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NEWSLETTER -
HOLY TRINITY - 7 JUNE 2009
Dear Parishioner,
We held our first session of the Catechumenate last Tuesday: two persons from the parish seeking reception into the Church and one baptised Catholic wanting to become more fully alive in Christ. But where were the rest? I estimate that in this day and age when so many things are falling apart before our very eyes and society is beset by so many evils, there should have been at least thirty who had read the signs of the times and had come to realise that “man cannot live on bread alone”. Now I am equally convinced that those people are out there, with thirty being a very very modest estimate.
So, why weren’t they at the Catechumenate? Is there something we, as a Church, are not doing? Well, I have come to believe that perhaps there is.
On Thursday evening I had my first meeting with our newly formed Parish Evangelisation Team. Four youngish men: two who had been through the Catechumenate and experienced that transformation of their lives which becoming a Catholic brings; one who was brought up a Catholic, but who had fallen away from the Faith, only to return to it later, deepening his understanding of it through the Catechumenate; and one who was brought up a Catholic and who has remained a devoted and faithful member ever since: Alan Williams and Keith Motram; John-Barry Murphy and Stephen Watson.
The faith of these young men and their enthusiasm for the Church is their greatest asset, which I believe could make a deep impression on those who attend. People will see for themselves what Catholicism can do. The old saying, “The Faith is caught, not taught” will come into play. But it will still depend on you to tell your friends about it. The second and further such evenings will be advertised in the local press. Arrangements will be made for late-comers to the Catechumenate to be brought up to date. Please reflect on Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor's words, and pray for the success of this venture and for the young men who are spearheading it. And try to get into the habit of taking a Newsletter every week to your non-practising neighbour.
Next Sunday the children will make their First Holy Communion at an 11am Holy Mass. The 930am remains as normal. Some parents have made a great effort to bring these children to Mass regularly since I visited all of them several months ago. I would like to praise these parents warmly for their efforts and to congratulate them. Others, sadly, have not done so, though they promised me faithfully they would.
God bless you, Fr Antony Jones
When
Cardinal Murphy O’Connor handed over the reins
to Archbishop Nichols last week, he had this to say:
“The evil we ask to be delivered from (in
the Our
Father) is, in the mind of Jesus, the loss of faith.
For Jesus, the inability to believe in God
and to live by faith is the greatest of evils.”
We held our first session of the Catechumenate last Tuesday: two persons from the parish seeking reception into the Church and one baptised Catholic wanting to become more fully alive in Christ. But where were the rest? I estimate that in this day and age when so many things are falling apart before our very eyes and society is beset by so many evils, there should have been at least thirty who had read the signs of the times and had come to realise that “man cannot live on bread alone”. Now I am equally convinced that those people are out there, with thirty being a very very modest estimate.
So, why weren’t they at the Catechumenate? Is there something we, as a Church, are not doing? Well, I have come to believe that perhaps there is.
On Thursday evening I had my first meeting with our newly formed Parish Evangelisation Team. Four youngish men: two who had been through the Catechumenate and experienced that transformation of their lives which becoming a Catholic brings; one who was brought up a Catholic, but who had fallen away from the Faith, only to return to it later, deepening his understanding of it through the Catechumenate; and one who was brought up a Catholic and who has remained a devoted and faithful member ever since: Alan Williams and Keith Motram; John-Barry Murphy and Stephen Watson.
The faith of these young men and their enthusiasm for the Church is their greatest asset, which I believe could make a deep impression on those who attend. People will see for themselves what Catholicism can do. The old saying, “The Faith is caught, not taught” will come into play. But it will still depend on you to tell your friends about it. The second and further such evenings will be advertised in the local press. Arrangements will be made for late-comers to the Catechumenate to be brought up to date. Please reflect on Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor's words, and pray for the success of this venture and for the young men who are spearheading it. And try to get into the habit of taking a Newsletter every week to your non-practising neighbour.
Next Sunday the children will make their First Holy Communion at an 11am Holy Mass. The 930am remains as normal. Some parents have made a great effort to bring these children to Mass regularly since I visited all of them several months ago. I would like to praise these parents warmly for their efforts and to congratulate them. Others, sadly, have not done so, though they promised me faithfully they would.
I
would like to
express our deepest gratitude to Mrs Elaine Dingsdale, the Head of our
School,
for the painstaking work and time she has put into preparing these
children for
this most important Sacrament. The
genuine loving care she shows each and every child in her care makes
her a
truly great head teacher.
God bless you, Fr Antony Jones
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