This week's news

Confirmation 2024

We send our Congratulations to the 23 young people within our Parishes in Communion who were confirmed by Bishop Bosco MacDonald on 20th of June at Our Lady of Lourdes & St Bernadette church.

Thank you to the catechists who gave their time, commitment and shared their faith, to all the families for their support and to all who helped make it a wonderful celebration.

We continue to offer our prayers and support to our young people as they continue to grow in faith.


2 messages from The Clifton Evangelist

Catholic Social Teaching video series – Introduction.

Listening to people in our diocese through synodal conversations, at diocesan events, and in informal chats, Clifton diocese has heard a desire for more formation in the topic of Catholic Social Teaching.
To begin responding to this desire, we have produced a five-part video series to offer a brief overview of Catholic Social Teaching intended to help grasp the big picture.
Our hope in producing these videos is to point to a few pathways by which you can further develop your understanding of the details.
Each video will recommend a few resources which go into greater depth on the subject of the video.
The first of these videos is launched today and is an introduction to Catholic Social Teaching.
Each new video will be made available on the Diocesan website every Friday.
The introduction video can be viewed here: Catholic Social Teaching
https://cliftondiocese.com/catholic-social-teaching/

and
We are now actively seeking to recruit for the next Pastoral Ministry Formation course which begins in the Autumn 2024. The course is ideal for ANY parishioner who seeks to develop their capacity to serve the parish in anyway which they believe the Lord is calling them. If you are a catechist – this course is for you. If you are a minister in any form – this course if for you. If you are not involved in any way – but would like to be – this course if for you! Interested? – then please do come to one of our information evenings which will be taking place around the Diocese in June/July. Here you will hear in more detail about what is being offered, time commitment involved, interview process and costs including the role of parishes to support those who are successful in obtaining a place.

The remaining dates and venues for information sessions are below. Each session starts at 7pm, no need to book, just turn up on the evening. If you are unable to attend the evening closest to you, please feel free to attend another one.

Tue 9 July: St George, Taunton
Thurs 11 July: Emmaus House, Bristol
Mon 15 July: St Mary, Glastonbury
Tue 16 July: St Peter, Cirencester
Thurs 18 July: Our Lady, Weston-Super-Mare


A message from our Laudato Si co-ordinator, Bella Harding:

"This was a march to 'Restore Nature Now', with 100 environmental organisations and about 80,000 people going to Parliament Sq, where Chris Packham and Emma Thomson spoke.

I was there with my fellow Christian activists, we started with an ecumenical service at Farm Street Catholic Church with Fr Dominic Robinson and Rev Helen Burnett.

It was a joyful occasion expressing our solidarity and a chance for a good number of Laudato Si Animators to meet 'in the flesh' and have this photo."

A Message from Our Lady of the Rosary School * 70th Anniversary *

Are you a past pupil or staff member of Our Lady of the Rosary School in Bristol? If so, we would like to invite you to our 70th Anniversary celebrations.

Bishop Bosco will be celebrating Mass on Friday 11th October 2024 at 10am. Please join us for mass and afterwards in the school hall where there will be displays connected to the school’s history and a chance to catch up with old friends.
If you have any memories that you would like to share, we would be delighted to hear from you. If you would like to share these in person with our current children, then that would be brilliant.
Either way you can contact us by email
70years.OLORschool@bristol-schools.uk
or by post: Tide Grove, Lawrence Weston, Bristol BS110PA
or phone: 01179030025

APF: Please could all holders of red mission boxes bring them to Peter Mason or take to the sacristy for collection and emptying. Thank you for your continued support.

This week's news

Community Catch-Up 2024!

We are so grateful to everyone who came on Saturday to support our St Augustine's Community Catch Up, all in aid of our Primary School, our Pre-School, our Girl Guides and our Church.
We also raised money for the Soup Run, St Joseph's Home and Brandon Trust all whilst having a lovely time - Huge thanks to our sponsors, The Italian Kitchen Hanham. All the details will be finalised this week and we hope to bring you news of the money raised soon.
We hope you all enjoyed it. See you next year!


Easter Eggs for Ukraine
A wonderful message from Vera who shared these photos of the Easter eggs our community collected to be distributed to the children in Ukraine.
Vera said "Huge, huge thank you for your support with the Easter eggs. You made so many kids so happy."



PARISH CREAM TEA!
On Sunday 14th July, from 2pm, come & join us for an afternoon of cream teas, games & social time.

Scones, cream & jam (in your own choice of order!) cakes & other things to buy, with raffle & fun activities all in aid of our parish projects, Brandon Trust and Little Sisters of the Poor St Joseph’s Care Home Bristol

Tickets on sale from 29th June after weekend Masses or from the parish office, just £5 to include scone & hot or cold drink.

Bring a card or some coins for other delights on the day.

This week's news

🩵 Wow! What an amazing day! 🩵
Photos and details of how much was raised will follow but for now, HUGE thanks to all involved and all who supported our lovely event. What a great community we have ❤️


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Summer Community Catch Up!

Whatever the weather, we'll be celebrating our amazing community on Saturday, from 11am until 3pm.
Come along for;
* fun and games in the Guides games zone, this year with added 'Tin Can Alley'
* bet on the 'Pig' Racing & meet some adorable Donkeys
* enjoy some shopping with our local traders and charity crafts and plants
* pick up a bargain from our pre-loved stalls
* let your little ones enjoy the Pre-school play area
* get your face painted
* enjoy a BBQ lunch with tea, cakes and a cream tea after
* relive your childhood with sweets, candy floss and a Mr Whippy
* visit the bar (for the grown ups only, of course!)
* and try to be a winner on the brilliant PTFA Tombola!
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!
And, if it is a wet day, then come and be dry with us inside the school!
All in aid of our Church, our Primary School, Our Pre-school and our Girl Guiding units.
See you there - thank you, in advance, to the massive amount of people who have helped with the planning and organising of stalls and set up. What a lovely community we have.❤️


The Not So Young Club holiday to North Wales was a big success again this year.

We had great fun at the super hotel in Bodelwyddan and a very full programme of trips and events from aqueducts to Anglesea, Llandudno to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!




Summer Family Concert

The Great Day Choir are holding their Summer Family Concert on Sunday 7th July in our church - we have the most wonderful acoustics!
The choir sings a range of feel good songs from through the decades from the 60’s right through to current chart topping hits.
The concert, raising money for the British Heart Foundation, starts at 6pm and tickets are available using the link below.
https://www.thegreatdaychoir.co.uk/events/


Thanks to Deacon Vincent for your Reflections for Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.

1st Reading from the prophet Ezekiel 17: 22-24. Ezechiel a priest was most probably amongst the first exiles to be deported to Babylon. His dramatic vision of God which happened by the river Chebar in Babylon was his central driving force. God refers to him as, “Son of Man”, a very intimate address and shows how familiar God and Ezekiel’s encounters became. Ezekiel’s main theme is trying to explain where God is amid this terrible disaster that befell Israel. This particular passage we have before us, is to give hope to the exiles. God sets the image of the tree. God will plant it on a very high mountain in Israel, it will become very noble, and every kind of bird will live beneath it, and rest in its shade. This is expressing that one-day God will restore his people to Israel and those mighty ones who Lord it over them now, God will humble and bring low, for it is God who exalts and humbles. It is a message of great hope for his people. They must not despair, God is at hand and very close to them, in fact God is with them, wherever they are. It is a great message for us, as well, when we look at the state of the world, we sometimes think we are at the mercy of uncontrollable forces, but we are in God’s hands, we are his special people we are God’s creation and God loves us. We just do not have the capacity to understand what is happening, so that is when we need to remember to Hope and Trust in the Lord. Ezekiel’s experiences are very relevant for all of us today. It is well worth studying his work.


Psalm 91: 2-3, 13-16. This song of “Thanks for God’s Faithfulness”, continues the vision of the tree. It enables the psalmist to apply the story of the tree to the people of God. If we remain planted in the house of the Lord, we will flourish and still bear fruit when we are old. What a beautiful thought, even in old age we can be useful to God, never a burden.

2nd Reading from the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 5: 6-10.
This reference to Christ’s Tribunal may be a reminder of the tribunal in Corinth before which Paul was hauled, but more than this, it serves as a reminder that for Paul, Jesus has taken over another role, hitherto reserved for the Father. We are away from the Lord whilst still living in the body, so it is by the palpable presence of the Spirit that we experience Christ, not by our sight. So, for Paul, we must constantly work towards being in the actual presence of Christ when we shake off this mortal coil. We prepare to meet him by how we live today.


The Holy Gospel according to Mark 4: 26-34.
We are given a flavour of Jesus’ teaching, by using everyday happenings. The sower and watching and waiting, whilst unable to be sure what is happening out of sight, yet he trusts that the seed is gradually growing to provide the harvest. This is very much like our lives in Christ, we carry on not being quite sure what is happening, but trusting in his word, and that it will produce a good harvest for the Lord and enable us to enjoy the fruits of our labour with him. Also, Jesus uses the imagery of Ezekiel’s birds sheltering in the shade of the mustard tree, which starts life as one of the smallest seeds, yet grows and branches out large enough for the birds to shelter in its’ shade. These stories seem to encourage his disciples to explore the deeper meaning whilst leaving others to be uninitiated. We rely upon the power of the Spirit to encourage us to explore the depths of scripture, we begin to see here how the New Testament reflects the Old Testament; there is a flowing back and forth that helps us realise that God has been working in us and with us all along. Our exploration of scripture opens the eyes of our spirits to discover the depth of God’s love for each and every one of us.

God grant us the vision to discover the depth of what Jesus did for us.
Deacon Vincent.

This Week's News

Summer Community Catch-Up!

Wonderful News! The local family at
The Italian Kitchen Hanham are our amazing sponsors for this year's Community Catch-up!
We are delighted that that are generously helping us to make the event the best it can be for our community. Thank you so much
Please check out their Facebook page & website & give their beautiful restaurant a visit.

"We, at The Italian Kitchen Hanham are proud to have been serving Hanham delicious Italian food for more than 8 years and are now proud to be the sponsor of St Augustine's Community Catch-Up!

Our restaurant serves 150+ meals on a Saturday night, hosts birthdays & special celebrations as well as a top reviewed Sunday Roast.

We have a variety of offers on during the week:

*Tuesday - Friday: 12pm - 2:30pm & 5-6pm
then Saturday: 12-5pm
We offer any full size Pizza or Pasta for just £9.95 with selected starters making 2 courses only £14.

*Wednesdays are 2-4-1 Gin night from 5pm

*& Thursdays are 2-4-1 Cocktails also from 5pm.

*Tuesday is Steak night.
2 x 10oz Sirloins, 2 sides each & 1/2 litre house wine only £40

*Our Sunday Roast is very popular!
Choices of meats all served with home made roast potatoes, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, a side of cauliflower cheese and fresh vegetables.
£15 for an adult (£18.50 for lamb) or a Child/OAP portion is £9.

We are proud of the team we have, with chefs who have a combined experience of over 40 years and a team of experienced, friendly & helpful front of house.
We use local butchers & suppliers & we take pride in creating dishes that taste as good as they look.

Everyone at the Italian Kitchen loves welcoming both new & returning loyal customers!"
Contact us: 0117 961 4222 / 07904 434391 47 High St, Hanham, BS15 3DQ

Not long now! The exciting is ramping up!

Thank you to all the children who took part in our poster competition for the Summer Community Catch-up!

We thanks Rares and Sophia, aged 3, from our preschool for these lovely drawings!
 

and Dilan, Jessica & Mila-Rose from year 2 of our primary school

also Florence in year 5, Keira in Hazel class, Maria in class 4 and Roman in Ash class of our primary school for these lovely drawings!

and finally, we thank Daisy aged 7, Peggy aged 8 and Isla aged 10, all from our Rainbows, Brownies & Guides for these lovely drawings!

COME RAIN OR SHINE ~ See you all on Saturday 15th June from 11am until 3pm.
We'll be holding a lovely Summer event regardless, even if the Summer deserts us!


Volunteer's Week 2024

During this "Volunteer's Week" we would like to send the greatest thanks to every single one of you who volunteer within our parish community!

From Church flowers to Church cleaning.
From Children's Liturgy of the Word to Communion & Confirmation teams.
From Sacristans to Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.
From Pastoral Committees to Social Committees.
From Prayer Group to Legion of Mary.
From Readers, Musicians, Welcomers, Refreshments and so much more...

We published a list about a year ago, of all our volunteers, and it was amazing to see that there are so many things that happen in our parish that are taken care of by you, for the good of so many.

You are all wonderful and the Church would simply not work without you. THANK YOU!


St. Nicholas of Tolentino RC Church, Bristol are hosting their monthly Mass for LGBTQ+ Catholics, their families and friends on 16th June - see poster for details.


Ukrainian service, Sunday 9th June at 15:30
Everyone welcome
Pray for Ukraine and its people 🇺🇦🙏🇺🇦





Reflections for Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B from Deacon Vincent.


1st Reading from the book of Genesis 3: 9-15.
Genesis, a name given it by its’ Greek translators, means “origin”, “birth”, or “coming to be”, but in the Hebrew it is known by its first word, “In the beginning”. In recent centuries scholars have tended to divide Genesis according to its several sources or traditions, however it is worth noting that the translators give no hint that the book was anything but a unity and so that is how they presented it. It is not intended as a scientific treatise, but as a narrative indicating that our story begins and ends with God. In the selection we have before us today, we deal with Adam’s fall from grace. It is worth noting that God is looking for Adam, which is very important for those of us who frequently stray from the Lord, to realise that God goes looking for us, like a shepherd looking for his lost sheep. Adam now realising that he is naked, one might say his disobedience was exposed, is hiding in the garden. Adam tells God that he realises he is naked, and God asks how he knows that he is naked. “Have you eaten the forbidden fruit?”, the Adam manages to blame, not only the woman, but God also, “It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” This is a great piece of observation of man’s ability to shift responsibility for his own faults and shift it onto God or someone else. Then we almost have a prediction that a woman will crush the serpent, as when Mary agrees to bear the Christ, she effectively is instrumental in crushing the Serpent (The Evil One). This story is full of deep observations of man’s frailty. Genesis is worth reading to discover how God and mankind interact, it really is a deep theological work presented for the ordinary man, not just the scholar, to come into a knowledge of our relationship with God and His creation.

Psalm 129.
This song follows the way God in his mercy seeks us out, so that we can be reconciled with a loving God, not a vengeful God. We discover the God of mercy and compassion in this little song, a song which is often recited at the bedside of the dying or recently deceased. It gives us all hope.

2nd Reading from the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 4: 13-5: 1.
As we read this letter to the Corinthians, we witness the affection and anger to a degree that can seem remarkable until we remember that this is Paul’s foundation and they are his family, his children, and that is exactly how things happen in families. Notice in this excerpt how important resurrection is in Paul’s thinking. For Paul it is right that he and his fellow ministers should be suffering, because the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is still working to bring out the glory that is to come, but now we cannot quite see it yet. This glory is invisible, but it exercises a remarkable transforming power, and Paul expects to see it making a difference.

The holy Gospel according to Mark 3: 20-35.
Jesus is really embarrassing his family, and at this time anyone who did not conform to the behaviour of the clan were considered to be insane. However, Jesus redefines family by saying that “Anybody who does the will of God is my brother, sister and brother. This might be considered a bit of a brush off for his actual family. But he has a venomous answer for the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem and make a really offensive accusation that Jesus is alliance with Beelzebul (Prince of the devils), and that is how he casts out demons. Jesus’ retort is to accuse them of the unforgiveable sin of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. Battle lines are now drawn between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. They will strive to destroy him and his teaching, but to no avail, for God’s will cannot be overcome. We have a vision of Jesus at his most combative, frustrating those who would try and stop the work of the Spirit.
Lord, give us the grace and courage to always be Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Deacon Vincent.

*I fully acknowledge the assist given me by Nicholas King’s Study Bible in this and all my reflections. For his insight into the books and writings of the Holy Bible. He has been my inspiration and insight into the wonders of Holy Scripture. *