A MESSAGE FROM FR JIM WILLIAMS
Parishes in Communion for Mission
First, we congratulate Fr Frank for his
service to the parish and wish him the very best in his retirement at the start of September.
Prior to
COVID we all enjoyed a special & healthy relationship together as Parishes
in Communion & Bishop Declan is keen that we re-establish these connections
& rediscover our original enthusiasm to work as a larger pastoral area for
mission & mutual support.
To this end, he has appointed me as overall Priest in Charge of this mission,
consisting of our 4 parishes in Kingswood, Frenchay, Downend & Chipping Sodbury
with Yate. My duties will include overseeing the management of the Fabric and
Finance and all Policy making bodies and will attend all meetings.
In this, it
is hoped to maximise the ministries & talents of all the parishes for the
good of the whole, with the sharing of best practice and experience.
With joy, we also report that the Bishop has appointed Fr Barnabus
Page to be resident at St Augustine’s who will work in partnership with Fr Jim. When Fr Barnabus arrives he will assume all the day-to-day pastoral duties of the parish & work
alongside all of us for the larger mission.
God Bless, Fr Jim Williams, Priest in Charge
St Nicholas' Mass for the LGBTQI+ community
Our friends at St. Nicholas of Tolentino RC Church, Bristol are hosting their monthly Mass for Catholic members of the LGBTQI+ community, family, friends, and allies on 21st August.
See poster for information.
World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
The Holy Father’s message for this year’s Celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation implores the world to “Listen to the voice of creation” and hear its bittersweet song: sweetly praising the Creator, bitterly lamenting our mistreatment of nature.
Worried about this mistreatment, the Holy Father calls for bolder action from all nations during this year’s COP27 and COP15 summits on climate change and biodiversity.
A Message from Christian Climate Action.
Training day in Bristol - Saturday 3rd September, 10 am to 4 pm, at St Werburgh’s Community Centre (Horley Road, St Werburgh's, Bristol BS2 9TJ)
The extreme hot weather that we have experienced this summer has probably made us all think more about the climate crisis. If you feel you’d like to get more involved in encouraging the church and the state to act as though the climate crisis is real, Christian Climate Action might be the group for you. Come along to our training day in Bristol to find out more about CCA, and the kind of peaceful protests that we take part in.
As well as providing first-time training for new members, this event will also act as a useful refresher for established members, with the opportunity to go deeper into the Biblical basis for non-violent protest and to reflect on the challenges of staying non-violent in action.
Free, although donations welcome to help cover costs. Book here:
And here is the Facebook event, which you can share, or use to invite your friends:
Thank you to Deacon Vincent for his Reflections for 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
1st Reading from the book of Ecclesiastes 1: 2; 2: 21-23.
This opening phrase is very famous and often quoted. It virtually means emptiness, literally “a breath”. This is not the vanity of sitting in front of a mirror and admiring oneself. No, It is best described by the waste of time and energy in achieving things, that inevitably will be left to somebody else, so the question is asked, “What is it all about?” This book is the only one that explores and discusses time. The shortness of life and being careful how one spends their time and for what purpose. It sets the theme for today, which is about getting our priorities right. We need to seek the things that lead us to a good relationship with God.
Psalm 89: 3-6, 12-14, 17.
This song picks up on our theme for today, “The shortness of Life.” Again we encounter the vanity theme of emptiness, life is over in a breath of time. Like the grass we flower and bloom and by evening blowing away in the wind. We should look to the radiance of God and let God direct the work of our hands.
2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11.
For Paul, being a follower of Christ makes a visible difference. Our hearts are set on God and looking upwards, and that means that some kinds of behaviour are ruled out., whilst others are expected. All that matters is Christ and that rules out all kinds of artificial distinctions. It is a continuation of our theme of trying to get our priorities right. God first in everything, and the best way of achieving this goal is by following Christ, going from Gospel to life, and then from life to Gospel.
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 12: 13-21.This passage only appears in Luke’s Gospel and is an indication of his negative attitude to wealth. We believe he was a physician so he would have seen the behaviour and obsessions of the wealthy with things, rather than seeking the things of heaven. This would most probably have been a bit of a shock to wealthier members of the Community. Wealth and riches were viewed as a gift from God for a good life, but in most cases, they forgot that with the gift went responsibility for how that wealth was used. The Gospels all look to wealth being used as God would expect of those who are following in the footsteps of Jesus, such as the relief of the widow and orphan, the downtrodden and poor. Wealth in itself can be a cause for good when used in the way Christ expects of his brothers and sisters. This week we are being asked to reflect upon how our lives are going and to take time to adjust areas of selfishness and self-centredness.
God grant us the gift of perception.
God Bless. Deacon Vincent.
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