Category: Fr Rory Writes

“God is love, let us love one another”

At a time like this when there is so much strife and stress in our world, this focus can have great value.  Our council meeting at St George’s reflected this.  We continue to wait for more decisions and guidance from the diocese; but the focus of our responsibility is to bring leadership and guidance to our communities.  Spotlighting two particularly important events.   The first was the mass for healing which took place at St Wilfrid’s and the second which takes place here at St George’s this Saturday, the Service of Remembrance.  From these events, acknowledging our need for  developed communications, the need is to establish more coherent communication, particularly within the ministries as we move forward developing and growing.

Focusing upon our ministries as the best way to move ahead.  The ministry of welcomers and hospitality has a key part.  Knowing more and more the members and deepening awareness, particularly of sacrament preparation, and  co-ordinating ministries of the eucharist, readings, website and a growing number of activities to develop the life and lives of our community.  This relates particularly to the housebound, sick, social activities and those enquiring how to belong and share more fully in the needs of the church.

Over one billion Catholics all over the world observe last Sunday as World Mission Sunday. This annual observance was instituted 98 years ago in 1926 by Pope Pius XI’s Papal decree. Every year since then, the universal Church has dedicated the month of October to reflection on, and prayer for, the missions. On World Mission Sunday, Catholics gather to celebrate the Eucharist and to contribute to a collection for the work of evangelisation around the world. This annual celebration gives us a chance to reflect on the importance of mission work for the life of the Church. It reminds us that we are one with the Church around the world and that we are all committed to carrying on the mission of Christ, however different our situations may be.

Pope Francis’ theme for 2024 World mission Sunday is rooted in the Gospel of Matthew: “Go and Invite Everyone to the Banquet,” reflecting the inclusive and urgent call to bring God’s love to everyone. Let us join in this universal mission to spread the Gospel and invite all to experience the joy of Christ’s message!

With my love and prayers for all of you this week. 

As mentioned last week, we will need to read the minutes of the deanery meeting, and here goes:

PREPARING TO BE A NEW PARISH TOGETHER: On 19 November the Deanery Clergy will meet with the Diocesan Team, who will begin guiding us into the formal process towards our becoming a new Parish, from Eastbourne to Rye. There’s no denying it sounds a daunting task, but together all of us will be able to start taking steps to get in place what will be needed for this to work. Already behind the scenes good conversations and meetings are beginning and we have had well attended open meetings across the deanery. The most important task is for us all to PRAY with OPEN and POSITIVE HEARTS. I am confident that if we do this, we will not just be pleasantly surprised but even AMAZED at the good that can be done together to build the Church and share the Gospel in new and exciting ways. There are inevitably many “unknowns”, but we will move at a pace that allows us to do things well and properly, and always for the upbuilding of people and community, and for the welcoming and inclusion of people who are distanced from their faith or who have never yet heard the call of the Gospel.

Regular updates will come through in the weeks ahead and opportunities for  everyone to play their part in the     journey we will be on together. As well as in our communal gatherings, please keep this intention very much in your personal prayer. God bless, Fr Kevin

“So far so good, maybe, so good, so far”.

We will need to read the minutes of the deanery meeting, which will move us on to the usual November meeting, when we gather to say mass for the deceased priests from our deanery.  We will be visited by the diocesan team, who have been mandated by Bishop Richard to see his plan for the diocese implemented by all the deaneries.

The time schedule to get all this done may be extended.  My overriding concern at the moment is when we would be rostered to say mass at the different churches in the deanery.  Needless to say it was echoed at the meeting and I am more at ease, that it will not begin immediately.  So for the moment all our attention is drawn to Deacon John’s piece in the newsletter on Sunday 29th.  This was excellent and deserves a lot of further attention.  He focused our attention on Martin’s appeal for volunteers to help with the ministry of the church.  It takes all kinds of roles that are helpful, possibly critical for any parish to function in the future.  It serves as a reminder that a parish is not just a priest.  St Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians makes this quite clear to all of us.  Everyone has a role but not the same role.  We are not all called to be ordained priests.  Neither are we all called to be prophets.  But we all do have one thing in common.  We have all been baptised into one Body, and because of this we each have a necessary and relevant role that contributes to the well being of the whole.

“Two important events on the way ahead”

The first one is at St Wilfrid’s but unfortunately it is very soon.  “The Celebrations for my Birthday and my Jubilee” which I deeply appreciate; were a distraction from this most important event.  It is a mass for the Sacrament of Healing.  In the past the focus of attention was on extreme unction; the primary tag “in danger of death”.   Also in confessions, now the sacrament of reconciliation has now replaced the emphasis upon confessions of mortal sins.  Now is the time and is a great opportunity to begin again with the focus on pardon and peace, healing and forgiveness.

The second event is at St George’s on Saturday morning with the Requiem Mass; a service of remembrance for our loved ones, our treasured memories and an important window to highlight our Gardens of Remembrance.

Fr Rory’s Birthday celebrations and CAFOD Harvest Appeal:

Come and join us in celebrating Fr Rory’s special birthday next Sunday, September 29th. We all give thanks that he has chosen not to retire, just yet! 

We are encouraging all parishioners to sponsor Father Rory as he walks between our two parish churches, departing from St Georges, Polegate at 3pm. Or, if you are able to join him along the walk, please collect your own sponsor forms and cheer him along. Sponsor forms are available at the back of the church. Following the walk, we will celebrate with a birthday tea and musical entertainment in St Wilfrid’s hall from 4pm. If you are joining us for the walk or coming along to the birthday celebrations, don’t forget to add your name to the list at the back of church. This will help us to cater for everyone’s needs. 

CAFOD Harvest Appeal:  CAFOD’s Harvest Family Fast Day is on Friday 4th October, a day we can pray, give, and eat simply in solidarity with our global family. Thank you for your support of previous Fast Days and thank you for your generosity and prayers for our sisters and brothers in this Harvest Appeal. This year’s appeal is focusing on supporting people like Daniel, a young man in Democratic Republic of Congo.  Daniel’s family didn’t always have enough to eat, despite both of his parents working. There was no money to send him to school. Now Daniel is carving a better future for his family with carpentry skills he learned in a CAFOD-funded training centre. Give to CAFOD today and you’ll fund training, tools, equipment and safe spaces so more people like Daniel can learn new skills and fulfil their God-given potential.
 
 Please share the link with your family and friends and help us to reach our target of £500 for the CAFOD Harvest Appeal

“Another Outing”

Last week I shared our experience of a visit to see Elizabeth Robinson, which was a great moment of grace amidst all the adversities of life.  She was a blessing and a joy to visit.  Reminiscing on moments from the past, and the special contributions of Peter and Sophie from confirmation preparation, plus treasured memories from our past.

This week I am about to set out on a much longer venture, when we will visit Fr Jerry Twomey in York.  He was ordained with me at Thurles in June, fifty years ago.  We joined the seminary together, six years earlier.  I look forward to sharing with him treasured moments from that time.  We were very blessed with aspects of our experiences, and one of the professors was a true treasure that can never be taken away.   Other aspects were fit for purpose, and we looked forward to a rewarding time of ministry in the church.

I am afraid that was not sadly how it turned out and continues to be echoed in the times we are living.  The seminaries are closed (a sign of not fit for purpose) some will not be pleased by the reminder.  Fr Jerry’s health has let him down, so he has made the decision to retire.  I am really looking forward to our time of sharing.  I am hoping and praying that this visit will be equally rewarding as the one with Elizabeth.  In fact I am sure it will be a great help and I am looking forward to it.  Please God, it will help to open my eyes to see the beam in my own eyes before attempting to take out the splinters in other peoples eyes.  Also, help me as I look forward to our future following on the moderated plans in Fr Kevins letter, laying out the focus for our future.  Please continue to give the letter the care and attention that it requires.

So important that we continue on our pilgrim way on life’s journey.

At times like this, easier said than done.  Thanks be to God for a very special moment of grace, last week had a blast from the past.  Myself, Joan and Granddaughter Sophie visited Elizabeth Robinson.  She is very blessed because her nursing home near the seafront in Bexhill is looking after her very well and she is very happy there.  Sophie and Elizabeth’s husband Peter, did a lot of work together for our parish and we cherished good times together.

So needless to say I continue to pray for our future.  Words are always selective and we choose what we like to hear from “Letter to all parishioners of the Deanery – July 2024”.  We won’t be about “closing down” but building up what we already have, sharing all our good resources.

Wishing you all the joy and renewed energy that this holiday season may be reviving and beneficial to you. 

Many, especially those who were involved in education were in real need of this.

The two remarkable Great Feasts of August.  We have just celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration and this week on Thursday we will celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Lady into Heaven.  When I was growing up this was very well celebrated and was a part of a great event.  The importance of the celebrations is their focus upon the splendour of Our Divine Majesty, The Infinite Goodness of God.  One day His glory will be revealed  and our work will be done. 

Grace and peace.

“It’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.

Not my brother, not my sister.  But it’s me, O Lord,

Standing in the need of prayer.

Many years ago in the earlier days of my ministry, we were invited by the diocese to embark on a journey, the focus for the journey being “renew”.  For the Jubilee Celebration Mass at St Wilfrid’s, just before the commencement of mass, an old photograph of my mum and dad was followed by a photograph of an oak tree with me standing under it.  When the renew programme was introduced I had not long been at the parish, but I had planted potatoes which     produced a very good crop that was quickly taken up by customers.  Not so fortunate for the renew process.  Some parishioners embraced it, and some put in a large amount of work to produce fruit for the harvest, and I have not seen any oak tress in the diocese like the one at St Pauls.

We are now on a new journey, very important to our lives and our communities.  Fr Kevin has given us a very       important introduction to attach to our newsletter this week, which has a most important bearing on our future.  We must give it our very best effort.  Here at St George’s and St Wilfrid’s a lot of preliminary work has taken place.  At St George’s, Martin Falkner, over the Sundays of August will present us with early offshoots and I will follow them at St Wilfrid’s, which we pray will develop and grow.  The welcome introduction prepared by Stephen is a very tangible, purposeful development that will, with the help of God, bear fruit; fruit that will last.