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The Knights of St Columba

Due to the pandemic, and not being able to attend church, many people have found themselves not being able to access streamed masses on the internet.  The Knights of St Columba have arranged for anyone to use a telephone to hear mass, at only the cost of a local call.  The number to call is – 01642 130 120.

Seasonal Workshop for Children

On Saturday , February 13th, we are inviting the children to join us for  a Seasonal Workshop. This will be held online from 2.30pm for approximately an hour.

There will be games, prayers, activities and friendship. Come and join us as we celebrate the start of Lent.

Children and their families will need to sign up for the session in order to receive the log in details. We will also need an address so we can deliver a pack of helpful materials for the session.  Please register your interest by contacting Sandra on 07791627368, email [email protected] or Teresa on 07951082592 , email [email protected]  

Deacon John Writes

The readings this weekend challenge us to avoid Job’s pessimistic and desperate view of life. He was really low in spirit when he regarded life as all pain and suffering. We must try to accept life with hope and optimism as a precious gift from God, be cheerful, use our lives to do good for others and spend our time, talents and lives for others as Jesus did and as St. Paul did.  The second reading describes Paul to us as a true follower of Jesus, moved as Jesus was by concern for the lost which led him to preach the Gospel without cost to the people, and to serve them with Jesus’ love and fidelity. 

The Gospel teaches us that true discipleship means giving selfless, loving service to others. Mark shows Jesus teaching with authority, exorcising a demon, healing Simon’s mother-in-law and, after sunset curing “many who were sick with various diseases, and [driving] out many demons” The following day Jesus rises early and goes off “to a deserted place” to pray, in order to think about what he has been doing  and to recharge his spiritual batteries.

The message for us is quite simple:  Bringing healing and wholeness is Jesus’ ministry even today. We all need healing for our minds, our memories, and our broken relationships.  Nowadays Jesus is also using counsellors, doctors, friends, or even strangers to carry out his healing ministry. Let us ask for the ordinary healing we need in our own lives. When we are healed, do not forget to thank Jesus for his goodness, mercy, and compassion by turning to serve others in our turn.  Our own healing is fulfilled only when we are ready to help others in their needs and to focus on things outside ourselves.  Jesus found time for prayer, time for healing, and time for reconciliation so we, too, can take up this challenge by sharing love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness with others. 

Fr Rory Writes

“O that today you would listen to His voice, harden not your hearts”.

This was the response to last Sundays psalm “O that today you would listen to His voice, harden not your hearts”.

Having said this over and over,  I hope this truly registered with me.  What a dreadful year it has been and right now there is no let up.  We had the Deanery Meeting of the priests and deacons, and I could not get over how stressed they were.  It really is a stressful time.

To begin with the message “Listen to His voice, yes to His voice”, and then to the messages coming from health and safety.  From the beginning of the pandemic, because it is malign and evil, the most potent emotion is fear.  Because of this the importance of the message of Jesus. “By their fruits you shall know them, good trees bare good fruit”.

Now that we have passed “La le Bride” St Brigid’s Day, spring is on its way.  The days are a cock step longer.  Real progress is being made with the vaccinations and please God, before we know it we will be on our way again.  This is a most important opportunity and let us treat it as a fresh start, with the hope of living, learning and celebrating again.

Okay, the message still remains – keep safe, “Festina Lente”, hurry up, but slowly, and this week I am once again expecting Fr Kieran to give me a break, but most important is the message of Pope Francis for 2021:-

“To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us free, joyful and simple.  It is to have maturity to be able to say: “I made mistakes”.  It is to have the courage to say “I am sorry”.  It is to have the sensitivity to say, “I need you”.  It is to have the ability to say “I love you”.  May your life become a garden of opportunity for happiness….. That in spring may it be a lover of joy.  In winter a lover of wisdom.  And when you make a mistake, start all over again.  For only then will you be in love with life.

You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life.  But use the tears to irrigate tolerance.  Use your losses to train patience.  Use your mistakes to sculptor  serenity.  Use pain to plaster pleasure.  Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence.  Never give up …… Never give up on people who love you.  Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show”.

Fr Jimmy Buckley

There will still be many at St George’s who remember with great fondness Fr Jimmy from Esker Redemptorist Community in Galway. He used to come over to us every summer for several weeks. I found him on line this weekend celebrating Mass at Esker Monastery and wanted to share it with all those who remember him with great fondness. He still has a fabulous singing voice, good and strong! If you want to go on line you can find him if you google Esker Monastery. That will bring you to their website and you can see Mass live or recorded. He doesn’t say every Mass but take a look at the recording for Sunday 24th January and you will see him there. Mass goes out live at 10.55 am.  I have emailed him at Esker to let him know his friends at Polegate will be looking out for him!   He will next stream Mass on 13th and 14th February.

Invited Lent 2021 – The Mission Begins

The Diocesan Formation Team is hosting a mission for you this Lent. It will be the first of five seasons of mission, helping you to explore God’s Invitation to live your life with him.

What is a mission? An opportunity for everyone in the parish to sit back and reflect on the content provided. Season one is a series of programmes that help us to understand exactly how much we are loved by God, and features guest speakers such as David Wells, Eleanor Oliver and David Beresford. You will then be able to join a virtual conversation to meet like minded people and discuss what you have learnt. Visit www.abdiocese.org.uk/invited to find out more.   You, are Invited.