WORLD DAY OF PRAYER

Please note in your diaries: Advent Service of ‘Light in Darkness’, followed by Tea in the Olde Forge Cafe: Sunday 14th December at 3.00pm. Advent Penance Service and Individual Reconciliation: Wednesday 17th December at 6.00PM Christmas holy Masses and Carols: Wednesday 24th December - Carols at 5.30pm, holy Mass at 6.00pm; Wednesday 24th December - Carols at 11.30pm and holy Mass at 12.00Midnight;  Thursday 25th December - Carols at 10.30am and holy Mass at 11.00am

I’m very pleased to tell you that Lissy will be taking over the development of our website and our use of Social Media. Lissy has great expertise in this area. Thank you so much to Lorenza for all the work she did to keep our parish moving forward in this vitally important field of new technologies.

This is just an early note for all our Eucharistic Ministers and all our Lectors, to please join me for a short time of prayer and reflection, before Christmas. We will begin at 10.30am for a period of silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament followed by a meeting in our Cafe at 11.00, finishing at 12.00midday in time for our Meeting for Adults who allow the Lord to deepen their understanding of their Faith.

I’m sure you will notice that a special rope will soon be placed across the front opening of the sanctuary area, in the church. The rope is simply a visual aid to remind us that the area of the sanctuary is a very holy place because on the sanctuary is the tabernacle which contains the consecrated bread, Holy Communion, the presence of the Lord Jesus. It is an area that we treat with enormous awe and respect. Normally, we will be able to enter the sanctuary area from the side openings. During holy Mass however, at the time of receiving Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion the rope will be removed to enable our Eucharistic Ministers and myself to distribute Holy Communion and then to return the remaining consecrated hosts to the tabernacle. The rope will be replaced across the front opening of the sanctuary, when the time for the distribution of Holy Communion has ended. All this is really to help us to have a strong sense of the very important sacredness of that part of the church.  Let’s try also to keep the whole church building a place of quiet at all times so that in our busy, noisy world, there is a place set apart for prayer and meditation.

It was a very positive meeting as we identified the very good progress we have made in building the Lord’s Kingdom, through the grace of God working through the efforts of so many people in our parish. Although a relatively small parish, we can be pleased that so much has been achieved, especially in the areas of Liturgy, Catechesis and Evangelisation. Of course, there is much more for us to do but we know that if everyone is willing to use their God-given time and skills in God’s work, then the Lord will bless all we do and we will become, more and more, a genuine, authentic Christian community. Thank you to everyone who took part in our ‘Parish in Council’ meeting.

I was asked if anyone who is already a Catholic could still come to our Rite of Christian Initiation meetings. The answer is, of course, yes, with great pleasure. Every meeting in our parish is open to everyone. Do come to these meetings and your own relationship with the Lord will grow stronger and deeper.

We began the month of November with the great Feast of All Saints, inviting everyone who is now with the Lord in Heaven, living in eternal joy, to pray for us. Tomorrow, the Feast of All Souls, we begin to think of those who have died and, while not yet in Heaven, are on their way home! We believe that the holy Mass and our prayers help these Holy Souls on that journey. Do come to holy Mass tomorrow, All Souls Day, and join me and through the holy Mass we can help our loved ones to speedily reach our homeland of Heaven.  If you would like me to offer holy Mass during the month of November, for specific members of your family or friends who have died, please fill in one of the Holy Mass envelopes which you will find in the church porch, enclose your stipend and please give it to me or pop it through the presbytery letterbox. In the holy Mass, we are connected to the Lord Jesus in his death and resurrection. The holy Mass is the most powerful means possible to allow the Lord to bring us and our loved ones safely home to Heaven.

Tue 11 Nov: Giannina Wed 12 Nov: Patricia Thu 13 Nov: John Fri 14 Nov: Mary

We began again our ‘Liturgy of the Word’ for children of Primary School age on Sunday November 2nd and will continue on the following consecutive Sundays. Dear Parents please bear these dates in mind when you bring your children to holy Mass. During these ‘Liturgy of the Word’ sessions, our children will have opportunities to understand and enjoy God’s loving Word during the 11.00am holy Mass.