We congratulate our own Fr Frank today on his 41st Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood.
It was lovely to share a modest cake after Mass yesterday (with hastily fashioned 41 on the top as Amazon let me down on the proper cake topper!)
Canon-ly Congratulations to you!
Fr Frank’s Retirement Mass and Celebration. Read on for info...
This will be a special Thanksgiving Mass and then afterwards we will celebrate his retirement further with food, refreshments, and cake (of course!) in the school hall.
You are all very welcome to join us in wishing him well - please book a place using this Eventbright link (below) so that we can successfully organise the afternoon based on the numbers attending.
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Many people have asked about making a contribution to a retirement gift for him, so here is the plan if you wish to do so:
-there will be small brown envelopes available at the back of church which you can put into the normal collection basket or through the presbytery door and these will be automatically separated out for his collection.
- Should you wish to contribute but cannot make it to church, please use any envelope for your gift noting that it is for Fr Frank's retirement gift and pop through the presbytery door when passing
OR email me for the parish bank account details to pay by transfer if easier for you, but PLEASE reference your donation as ‘RETIREMENT GIFT’ online so we can separate it out for that purpose (email bristol.staugustine@cliftondiocese.com)
* All the money used will buy him a shiny, new, and easy-to-use laptop for him to stay connected when he moves into his new flat in the St Patrick’s Retirement community at Dillon Court in September.
* And any additional money will be for Fr Frank to use as he wishes (possibly snooker tickets or Mars bars?! 😁)
If anyone wants to help with the organising or running of the celebrations, please let me know - we'd love to have you on the team!
Many thanks.
From Bernadette, on behalf of the planning committee
Our Charity Cream Tea was a fantastic success!
Here is what one of the organisers, Jo Nash, had to say...
"It was a glorious sunny afternoon on Sunday 12th June.
The parish hall was decorated with flowers and bunting as the local community gathered for a relaxed afternoon of delicious fresh cream tea, home-baked cakes, a jubilee-themed quiz & games as well as a fantastic raffle too.
Thank you, to everyone who made the afternoon a huge success, those who baked, and those who came to support the event and helped us raise an incredible £744 for the two parish projects. This money will make a difference to many people.
It was great to see the local community together again after such a long time. We have had such great feedback from those who were there, commenting on what a lovely atmosphere it was.
Everyone loved the visit from a very special guest too!
Thank you to the cottage bakery for gifting some scones and Mokka who donated a voucher for the raffle."
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Thank you to Deacon Vincent for your reflections for 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
1st Reading from the first book of Kings 19: 16, 19-21.
Elijah has just had a meeting with God following his hiding from Jezebel, who is seeking his life for killing her Pagan worshipping priests. God Has instructed him to anoint Jehu as King of Israel, then go and anoint Elisha as his own successor. This episode illustrates the urgency of God’s call, when Elisha wants to say farewell to his father before following Elijah, but Elijah will have none of it. Elisha is now anointed, and he has been changed completely for God’s service, that must be his priority from now onwards. Elisha obeys Elijah and follows him. He now belongs to God and will be his servant until death. God’s call is always immediate and imminent, this will be the theme for this week’s meditations.
Psalm 15: 1-2, 5, 7-11.
This is a quiet song of faith in the face of death. It illustrates a total trust, and acceptance in whatever God will do. A psalm to seek in the event of death stalking us.
2nd Reading
Once again Paul is exhorting the Galatians, and indeed we, need to be guided by the Spirit and not yield to the flesh (self-indulgence). The two are opposed. We are naturally pulled by our fallen nature, so we must always remember that Christ freed us and not allow ourselves to fall back to the urgings of the flesh. If we remember to serve one another in works of love, since the whole law is summarised in the command to “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All will be well; all things will be well. So, don’t let us tear one another apart with snapping at each other harshly or we will destroy the whole community. Let us be led by the Spirit, who is always kindly and forgiving. If we live by the Spirit, no Law can ever reproach us.
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 9: 51-62.
This passage has Luke preparing this final journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, where Jesus will be taken up to heaven, obviously pointing to the death and resurrection of Jesus. We get a glimpse into why the Apostles James and John were called the “Sons of Thunder.” By their calling for fire and brimstone to be hurtled on those who will not receive the Lord. We are reminded of our first reading in the stories of the three young men who wished to follow Jesus, but each had ulterior and other more important things to do before starting out. They get stark replies for the call of God is always imminent and total, excluding all other considerations. That is still true for today and might explain why we are struggling with vocations in an age where so many other philosophies and desires are proclaimed as the most important elements of our lives. Just like Elisha and the young men in our Gospel we need to examine whether God is the most important thing in our lives? Our answers will tell us why things are as they are today with our local communities and our Church. We need to really examine our consciences.
God bless, Deacon Vincent.
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