All posts by 3 churches

Christ the King bidding prayers, Sunday 21 September 2014

bidding prayers, Christ the King

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL FOR THE 25TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

PRIEST – Let us all join together in prayer to our Heavenly Father bringing before Him the our needs and the needs of the world confident that He will listen to  us in mercy.

READER – The response to our prayers is – “ Hear our prayer “

We pray for the Church that our Holy Father, Francis, and all church leaders will join with leaders of other faiths in speaking out for peace and reconciliation in our troubled world………… pause

Heavenly Father in your great mercy……….Hear our prayer

We pray for all who suffering bereavement and for eternal rest for the souls of those who have died, in particular Paul– brother of Mark Johnson – and Keith Warner who have died in the last few days…………….pause

Heavenly Father in your great mercy…………… Hear our prayer

We pray for all who are ill, infirm or disabled that they may receive God’s healing and comfort and patience to cope with the affects of their condition…………..pause

Heavenly Father in your great mercy………… Hear our prayer

We pray for the people of Scotland that following the result of the referendum all will forget rivalries and work together for the good of all in their country…………pause

Heavenly Father in your great mercy………… Hear our prayer

Bearing in mind the message of todays gospel, we pray that all employers may treat their workers fairly and  that all employees will be consciencious in their work………..pause

Heavenly Father in your great mercy……Hear our prayer

In a few moments of silence let us bring our unspoken petitions to our Heavenly Father…………

Let us ask Mary our mother to intercede with her beloved son for us as we say….Hail Mary

PRIEST – Heavenly Father, we make all out prayers in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord………Amen

Golden opportunities

newsletter

Guests at a Baptism are often surprised to be asked to turn around and face the back of the church at the beginning of the liturgy. We then explain that we are standing at the door of the church building, reminding us that Baptism is the door into the real Church – the People of God. Buildings come and go, but the real Church goes on, whether with buildings or not. However, as soon as Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire, and wherever it has taken root in our world, God’s people have wanted a place to gather together for the Mass, a place to come for prayer and peace, a home for the Blessed Sacrament.

And so it is that this year we celebrate 50 years of St Brigid’s Church – the building. Born of the expansion of our city in the decades after the war, and taking over from the smaller and simpler previous church, we have journeyed onwards in the beautiful Church bequeathed to us.

Anniversary Mass

We remember the years and the people today at 10.30 Mass, the anniversary of the first Mass in the church.

Jubilee Lunch

We gather at the New House, where we celebrate our shared birthday!

Church display

In the Lady Chapel to the left of the altar you will find various liturgical items from the beginning of the parish. Why not take a look?

Parish booklets

Available from today are two booklets kindly prepared for us by parishioner David Mclees. The story of the building of our church provides a fascinating insight into the life and working of the parish and diocese 50 years ago. See the discarded proposals, and spot people from those days. The second booklet captures in words the amazing story of our patron Saint Brigid of Kildare. How much do you know about her? Not much, maybe. Enquire within…

Children’s competition

We are running a competition for our younger parishioners between this weekend and the anniversary of the Blessing of the Church on 1st December. Come on and show the gifts of the young people of our own time! Pick up a folder from the back of our churches.

Lastly, many, many thanks to all of you who work in the present and for the future of all 3 of our Churches. May God bless and reward you all!

Fr Matthew

Christ the King bidding prayers, 14 September 2014

bidding prayers

Celebrant: God has given us his only Son for our salvation. Therefore, we can hope that he will likewise fulfill all our other needs. We now present those needs to him with confidence.

Reader: The response to our prayers is;

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray that the Church may lift high the Cross of Christ, proclaiming forgiveness and redemption in him alone.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and take hold of the peace and justice that only he can bring.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for married couples, that their marriages will be a continuing source of grace and joy, that they will always be faithful, and that they will be able to reach out in love to others. We remember especially Natasha Wheeler and James Burgon who were married on Friday at St Brigid’s church.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the children of our parish; may they be encouraged by their parents and teachers to reach their full potential.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We ask that the sick may be blessed with patience during the difficult parts of their journey in life.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray that all who have died may experience the eternal life won by the cross of Christ.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the quiet of our hearts we place all our unspoken needs before the Lord

Let us join with the mother of our church as we say: Hail Mary…………..

Celebrant:  Father, We have looked upon your Son and have believed in him. As you grant our petitions, grant us above all the eternal life which is found only in Jesus, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Leave it to the experts, Fr Matthew

newsletter, ,

This year the Feast of the Cross falls on a Sunday. Rather than offer here a reflection for the feast, I will leave it to no less than St Paul and Jesus Himself. Here are the first reading and most of the Gospel from today’s Mass, Philippians 2:6-11 and John 3:13-17. The sentence in bold is John 3:16 – a verse which many say is the greatest in the whole Bible. If you want to memorise just one verse – it should be this one.

His state was divine,
yet he did not cling to his equality with God
but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave,
and became as men are;
and being as all men are, he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death, death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name which is above all other names
so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

The Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.

Fr Matthew