Category: Fr Rory Writes

Please God, for this weekend.  It is the Feast of Christ the King, youth weekend; but normally known as the 34th week of the year, and the end of the churches year.  So next Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent.  I have long believed that this Sunday should evolve to become one of the Great Feasts like Christmas, Good Friday, Easter and Pentecost, and in the end, the greatest Feast of all when “Christ returns in glory”.  This Sunday we will celebrate it to the best of our abilities with a special celebration of First Holy Communion at St George’s, a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now it is important to highlight events for Advent.  After harvest time, the most important gift we are left with is seeds, to be sown to provide for the year; and years to come.  Pope Francis has called for a special Synod, to respond to the life of the church at this time.  The time for this consultation has been extended and its importance is really great.  Through real prayer and effort I hope we will address this

For the Four Sundays:

First Sunday:  “Call to Synod”.  Ideas on how we might address this most welcome.

Second Sunday:  “The ministries of the church”.  How they enrich and develop the life of our church.

Third Sunday:  “Be reconciled to God”.  Confession as I knew it and spent hours at this time in the confessional box when I was first ordained.

Fourth Sunday:  “Hope, Aspiration, Visions”.  For the community, local church ecumenism and gracefully challenging those who have high office in the life of the church.

Time moves on quickly, and the request from Pope Francis it is time for; and of great importance to the church that we have a Synod.  It is now time to get this underway.  Two key questions for us as we begin A) Why:   Why do we need a Synod?  B) How:  How do we achieve the best outcome possible?, and the steps for us to take to do this.

The latest instalment that we have received is this:-

Synod of Bishops 2023 – not just for Bishops!
Pope Francis has said a synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together:” He asks us “How is this “journeying together” happening today in your particular Church?”

The Pope is asking us to dream what the Church could be, and to walk together into God’s future, where that Church becomes a reality.
Let us pray that we can listen to, and journey together with as many of our communities as possible, so that together we help to build up the Church and pass that message, loud and clear, to the bishops of England and Wales, and then to the Pope himself.

Synod Prayer
We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts: teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful.  Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.

It is now the month of November so the harvest season is well over.  The first frosts tell of the season that is set to come.  I cannot say that we had a good harvest, so we can be anxious and conscious of leaner times to come.  One of the most important fruits of any harvest time is that it contains the seeds for future planting and harvests to come.  We must cherish those seeds and set our minds and hearts to truly value them, and to see that they are well planted to bear fresh fruit – fruit that will last.

Among the seeds is the special lay synod that is desired by Pope Francis.  There are people I know who believe that this is most important; in fact vital to our future.  For us who really believed in and hoped for a great outcome for the 2nd Vatican Council, only to realise it was failed in so many ways.  Now a fresh impetus, a new enthusiasm, may be like a Vatican III, well fit for purpose.  Yes new fruit, new seeds – for fruit that will last.  We can have fresh hope, if we are ready to prepare the ground, to plough and to harrow, so that we can look forward to preparing good harvests.

For a moment let us now focus upon the greatest of feasts; the one that is on the horizon “The Feast of Christ the King”.  All our hopes are built upon this great event.  “Christ will return in all glory”.  That is why during the month of November we should pay attention to the Holy Souls.  The great multitude who have gone before us, with their own share of human failure, losses and crosses.  There has been a long tradition of having Mass offered for our loved ones and our benefactors.  A really helpful good thing to do.

After this a new Advent, a new time of sowing, and we are preparing an outline plan that the Bishop and our Diocese has asked us to do.

Through the waters of baptism we have received God’s great gift “the pledge of eternal life”. 

To experience that life as God has ordained it that calls us to make our response.  All our lives are watched over by God’s providence, but at the heart of His care is true the Eucharist.  When we hear His word, and to receive the devine nourishment  which brings us to the  assembly of the faithful, where the liturgy of the Eucharist gives life to our journey.  Deacon John made a reference for the need to Volunteer in his contribution to our newsletter last week, and gave examples; welcomers, readers etc.  Helping us to open our eyes, there is a line in the Gospel this Sunday which says “Master I want to see”.

I had a very encouraging experience during the week from Joe Roberts, and I am very grateful to him for it.  He was picking up upon “Good News” and announcing some good news to me.  His came from the Olympics in Japan.  I have asked him to share this with us by a piece for our newsletter.  It is a good idea, so I asked another person hoping that he too would have some good news.  It would be good to encourage each other to share more good news.  There is always a space in the newsletter for this.

This week we celebrate the “Feast of All Saints”.   The fact  we are included in this, is reason for gratitude “thanks be to god”, and the second “to let it really influence our lives”.  More and more mention is being made of Pope Francis to have a Synod, and at the heart of it the role of the laity.  In the weeks to come I really, really ask for your help and your patience.  We really need to develop a way to work that helps one another to share and to work together before the life in our churches come to an end.

During this week we heard a Gospel which talks to us of the qualities of being a good servant. Jesus was speaking to all of his followers, which includes us, when he said “blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” We must never consider being a servant as being a demeaning term. We are privileged to be able to act as servants of Jesus. We must remember that, as Fr James McKarns wrote in a recent article I read, Jesus is our Lord, Rabbi, Teacher and Master. We must always be available to him even though we do not know what his plans are for us. I think we all have our own agendas but sometimes we must put them on hold so that we can follow whatever plans the Master has for us so that we can all say, as Mary said “Thy will be done”. We really should be saying “Speak Lord ; your servant is listening.”

There have been some notices in recent newsletters which are good examples of how we can be servants if we really listen and decide that we can be servants to the Lord. I have read that we need more people willing to write the Bidding Prayers – it only comes round about once every two months and does not need a computer. 

We are also in need of people to volunteer with the counting of the collection. This would be once a month if four volunteers come forward. It does involve two people every week for about an hour and a trip to the Bank in Eastbourne. Please come forward if you can to help in this important work.

There are many other areas in which we need volunteers to help, such as welcomers and readers in church. Why not give it a try! There is a line in the Gospel this Sunday which says “Master, I want to see.” We all need to see, to see His presence in what we do, for ourselves, others, the church and in the people we meet. I hope and pray that we will all “see” and do those things which we possibly can. So if you can help in any way to assist Fr Rory and those who already do, please phone or email Jackie on 01323 841504 or [email protected]. If you have already volunteered then I wish to thank you sincerely on behalf of Fr Rory, myself and the community. Thank you for reading this and, hopefully, for volunteering in either community.

Again two things:- Are you surprised?  When we were in the seminary these two things were given a special emphasis. 1) An awareness that life is a journey with a beginning and most importantly an end.  2) On that journey the importance of our and each story.  The church through the liturgy of the word gives us the perfect structure to express this.

Each new year begins in Advent with the liturgy of the Eucharist, to give life to our journey and our story.  The heart of this event is the assembly of the faithful.  The presence of Christ in His faithful is what gives greatest witness to His presence in our world.  To be true to this; is not well, maybe not at all served by seeing it an obligation, a mortal sin if we do not do so.

The mass as a “celebration” the presence of Christ with us.  Before the 2nd Vatican Council Mass was seen as a very liturgical event with a strict discipline, where the language was Latin, mostly unknown to those in attendance who were there saying their prayers.  With the emphasis on celebrating His presence, and refocusing on its first celebration by Jesus on the night He was betrayed….  He celebrated His Last Supper with His instruction “Do this in remembrance of me”.  Let us become far more faithful to this.

I am looking forward to a welcome break, and please God, I am looking forward to it.  This weekend we have harvest festivals, and at St George’s a special celebration of our return to more normal circumstances.  A ceremony of Remembrance for those who have died during this difficult time will take place.  After that mass we will have lots of refreshments and an opportunity to catch up with one another and to support our charities.

This is a very important time.  Still coming to terms with the circumstances that we find ourselves in, thanking those who have contributed to us in the past.  Now it calls for a new beginning, a new generation.  Streaming has served us well, but it also has a great weakness providing an outlet for window shopping.  It will be very helpful, first for those who are housebound, but also a time to participate in our liturgy as preparations continue for the celebration of sacraments.  Our response is essential for our future with the limited number of priests and the great need for the ministries that will strengthen and enrich the life of the church.  We truly need a new generation, where belonging and participation will be crucial in the development of what must be a community of faith and streaming will have it benefits.

A very special memory; a lovely event.

Last Sunday at St George’s Church we celebrated the baptism of “Jamie-Leigh”.  Please God, it will continue on the trajectory that it was  launched on.  She established contact with us when the coronavirus had first afflicted us, with the limitations that were established to provide the safety that was needed to counter the effects of the virus.  She began to tell her story and we recognised a great point of connection.  She was a carer for our Mary Parhon and still is.  We have really missed Mary every Sunday from our morning mass at St George’s.  When I met Mary in her home during lockdown, she was as lovely as ever – and as ever she was not going to allow the virus to cause her to change her behaviour, she insisted upon greeting me with a big hug, no social distancing for Mary, and as a consequence her carers have to modify her outings.  She is a great witness for the value of screening services as she too chooses her Sunday morning services.

As part of our preparation for Jamie-Leigh’s baptism that had to be modified, very rewarding and seeds for a new generation.  It highlights our faith and what is at the heart of it, how we share it and how we renew it.   Our faith, how we live it – How we believe it – How we renew it and when choosing the best reading from scripture for her to read at her service of baptism.  One suggested was a reading from the first moments of St John’s letter, and like the first moments of His gospel – compelling.

John 1-4

The Incarnate Word

Something which has existed since the beginning, that we have heard,

and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched

and touched with our hands:  the Word, who is life —-

this is our subject.  That life was made visible;

we saw it and we are giving our testimony,  telling you of the eternal life

which was with the Father and has been made visible to us.

What we have seen and heard we are telling you

so that you too may be in union with us, as we are in union

with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.

We are now really looking forward to our special event on Sunday 26th at St George’s.

Please God,  we will step out as a new generation looking forward to sharing our lives with hope.

Well how did it go?       You may ask “what go”?  We had our celebration marking our return to church after the part that the coronavirus has played in recent times.  It is good to say “very well indeed”, as is the human situation, a sense that of course it could have been better.  Certainly the heart of the event was in the right place.  The liturgy for the Feast of the Assumption could not have suited our situation better.  As Catholics, we have long memories of different events associated with this feast over the years.  For us, when we were children it had particularly great memories, being the high point of the year.  Again, even then the human element, it also marked thoughts of having to return to school, the passing year, bringing with it change.

This may be a key note for us, as we hold our post mortems.  The liturgy of the mass is at the heart of our future and gives us great confidence that we have got something good to build on.  The excellent work of Gary through the streaming of the pictures, gave us access to recall the “hearts of gold” that we have lost in recent times.  They have left us with a very special legacy and with their deaths comes real sadness and great loss.  The presentation ignited memories of these special people.  We are greatly blessed, by the legacy that they have left.

The children’s liturgy team gave us a special focus on what our lives as Catholics are all about.  The Scripture, the teachings, the tools, that if we use we can develop and strengthen our faith.  When I hear mention of the return of the word “obligation” to go to mass, I shudder.  How can we get it so wrong?  Of course I can hear of it as a mortal sin if you do not eat.  If you never eat you will die.  We need our food to nourish our bodies, and in the same way we need to nourish our spiritual lives.  I accept that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and through God’s providence He finds ways of looking after us in our own particular needs or circumstances.   Ultimately it is our faithfulness to His will His way for us to serve Him.

It is a great sadness that here in Europe, and I do accept the great scandals in the Christian Churches and Institutions that have caused people to turn their backs upon them.  The unfolding developments in our world, with Afghanistan at the moment, climate change, the danger that there will have to be large scale migration, turmoil, highlight our human existence.  We can allow ourselves to be overwhelmed and lose our sense of purpose, but against all of that, God’s great gift to us each Sunday – The promise that the Feast Day holds out for us, the resurrection of Our Lord and its promise for all of us.  Yes, to the treasured memories of those gone before us marked with the sign of faith, yes to the teaching of our children’s catechist, yes to our needs for help, especially for our music ministry, yes to the firm foundations to build upon as we go along.

Hard work that was done by a few, the hall was cleared, the seating beautifully prepared, and the food was second to none.  My sense that I should have supported and sold it better, could be re-echoed, and our way forward is in working with this, understanding and supporting.  A sense of thanks for the legacy that we have been left with, a sense of confidence that we can do better, and our two communities, but only with the reality of a new generation working for us.  This truly highlights the essential gifts of modern means of communication, and the will to live and to learn together, with God’s help, strength and protection.

With the help of God we will continue to be progress for a return to a more normal life in our parish.  Some of the signs are very hopeful and the vaccines have been a great blessing.  To acknowledge that we could be hit by another variant that could be very virulent is adding to our anxieties unnecessarily, needs to be quickly embraced by God’s help, and with His help we will come to terms with it.  Living and learning with a proper amount of care and caution, makes all the difference.  A lot more suffering was inflicted than necessary, but always the outcome is most important.

It is good to hear stories of what a great gift it is to be able to return to the things we once took so much for granted.  A niece gave me a lovely  story of her children returning to experience music for a family occasion.  Admittedly it had to be C.D’s and not the live band that would normally have provided the music in the past.  I experienced an unexpected, but most welcomed window to events that we took so much for granted.  In memory of Jeff and Anita Stone, I called at an old haunt from their time at Deanland Park retirement homes.  By chance it coincided with a return to an open mike evening, where people take turns to provide their contribution to an evening of musical entertainment.  What a lovely hour and a half it turned out to be.

Reading “The Tablet” this week, in the books section was a review of a book “Mission Impossible”, which told the inside story of the team behind the Oxford Astra Zeneca Vaccine and the race against the virus.  Inspiring, instructive, restoring ones faith in humanity.  Heroes and mainly heroines working all the hours, and contending with adversaries; inspiring.  Indeed, thanks be to God.   Please God, we will have a very happy occasion this Sunday when we begin our progress to returning to church.  It is a time a) Counting our blessings and b) Expressing our gratitude to those who do all the work that is necessary for these occasions to happen.

So we are most grateful for all our volunteers, and appreciate those who lead, who organise and who make all the preparations, in fact the hard work that is required.  I am sincerely grateful, learning to count my blessings, and with your patience with me we will build back bigger and better.