  is a song written by Michael Peter Smith in 1968. It's about an elderly couple living in Amsterdam, Margaret and the title character. The unnamed Dutchman has dementia and Margaret cares for him with a sadness over what has happened to him over the years. It's a story of unconditional love. Portrait of an Old Man with Beard ,  van Gogh, December 1885 ( Web Gallery of Art ) I became involved with  The Pastoral Care Project  in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England, while based in the Columban house in Solihull from September 2000 to April 2002 when I moved to Glasgow, Scotland, though I stayed there for only a few months before returning to the Philippines. The mission statement of the Project is above. I first got involved when the founder of the Project, Mrs Frances Molloy, invited me to celebrate Mass in a home for old people. The mission state...