Category: Saint George’s latest news

Redundant iPads and Laptops are desperately needed by the Gatwick Detainees’ Welfare Group.   An IT company has agreed to ‘clean’ devices to remove any data. These devices can enable a person whether in detention or after release, to help themselves; to access classes for speakers of other languages, to communicate with friends, family, our staff, their volunteer visitor and to access  resources such as Food Banks and to join our post detention services. Contact Josie at: [email protected].   Thank you.

Volunteers are needed at St Wilfrid`s:  There are forms being handed out after Mass and are available on the table in the church porch, listing the areas where we need your help.  Please consider very carefully as to where you can contribute to the successful running of our church and community, Please return to the presbytery

Are you able to recognise the God-given signs in your lives? One way of doing this is to examine your conscience and try to see God’s presence in yourself and in others. Look for the presence of God’s hand in any of the small and big events in our lives. Look for his care behind some event that has occurred. Open your ears to hear His message which has been sent to you through a stranger or a friend or perhaps through nature. If you read the Bible either regularly or from time to time you should find His message in something you read. Let it sink into your mind and adjust your life in accordance with what you have read.

Let us all try during this coming week to open our hearts to God and be receptive to His Spirit through our active participation in the liturgy, instead of looking for signs in television or our neighbours.

The parable of the sower which we heard in the daily readings this week was intended as a warning to those who were listening to be attentive and to the apostles to be hopeful receivers, living out Jesus’ teachings and ideas. The sower is God, while we, the Church, are the teachers. The seed sown is the word of God, which has a cutting edge like “a sharp sword” and a purifying and strengthening power like “fire and hammer”. The hardened soil on the foot path represents people with minds closed because of laziness, pride, prejudice, or fear. The soil on rock represents emotional types of people who go after novelties without sticking to anything and who are unwilling to “put down roots” surrendering their wills to God. The soil filled with weeds represents people addicted to evil habits and evil tendencies and those whose hearts are filled with hatred, jealousy, and greed. They are interested only in acquiring money by any means and in enjoying life in any way possible.  The good and fertile soil represents well-intentioned people with open minds and clean hearts, earnest in hearing the word and concentrate on putting it into practice.

Let us all try this week to become the good soil and produce hundred-fold yields by hearing, faithfully taking it on board and daily cultivating the word of God we have received, so that the Holy Spirit may produce His fruits in our lives

Suddenly I am presented with an extra window of opportunity for prayer:  Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Devine Love of God.  It also gives me a window of opportunity to share with thousands of children who have suddenly had to isolate for two weeks when someone in their school bubble is diagnosed to have the COVID virus.  Then to be isolating in a house that you know has someone with the virus make it clear; that obviously I do not want to catch that virus.  So I am regularly testing and keeping as much as possible out of harms way.  It certainly highlights the decisions that are made, and the rules to be enforced.  That is why in the seminary training the amount of time that is given to “The Rule”,  the classic is “The exception proves the rule”.  Unfortunately of late, and particularly to do with the virus, and indeed with quite a lot of other things that the rules are so poor, that the exception opens the way to something else becomes the new rule.  So there can be no exception.

Please God, for His greater fatherly care and a great “thank you” for all the help and support that we get and is given.  This help and support is at the heart of life is love, and for all the love that is expressed and given to me, I am truly grateful.

So to begin with the masses this weekend, and the fact that it coincides with our Children’s First Holy Communion Breakfast is very providential.  To come back to share and to give thanks.  This is greatly important as we relax to church, as efforts are being made to return to normal life, can be an incredible opportunity, lets say it truthfully loud and clear “it will raise the risks and windows of opportunity to get things wrong”, yes maybe some feel we need to say it again.  But it is much more important to see it as a window of opportunity “to get things right”.   Sometimes even in the midst of a pandemic, human dignity becomes important, and to get it right proves how Jesus sums it up.  “Good trees, bear good fruit”.  May our children who have just received their First Holy Communion grow up in Christian communities of faith that gather to celebrate one wonderful gift of the mass with the communities at St George’s and St Wilfrid’s.

Plans are beginning: so we with God’s help can prepare and coordinate our development together, and please God, we will grow from strength to strength.  So please help me to do my job much better, and I am sure you all agree with me “that it can be done”.  We need to reach out again to each other.  Lets do so with the help of God.

Diocesan Youth Service – 40^th Anniversary Celebration – 4 September 2021 – Arundel Cathedral – We are delighted to be able to celebrate our Youth Service, which has impacted many people in the last four decades and we want to invite anyone who has ever attended an event hosted by the service to come along and join the festivities.  Whether it was a Maryvale Retreat, a World Youth Day Pilgrimage, Youthgather, Lourdes Redshirts, or you are a member of our new online community BeCome, or one of our other virtual networks, everyone will be welcome to give thanks for all that has been done and to pray for the success of the Youth Service in the future. Reminisce with old friends, and meet new friends in person (not just on a screen!). A thanksgiving Mass will be said by Bishop Richard, followed by a chance to chat over refreshments. Please click here for more information and to register

Margaret Westcar 1st RIP Anniversary – Thursday 29th July at 11:45am, Requiem Mass St. Wilfrid’s Church

It is my beloved Mum, Mrs Margaret Westcar 1st RIP Anniversary on Thursday 29th July 2021.  So I have arranged with Fr Rory to do a Requiem Mass In Celebration of my beloved beautiful Mum❤️Life & family life.  All dear parishioner friends are welcome to attend this Mass celebration.

The readings this weekend explain how God, like a good shepherd, redeems His people and provides for them. The readings challenge us to use our God-given authority in the family, in the Church, and in society, with faith and responsibility.  In the world of today this includes of course the pastoral care given by our priests but also includes the loving service given by all Christians who follow different callings to serve and lead others. 

We need God’s grace to become good shepherds. The Christian life can be regarded as being in the presence of God, then to the presence of people and then back to God again. We do this through prayer which is essentially listening to God and talking to Him. We should allow God the opportunity to speak to us and recharge us with spiritual energy and strength by setting aside time for Him to speak to us and for us to speak to Him. One important way we can facilitate this is by spending some time every day reading the Bible and meditating on the message God gives us in Scripture. We receive strength from God to do our share of the shepherd’s preaching and healing ministry by asking for it individually, in the family, and as a community in the parish Church, when we participate in Mass. We must be people of compassion. We must be able to feel deeply the suffering of others, to understand why they fear and worry. We are all called to lead and “govern wisely” living out what we communicate. We must guide people in right paths and are to be concerned about what is right and just. Our pastoral care should be involved with people’s real needs, both spiritual and material, and provide peaceful care and guidance. There are so many people searching for truth today, people hungering for instruction, good people who are looking for direction. They may be parents who are worried over the future of a troubled child; a man suffering because of unemployment; a woman facing a pregnancy alone; elderly people who feel lonely; people who are angry and confused because they have lost confidence in their leaders. They are all people who are looking for answers and for meaning. They are like sheep without a shepherd. They all need someone filled with the spirit of Christ the “Good Shepherd to help them.

Let us all try in the coming days to be people of compassion and put ourselves out to help at least one person in need. We can all be good shepherds.

Responsibility:  is always part and parcel of life.  The decision to raise the lockdown makes it very important to do our best to stay safe.  The chances of the numbers of cases of covid rising is quite certain to happen.  Continuing to wear masks when needed, and other practical ways of being cautious and careful are important.

It also presents us with an important opportunity to truly value and express our faith as communities, that we are grateful to God for the great gift that our faith brings to us.  All through the pandemic I can honestly say that there was something very special about saying mass.  When it came to the sign of peace I sensed a real depth of peace to be experienced then in the church.  In great contrast with the affliction and injury that was happening in the wider world, “My peace I give you”, greater than any peace the world can bring.  Please God, we continue to gather to experience that peace and to bring it to the world we live in.

Last Sunday we had a very valuable profound prayer as part of the Prayers of the Faithful:-

“We ask you Lord to guide us, so that we can improve communication within our own parish and help us to recognise opportunities to assist in working towards re-socialisation, friendship, providing comfort and creating safe spaces within a framework of Faith.  We need to all work together to achieve our goals.  Please give us your Grace and humility to succeed.  The Lord Hear Us”.

We have frequently been blessed by the prayers of the faithful that are prepared by fellow parishioners on our behalf.

Celebrations to take place on Sunday 15th August (The Assumption of Our Blessed Lady).  Refreshments will be served after and a tombola to help raise funds, donations of bottles and any unwanted gifts that are in pristine condition would be greatly appreciated.

Our Diocesan Youth Adviser, Lizzie, is hosting another round of Deanery Confirmation Catechist meetings this week, and is delighted to be able to tell you that your local secondary school chaplains have been invited, which will give you a chance to get to know them better. We will also be looking at the theme ‘Known and Loved’. If you are not already a member of your local network, please contact Lizzie directly [email protected]

St George’s First Communion Catechists have decided to run the ‘I Belong’ programme for 12 sessions from 12^th September the children will then all be prepared and ready to make their First Communion on the Feast of Christ the King Sunday 21^st November.  This programme is only for any children who have missed out on taking the sacrament over the last two years due to Covid restrictions and will be in school year 4 or above from September 2021.  If anyone would like to register an interest in being part of this programme please contact Sandra on 07791627368 or email [email protected]