This is for the whole Parish to read and use. Please let me know if you'd like to be a contributor.
From Father Richard's Desk
29-11-2013, 18:40WitnessPermalinkDear Brothers & Sisters,
Advent, and its beautiful liturgy, has almost been obliterated by an anticipated Christmas. Nevertheless, its beauty and expectancy remains. I imagine the church’s year to be an act of theatre. Advent, and especially the first week of Advent, is the overture warning us that the play is about to begin. We quieten down, become still, empty ourselves of unnecessary thoughts and focus on what is to come. The Church simplifies its liturgy; no Gloria, no flowers, no frills.
Enjoy!
Fr. Richard
Advent, and its beautiful liturgy, has almost been obliterated by an anticipated Christmas. Nevertheless, its beauty and expectancy remains. I imagine the church’s year to be an act of theatre. Advent, and especially the first week of Advent, is the overture warning us that the play is about to begin. We quieten down, become still, empty ourselves of unnecessary thoughts and focus on what is to come. The Church simplifies its liturgy; no Gloria, no flowers, no frills.
Enjoy!
Fr. Richard
Comments
Parish Meeting tomorrow
26-11-2013, 18:58ParishPermalinkThe next meeting will be tomorrow. The minutes of the last meeting are below.
Chris
PCC Minutes 250913
Chris
PCC Minutes 250913
From Father Richard's Desk
23-11-2013, 06:54WitnessPermalinkDear Brothers & Sisters,
This weekend concludes “The Year of Faith”. Well, where has that year gone, and what did we do for our Year of Faith? In reality, we lived it by coping with change; you with the change of a Parish Priest, me with a change of Parish. We have all been thrown into the air, the familiar has vanished. How have we coped – with faith that God is helping us, guiding us and helping us to fulfil each other. As we have remembered the Vatican Council (50 years) and the Publication of the New Catechism (20 years) we are reminded that the reason of the Council was “Renewal”, or conversion; and that that renewal must be a continuous present. On this feast of Christ the King may we make the Kingdom come by doing God’s will on earth.
Yours,
Fr. Richard
This weekend concludes “The Year of Faith”. Well, where has that year gone, and what did we do for our Year of Faith? In reality, we lived it by coping with change; you with the change of a Parish Priest, me with a change of Parish. We have all been thrown into the air, the familiar has vanished. How have we coped – with faith that God is helping us, guiding us and helping us to fulfil each other. As we have remembered the Vatican Council (50 years) and the Publication of the New Catechism (20 years) we are reminded that the reason of the Council was “Renewal”, or conversion; and that that renewal must be a continuous present. On this feast of Christ the King may we make the Kingdom come by doing God’s will on earth.
Yours,
Fr. Richard
From Father Richard's Desk
15-11-2013, 18:21WitnessPermalinkDear Brothers & Sisters,
There are lots of catchy slogans to help those who are in programmes to overcome addition. When in particular agony or pain it is good to remember – “This too will pass”. Even pain doesn’t last forever, and very often it is amazingly short-lived. For those in the grip of temptation “This too will pass” is a sobering tag to remember.
The gospel talks about endurance. We have only to look at the people of the Philippines to know what this entails. May God give them endurance, and may we, by our generosity, give them hope. This trouble too, will pass, but hope springs eternal.
May God continue to help and bless us all.
Fr. Richard
There are lots of catchy slogans to help those who are in programmes to overcome addition. When in particular agony or pain it is good to remember – “This too will pass”. Even pain doesn’t last forever, and very often it is amazingly short-lived. For those in the grip of temptation “This too will pass” is a sobering tag to remember.
The gospel talks about endurance. We have only to look at the people of the Philippines to know what this entails. May God give them endurance, and may we, by our generosity, give them hope. This trouble too, will pass, but hope springs eternal.
May God continue to help and bless us all.
Fr. Richard
Mass times over Christmas 2013
10-11-2013, 19:17ParishPermalinkThese are the planned times for Masses over the Christmas period this year:
Christmas Eve:
Children’s Mass – 5 p.m.
Carol Service – 11:30 p.m.
Midnight Mass – midnight
Christmas Day:
8:30 a.m.
10 a.m.
Boxing Day:
11 a.m.
Chris
Christmas Eve:
Children’s Mass – 5 p.m.
Carol Service – 11:30 p.m.
Midnight Mass – midnight
Christmas Day:
8:30 a.m.
10 a.m.
Boxing Day:
11 a.m.
Chris
From Father Richard's Desk
10-11-2013, 16:42WitnessPermalinkDear Brothers & Sisters,
The readings from the variety of books that make up our old and new testaments, the Bible, throughout the year keep us in touch with God who reveals Himself to His people, according to their capacity to understand.
The revelation that there is life after death only came to be believed in in Israel one or two hundred years before Christ. Even so, only some Jews believed in a resurrection. The Sadducees were not of that persuasion. As Christians and as Catholic Christians we have a highly developed belief in the resurrection of the dead. We believe that life is ‘changed’ not ended, and that people can be closer to us in death than in life. There is no separation of time or space in the eternal now. It is a good thing to remember our dead, it is a better thing to pray for our dead; and yet more excellent to believe in a mutuality of love with even those who have gone before us.
Have a good week.
Fr. Richard
The readings from the variety of books that make up our old and new testaments, the Bible, throughout the year keep us in touch with God who reveals Himself to His people, according to their capacity to understand.
The revelation that there is life after death only came to be believed in in Israel one or two hundred years before Christ. Even so, only some Jews believed in a resurrection. The Sadducees were not of that persuasion. As Christians and as Catholic Christians we have a highly developed belief in the resurrection of the dead. We believe that life is ‘changed’ not ended, and that people can be closer to us in death than in life. There is no separation of time or space in the eternal now. It is a good thing to remember our dead, it is a better thing to pray for our dead; and yet more excellent to believe in a mutuality of love with even those who have gone before us.
Have a good week.
Fr. Richard
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Advent
anger
banquet
beatitudes
blessings
CAFOD
charity
Children
Christ
Christian Aid
church
Churches Together in Biggleswade
coming
commitment
compassion
Conference
courage
cross
disciples
doubt
Easter
effort
evangelise
faith
Father
forgiveness
Fund-raising
God
gospel
grace
healing
heaven
Holy Week
homeless
humility
insight
Jesus
Justice and Peace
kingdom
Lent
light
living
Lord
lost
love
maranatha
meditation
mercy
mindfulness
Ministries
name
neighbour
new creation
None
OneWorld
Organisation
parable
Parish
Parish Youth
Passion
Pilgrimage
poor
Pope
prayer
Prayers
prophesy
repentance
rest
Sacraments
sacrifice
Safety
salvation
save
sayittogod
Second Coming
service
signs
sin
Social
Spiritual
SVP
talents
The Cross
time for God
Trinity
trust
unity
unworthy
Visits
Website
Witness
World
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