Category: Fr Rory Writes

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.

Truly important: 

Deacon John’s piece in the newsletter last week began with the sentence “In the Gospel this Sunday Jesus speaks about food”.  A requirement for life, but as he highlighted it needs an appropriate sense of discernment.  So it is very important that the quality of our prayer life, sacrament and sacramental life, but especially the scriptures, are a significant part of our diet.  In the end it is by their fruits that we know them; faith, hope and charity, and the greatest of these is charity.

More and more I am accosted with people saying “I don’t believe in religion or all these religious things”.   In my heart of hearts I have to say “I quite agree with them”.  Strangely enough the number then that say “but I do believe in God”.  Well the only thing I have to say “well I fully truly believe that there is evil”.  Then I say whether I believe in it or not it is there.  In fact at this time it is having a frightful impact upon our lives.  Its presence, its influence is shattering, even especially as it is experienced in the life of the church.

In my piece last week, which I have just re-read and I said to myself “thank God” this is a good point of reference, that it is now well worth repeating:

Now as the window of opportunity returns for a fresh start, with the help of God, we can set sail once again for the future.  It is a time to live and learn, a new generation is needed.  A fresh structure, with greater flexibility and encouragement, in one word “inspiration” is now called for.  We must work together to share, encourage and develop lives of faith, that give witness to our Christian lives which we receive at baptism.  The celebration of the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation this year gave us a tangible sense of this when the ceremonies took place using the candidates baptismal candles.  At our baptism this light symbolizing the light of Christ was entrusted to us to be kept burning brightly.  Please God, may this be at the heart of our resolve as we return to church with hope and fresh motivation.

May the Lord bless and complete our work, the work of God’s salvation for all.

It was a time of hope; indeed one of great hope when I entered the seminary with many others over fifty years ago.  May be as my mum might say “we were all young then”.  The war was long over and indeed in time the same will be said of the coronavirus.

The important thing then was good Pope John and the 2nd Vatican Council that he had set in place.  Pope John said “to let some light and fresh air into the church”, which was certainly called for.  In our seminary we were truly blessed with a professor, Fr Seamus Ryan, a great teacher but above all one who inspired.

His focus was the presence of Christ in the life of the church.  He was very good at setting out his subject, particularly when it applied to Scripture and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  Highlighting the different ways that Christ is present, beginning with His presence in the assemble of the faithful.  This was tackled in depth, creating a platform for the renewal of the liturgy, and indeed the people of God.  It highlighted the background to the different ministries, that needed to be developed in order to express the life of the church.

When lockdown happened, it revealed what little progress had been made in building a “new generation” and what a poor job we had made of this great window of opportunity.  The question of stewarding arose;  the age requirement being under seventy exposed a lack of parishioners able to meet that demand.  I had to face up to the poor job that had been done to encourage new growth in my parish with the same situation being true of most parish priests.

Now as the window of opportunity returns for a fresh start, with the help of God, we can set sail once again for the future.  It is a time to live and learn, a new generation is needed.  A fresh structure, with greater flexibility and encouragement, in one word “inspiration” is now called for.  We must work together to share, encourage and develop lives of faith, that give witness to our Christian lives which we receive at baptism.  The celebration of the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation this year gave us a tangible sense of this when the ceremonies took place using the candidates baptismal candles.  At our baptism this light symbolizing the light of Christ was entrusted to us to be kept burning brightly.  Please God, may this be at the heart of our resolve as we return to church with hope and fresh motivation.

May the Lord bless and complete our work, the work of God’s salvation for all.

Suddenly I am presented with an extra window of opportunity for prayer:  Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Devine Love of God.  It also gives me a window of opportunity to share with thousands of children who have suddenly had to isolate for two weeks when someone in their school bubble is diagnosed to have the COVID virus.  Then to be isolating in a house that you know has someone with the virus make it clear; that obviously I do not want to catch that virus.  So I am regularly testing and keeping as much as possible out of harms way.  It certainly highlights the decisions that are made, and the rules to be enforced.  That is why in the seminary training the amount of time that is given to “The Rule”,  the classic is “The exception proves the rule”.  Unfortunately of late, and particularly to do with the virus, and indeed with quite a lot of other things that the rules are so poor, that the exception opens the way to something else becomes the new rule.  So there can be no exception.

Please God, for His greater fatherly care and a great “thank you” for all the help and support that we get and is given.  This help and support is at the heart of life is love, and for all the love that is expressed and given to me, I am truly grateful.

So to begin with the masses this weekend, and the fact that it coincides with our Children’s First Holy Communion Breakfast is very providential.  To come back to share and to give thanks.  This is greatly important as we relax to church, as efforts are being made to return to normal life, can be an incredible opportunity, lets say it truthfully loud and clear “it will raise the risks and windows of opportunity to get things wrong”, yes maybe some feel we need to say it again.  But it is much more important to see it as a window of opportunity “to get things right”.   Sometimes even in the midst of a pandemic, human dignity becomes important, and to get it right proves how Jesus sums it up.  “Good trees, bear good fruit”.  May our children who have just received their First Holy Communion grow up in Christian communities of faith that gather to celebrate one wonderful gift of the mass with the communities at St George’s and St Wilfrid’s.

Plans are beginning: so we with God’s help can prepare and coordinate our development together, and please God, we will grow from strength to strength.  So please help me to do my job much better, and I am sure you all agree with me “that it can be done”.  We need to reach out again to each other.  Lets do so with the help of God.

Responsibility:  is always part and parcel of life.  The decision to raise the lockdown makes it very important to do our best to stay safe.  The chances of the numbers of cases of covid rising is quite certain to happen.  Continuing to wear masks when needed, and other practical ways of being cautious and careful are important.

It also presents us with an important opportunity to truly value and express our faith as communities, that we are grateful to God for the great gift that our faith brings to us.  All through the pandemic I can honestly say that there was something very special about saying mass.  When it came to the sign of peace I sensed a real depth of peace to be experienced then in the church.  In great contrast with the affliction and injury that was happening in the wider world, “My peace I give you”, greater than any peace the world can bring.  Please God, we continue to gather to experience that peace and to bring it to the world we live in.

Last Sunday we had a very valuable profound prayer as part of the Prayers of the Faithful:-

“We ask you Lord to guide us, so that we can improve communication within our own parish and help us to recognise opportunities to assist in working towards re-socialisation, friendship, providing comfort and creating safe spaces within a framework of Faith.  We need to all work together to achieve our goals.  Please give us your Grace and humility to succeed.  The Lord Hear Us”.

We have frequently been blessed by the prayers of the faithful that are prepared by fellow parishioners on our behalf.

Celebrations to take place on Sunday 15th August (The Assumption of Our Blessed Lady).  Refreshments will be served after and a tombola to help raise funds, donations of bottles and any unwanted gifts that are in pristine condition would be greatly appreciated.

Our destination:  When God’s glory is revealed, then our joy will be full.  This is the true hope that is within us.  Now we are on a daily journey with the prayer Jesus left us “give us this day our daily bread”.  As we continue to live our lives with the virus having a major impact, it is important that we are careful even cautious, as we respond to the guidelines that are given.  But we must also be positive and hopeful placing proper trust and confidence in God’s providence.  I am deeply aware of the injury and damage that has been done to mental health and the barriers placed to compassion.  Please God, a return to the sacraments, especially to the mass, and events that support our community will now be positive. 

The celebration of First Holy Communions, Reconciliation and Confirmation have been moments like a silver lining on the clouds.  A profound witness has been lighting of baptismal candles.  It is the expression of faith “this light has been entrusted to you to be kept burning bright, your child has been enlightened by Christ to walk in the light of Christ”.  The occasional request to celebrate marriage and baptism our hope that the life of faith will go on.  Initial suggestion, meetings, outings for meals are beginning to take place.  I have organised that I have regular testing for the coronavirus and I am willing to visit, and to respond to requests and to encourage and encourage us to return to life as a parish community.  Suggestions for house masses, special prayers for healing, rosary and devotions or just a special hello, how are you after this time? and any other suggestions that might be helpful after this time.

Fr Rory has written above about two characteristics of living:- journeying and telling stories. Someone wrote this story about Mother Teresa in Time Magazine in answer to the question “Are we poor?” She was asked about the materialism of the West. “The more you have, the more you are occupied,” she contends. “But the less you have the freer you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is a joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. This is the only fan in the whole house…and it is for the guests. But we are happy. “I find the rich poorer,” she continues. “Sometimes they are lonelier inside…The hunger for love is much more difficult to fill than the hunger for bread…The real poor know what joy is.” When asked about her plans for the future, she replied, “I just take one day. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not come. We have only today to love Jesus.” Is there anyone in this area as rich as Mother Teresa? The Gospel for this Sunday contains a story with which we can identify ourselves. It is the story of Jesus’ rejection by fellow-townsmen and is a story that has happened to most of us. We might have experienced the pain of rejection caused by hurts, wounds, betrayal, divorce, abandonment, violated trust, trauma, neglect, or abuse in its various forms. What about rejection by those closest to us? Often our friends, families, or childhood companions fail to listen to, and refuse to accept, the love and encouragement that we offer to them, because they are so familiar with us as we were that they are unable to see us as God’s appointed instruments, the agents of God’s healing and saving grace. 

There is another side to this story which we should think about. How often do we discount God’s agents through prejudice? How often do we fail to see God’s image in them because of our own hardheartedness?  We must realise that God’s power is always available to transform even the most unlikely people.

Let us acknowledge the prophets of God’s goodness around us. God is always  present giving us his message through our nearest and dearest and all we meet. Since God uses them as His prophets to convey His message to us, it is our duty to acknowledge and honour them. Let us express our appreciation today for our families – spouses for each other, parents and children for each other. Remember to say “thank you” for any act of kindness offered to us. We can all act as God’s messengers of love and light to those around us. At the same time we should recognise God’s presence in our lives through His words in the Bible and through the advice, help and examples of others.

And now for something different.  Recently I had a “God sent” outing with a group of parishioners from the children’s liturgy at St George’s church.  The walk had been planned some time ago.  First and foremost it was a challenge, with the walk and views refreshing.  The weather was not ideal for picnics or sitting around.  It was in neighbouring Kent, noticeably different.  On our farm when I was growing up as a child we had some sheep, and that breed was called Sussex.  The sheep in neighbouring Kent, noticeably different.

The walk was quite long, allowing for a more prolonged quality time being spent together.  Continuing with my hobby horse: life having two characteristics a) journey and b) story telling.  So like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, there are always issues in the background.  In a way the issue in the background is the effects of the pandemic, and the drastic effects it has upon life.  The stresses and strains breaking through; and what will be the outcome, especially for our churches.

On Sunday we had our celebration of First Holy Communion at St George’s.  This celebration of the sacrament can be a powerful window into our life of faith.  Again, two things – belief and prayer.  At baptism the parents and godparents are given a baptism candle with the words “this light has been entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly”.  Through baptism your child has been enlightened by Christ.  Now as part of our first communion celebration the parents present their child with their baptismal candle which they have just lit.. The children take the candle, quench it in order to place their candle on the altar as part of the offertory of the Mass.  The parents place their children’s preparation book, the work that has taken place, at the foot of the altar. 

Because of the covid virus we recently had a very rare celebration of confirmation at St Wilfrid’s without it being the Bishop who was the celebrant.  At that service, we had the candidates lighting the candle themselves from the pascal candle, as a sign that they had taken upon themselves the light of Christ that had been entrusted to their parents and godparents.  Please God, they will continue to be active witnesses to their faith, as it now influences their lives.  A particularly memorable moment during a preparation class when asked what do we need to help us grow? – the response 1) food would you believe, and after some discussion 2) exercise.

I have just noticed the beautiful flowers while sitting in the church saying my prayers.  All of a sudden it  came to my attention how lovely the flowers are, and then I remembered that I was told that they were all from our garden.  Thank you Lulu.  I have often noticed the flowers with St George’s Church, where over the years they have done a wonderful job on the flowers.   Unfortunately the sadness is that the church has to be locked because it is so isolated and as such a vulnerable place.

I went to sit in the church to reflect upon our situation in light of the government statements this evening on the current situation concerning the virus.  Our hopes of returning to normal life are as important as ever and coming to terms with the effect that lockdown had on us and also on me as parish priest has been severe.  The implications of visiting someone with such age and health issues is always on my mind.   Christmas time was particularly difficult, especially in the end when it was not possible to celebrate our Masses.  Please God, we can eventually put all this to rest.

Now we need to restore and please God, develop the life of our parish for our future.  We will have a parish finance meeting this Wednesday, just for an initial reflection and establishing priorities and preparing ourselves ready to be fit for purpose for our future.  We will be able to address this in the weeks to come.

Our celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation last Saturday was a big step in the right direction.  I was especially pleased because of the parents that joined their children to receive the sacrament.  It became noticeable years ago to me that most parents sent their children to confession, but did not give the example of doing so themselves.  Then it was equally clear that parents were beginning to want to have their  children baptised in order to get into our Catholic schools, but seldom or ever would go themselves to church.  As the years have rolled on the gap between our catholic schools and their parish gets wider, and catholic teachers have become extremely scarce.