Category: Saint George’s latest news

NEW Colour and Shape website launch! Mass resources for families.

Colour and Shape developed over the pandemic providing a weekly video liturgy for families to use at home during lockdown. This video – Connect Sunday – has now changed into a new shorter format, along with a set of accompanying resources on a brand new website. Head over to www.colourandshapeonline.com to check out the resources reflecting on the Sunday Gospel each week, plus links to Spotify playlists, ideas on how to pray together as a family, and information on how to join the online community supporting families.   

The Open Cloister @ Worth Abbey:

Desert Wisdom: the power of thoughts – Online Day Retreat led by David Clayton & Michael Woodward

Saturday 24^th July 2021.  10am-4:30pm

Evagrius (b.345) is honoured as ‘one of the most important names’: come & see why his teaching lives. . . To book your place online go to www.worth.co.uk/retreats/online-retreats For further information email [email protected]

Pilgrimage of Reparation and Consecration:  On Saturday, 17^th July, at West Grinstead, from 12 noon.  More details from Jayne at [email protected]  or 07816 422851.

St George’s First Communion Breakfast: This will be held on Sunday July 25^th after mass.   All the children will enjoy a party breakfast together for this occasion with our three First Communion Candidates attending in their communion outfits and receiving their certificates at Mass that morning.

The First Communion Mass for three St George’s Children took place on Sunday 27^th June, it was a wonderful occasion enjoyed by all those who attended in person and from afar by watching it on the livestream.  The service is still available to watch by going to the online mass recordings on our website, www.saintsgeorgeandwilfrid.co.uk/online-masses-and-recordings/.  Being able to livestream was so important to the families, especially at this time as it enabled family and friends in India and Catalan to be at the celebration mass.

During the mass the children had their Baptism candles relit and passed on to them by their fathers to show how they are now taking forward the light of Christ within them

Our thanks go to all who made this such a special occasion: Father Rory for his spiritual leadership of the families, children and their catechists in the preparation for the sacrament;  the Catechists Mary Burbage, Marie and Cathy for teaching and preparing the children over many weeks; Mary Lou, Shirley and Anne who all sang beautifully bringing this special ministry back into our church once more; Thomas and Alen who took time to prepare in advance and manage on the day the great responsibility of filming the service ensuring the sound quality was the best we could achieve with minimal equipment; Cathy, Trevor and Anne who decorated the church with ribbons, bunting and lovely floral displays; and off course everyone who offered good wishes and prayed for our children and their families at this special time.

St Wilfrid’s First Holy Communion:  Please remember and keep in your prayers our 10 First Holy Communion Candidates who will be celebrating their First Holy Communion on the 10th July at 3pm

St Wilfrid’s First Holy Communion breakfast will be on Sunday 25th July at 10:30am.

Thanks for your support, CAFOD has been helping communities around the world cope with the pandemic.  Just in Zambia, in the past year, our reports show we’ve been able to reach 1,234,200 people with messages on COVID-19, provide 13,312 people with access to safe water, train 392 frontline health workers from Zambia’s 11 dioceses on how to prepare and respond to COVID-19 in their local communities and donate over 1000 handwashing hygiene stations in communities to support handwashing measures. Thank you for standing alongside people in Zambia and for supporting people in more than 30 other countries worldwide.

Fr Rory has written above about two characteristics of living:- journeying and telling stories. Someone wrote this story about Mother Teresa in Time Magazine in answer to the question “Are we poor?” She was asked about the materialism of the West. “The more you have, the more you are occupied,” she contends. “But the less you have the freer you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is a joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. This is the only fan in the whole house…and it is for the guests. But we are happy. “I find the rich poorer,” she continues. “Sometimes they are lonelier inside…The hunger for love is much more difficult to fill than the hunger for bread…The real poor know what joy is.” When asked about her plans for the future, she replied, “I just take one day. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not come. We have only today to love Jesus.” Is there anyone in this area as rich as Mother Teresa? The Gospel for this Sunday contains a story with which we can identify ourselves. It is the story of Jesus’ rejection by fellow-townsmen and is a story that has happened to most of us. We might have experienced the pain of rejection caused by hurts, wounds, betrayal, divorce, abandonment, violated trust, trauma, neglect, or abuse in its various forms. What about rejection by those closest to us? Often our friends, families, or childhood companions fail to listen to, and refuse to accept, the love and encouragement that we offer to them, because they are so familiar with us as we were that they are unable to see us as God’s appointed instruments, the agents of God’s healing and saving grace. 

There is another side to this story which we should think about. How often do we discount God’s agents through prejudice? How often do we fail to see God’s image in them because of our own hardheartedness?  We must realise that God’s power is always available to transform even the most unlikely people.

Let us acknowledge the prophets of God’s goodness around us. God is always  present giving us his message through our nearest and dearest and all we meet. Since God uses them as His prophets to convey His message to us, it is our duty to acknowledge and honour them. Let us express our appreciation today for our families – spouses for each other, parents and children for each other. Remember to say “thank you” for any act of kindness offered to us. We can all act as God’s messengers of love and light to those around us. At the same time we should recognise God’s presence in our lives through His words in the Bible and through the advice, help and examples of others.

And now for something different.  Recently I had a “God sent” outing with a group of parishioners from the children’s liturgy at St George’s church.  The walk had been planned some time ago.  First and foremost it was a challenge, with the walk and views refreshing.  The weather was not ideal for picnics or sitting around.  It was in neighbouring Kent, noticeably different.  On our farm when I was growing up as a child we had some sheep, and that breed was called Sussex.  The sheep in neighbouring Kent, noticeably different.

The walk was quite long, allowing for a more prolonged quality time being spent together.  Continuing with my hobby horse: life having two characteristics a) journey and b) story telling.  So like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, there are always issues in the background.  In a way the issue in the background is the effects of the pandemic, and the drastic effects it has upon life.  The stresses and strains breaking through; and what will be the outcome, especially for our churches.

On Sunday we had our celebration of First Holy Communion at St George’s.  This celebration of the sacrament can be a powerful window into our life of faith.  Again, two things – belief and prayer.  At baptism the parents and godparents are given a baptism candle with the words “this light has been entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly”.  Through baptism your child has been enlightened by Christ.  Now as part of our first communion celebration the parents present their child with their baptismal candle which they have just lit.. The children take the candle, quench it in order to place their candle on the altar as part of the offertory of the Mass.  The parents place their children’s preparation book, the work that has taken place, at the foot of the altar. 

Because of the covid virus we recently had a very rare celebration of confirmation at St Wilfrid’s without it being the Bishop who was the celebrant.  At that service, we had the candidates lighting the candle themselves from the pascal candle, as a sign that they had taken upon themselves the light of Christ that had been entrusted to their parents and godparents.  Please God, they will continue to be active witnesses to their faith, as it now influences their lives.  A particularly memorable moment during a preparation class when asked what do we need to help us grow? – the response 1) food would you believe, and after some discussion 2) exercise.

Dawn Mass:  Thursday 24th June, Seaford Head Car Park at 4.50am.  To offer Mass for an End to the Pandemic and a New Dawn of Salvation for the Church and World.   

Feast of the Birth of John the Baptist.  The Dawn of Salvation.  Followed by shared BBQ breakfast (Please bring something to share).