Welcome Mass at Christ the King Primary School

Christ the King, ,

On 8th October Archbishop Mark O’Toole, Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia, visited Christ the King Primary School to celebrate the annual Welcome Mass for the start of the school year.  The headteacher, Mrs Susan Miles writes:

This was a fantastic occasion for the school community.  The Archbishop was assisted by the parish clergy, Canon Matthew Jones and Father Andy Bord. The singing and reading led by the Year 6 pupils was excellent and two pupils served at the altar, assisted by a former pupil who returned from Corpus Christi High School to help. At the end of the Mass the reception class children, supported by their buddies in Year 6, joined the gathering to complete the circle of friendship.

The Welcome Mass is always a wonderful opportunity to welcome new pupils, new staff and new parents and help them to feel part of a nurturing, inclusive community that displays God’s love . This had even more significance this year as the school has been awarded “School of Sanctuary” status, one of some 600 schools across the UK to date. The school is now recognised as part of a network which welcomes and stands in solidarity with children and young people seeking safety in the UK.  We want to be a full part of that;  a school where people seeking sanctuary feel safe and have a sense of belonging; where they are able to thrive and have their voices heard. This is in alignment with Catholic Social Teaching and its principles of dignity for all and working together for the common good.

Following the Mass, Archbishop Mark toured the school and spoke to our young learners about his vocation and his role as Archbishop. The children asked some very thoughtful questions and listened intently to the answers. Archbishop Mark also joined  members of the  teaching staff , governors and parents for refreshments afterwards

Altogether It was a very special occasion that our staff and  learners will remember for a very long time. 

Archbishop Mark O'Toole (Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia) vist to Christ the King School to celebrate annual welcome mass for start of school year October 8th 2024 - image credit Studio 87 (www.studio87@btinternet.com)
Archbishop Mark O’Toole (Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia) visit to Christ the King School to celebrate annual welcome mass for start of school year October 8th 2024 – image credit Studio 87 (www.studio87@btinternet.com)

 

Archbishop Mark O'Toole (Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia) vist to Christ the King School to celebrate annual welcome mass for start of school year October 8th 2024 - image credit Studio 87 (www.studio87@btinternet.com)
Archbishop Mark O’Toole (Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia) visit to Christ the King School to celebrate annual welcome mass for start of school year October 8th 2024 – image credit Studio 87 (www.studio87@btinternet.com)

 

Cruse Bereavement Remembrance Concert

Christ the King

Friday 13 December 2024, 6.30pm to 8pm.

Christ the King Church, Newborough Avenue, Llanishen, CF14 5DB.

Free entry.

Join us at the first annual Cruse Remembrance Concert for anyone who wants to remember someone they have lost.

Performance by the Corpus Christie Harmonics Choir.

Light a candle in their memory.

Refreshments included. Children welcome.

Cruse Bereavement Remembrance Concert, Friday 13 December 2024. 6.30pm to 8pm. Christ the King Church.

Volunteer and make a real difference in your community

volunteering, ,

Good Neighbours in North Cardiff (GNIC) was established in 1981 by Llanishen Churches Together. At that time known as ‘Llanishen Good Neighbours’, they registered as a charity in 2000. In 2015 the charity renamed itself to ‘Good Neighbours in North Cardiff’ which reflects the areas covered – Thornhill, Llanishen, Lisvane, Heath, Roath Park, Lakeside and west Cyncoed. In 2024 the group is expanding to include Rhiwbina in its service area.

If you would like to volunteer with GNIC and make a real difference to your community, email support@gninc.org.uk or call 02920 750751. For more information download the leaflet for volunteering or for client organisations wishing to get involved.

You can also visit the GNIC website to find out how to become a volunteer or a client. 

 

An update on our Synod action plan

synod, ,

In  October 2021, in preparation for the Worldwide Synod in Rome, we were invited to be part of the listening process by reflecting on our experiences and offering our thoughts about the church of the future.  We held meetings and collected written responses.  Early in 2022 we sent our conclusions to the Diocese whose report contributed to the national (Wales and England) report and to the continental (Europe) report.   

The first of two Synod sessions took place in October 2023 – the second takes place this October. The report of the first session entitled ‘ A Synodal Church in Mission’ speaks of  ‘A church which integrates communion, mission and participation’.  It describes a synodal church as characterised by praying, listening, speaking and discerning and as ‘Christians walking in communion with Christ towards the Kingdom, along with the whole of humanity’.

So how are we doing in light of this challenging agenda?  What have we done since we did our reports in March 2022?

The two Parish Advisory Councils met in October 2022.  We identified  three areas for action – outreach to our local community, catering for families and young people and communications. 

The Free Food Market was already running and there were plans for a Sustainable Clothes and Books Market and a weekly Welcome Space. All three are flourishing and the feedback from those who attend demonstrates we are building good and supportive links with the local community.  Quiz nights and the Winter film afternoons provide further social dimensions to this outreach.  We have also produced a leaflet about the 3 Churches for the occupants of new housing in the area and to share with friends, neighbours and visitors to our churches.

We have improved our links with families and after the disruption of the pandemic it is a joy to see them returning.  We have strengthened our ties with Christ the King Primary School ; we have Sunday morning children’s liturgies in St Paul’s and Christ the King; and monthly family Masses at Christ the King.  The sacramental programmes continue to flourish – there are 45 children preparing for First Communion and around 20 young people for Confirmation.  But we are still not catering for young people once they have been confirmed.  The Diocese is developing a youth service and we want to help our young people to participate in the activities they offer. 

As regards communications there has been a lot of activity.  The content and format of this  newsletter have been revised, the website is being updated, the 5th edition of the Grapevine magazine is about to be published, the 3 Churches Directory has been updated and we now stream services from St Brigid’s and Christ the King.  In this newsletter you will find information about establishing the register of 3 church members – a key request in the Synod sessions following  the difficulties of keeping in touch during the pandemic.  

We are making progress.  In the coming months with the establishment of the Deanery Pastoral Council we hope to offer our experience to other parishes and to learn from them about becoming a Synodal Church which listens and integrates communion, mission and participation.   If you have ideas for achieving this please make your voice heard. 

 

Elizabeth Taylor       Chair Christ the King Parish Advisory Council

Karen Sylvester       Chair St Brigid’s and St Paul’s Parish Advisory Council

The original image of Divine Mercy

newsletter

The Divine Mercy

The Divine Mercy image is well-known and can be seen in many churches. What is less well-known is that the one we are familiar with was not the original version. The first painting was made in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, under the supervision of St Faustina Kowalska and her confessor, Fr Sopoćko. She gave the artist instructions about the appearance of the image, which she said she had received from Jesus Christ in a vision. The final painting satisfied neither Fr Sopocko nor Faustina, but she later wrote that Jesus told her it was not that important for the picture to be beautiful since true beauty would be the blessing that he would bestow upon people by means of the painting. 

After its completion in 1934, the painting hung in the Bernardine Sisters’ convent in Vilnius, but Faustina wrote that Jesus told her to inform her confessor that the proper place for the painting was in a church. So the first public exposition of the painting was in April 1935, at the Church of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, and then in 1937 it was put on display beside the main altar in the large St. Michael’s Church. 

In 1948, the Soviet authorities, who then occupied Lithuania, closed St. Michael’s Church, but the painting remained in the disused church building until 1951, when two local women bought the canvas from a guard and concealed it in an attic for several years. 

Later, they gave it to the parish priest at the Church of the Holy Spirit for safekeeping, but he chose not to display it in the church. Fr Sopocko, now living in Poland, expressed concern about it to a friend, who obtained the painting and moved it to his own parish church in Nova Ruda, in Belarus. There, it was displayed and venerated by the local parishioners. In 1970, the Soviets closed that church and used it as a storage warehouse but left the painting hanging in the disused church, where people continued to venerate it in secret. 

In 1986, the painting was replaced by a copy and the original secretly transported back to the Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius. There it underwent a restoration and was displayed. Finally, after the fall of Communism, in 2003 the painting, which had deteriorated because of exposure, attempts at cleaning, and the previous restoration, was professionally restored to its original look. Finally in 2005, it was moved to its current location, above the main altar in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Vilnius. So, four locations in Vilnius, then to Belarus and eventually back home to Vilnius.