Tag Archives: newsletter

Farewell to Fr Tomy

newsletter,

This week Fr Tomy leaves us after five years ministry here. He followed Fr James back in 2010 (who is now a parish priest in Jacksonville, Florida, by the way). I find it hard to imagine what Fr Tomy faced when he came. His ministry had been in schools, not in parishes, he had not lived ever with fewer than six or seven people, came from a different cultural background, and close to his family. Now he was in the UK, far from his relations, serving in a parish, and living with just me! How different it must have all been…

He slowly settled in and got to know everybody, and has found a special place in our 3 Churches. He made strong contact with others from his home state of Kerala, particularly those who, like him, belong to the Syro-Malabar Rite. We must remember that we belong to just one Rite of the Catholic Church, the so-called Latin Rite. There are many others, such as the Maronite Rite centred in Lebanon, and the Chaldean Rite, centred in Iraq. Fr Tomy was not at all used to celebrating Mass in our rite, and that was, as they say, a steep learning curve for him.

The Sacraments have been central in his ministry here – the Mass, Confessions, Communion to the Sick. We have shared all the Baptisms and Funerals, again an area where local traditions have to be taken onboard.

Now he leaves us for the Merthyr Tydfil group of parishes where he will work with Fr Barry English (a very distant relation of mine). The group comprises St Mary’s in Merthyr itself, where Fr Barry lives, St Illtyd’s in Dowlais, where a permanent deacon lives in the house much of the time, St Benedict’s in Merthyr Vale, which covers the village of Aberfan, known to all of us, and St Aloysius in the Gurnos area, where he will be resident.

So another new environment awaits him, but he can be assured of our prayers and best wishes as he moves on Friday. I hope that many will be able to attend his farewell Mass and bring-and-share supper on Thursday evening at 7.30pm.

Fr Matthew

The word and the signs

newsletter

Question: What did Jesus spend most of his time doing during his three years of public ministry? Answer: preaching the Word and healing. Over the next few weeks we have chances to share in the Church’s ongoing ministry of the Word and the Signs.

Next weekend we welcome Fr Pat Collins to our 3 Churches.
On Saturday 10th he is a main speaker at our diocesan “Proclaim” meeting at St David’s College, that we have been advertising (for details see inside the newsletter).
Before that, on Friday evening he will lead a Healing Service in St Brigid’s Church at 7.00pm at which all are welcome. Then on Sunday evening he will speak on ‘Listening to the Voice of God’ at our regular “Sunday Praise” gathering in St Brigid’s at 7.30pm, at which, again, all are very welcome. Following this the Healing Cafe opens for business at St Brigid’s hall on Fridays 16th and 23rd October 7-8pm. (also see details inside).
Fr Pat Collins is one of the most gifted and experienced speakers that I have heard. He was born in Dublin in 1945. He joined the Vincentians and was ordained in 1971. He taught in Northern Ireland where he got involved in the Charismatic Renewal and the Ecumenical Movement. Next he trained as a counsellor and spiritual director, and spent several years preaching in parishes around Ireland. To date he has spoken in 26 countries in four continents.
In the early 90’s he joined the staff in All Hallows College, Dublin, gaining an M.A. in spirituality and also taught the subject. In 1991, he had his first two books published, and in recent years has published many more books, written hundreds of articles, recorded many tapes and CDs/DVDs, and participated in numerous radio and T.V. programmes in various countries. More recently he gained a degree in the New Evangelisation in Detroit, graduating in 2008. Since then he has been trying to devote as much time as possible to the New Evangelization. Find out more at www.patcollinscm.webs.com

Building Missionary Parishes

newsletter

A message from the Bishops of England & Wales

We invite every member of the Catholic community in England and Wales to pray for, participate in and support the work of evangelisation – our task of deepening, sharing and proclaiming our faith, sensitively and confidently, wherever we may be.
In July a national conference took place in Birmingham at which representatives of every Diocese looked at this task of spreading the Gospel message. At Proclaim ’15 many practical ideas were explored and exchanged. These are now available for your consideration. Our hope is that every parish will look at these suggestions and take up one or two of them, chosen according to your own circumstances. Our initiative has this theme: building missionary parishes. This is so important as the challenges to faith today are many and deep-rooted.

Pope Francis shows us that the true heart of faith is hugely attractive. He shows us how to let our faith be seen. He does this by making clear the great mercy of God, the mercy that he has received and that he shows to all. The mercy of God is God’s love in action, reaching out to every person, to each one of us in our weakness… As we understand this… then we are freed to offer the same mercy to those around us. In doing so, we show forth the best of our faith. Our response to Pope Francis is to make the task of proclaiming God’s mercy the priority in our own efforts. This we will strive to do most especially during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, established by Pope Francis, beginning this December… So we ask your help. Together let us Proclaim God’s Mercy.

The key, then, to showing our faith in the way we live is to be ready to live constantly in the presence of God, knowing that God never takes his eyes off us, not to catch us out, but because he loves us so much. When we are constantly aware of that loving gaze which is upon us, and of the mercy and encouragement that flows our way, then we are enabled to look on others in the same way.

These are the foundations of evangelisation. On them, other steps can be built: the opportunity to speak about our faith; the expression of that love in programmes of action towards those most in need; a loving care for those who have been hurt by life and hurt within the Church, for whom any return to the practice of their faith is particularly difficult. In this effort for evangelisation we seek out ways of accompanying others, through friendship, through prayer, through conversation, so that they sense in us the welcome that God most certainly extends to them. Our efforts need not be complicated or heroic. As Our Blessed Lady reminds us, through our humble efforts the Lord can do great things!

Finally, we your bishops want to thank each and every one of you for the witness that you already give. Your presence at Mass is a good example. By coming to Mass you not only give due worship to God but also publicly proclaim your faith to everyone who knows of your commitment and routine. We thank you for your daily efforts in family living, the patterns of family life that you work hard to sustain. The family is the first and best school of faith, of prayer and of virtuous living.

Thank you all indeed!