This week's news

We are delighted to welcome you all back to our weekly, free 'Community Cafe'.

Pop into the Parish hall anytime between 1.30-3.30 each Friday for cuppas and company!

The return of the Community Cafe last Friday brought over 40 people together, so it looks like it has been missed!

Everyone is very welcome.

Thank you

We send our thanks to Saroj for holding a RosyBud Bakes 'pop up shop' on Sunday to raise money for the church, in memory of her husband, Candido.

Everyone loved her beautiful and talented flower decorations and delicious cake - it was a sell out.
An amazing £80 profit was raised - so we thank you Saroj, and we thank you all for supporting her.

The Season of Creation is coming to an end with a Harvest Mass of Thanksgiving this Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 9.30am.

If you are able to, please bring some non perishable goods for distribution to the local food bank, &/or any perishable fruits or vegetables, even if just blackberries foraged from the hedge, for sharing.
We will invite you to bring your items up at the offertory.
Let’s make a big display of all the natural goods that come from the fruitfulness of the earth.
Thank you to Bella and the Pastoral Council for helping us enjoy this Season of Creation ~ promoting Rivers of Justice & Peace ~

*** Items most needed by the foodbank at this time are:
COFFEE, COOKING SAUCES, TINNNED VEGETABLES, TINNED FRUIT,
SPONGE PUDDINGS, INSTANT NOODLES, BISCUITS.
(Please, if possible, no pasta, beans, cereals or tea as they have massive stocks of those at present in their storage areas)

Reflections from Deacon Vincent for Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

1st Reading from the prophet Ezekiel 18: 25-28.
Ezekiel having been deported to Babylon with possibly Isaiah and Jeremiah, was a priest and like them had a strong sense of calling, which he describes by the River Chebar in Babylon. The thrust of his mission is to try and answer the question of “Where is God in all this mess?”
This extract is dealing with the theme that people can change and God accepts that change of heart. Despair had caused many to think that God had deserted them and were accepting Babylonian customs and gods. Ezekiel is addressed by God to relate that if they repent and return to the worship of their ancestors, God will forgive them and accept them. There is no need to remain in their despair. God does care for them and loves them.
It is very appropriate for our age, whereby we drift and think that we are beyond the pale, but God does love and want us to repent and return to him. He never turns us away.

Psalm 24: 4-9.
This song is asking God for forgiveness and help. This song supplements Ezekiel’s theme that God loves us and is there to help us return to the covenant which God made with our ancestors and was enhanced by Jesus Christ.

2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 2: 1-11.
Paul is addressing a problem of disunity at Philippi. He tries to encourage them to think the same as each other, but even more than that to adopt the same attitude as his beloved Jesus Christ of self-emptying and regarding others as superior. This will help build unity and solidarity, which is the hall mark of the Christian community. It brings him to this beautiful hymn to Christ. We are not sure whether it is a hymn he composed or took from their liturgy, whichever, it is a very powerful hymn and has the power to transform lives, even today. One might ask oneself after reading that hymn, “That is what Jesus did for us, what are we doing for him?”

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 21: 28-32.
This is one of three stories Jesus relates against the Religious Authorities who were demanding to know by what authority Jesus was teaching. Jesus makes no concessions and claims to be engaged on the same task as John the Baptist. This first story indicates that his opponents commit the worst possible sin, that of refusing to do the Father’s will. Jesus is trying to point out the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven. Look at the fruits that Jesus is bearing rather than doubt what he is doing. It again is right for our day. We are forever asking by what right does the Church ask us to do this or that, particularly when it impinges on our freedom as we perceive it. It might do us good to remind ourselves how very similar some of our questions about the Church of Christ align with the behaviour of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

God enlighten us to find Jesus in our everyday life.
Deacon Vincent

This week's news

Special 'Cake Shop'!

Don't forget, we have a special 'Cake Shop' being set up in our hall after Mass on Sunday (24th) by Saroj of RosyBud Bakes in order to raise funds for the church.

We thank Saroj for being so generous and hope you will all remember your cash to support her delicious new business and ultimately, support the Parish.

Free Wood!

Last chance for the unwanted wood.... would anyone like any wood, or a folding table, or a kneeler! 😆

Please help yourself, as it will be gone soon.
(Go to the back of the left hand side church car park)

  

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who donated items for the Aid to Ukraine appeal. Please continue to pray for peace.
Thanks also to Anne, Susie and Molly who helped to sort and package things up.
The aid is now on it's way to the storage facility ready to start it's journey over at the weekend.

St Patricks Catholic Church Pan-African Community (PAC)

The St Patricks Catholic Church Pan-African Community (PAC) is launching a year of sacramental reflection and preparation programme know as “Celebration Service” on 28th October at 4pm. This is to prepare Christians to receive Catholic Sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage Blessings and Renewal of Marriage Vows) in a mass gathering in July 2024.

They would like to invite us all, particularly Africans within our Parish, to the launch Mass on 28th October 2023 at 4pm, which will then be followed by the official inauguration of the programme at 5pm followed by refreshments at 6pm.

The main celebrant for the launch will be His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson from the Vatican and concelebrants will be the Bishop of Clifton Diocese the Rt. Rev. Declan Lang and their Parish Priest, Rev. Canon Gregory Grant and other priests within the Clifton Diocese.

Reflections for Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A from Deacon Vincent.

1st Reading from the prophet Isaiah 55: 6-9.
This passage is from the last entry of the Second Isaiah. His writings contain some of the most beautiful in the Bible. He is writing at the time of the decree by Cyrus, permitting the people of Israel, held in exile, to return home. This is part of his final exhortation to those who are in two minds about going back to Israel. Some had slipped into Babylonian life and worship, abandoning the God of Israel, and Isaiah is encouraging them to seek forgiveness and return home, for our God is a forgiving God. God is going to restore Israel and wants his people to go home. All will be well, for God’s ways are not the same as ours there is vast difference in his dealings with men. “As far as the heavens are above the earth.” We can always trust God and when we fall have the courage to seek forgiveness.

Psalm 144: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18.
This is a song proclaiming God’s greatness and his goodness. It contains that beautiful phrase “The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.” This is a phrase well worth pondering over for it contains so much for us in daily trials and tribulations.

2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 1: 20-24, 27.
This is Paul’s most joyful letter, despite the fact, that it is written in a prison from which he might not emerge alive. The Philippians were his favourite community, and possibly the first foundation in Europe. This is a wonderful passage revealing Paul’s profound sense of what really matters. 1) Jesus Christ, 2) The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, 3) the welfare of Christ’s Church. He tells us how he really wants to be gone and be with Christ, but then he is drawn by the need to stay and continue to advance their joy of their faith, so he is convinced that he will survive this imprisonment and return to be with them once more. He opens up his profound love of this community. Paul is a very passionate man full of love of the Lord and his followers, he is a fascinating character, well worth studying and contemplating his style and technique in introducing people to the Lord Jesus Christ, the centre of his life.

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 20: 1-16.
This parable is a continuation of Jesus’ response to Peter questioning what reward will there be for those who have given up everything in following Jesus. It is the wrong question. God is abundantly generous; in fact, he cannot be outdone in generosity. Generosity is the quality that defines God, and we do not lose out because he is generous to the Johnny come lately. It is all rather shocking really to notice that we all get the same reward for acknowledging the Lord, whether we follow all our life or find him in our last moments of life. There is an interesting point to notice here that Jesus uses “My Friend “, in very few instances in Matthew’s Gospel. One to the wedding guest who has no wedding garments (22: 12) and to Judas when he arrives with the arresting party in Gethsemani (26: 50). This is a beautiful image of us all toiling in God’s vineyard, and the way that God goes looking to bring us all into his vineyard, so he can grant us his reward. This just shows us how great is God’s love for us all the good and the wandering. Let us be constantly “Thankful” for God’s generosity with his Love!

May God continue to seek us out and bring us into his Vineyard. Deacon Vincent

This week's Mass times

Confirmation 2024

Confirmation for our Parishes in Communion will take place in 2024 with Bishop Declan at Our Lady of Lourdes, Kingswood.

To apply to be on the course (starting in Feb 2024) please pick up an application form & programme details sheet at the back of church.

Or email to request a copy:

bristol.ourladyoflourdes@cliftondiocese.com

Closing date for the applications is 31st October 2023.

SOUP... HELP!

We are running low - please can you help to make home-made soup for the Soup Run freezer?

If you can, please contact the parish office and we'll put you in touch with Maeve Hedge to organise collection/delivery.

***Important Tips:
*please don’t make it too thick/hearty as it can be difficult to pour. *put it in plastic milk carton with a gap to allow for expansion when frozen.
*please label and date the carton.

Many thanks for your help to keep feeding and nourishing the people on our streets.

QUIZ NIGHT– Sun 22nd Oct

Mike Ryan & gang are back with a fun, charity Quiz with games and raffle, all in aid of The Mike Proctor Foundation (our overseas Parish Project).

As Quizmaster Mike always says, "it's a simple quiz for simple people!"

Get your team of approx. 6 people together.

BYO drinks and nibbles.

Tickets at £5 pp, on sale soon.

Did you lose your key at the weekend?
One was found in the car park with a distinctive 'footy' keyring - so if that sounds like yours, please contact the parish office at bristol.staugustine@cliftondiocese.com or call 0117 9833939 so we can reunite you.

A Message from the Dept for Adult Education & Evangelisation:

Linking with the first Session of the Synod on Synodality in Rome (October 2023), Clifton Diocese will be exploring the same themes through a series of webinars (7.30-9pm) through September & October.
For the first session of the series we are delighted to welcome Bishop John Arnold, on 21 September, who will set our series within the context of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church – Lumen Gentium.
Each webinar will be focusing on a different element of the work of the Synod.

Parishioners are welcome to sign up for any of the sessions on offer using this link:

St. Nicholas of Tolentino RC Church, Bristol are holding their monthly Mass for Catholic members of the LGBTQ+ community, their family, friends and allies on 17th Sept.

See poster for details.

This week's News

Baptism

On 26th of August we welcomed little Harrison into our Faith and into the St Augustine's Community, as he was Baptised in front of his loving family and their friends.
Harrison is now part of our parish family and we send congratulations to Daniele and Martin following a lovely service.

Aid to Ukraine

BristolAid4Ukraine have a van going out in 2 weeks. Can we help them with some of the items they need?

There’ll be a box at the back of church to fill *by 19th Sept* & we’ll get them to the team. And / or see the poster with details of how to donate money to help with their fuel costs & for them to source items locally.

Examples of items needed inc: dry or tinned food, candles/ torches/ batteries, nappies/ baby food/ wet wipes, socks, coats, sleeping bags…

 

Thanks to Deacon Vincent for your Reflections for 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

1st Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel 33: 7-9.
Ezeekiel was probably deported to Babylon with the first set of Exiles in 597 BC. Mos probably with Isaiah, and Jeremiah, he was a priest, who like them had a strong sense of calling, as illustrated by his revelation of how God revealed himself to him by the River Chebar in Babylon. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, he was dealing with the disaster of the fall of Jerusalem. The question he is trying to answer is, “Where is God in all this?” He has a wonderful technique of dramatizing his revelations. The other notable thing is the term “Son of Man”, which shows a certain intimacy with God and his constant use of the phrase, “they shall know that I am the Lord.” It is obvious that God respects Ezekiel and that Ezekiel is completely at one with God. This section shows God letting Ezekiel know in no uncertain terms that he is to convey the word of God to the people so that they have a chance to repent, or he will be responsible for their failure. If he preaches the Word to them and they do not repent that is their responsibility, but you, Ezekiel will be vindicated. Like most of the scroll of Ezekiel it is a teaching that is very relevant for our time. Ezekiel is fascinating, amusing and an astonishing character, well worth the exploration.

Psalm 94: 1-2, 6-9.
A bright song inviting us to praise God for his goodness, but also to remember that if we forget God, there is a consequence as at Massah in the desert or at Meribah. It is a very reflective song of praise.

2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans13: 8-10.
One is immediately drawn to Jesus talking with the sympathetic scribe in Mark 12: 28-34. Where Jesus points out that the greatest commandment in the Law is to Love God first and foremost and love your neighbour as yourself. If we live like that, then everything else is irrelevant. Do not dwell too much on the negatives but concentrate on the positives. Paul is trying to be upbeat with the Romans, and indeed with us who are reading his letter today.

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 18: 15-20.
Jesus is giving us some instruction in how to deal with any crisis in the Church. Firstly, have it out with the person privately, if that does not work take two or three reliable witnesses to emphasise the importance of the issue to the community, then if that fails address the issue to the community and if that still fails the person must be cast out. However, Jesus then points to his constant presence to watch over us with binding and loosing by the Church, which will be upheld by Jesus; but the central key for the Church, is it’s prayer life for, “where two or three gather in Jesus’ name he will be present”, to hear and answer their prayers. This is a very joyous announcement by the Lord, one we should constantly remind ourselves about and be active in praying together as often as possible.

God Bless us as we try to draw ever closer to Jesus.
Deacon Vincent