Whilst we are in a better place now regarding Covid, it still lurks, and indeed, some parishioners are still being hit with the dreaded virus. It is because of this that it is best if we retain the present system of queueing for Holy Communion. It is less convenient for some, but single line queueing up from the side aisles reduces congestion. Can I ask those who wish to have Communion brought to them in their seats to please make yourselves as accessible as possible, especially if receiving under both kinds. It is good to see more returning to Ministry of Eucharist and reader. New readers and Ministers of the Eucharist please. Excellent, but tragic, documentary on Channel 4 last Tuesday night on the Easter Sunday 2019 bombings of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. This documentary will have been especially painful to watch for some of our parishioners who arrived home to visit families in Sri Lanka that very morning and actually heard the bombs go off from the airport. But, the programme also shows the level of persecution some Catholics are experiencing worldwide. Our prayers and continued support are with Mr. Hammill and staff at St. Leonard’s at this very challenging time. The closures due to defective buildings come at a time when exam results have been particularly good.
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- Sep 1, 2023
God’s Great Creation
Excerpts from a poem on praise and forgiveness by Helen Kinnett
Creator God, we praise your great creation,
We marvel at the works of your hands,
You give us light,
Your light is our hope,
We praise your creation all of our days and nights,
You give us so much but we struggle to look after your amazing creation,
Creator God, forgive us.
God’s great creation, when will we learn?
To take care of our planet, is our concern?
God’s great creation,
Help us learn not to destroy our nation,
God’s great creation,
This is our prayer for forgiveness.
You made plants to bear grain and fruits to feed us,
Lord, we are in awe of all you created,
You in your generosity, made enough for everyone,
But we are selfish and do not always share,
O, Lord, we are sorry for our greed,
Forgive us when we take more than we need,
God’s great creation, when will we learn?
To take care of our each other, is our concern?
God, you made the stars,
We pollute the air with cars,
God’s great creation,
This is our prayer for forgiveness.
Thank you God for creating the sun,
You made everything perfect, when the world was begun,
We praise you God for the moon in space,
Help us take care of this place,
We praise you for the infinite beauty of nature,
You give us so much but we struggle to look after your amazing creation,
Creator God, forgive us.
God’s great creation, when will we learn?
To take care of our planet, is our concern?
Deforestation, if all the trees leave,
If we destroy natural habitats, how will we breathe?
God’s great creation,
This is our prayer for forgiveness.
Creator God, we praise you for sea creatures,
For fish and rivers teeming with life,
We thank you for the birds and flowers,
For animals both domestic and wild, large and small,
We praise you God that you created them all.
God’s great creation, when will we learn?
To take care of our each other, is our concern?
Help us to change our destructive ways,
To save our planet for future days,
God’s great creation,
This is our prayer for forgiveness.
God’s great creation, blessings for all of our days,
God’s great creation, we sing our psalm of praise!
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- Aug 25, 2023
Sadly, Bernard Reid passed away last Monday morning after a long and brave struggle against illness. Bernard was a teacher by profession, but he was also a very committed parishioner. He was also an organist and was always more than happy to assist at Saturday evening Mass in particular if Mary Hammill or Paul Crilley, the regular organists, were unable to play. However, it was his overall obliging and friendly personality that we will all miss. He is now at peace with his brother, Fr. John, who died not so long ago. Our prayers are with Bernard’s wife Yvonne and family. We continue to emerge from the trauma of Covid and the devastating effects it has had on so many. Our confidence is still 60% that we’re back to the way we were. Much needs to be done by way of rebuilding. Yes, variants of the virus may still be with us, and may always be, but life goes on and we need to continue rebuilding. New roles, new responsibilities are now part of that rebuilding. Altar servers, readers, Eucharistic Ministers are all needed again. Children’s Liturgy in both churches need more volunteers too. We need more involvement from our growing international community. This last group is one of the very positive dimensions to our parish and contributes greatly to our growing congregations at weekends. When we gather in October to review and plan, lets hope and pray that we will then do some real soul searching on how we as a vibrant parish can become even more so.
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