Category: Fr Rory Writes

   The Instruction “Do This in Remembrance of Me”

Restoring reception of the precious blood from the Chalice.

This is a very personal decision for each person.  We are all very aware of the pandemic and the need to exercise   caution and care.  This remains an important part of our discernment. So it is right and must play its part in deciding our response.                                  

The fact that we can receive the precious blood is of great value and should be cherished, even if it is our decision not to receive from the chalice at this time.  It is an important part of The Last Supper when Jesus said “Do this in           remembrance of me”.  It was at the heart of the event that took place on the night he was betrayed when Jesus took bread and wine, blessed and broke it, so that hence forth it provides us with the divine nourishment that we receive. This helps us on our journey of life.

The introduction of the idea of it being a mortal sin if we do not receive is a grave mistake.  Key to everything is the nourishment we receive.  We are particularly aware that if we do not nourish our bodies we are at a loss.  In the same way it is so important that we continue to nourish our spirits while we journey on to the fullness of life in God’s kingdom.  Please God, we will restore ministry of the chalice on Wednesday, when we celebrate the mass of the Lord’s Supper.  Deacon John has offered his service to carry out this ministry for this event.

“Holy Week is almost upon us”

“Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into His Glory?”

We are about to be presented with this mystery which is at the heart of life, the greatest occasion in the churches year.  Please God, this year presents us with the opportunity to bear much fruit.  So far, a lot of work has taken place and we look forward to the coming events.  Hopefully after my misadventure with the Covid virus, thanks be to God my symptoms were not too serious, and I will be able to catch up with visiting the housebound and get on with our preparations for Holy Week.  God bless and keep you.

Again, help and more help needed.  Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the faith of thy womb, Jesus.

The good news, God’s salvation is our greatest gift.  How we share and how we celebrate this is our greatest hope for our future.  Yes, this needs a structure, but it needs to be fit for purpose.  I am aware that when I write liturgy of the word and of the eucharist, it is controversial.  For me the most important thing is that we nourish and strengthen our faith.

The structure for our parish council is now the most important contribution that we can make, and I am grateful for the work that is taking place.  This Sunday will be St George’s turn to discuss and to propose, and here at St Wilfrid’s after mass this Wednesday morning.  The implication will take time to fall into place, its priority will be most important.  If we get them right, actions speak louder than words and I look forward to our liturgies, obviously the rosary is important, but liturgies of the word and our actions, please God, will bear good fruit, fruit that will last.   Maintenance of our churches, including halls and gardens will be an important part of our contribution to give witness to our faith.  We are particularly blessed with our parish secretary, and I am very hopeful that we can look forward to our future.

 Help, I rely upon help.

In my first parish, St Anne’s, Banstead, we started up a parish youth group called Y.A.F (Youth Action Fellowship) it got off to a great start.  I hoped to add the word formation, but the time as curate was short lived, 3-4 years.  So I was moved on.  There appears to be so much less time in a week as weeks and years fly by.

We are now well launched on our response to Bishop Richards pastoral plan “The Word Who Is Life”, especially from the introduction 1.3: “I therefore take this opportunity to invite everyone in the Diocese – lay faithful and religious, deacons and priests – to join with me in forging our parishes into communities”.

Putting things into practice is the important thing, this is where I need all the help.  Already in our plan for St George’s I got the date for our meeting after our weekday mass wrong, as I am not free on Tuesday, so it needs to change.

Most important is our first Sunday Meeting after Mass which takes place at St George’s Church next Sunday. 

We need to spread the word and encourage people to come.

Le Cunamh De         with the help of God         Le Cunamh De

On the 4th Sunday of Lent “Laetare”, March 19th, Canon Paul will celebrate with us the 10.30am morning mass.  This will give an opportunity for all the people from St George’s to gather together after their 9am mass, to outline plans and actions for the future of the church at St George’s.  This is a response to the growing great shortage of priests.  Above all it is a providential opportunity for the people of God to grow.  As mentioned great and inspiring moments during our seminary preparation.   A statement in the Old Testament was “Let my people go”.  I have occasionally mentioned restoring the use of selective moments of incense at some masses.  Incense places special emphasis on God’s holiness, sacred moments like the consecration of the mass.  One other is the assemble of the faithful.  Fr Seamus always highlighted that emphasis, by saying without the faithful we cannot have the rest.  We are most grateful to Bob and Martin and all who have guided and facilitated our response.  An outline of this is now being prepared, and it is a time for all of us to join in and work together for our good future.

“A very, very special moment”

The outstanding event during my visit to Ireland was Fr Seamus Ryan’s funeral mass in his home village of Cappamore.  A truly, truly inspiring priest, a great gift to us during our seminary days.  Because of his inspiration we left our       seminary full of hope, a time of renewal and inspiration was in store for our church because of the 2nd Vatican    Council.  Pope John 23rd had announced the council in order to open up the windows and let fresh light shine into the church.  A time of great hope.  Unfortunately his funeral mass was quite a contract.  The age profile of the priests, and indeed the congregation.  The stories of all his endeavour and our remembrance of his celebrations of the liturgy.  His key message …. “The church as communities of faith and a new generation”.  This is exactly what he would want us to continue to focus upon, and to develop and grow.

“Waters of life cleanse and refresh us, raise us to life in Christ Jesus”

Please God, this Sunday we celebrate the baptism of Maceo Adelaja.  I hoped that this celebration would have taken place on the feast day for the baptism of Jesus.  The waters of baptism open the way for God’s salvation, but above all focuses our need for community.  A very important moment during the celebration, is the lighting of the baptismal candle from the paschal candle.  It is then handed to the parents and godparents with the words “This light is          entrusted to you to keep burning brightly, your child has been enlightened by Christ”.  The parallel with the natural order is the same in the order of grace.  This is the beginning of a new life and I will continue to return to this during our journey through Lent, Easter and Pentecost. 

As you see in our parish newsletter this week, the recommendations of our parish council.   A lot of work has taken place and now it is time for it to bear good fruit, so please give this great care and attention

“So Important”

Grateful for the team for taking on great responsibility and progressing our response to the synod experience.  It is now time to engage with our present situation and develop the parish council, the ministries needed, and a window to develop the liturgy and life of the church.

Those who are already committed are in danger of taking on too greater burden, tasks that are difficult and are put under too much pressure.  The work that they do is so important we are truly grateful, and our gratitude is best  expressed by working together to the best of our abilities.

I am trying to place myself on a learning curve; my role as parish priest is to keep our parish functioning…..  paying our bills.  But above all to focus upon the challenge for us to grow as communities of faith, to bear witness to the good news of God’s salvation in a world that is challenged by many dark forces.

“precious, truly precious”

The light of Christ has come into our world.  A great focus for us to grow in His light is:-

“God is love, God is life, God is nourishment”

Recently a challenge was offered; come and speak to children in our local schools.  We are in the process of responding, though I am hesitant.   With concerns over the relevance of the church, especially because of the war that is taking place in Europe at the moment.  Other ministries have been welcomed and it is part of our time of prayer each month, and highlights our divisions, so we are all in a work in progress.

Our future is a great challenge.  My core position is that the light of Christ has come into our dark world.   This was the great gift I received from my home and family.  I have struggled with how we have expressed this in the life of our  parishes, but thanks be to God, I am greatly helped by the work that is taking place here.  I was asked by a parishioner who was particularly impressed with Stephen’s input which was presented to us in our newsletter last week.  It is so, so important.  In fact it is brilliant.

Here is an extract from it, “The reports sent by Churches across the world give voice to the joys, hopes, sufferings and wounds of Christ’s disciples.  They express the desire for a Church that walks with Christ under the guidance of the Spirit, so to fulfil its mission of evangelization”.

‘I Found’

The opening prayer for the first week in the new year was incredibly fit for purpose and worthy of all our attention.

                            “Attend to the pleas of your people with

                             heavenly care, O Lord, we pray,

                            that they may see what must be done

                            and gain strength to do what they have seen.

Through Our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Hearing about the situation of the church in France, now what is happening in Ireland, all the signs are that this will be our situation.  Reality is a shortage of priests and if we continue as we are, this is not going to change any time soon. I find it so so sad.  When we were in our seminary, we were so inspired (though this may not have been the same in every seminary) with the work of the Second Vatican Council, and what the Holy Spirit was saying to the church.  This is what I find so summed up in that opening prayer.

I am greatly impressed by the support that I am receiving here in our parish.  Our meeting on Tuesday evening was excellent and the work being done by the team was inspiring.  We will be hearing from them as they present their plans in conjunction with the work that is being done by the Synod.  This will be presented to our two communities in the weeks to come.