Category: Fr Rory Writes

Fr Rory Writes:

The Feast of Christ the King

We look forward to His return in glory, when He will overcome the Kingdom of darkness and the dominion of evil.  We await a time of grace and peace.

The celebration last Sunday for the Link was very successful with a very good turn out from the town.  Please God, it will continue to be a witness for the Churches Together for sometime to come.   A big thank you to Ron and Kay and all the helpers for all the valuable work they have done over the years.

We are very blessed with our parish halls.  There was a very successful event on Thursday for the Wealden Dementia  Action Alliance, Hailsham Community Café.  This will take place every second Thursday of the month, 2pm to 4pm in St Wilfrid’s Church Hall.  The hall at St George’s is very well used, and a very big thank you to Shirley and the team that helps.  It will host the election, and please, please God, it will have a positive outcome.  We must really pray for this.

Fr Rory Writes:

This time of the year has its share of highlights.  Beginning with All Saints and All Souls, and now on the horizon is the Great Feast of Christ the King.  It is also the Sunday of Youth-Gather, and even though it is a long time since I participated, from early memories of my priesthood I remember this event with affection.  So I am sure it is one of the many events like our Annual Pilgrimage to Lourdes, which makes up for good life in our Diocese.  Bishop Richard has his plan for 2030, and part of it is developing a life of prayer.

So just over the horizon is Advent and Christmas.  Each year in preparation for Advent and Lent there is a booklet “Walk with Me”, which gives appropriate reflections and prayers in preparation to celebrate these great events.  At £1 a copy this is very good value indeed.

Again, it is time for those who may be enquiring, “how do I become a Catholic?”, to step forward and find out.  You are very welcome.

Fr Rory Writes:

A wonderful achievement; the Link Coffee Shop celebrates 25 years of witness and service for the Christian community here in Hailsham.  Lay people from different congregations, and with good leadership from St Mary’s or as they say “The Parish Church” and from us; especially Ann Fielder, is part of their story.

In order to further mark this event, there will be a service of celebration and recommissioning on Sunday 17th November at Hailsham Parish Church commencing at 3pm… followed by refreshments in the Church Lounge.  Everyone is warmly invited as they look forward to welcoming all volunteers and regular customers, past and present.  Our continued support is very important.  I go there regularly, in order to give it as much support as I can. 

Also, those who are hoping to be received into the church this year, please get in touch with me now.

Fr Rory Writes:

Gone before us marked with the sign of faith.  November has always been a special month to remember those who have died.  From the beginning; almost two thousand years ago they have played a most inspiring part in our Life of Faith.  From the first martyrs to all who have left a rich legacy of faith, these have been our greatest treasure and the greatest treasure in the life of our church.

I am sure we are all blessed with members of our families who have left memories to be treasured, and in this I have been very blessed indeed.  My brother, together with his wife and members of their family, are visiting me to celebrate a very special event.  Recently, it came to our attention that there is a very special person in the extended family.  Sr Celestine lost her life ninety years ago when the convent that she lived in caught fire.  She had successfully secured the children and returned to rescue the blessed sacrament, but sadly died in the process.  The family are invited to a special Mass to mark the 90th Anniversary of this event, so I am very pleased to join them.

It is very important that we continue this tradition of remembering all our loved ones who have died.   With it the importance of having prayers and Masses offered for them.  Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them; may they rest in peace O Lord, Amen.

Fr Rory Writes:

Please God, Bishop Richard’s visit will have been a successful event for all of us; deepening our awareness of his pastoral plan for our Diocese.  A big thank you to those who helped with the preparation, and especially to those who have done all the hard work in providing a wonderful fayre that was so enjoyed by all.  A grateful thanks also to the music, the sacristans and readers for all their work.

Preparations of our children for Reconciliation and 1st Holy Communion are underway and are off to a very good start.  We have a considerable number of children at St Wilfrid’s, so please sincerely pray for them.  A big thank you for those who are our catechists, as they are truly a God sent blessing to our parish.  We will try to support them in every way we can.

We have a number of adult enquiries, and as this is the time of enquiry, please be at ease to ask questions and to give it  proper attention.   For all of us the life of faith is God’s great gift.  If we receive an urge or just feel prompted to get to know more, then now is the time.  The life of faith takes place when we as a community regularly gather to listen to God’s word, and share in the eucharistic meal.  Formal instruction will begin in Advent and continue on until Lent, Holy Week, Easter and until Pentecost.  Again, grateful thanks to those who are prepared to help.

Fr Rory Writes:

Prisoners’ Sunday – October 13th

This year, on October 13th, we mark Prisoners’ Sunday, the national day of prayer and action for prisoners and their dependents.  It is a day to direct our thoughts and prayers to prisoners, their families and their children.  Prisoners’ Sunday provides an important opportunity to reflect on how we as a community can make a difference to the lives of those who are affected by the criminal justice system.  It is a time to identify those who are in crisis and find themselves in need of support in our own community.

The work of Pact is the daily embodiment of the most fundamental values of Catholic Social Teaching, the belief in the innate dignity of every human being.  The services created by Pact are in direct response to the needs of prisoners, their families and communities.  Pact, its staff and volunteers are unrelenting in their dedication to accompanying people on their journey through the criminal justice system to a fresh start.

2019 sees the end of Pact’s anniversary year, which marked 120 years of service.  Their work is needed now more than ever and I invite you to support them in any way that you can. 

Fr Rory Writes:

Treasured Memories

Last Sunday we had a lovely small service for the burial of Brian Winter’s ashes.  It is important to remember as the liturgy expresses it  “Gone before us marked with the sign of faith”.  In the same way that Christmas is not just for one day, so those who have gone before us can play a very important part in our lives, that in turn we too will leave a lasting legacy.  When first I came here, I  heard many stories of Fr Peter Brady, and people still tended his grave and visited it in our cemetery.  Now he will soon be forgotten.   We should add his name to the memorial plaque in the Garden of Remembrance.  Brian Winter made a generous donation to the project;  and asked that it  be “ring fenced” so as to spend it upon the garden.  His hope it that It would be used for a “prayer garden”.  This raises a very important question and challenge to all of us concerning how to ensure greater access for people to pray in the church.  We must respond to this so that doors are not constantly locked, but that these facilities which have been provided to us by providence, will make an active powerful contribution to our lives of faith.

Fr Rory Writes:

Thanks be to God.  We had a wonderful evening in Upperchurch for the launch of my Sister Mary’s book “A Mother’s Love”.  A very good night’s music with appropriately chosen themes and passages from the book:  No speeches, just a recitation or two.  The subtitle to the book is “An Angels Wings”.  The moment captured in the song “I believe in angels, something good in everyone”, is at the heart of this book.   Mary’s testimony to her personal experiences brought home, deep consolation and great inspiration for her to grow in prayer, and to become an active witness to our catholic faith.  She has spoken to us before .  I have got some copies, but for the true readers it is available on Amazon.

Unfortunately, I picked up a dreaded lurgy on the flight back from Ireland. I have a very nasty cold, and even though over the years I have become philosophical, three days brewing, three days here and three days going.   I know it will pass.  But sadly bereavement for us remains a constant.  The death of Ann Winter is our recent sadness and our sympathy goes out to John and her family.  Her funeral will take place at St George’s Church on Friday 27th September  at 2.30pm.

Fr Rory Writes:

On the first Friday of the month we will have a special service with the Sacrament of Healing with Mass and Veneration of the Blessed Sacrament at St George’s Church.  The Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation is always available on request, and I am usually available for an hour before Mass on Sundays and for half an hour on weekdays.

We are now going ahead with the Memorial Plaque for the Garden of Remembrance at St Wilfrid’s, and at this stage we have received names from the Parish Community that will be added to this plaque.  If you think that there are any outstanding names that should be included, please let us know.

Deacon John Writes:

Fr Rory wrote a few weeks ago about two deaths that had occurred recently in our communities. The following are two articles which are about how we might cope with tragedies in our own families. I hope you find them helpful and give food for thought: The first is Sister Joan Chittister’s response to a reporter who asked her how she kept going after her family tragedy: “Birds sing after a storm. Why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? Mourning what we have lost in life only obscures the beauty of what remains.” Sr.Joan is an American Benedictine nun, theologian, author and speaker. She has served as co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women.

On the same theme, the Right Reverend Monsignor Roderick Strange, a Visiting Professor at St Mary’s University, having previously been rector of the Pontifical Beda College in Rome, wrote: “We never get over the wounds we have received; our defeats are always defeats. However, if we allow ourselves to become completely absorbed in our own misfortune, if we cut ourselves off, then the defeat creates a crippling selfishness, and is death-dealing indeed. But if we resist the whirlpool of selfishness, and turn outwards, determined to show care and generosity and love where it is needed, if we keep our hearts open, then the transforming change can and will take place.”