Category: Saint George’s latest news

St Wilfrid’s:  Our Indian community.  I expect you have been watching on tv or reading in papers about the terrible plight India faces. We have been in contact with Jincy who looks after our Indian community at St Wilfrid’s. Up till now she says all their relatives in India are safe.  Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers

Adrian Powell who recently died after an 11 year battle with motor neurone disease.  Also, please pray for Nick Paul and his family.

We would like to thank everyone for the lovely sympathy cards and mass intentions offered for David.  Also, thank you to those who attended the funeral at the church and cemetery, and those who helped; Jean, Judy, Gary, David, Bob, Lawrence and especially Fr Rory for a very beautiful service.  Thank you for everyone’s effort to come in some yellow as requested.  With gratitude, Lulu and Abigail.

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!

Continued…..               

The Fourth Station: Jesus appears to his disciples on the road to Emmaus.

The one thing that we share with the early disciples after the resurrection is powerlessness, completely without power.  Even going to church when we can highlight all our difficulties.  The two disciples on this road to Emmaus were trying to get away from it all.  Then the fabulous moment of grace.  “Jesus himself came and walked by their side” but they did not recognise Him.  But He opened their eyes to the scriptures.  May He today open our eyes to the scriptures, but also to His presence in our lives.

“We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”. 

One our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.

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The Fifth Station: The Risen Lord is recognised in the breaking of bread.

The gift remains the same.  “Now while He was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them”.  What was so different? “Their eyes were opened”.  Please God, with all my heart I pray that my eyes may be truly opened.   I remain with the great body of disciples “I believe, help my unbelief”.

“We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”. 

The disciples failed to recognise Jesus because they had actually seen Him die and knew He had been buried.  For our time we have been buried in the scandals and all too often we have built idols within our ways of worship in the church.  We pray that our hearts may be transformed and brought back to life.

Alleluia, Alleluia.  Give thanks to the risen Lord.  Give praise to his name

One our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.

The Sixth Station: Jesus appears to His disciples in Jerusalem in a locked room. 

He rebuked them for their lack of faith but always His gift “My peace be with you”.  “Look at my hands and feet”, and to confirm the reality of His presence “Have you anything here to eat?”  He knows we need to have our faith strengthened and restored.  Let us reveal to Him our wounds and our hurts at this time

“We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”. 

When Jesus shows himself to the apostles, they assumed He was a ghost.  Our assumption is that it cannot happen – so let us sincerely pray.  Dear Jesus, we may find it hard to believe that it was your physical body that came into the room full of apostles.  Please help us to truly believe in this your greatest miracle – that you whom the disciples had seen tortured, crucified and speared to death, really did come back, not only for them, but for all of us.

Alleluia, Alleluia.  Give thanks to the risen Lord.  Give praise to his name

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.

Continued…..                    

 “With the help of the Stations of the Resurrection”

Church of St Thomas More, Seaford, BN25 1SS

The First Station: Jesus Is Risen.  “We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”.

“Isn’t that providence Maura”.  The number of times I heard these words in our kitchen when growing up was often.  They coincided with a visit from my auntie when she came to stay with us for a while.  They now stay with me as a very positive response to life.  The visit of the early disciples to His tomb, opens the door to great hope and confidence that a new life is open to everyone.  Belief  remains the key to opening that door, and Jesus chastises his disciples for their lack of belief in Him.  Let us try to keep open the doors of faith. 

Alleluia, Alleluia.  Give thanks to the risen Lord.  Give praise to his name.

The Second Station: Peter and John arrive at the empty tomb.  “We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”.

Peter finds it hard to keep the doors of faith open, and in his difficulties he returns to his day job which is fishing, we will meet up again with him when he returns to his day job.  Then Jesus will appoint him “thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church”.  Fear of the irrational and unknown is very much a part of the human experience.  It stopped John entering the tomb.  We all know this fear of the irrational, so help us Lord to conquer our fears and anxieties.  Help us to live lives of greater hope and service.

Alleluia, Alleluia.  Give thanks to the risen Lord.  Give praise to his name.

The Third Station: The Risen Lord appears to Mary Magdalene.  “We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”.

She stood there crying as she looked into the tomb.  The words “Woman why are you crying?” did not make her realise who He was.  But when He said “Mary” her eyes were opened.

We like Mary Magdalene, all suffer grief, shock and sadness when we witness death.  Mary had seen Jesus die.  The risen Lord must have looked very different from the tortured person on the cross, but when Jesus spoke her name, Mary knew Him.

Jesus you speak all our names, you know each and every one of us.  You call us each by your name: help us to recognise your presence.

Alleluia, Alleluia.  Give thanks to the risen Lord.  Give praise to his name.