All posts by 3 churches

Governing our Catholic schools

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Attending two important meetings of Christ the King School Governors this week, I was reminded of the dedication of those who volunteer for this service to our schools and the Church. Both Christ the King and Corpus Christi schools have made and are making vital decisions about their future at present, and will continue to do so, as they both hope to set out to seek new head teachers in September. Simply put, the Governors are responsible for deciding who is admitted to the school, who teaches them, making sure they are taught in the best way possible, and sharing out the cash to do it all. Pretty important stuff!

It’s a long time since being a Governor (or Manager in the old days) was a sort of reward for being a good parishioner. The responsibilities are tremendous, and so we should all be very grateful to those who volunteer to be appointed by the diocese. One of the healthiest signs in our 3 Churches that I have seen in recent time was the very good response I received when I invited people to put themselves forward to be a Foundation Governor of Christ the King. The Archbishop’s education office was amazed when I told them how many had stepped up…

In Church schools the majority of the Governing body represent the Church and are called the Foundation Governors. They are appointed by the Trustees of the diocese, and will outnumber the other governors (head, elected staff, elected parent(s), local authority rep etc), thereby protecting the Catholic nature of the school.

For me it’s an inspiration and pleasure to work alongside our dedicated school governors, and someone said to me recently that they get the least recognition for such great responsibility.

So – consider yourselves well and truly recognised and thanked, fellow Governors both past and present!

Fr Matthew

Pentecost

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Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. After the Ascension, the disciples and Mary did as Jesus had told them – they stayed together in Jerusalem. On this day the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them, and the Church was born! The crowd could hear the apostles in their own languages and Peter went out and preached so powerfully that thousands were touched and converted. And so the journey of the People of God, the Church, began. We, of course, are writing the latest instalment of that history with our lives and words.

While the earliest stages of the Church had no need for special buildings, and was persecuted much of the time, soon greater acceptance and stability came. Numbers grew, requiring buildings to house them and especially the worshipping Church. So a tradition of church buildings began, from mighty cathedrals to simple parish churches.

Care for our 3 Churches buildings and contents is an ongoing responsibility for us all. The project to put a new roof on Christ the King Church was recently completed on schedule. We should be dry and secure for a good period now! We thank new chair of Christ the King Parish Council Chris Stevens for handling most of the responsibility for this project.

Meanwhile, St Brigid’s is gearing up to celebrate 50 years of the church building. We have four aspects to the celebration of this event. On Sunday September 21st, anniversary of the first Mass in 1964, there will be a Jubilee Lunch at the New House Hotel. Tickets for this event will be on sale from next Sunday, at £20 adults £10 children. There will be a choice of two starters, mains and desserts plus vegetarian option on the day. On Monday evening 1st December Archbishop Stack will celebrate a Thanksgiving Mass on the anniversary of the Blessing of the Church by Archbishop Murphy. Between September and November there will be competitions for the children and young people of the churches.

Lastly, new sanctuary furniture has been bought to mark the occasion. Specially commissioned for St Brigid’s, all the pieces have a St Brigid’s Cross carved into them. It will take a little while to find the best arrangement for the furniture, and the lectern will be fitted with a radio microphone, but I’m sure the environment for our worship of almighty God will be enhanced by a “matching set” to mark 50 very special years.

Fr Matthew 

Christ the King bidding prayers, 18 May 2014

bidding prayers, Christ the King,

Prayer of the Faithful – 5th Sunday of Easter  May 17/18

Priest  We lay our prayers before the Lord as we ask for hope and strength  to follow in His Way.

The response is ……..fill the earth with your love

We pray for wisdom for those in the Church in positions of authority.  May they exercise their powers with justice and right.   (Pause)

Lord…………fill the earth with your love.

St Peter told us that we are a chosen people.  So we pray that men and women will be found to spread the word and to build up the church.

(Pause)

Lord ………..fill the earth with your love

We pray for the children making their first communion this weekend and for their parents who are their first teachers    (Pause)

Lord…………fill the earth with your love

Like Thomas we do not always know the way.  We ask to be guided along the path of truth and life.      (Pause)

Lord ……….fill the earth with your love.

In a quiet moment we ask the Lord to hear our unspoken needs

( Longer pause)

Let us remember in this month of May that all generations call Mary blessed as we say

Hail Mary ………….

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

Christ the King bidding prayers, 1 June 2014

bidding prayers, Christ the King,

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL – Solemnity of The Ascension of the Lord – Year A

CELEBRANT: O God,we come before you upon this anniversary of the Ascension of our Saviour to offer our petitions, confident that you will hear our prayers                   ……………………………..

READER: The response is:     Hear our prayer.

READER: Let us pray for the work Pope Francis is doing in the cause of world-wide peace so that all may share in your bounty………

(PAUSE)……………In your mercy Lord……..Hear our prayer.

READER: Let us pray for the church throughout the world as we pray and work in the cause of peace in our own parishes and families wherever we live.

(PAUSE)……………. In your mercy Lord……..Hear our prayer.

READER:  Let us ask our loving Father to watch over the young people of St. Brigid’s and Paul’s  and Christ the King as they celebrate their confirmation.   May they gather wisdom from above as they grow in faith, knowing that the Holy Spirit is always with them as they tread their paths of life.

(PAUSE)……………..In your mercy Lord,……..Hear our prayer.

READER:   Let us remember in our prayers Patrick Michael James Wood and Logan John Ollin and their parents and god-parents, as they are presented for baptism this week-end. (PAUSE)……In your mercy Lord, …….Hear our prayer.

READER: Let us pray for the sick and suffering, from whatever cause, so that they may find respite and peace.

(PAUSE)……….…In your mercy Lord…….Hear our prayer.

 

READER:  Let us pray for Roderick Forest, husband of Anna whose funeral takes place on Friday, 6th June.  And, also, let us pray for all our loved ones who have departed.   May they rest in Your peace which passeth all understanding.

(PAUSE)……….….In your mercy Lord…….Hear our prayer.

READER:  For a few moments, let us open our hearts to the Lord             ….(Long Pause)….

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

……………………….….

After a short pause the Celebrant will conclude the prayer.

CELEBRANT: Heavenly Father, we praise You and give You thanks for Your ever-present mercy and care.   In the name of your son, our Saviour,  Jesus Christ, Our Lord.                           Amen.