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PENTECOST SUNDAY
Today is the Feast of Pentecost and the final day of the Easter season. In fact, Pentecost or Whit Sunday is also a great feast in its own right. Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit into the life of the Church and how that power enables us to preach the Gospel everywhere. Today is sometimes known as the ‘birthday of the Church’ because it marks the transition from the time of Jesus’s earthly mission to the age of the Church and the presence of Christ throughout time and history. The Holy Spirit brings everything that the Church needs, and we can all share in the gifts that the Spirit bestows by our participation in the life of the Church. To each of us, the Spirit brings gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. As we celebrate this great feast of the Church’s life, let us also remember in prayer all our young parishioners who were preparing to celebrate their Confirmation this May. We look forward to seeing them again soon and celebrating their Confirmation at a rearranged time.

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FR DAVID WRITES
Last Thursday we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension, forty days after Easter. We are now in the time of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost, when we are invited to join the first disciples spiritually who looked for the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit. We too want to ask God the Holy Spirit to renew his gifts among us and empower us to really live our Christian witness. We will celebrate the great Feast of Pentecost next Sunday – the fiftieth and final day of Easter time. That date, sadly, reminds us that we have almost celebrated an entire season, Easter time, without the physical presence of the faithful at church. However, we are really strengthened and consoled by your prayers and spiritual presence, especially by those who are praying for the parish at home, and those who are able to join our celebrations and Holy Hours online or by telephone. Let us really ask the Holy Spirit to help us through this trial and to strengthen the gifts of faith and love that he brings to our lives.

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FR DAVID WRITES
This weekend we celebrate the Sixth Sunday of Easter conscious that we are fast approaching the climax of the Easter season. This Thursday is Ascension Thursday, the fortieth day of Eastertide. Of course this would normally be a holy day, but just like Sundays and other feasts right now, the obligation is removed. Please join us online if you can or pray with us in your home. Our Mass on Thursday will be at 10am on the live-stream.

Next Sunday will be the Seventh Sunday of Easter, and in two weeks we will celebrate the great feast of Pentecost.

Many thanks to everyone who joined in our celebration of ‘School Mass’ on Wednesday. It was great to have you all praying with us. Thank you to Mrs Hood and Mrs Hutton for helping us arrange the celebration. God bless you all – keep safe and, of course, we’re looking forward to seeing you all soon.

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FR DAVID WRITES
Dear young parishioners! We haven’t forgotten about you, and we hope you remember us in your prayers each day. Many young people in our parish were making excellent preparations before the lockdown to celebrate the sacraments. Last weekend should have been our First Holy Communion Masses, and this coming Friday we would have celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation with our young people in Year 9. Please can everyone in the parish remember them in your prayers. We look forward to seeing you all again in the not-too-distant future, and making preparations with you to celebrate these wonderful sacraments. We also miss all our young peoples’ groups we normally see so often: school children, altar servers, musicians and singers, our Scouts, Beavers, Cubs, Brownies, Irish Dancers, everyone who comes to Mass, and many more! God bless you all – keep your prayers going strong!

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Please remember that this Friday, 8th May, is the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe and the end of the European war.

We will mark this special occasion in prayer during the 10am Mass on Friday.

In addition to this, there will be a national two-minute silence at 11am.  At 3pm there will be the Nation’s Toast to the Heroes of World War Two, and at 9pm there will be a special broadcast by the Her Majesty the Queen.

Please join in prayer as we recall the sacrifices made by so many, and celebrate the peace and freedom those sacrifices achieved.

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POPE'S PASTORAL LETTER
There is a pastoral letter from Pope Francis to all the faithful concerning the month of May. Please follow the link to read the full text of the Holy Father's letter and the two prayers he has composed for this special time. May is the month of Mary. If possible, let us pray the rosary in our homes for all those affected by the current crisis. We can all be apostles of prayer - even from our armchairs and living rooms! God bless you all. 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-04/letter-on-the-month-of-may-full-text.html

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FR DAVID WRITES
Today on the Third Sunday of Easter we hear the beautiful Gospel story about the mysterious appearance of the Risen Jesus on the way to Emmaus, and about how the disciples not only recognised him at the breaking of bread but also about how their faith in the resurrection was confirmed. They asked each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us?'. May we too, like them, be moved by the power of God's word and come to even greater faith in the Risen Lord. Next week, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is known as Good Shepherd Sunday and is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life.

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BENEDICT XVI
Today, Sunday 19th April, marks the fifteenth anniversary of the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. On Thursday, Benedict also celebrated his 93rd birthday in lockdown inside the Vatican City. Today, incidentally, is also the twelfth anniversary of Fr David's ordination as a deacon.

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HOLY WEEK 2020
Today is Palm Sunday - the first day of Holy Week. Through our liturgical celebrations in this special week, we enter into the mystery of the Lord's passion, death and resurrection. Please join us in prayer and online if you can as we celebrate these important days in the life of the Church. Obviously, this year our experience of Holy Week will be very different to how we normally pray and celebrate. Nevertheless, these days of Christ's saving work are at the heart of our faith. DR.

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Palm Sunday 5th April

(6.30pm Vigil Mass)

10am Sunday Mass

5pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

 

Monday 6th April

10am Weekday Mass

5pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

 

Tuesday 7th April

10am Weekday Mass

5pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

 

Wednesday 8th April

10am Weekday Mass

5pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

 

Holy Thursday 9th April

10am Morning Prayer

7.30pm Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

 

Good Friday 10th April

Day of Fasting and Abstinence

10am Morning Prayer & Office of Readings

11am Fr David's message to Young Parishioners

3pm Celebration of the Passion of the Lord

 

Holy Saturday 11th April

10am Morning Prayer & Office of Readings

7.30pm Solemn Easter Vigil & First Mass of Easter

 

Easter Sunday 12th April

10am Mass of Easter Sunday

 

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FR DAVID WRITES
On the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we enter the special time of Lent known as ‘Passiontide’.  Today we hear the Gospel about Lazarus who comes back from the dead. Like the Samaritan woman, and the blind man healed by Jesus, this Gospel is about those who come to faith after being enlightened by Christ. Jesus prays that the Father might cause everyone ‘to believe’ that it was God who sent him, and that everyone might believe through the miracle he works. Christ, our Saviour, is the one who came to seek out and save that which was lost, and call back to life those who were dead.