SHRINE MINISTRY:

Please see the relaunch notice below about the devotions to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour this coming Wednesday.

CORONATION:

If you didn’t get a Coronation leaflet from the Bishops’ Conference last weekend please take one home with you today, they are still available in the porch.

We pray for our newly crowned king and our country. The 10 o’clock Mass at Bishop Eton and the 11 o’clock Mass at St Mary’s will be offered for the intentions of King Charles and our country.

 MEETING IN ROME:

I return safely back in Liverpool this evening (Friday) and will make a short recording.

ROME MEETING

This week I will be joining the members of the other Provincial Councils of North-Western Europe for a meeting in Rome to discuss the Federation, which we are forming with a view to becoming a single Province in four years’ time. I have made no secret of the fact that I remain baffled as to how this amalgamation is going to work or further the Redemptorist Mission. However, I have promised to go with as open a mind as possible and listen to what is being proposed.             

The histories of our Congregation and of the Church as a whole provide many examples of new beginnings which flourished from the sowing of new seeds.

I beg you to pray for the success of this venture as also for our continuing efforts to work with the Archdiocese as we seek ways of implementing the results of the Synod.

THANK YOU

I wish to say ‘thank you’ to our Schools in supporting us last weekend by making their halls available. Likewise, we owe a debt of gratitude to the Admin Teams of both parishes for preparing and running the ‘market-place’ venture. While there may have been some disappointment that more people did not come, I am more than satisfied that the whole exercise has generated renewed interest and concern. The challenge remains to channel that interest and ensure that we continue to find new ways of celebrating our faith and reaching out to others.

(Anyone unable to attend but willing to volunteer can still fill in a volunteer form click here)

NOVENA DEVOTIONS

John Elcock and the Shrine Ministry Team have decided to reinstate the Novena Devotions on Wednesday Evenings, beginning on WEDNESDAY, 10^th MAY at 7. 30pm.I am delighted with this initiative precisely because it has come from the lay team and will be led by the parishioners and not dependent on the clergy.

PRAYERS PLEASE

Prayers please for the repose of the souls of Fr Michael O’Dowd (brother of Cath Line) and Fr Vinnie McShane (formerly PP of Halewood), whose funerals were this week. With the retirement of Fr Denis Blackledge SJ from SFX in the city, these are further reminders of the rapidly diminishing number of priests available for ministry. 

MY HOPES:

My fond hope is that this weekend we will have a positive response to the invitation to pool our gifts and resources so that we can plan the future with renewed confidence, knowing that we have teams of people to whom we can turn to cover all the key areas of parish life and ministry. It may take a while to assess the whole situation and work out where and how to manage whatever training will be required. However, I am sure that you will be patient with our administrative teams as they process the information that is forthcoming, and we will try to keep you informed every step of the way. Meanwhile, thank you in anticipation of some exciting new initiatives and the prospect of a renewed vision of how we can continue to celebrate our faith as vibrant and committed Christian communities.

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THANK YOU

Last weekend I thanked you for the wonderful celebrations over Easter. This weekend I want to renew that thanks and extend it to cover your great generosity to the Redemptorist Community in the Easter Collections as well as all the gifts and messages of goodwill which we received.

SUNDAY IN WHITE

I have chosen ‘Sunday in White’ for today because traditionally this was the Sunday when the newly baptised returned in their baptismal robes. It later became known as ‘Low Sunday’ and more recently ‘Divine Mercy Sunday’.