Yesterday (Tuesday, January 11th) the Newcastle Journal published an article about the online petition which is gathering momentum in an effort to halt the closure of Ushaw College. The article comments that this "is the first time the board of trustees for Ushaw College, on the outskirts of Durham, have responded to the demands of the online petition which is gathering support daily." As the article says, "the move (to close the College without consultation with other interested parties) sparked outrage among campaigners, who launched an online petition calling for a full consultation into the college's future with the results made public before any final decision to close is made." The trustees of the College have now apparently agreed to discuss the petition at their next meeting which will be in a few day's time.
At this moment (8.15 am on January 12th) there are nearly 800 signatures on the petition, and if you, my dear reader, have not yet signed, I urge you to do so now. Here is the address: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ushaw/.
It's worth noting, Father, that quite a few "signatures" are in two names, therefore there are really quite a few more names :-)
ReplyDeleteFrankE
the biggest problem with the petition is the people leaving uncharitable messages - this is not going to help, it will only make the trustees think that it is a joke.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Anonymous 2; what is remarkable is that the most hard-hitting (uncharitable?) comments have come from the clergy who have been through the system. While we all want to save the college from closure, it is clear that something has gone sadly wrong at Ushaw and if it is saved it has to undergo a complete transformation or else the same problems will persist and the numbers will not improve. Hiding heads in sand is no solution; realistic and firm action to restore orthodoxy and obedience to the magisterium is the only answer. In my opinion, the hard comments from the clergy have done everyone a favour by revealing the real reasons why Ushaw has been failing for decades. What is needed is a close examination of those seminaries that are succeeding (such as Wonersh and Oscott) and follow suit.
ReplyDelete