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6. What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight.  BUILD ANYWAY.

“The Second Candle – The Candle of Peace”

Reader 1:  Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord

All:  Thanks be to God

When I left our seminary the flame of hope was alive.  That hope has now became greatly tested.  In my heart I could then see the writing was on the wall for seminaries in Ireland.  My hope was established in team ministry.  In fact I was part of a team ministry at St Paul’s, Haywards Heath for a while.   We were well underway, focused upon Leaven Groups as part of each mass community and with the R.C.I.A. as an important guiding light to our liturgical year.  Then renew came and upset the apple cart.  As responsible priests we did our best.  We all gathered at the Brighton and Hove Godstone Football Grounds with Cormac our Bishop, for our diocesan celebration at the launch of Renew where we received an oak seed. We planted the oak sapling outside our church at St Paul’s, and it can now be seen as a thriving oak tree.  The secret is that the seed must be planted in order to grow.

Today our children’s liturgy remains on my radar as our greatest source of hope.  Sadly, especially in Ireland there are not many examples.  Once when in Dublin with my sister Mary and PJ, we went for the baptism of their grandchild. Their parish had a children’s liturgy, when I congratulated them as brave people, their response was in complete agreement.  Hope must go on.

Celebrate The Rorate Candlelit Mass at Our Lady of Ransom in Eastbourne, Friday’s in Advent at 6.30am followed by breakfast

Congratulations and thank you to the Breakfast team, with lovely Richard cooking, and all those who supported the breakfast last weekend and helped raise £202 to add to the £23 raised by the poppy sales earlier in Nov for the Royal British Legion.  

Next Breakfast 28th January after St G’s 9am mass – fundraising for Children’s Respite Trust.  All Welcome invite friends and family, they are welcome just to attend breakfast or join for mass also.

Sat 16th Dec, 3pm at St Wilfrid’s.  Please fill the church, raise the roof in song and pray with us in the season of Advent.  And don’t forget to invite friends and family, this service is a perfect way to bring those who don’t attend our weekly mass through our doors. Next year this Parish service will be at St George’s Church.  Mulled wine & mince pies in the hall afterwards.  We shall have a “surprise bag” table, a prize every time for just £1.   There is a box in the porch to receive any gifts you may like to contribute please.  We are asking for   donations of mince pies that can be left in the church porch on Sun 10th Dec and on the following Wed/Fri morning as long as they are in date on the 16th if you are buying, or if making brought to the church on the 16th before the service at 3pm. Thank you.

Las Posadas – A Journey towards Christmas:  If you have not signed up yet to be part of our travelling nativity during Advent please do, the list is at the back of St W’s Church, or speak to one of the youth team (Teresa, Angela, Annette, Sandra or Mary) to find out more.  All you would need to do is welcome one family with the travelling nativity figures on your allocated date, then the following day you will deliver the nativity to the next family on the list. 

Gaudete Sun 17th Dec the 3rd Sunday of Advent. Gaudete means “rejoice” and on this Feast Day we rejoice because we are almost at Christmas, the day where we celebrate the coming Jesus into the world, the greatest gift we have ever been given. To mark the Feast, our parish will join with parishes around the world, in celebrating the tradition of Bambinelli Sunday. We invite each family in the parish and their friends/families to bring the figurine of Jesus from their family crib to either mass, where they will be blessed and returned to you for wrapping and placing under your tree until Christmas Eve/Day.

St Wilfrid’s Parish Meeting will be on 3rd December at 11.30am in the church.  

Thank you for buying candles at St W’s, we sold them all!

The Diocese has prepared four thoughtful online streamed presentations to help us all prepare for Christmas called “invited”.  Each week the presentation comprises a film, discussion, reflection, music and prayer.  The first online presentation was launched yesterday and can be accessed via the Diocesan website at www.abdiocese.org.uk/invited.