JOURNEY IN FAITH (RCIA):

I know we have one or two people who wish to join this year’s programme, so my apologies for the delay in getting launched. We are proposing to begin with an exploratory meeting at St Mary’s Parish Presbytery on the evening of Tuesday 7 November at 7:00pm. It will be helpful if you know of anyone who may be interested that you invite them and maybe even accompany them to that first meeting. And my thanks to Danielle Smith and the team for prompting me into action.

RECORDED MESSAGES:

I am grateful to all of you who are tuning into my messages. At the time of writing (10:00am on Friday morning) last week’s reflection has recorded 810 views, and yesterday’s recording has already clocked 150! Amidst the chaos of our troubled world, the more we pray for reconciliation, peace, and harmony, the more we can contribute to the Peace of the World. I have received a message from the Synagogue asking for prayers. Let’s respond with generosity on behalf of all our brothers and sisters in other faiths, who are living in the midst of so much fear and anxiety for their people.

THE VISITATION OF OUR PARISHES:

Last weekend Bishop Tom Williams thoroughly enjoyed his visit to Bishop Eton and next weekend we will welcome him to St Mary’s. He will celebrate both the weekend Masses and look after the baptisms for us, since Deacon Bernard will be away.

TED MOSQUERA RIP:

We offer our condolences to Kris Reeds and all the family on the sudden death of her father last Monday. Ted was a wonderful character and he and the family have been part and parcel of the life of Bishop Eton from time immemorial. I have known the family since 1974 when Kris’s two brothers joined ‘Keep in Touch’, the Redemptorist vocations’ group, which I looked after for the better part of eight years. His funeral will be on Wednesday, 18^th October. May he rest in peace.

NEW VOTIVE STANDS IN BISHOP ETON:

Following the success of the votive candles in St Mary’s and the Cathedral and many other churches, we hope you will be pleased that we have installed them before the Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour. I appreciate they are more expensive, but they are easier to maintain and more ecologically friendly.

THE VISITATION OF BISHOP ETON PARISH:

This weekend Bishop Tom Williams will be making an official visitation of the parish. We will make him welcome and be on our best behaviour! He is due to visit St Mary’s in two weeks’ time.

THE SYNOD IN ROME:

On the Feast of St Francis of Assisi (4th October) the great Synod of Bishops and Laity begins in Rome. During the following three weeks over 450 delegates will take a good look at the challenges facing the Universal Church. Let’s pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will inspire everyone, remembering that the Lord promised that the Spirit would lead us to the truth.

THE MONTH OF OCTOBER (THE ROSARY):

As we enter the month of October, may I remind you of some significant forthcoming feasts and their significance in helping us to focus our prayer-life during this time? Firstly, and because the Feast falls on the seventh of this month, it is traditionally called the month of the rosary. We know that Our Lady has asked specifically that we use this prayer as a means of confronting the power of evil in our world.

When I was a child in the 1950s there was a great crusade encouraging every family to pray the rosary together. Many of us can testify as to how difficult that was to maintain, but I encourage you to think of ways in which we might encourage one another to use this prayer. Maybe for starters: just one decade together as a family each day, prayed slowly and thoughtfully?

Over to you.

COMING UP:

Next month Bishop Tom Williams will be making official visitations of both parishes. Since his retirement, he has Confirmed a good number of our young people and now we welcome him back into our two parishes, where he has many friends. Retirement in the Church takes various shapes and forms!

AN EVENTFUL WEEK:

It has been another busy but rewarding week. I would ask you again to remember in your prayers the repose of the souls of Dr Neil Carmichael (St Mary’s) and Mr Brendan Kelly (Bishop Eton), whose funerals were on Monday and Thursday. As always, their funerals were beautifully prepared and reverently celebrated. Please also keep their grieving families in your prayers. There have also been two weddings, so please ask the Lord’s blessing on Richard and Katy, married at St Mary’s on Friday and Joshua and Beth at Bishop Eton on Saturday. Both Bishop Eton (Tuesday) and Much Woolton (Friday) have had Masses to launch the school year, Carleton House having had a celebration the previous week. I have managed to sandwich in a birthday celebration, assuring the children there is something comforting about having only sevens in the equation! Thank you for the many generous good wishes and greetings. You may be pleased to know that I also had my flu and covid vaccinations, so hopefully I will be well protected from whatever the winter months throw at us.

Talking of sevens, I noted another milestone last weekend: seven years of walking with a FITBIT. Converting kilometres into miles, I calculated that I have walked 16,084 miles in that time (almost two-thirds of the distance around the Equator).

The latest research suggests that you get as much benefit from 4,000 steps as from 10,000, but I am not persuaded, so you will still see me heading for the park whenever possible.