Fr Rory Writes

With the help of God we will continue to be progress for a return to a more normal life in our parish.  Some of the signs are very hopeful and the vaccines have been a great blessing.  To acknowledge that we could be hit by another variant that could be very virulent is adding to our anxieties unnecessarily, needs to be quickly embraced by God’s help, and with His help we will come to terms with it.  Living and learning with a proper amount of care and caution, makes all the difference.  A lot more suffering was inflicted than necessary, but always the outcome is most important.

It is good to hear stories of what a great gift it is to be able to return to the things we once took so much for granted.  A niece gave me a lovely  story of her children returning to experience music for a family occasion.  Admittedly it had to be C.D’s and not the live band that would normally have provided the music in the past.  I experienced an unexpected, but most welcomed window to events that we took so much for granted.  In memory of Jeff and Anita Stone, I called at an old haunt from their time at Deanland Park retirement homes.  By chance it coincided with a return to an open mike evening, where people take turns to provide their contribution to an evening of musical entertainment.  What a lovely hour and a half it turned out to be.

Reading “The Tablet” this week, in the books section was a review of a book “Mission Impossible”, which told the inside story of the team behind the Oxford Astra Zeneca Vaccine and the race against the virus.  Inspiring, instructive, restoring ones faith in humanity.  Heroes and mainly heroines working all the hours, and contending with adversaries; inspiring.  Indeed, thanks be to God.   Please God, we will have a very happy occasion this Sunday when we begin our progress to returning to church.  It is a time a) Counting our blessings and b) Expressing our gratitude to those who do all the work that is necessary for these occasions to happen.

So we are most grateful for all our volunteers, and appreciate those who lead, who organise and who make all the preparations, in fact the hard work that is required.  I am sincerely grateful, learning to count my blessings, and with your patience with me we will build back bigger and better.