Hope you are all remaining safe and well during this lockdown. Hope as many of you were able to join me in prayer for our live stream Mass last Sunday. It was very strange doing Mass to an empty Church again but I hope it brought you some comfort and I hope it won’t be long until we can celebrate Mass as a Parish Family.
The link for this Sunday’s Mass is as follows:
Pax Christi & Peace Sunday – 17THJANUARY 2021
This Sunday the second Sunday in Ordinary time is set aside as Peace Sunday,17th January 2021. In the coming year the theme of Pope Francis’ message will be ‘A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace’. Peace Sunday is the main source of income for Pax Christi and this income directly supports their work for peace in the year ahead. Please refer to https://paxchristi.org.uk/peace-sunday-2021/ for more information.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – 18th-25thJANUARY 2021
The 2021 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a unique opportunity for mission and evangelisation, with plenty of opportunity to involve children and schools. The theme chosen for 2021 is: “Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit.” It is based on John 15:1-17 and expresses the Christian Communities vocation to prayer, reconciliation and unity in the Church and in the human family. Please follow the link for more information and to download resources:https://ctbi.org.uk/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2021/
2021 Year of the Gospel of Mark
Information and resources can be found at www.godwhospeaks.ukor by emailing Fleur Dorrell at: fleur.dorrell@biblesociety.org.ukThe now distinctly titled ‘The Bible and Catholics’ continues to be refreshed with articles, information, educational resources and devotional materials to promote the reading of and interest in ‘… the word of God given in sacred Scripture as an inspired testimony to revelation; together with the Church’s living Tradition, [it] constitutes the supreme rule of faith and the primary source of evangelisation.’ as well as presenting ‘in an unmistakeable way, God as the source of all splendour and beauty’ (Directory for Catechesis. 27 & 106).
NRSV copies of St. Mark’s Gospel can be ordered in packs of 10 for £15 from the Bible Society at https://www.biblesociety.org.ukwith a 25% discount when ordering 4 or more packs. This lightweight pocket-sized edition of St. Mark’s Gospel, with selected images to enhance the text, is ideal for those who want to have the coming year’s Lectionary Gospel to hand.
2021 – Year of St. Joseph
In a new Apostolic Letter entitled Patris corde(“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis describes Saint Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.
The Letter marks the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To celebrate the anniversary, Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph,” beginning on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2020 and extending to the same feast in 2021.
The Holy Father wrote Patris corde against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, he says, has helped us see more clearly the importance of “ordinary” people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, they resemble Saint Joseph, “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” who nonetheless played “an incomparable role in the history of salvation.” For more information and to download a copy of the Apostolic letter please visit: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/year-of-st-joseph/