Download our 3 churches newsletter for Sunday 1 February 2015 (St Brigid) below.
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3 churches newsletter, 25 January 2015
Download issue 4/15 of our 3 churches newsletter for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B).
ACTA – a call to action
Dialogue within the Church
Some two and a half years ago a group of lay people and clergy came together to discuss how to encourage dialogue within the Church as a means of helping to prepare for future challenges. From that has grown a group of some 1500-2000 lay, religious and clergy across most of the dioceses of England. The movement towards increased dialogue between different groups within the Church echoes the call in Lumen Gentium ‘this familiar dialogue between the laity and their pastors’ (LG, 37), suggesting that dialogue of this kind ought to be happening and to be fairly habitual. It is also consistent with the call of Pope Francis during his visit to Brazil for ”dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. ”
The Synod held in Rome in October 2014 considered the responses from lay, religious and clergy from around the world to their survey on attitudes towards marriage and family life. They have published a summary of these discussions including those areas where there was limited agreement.
The concluding paragraph includes the following: ‘These proposed reflections, the fruit of the synodal work which took place in great freedom and with a spirit of reciprocal listening, are intended to raise questions and indicate points of view which will later be developed and clarified through reflection in the local Churches in the intervening year leading to the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled for October, 2015, to treat The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World.’
The Family Life Commission within our archdiocese will be publishing further information in the ‘Catholic People’ at the end of January.
ACTA is currently active in most dioceses in England and is helping to facilitate these discussions in a number of them. An ACTA group in the Archdiocese of Cardiff is holding its inaugural meeting at 7.00pm on Monday 2nd February 2015 in St Brigid’s Hall. All are welcome
Further information is available from Frank Callus (Jnr!) of St Peter’s parish – fbcallus@aol.com or Mobile: 07956 005459
3 churches newsletter, 18 January 2015
Download the 3 churches newsletter for Sunday 18 January 2015, issue 3/15.
Time for Sales
St Francis de Sales is one of the great spiritual writers among the saints. He was born in French Savoy in 1567. Educated in Paris, he was ordained priest in 1593. He became Bishop of Geneva, a very difficult appointment in the time of the Reformation, as it was the centre of Calvinism. During his years as bishop, he acquired a reputation as a spellbinding preacher and something of an ascetic. His motto was, “He who preaches with love, preaches effectively.” His goodness, patience and mildness became proverbial. He died in 1622.
He is remembered especially for his writings, being patron writers and journalists. His most famous work was the “Introduction to the Devout Life”. Here are some pieces of wisdom from this great saint:
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.
Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed. Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.
We must never undervalue any person. The workman loves not that his work should be despised in his presence. Now God is present everywhere, and every person is His work.
There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust.
There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love – every man works his oar voluntarily!
And lastly, one of my favourites:
Those who love to be feared fear to be loved.
Fr Matthew
Christ the King bidding prayers, 11 January 2015
Baptism of the Lord 2015
P. The Father has called us as His chosen people and enables us by His constant gifts. Let us ask again for the special graces which we need at this time
R Our response is “Lord may we listen to your law”
R.we pray for the Universal Church that it may be given the wisdom to embrace the changes which Pope Francis seeks to introduce
PAUSE
R.We pray……… Lord may we listen to your Law
R.Together with the rest of the world we look with horror on the Parisian killings and pray for the victims and their families and friends. Let us pray also that we may always seek to preserve the precious gift of free speech
Pause
R. we pray…….Lord may we listen to your law
R.We pray for families everywhere remembering the anguish of parents parted forever from children and loved ones due to war illness and famine. We ask also for the gift of peace in our own families and for the grace to preserve it
PAUSE
R.We pray…..Lord may we listen to your law
R.Let us pray for all the deceased of our community remembering especially Graham Perryman who has died recently. May the Lord welcome them all into Paradise and grant their grieving families the comfort of His love.
Pause
R. We pray…Lord may we listen to your law
R. We remember the worried, the sick and the lonely in our parish family and ask the Lord to comfort each one of them and their families, carers and medical support teams
Pause
R. We pray………Lord may we listen to your law
R. In the silence of our hearts let us listen to the voice of our beloved Father
Longer pause
R.We ask Mary our mother to join her prayer to ours saying Hail Mary
Etc
P. Lord we ask you to hear and grant our petitions
Through Jesus your beloved Son
AMEN