Lent is fast approaching…

lent

A SEASON BEGINNING WITH ASHES

On Ash Wednesday 17 February this year you are invited to prepare your own ashes, which will be virtually blessed during Mass and then you can put on each other, or on yourself.

A SEASON OF PENITENCE

This year will be marked by the Penitential Rite being emphasised at each Sunday Mass during Lent culminating in communal Absolution on the 4th Sunday of Lent, 14 March.

A SEASON FOR THE WORD

We will restart the Lenten Groups that were cut short last year on the theme ‘Hearts on Fire’.

A SEASON TO SHARE THE LITURGY

Our Sunday evening 6pm Liturgy of the Word via Zoom will offer interactive worship on various themes during Lent. The Zoom code is: 9851280988. The Password is: Church.

AND A SEASON TO WALK WITH JESUS

During this year when so many have joined Jesus in his struggles, we will follow the Stations of the Cross live-streamed from St Brigid’s every Saturday commencing 20 February at 9.30 in place of Mass. We will pause at two or three Stations each week in a reflective way. Most of us can “connect” with at least one of the Stations from our own experience of judging, or assisting, or keeping going etc – the great themes of the Stations. This year we want to bring the Stations alive by listening to one another’s story. One of the organisers Ami Liddington writes: “Lent is fast approaching. We will be running Stations of the Cross every Saturday morning via live-streaming at St Brigid’s. We would love to receive life reflections from as many people as possible, across our 3 Churches. For more information and / or to volunteer a reflection, please contact Ami Liddington on liddingtona@talktalk.net.”

Watch out for a special LENT FLYER that will have all the details you need for Lent.

~ Fr Matthew

Thank you Des!

newsletter

Dear parishioners and friends of our 3 Churches,

We are blessed in our 3 Churches with so many people involved in so many different ministries etc.  It’s hard to keep up sometimes with who’s doing what!

Important then to acknowledge long service, and so we are delighted to express our thanks to Des Woods who has recently given up coordinating the writing of the Intercessions (Bidding Prayers) in Christ the King for many years, keeping the rota etc. Thank you Des!

If there is someone that you think we should recognise for long service, let me know…

~ Fr Matthew

Christ the King Bidding Prayers for the 4th Sunday of year B, 2021

bidding prayers, Christ the King

Priest: Confident in our Father’s love for us, we bring to Him the concerns in our hearts.

Reader: The response to our prayers is “Hear our prayer”

  1. May we open our hearts and minds to listen to Pope Francis and all those who have a prophetic mission in the Church.

Pause

Merciful Father: Hear our prayer.

  1. We welcome Maisie Grace Zendaya Nkhata into the Church this weekend. May she grow strong in the love of Christ through the support of her parents and godparents, and of our parish community.

Pause

Merciful Father: Hear our prayer.

  1. We give thanks for all those whose lives and work proclaim Your love: help us all to serve the communities in whose life we share.

Pause

Merciful Father: Hear our prayer.

  1. We pray for all those who follow Christ in the Priesthood and the Consecrated Life. May they be faithful to their calling of witnessing to You through prayer and service, and may those who hear this call respond generously.

Pause

Merciful Father: Hear our prayer.

  1. Today is also the feast of St John Bosco. We pray for all those who, like him, work with young people, and especially at this time, for those supporting them through the pressures and consequences of lockdown.

Pause

Merciful Father: Hear our prayer.

  1. We pray that manufacturers find the means to rapidly increase the supplies of vaccines against Covid-19, so that all countries and communities may receive an equal share quickly.

Pause

Merciful Father: Hear our prayer.

            In the silence of our hearts we pray for all our other needs.

            Pause

We ask Mary, our mother, to offer our prayers with her own, us as we say

Hail Mary ….

Priest: Heavenly Father, we ask you to look down on our needy world with compassion, and help nations and individuals to be guided only by your values. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen