Father Simon Gore from Animate Youth Ministries explains why an Oasis album title has led him to remember some lives well lived.

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I have found it a little odd over the last year or so seeing the renaissance of the band Oasis. Working with young people, as we do, we have had primary groups singing along to ‘Wonderwall’, or Year 7s humming ‘Supersonic’. Some of them have even said they managed to get tickets for the concerts this year.

 

If I was ever asked if I was going to watch them – and in some cases I was even asked if I had heard of them – I would say, ‘Yes I was familiar with them’ but didn’t see much point going to see them as I saw them in their original form back in the 90s.

 

I even remember not just the famous albums and tracks of that decade but also the lesser known and certainly less well thought of album ‘Standing on the Shoulder of Giants’.

 

Although it may not feature any of the crowd pleasers that modern audiences might sing along to on their tours now, I always liked the title of that album. Of course, it is not their original wording – they took it from Isaac Newton and managed to miss the ‘s’ from the end of shoulders in the process! (You can even see it on the edge of the £2 coin if you have a look.)

 

But I suppose it is the meaning of the words – standing on the shoulders of giants – that has stuck with me. As Newton said, it was only by standing on the shoulders of others that he had been able to see as far as he could. It was a nod to the past. A reminder that no matter what he had done and what he might do, he also owed a debt to those who had gone before.

 

As I type this article it is still early November, the month of remembrance and the Holy Souls. As we look ahead, we can see anniversaries and special events coming up in the new year. As you may know, 2026 will bring the 50th anniversary of Liverpool Archdiocese’s Lourdes Youth Pilgrimage. It is also the 10th anniversary of the Faith in Action Award here in Liverpool. And we can look back on 20 years of retreats at Lowe House.

 

There are a lot of memories and, we might also hope, some good work that has gone into those different events.

 

But we should remember that we can only look back on all the work that has gone before because those of us now involved stand on the shoulders of our predecessors. This time of the year offers the opportunity to think about people we know who have now gone to the eternal reward but who, in life, gave us the building blocks of what we can now do.

 

My mind goes to clergy, staff members on Lourdes coaches, teachers and, sadly, young people who gave their shoulders for us to stand on. In many cases I am sure they might not have realised what a difference they were making. But we should take that chance to remember their impact and give thanks.

 

Of course, we always remember and pray for loved ones in this month of Holy Souls (and invariably at Christmas too). And rightly so. But maybe in our prayers we might also take a moment to pray for those who we might not know but who have made a difference to our life, our work and our wider diocese? They are, after all, in their own way, the giants on whose shoulders we now stand.

 

Eternal rest, grant unto them O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.