Sunday 29 March 2015

OF YOUR CHARITY

Pray for the Happy Repose of the souls
of those who have recently died from our Parish Community
 
Fr. John Cribben
Tony McGrail
Ann Staden
Francis Joseph McDermott
Margaret Basham
 
Eternal Rest Grant unto them O Lord
and let light perpetual shine upon them. 
May they rest in peace.


THE GREAT WEEK BEGINS

Today, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week.  Unfortunately the bad weather meant we could not hold the customary procession in either church.  Our Lord's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was marked with a more sombre Solemn Entrance.
 
As it sometimes says on the Vatican Website here are a few moments from the Liturgies in each church.
 
Hosanna to the Son of David


The Blessing of Palms at St Joseph's


And the Solemn Entrance

Blessing of Palms at St Marie's

More Sprinkling with Holy Water

Incensation of the Altar at the Offertory

Incensation of the People
 

Friday 20 March 2015

ŚWIĘCENIE 2015

W sobotę 4 kwietnia 2015r o godzinie 12:30 odbędzie się świecenie pokarmów Wielkanocnych w kosciele St. Marie’s. Gorąco zapraszamy państwa i prosimy o rozpowieddzeniu znajomym.  Bóg zapłać!

The Traditional Blessing of Easter Food will take place on Holy Saturday at 12:30pm in St Marie's Church.  All are welcome to this celebration. 

LENTEN VEILING

As we approach the Fifth Sunday of Lent the statues in Church are shrouded in purple. The Church feels different. Since the beginning of Lent our worship has become much simpler. There has been no adornment; no flowers, no extra music, purple vestments. As we approach the great moment of our salvation, as we draw near to the foot of that cross, upon which suffered and died the Saviour of the World, we focus on him alone. There will be no distractions.  
 
We human beings constantly flit from one thing to another. Our attention wanders. News reports and television programmes are short, so that we do not have to concentrate for very long. How many of you would bother to read the back of the bulletin if it were three or four times the length? The concentration needed in the coming weeks will be great, so that we can fully appreciate the momentous events that will take place.
This is why we veil the statues. We do not want anything to take our attention from God. Nothing should distract us. We should look at Him and Him alone, offered on the cross for us.
From this Fifth Sunday onwards Lent moves into a different phase. The end is in sight, but before that resurrection morning, we must walk with God-made-man. We must come with Him and stand in the crowd as He enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We must sit with Him as he breaks bread with His disciples, washes their feet, and gives us the gift of the priesthood. We will stand in the shadows as Judas betrays Him with a kiss and be sickened by the blood on His fair skin from the lashes of the Roman whips. We will see the pain in the eyes of His mother as she follows Him on the way to the cross. And our breath will stop as He breathes His last... sighing for us, for our sins, to show us how much God loves us, to show us the consequences of our actions.
This begins now. We must prepare ourselves by prayer, fasting and almsgiving, that we may be worthy to walk in the footprints of Jesus, Our God.  The journey is begun. Come, let us go to Jerusalem.
With my continued prayers for a happy and fruitful Lent

 

MORE PICTURES





WELCOME BACK

It's ages since I last blogged.  So I thought I would just post a few pictures from around St Joseph's Church to get back into the swing of things. 
 
I was thinking that people could leave some feedback in the comments box about the posts on the blog and maybe some idea of the things they might like me to blog about.