Category: Saint George’s latest news

The coming Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. The readings for this Sunday are about God’s mercy, the necessity for trusting Faith, and our need for the forgiveness of our sins. On the 30th of April 2000, at 10:00 AM, on the Second Sunday of Easter His Holiness Pope St. John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in Saint Peter’s Square and proceeded to the canonization of Blessed Sister Faustina. Saint Faustina invites us by the witness of her life to keep our Faith and Hope fixed on God the Father, rich in mercy, who saved us by the precious Blood of His Son.  During her short life, Saint Faustina invites us by the witness of her life to keep our Faith and Hope fixed on God the Father. During her life, the Lord assigned to St. Faustina three basic tasks: 1. to pray for souls, entrusting them to God’s incomprehensible Mercy; 2. to tell the world about God’s generous Mercy; 3. to start a new movement in the Church focusing on God’s Mercy.

So, let us all have the courage of our Christian convictions to share our Faith with others.  We are not to keep the gift of Faith locked in our hearts, but to share it with our children, our families, our friends and our neighbours. Let us always remember the words of Pope St. John XXIII: “Every believer in this world must become a spark of Christ’s light.” That is the light we see in the new Easter candle lit last Saturday evening for the first time and at every mass during Eastertide.

A grateful thanks to Deacon John for his contribution last week with a message for Easter which left me without a job to do; and for all his contributions during the pandemic. 

He is risen from the dead.  Alleluia.  The great season of Easter is the life of the church.  It echoes with life, with His promise “I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full”.  The stories of the resurrection in the Gospel gives a birds eye view of the event which helps us to understand the scriptures.  The detail, the lack of recognition, the limitations of human nature while on earth, indeed the confusion sometimes contrasting with attention to detail.  Peter’s perception in John’s Gospel is an example.  “Simon Peter who was following up, now came and went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground and also the cloth that had been over His head, this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself”.  Detail provided by a witness on the ground.  Another account, Mary of Magdala, “as she turned round and saw Jesus standing there”.  Jesus said “Woman why are you weeping? Who are you weeping for?”  Supposing him to be the gardener, she said “Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him and I will go and remove him”.  Jesus said “Mary” she knew Him and said in Hebrew “Rabbuni – Master”.

Life this year is full of constraints attached to our response to living with the covid virus.  There is merit in the guidelines, but overall we need to give greater attention to Jesus with His promise “I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full”.   The grace that I have experienced in our celebration of the liturgies contrasts so much.  A great big thank you to the stewards, and cleaners, thank you to all those who helped.  And a final thanks to you and indeed thanks be to God.

So please God, for our future, for the life of our church.  The church has been challenged and found wanting, it is the story of our lives at the moment.  Please God for our lives in the future, a new generation in the life of the church.  Let us plan for it and work for it.  It can only happen with a new generation.  Alongside this are the threats of global warming, great poverty and the need for governments across the world to come together to seriously address these issues.  Humbly, we need to say ‘please God, help us all to work for a new world in the morning’.

Parliament in your Parish

Engaging A&B MPs to plan a better post-COVID world

Thursday 15th April, 7.30pm to 8.30pm

The eyes are on the UK as we host both the G7 and COP26 summits this year. It is as important as ever that we hold our politicians accountable after the pandemic to rebuild in a way that addresses the world’s most pressing ecological and social issues. Arundel & Brighton’s Journey to 2030 and CAFOD invite you to an evening of online discussion on how we can engage with our MP on these issues, using CAFOD’s Reclaim our Common Home campaign as a means to encourage our MPs to take action through a “Parliament in your Parish”. You will learn about how to engage with the campaign, including how to set up meetings with your MP, as well as have the chance to connect with others in the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton and your own constituency to maximise our message. Please email: [email protected] with your name, parish and MP constituency to register your place and receive the Zoom link.

The Diocese of Arundel & Brighton is a Fairtrade Diocese – 50% of our churches are certificated as meeting the Fairtrade Foundation’s criteria for Fairtrade churches and agree to use products with the FAIRTRADE mark.  The A&B Fairtrade Group ensures that goals continue to be met and aims to raise awareness about Fairtrade labelled products – including those sold by Traidcraft – which support fair terms of trade, decent working conditions and local sustainability for farmers and producers in the developing world.  The Group needs more members from across the Diocese and would welcome enquiries from interested people. The Group meets three times a year. Please contact Sue Joy, Convenor. email: [email protected]  01342 835190.  Thank you.

Easter is the greatest and the most important feast in the Church for three reasons: 1) The Resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian Faith.  It is the greatest of the miracles, for it proves that Jesus is God.  That is why St. Paul writes: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain; and your Faith is in vain”. It is important to note that the founder of no other religion has an empty tomb as Jesus has.  2) Easter is the guarantee of our own resurrection.  Jesus assured Martha at the tomb of Lazarus: “I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in Me will live even though he dies”. 3) Easter is a feast which gives us hope and encouragement in this sorry world of ours. There is so much pain, sorrow and tears around us.  This feast reminds us that life is worth living.  It is our belief in the Real Presence of the Risen Jesus in our souls, in His Church, in the Blessed Sacrament, and in Heaven that gives meaning to our personal as well as our communal prayer. It gives us the strength to fight against temptations, and freedom from unnecessary worries and fears.

According to an ancient Russian Orthodox tradition, the day before Easter was devoted to telling jokes. Priests would join the people in telling their best jokes to one another. The reason was to reflect the joke God pulled on the devil in the Resurrection. Satan thought he had won on Friday, but God had the last laugh on Easter Sunday.)

May the Risen Lord be a living experience to you, pervading every area of your life,  blessing you, strengthening you, inspiring you, guiding you and supporting you in all you do. I wish you all a happy and holy Easter.

Holy Week Masses:  If you have booked a Mass at St George’s and St Wilfrid’s over the Holy Week and not had confirmation of a place.  Please contact Margaret for St George’s on 870990 and Jackie for St Wilfrid’s on 841504.  Thank you.

St Wilfrid’s Church still has a few remaining places available for the Saturday Easter Vigil.  If you would like to attend this service please ring 841504 or email [email protected]

Fr Rory Writes:                         Stations of the Cross continued:

The Twelfth Station:  Jesus dies at the Cross.  “We adore thee O Christ and we praise thee, because by your Holy Cross you  have redeemed the World”.

It is accomplished Jesus bows His head and dies – but there is no magic.  His Divine intervention which was essential for our salvation has accomplished its purpose.  God’s salvation for all of mankind.  On a number of times during our years in our seminary,  in preparation for priesthood, at retreats and lectures I have heard some great teachings on the focus of what was accomplished upon the cross, and how God could have restored to us  all that was lost under Adam’s fall.  Through one man, Adam, sin entered our world, but Jesus came down from heaven to put an end to sin and death.  The love through which He accomplished this has been entrusted to us.  Our purpose is to become the church working to bring God’s salvation into a broken sinful world.  So this is the privilege offered to us – to work with Him to bring forgiveness, healing and a loving presence into people’s lives to restore God’s Kingdom – The Kingdom of Heaven.

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

The Thirteenth Station:  Jesus is taken down from the Cross.  “We adore thee O Christ and we praise thee, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World”.

The work of the church has commenced.  The evil, the enemy is as active as ever.  So the ministry of the scared, the very scariest one run away from the scene, naked and afraid.  The soldiers have not been disbanded and the work of the Sanhedrin continued.  Preparation by God’s providence for the burial could take place,  as Joseph of Arimathea became God’s instrument.  Permission was granted and a tomb, newly hewn from rock, prepared.  Nicodemus came as well, and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about 100 pounds.  They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices, following the Jewish custom.   The work of salvation will go on until the fullness of time.  We are privileged people.

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

Fourteenth Station:  Jesus is laid in the tomb.   “We adore thee O Christ and we praise thee”. 

The body has been embalmed.  The enemy is still on the job, guards are posted.  Growing up on a farm I was involved with the burial of animals from a very young age.  This brings death home.  So for me a Christian funeral is profoundly different.   We have the greatest symbol presented to us by Jesus.  “Unless a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies it remains a single grain, but if it dies in the ground it produces one hundred fold”.  This comes homes to me at the altar for Mass as the consecration takes place.  Holy Week is on our doorstep.  Let us bring our greatest care and attention to these events: The Resurrection, The Ascension, and above all Pentecost.   From these we might receive strength and joy – a new Pentecost – new fruits that will last, and please God, we can move on from the coronavirus.

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

A reminder – The Easter Offerings are for our Parish Priest.  Please contribute through the church accounts in the normal way, so the Parish can benefit from Gift Aid.  Direct payments to him cannot accrue this benefit.

Dorothy Blake RIP. The Requiem Mass for Dorothy will be offered on Tuesday 13 April at 12 noon, preceded by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 11.45. If you would like to attend please contact Jean 842824 or Bob 847014, as only 30 people can be present.  Burial afterwards at Hailsham Cemetery.