This week's news

COMMUNITY CATCH UP!

Only 6 weeks to go until our annual Summer Social (hopefully on the field this year! 🌞) to celebrate our community and have a great day together.

Get Saturday 14th June in your diary and come along for a fun day with plenty to eat, drink, see, buy and do!

This year, we thank our school's PTFA who have arranged for fun inflatables! Plus we'll have Richard with his steam traction engine offering rides! With our local traders in the tent, the much loved pig racing, teachers in the stocks and plenty of games to play there really will be something for everyone!
All in aid of our School, Pre-school, Parish and Guiding units.

See you there!

Encounter 2025

Encounter 2025 is a diocesan wide programme to equip and empower people to share their faith and be renewed in heart and mind. The first step is to deepen our understanding of the Holy Spirit and cultivate a closer, more intimate relationship with God—this is at the heart of what we hope to achieve between Easter and Pentecost.

The programme will officially begin on Saturday, 3rd May, with a launch event at the Cathedral, open to all ages.
We are delighted to offer children’s streams, ensuring families can fully participate in this exciting journey together.
Weekly sessions will follow on Wednesday evenings, live-streamed from the Cathedral, enabling everyone across the Diocese to join in, wherever they are. These will be recorded and available to view at a later date.
To find out more, please email the team at: pentecost@cliftondiocese.com

LAUDATO SI‘ CLIFTON ‘Care for our common home’.

On Sat 31st May all are invited to a special day from 10:30–16:00 at St Bonaventure’s Church, Bishopston.

With Mass celebrated by Bishop Bosco, followed by refreshments, conversations & prayers.

See poster for details.

Book via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/laudato-si-clifton-diocese-encounter-tickets-1315421333619?aff=oddtdtcreator

Reminder: NEW PASTORAL AREA MEETING.

Join us in the hall on Friday (2nd May) at 7pm. This meeting is for clergy & laity from the parishes of North Bristol to join together.

The Bishop would like us to look to the future & share ideas. Everyone from the pastoral area is invited to join the conversation.

WeBelieve

St Mary’s College, Oscott is hosting 'WeBelieve', a festival of Catholic Life celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope.

WeBelieve is a project created and funded by The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom in collaboration with St Mary’s College, Oscott.

This summer, St Mary’s College, Oscott is hosting WeBelieve, a festival of Catholic Life celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope. You are warmly invited to join us from 25-28 July for what promises to be a wonderful experience. WeBelieve has been designed with parishes and families in mind, as an opportunity to receive inspiring faith formation together, to bond as a community and to celebrate the Jubilee in a tangible way.

The festival programme brings together the Catholic communion in a broad and beautiful way with a great line-up of contributors so far, including Dr Gianna Emanuela Molla (daughter of St Gianna Molla), Fr Paul Murray OP Mgr Michael Nazir-Ali, The Southwell Consort, Fr Toby Lees OP & many more.

Pilgrim-attendees can choose to join us for the whole weekend (camping, staying locally or coming from home) at an adult Early Bird rate of £70, or come for a day at £40. You can find all ticket options, the festival programme, print and online promotional material or register your parish at www.webelievefestival.com

Thank you Deacon Vincent for your Reflections for the Third Sunday of Easter Year C

1st Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 5: 27b-32, 40b-41.

The trouble with brief selections is that we need to read them in the context that they are written. This is written almost as a recall of Pharaoh’s fight with God over freeing the Israeites. The Apostles are arrested by the authorities, and it enables us to remove any sympathy from their cause, as the angel of the Lord releases them. The authorities then rearrest them and this is where our reading commences. The Apostles cannot be prevented from their task of being “witnesses”, whatever the authorities do. There is an important piece missing from this extract where Gamaliel, a Pharisee and teacher of the law, and much respected by the people advises the Sanhedrin to be careful that they do not become “God-fighters”. So the authorities give them a beating and set them free. If it is of God it will prosper; if it is of man it will fail. This is something we should pay attention to. God is in charge; we need to have more faith in the way God handles matters.

Psalm 30(29): 2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12a, 13b.

A song of “Thanksgiving”, Christians would have used it to extol the Resurrection of the Lord, but it was for the dedication of the House of David. It does continue with the wonderful deliverance of the Apostles and sings of Christ’s resurrection.

2nd Reading from the Book of Revelation 5: 11-14.

The Lamb is obviously Jesus and the Elders, and the animals sing to him. The Lamb (Jesus) is to receive Glory, Power and Honour, Wisdom and Blessings, then every creature in heaven upon the earth and under the earth and in the sea proclaim to God and Jesus, “Blessing and honour and power for ever and ever, the animals say “Amen”, the Elders fall down and adopt the position of silent worship. This is a scene to stay with us. We should be filled with confidence that everything is in God’s hands.

The Holy Gospel according to John 21: 1-19.

This episode starts with Peter taking leadership in deciding to go fishing, the others decide to go along with him. They catch nothing but the stranger on the shore tells them to cast the net to starboard. Then the catch is too much for them. John says, “It is the Lord”. Peter puts on his topcoat and dives into the sea and reaches the shore first. We have a beautiful picture of Jesus cooking the fish for their breakfast. Now we hear about the unfinished business between Jesus and Peter. Three times Jesus will ask, “Do you love me?”, obviously in counter of the three denials. Peter is tasked as a sinner with feeding Jesus’s lambs and sheep. Then Peter is forewarned about his eventual martyrdom. Jesus invites Peter to, “Follow me.” Indeed, this is an invitation to all of us to follow Jesus.

God grace us to follow Jesus, wherever that may lead us. Deacon Vincent.

This Week's News

 

What will Easter bring this year?

Traditionally at Christmas, we pray for peace. But in this time of uncertainty perhaps this Easter we should pray for trust in God. I have never visited the third world but visitors often speak about the people’s faith even in the face of great difficulty. But how to be encouraged and encourage one another when we are living through this age of anxiety?

For me, three things help my faith. Firstly, at this time of year, Spring. Secondly, history; knowing that nothing has stopped the church for two thousand years. And thirdly, the example of people who are coping with all manner of problems, yet still live a life of friendly service to others.

Resurrection can be; the support of a friend: being able to laugh at yourself: seeing my first swallow (7th April), and managing to get a parking place at Southmead Hospital!

Fr Barnabas

Final Synod Document - online book club, Wednesday evenings from 21st May

On 26th October Pope Francis received the recommendations of the Rome Synod Assembly and declared them part of the Magisterium of the Church.  The Final Synod Document is a beautiful, if densely written, expression of the three-year global process in becoming a missionary, synodal Church.  The School for Synodality is offering a series of webinars to explore the FSD section by section with expert guests from around the world, including Archbishop Jason Gordon, Trinidad and Tobego. Watch live on Wednesday nights 7.30-8.30pm from 21st May - 25th June or at any time afterwards via YouTube.  Suitable for small groups or individual reflection.    To register follow this link here: https://www.schoolforsynodality.org.uk/our-resources/final-document-book-club-2025

Chrism Oils support Palestinian Farmers

At the Chrism Mass in Clifton Cathedral on Wednesday 16th April, oils will be presented by representatives from our Diocesan Community. Bishop Bosco will consecrate the Holy Chrism oil and bless the Oil of Catechumens and Oil of the Sick. After Mass the Oils will then be distributed to Parishes within the Diocese.

In recent years, the Diocese has used naturally organic and ethically sourced olive oil from the very lands where Our Lord walked and preached. It is supplied by Zaytoun, the world’s first olive oil to be awarded Fairtrade certification in 2009.

Zaytoun is a social enterprise which supports small-scale Palestinian farmers in the Occupied West Bank. The farmers cultivate their lands and continue farming practices undertaken by Palestinian families for thousands of years.

A few years ago, Phil Gibbons (Communications Officer, Clifton Diocese) and Canon Christopher Whitehead visited some olive farmers in the Cremison Valley, Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, witnessing at first hand the increasing difficulties they faced due to the separation wall dividing their land.

May they look forward to a future when they can farm their lands in peace.

https://cliftondiocese.com/news/chrism-oils-support-palestinian-farmers/

Clifton Diocese Vacancy

RE Adviser - Schools & Colleges Department
The department are seeking to expand the team by appointing a part time, term-time colleague, to support the RE Led in securing high-quality Catholic education across the Diocese that ensures and supports the preservation of Catholic Schools. Experience in secondary and/or post 16 schools would be an advantage.

The successful candidate will have recent and relevant experience of teaching and/or advising in RE in Catholic schools, with a willingness to contribute to both Primary and Secondary/post-16 work of the Diocesan team.

The applicant will be knowledgeable about the new Religious Education Directory, the Prayer & Liturgy Directory, and experience as a CSI inspector would be an advantage. You should be confident in designing and delivering training, as well as conducting accurate reviews of schools.

The role will be 2 days per week, 39 weeks per year, based at Alexander House, Bristol, but will require extensive travel around the Diocese, as well as some evening work.

For further information and application form, visit the Clifton Diocese website. Closing date for applications: 9th May 2025

If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact Mary Cox, Director of Schools and Colleges or Louise White, RE Lead, on 0117 902 5590.
https://cliftondiocese.com/diocese/working-for-us/

Thanks to Deacon Vincent for his Reflections on the Sacred Triduum.

Holy (Maundy)Thursday Evening
We commence with the origins in Exodus of the Passover meal that heralded the people of God’s freedom from slavery in Egypt and the beginnings of the people of Israel. We have a brief reflection upon the full meaning of the Lord’s Passover Supper from St. Paul to the Corinthians. Then we have John’s first-hand account of very sombre moment in the Church’s year, as the priest washes the feet of his parishioners in remembrance of Christ washing the feet of his Apostles. It is an ongoing lesson in how we should serve one another, not Lord it over each other. We recall Jesus’ arrest and taking prisoner as we remove the Sacred Hosts after Communion from the main altar and place them in the Altar of Repose in another room. The Altar is now stripped to symbolise that the Lord has been taken away from us. We watch with the Lord for an hour at the altar of repose and leave quietly. There is no dismissal.

Friday the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday)
We commence with a reading from the Third Isaiah of the “Suffering Servant”, God’s perfect servant. We are told how he will be treated, suffer and take our sins upon himself to conquer evil and set us free. St. Paul tells us how his suffering sets us an example to follow. We now have John’s very moving account of Jesus imprisonment, torture and crucifixion. The similarity to Isaiah’s vision of the suffering servant is remarkable. We now venerate the Cross, again a very moving acclamation by the people of “Thanksgiving” to the Lord for his great sacrifice. Communion is distributed and we all leave silently and sorrowfully. We are now without any Sacraments (The Lord’s Presence), imitating those terrible days after the Crucifixion when the Church was bereft of the Lord. There is no dismissal.

Holy Saturday
We light the Easter Fire and the Pascal Candle for the coming year, which symbolises the presence of the Risen Lord. It is carried into the Church in solemn procession and the Deacon Intones “Lumen Christi”, (Light of Christ) and the people respond with “Deo Gracias”, then in the gloom of the darkened church the Deacon intones the “Exultet”, a beautiful song of Christ’s resurrection. The lights go on the Gloria with all its solemnity and bells is sung. Now we sit through the reading of our redemption from creation to Exodus, Isaiah, Baruch, Ezekial there are nine readings six or seven are usually read, then Baptisms occur if there are any people prepared, after which Mass of the Resurrection is celebrated with due pomp and solemnity. We hear St. Paul describe to us the full import of Baptism. We now hear how the astonishing event of the Resurrection is discovered in Luke’s Gospel by Mary Magdelene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James. They dash to inform the Apostles and Disciples the amazing news, but they are not believed, but Peter dashes to the tomb and discovers everything as the women had told them, and he went home wondering what had happened. Mass continues and we have a very beautiful joyous dismissal by the Deacon after a Solemn Blessing. The one celebration from Thursday to Sunday morning is now concluded. We have witnessed our Salvation in ancient style and give glory to God for his great Mercy.

Let us never forget Christ’s great Sacrifice to set us free from sin. Deacon Vincent.

**** POSTPONED DATE **** New date being arranged by the organisers of the SEND event - we will share that when known.

Lent & Easter Calendar - 2025

 

UPDATE: Maundy Thursday Mass at St Paul's will be at 7.30pm and not 8pm

This week's news

Please see the times and places of Masses and Services over Holy Week and Easter. Everyone is invited along to join us - you would be very welcome at any of the events.

You can read, by clicking here, the Pastoral Letter on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, from Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in conjunction with Bishop Bosco.
5/6 April 2025 ~ Fifth Sunday of Lent.

And Following on from last Sunday’s Pastoral Letter of Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Bishop Bosco has written his own message on the Gift of Human Life and linking it to a new framework for the Pastoral Care of human life. Please find below links to read the message.

Bishop Bosco: Place the gift of human life at the heart of the Church’s mission - 7 Apr 2025

Faces of the Gospels

In the run-up to Easter, Vatican News is releasing an 18-episode series on 'Faces of the Gospels', narrated by Pope Francis and now available with English subtitles.
Click here to go onto the Vatican News Podcast page and click the little wheel symbol for settings - from there you can turn on English 'CC' / Subtitles.

Reflections for Palm Sunday Year C - Thanks, as always to Deacon Vincent.

The Processional Gospel according to Luke 19: 28-40.

Luke gives us one of his beautifully crafted opening passages preparing the scene for us. Everything is as Jesus described the situation, he mounts the colt after the disciples had thrown their outer coats over the animal. Then with great Joy Jesus takes another journey into Jerusalem accompanied by the singing of the Psalm 118. It is a wonderfully exciting moment for Jesus and his followers. There is great expectancy from the crowd.

1st Reading from the prophet Isaiah 50:4-7.

This is taken from the Second Isaiah and is the third song of the perfect servant of God. It is easy to see how the early Christians saw in it the understanding of the appalling fate that befell Jesus. He is the Perfect Servant. The tone is set for today’s sad reflection.

Psalm 22(21): 8-9, 17-20, 23-24.

This psalm from the earliest stages was important for Christians as they recounted the story of Jesus’ death. We join with him in his great cry for deliverance. It is heart wrenching, as Jesus still proclaims the greatness of the Father, in the midst of his great agony. What a Man!!

2nd Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 2: 6-11.

Paul quotes this hymn to promote solidarity in the Church, for Paul this is the Mark of the Christian Church. Whether he composed this song or took it from an existing liturgy, we cannot tell from this distance, but it has always held a special place in the hearts of the Christian Community. It is a remarkable piece to meditate upon.

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke 22:14-23:56.

We follow Jesus through the Last Supper and come to the realisation of how the Eucharist is interwoven with the Passion of Christ. There is an interesting shift in the way Jesus addresses the denial of Peter. He starts by calling him “Simon, Simon”, but when he states that he will deny Jesus three times he calls him by his nickname, “Peter” (Rock). Luke emphasises how Pilate tries to release Jesus but describes how monstrous was flogging an innocent man. Then there is the “Barabbas” episode. We have Jesus the Son of God, and the terrorist Bar meaning, “son of”, and “ABBAS”, meaning “father”. So, we have two sons of the father. It is like the tradition of the “scape goat”. One goat survives, whilst the other is driven into the desert carrying all the sins of the community to die with their sins upon it. We have a vision here of the meaning of Christ’s death. Then Luke describes the struggle to Calvary, and Simon is forced to carry the cross behind Jesus, the soldiers knew Jesus was close to death after all the beatings. The crucifixion between two criminals. We have the crowd watching, the religious leaders and one thief cursing and poking fun of Jesus, but one person gets it triumphantly and dramatically right. His reward? “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” Jesus final moments are related, and the Roman Centurian acclaims Jesus’ innocence. The crowds all leave beating their breasts, whilst Jesus’ friends watch from afar. Joseph asks for Jesus’ body from Pilate and buries Jesus in a stone tomb in which nobody had ever laid. All come sorrowfully away, together with us. We might contemplate that this is what Jesus’ did for us. What are we doing for Him?

God grace us to proclaim our Saviour Jesus Christ now and always. Deacon Vincent