Happy Easter!

Easter

Happy Easter! Against the background of pandemic and Ukraine among other things we may find it hard to greet one another with these words. But we must dig down into the roots of our faith that we celebrate on this Feast of the Resurrection. Deep down below the painful and the appalling, to reach the Good News planted in the depths of our human experience by the Jesus who burst out of the tomb on this day. May he shine his Easter light in all our lives so brightly that it shines out through our faces, our hearts, and our lives into our world. So… yes… Happy Easter!

Fr Matthew

Bidding prayers for Sunday 17 April 2022 (Easter)

bidding prayers

CELEBRANT – Gathered together on this great feast day remembering that the Lord is truly risen. We offer these prayers to God Our Father.

READER – We pray for the Church, may Christians everywhere rejoice in the resurrection of Christ. We especially pray for Ioan Davies, who has been received into the Church this Easter. We also rejoice in the baptisms of Cathy and Jessica Moore at this time.

READER – Lord Hear Us

RESPONSE – Lord Graciously Hear Us

READER – May the Risen Christ bring peace and reconciliation to war-torn countries.

READER – Lord Hear Us

RESPONSE – Lord Graciously Hear Us

READER That we as individuals bring the light of Christ to our parishes and play a more active role in strengthening and enhancing these communities.

READER Lord Hear Us

RESPONSE Lord Graciously Hear Us

READER – For those who have passed through death and into new life. We pray for Brendan Murphy, brother of Marie O’Brien, Howard Lingham, Jack Minto and Ann Warner

READER Lord Hear Us

RESPONSE Lord Graciously Hear Us

READER In quietness we stand before the Father in all our frailty, carrying all our needs and the needs of others that we know.

READER – Lord Hear Us

RESPONSE – Lord Graciously Hear Us

READER – We ask Mary the mother of Jesus to pray with us as we say Hail Mary……

CELEBRANT – Father with love and gratitude in our hearts we ask you to change our darkness into light, doubt into faith and weakness into strength. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Bidding prayers for Palm Sunday (10 April 2022)

bidding prayers

Priest: Brothers and sisters, let us pray to God who saves us.

Reader: As we begin Holy Week, we pray for the Church and for all who take up the cross as followers of Christ.

 

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Reader: We pray for the courage never to be afraid to speak up for justice.

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Reader: We pray for peace in our troubled world.

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Reader: We pray for people who feel tired and weary from the struggles of life .

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Reader: We pray for the sick and for all who care for them .

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Reader: We pray for all those who have died in our 3 Churches, remembering especially Ann Warner of Christ the King, who has died recently.

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

We turn to Mary, the Mother of God, and ask for her prayers as we say; Hail Mary…

In silence, we pray for our own needs and intentions.

Priest: God of our salvation, your love for the world has no end: hear the prayers your faithful people make, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Holy Week

Holy Week

HOLY WEEK lies at the heart of the Church’s year. We are invited to remember the saving events of the last days of Jesus’ life, his entry into Jerusalem and Last Supper there, his death at Calvary and triumphant raising at the nearby Holy Sepulchre.

With Christians across the world, let us join together in these wonderful moments which speak of who Jesus was, what he did for us and who we are now – or who we want to be. Talking of which, the parish and diocesan SYNOD REPORTS have been drawn up and are available on our parish website.

The diocesan one has been compiled from over forty parish ones from across our diocese. Our parish Synod team are preparing points from our own two reports for a way ahead. We pray that the Holy Spirit guide us all, as always, into the future.