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For those about to begin these A level, degree year end, BTEC and GCSE and other exams and tests, here is a prayer that you can say yourself as you prepare:
Lord, I know you are with me and love me.
Give me peace of mind as I prepare for this time of study.
Help me to focus on my books and notes.
Keep me from all distractions so that I will make the best use of this time that is available to me.
Give me insight that I might understand what I am studying,
and help me to remember it when the time comes.
Above all, I thank you for the ability to be able to study
and for the many gifts and talents you have given me.
Help me always to use them in such a way
that they honour you and do justice to myself.
Amen
ORDINATION OF BISHOP-ELECT BOSCO MACDONALD
LENT HOUSE GROUPS:
7 groups met during Lent and the full report is shown, below, for you to read.
Click on each picture to zoom in
Here is a summary of the questions discussed:Lessons post lockdown, how we feel about the Church & Mass, the role of women & fears about change, the riches of the church, youth & the issues of LGBT+ & the hunger & need for deeper catechesis, a desire to explore the challenges we face in our secular society & how we can live the Gospel convincingly.
~
Worries were expressed about change in the church as well as recognising the need for some kinds of change, but to continue to witness to a faith that is countercultural, while recognising the ways that Church teaching has hurt people.
Support for the Pope was expressed.
An overwhelming outcome was for better communication of what is going on, for the lay to take on more responsibility, for a better balance of roles of women & men in the church, better catechesis of young & adults, for us all to take our faith more seriously, & belief that the Holy Spirit will lead us into the future, into any changes, that the church will always stand for the unchanging truths of the Gospel while we all face undoubted change in our lives & in the world.
How do we discern the need for change or not?
What needs to be reimagined given the future lack of priests?
How we need to be missionaries of joy & hope?
This was a fruitful & interesting experience for all & we hope to repeat it from time to time in the next year, & for action to result.
This week's news
Over this past couple of weeks and for the next few days, we have a place, just inside the church, for prayer & reflection for all our babies & children whose loss, pain or difficulties we grieve.
Many people may have personal experience of losing a child whether through miscarriage or stillbirth, early infant death, or loss later in life. Or we may be dealing with troubles our children are facing in their lives.
This is an opportunity to tie a ribbon in the tree outside, or write a reflection, as a tangible expression of our love and prayer for these, our children.
For those souls in heaven we pray, through the mercy of God, may they Rest in Peace. Amen
Life - Creating a world where no one faces pregnancy or pregnancy loss alone.
Action for Children - working to improve life for children in the UK, so every child has a safe and happy childhood - helping with down-to-earth parenting advice you can trust.
"Well done to everyone who handed in homework about our house saints or patron saint, St Augustine. As you can see, the finished art work was fabulous and takes pride of place in our foyer.
We have learnt a lot about St Patrick, St Brigid, St Joan of Arc, St Maximillian Kolbe and, of course, St Augustine of Canterbury."
#saintaugustineofcanterbury [StAugustinesPrimary on insta]
For details, please refer to the attached Poster.
龐神父將於19/05/2024聖神降臨節到Bristol St Augustine’s Canterbury Church 舉行廣東話彌撒,彌撒前有收和聖事。彌撒後可於堂區中心作短聚。詳情見附件海報。有興趣嘅朋友可自行安排時間參與聖事。
This link will take you to the Diocesan donation page and there will be a button to click for 'Bishop Declan's gift'.
https://donate.mydona.com/clifton-diocese
CAFOD EMERGENCY APPEAL
Please read the message received from CAFOD this week about the Sudan crisis - if you are able to make a donation online or at Church this weekend in the retiring basket collection, please give what you can:
“Dear Father, the people of Sudan need our help urgently. We are launching an emergency appeal for donations to get aid to them on the biggest scale we can muster.
When violence broke out last year in Sudan between government and paramilitaries, most aid agencies evacuated. Now, humanitarian workers are struggling to get back into Sudan to help, meaning severe delays in getting aid to the people, and the challenges of getting into areas where fighting is still going on remain. Many borders are shut as the government say they need to keep weapons out.
But the Church and our local partners are still there. Please, stand with them today.
The situation has gone from serious to desperate very quickly. The UN is calling it ‘the world’s worst displacement crisis’. At least 8 million people have had to flee their homes; famine looms.
- “At least 25 million Sudanese need immediate, emergency help. Families are already going hungry and famine is looming. This crisis threatens to become the worst in living memory.” Telley Sadia, CAFOD’s country representative for Sudan.
Let us, as Cardinal Nichols and Bishop Swarbrick wrote recently to Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, Archbishop of Juba and president of the Sudanese Bishops’ Conference, ‘extend to you the prayerful support of the Church in England and Wales and… express our solidarity with you in your current circumstances of profound distress. We have heard your cry in your recent statement, in which you reminded the international community of the need for support to bring about an end to the civil conflict and allow for immediate humanitarian access to alleviate hunger across Sudan.’
Our Caritas and Church networks are there when many aid agencies aren’t, where people are in a desperate situation. The Church in Sudan is already responding and asking us to help them do more. Even in this year of economic stretch for many people here, we know that the Catholic community will want to respond with compassion to help people facing famine.
Despite this overwhelming scale, you will have seen how media attention is limited. We are calling on the Catholic community of England and Wales to give the people of Sudan our attention, and our hearts.
I sign off with my deep gratitude for your ongoing prayers and support for all those we work with facing dire need.
Jo Kitterick
Director, Fundraising and Participation, CAFOD
https://cafod.org.uk/give/donate-to-emergencies/sudan-crisis-appeal
Congratulations to our winning team at the Quiz night last week and commiserations to the 'not winning' team who came over from St Joseph's Home, including Fr Frank 😄
It was a really fun night, all in aid of our 2 Parish Projects for 2024 -Brandon Trust and Little Sisters of the Poor St Joseph’s Care Home Bristol .
Thanks to Mike Ryan and gang and all who helped put on a great night and thanks to those teams who came out and supported the event. It raised a brilliant £612 for the charities.
Look out for news of the next Quiz soon!
1st Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48.
This episode which is given to us today is one of immense importance in the Church’s history. The question of whether Gentiles could be admitted was a very difficult one which was not sorted out overnight and might have destroyed the Church at it’s very beginning. This passage gives us an account of what might be described as Peter’s conversion to the concept of accepting Gentiles into communion via Baptism. His vision of the forbidden foods being given to him to eat is the opener for Peter and then witnessing the Holy Spirit coming down on Jews and Gentiles without distinction convinces Peter and he orders Cornelius and his household to be baptised. There will be other trials within the community until it is convinced that Peter and Paul are acting on behalf of God’s Holy Spirit in going out first to the Jews and then the Gentiles. It enables the Gospel to spread throughout the world as Jesus had envisioned at his Ascension.
Psalm 97: 1-4.
This little song is proclaiming that the Lord is coming and the passage we have is extolling the glory and wonder of the Lord who is coming.
2nd Reading from the first letter of St. John 4: 7-10.
This reading proclaims the absolute centrality of Love. This is not the Romantic love, but the love that comes from God. If we love, then we are begotten by God and we know God. If we are cold and calculating measuring whether it is worth our while to love someone then we cannot know God. God’s love was revealed in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. In the Gospel we have the vision of that true love that enabled Jesus to sacrifice himself to cleanse us from our sins. That is the love that is being written about, the completely unselfish love that enables us to live like Jesus and become God’s precious children destined to spend eternity in the glory of God’s kingdom, borne entirely on Love. The love we witness exhibited by Jesus in the Holy Gospels.
The Holy Gospel according to John 15: 9-17.
Jesus is explaining how God’s love works. We must imitate Jesus’ way of loving. As Jesus has loved us so we love him by keeping his commands, just as Jesus remained in his Father’s love by keeping the Father’s commands. Jesus’ command is easy if we really get close to him. It is simply, “Love one another as I have loved you.” A totally self-giving love, being selfless, putting others before our own interests. It is a love that can mean laying down our lives for our friends. The great Command is to “Love one another.” We need the help of the Holy Spirit to inspire us to realise that this love is not impossible, but it is only achievable with the help of prayer, sacrifice and God’s grace.
Lord guide us to Love as you Love by the power of your Holy Spirit. Deacon Vincent.
WHY GO ON THE GLASTONBURY PILGRIMAGE?
It is impossible to divorce modern Glastonbury from its history. When England was Mary’s dowry, Walsingham was England’s Nazareth and Glastonbury was England’s Jerusalem.
The story of Christianity in Glastonbury is steeped in myth and legend, some say that Joseph of Arimathea visited and brought the Holy Grail, others say Jesus himself came to Glastonbury and Saints Bride and Patrick both passed through. These stories are of course medieval tales, but it is irrefutable that when King Ina founded the Abbey of St Peter and St Paul in 658AD There was already a structure called, “The Old Church”.
The origins of this building were already lost to history, but we know it was dedicated to Our Lady. King Ina’s charter, published in 694AD mentions, “the wooden basilica, the Old Church of the Most Blessed Virgin” and refers to it as “the foremost Church in Britain, the fount and source of all religion.”
This ancient wooden building was destroyed by fire on 25th May 1184, the image of the Blessed Virgin miraculously survived the fire, and it was set up again when the rebuilt church was consecrated in 1188. The new church, which was still referred to as, The Old Church, was built on the same dimensions as the one it replaced, it was made of stone, but the stone was dressed to look like wood.
During the Middle Ages Glastonbury became the foremost Marian shrine in Northern Europe, the Abbey flourished and was one of the richest establishments in the realm, a fact not lost on King Henry VIII. In September 1539 Henry’s commissioners stripped the Abbey of its valuables and the last Abbot, Richard Whiting and two monks John Thorne and Roger James were hung, drawn, and quartered on Glastonbury Tor on 15th November 1539. All three martyrs were beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1895.
With the demise of the Abbey. the Catholic Faith was almost eradicated in Glastonbury. The Society of the Sacred Heart set up a school in Glastonbury at the start of the twentieth century and there were only ten Catholic families in the area at that time. However, the emergence of the faith was gathering momentum
across the country and in 1895 to celebrate the beatification of the Glastonbury Martyrs the first modern pilgrimage took place. It was the largest movement of Catholics in England since the reformation.
The modern pilgrimage gained popularity and in the 1960’s as many as twenty thousand people thronged into the town, however, despite the growing number of Catholics in England, the Glastonbury Pilgrimage has dwindled to less than a thousand in 2023.
So, we are asking that the whole of Clifton Diocese works to revitalise this event which links us literally to the earliest Christians in England, by sending pilgrims from every parish to celebrate Mass in the ancient Abbey.
As well as the pilgrimage walk, there is plenty to see in the Shrine of Our Lady of Glastonbury. The High Street has several quirky shops and some excellent pubs and cafés. Parking for cars and coaches is available, but pilgrims who prefer a more traditional method, can join the Walking Pilgrimage from Clifton Cathedral.
We have formed a 'Guild of Glastonbury Pilgrims' and set up a Facebook Group for pilgrimage coordinators in all parishes throughout Clifton Diocese. The Facebook Group is a networking tool for facilitating the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Glastonbury by Catholics from Clifton Diocese and beyond.
If you would like to join the Guild and be a contact point for the Glastonbury Pilgrimage in your parish, just search for 'Guild of Glastonbury Pilgrims' on Facebook.
Alternatively, please email the Guild at: glastonbury.pilgrimage@cliftondiocese.com.
More information can be found on the following webpages:
https://www.glastonburyshrine.co.uk/pilgrimage
https://cliftondiocese.com/pilgrimage/
Thank you
The Glastonbury Pilgrimage Committee
*******************************
INFORMATION FOR PILGRIMS ATTENDING THE GLASTONBURY PILGRIMAGE on SUNDAY 14th JULY 2024
The Pilgrimage theme is ‘Mary, Woman of Prayer’ and will have four main focal points:
The Shrine Church of Our Lady St Mary of Glastonbury will be a Chapel of Exposition and Silent Adoration and will offer
the Sacrament of Reconciliation until 3.00pm.
There will be a single tented Chapel for Private Healing Prayer opposite the Shrine Church, just inside the Abbey Gate.
The traditional Pilgrimage Procession will start in the Abbey grounds at 2.15pm.
The Pilgrimage Mass will be celebrated in the Abbey Grounds, as usual, at 3.30pm.
If you are able, please bring your parish and organisations banners to carry in the procession, and display near the Altar
during Mass. Afterwards, during Mass, they will be displayed at the side of the Altar.
*St Mary’s Shrine Church–Silent Chapel of Exposition*
-Rosary: 11.30am
You are invited to visit the Shrine Church of Our Lady St Mary of Glastonbury, to join the Rosary, starting at 11.30am,
followed by Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacrament of Reconciliation until 3.00pm.
-Simple Benediction and Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament – 3.00pm.
*In the Abbey Grounds*
-Pilgrimage Entrance - Magdalene Street Gate – Entry Badges and Programmes. Gift stall in the grounds.
Adhesive badges, which you must wear to gain entrance to the Abbey grounds, and programmes containing full details of the
procession and the Mass in the Abbey grounds, can be obtained at the Magdalene Street Gate to the Abbey, which is the
designated entrance for the Pilgrimage. An entrance fee towards Pilgrimage expenses is requested. (£3 per adult is suggested)
Badges can also be obtained from the stewards on duty at the coach set-down point, where programmes are also available.
Rosaries, postcards, prayer cards, candles and other gifts may be purchased from stall in the Abbey grounds.
-Sacrament of Reconciliation and private Healing Prayer – 12 noon until 3.00pm
The Sacrament of Reconciliation with visiting priests is, this year, being offered in the Shrine Church, from 12 noon until
3.00pm.
A tented chapel for private Healing Prayer will be situated opposite the Shrine Church, just inside the Abbey Gate. Members
of the Shrine Healing Ministry will be available for private Healing Prayer for those who would like to receive it.
-The Rosary Procession – 2.15pm
Pilgrims wishing to take part in the procession should assemble in the Abbey grounds at 1.45pm – 2.00pm, to prepare for
the procession which will start at 2.15pm. The procession will walk around the Abbey grounds, exiting via the Abbey House
Gardens and will process through the centre of Glastonbury via Chilkwell Street, High Street, Magdalene Street, and
returning to the Abbey through the Magdalene Street Gate, opposite the Shrine Church, at about 3.00pm. Priests are invited
to join the procession.
-Mass in the Abbey Grounds – 3.30pm
At 3.30pm the Pilgrimage Mass will be celebrated by the Bishop. Some seats at the front (left side) will be reserved for the
Civic Dignitaries, who are our guests. Areas near the centre aisle will be set aside for the disabled and near the front for those
with impaired hearing for whom an induction loop system will be available as well as a sign language lectern. Please be
guided by the stewards during the distribution of Holy Communion, when yellow and white umbrellas will indicate the
positions of priests giving Communion. Gluten-free hosts will be available from the priest at the red and white umbrella. An
offertory collection will be taken during Mass, towards the upkeep of the Shrine of Our Lady of Glastonbury. Collections
may also be taken at the gate as you depart after Mass, for those who missed the opportunity during the offertory.
-Stewards’ assistance – three key locations
On arrival in Glastonbury there will be stewards present at three locations: the coach set-down point in Magdalene Street,
the Magdalene Street Gate entrance to the Abbey opposite the Shrine Church, and in the Abbey grounds. Identifiable by the
gold ‘Stewards’ armbands or Knights’ collars, they will be happy to answer any queries you may have.
-Refreshments, toilet facilities and safety
Light refreshments, sandwiches, hot and cold drinks, will be available from St Mary’s Tea Tent in the Abbey grounds, until
half an hour before the Mass commences and again directly after the Mass. Toilet facilities will be available for all in the
Abbey grounds. An Ambulance and First Aid staff will be on duty in case of emergency.
-General consideration
As you will be guests of the Trustees of Glastonbury Abbey, will you please treat their property with respect, leaving it in
good order and free from litter. Thank you.
NB: Entrance Badges and Programmes must be obtained at the Pilgrims’ Entrance immediately inside the Magdalene Street gate to the Abbey. There will be no stalls outside the Shrine Church.
This Week's News
Visit www.missio.org.uk to find out more.
It is now five years since this ministry began. Thank you to all who have supported it over the years, and please help us to continue to raise awareness.
Best regards
Clifton diocese LGBT+ ministry team.
1st Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 4: 8-12.
Just like Jesus, the Apostles are brought before the authorities. Like Elizabeth in (Luke 1: 41) and Jesus in (Luke 4: 14, 15, 18.), Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit, and he quotes Psalm 117: 22. To describe Jesus as, (the stone rejected by the builders, has become the corner stone.) Peter insists on the healing having occurred at the name of Jesus. This becomes a common theme throughout the Acts. Their lack of education and the fact that they knew Jesus, counts as evidence of their central claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. What is the response of the authorities? They forbid them to speak or heal in the name of Jesus. We, know how this is a forlorn hope, as the message is still being proclaimed today.
Psalm 117: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29.
So, we continue to follow Peter’s example with quotes from the 117 Psalm, appropriately quoting how God is more to be trusted than Princes or powers. “This is a marvel in our eyes” and of course we join with the crowds on Palm Sunday proclaiming, “Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.”
2nd Reading from the first letter of St. John 3: 1-2.
A beautiful description John gives us of exactly what a great dignity God has disposed upon us. We are God’s children, hence the world which refused to acknowledge Jesus, God’s beloved Son; it will not acknowledge us. But we all know that, this is a revealed truth for us today, as well. Although, things are difficult for us at the present; when it is time, we will become like Jesus, and see Jesus and the Father, as they really are. This is a great joy for us to constantly retain before us, throughout this vale of tears.
The Holy Gospel according to John 10: 11-18.
Jesus, here, takes an old image of the Father, as the Shepherd, and applies it to himself, thereby giving himself a godly presence, and he further goes on to use the “I AM”, no less than four times. (Jews would immediately recognise the answer God gave to Moses when Moses asked for God’s name, in the book of Genesis). Jesus describes himself as the “GOOD SHEPHERD”, he is not a hired shepherd who runs away at the first sign of danger. No; his sheep know him, and he knows us. Jesus will lay down his life for his sheep. Throughout this impassioned speech, Jesus, by using the “I AM”, is claiming to be at one with the Father, hence there will be great commotion amongst his followers and the authorities, as they considered any such claim as blasphemous. We are viewing this speech with hindsight, so we have lost the great significance and excitement that this speech evoked at the time. We need to contemplate the depth of what Jesus is telling us about himself and indeed what he is telling us about how important we are to Jesus.
We are his sheep, let us show how we trust him to look after us, by staying as close to him, as possible.
Let us always live as members of Jesus’ flock.
Deacon Vincent.
In addition, we will celebrate those couples celebrating a significant anniversary during 2024.
All are welcome.
There will be a special day of renewal at St. Bonaventure's Church Bristol from 10am to 4pm starting with Mass on Saturday 25th May.
Mass, uplifting worship, inspiring teaching and testimonies. Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available and prayer for baptism in the Holy Spirit. Childrens' stream available too. Refreshments provided but bring a packed lunch. To give us an idea of numbers for the day, we ask you to book a free ticket for all members of your party here: www.dftholyspirit.com/encounter-may-2024
Downend & Bromley Heath Parish Council have produced a Local Climate and Nature Action Plan (LCNAP) which is an initiative many other local parish councils have taken forward in response to the declaration of a climate emergency by the local authority.
The plan will be available on the Parish website.
Our ideas and insights, as locals ,will be really valuable and can shape the plan as its taken forward. Our natural environment matters to us all and to our families too. It's an interesting read!"
Here is the link to click to see the action plan pdf.
https://www.dbhparishcouncil.uk/media/attachments/2024/04/19/downend_lcnapv2.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3LU6ypilSecaHHOzO_28GroZrQgqlY1sNeTdzIWtM8oLdeGc7_Li_2Ktw_aem_AfNuEuAuXOF20q-qr2TijdtNN_ZbyX2fkFIYSnMkFLj7uY-c3Twq2nPlUVP_6A9eVIgy72xbC0YQv8s217AZfySb
and here is a link to their website:
https://www.dbhparishcouncil.uk/
The Clifton Diocese Curia offices are currently looking to recruit a Finance and Property Support Officer to strengthen it's central finance and property functions. The role is a part-time, 2year fixed term contract, to be worked over 25 hours per week and based at Alexander House, Pennywell Road, Bristol.
The successful applicant will need to have a comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Office, good communication and organisational skills, to include time management and working on various tasks simultaneously. Previous administrative experience and a can-do flexible attitude are essential.
For further information please go to Working for us on the Clifton Diocese website or contact Simon Hussey, Head of Finance on 0117 902 5591. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 10th May 2024.
https://cliftondiocese.com/diocese/working-for-us/
Suitable volunteers should have in depth knowledge and experience of safeguarding, particularly health/mental health.
The role is voluntary and would require a commitment of one 2hour meeting approximately five times per year for the Safeguarding Committee and also the Risk Allegation Review Meeting. The meetings can be attended in person or online and there will be some pre-reading prior to the meetings.
If you are passionate about safeguarding and would like to volunteer your experience and services to the team, or would like to discuss the role further, please contact the Safeguarding Coordinator Janice Pearson on janice.pearson@cliftondiocese.com or 07887 990385.
This week's news
There is an opportunity on Saturday 8 June at St Bernadette’s Secondary School, Whitchurch, Bristol, for the whole diocese to deepen our understanding and love for the Eucharist as we grow in our desire to be a people of communion, participating together as the Body of Christ so that we may be the Body of Christ to the world.
We are delighted that Fr. Michael McAndrew will lead us in our reflections and conversations. The day will include a time of prayerful Adoration with words, music, and silence. Refreshments will be available from 9.30am. Attendees are asked to bring a packed lunch. We will finish by 4pm.
Please use the Eventbrite link: https://cliftoneucharist.eventbrite.co.uk/ to register for the day
"We would like to invite your parishioners to our Pan African Mass on the 14th of April ’24 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Redfield at 1pm.
The Mass will be followed by refreshments in Brooks Hall.
We would like to invite all African’s, their families, and friends.
We look forward to celebrating with you, fellow parishioners, their families and friends."
1st Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 4: 32-35.
This is the second volume of Luke’s narrative and whereas the first volume was undoubtedly about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, this second volume could be said to be the “Gospel of the Holy Spirit”. There is a restlessness about it, always on the move and as the Pentecost incident has Luke portraying the Holy Spirit as “fire and “mighty wind”, so, as we read through this extraordinary book, we watch as this is made evident. In this passage for us today, we have Luke painting a beautiful picture of the early community, completely at one, but Luke knows that this wasn’t the complete picture, as later we encounter cheats within this community, taking advantage of their free spirit. We have before us a picture of how it can be, and how we should respond to each other. If we look at the various congregations and orders that have grown up in the Church one can see how there is still that call to a oneness in the Risen Lord, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 117: 2-4, 15-18, 22-24.
This delightful song is celebrating God in the Temple, and the “stone rejected by the builders became the corner stone”, is a theme that is taken up in several places in the New Testament.
2nd Reading is from the first letter of St. John 5: 1-6.
This letter of John’s is deemed by some scholars as a theological commentary on John’s Gospel, perhaps affirming the full humanity of Jesus, which readers of the Fourth Gospel might have been inclined to underplay. You will notice in this excerpt before us, how John is insisting upon the key issue of the humanity of Jesus. There must have been false prophets proclaiming that Jesus was not completely human, but somehow God playing at being human. John encourages us to distinguish spirit of truth (God), and the deception which is endemic in the world’s philosophy. If we acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in Flesh, then that prophet is from God, and anyone who says he is not human is from the spirit of deception. Although Jesus is God’s Son, he is also wholly human. His Godliness comes from his intimate relationship with God.
The Holy Gospel according to John 20: 19-31.
This passage unfolds in two phases. The first establishes that the disciples were frightened and certainly did not believe in the “Resurrection”. It affirms that Jesus is risen from the dead, and that the disciples have a mission. For John, the Holy Spirit is the very breath of God. The second phase comes from the incredulity of Thomas. Jesus approaches Thomas and offers his hands and his side for Thomas to feel the marks the nails and spear made on Jesus body. We are not told whether Thomas accepts the challenge, but we have the dramatic outburst of Thomas, “My Lord and My God.”, which is where this Gospel has been leading us all along; for us to be able to declare, with Thomas, that wonderful acclamation. Finally, we have ourselves being addressed by Jesus himself, “Happy are those who have not seen, yet believe.” Jesus is promising true Happiness to his believers.
He is truly Risen, Alleluia.
May we always abide in that Happiness.
Deacon Vincent
It will be a day of formation and community, bringing people together in prayer to discern the practical ways to live the common good in our parishes, pastoral areas, and diocese. We are blessed to have Jenny Sinclair from 'Together for the Common Good' guiding us through our discernment process, and focusing on identifying the specific areas for mission in our communities as well as the practical steps we can take to serve those needs and proclaim the Gospel by our lives.
There is no cost to attend. Please register at:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/living-the-common-good-discerning-challenges-and-responses-tickets-877814957167?aff=oddtdtcreator
See them here: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49452