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.
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
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
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