Dear friends in Christ

Each year on this Sunday we invite the children who have been baptised during the last year - together with their parents and godparents - to a special ceremony of blessing concluding with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Each infant is also given a Miraculous Medal, symbol of the protection of God’s Mother. This occasion, giving an emphasis to the Feast of this Sunday, recalls what happened in a mysterious manner on the day that each of us was baptised. We became children of God and given a divine identity which means we are God’s very own for all eternity.

Many of you will have been made aware by now that our Bishop, Alan Williams, has asked me to serve as the new Vicar General of the Diocese. After prayerful reflection I have accepted this appointment with immediate effect. I am deeply humbled and grateful to Bishop Williams and the Clergy for the trust that has been placed in me, and I depend on your prayerful support as I begin this new chapter in my life and ministry. The duties and responsibilities of the Vicar General are substantial: he is the principal deputy of the Bishop in a Diocese. There will be a period of adjustment as I settle into this new role; the details of this will emerge more clearly over the coming weeks. Obviously the request I make of all of you within our Parish Family is, that you would keep me foremost in your prayers, that I may continue to serve the Church with fidelity and my own eternal salvation be assisted! God bless you all!

Fr Kevin Hale