THE FUTURE:

I am immensely grateful to John Elcock for his presentation at the Masses last Sunday. He shared his own sense of a renewed call to bring his gifts to the service of the community. His message has provided us with much food for thought and I can only encourage you to meditate on the possibilities that lie ahead of us. We will take up his invitation in the New Year and see how we can move on. If you were not able to hear John last Sunday, may I encourage you please to tune into one of the recorded Masses, easily found on the websites under Church Services. Meanwhile, last Wednesday Andrew and I attended the last Redemptorist Provincial Council meeting until we meet for our Chapter in January. At that session we will elect a new Provincial Council and then the whole situation across the Province will need to be assessed and, in due course, appointments made for the coming four years. We will need many prayer mats out over the next few weeks!

PRAYERS:

May I ask your prayers for Christopher Allmand, who died on Wednesday morning. I am grateful that I was able to anoint him and pray with the family last Monday. I also anointed Evelyn Whitehead who is in the same Nursing Home on the Wirral. She is in good spirits and sends greetings to her friends. Likewise, Fr Tony Hunt, at Nazareth House in Birkenhead, welcomed my visit and assures us of his prayers. I must also report the sad news that Jude, our friend from Nigeria, died in the Hospice on Tuesday morning.

Please pray for Theresa, his wife, and their two children, Veleria and Zerlina. Jude’s funeral will be at Bishop Eton on Thursday afternoon at 2.30pm. It would be good if some of our parishioners could come and support the family at this sad time.

CHRIST THE KING:

Pope Pius XI instituted this Feast in 1925. He was disturbed by the problems that were mounting after the end of the First World War and realised that true peace could only be established when people acknowledged the Kingship of Christ, the Prince of Peace. It was originally celebrated at the end of October before the Feast of All Saints, but in 1969 it was transferred to the last Sunday of the Church’s calendar. It provides us with a perfect opportunity to continue to pray for peace in our own time. You do not need me to spell out the relevance of that.

PARISH MATTERS: 

The First Communion Programmes: Both parishes launched their First Communion Programmes last Sunday and I have been in the schools this week, following up on those opening sessions.

The Journey in Faith and an Alpha Course: In response to our meeting on All Saints Day, we have responded to the wave of interest by pursuing both a ‘Journey in Faith’ for the those who are interested in being received into the Church and an ‘Alpha Course’ which we will throw open once a team has been formed and trained. Everyone who attended that evening has been contacted. If there is anyone else who would like to know more about being received into the Catholic Church, then please join us this coming Tuesday at 7:00pm in the Hughes Room (entry from the car park at the back of the church) for the opening session of our ‘Journey in Faith’.

THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING:

And this leads me neatly to ask you to focus your attention on next Sunday’s Feast as well. The Feast of Christ the King brings to an end the Church’s liturgical year.

By seizing the moment, I believe we will give ourselves the opportunity to prepare for the coming year by taking a broader look at how we might fulfil our baptismal consecration: all of us gifted members of the Body of Christ, called to care for one another and the whole of creation. John Elcock, who wrote a thoughtful and ambitious response to my mention of developing a ministry centred on our Marian Shrines, has graciously agreed to speak at all the Masses in our two parishes. You know that I am a great believer in searching for connections and thereby discerning the providence of God.

May this be a providential moment for us all. Over to you!

THE REDEMPTORIST FAMILY:

I also pointed out last week that each year this Sunday is also being set aside worldwide by the Redemptorists to pray for our Mission and for Vocations to the Congregation. I acknowledged that it seems unlikely that in this part of the world we will have many young men considering the possibility of a vocation to the religious life and/or the priesthood.

However, if someone is interested, please do have the courage to come and talk to us. At the same time, we note with much gratitude the number of people who want to share in our charism, and the growth of our Associate Programme is evidence that what St Alphonsus began 290 years ago this week remains an attractive proposition for those who want to share their faith in Christ the Redeemer.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY:

As I noted last Sunday, today we will honour the memory of those who have died in defence of the freedom we enjoy and have our usual ceremonies at the respective War Memorials.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY:

Next Sunday we will honour the memory of those who have died in defence of the freedom we enjoy and have our usual ceremonies at the respective War Memorials. Each year this Sunday is also being set aside worldwide by the Redemptorists to pray for our Mission and for Vocations to the Congregation. Accordingly, we will offer prayers for those intentions. I must admit it is difficult to foresee a great upsurge in vocations in this part of the world at the present time, but if there are young men who would like to explore the possibility, please do have the courage to come and talk to us. Just imagine if we did have a sizeable group what encouragement that would provide!

CONNECTIONS:

As you well know, I am always on the lookout for connections, and I had the opportunity to seize the day on my free day on Thursday this week. For a variety of reasons all my original plans failed to materialise, but then a phone call from his daughter provided me with an opportunity to visit Les Scott, who is now seriously ill in a Nursing Home on the Wirral.

 Les and I go back a long way. His sons were in the Vocations Group I looked after in the 1970s and he often accompanied the group on its travels, providing his campervan as additional transport. His experience as a Catholic Headteacher was invaluable and we had some wonderful times together.

Throughout my years as parish priest here in Liverpool, he has been a quiet and encouraging presence and, of course, he was a faithful and active member of the SVP. I have assured him of our prayers at this difficult time. And here are another couple of interesting connections.

1. As Remembrance Sunday approaches we have the funeral of David Fulcher at 2:00pm this Wednesday. David lovingly cared for the crucifix that marks our War Memorial at Bishop Eton and I will always associate him with it.
2. Just as we have begun to organise our next ‘Journey in Faith’, we received news of the death of Sister Jo Bushell SND. For many years she served Bishop Eton parish, especially in working alongside Deacon John Keeley and the team who ran the RCIA programme. We lovingly remember her and offer our condolences to the Notre Dame Sisters at 266.

So, let us renew our prayers for all the parishioners in both parishes who are struggling with serious health problems or who have died recently.

'CARPE DIEM’ – SEIZE THE DAY: 

Robin Williams in ‘Dead Poets’ Society’ made the phrase ‘carpe diem’ a household phrase and it came to mind as I was reflecting on the events of the past week. There was a truly encouraging response to the invitation to come together and explore how we might organise our next ‘Journey in Faith’, with over twenty people present and others expressing interest who could not actually attend. We are now sifting through all the responses and by next weekend we should have been able to contact all those who have made suggestions and offer a definite way forward.

I think it is likely that we will pursue the option of an ALPHA course for the larger group and have something in place for the few who wish to be received into the Church. At the same time, there is growing interest in how we can encourage everyone to have the confidence to bring their gifts to the service of the community and John Elcock has generously agreed to speak on this subject at all the Masses on the Solemnity of Christ the King. So, let’s seize the day and move on with renewed hope, confidence and enthusiasm.