Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus tells us this Sunday Do not be afraid…
Dear friends in Christ
We are returning this Sunday to Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar and we continue the reading of Saint Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus tells us this Sunday Do not be afraid… fear was undoubtedly experienced by Matthew when Jesus called him. Whenever we think of life, especially the future, we may often be filled with many apprehensions. We have been living through days and weeks of uncertainty since the end of March, and many of us have been confused in our minds about what has is happening. All the way through the Scriptures there is the the constant admonition: Do not be afraid. Fear is something very dominant in our world these days: the fear of where society is going, fear for our health, fear for our jobs and the well-being of our families; what will the world, my life, look like in six months time? Fear is a very debilitating emotion; it can paralyse us. If we are children of God, then we know by faith that we can live securely under His protection. Whatever happens, God knows about it and has allowed it for some reason — best known to Himself — so that we may benefit from it. We cannot believe that what has occurred in the world and in our lives these past months has not got a supernatural meaning. If the world cannot see it, then we at least must. God is calling us, as he called Saint Matthew, to be totally dependant upon Him, to follow Him, trust Him and know that we are in His safe and loving hands.
Now that the Parish has been able to see the completed work on the Reredos, I hope you will remember to pray for the repose of soul of the benefactor who made this possible, together with those Parishioners who made donations, which has more than paid for the work. The general appreciation for the restoration has been lovely to hear. We have a beautiful church, and everything in it is done for the glory of God and not merely for show. I am grateful to the many Parishioners who encouraged this work. I am so pleased that it has surpassed expectations, restoring it to it’s original glory!
It has been a tremendous joy to have been able to have the church open again this week, albeit for only a couple of hours each day. We are extremely grateful to all those who have volunteered to act as stewards and cleaners. We shall be in need of this help for the weeks to come and if you can help, please go to the relevant area on the Parish website and hit the volunteer button. Once we are allowed to start coming back to Mass and the Sacraments, we will need this help even more. Obviously the numbers allowed to gather at any one time will need to be regulated and with your help, we can manage this effectively.
God bless you all in this coming week!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary time
Saturday 20 June
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with
Divine Mercy Chaplet
Sunday 21
11.30am Mass Vi and Will Coveney RIP
5.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition & Benediction
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Monday 22
SS John Fisher Bp and Thomas More Mm
9am Mass Tom and Benitta Skellon RIP
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Tuesday 23
St Etheldreda
9am Mass William Armstrong RIP anniversary
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Wednesday 24
Nativity of St John The Baptist
9am Mass Betty Gray RIP anniversary
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Thursday 25
9am Mass Canon Edward Matthews RIP
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Friday 26
9am Mass Paula Chandler RIP anniversary
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Saturday 27
St Cyril of Alexandria Bp
10am Mass 50th Wedding Anniversary of Paul and Carol Haldenby
10.30am Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with
Divine Mercy Chaplet
SS Peter and Paul
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with
Divine Mercy Chaplet
Sunday 28
11.30am Mass Teresa Parascandolo RIP anniversary
5.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition & Benediction with
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Pray for the Repose of the Souls
Angela Hughes, who died on 31st May
Canon Vincent Berry, who died on 14th June
Parish Fundraising
Thank you to everyone who supports the 200 Club. The results this month are:
1st prize £150 9 Mr S Pearson
2nd Prize £100 178 Mr A Tisi
3rd Prize £75 49 Mr P Smyth
4th Prize £50 112 Commander C Paterson
5th Prize £25 162 Master S McCarthy
How the Catholic Church helped unemployed labourers in the 1920s
Father Gilbert and the building of our beautiful church!
Pray for our sick
Marie Karaf, Richard Collins, Christine Reid, Gilberte Cook, Garry Pearman, Anne Owen, Adrian Barclay, Patricia Ann Darroch, Peggy Larman, Sylvia Langley, Patricia Vanner, Amy Louise Fox, Sarah Savage, Bill O’Connell, Janet Weale, Charlotte O’Neil, Ella Williams, David Kislingbury, Mark Shepherd, Eileen Bines, Breege McCaffrey, Mark Hartley, Austin Butler, John Lavery, Paul Keane, Rosemary Bragard, Pat Lynch, Maureen Gooding, Dympna Addecott, Ben Wilson, Christian Ryan, Mike Rubbert, Tina Doveaston, Addi Brady, Patricia Fleming, Nicky Wigmore, Rose Craft, Nan Carrit, Eileen Wilson, Patricia Spikin, Sandra Fagan, Edna Wallace, Beryl Dixon, Nick Evans, Vicky Jack, Mary Boyce, Kristin Hallenga, Anne O’Neill, Cheryl Shallis, Anthony McEvoy, Justin Stark, Sheila Netherton, David Blyth, Janet Woods, Lynne Hilkene, June Moncaster, Laura & Anne Breen, Breda Lynch, Maria Clark, Roy Widdecombe, Johanna Lynch, Anthony King, Chas Taylor, Norma McCleverty, Belinda Balazsi, Johnnie Pool, Edward Martin, Joanna Luciani, Pauline Wilsher, Simon Marshall, Kriston Barnes, Hugh Isaacs, Josephine Griggs, Colleen Worley, Dawn Deleigh, Lorraine Hart, Linda Dean, Wyn McCafferty, Georgina Cornwell, Antonella McConalogue, Eddie McConalogue, Sharon Levill, Annie Holland, Ivor & Joanne Knight, Brian Beresford, Rebecca Peake, Connor Bourke, Mattia Mollica, Bernadette Lane, Irena Solecki, Ianto Bellis, Doreen Troughton, Marguerite Harris, Andrew Exley, Elizabeth McConalogue, Kean Smith, Keith Maliff & children, Thomas Ball, Liam Davis, Connie Price, Albert Chambers, Fergus Grant, Mary Isherwood, Lucy Price & Frazer Gregory.
Pray for Our Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr Edward Thomas, Canon James Dacey, Mary Wright, Doreen Faux, Patricia Larman, Francis Woodward, Sidney Baldwin, Anthony Gwatkin, Francesco Ciccone, Peter Liddell, Rosemary Conway, Frank Cope, Marie Kidd, Stella Migdalski, Mildred Turner, Henry Adamson, Rory McNaughtan, Julie Emerson, Pat Collins, Joseph Whomes, Rosemary Montgomery, Esther Wilkins, Teresa Parascandolo, Mary Sutcliffe, Elizabeth Gandee, Derek Cousins
May their Souls and all the Souls of the Faithful Departed, rest in peace
Corpus Christi — the Body and Blood of Christ
The Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi — the Feast most dear to my heart.
Dear Friends in Christ
It may come as no surprise when I say that the Solemnity this Sunday — The Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi — is the Feast most dear to my heart. This is because it is THE Mystery of Faith, the touchstone of Catholic belief, and the reason, quite simply, why I am a priest. Some of the most beautiful prayers in Catholic liturgy and piety have been composed around this feast and the abiding Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The prayers which are used at the Mass for this Sunday are largely those composed (in Latin, of course!) by St Thomas Aquinas. Hymns such as O Salutaris, Tantum Ergo, Lauda Sion and so on, are examples of the faith that poured forth from his heart and pen. The Saints and Theologians down the centuries gave of their best in praise and worship of Christ in the Eucharist. We also try — I try — to give the best possible to Jesus in the Mass. We try to surround Him with as much love and perfection as possible: in words, music, vessels and vesture. Nothing we have is ever too excessive for the worship of God on earth.
I am sure that celebrating this great Feast will only renew the pain many of you feel in not being able to receive Holy Communion. Someone told me this week that they knew the exact number of days it has been since they had last received! Some words of St John Vianney may help us this week:
“When we cannot come to church, let us turn at least in the direction of the Tabernacle. The good God has no walls to stop Him. Let us pray the Our Father and Hail Mary and make a spiritual communion… though we cannot receive Him, a soul on fire with love makes up for that by the desire of receiving Him at every moment.”
As of this Monday — 15 June — we are allowed to open our churches for private visits and prayer. There will still not be any public liturgies nor group prayer. I am proposing to have our church open 11am-1pm, Monday-Saturday. You will read elsewhere in the Notices the requirements if we are to do this correctly. If you are able to offer your services as a volunteer, please hit the button:
The work on the restoration of the Reredos has been virtually completed. This has been an opportune time for carrying out the work safely and in accordance with the guidelines for people returning to work. As I have told you previously, this work was possible through a bequest specifically for this purpose, plus some other donations from Parishioners. The overall result of the work is very beautiful and restores the Reredos to something of its original glory. We are very fortunate to have a church which speaks to us of the Holy, the Sacred and the Beautiful. Everything in our church is there for the glory of God and the dignity of the sacred liturgy. The restoration work says something about our reverence for the Real Presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle. We can never adore God as He truly deserves or as we would wish but our generous displays of honour arise from hearts full of faith and piety. When we return to church for Mass and the other Sacraments, we can do so in the certain knowledge that we have been truly longing for this time. The words of two Psalms resonate with this:
“Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul longs for you, my God”
“It is your face, O Lord, that I seek, hide not your face”
God bless you and keep us all united in His Eucharistic Heart!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Corpus Christi
The Body and Blood of Christ
Saturday 13 June
5.30pm Vigil Mass Gwendoline Underwood RIP anniversary
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Divine Mercy Chaplet
Sunday 14
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition & Benediction with
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Monday 15
9am Mass Teresa O’Brien RIP anniversary
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Tuesday 16
St Richard of Chichester Bp
9am Mass Grahame Addecott RIP
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Wednesday 17
9am Mass Charles and Alice Whitefield RIP
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Thursday 18
9am Mass Canon John Berry RIP
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Friday 19
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
9am Mass Intentions of Margaret Hiscock
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
7pm Holy Hour: Benediction
Saturday 20
The Immaculate Heart of Mary
10am Mass Intentions of Eric and Stella Dobson: 50th Wedding Anniversary
10.30am Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Divine Mercy Chaplet
Sunday 21
11.30am Mass Vi and Will Coveney RIP
5.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition & Benediction with
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Pray for the repose of the souls
Vivien Clancy RIP
died 19 May
Angela Hughes RIP
died 30 May
“Father of mercies and God of all consolation,
you pursue us with untiring love
and dispel the shadow of death
with the bright dawn of life.
Comfort your family in their loss and sorrow.
Be our refuge and our strength, O Lord,
and lift us from the depths of grief
into the peace and light of your presence.
Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
by dying has destroyed our death,
and by rising, restored our life.
Enable us therefore to press on towards him,
so that, after our earthly course is run,
he may reunite us with those we love,
when every tear will be wiped away.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Sanctuary lamp
The sanctuary lamp burns for the deceased members of the Hippard family this week.
Pray for our dead on their anniversaries
Angela Balcombe, Dorothy Butcher, Frederick Carter, John Callaghan, Angelo Camilleri, Audrey Conlon, Brenda Dorey, Ethel Dillon, Gertrude Drew, Fr Vincent Dutton, Florence Ellis, Mary Famie, John Gillman, David Gurney, Fr Gerard Hughes, Eileen Ketterer, Alfred Mansell, Teresa McTavish, Kathleen Michael, Kenneth Miller, Teresa O’Brien, Fr Ambrose O’Gorman, John Oliver, Bridget Parsons, Sheila Power, Saverio Pucino, Anne Ryan, Agnes Sawyer, Angeline Sweet, Bp Bernard Wall, Michael Woolcott.
Pray for our sick
Dympna Addecott
Belinda Balazsi, Thomas Ball, Adrian Barclay, Kriston Barnes, Ianto Bellis, Brian Beresford, Eileen Bines, David Blyth, Connor Bourke, Mary Boyce, Addi Brady, Rosemary Bragard, Laura & Anne Breen, Austin Butler
Nan Carrit, Albert Chambers, Maria Clark, Richard Collins, Gilberte Cook, Georgina Cornwell, Rose Craft
Patricia Ann Darroch, Liam Davis, Linda Dean, Dawn Deleigh, Beryl Dixon, Tina Doveaston
Nick Evans, Andrew Exley, Sandra Fagan, Patricia Fleming, Maureen Gooding, Fergus Grant, Frazer Gregory, Josephine Griggs
Kristin Hallenga, Marguerite Harris, Lorraine Hart, Mark Hartley, Lynne Hilkene, Annie Holland, Hugh Isaacs, Mary Isherwood, Vicky Jack
Marie Karaf, Paul Keane, Anthony King, David Kislingbury, Ivor & Joanne Knight
Bernadette Lane, Sylvia Langley, Peggy Larman, John Lavery, Sharon Levill, Amy Louise Fox, Joanna Luciani, Pat Lynch, Breda Lynch, Johanna Lynch
Keith Maliff & children, Simon Marshall, Edward Martin, Wyn McCafferty, Breege McCaffrey, Norma McCleverty, Antonella McConalogue, Eddie McConalogue, Elizabeth McConalogue, Anthony McEvoy, Mattia Mollica, June Moncaster
Sheila Netherton, Bill O’Connell, Charlotte O’Neil, Anne O’Neill, Anne Owen, Rebecca Peake, Garry Pearman, Johnnie Pool, Connie Price, Lucy Price
Christine Reid, Mike Rubbert, Christian Ryan
Sarah Savage, Cheryl Shallis, Mark Shepherd, Kean Smith, Irena Solecki, Patricia Spikin, Justin Stark
Chas Taylor, Doreen Troughton, Patricia Vanner
Edna Wallace, Janet Weale, Roy Widdecombe, Nicky Wigmore, Ella Williams, Pauline Wilsher, Ben Wilson, Eileen Wilson, Janet Woods, Colleen Worley
“Father,
your Son accepted our sufferings
to teach us the virtue of patience in human illness.
Hear the prayers we offer for our sick brothers and sisters.
May all who suffer pain, illness or disease
realise that they are chosen to be saints,
and know they are joined to Christ
in his suffering for the salvation of the world,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
All-powerful and ever-living God,
the lasting health of all who believe in you,
hear us as we ask your loving help for the sick;
restore their health,
that they may again offer joyful thanks in your Church.
Grant this through Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.”
Family Consecration to the Sacred Heart
This coming Friday is the solemnity of the Sacred Heart. At 10am on Friday an act of consecration to the Sacred Heart for families will be live-streamed (and available to watch later) on the diocese's Marriage and Family Life Facebook page.
In the days leading up to this and following, couples from around the diocese will be sharing via the Facebook page their own inspirations for living out their vocation as spouses and parents in the domestic church.
You do not need to be signed up to Facebook to access this page.
Serving the Homeless
We have managed to secure a grant of £2,500 from the Albert Gubay Trust; this will be used over the coming weeks for this important Charity in our local area. We are most grateful to the Trust.
Reopening of the Church
We are now allowed to open the church every day for a period of private prayer!
Audio version
We are now allowed to open the church every day for a period of private prayer. This is not yet for liturgy or any form of group prayer.
Our church will re-open on Monday 15 June for private prayer only. It will open Monday-Saturday 11am-1pm.
Parishioners must enter by the north (courtyard) door and exit by the south porch (Leigh Road). You must use hand sanitiser twice: on entering and exiting. Please only sit in the designated pews, and please observe social distancing (2 metres apart).
Please do not attend if you have had any symptoms of coronavirus in the previous 7 days, or a member of your household has in the last 14 days: please self-isolate.
Please be patient while we adjust to the new circumstances.
To open the church safely, we must have two stewards in attendance at all times the church is open. Every day, at the end of this period, we must clean the church.
We need volunteers for stewarding and cleaning each day to keep the church open. We will provide PPE (personal protective equipment). I know that you will be generous in responding to this appeal as we are very eager to visit Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
You should not come to church to volunteer if:
you should be shielding—you are vulnerable due to age or underlying health issues
you are shielding someone else—you live with someone who is vulnerable
If you can offer your services, please book a slot:
Thank you, in anticipation, for your help!
fr Kevin
The Holy Trinity
The central tenet of the Christian Faith is that God is One and God is Three, The Most Blessed Trinity.
Dear friends in Christ
The central tenet of the Christian Faith is that God is One and God is Three: The Most Blessed Trinity. Last Sunday — Pentecost — I spoke in the Homily about the gift of languages which the Holy Spirit bestowed on Pentecost Day: the gift to communicate the Faith with all peoples on the earth. This is carried-out through the ministry of the Church, Christ’s Body on earth. To be able to communicate the faith of Christ and the Church, in the language of those to whom we are speaking, is what the gift of tongues means. It is tongues and language enabling the disciples of Jesus to establish heart-to-heart communication with the peoples of the world. This is because the Holy Spirit Himself is nothing but communication. For the Spirit is quite simply the love that is communicated between the Father and the Son. He is the breath. That is what Spiritus Sanctus means: the holy breath that is blown back and forth between the Father and the Son. So on this Sunday we celebrate that intimacy which is the very life of God. But there is more: through the mystery of Christ’s Body — the Church — we are incorporated into that life. This happens for the first time at Baptism and is renewed and deepened every time we receive a Sacrament. Communication with any one of the Three Divine Persons is communion with God Himself. Speaking of that life we receive through the Sacraments will, I know, only remind us of the pain of separation that we have felt for many weeks. I continue to urge you to be patient and tenacious in your anticipation of the public worship of the Church commencing again. God is waiting — much more than we are, or can imagine — for us to be drawn back into His Trinitarian life. May this Trinity Sunday, and the Solemnity of Corpus Christi next Sunday, prepare us, and awaken within us profoundly, the desire for God.
During this month of June, we go to the Heart of Jesus saying often:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place all our trust in You! Sweet Heart of Jesus, we implore, make us love You, more and more!
Msgr Kevin Hale
The Most Holy Trinity
Saturday 6 June
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Divine Mercy Chaplet
Sunday 7
11.30am Mass Peter Burry RIP
5.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition & Benediction, with
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Monday 8
9am Mass David Twiston-Davies RIP
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Tuesday 9
St Ephræm, Deacon
9am Mass Ray Parascandolo RIP anniversary
Wednesday 10
9am Mass Tony Camelo RIP anniversary
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Thursday 11
St Barnabas, Apostle
9am Mass Intentions of Cynthia Bush
Friday 12
9am Mass Fr William Wells RIP
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
Saturday 13
St Anthony of Padua, Priest, Doctor
10am Mass Intentions of Fr Dylan James
10.30am Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi
The Body and Blood of Christ
5.30pm Vigil Mass Gwendoline Underwood RIP anniversary
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Divine Mercy Chaplet
Sunday 14
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition & Benediction, with
6pm Divine Mercy Chaplet