The Catholic Church in
Llandudno
Our Lady Star of the Sea
Parish Priest: Fr Antony Jones STL - Telephone: 01492 860546
Sunday, November 4th 2007
Thirtyfirst of Ordinary Time (C)
Lots of bits and pieces today. But all of them interesting. So read on, Beloved.
First of all, let me draw your attention to the fact that we have Quarant’Ore here this week. Lest you think that Quarant’Ore is some kind of Italian policeman, let me explain. Some years ago, maybe twenty, I suggested to the Bishop that every parish in the diocese should take it in turn to have a week of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to pray for vocations to the priesthood, and that these weeks should be in sequence, so that every week, somewhere in the diocese, a parish would be praying very especially for vocations. It seemed like a good idea and was taken on.
Quarant’Ore means forty hours in Italian, and the original devotion was for the Blessed Sacrament to be exposed uninterruptedly for that period of time, with people coming to pray during the silent hours of the night as well as the busy hours of the day. Because of the changes in society, with people reluctant to venture out in the early hours of the night, this practice has largely come to a stop, but the name persists. In the case of the Diocese, each parish adapts the times of the devotions to suit itself.
We will follow our usual practice which has been to expose the Blessed Sacrament after the midday Mass and to depose it after the 4pm Evening Prayer and Benediction, with a Holy Hour, based on the Rosary, from 3pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday. We must never leave the Blessed Sacrament unattended. A list for “watchers” is on the notice board. Please fill it up. I hope it will never be a case of only one or two persons there. We need priests and we must ask the Lord of the Harvest to give them to us. Come along and pray.
Now let me congratulate Mrs Christine Goodwin and her merry mass of mothers for their extremely successful Cheese and Wine Party last Monday. Its purpose was to raise funds towards the eventual replacement of the amber glass in the Chapel of Reconciliation with glass of a more sympathetic colour. They succeeded in raising over £300 towards that goal. A final push in the Spring, with another such activity, will see the necessary total reached. Well done.
They have also asked me to give an early plug for their Carol Concert on 7 December in church. The Conway Valley Singers will perform, as they have done now for two years running, with the proceeds going to Ty Gobaeth, the children’s hospice. Tickets are already on sale.
Members of UCMW from across the Diocese will join us at the Saturday Midday Vigil Mass, prior to their open meeting in the afternoon. We welcome them warmly.
I remind parents of children in the Secondary Sector that our Monday/Tuesday Catechism Classes have now resumed. They are at 4pm at Stella Maris: for those in Year 7 on Mondays; for those in Year 8 on Tuesdays. Youngsters will normally only attend these after-school sessions if they are given plenty of encouragement from their parents. I encourage parents and grandparents to do this. These extra two years of Catholic instruction are of immense value, and especially today.
Once again I thank Mrs Margaret Hunt and Mrs Dorothy Oakes for their dedication to this work. Also the Catechists who take the Children’s Liturgy on a Sunday morning and who prepare the children attending the non-catholic schools for their First Holy Communion.
Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy and the Cardinal in charge of Catechesis in the worldwide Church, has recently written an open letter to Catechists the world over. In it he says:
I want to express my admiration for your untiring service to the Church in this work of transmitting the Catholic Faith to those who have been entrusted to you. I assure you of my affection, as my dear sisters and brothers, committed to the good fight of the faith, which often requires heroic sacrifices, to which you respond with joy and perseverance.
In daily faithfulness to God and to man, you continue to be and to represent a real asset to your parish communities. You are one of the most promising signs with which the Lord endlessly comforts and surprises us. Reveal the face of Christ to all those you meet, through the grace and faithfulness of your service.
The Cardinal describes the Catechist as a real asset to the parish. It is hard to imagine how we could do without them. But we really do need more.. Don’t be put off by feeling inadequate – if you are prepared to be trained, then we will train you. You are one of the most promising signs with which the Lord endlessly comforts and surprises us, the Cardinal writes. A Catechist is one who is full of faith himself and wants only to share that faith with others, to see others, especially the young, receive the priceless gift the Catholic Church has to offer. In an age when people so consistently make God take second place, it is a comfort and indeed a surprise when people come forward, ready to fight the good fight of the Faith and prepared to make the heroic sacrifice of their precious time and energies to further the cause of the Gospel.
God bless you,
Fr Antony Jones
Our Lady Star of the Sea
Parish Priest: Fr Antony Jones STL - Telephone: 01492 860546
Sunday, November 4th 2007
Thirtyfirst of Ordinary Time (C)
Dear Parishoner,
Lots of bits and pieces today. But all of them interesting. So read on, Beloved.
First of all, let me draw your attention to the fact that we have Quarant’Ore here this week. Lest you think that Quarant’Ore is some kind of Italian policeman, let me explain. Some years ago, maybe twenty, I suggested to the Bishop that every parish in the diocese should take it in turn to have a week of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to pray for vocations to the priesthood, and that these weeks should be in sequence, so that every week, somewhere in the diocese, a parish would be praying very especially for vocations. It seemed like a good idea and was taken on.
Quarant’Ore means forty hours in Italian, and the original devotion was for the Blessed Sacrament to be exposed uninterruptedly for that period of time, with people coming to pray during the silent hours of the night as well as the busy hours of the day. Because of the changes in society, with people reluctant to venture out in the early hours of the night, this practice has largely come to a stop, but the name persists. In the case of the Diocese, each parish adapts the times of the devotions to suit itself.
We will follow our usual practice which has been to expose the Blessed Sacrament after the midday Mass and to depose it after the 4pm Evening Prayer and Benediction, with a Holy Hour, based on the Rosary, from 3pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday. We must never leave the Blessed Sacrament unattended. A list for “watchers” is on the notice board. Please fill it up. I hope it will never be a case of only one or two persons there. We need priests and we must ask the Lord of the Harvest to give them to us. Come along and pray.
Now let me congratulate Mrs Christine Goodwin and her merry mass of mothers for their extremely successful Cheese and Wine Party last Monday. Its purpose was to raise funds towards the eventual replacement of the amber glass in the Chapel of Reconciliation with glass of a more sympathetic colour. They succeeded in raising over £300 towards that goal. A final push in the Spring, with another such activity, will see the necessary total reached. Well done.
They have also asked me to give an early plug for their Carol Concert on 7 December in church. The Conway Valley Singers will perform, as they have done now for two years running, with the proceeds going to Ty Gobaeth, the children’s hospice. Tickets are already on sale.
Members of UCMW from across the Diocese will join us at the Saturday Midday Vigil Mass, prior to their open meeting in the afternoon. We welcome them warmly.
I remind parents of children in the Secondary Sector that our Monday/Tuesday Catechism Classes have now resumed. They are at 4pm at Stella Maris: for those in Year 7 on Mondays; for those in Year 8 on Tuesdays. Youngsters will normally only attend these after-school sessions if they are given plenty of encouragement from their parents. I encourage parents and grandparents to do this. These extra two years of Catholic instruction are of immense value, and especially today.
Once again I thank Mrs Margaret Hunt and Mrs Dorothy Oakes for their dedication to this work. Also the Catechists who take the Children’s Liturgy on a Sunday morning and who prepare the children attending the non-catholic schools for their First Holy Communion.
Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy and the Cardinal in charge of Catechesis in the worldwide Church, has recently written an open letter to Catechists the world over. In it he says:
I want to express my admiration for your untiring service to the Church in this work of transmitting the Catholic Faith to those who have been entrusted to you. I assure you of my affection, as my dear sisters and brothers, committed to the good fight of the faith, which often requires heroic sacrifices, to which you respond with joy and perseverance.
In daily faithfulness to God and to man, you continue to be and to represent a real asset to your parish communities. You are one of the most promising signs with which the Lord endlessly comforts and surprises us. Reveal the face of Christ to all those you meet, through the grace and faithfulness of your service.
The Cardinal describes the Catechist as a real asset to the parish. It is hard to imagine how we could do without them. But we really do need more.. Don’t be put off by feeling inadequate – if you are prepared to be trained, then we will train you. You are one of the most promising signs with which the Lord endlessly comforts and surprises us, the Cardinal writes. A Catechist is one who is full of faith himself and wants only to share that faith with others, to see others, especially the young, receive the priceless gift the Catholic Church has to offer. In an age when people so consistently make God take second place, it is a comfort and indeed a surprise when people come forward, ready to fight the good fight of the Faith and prepared to make the heroic sacrifice of their precious time and energies to further the cause of the Gospel.
God bless you,
Fr Antony Jones