Holy Week and Easter
As at today (Mon 29th March) all places have already been booked for the services on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday.
If you have not yet booked your place for Easter Mass you are invited to attend during Easter week/the Octave of Easter as all Masses that week are Solemnities and count as your Easter Obligation *
God bless you all. Canon Frank.
A message from Bella Harding:
This is a really good talk by Lord Deben about how looking after the planet is our duty as Catholics - absolutely fascinating and very humane and sensible. Well worth watching to the end, (only an hour)
Stewarding help needed:
We need a new second steward to help every OTHER week on a Saturday night.
If you regularly attend Mass on a Saturday night and can help by; arriving a little earlier, helping to remind people to sanitise hands on arrival and stewarding to seats/ for communion during the Mass and then helping to sanitise afterwards for 15/20 minutes, please let us know asap.
Thank you to all our brilliant volunteers who are helping to keep our church open.
St Patrick's Church
Parishioners in St Patricks Catholic Church Redfield are already gearing up for their centenary celebrations with a new video describing the church and parish. St Patrick’s Church was founded in 1923 by Canon William Dillon with a congregation of only a dozen. Canon Dillon founded St Patrick's school in 1933.
Since then, the congregation numbers have grown to 650 adults and children from more than 40 countries who worship in a beautiful new church built almost 26 years ago by Rev Canon Gregory Grant.
He said: “We feel our congregation is still growing as hundreds of people from all over the world tune in to our daily Mass. With our centenary approaching, we felt the time was right to launch a video to describe our beautiful church and parish.”
Don’t forget Holy Land and Middle East Christians over Easter, says Bishop Declan
Ahead of Holy Week, Bishop Declan Lang, chair of the Bishops’ International Affairs department, has issued a reminder that the Christians living in the lands of Christ should be held in prayer.
Starved of pilgrim visitors to the Holy sites, and facing the daily realities of conflict and occupation, the Christians, as Pope Francis puts it, are suffering “the economic inequalities and regional tensions that threaten the stability of these lands.”
Bishop Declan is asking Christians to reaffirm their commitment to justice and peace in Middle East.
He also calls on our leaders to “increase their support for peacebuilding, humanitarian relief, and the protection of human dignity, while forsaking narrow political or economic interests, including the sale of arms which only fuel conflict.”
Read the full statement here.
Ahead of Holy Week, Bishop Declan Lang, chair of the Bishops’ International Affairs department, has issued a reminder that the Christians living in the lands of Christ should be held in prayer.
Starved of pilgrim visitors to the Holy sites, and facing the daily realities of conflict and occupation, the Christians, as Pope Francis puts it, are suffering “the economic inequalities and regional tensions that threaten the stability of these lands.”
Bishop Declan is asking Christians to reaffirm their commitment to justice and peace in Middle East.
He also calls on our leaders to “increase their support for peacebuilding, humanitarian relief, and the protection of human dignity, while forsaking narrow political or economic interests, including the sale of arms which only fuel conflict.”
Read the full statement here.
Thank you to Deacon Vincent for your reflections on Palm or Passion Sunday Year B
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| Palm Sunday 2021 - Westminster Cathedral |
At last, we have the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and we join with those who welcome the Messiah, holding our palms high in greeting of the “One who comes in the name of Lord. Hosanna in the Highest.”
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark 14: 1-15, 47.
Suddenly with the imminence of the Passover, we are rushing towards the end, which we have seen coming for some time now. We have the high priests and the scribes planning to commit legal murder, and then joyfully finding a willing accomplice in Judas, one of Jesus’ inner circle. In the midst of all this, we hear of this woman who generously anoints Jesus with very expensive oil, contrasting with the treacherous acts of the high priests and Judas, as well as the small-minded guests at Simon the Leper’s house. This Mark’s way of guiding as to how to read the passion story. Jesus informs us that this is not the whole story, for the lady has anointed him for his burial. We, come now, to the greatest and most joyous meal of the Jewish year, the Passover meal. His disciples had forgotten to arrange everything, but Jesus was one step ahead of them. No sooner than we start the meal, then Jesus informs them and us that someone, who is sharing the table with him, is about to betray him, a most heinous offence in the Near Eastern code of hospitality. The mood does not lift as Jesus takes the bread and wine and says “This is my Body …. This, is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many.” Whatever else it means it sounds like death. After the meal they leave the city and enter a very sombre period, Jesus tells them that they will all desert him this very night; and it is where Jesus confronts his coming passion. He takes his special friends with him and all he asks of them is “Stay awake”, whilst he prays to the Father. Mark allows us to hear Jesus’ intimate prayer to his Father. However, his close friends can’t keep their eyes open. After this, something has happened, because Jesus has complete possession of himself again; his friends will all desert him, one will make a vain attempt to save him, but he also runs away, as Jesus is left alone to confront the mob, who are being led by his friend Judas, who identifies Jesus to the mob by a kiss. We come face to face with this terrible betrayal, and how it must have hurt Jesus. Whilst Jesus stands firm and erect Judas fades out of history into the darkness. Jesus is hauled before the Sanhedrin, who are intent upon Jesus’ death. Finally, the High priest asks the question, which has been lurking beneath the surface all the way through the Gospel. “Are you the Christ the Son of the Blessed One? Jesus’ unequivocal answer and his death sentence. “I Am.” This is the quote of God himself when questioned about his name. Peter denies Jesus three times, as foretold by Jesus and goes off in a terrible state; and is healed by his tears of sorrow. The Sanhedrin take Jesus to Pilate so that he can be executed. Pilate tries to wriggle free from the situation, and we have to two sons of God, Barabbas, a name which means son of God, and Jesus who is the Son of God, and like the two goats of old, one is saved the other cast out to die in the wilderness carrying all the sins of the people away with him; so Barabbas is saved, a common criminal, and Jesus will die on our behalf the shameful death of the Cross carrying all our sins on his back. Pilate, having failed to quell the disturbance orders Jesus scourged and crucified. The soldiers hearing that Jesus was declared a king, decided to play the cruel game of kings, which was a very painful mock coronation after a vicious scouring. Simon is conscripted to help carry the cross for Jesus, as they did not want him dying on the way. Something must have happened on the way for he and his sons are known by Mark’s community. Finally, the lonely death of Jesus, and the division of his clothing, just as the suffering servant of Isaiah. Amazingly Joseph of Arimathaea asks Pilate for the body, and it is granted. They bury him in a tomb, hewn from the rock, rolled a stone over the front and left sorrowfully. Jesus our loving saviour, Thank You, for your redeeming act.
God Bless. Deacon Vincent.
Magnificat
The Catholic Herald is pleased to let us all know that the digital Holy Week issue of the Magnificat is available, free, at the following link:
Holy Places
A reminder that we will have a basket as you enter Church on Good Friday for the annual collection for "Holy Places", supporting the work of the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land who have the unique responsibility of maintaining the Holy Places and preserving the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
We will also have a basket over Easter Weekend and Octave of Easter for the traditional offering for our parish priests.
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