Brighton Bishop: Carry a card, 'In the event of an emergency, call a priest' (From The Argus)

Brighton Bishop: Carry a card, 'In the event of an emergency, call a priest'

4:00pm Sunday 5th February 2012 in News By Anna Roberts

A Sussex bishop has backed a call for people to carry a credit-style card saying: “In the event of an emergency, please call a Catholic priest.”

Bishop of Arundel and Brighton Kieran Conry said he hoped the card would give people the “confidence to share their faith.

He said: “Carrying a faith card takes courage, it signals to others, every time you use your wallet or purse, that you believe in God, that your life has a purpose, that you are trying to love and serve your neighbour.

He explained that “faith is not a private matter” and people should pull the card from their wallet or purse if asked about Catholicism.

One million cards will be made available to 24 Catholic dioceses.

The credit card-sized resource features on one side, a space for the owner to sign, a statement that the carrier is a Catholic and a list of six things that Catholics are called to do.

They are called to “share with others the joy of knowing Jesus Christ, pray, celebrate the sacraments regularly, love my neighbour asmyself, use the gifts that I’ve been given wisely and forgive as I have been forgiven”.

The other side of the card has a quote from the Blessed John Henry Newman, focusing on the call to serve and affirming that everyone has a mission.

Bishop Conry said: “We all carry a variety of cards in our purses and wallets which reflect something of our identity and the things that are important to us.

“The faith card for Catholics aims to offer a daily reminder of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

“We can’t summarise the whole of our faith in bullet points but we hope that the card simply inspires people to do, read and learn more.

“The card is also designed to give Catholics confidence to share their faith – often people need help knowing what to say.

“We hope that Catholics will use it to witness to their faith. If someone asks a question about Catholicism, a starting point could be to show the card and to take it from there.”

The card is free and will be distributed to diocesan offices during February and March 2012.