EIN HARGLWYDDES SEREN Y MôR - OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA
LLANDUDNO

Fr Jones’s Newsletter - Sunday 14 December 2008

Dear Parishioner,

May I thank you in advance for giving me the CD “Priest” for Christmas.  I have received three of them already with another one apparently on order!  I imagine every priest in the land with a bundle of them under his Christmas Tree.  But I really do appreciate the thought!

The Rosary Groups of Pwllheli and Llandudno met up last Friday for a Christmas Meal together.  The visitors led the Rosary before the midday Mass; and after it we proceeded together to the Ambassador for the party.  The meal was not just good, it was exceptionally good; and I owe it to the Ambassador to recommend the restaurant to you wholeheartedly.  It was, as expected, a very enjoyable occasion.  There were over thirty of us there.

This was something of an indication of the numbers who attend regularly our four prayer meetings during the average week: the Wednesday evening holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament; the Thursday Rosary before Mass; the Friday afternoon holy hour during Exposition; and the Young People’s Prayers on a Saturday morning.

Actually, there are many more than thirty odd who attend these various prayer sessions, but many less than I would like to see. 

All the prayer groups focus on the real presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.  What a sublime treasure we hold in the heart of our churches!  And how vital it is that we keep our faith in it alive.  How could anyone lapse from the church if they really believed what the Church teaches about this Sacrament?  Perhaps we should all examine ourselves to see just how real our belief is in the Eucharist.  I suspect that it is not always as strong as it should be; if it were, there would have been something like three hundred at the party rather than thirty!

Last Thursday Mrs Lian Lynch came to introduce us to the course she is about to begin in January for the Parish's Bereavement Team.  We all found her very engaging and inspiring and look forward to the course starting.  I am very grateful to the dozen parishioners who agreed to join the formation course and, in the long term, to devote themselves and their time to helping those who are suffering the anguish and grief of bereavement.  This is a truly Christian thing for the parish to be doing, and I expect it will bring many blessings upon us as a Parish, as well as relief and comfort to those who are sorrowing.

This week is our annual Advent Penitential Week.  Let me remind you once again what this means.  On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday there will be a short service at 730pm at each of the churches of the Deanery.  The first thing to say about these services is that they will be short; less than half an hour.  All the priests of the deanery will be present; the service will prepare us for the Sacrament and help us to thank God for it.  The individual confessions will be short, with no counselling given by the priest.  But the priests will remain in their places after the service so that anyone wanting to discuss anything with the priest to whom they confessed can return to him and spend as much time with him as they wish.  Here is the programme:

Monday: Junction; 730pm

Tuesday: Colwyn Bay: 730pm

Wednesday: here: 730pm

Friday: Llanrwst: 730pm.

If you haven’t received this Sacrament during the last twelve months or more, then please think seriously about attending one of these services.  Meeting Christ personally and hearing him pronounce you personally forgiven is one of the wonders of Christianity.

God bless you,

                             Fr Antony Jones