Dear friends in Christ

The final Sunday of the liturgical year celebrates the kingship of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Thus the year ends on a high-note. In this feast we rejoice that Christ is King of the entire Universe. That He reigns over this world and above all, over our hearts and minds. Our task is to make the reign of Christ a reality in all of the settings of this world. Only when His reign is definitely established will there be peace on earth.

This Sunday is also the Day of Youth celebrated throughout the Church. Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School will participate at the Vigil Mass on Saturday and provide the Readings and music. This is an occasion for us to give thanks to God for the presence of young people in the Church—especially in our Parish Family—and also to celebrate their work and recent achievements.

We end the final week of the liturgical year this week with our three days of Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of Forty Hours as it is often called. The idea each year is that every Parish should have the opportunity of adoring Christ in the Blessed Eucharist in a more prolonged and solemn manner. The Forty Hours comes from the notion of the time Jesus spent in the tomb after His death on Good Friday to His Resurrection on Easter Day; during those hours the Church kept watch with Her Lord at the tomb. So too, in these days this week, we can come and spend time with Him who is the centre of our life, the centre of our world, the King of the Universe. Please sign the lists for Watching at the back of church and ensure that there are two names in each thirty-minute period. May these days, as every year, be a source of grace and blessing for us, our homes and families and for the need of the Church and our world at this time.

May Christ the King bless us and all our endeavours as we strive to establish His kingdom on earth.

Msgr Kevin Hale