Dear friends in Christ
The celebration of Pentecost this weekend is the fulfilment of the promise of Jesus that He would send us the Paraclete. By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this Day, the Church was, and continues to be, filled with the dynamic power of God’s presence. He is the guarantee that the Church is alive and breathes with the very breath of God Himself. We rejoice in the Gifts that the Holy Spirit confers on the Church, which we receive whenever we pray, receive a Sacrament or perform a godly act. Please pray for those who will be Confirmed in the Holy Spirit this Wednesday when the Bishop comes to the Parish. The triennial Visitation of the Bishop is obviously an important day in the life of the Parish. The visit of Bishop Alan Williams this week will be his first Visitation of the Parish since becoming our Bishop almost two years ago. We know that the Bishop is a successor of the Apostles and therefore his presence with us is equivalent to having one of the Twelve in our midst. I hope that many of you will make the effort to come to the evening Mass - it is not only Mass for the Confirmandi - so that together, gathered around the chief shepherd and teacher of the Diocese, we may be confirmed in our Catholic Faith. The Bishop will also visit Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in the afternoon to meet the staff and children. I pray that the visit of Bishop Alan to our Parish will bring a renewal of grace and faith at this time.
This weekend Michael Halsall has been Ordained a priest of Jesus Christ. Fr Michael was formerly Vicar of St Luke’s, Southend, and became a Catholic here almost ten years ago. He is a member of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and although he will continue his full-time profession as a teacher of Theology, he will also minister within the local Ordinariate Community. I offer him, on behalf of the Parish Family, our prayerful congratulations, support and good wishes. God bless you all!
Msgr Kevin Hale