Sunday 1 July is special for us in our 3 Churches as the by-the-Father will celebrate his first Mass (see notice on page 2). However, it’s also special across our diocese as it is an “Adoremus Sunday”. Taking its name from the National Eucharistic Congress in September, this is a chance to invite a friend to “come and see” the Church at its most important – the Mass. This is a simple and perhaps unthreatening way of sharing our faith -something that we are often very reticent about in Britain, for various reasons, many historical.

There are two stages to this plan.

1. This Sunday you are invited to take an invitation card. Over the next few days think and pray about who you should give it to. Fill in the details about which Mass you will invite them to (the card is for them, not for you!) and make the invitation in your best friendly style…
2. Then on 1 July accompany your “guest” to Mass and help make it an inviting and inspiring experience. Now this actually applies to all of us. A special booklet for our guests will be given out, and we can all contribute to the three “H”s – excellent hymn singing (all of us), excellent hospitality (all of us), excellent homilies (well I suppose that’s restricted to just a few of us)

Thinking of hospitality – each congregation should think about how to interpret that – and in any case, do it better than usual. If your Mass already has tea ‘n’ biscuits, up the odds to something a bit better. If your Mass usually does nothing regarding hospitality – think about what you can do to make people welcome on 1 July – and maybe more frequently afterwards! Put your thinking caps on and let’s do something!

There are 100 cards per church – let’s bring in 300 people to the heart of our parish life. Take a card, choose a guest, give them the card, bring them along.

Let’s all make them feel welcome on 1 July – and leave the rest to the Lord!

Fr Matthew

On Friday 29 June, the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, Deacon Peter Davies will be ordained priest at St Brigid’s. Archbishop George Stack will preside and ordain him during Mass at 7pm. And everyone is invited!

1. Please note that in view of this very special occasion – I’m sure many have never been present at an ordination – this will be the only Mass in our 3 Churches for the feast of Sts Peter and Paul.
There will be no morning Mass at St Paul’s or lunch-time at Christ the King. In other words, it will be a 3 Churches Mass! There will be Mass at 8am at St Peter’s, 9.15am at St Joseph’s and 10am at St Teilo’s, for those who cannot make the evening – but I would really encourage you to come along to make this Ordination Mass a wonderful occasion.

2. After the Mass, you are invited to a Bring & Share Supper in St Brigid’s Hall.
Please bring your “finger only” food to the Hall before Mass.
3. Peter will celebrate his First Mass at St Brigid’s at the usual 11am time (Sunday 1 July). Once again, all are very welcome, and there will be coffee afterwards, as usual on the first Sunday.
4. People have asked about a gift to Peter, and so a special collection next weekend will be held at the end of all five Masses, and we will be buying a set of vestments for Peter. As you know, his full-time ministry is as Chaplain in the Cardiff hospitals, mainly the Heath and Llandough, and he needs vestments for Masses there. 5. Once he is ordained there will be discussion with the Archbishop about any other ministry he may undertake. We must remember that along with, of course, his wife Gloria and children, the hospitals are his priority.

This will be an inspiring, moving and joyful celebration, and hopefully a good number of priests will be present. Among other moments, we witness the candidate prostrating on the floor during the Litany of Saints, the solemn moment of laying on of hands by the archbishop and all the priests in silence, the vesting and handing over of sacred vessels, and (one of my favourite parts) the sign of peace with all us other priests, as we welcome him into the most wonderful fellowship in the world – the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Be there!

Fr Matthew

Who is the first person since Jesus to have Cambridge and Oxford colleges named after him?

In 1973 one of the colleges in Cambridge changed its named from “University College” to “Wolfson College”. There was already a Wolfson College in Oxford, also named after Sir Isaac Wolfson, founder of the incredibly generous Wolfson Foundation. It was observed with humour at the time that Sir Isaac was the first person since Jesus to have colleges named after him in both universities. Indeed, both have a Jesus College and a Trinity College, Cambridge has Christ’s College and Oxford has Christchurch.

However, there is one particular aspect of our faith in Our Lord that also has colleges named after it in both – and that is Corpus Christi. In Cambridge, Corpus Christi College was established way back in 1352 by the Guild of Corpus Christi. “The other place” followed a little later in 1517, when Corpus Christi Oxford was founded by the Bishop of Winchester.

The fact that both of our ancient universities have such colleges reminds us how ancient is this feast in honour of the Holy Eucharist. It seems to have started in the early 1200s and was established for the whole church over the next century. By the time the Colleges were founded it was an extremely important Feast in the Church’s Year, and many institutions were dedicated to Corpus Christi. Sadly only some 30 years after the Oxford College was founded the Church of England abolished the feast, though it has been revived in many Anglican churches.

So in celebrating this feast in honour of the Body and Blood of Christ, we are joining millions across the world and down through the centuries. Let us use the day to renew and joyfully deepen our own faith in what our First Holy Communion programme calls “God’s Greatest Gift”.

Fr Matthew