1. Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service

2. Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service Year of Faith 2012-13 Pope Benedict XVI has called for this year to be a special Year of Faith in which we can all try to learn more about our faith and to ‘grow in holiness’. Our Bishop, Malcolm, has asked for our schools and parishes to focus on “Mary, Woman of Faith” as our theme for the year.

3. Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service Year of Faith 2012-13 St. Peter’s, Vatican City in Rome

4. Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service Year of Faith 2012-13 The Second Vatican Council was begun by Pope John XXIII. It was a meeting of Bishops and theologians from all over the world. They met four times between 1962 and 1965. They thought about how to renew the Church and how they could reach out to the changing world.

5. Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service Year of Faith 2012-13 Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, invites people from all over the world to join him, “during this time of spiritual grace that the Lord offers us, in recalling the precious gift of faith.” What is “faith” ?

6. Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service Mary, Woman of Faith Just as Mary said, “yes” to God’s plan for her, we can ask ourselves: What is God asking of us? Can we say “yes” to God as Mary did?

7. Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service Mary, Woman of Faith Let us pray… May Mary, woman of faith, through whom Christ came into our world, inspire us and pray for us; may we, like her, welcome him into our hearts, so that, in our worship and our work, we may bring Christ to all whom we meet, sharing with them by our words, deeds and example the gifts of faith, hope and love. Amen.