Tag Archives: lent

Lent 2025

lent,

The season of Lent has begun, and many received the ashes on Wednesday to mark this important stage in the Church’s year. It is a season of renewal and repentance leading up to our commemoration and celebration of the great events of Holy Week and Easter.  In addition to our own personal practices for this important season, here are some of the ways we are observing Lent in our 3 Churches this year.

CAFOD Family Fast Day this Friday 14 March. Fasting and giving charitably are two of the three central observances of Lent, the other being prayer. Please give generously for our brothers and sisters who have so much less than we do.

Penitential Service – Saturday 22 March 11am at Christ the King. An opportunity to celebrate Reconciliation in a community setting. To undertake a change of heart takes us to the centre of Lent.

Passion Play – Friday 4 April 7pm at St Brigid’s Church   Special for this year is a performance of the highly regarded Clydach Passion Play, performed by people from the Swansea area. Tickets will be £5.

Stations of the Cross – Thursdays 10am (after Mass) at Christ the King, Fridays 9am (before Mass) at St Paul’s, Saturday 9am (before Mass) at St Brigid’s. Also, at Christ the King at 3.30pm on the Sundays of 6 April and 13 April. Come and follow Christ in his last journey to Calvary, in this moving traditional devotion.

Confessions  – Friday St Paul’s 10am  Saturday St Brigid’s 10am Christ the King Saturday 5.40pm. In addition to our Lenten Penitential Service we have assigned our usual times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as well as by appointment.  Don’t pass this opportunity by in this season.

Lent is coming…

lent

Fast from judging others,
feast on the Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences;
feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness;
feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness;
feast on the healing power of God
Fast from words that pollute;
feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent;
feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger;
feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism;
feast on optimism.
Fast from discouragement;
feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress;
feast on verities that uplift.
Fast from laziness;
feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion;
feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken;
feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow;
feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip;
Feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm;
Feast on prayer that sustains life.

Lent

lent

How is your Lent going? Here are some ways to help us celebrate the season.

  • our Stations of the Cross with reflections by parishioners continue from St Brigid’s on Saturdays at 9.30, live-streamed on our website
  • next weekend we will take our Lenten Alms for Ukraine at all Masses – please contribute generously if you can
  • there will be a 3 Churches Reconciliation Service for Lent at St Paul’s on Wednesday 30 March at 7pm with individual Confession

Fr Matthew

Conversion and repentance

newsletter, , ,

Dear friends and parishioners

We are at the middle part of the great season of Lent, when the Church brings us to the central Lenten theme of conversion and repentance. The Church reminds us in the first reading today of God’s Word to us at Sinai, urging us to live his life and walk in his ways. We are then urged in the Gospel to cleanse the Temple of our hearts so that we can enthrone there Christ, who St Paul proclaims in the second reading to be “the power and the wisdom of God.” Let us spend some time during the week reflecting on our situation in life, on our journey in faith, and prepare to bring our sins next Sunday to that same Jesus, to the Father and to the Spirit, to receive “pardon and peace”.

Fr Matthew