Category: Saint George’s latest news

Have you ever thought “Wow!” or exclaimed “Thank you, God!” at something you have seen or heard that is full of power or beauty? Such occasions may be rare or more frequent depending on circumstances. If you do have moments like this then treasure them and tuck them away in your memory so that you can recall them for yourselves or tell your friends about them. They are most likely to be of interest to them and possibly help them in their journeys through life.

During lockdown the daily live streamed masses Tessa and I have heard and seen have come from Hove, Sacred Heart Church, with Mgr. Michael Jackson. They have been a great help to both of us and have included several “Wow! “moments. He always starts with a list of people to pray for: the sick, those who have died, and many others who need prayers. The following for these masses is worldwide, ranging from New Zealand to Japan, South Africa, France, Chicago in USA and all over the UK. He has included prayers for a three year old who fell into a pond and has been in a coma for three months but is now starting to recover. This started with some movement when touched and is now able to sit up from time to time. That is just one example of a lockdown “Wow!” for us. Next month we will miss him as their services return to as near normal as possible. If you have found a source of Mass on the Internet or Television I hope it has been of spiritual and mental help for you and given you some “Wow!” moments. I hope we have our own WOW! moments when our masses here return to normal. 

Thursday, May 13th, is Ascension Day. Fr.James McKarns writes about a tour he made to the Holy Land which included a visit to the Mount of Olives from where Jesus had ascended. He commented that the whole party did notice the hilly surroundings, but most just gazed at the sky and the clouds trying to picture for themselves what must have been a truly Wow! moment for those who actually witnessed it. The Psalm for Ascension Day each year starts with this “Wow!” response: 

“God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.”

A lady called Lydia Lopokova wrote: “When I am on the Sussex Downs in the morning I feel that I am having a cocktail with God.” – a real Wow! encounter!

10-16^th May is Marriage week, a time for us to celebrate the joy and  blessings of marriage. Pope Francis reminds us  that “Marriage is like a plant. It is not an armoire, which is placed there, in the room, and it’s enough to dust it every once in a while. A plant is alive, and it needs to be cared for every day: to see how it is doing, to give it water, and so it goes. Marriage is a living reality: the life of a couple should never be taken for granted, in any phase of a family’s journey.” Pope Francis, 21^st December 2015

Why not take some time this week to really  find some time to talk to your spouse  and nurture your marriage.

Scam Emails:  A number of our parishioners have been receiving emails that look like they are coming from Fr Rory Kelly, please do not reply to them as they are a scam.  The email that they are being sent from is [email protected]

As we hopefully will be returning to normal parish life, there is a need for relevant checks to be carried out, i.e. updating DBS checks and online training. 

We will need more volunteers to help, so these checks will be part of the process of restoring life to our parish after Covid.

Confirmation:  On the Feast of Pentecost we hope to have two candidates for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  This is helpful, happy and to be well celebrated.

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter and is called Good Shepherd Sunday. It is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood, the Diaconate and to Religious Life. The earliest Christians saw Jesus as the fulfilment of the ancient Jewish dream of a Good Shepherd. 

The late Billy Graham, the televangelist, once said in a TV interview: “Pope John Paul II lived like his Master the Good Shepherd, and he died like his Master the Good Shepherd.”  In today’s Gospel, Jesus claims that he is the Good Shepherd and explains what he does for his sheep. 

The Prayer for Vocations which Tessa and I use, is in the form of a Novena from 16th to 24th each month and originates from a promise I made over 20 years ago to a nun who was making her Final Profession, at which Tessa and I were present. It is “Lord Jesus, Word made flesh, you who said to us that if you do not become like little children you will not enter the Kingdom of God. Teach us to follow in your footsteps, humbly and simply. Send into your Church the Priests, Deacons, Religious and lay people needed to make you better known and loved throughout the world. Amen. 

Please join us in saying this prayer if you can. There may be copies of this prayer in our churches as we have used it in the past and I know some parishioners may have a copy in their handbag, back pocket or prayer book. 

The requiem mass for David will be offered on Friday 23 April at 12 noon.  If you would like to attend, please contact Lulu on 01323 846509 – there are six spaces available.  Burial afterwards at Hailsham Cemetery.

CAFOD:  Thank you for your generous donations to CAFOD’s Family Fast Day during Lent.   We featured Marian and her son Svondo in Zimbabwe in Lent 2018.  The community vegetable garden that your donations helped provide is growing well and during the pandemic the family has survived on the vegetables.  Your support has also helped to provide soap and handwashing stations in the garden and in family homes.  This is just one of many long-term development projects that CAFOD has funded with the money from that Fast Day. Thank you for your steadfast support.

During Divine Mercy Sunday, Father Rory welcomed into St George’s Church three new Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. The Commissioning took place after the Lord’s Prayer, with a lovely ceremony  conducted by Father when he invited them to make their commitment to this important ministry. It was a very appropriate day to make such an undertaking, as we celebrate the risen Christ and are “united, heart and soul”. The beautiful flowers and the Easter arrangements on the sanctuary lent a poignant touch to this important event in the life of our church.

I came across this story this week.  I thought you might like it.  It does give one some food for thought!

There was once a little boy who always wanted to meet Jesus. One day he was walking home from Sunday school. As he went through the park, he noticed an old woman sitting on a park bench. She looked lonely and hungry, so he sat down and offered part of the chocolate bar he had been saving. She accepted it with a smile. He gave her more of the candy, and she shared a can of root beer with him. They sat together in a very friendly manner, eating and drinking and smiling at each other. When the boy got up to leave, he reached over the woman and gave her a big hug. He walked home smiling. His mother noticed his big smile and happiness on his face and asked, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” “I had lunch with Jesus. And she has a great smile,” he said. The old woman returned to the small apartment she shared with her sister. She too was smiling. Her sister asked her why she was so happy. “I just had lunch with Jesus. And he is a lot younger than I expected,” she said. (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word.)