On behalf of us all, I would like to say a huge thank you to all the faithful souls who make it possible for us to safely attend Mass during this epidemic. The stewards, cleaners, recorders of our Masses, so that everyone can attend Mass in their own homes. They all know who they are and we really appreciate what they do, so that we can take part in our Masses whether at Church or at home. Of course the person who stands out is our very own Father Rory, without him none of this would be possible. He is our Holy Ordained Priest given to us by God. He is always here for us and helping us through troubled times. He has faults like us all, and humbly admits to them, but they fade into insignificance when he so ably does the job he was ordained to do and more. Thank you Father from the bottom of our hearts. One other person who must be mentioned is Jackie our secretary who has helped us in many things, she more than fulfils her job. Fr Rory would agree, along with the rest of us that she is a Godsend. No fuss, just gets on with any job in hand very efficiently with a smile. What a treasure she is for us.
Latest News
St Wilfrid’s
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
Please remember in your prayers:
Adrian Powell who recently died after an 11 year battle with motor neurone disease. Also, please pray for Nick Paul and his family.
David Curtis RIP
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.
Deacon John Writes
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!
Fr Rory Writes
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
Marriage Week
10-16th 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, 21st 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
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]
DBS Checks and Online Training
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
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.