EIN HARGLWYDDES SEREN Y MôR –

OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA – LLANDUDNO

Fr Jones’s Newsletter - Sunday 8 February 2009

Dear Parishioner,

Let me begin my letter to you today with some figures.  The appeal for Feed my Lambs, as a memorial to the Statham Family who died in that horrific car accident last year, has now reached £5,745.  Just think how many lives this generosity will save.  We lost four of our most delightful children together with their parents, and no amount of silver linings can take that grief away or dull the pain.  But it is a fact that as a result of that tragedy, the lives of several other children, maybe scores of others, have been saved.  Their parents have been saved the grief we have witnessed in Michele’s parents.  The children whom this money has saved will have children of their own and grandchildren too, none of whom would have lived had the lives of our little ones not been lost.  There is an uncanny resemblance here to Christ, who died that others might live. 

Carole and Peter Statham thank you, as I do too, for your wonderful generosity in willingly contributing to  the costs of the funeral.  That collection realised £1021.

Next Saturday evening we have our six-monthly Mass for the Sick.  Actually, it is now a full year since we had the last one.  It was I who was receiving the Sacrament of the Sick last August in hospital, when we should have been having our last service.  But with Wednesday being the Feast of Our lady of Lourdes, and with our arrangement being that we celebrate our Mass for the Sick on the Saturday nearest to this feast, next Saturday is the day for it.  The Mass will be at 530pm. 

Fr Toole, who was with me in hospital last August, will be assisting me in this celebration.  It is good that he has recovered so well from such serious illness.  But we shall give each other the Sacrament, as well as your good selves, as a precautionary step!  

I always remind you that this Mass is for the Walking Wounded of the Parish.  The sick and housebound of the parish receive the Sacrament from me on my regular rounds. But you don’t need to be in hospital or housebound to be in need of this wonderful Sacrament.  If you feel that for whatever reason this Sacrament would be good for you ,then please be there at 530pm next Saturday.

Next Weekend is not only the nearest weekend to the Feast of Our lady of Lourdes, it is also the nearest to the Feast of St Valentine.  His feast makes the week recognised the world over as Marriage Week.  So, once again, at the end of Marriage Week, we will be holding a service on Sunday afternoon at 4pm, to give you the opportunity of renewing those vows you made to your spouse on your wedding day.  And to toast your Beloved with a glass of wine afterwards over at Stella Maris.

It is always a good thing to renew and reaffirm the promises and commitments we have made earlier in our lives and to review how we are living them out as our lives run their course.  The Church invites us to renew our Baptismal vows quite frequently during the year.  I now invite you to renew your Marriage Vows too.  The service will also invite the ministers to renew their dedication to the service of the Church.

As always, this service will be open to members of all the churches and to those who belong to none.  All are welcome.  Tell your friends.

Last year, I was disappointed at the numbers who attended the service which turned out to be really beautiful and quite moving.  No one with half an eye can fail to see how threatened the institution of Marriage is today.  But for us, marriage is not only an institution, the fundamental building block of society, it is also a Sacrament which intimately involves our lives with God.  This annual service gives us the opportunity to recognise these things formally and to give appropriate thanks.

As last year, the service will be conducted by the Right Rev. Gerard Crane and his wife, the Rev Pam Crane.  If you missed their service last year, all the more reason for coming this.

God bless you,

   Fr Antony Jones