All posts by 3 churches

Christ the King bidding prayers, 13 July 2014

bidding prayers, Christ the King

CELEBRANT: Those who hear the Word are promised a rich harvest, so it is with confidence that we approach the Lord in prayer.

READER:The response is: Lord, graciously hear us.

READER: We pray for all the baptised, called to be priest, prophet and king. May the seeds of the Spirit grow in our hearts so that by the Word we may bring many more to love the Lord.

…….. (PAUSE)……….. Lord, hear us……. Lord, graciously hear us.

READER: May the leaders of Israel and Palestine agree to suspend all fighting and with great patience work for a peaceful settlement that provides justice.

…… (PAUSE)…… Lord, hear us……. Lord, graciously hear us.

READER: For a good harvest for farmers in countries which suffer from drought, floods and impoverished soil. 

 …. (PAUSE)…… Lord, hear us.…. Lord, graciously hear us.

READER: Let us pray for those trapped in their own vale of tears, who can see no hope or way forward. May they find a seed of Christ in their hearts to comfort them in their hour of need.    

 (PAUSE)…… Lord, hear us.…. Lord, graciously hear us.

READER: For those who have died recently. We remember John Austin, father of Kate Congdon, may he rest in peace, and ask for comfort for the Congdon and Austin families.

 PAUSE)…… Lord, hear us.…. Lord, graciously hear us.

READER:  Let us offer up the needs of our hearts .…. (Long Pause)…. Let us ask the intercession of Mary, Mother of God: Hail Mary, full of grace, etc.

 After a short pause the Celebrant will conclude the prayer.

CELEBRANT: O God, Sower of the seed, hear these prayers and may your Word in us yield a fruitful harvest. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

30 years of children’s liturgy

newsletter, ,

Is it a crèche? No! Is it time out for parents? No! What is it? It’s Children’s Liturgy, or Liturgy of the Word for Children, to give it its proper name.

2014 marks thirty years of Children’s Liturgy at Christ the King, and it was one of the very first parishes in our diocese to make this provision. We will be celebrating the fact at a special 10.30 Mass at Christ the King on Sunday 28th September.

The Church has always shown particular care for the faith journey of children – we can see Catholic schools everywhere, for example. But this applies also to their week-by-week experience of the worship of the Church – the Liturgy. With the best will in the world, three readings in sometimes difficult language is too much for our young brothers and sisters to absorb (some would say it’s too much for most of us!). So we can make provision for children to experience the Liturgy of the Word in a way that is adapted for them. In this way, while the adults are celebrating that part of the Mass in the Church, the children are also celebrating the Word in an appropriate fashion in a hall or meeting room.

So, no, it is definitely not a crèche, just taking kids somewhere out of the main church, and it is certainly not an opportunity for grown-ups to skip the sermon! Parishes are required to have well-prepared adults lead well- prepared Children’s Liturgy.

As this will be based on the reading or readings of that Sunday, it is important to note that this is not for very young children, and many parishes restrict it to primary school age children for that reason. The presence of very little ones can make it difficult to lead in a way that is fitting for such a wide age group. Neither do parents need to stay more than an introductory session or two, unless they wish to become leaders themselves, have their safeguarding checks etc. Their place is with the rest of the adults in the Church.

We are enormously grateful to those who give, and have given, of their time and gifts to lead the Children’s Liturgy in our 3 Churches – during Mass at St Paul’s 9am, Christ the King and St Brigid’s 10.30am. Congratulations to Christ the King for 30 years – and still very much going strong. All who have attended as children or as helpers are specially invited to the Mass and gathering on 28th September, but indeed all parishioners are welcome to mark this great occasion.

3 churches mass 2014

3 churches mass,

A selection of photos from today’s 3 churches mass at Corpus Christi High School, ‘Living Stones’.

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Christ the King, bidding prayers, 6 July 2014

bidding prayers, Christ the King

PRAYER of the FAITHFUL – 14th Sunday of the Year 2014

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.

P. Today’s readings assure us again of the Father’s care and compassion for us. Therefore, with total trust we place our petitions before Him

R. Our response today is:

      “Father, bring us the joy that never ends”

R. Let us pray for the Universal Church and especially for our family of Three Churches as we celebrate a Joint Mass together tomorrow. May it bring many blessings on our parishes and on our efforts to walk in the light of the Lord

Pause

 R.  We pray

Father bring us the joy that never ends

R. At the Three Churches Mass tomorrow Sebastian, son of Max and Ceri Davies will join our Christian family in the Sacrament of Baptism. We pray now for him, his parents and godparents, who will be his first teachers, as he starts his pilgrim journey

Pause

R     We pray

Father, bring us the joy that never ends

R. Let us pray for peace in the Middle East and remember especially the parents of the young Cardiff men who have been drawn into the war. May the young men be kept safe and return to their families at some time

Pause

R. We pray

Father, bring us the joy that never ends

R. Let us give thanks to the Lord for our two excellent schools and ask for guidance for those who must select headteachers for both schools over the coming months

Pause

R. We pray

Father bring us the joy that never ends

R. We pray now for the sick, the lonely, the bereaved, the depressed and the worried of our community and ask the Lord to comfort and console them in their time of need

Pause

R. We pray

Father, bring us the joy that never ends

R. In the quiet of our hearts let us listen to the voice of the Father

LONGER PAUSE

R. We ask Mary our mother to help us to pray saying HAIL MARY…etc.

P. Loving Father hear and grant our petitions through Jesus your beloved Son

Amen

3-2-1 after 10 years

3 churches mass, St Brigids,

As we have previously announced, September sees the 50th anniversary of the opening of the present St Brigid’s Church. Today’s 3 Churches Mass reminds me that September also marks another, if shorter, anniversary – the tenth year of the 3 Churches working together. Yes, it will be ten years since Archbishop Peter Smith asked me to move from St Cadoc’s to be parish priest of St Brigid’s with St Paul’s, and Christ the King.

I remember him telling me that they were to remain two parishes – Christ the King on the one hand, and St Brigid’s/St Paul’s on the other. However, I quickly realised that perils lay ahead if such distinctions were allowed to dominate things. If this was to work it would have to be three churches, rather than two parishes, hence our website motto: “three churches, two parishes, one family”. Parishes are like individuals and families, they have their own “story”, and stories here had been quite different, in terms of traditions, leadership styles and so on.

I also quickly realised that it would be good to have a project to get people working together in a practical way. 2005 was to be the Year of the Eucharist, and so our 3 Churches Mass was born. The aim was, of course, principally to mark that special Year, but also to put people in touch with each other, to collaborate and cooperate in the planning and celebration of the Mass. This still remains the case. I am enormously grateful to all those many, many folks who help and have helped in the past to mark this annual occasion. I am especially grateful to those from all three churches who have worked with me over these ten years in the Working Group that plans and organises the day.

So let’s all enjoy our special Mass and celebration today – our tenth, including a few on Maundy Thursdays. Let’s continue to work ever more closely together, because that is what being Catholic means – not my church or my parish, but we, us, all together, one family in Christ, bound together by our shared faith, our bonds through the bishops of the world – and, as we mark in a particular way this year, the journey of the Sacraments that starts with Baptism.

Fr Matthew