Fr Tony writes.....

We are already two and a half weeks into Lent. Perhaps this is a good time to look at what we are doing to make Lent special. At the weekend before Ash Wednesday I wrote suggesting a number of ways of doing that. I want now to encourage you to keep going. Even if you have not managed to keep those Lenten resolutions as you hope, now is a good time to renew the effort.I am sure that there are many people who could come to a weekday Mass with just a little effort. There are many sick and housebound parishioners who would love to be able to come to Mass. There is really no better way to put Christ at the centre of our lives than by taking part in the Sacrifice of the Mass.
I would also want to encourage you to make time for Confession during Lent. The Church asks us to make use of this Sacrament especially during Lent. It is an excellent preparation for Easter when we celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death, which won for us the great grace of forgiveness. Do make use of the opportunities provided here in the coming weeks of Lent.

This weekend there are two things I want to mention. The first is to how grateful I am for the way you continue to support the parish in the collection week by week. In the present economic climate that can’t be easy. The collection was down a bit for a few weeks, but I was pleased to see last week that it was up again. Please do what you can to ensure that we can pay our bills and keep the show on the road. Your generosity is much appreciated. Thank you.
This is an advance notice that we will have a Day of Adoration on Saturday April 17th. There will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from after the Saturday Mass at 10.a.m until Benediction at 4.50 p.m. immediately before the Vigil Mass at 5.15 p.m. This is an opportunity to celebrate this” Year of the Priest”, and to pray for priests and for vocations to the priesthood. There will be more details later, but I am hoping to involve different groups in the Parish in taking responsibility for different parts of the day.

At the beginning of Lent I want to ask you to pray especially this year for priests and for vocations to the priesthood. There are, of course, many vocations within the life of the Church, but in this “Year of the Priest” it seems appropriate to focus attention on the priesthood. The Holy Father, speaking to our bishops recently spoke about Cardinal John Henry Newman who will be beatified by the Pope during his visit to England in September:

“In Newman’s words “Christ’s priests have no priesthood but His...what they do, He does; when they baptise, He is baptising; when they bless, He is blessing”. Indeed since the priest plays an irreplaceable role in the life of the Church, spare no effort in encouraging priestly vocations and emphasising to the faithful the true meaning and necessity of the priesthood. Encourage the lay faithful to express their appreciation of the priests who serve them, and to recognise the difficulties they sometimes face on account of their declining numbers and increasing pressures.... Help them to avoid any temptation to view the clergy as mere functionaries but rather to rejoice in the gift of the priestly ministry, a gift that can never be taken for granted.”

Thank you for your prayers and for your support in so many ways. Please continue to pray for us and for vocations.

This weekend we are publishing some leaflets prepared by our Parish Liturgy Committee about helping chidren to take part in the Mass. It is enormously important that children should be welcomed and that families should feel at home in God's House. The role of parents has never been an easy one, and it is certainly is not easy in today's society. These leaflets are designed to offer suggestions to parents on how to bring their children to God, and especially to introduce them to mystery of the Mass. I hope that they will be used and that you will find them helpful.
We have living in the parish at this time two monks from Turkey. They belong to the Syrian Orthodox Church, which is one of the ancient Oriental Churches. These Churches have been separated from us for many centuries, but in modern times we have come close together once again. In the 1970's Pope Paul VI and the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch met in Rome, and were able to resolve many of the issues that had divided in the past. Although we are not yet in “full communion” we are able to share the Sacarments togther. This weekend Father Saliba will be present at the 10.a.m Mass and take his place in the Sanctuary. Their liturgical language is Aramaic, which is the language used by Our Lord Himself.
I hope that Father will offer a prayer in Aramaic on Sunday. I am sure that you will make him welcome.

I want to mention two or three things briefly this weekend.
You may remember that I invited suggestions for topics that might be discussed in an open forum in the New Year. I had several replies, and I hope to be able to arrange the first of a series of such meetings fairly soon. I am delaying a bit however, because it would be better to start when the weather has improved. Among topics suggested were historical questions about the history and beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, about the relations between Catholics and Jews, and about the new provision being made for Anglicans who wish to enter the Catholic Church as a group holding on to some aspects of their Anglican tradition. If you would like to raise any other topics, please let me know.

There is still time, if you wish to join one of the Lent ecumenical groups. There is a list in the porch where you can sign on.

Next weekend there will be leaflets available which have been prepared by our Liturgy Committee to help parents to help young children to share in the Mass and to begin to understand what is going on, and to be part of it. The Parish needs to cherish these young children and support their parents in their demanding vocation.