THANK YOU

Pope Francis has declared 2025 to be a ‘Holy Year’. This means that everyone who visits Rome next year, who prays for the intentions of the Holy Father, celebrates holy Mass and Reconciliation, is promised many special blessings from the Lord. The tradition is that this happens only once every 25 years! With the great help of Adrian and his ‘Northern Star’ Travel Agency, I have negotiated a superb deal to enable us to stay in the Eternal City of Rome next year. Not only that, but also to visit and stay in two other amazing locations, Assisi and its connection with St Francis and St.Clare, as well as visiting and staying in St Giovanni Rotondo where the holy priest who was given the wounds of Jesus (Stigmata)St Padre Pio, lived and ministered. We will spend 3 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Assisi and 3 nights in San Giovanni Rotondo. A taste of what we will do: Holy Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, holy Mass in St John Lateran Basilica, visit the Catacombs, Papal Audience, Tour of Rome - churches of St Mary Major, St Paul outside the Walls, Vatican Museums, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Colosseum, Navona Square etc, etc; holy Mass in Basilica of St Francis, holy Mass in the Basilica of St Clare, visit Porziuncola, San Damiano, Loreto; guided tour of San Giovanni, visit chapel of the Stigmata,Pietrelcina. Lots of free time for relaxing, looking around, shopping Excellent quality hotels for Dinner, Bed, Breakfast; all excursions, English-speaking guide; Outward flight: Gatwick-Rome(9.30am), Return flight: Bari-Gatwick(4.55pm); all airport duties and passenger taxes 28th April to 7th May 2025. A week after Easter. A perfect time to visit Rome and Italy when the climate is ideal, not too hot and not cold. Cost: £1400pp all inclusive.  Rome and Italy will be very busy for the Holy Year and prices will soar! We are really blessed to have arranged such a great itinerary at such a relatively modest and very economic cost. I suspect that there will be lots of interest in this pilgrimage and it’s quite possible that we will have to limit numbers. I hope to offer this pilgrimage to various people and groups. If you are seriously interested, I suggest you contact me as soon as possible. I have Booking Forms available now.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR MP, AGAIN, IN ADVANCE OF DEBATE AND VOTE IN PARLIAMENT Be compassionate As Catholic Bishops in England and Wales, and in Scotland, we believe that genuine compassion is under threat because of the attempts in Parliament to legalise assisted suicide. 'Compassion' means to enter into and share the suffering of another person. It means never giving up on anyone or abandoning them. It means loving them to the natural end of their life, even if and when they struggle to find meaning and purpose. Compassion means accompanying people, especially during sickness, disability, and old age. This kind of genuine compassion is witnessed through the care and respect we show to people with terminal illness as they complete their journey in this life. We appeal to those who share our Catholic belief in human dignity and sanctity of life, including fellow Christians, other religious people, and people of reason and good will, to join with us in defending the weakest and most vulnerable who are at risk through this proposed legislation. Life is a gift to be protected, especially when threatened by sickness and death. Palliative care, with expert pain relief, and good human, spiritual, and pastoral support, is the right and best way to care for people towards the end of life. More adequate funding and resources for hospices and palliative care teams authentically serve and honour our shared human dignity. In the discussion around assisted suicide, so much is made of freedom of choice and autonomy; but autonomy is not absolute and must always be placed within the context of the common good of society as a whole. People who are suffering need to know they are loved and valued. They need compassionate care, not assistance to end their lives. Assisted suicide raises serious issues of principle. The time given for Parliament to consider the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which will permit assisted suicide is woefully inadequate. Although the Bill indicates safeguards will be in place, the experience of other countries where assisted suicide has been introduced shows that such promised safeguards are soon forgotten. In Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, and parts of the USA, the criteria for assisted suicide have been expanded significantly, in law or in practice, often to include people with mental illness and others who have no terminal diagnosis. It is not always easy to predict the length of time a person with a terminal illness has to live, making this Bill unworkable. We are alarmed by the impact that legalisation will have on the most vulnerable members of our society. The option to end life can quickly, and subtly, be experienced as a duty to die. Some may well feel their continued existence is a burden to others, and, implicitly or explicitly, be pressured into assisted suicide. This includes people who are elderly, infirm, and living with disabilities. The protection of such people is the foundation of civilised society. It is at the heart of good government. We are also concerned that this Bill will fundamentally damage the relationship between medical practitioners and their patients. It will potentially lead to pressure on medical staff to recommend or facilitate such procedures. Will the right to conscientious objection for individuals and institutions be guaranteed? The impact on hospices, care homes, and those who work in social and community care cannot be underestimated. It will radically alter the ethos of trust and support which underpins our service to those in need and their families. We urge all people of good will to oppose this legislation and, instead, to advocate for better funded palliative care which is consistently available to everyone in need in England, Wales, and Scotland. Please inform yourself and others about this issue and contact your Member of Parliament to make your opposition known, asking him or her oppose or not support the Bill.  As Catholic Bishops, we call upon all Catholics, and invite all those who share our Christian faith, to turn in prayer to God our Father. Please pray that the dignity of human life will be protected and defended. On the cross, Christ united Himself to every form of human suffering and every person who suffers. In Him, life is changed, not ended. He shows us, in His own crucified and risen body, that love is always stronger than death.

‘Welcome to our new friends’ Woof Woof

During this month of November, we traditionally, pray for all those who have left our world and who, while on earth, opened their hearts and lives to the Lord. We believe there is a strong connection between God’s People on earth, those in Heaven and those who, having left this world, are on their way to Heaven. The holy Mass is the very best and most powerful way that links those who have died with the risen Lord Jesus. I will be most happy to celebrate holy Mass for your loved ones who have died, especially during this month of November, if you would like me to do so. Please use the special holy Masses envelopes for the Holy Souls, which you will find in the church porch if you would like me to celebrate holy Mass for your intention.  You will find our ‘Book of the Dead’ in front of the side altar in our church. At every holy Mass during the month of November, we place that book on the altar and we pray for everyone mentioned in it. If anyone you know has died in the last twelve months, please enter their name in the Book, on the date of their death so that we can pray for them too.

“WHO HAVE YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU?”  These are the words of the Lord Jesus to each one of us, every time we come to holy Mass. Please don't be content to come alone or just to come with someone who already comes every week, to holy Mass. Invite and encourage others in your family, those living next door to you, those living down your street, your friends. Do that and the Lord will work through you, probably slowly and bit by bit. Do that, and one day you will hear him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful child of mine. Enter into the joys prepared for you, for all eternity.”

May I invite you to join me every Saturday at 12.00midday, in our Parish Room for a short meeting designed especially for Adults who wish for their Faith to be stronger and deeper. Faith is nothing less than being in a growing relationship with the Lord Jesus. These meetings are designed to help us to grow closer to the Lord as we follow his plans for us. The meetings will last no more than an hour. We talk about all and anything that is even remotely connected to our Faith. May I invite you to join me next Saturday and subsequent Saturdays. I’m sure there are many questions and queries you may have. Do come and we will speak together about anything you wish.

Our church building, although simple and humble and rather beautiful in its own way, contains an immense treasure - the very presence of the Lord Jesus. Our church is not empty - it is a ‘House of God’. The bread consecrated in holy Mass becomes a real presence of Jesus although still under the appearance of bread and reserved in the tabernacle. So too with the wine - it becomes the precious Blood of Jesus although still under the appearance of wine. We call this sacramental presence of Jesus, under the forms of bread and wine, the ‘Blessed Sacrament’ or the ‘Eucharist’ or ‘Holy Communion’. A red light is kept constantly alight in the church, to remind us of this.  Also, when God’s Word from the holy Bible, is proclaimed in the church and when the priest explains its meaning to us in his homily, that too is a real presence of the Lord Jesus, actually trying to speak to our hearts. The red light you will see in front of the lectern also serves as a reminder to us of the Lord, present to us when his Word is proclaimed and when we reflect upon his Word. He comes to us in Sacrament and Word.

Anger is a normal human emotion but it must be understood as a part of our lives that needs to be lived in a healthy, wise way. When this happens, Anger is a great force for good but when it is misunderstood and allowed to express itself in destructive ways then it can cause fear and chaos. This short one-day course, which I have been invited to deliver at the LJC on Saturday 7th December , from 10.00am until 2.00pm, will be helpful for anyone who wishes to better understand Anger in themselves or in someone else and will give suggestions about how to live this powerful human emotion in a good, life-giving way. Please check the LJC website for more details and to book a place on the course.

On Sunday afternoon, 17th November , at 2.30 in the afternoon, we will have a short Service of Healing and the Sacrament of the Sick. If you are 65 years or over, or if you are suffering from an illness of any kind, please come to this Service. I will pray a Prayer of Healing over you and offer you the great Sacrament of the Sick. This wonderful, powerful Sacrament brings healing of body, mind and Soul. After the Service we can enjoy refreshments in our Cafe. Please invite your family, friends and neighbours to join you at the Service of Healing.