All posts by 3 churches

Mass times

3 churches

On the weekend of Sunday 22nd November, the Feast of Christ the King, we will move from our summer schedule to our new permanent timetable for weekend Masses.

  • Saturday 6.00pm at Christ the King
  • Sunday 9.00am at St Paul
  • Sunday 9.00am Christ the King
  • Sunday 11.00am at St Brigid
  • Sunday 6.00pm at St Brigid

As you see, the times are an adjusted version of the summer schedule. I am enormously grateful to all those who have shared their thoughts on this matter, and I am aware, of course, that there may be some disappointments. Be assured that this decision has involved much prayer as well as listening. Some brief reflections:

Saturday 6.00pm – seems a better time to balance people’s afternoon and evening commitments. Sunday 9.00am – we are constrained by the availability of Fr Gareth Leyshon to help us. To keep Christ the King at 8.30 seems too early for one Sunday Mass.
Sunday 11.00am – moved from 10.30 as it is increasingly difficult for me to get from St Paul’s or Christ the King in time, and give due pastoral time at those churches plus appropriate Mass preparation at St Brigid’s. This Mass will be developed over coming weeks and months, involving cooperation between our 3 Churches in areas such as Children’s Liturgy and music. We can, I’m sure, work together to celebrate a truly alive liturgy, that will bring together, among others, families, children and young people in particular. To mark this new beginning, our primary school will this year join us at St Brigid’s at 11am on their feast day of Christ the King, Sunday 22nd November.

So that is the date to remember – Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd November, the Feast of Christ the King, the days that the new Mass times come in. Again, many thanks for your prayers and cooperation over the past weeks.

Fr Matthew

November

newsletter

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, which is an inspiring occasion in itself, but which also marks the beginning of the month of November. This is quickly followed on Monday by All Souls, properly known as the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. The coming together of the two feasts takes us beyond seeing November as simply “the month of the Holy Souls”, and points to that wonderful part of our faith that we call “the communion of the saints”. This is telling us that we all belong, past and present, alive and dead. We are bound together by our faith, our hope and our love.

In each church you will find a Book of Commemoration where you can write the names of your loved ones. Please enter your names, and also take a look at it from time to time in the month and offer those people to God in your prayers. All those named will be remembered in one or more “Altar List” Masses celebrated each week during the month.

Next Saturday 7th November we celebrate our annual Mass of Memories 10.00am. in Christ the King. I always enjoy this Mass, if “enjoy” is the right word. It really underlines that “communion” I just mentioned. Not only are we one in our bereavement, one with our loved ones, but we are also one with each other on our pilgrimage helping to carry our crosses. We especially name and remember those who have died over the last twelve months.

The annual Requiem for Deceased Clergy this year takes place at St Peter’s in Roath on Tuesday 10th November at 3.00pm.

Fr Matthew

Christ the King bidding prayers, 1 November 2015 (All saints day)

bidding prayers, Christ the King

Feast of All Saints  – Prayer of the Faithful

Priest  As we pray for our needs let us also remember on this feast of All Saints the great cloud of witnesses who have walked in the ways of God.

The response is ………..Lord graciously hear us

We pray for the Church as the Synod on the Family ends.  May the Holy Spirit guide us to become a more listening and consultative  church.

PAUSE

Lord hear us ………

We pray for the gentle, for those who mourn, for the merciful and for the overburdened.  May they find rest in Christ.

PAUSE

Lord hear us………

We pray for Thomas Jack Goddard who will be baptised this weekend.  As he begins his journey of faith may he be supported by his family and the church community.

PAUSE

Lord hear us ………

Let us pray for the virtue of hope, which can be a beacon of light to guide us through times of difficulty and confusion.

PAUSE

Lord hear us………..

We pray quietly for our own needs

LONGER PAUSE

We ask Mary to be our counsellor and comforter as we say Hail Mary……….

Priest  Heavenly Father we make our prayers to you trusting in your Son and the Holy Spirit for ever

Amen

Christ the King bidding prayers, 25 October 2015

bidding prayers, Christ the King

Priest: God, our Father, confident in your loving care, we bring to you all our needs.

Reader: The response to our prayers is: Hear our prayer

May we come to recognise the times when we are blind to Your promptings, and may we seek Your healing.

Pause

Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer

As the Synod on the Family reaches its conclusions this weekend, we pray that they will bring hope and welcome to those who feel excluded by the Church.

Pause

Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer

We pray that, as we go forward with our consultation on Mass times and other pastoral care, we keep in mind the bigger picture of the needs of the whole Archdiocese, and find a way forward that does not deprive others, and which includes compassion for all our priests as their numbers decline, and they still seek to respond to all our varying needs.

Pause

Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer

As the political party conference season continues, and we see the first signs of campaigning for the Assembly elections, may all the parties incorporate Christian values into their policies, and into their style of campaigning.

Pause

Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer

We ask you to receive into your kingdom all those killed in the coach accident in France, and to comfort their grieving families.

Pause

Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer

We pray for all those children and teachers killed in random shootings, and for their families: may our schools continue to be places where no young people feel excluded, and where vulnerability is met by understanding and help. May the initiatives to identify and help teenage depression, and other mental illness, be successful, so that no teenager feels they have to face that situation alone.

Pause

Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer

In the silence of our hearts we pray for all our other needs.

Longer Pause

We ask Mary, our loving mother, to join our prayers to her own as we say: Hail Mary…….

Priest:  Heavenly Father, we ask You to hear our prayers and to look with mercy on our troubled world, bringing us healing, and reconciliation with You and with each other.  We ask this through Your Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Amen

 

Christ the King bidding prayers, 18 October 2015

bidding prayers, Christ the King

The Celebrant will introduce and also conclude the prayer.

The reader should pause for several moments between the intercession and its response.

Leave about 20 seconds for the quiet prayer. There is no response after this – move straight to the Hail Mary.

CELEBRANT: Jesus suffered and was tempted and so He understands our weaknesses and needs. Let us then be confident that we shall find grace when we are in need of His help.

READER: (The response is): Hear our prayer.

READER:  Let us pray for our missionary priests and religious who spread the Good News throughout the world and for the many who have died in this endeavour.

…….. (PAUSE)……….. Loving Father ……. Hear our prayer.

READER: We pray for those who govern us that they will become great by serving all the people.

…… (PAUSE)…… Loving Father ……. Hear our prayer.

READER:  We pray for church in the Ukraine that it may be a bringer of peace and reconciliation in the war-torn country.

…. (PAUSE)…… Loving Father  …. Hear our prayer.

READER: Let us pray for Father Tomy Augustine as he starts his new mission to the people of Merthyr Tydfil and for his order, the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate who have 700 priests outside Kerala preaching the gospel in India and abroad.

(PAUSE)…… Loving Father …. Hear our prayer.

READER: For those who feed the starving, house the homeless and comfort the bereaved, may they be strengthened and encouraged by God’s grace and love.

(PAUSE)…… Loving Father .…. Hear our prayer.

READER: Let us quietly ask for any personal needs  (Long Pause)…. Let us ask the intercession of Mary, mother of the Loving Father: Our Father etc.

After a short pause the Celebrant will conclude the prayer.

CELEBRANT:  Father in heaven, You gave us your Son, Jesus Christ, as a ransom for many, so we know Your Love for us and pray that You will hear our humble petitions which we ask through Your Son, in union with the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, Amen.

Christ the King bidding prayers, 11 October 2015

bidding prayers, Christ the King

 

Note to Reader: Please PAUSE as directed between the Intention and the Response. Please read the response all the way through with the congregation especially where it is longer than usual

Priesr: Safe in our knowledge of the Father’s love for us we offer our petitions in confidence

Our response is : “Lord , Fill us with your love !”

Let us pray for the Church through the world remembering especially the work of the Synod on Marriage and Family Life currently underway in Rome. May we all be given the gift of listening to its findings and looking at our own lives in this area

PAUSE

We pray

Lord, Fill us with your love

We are horrified as we see more pictures of the plight of the refugees across Europe and we beseech the Lord to inspire us to greater efforts to assist these suffering people and to help those who look for peace in the Middle East

PAUSE

We pray

Lord, Fill us with your love

We remember the sick, the lonely , the worried, the bereaved of our community and ask the Lord to bring them the comfort they ask for . Let us seek the Lord’s blessing on the work of the Healing Café which opens in St Brigid’s this week

PAUSE

We pray

Lord, Fill us with your love

Let us remember our young people who have now departed for university and college ( many for the first time) and we ask that they may enjoy and benefit in every way from the experience . We pray that their studies will be successful and fruitful

PAUSE

We pray

Lord fill us with your love

Let us give thanks for the community of St Paul’s which has celebrated its 40th anniversary this week. We rejoice with them and pray that the community may prosper and continue to be a beacon of God’s love for us all

PAUSE

We pray

Lord, Fill us with your love

For a few quiet moments let us listen in our hearts to the voice of Our Father

LONGER PAUSE

Mary our mother is always concerned for us. Let us then join our prayers with hers saying HAIL MARY etc

Priest: Lord God hear and grant our petitions through Jesus your beloved Son who lives with you in the glory of the Spirit forever                                    AMEN