Download Bulletin 23rd January 2022

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity continues until the 25th.  Follow the links for prayers and more information:

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/01/WPCU-2022-English-A5-1.pdf.pdf

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/01/WPCU-2022-EN.pdf

Fr Hugh’s Homily for 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

I have a problem this week because what I want to say includes next week’s gospel as well so I might have nothing to say next week, which you might think is not such a bad thing.  But what I want to think about is, if all is going so well in the gospel today, Jesus is standing up for the first time in the synagogue and all eyes are upon him (remember when his parents found him in the Temple and he is impressing the teachers there, much the same), why by the end of next week’s gospel are they trying to throw him off a cliff?  This is one reason I think.  There are some phrases in the gospels we hear regularly but I let them wash over me as they don’t seem part of the story, that important, and I am not quite sure what they mean.  And there is one of these at the end of today’s gospel…..

Complete Homily for 3rd Sunday

Readings for 3rd Sunday

Daily Prayers 3rd Sunday

Download Bulletin 16th January 2022

PEACE SUNDAY

The need for peace in the world is obvious.   People are struggling against violence and conflict, growing inequalities, the effects of climate change and the covid pandemic.   Pax Christi is an active Catholic peace movement which does a great deal of good work to promote peace and nonviolence through parishes, schools and social media.  Their website suggests many ways we can all become better peacemakers. There are activities for families to do at home, including a peace liturgy for young children.  https://paxchristi.org.uk/peace-sunday-2022

Pax Christi needs our support to keep going.  If you’d like to make a donation, small or large, here is the link: https://tinyurl.com/yxfcw67x

Deacon Philip’s Homily

“They have no wine” as you can imagine, this is something you dread to hear, and fear the most.  Not just at a wedding venue, but more importantly when you move into a parish presbytery for a few weeks over the New Year holidays.  Luckily for me, the parish here in Kendal is well stocked up.  At the wedding in Cana, it is the bridegroom’s responsibility to provide the wine, and since the celebrations could last a few days, we hear that the wine was running dry.  This would cause great embarrassment for the host if the wine had completely finished halfway through the wedding celebrations.  Therefore, Mary requests Jesus to help their friends in their time of need….

Complete Homily for 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Readings for 2nd Sunday

Daily Prayers 2nd Sunday

Download Bulletin 9th January 2022

   Fr Hugh’s Homily for Baptism of the Lord

When I was first a priest I was sent up to Carlisle where we had a great parish priest called Greg Turner, who very much did things his own way.  When he had some people wanting to join the Church he would gather a group of parishioners to journey with them.  For some reason he always invited Joe, who spent most of his time putting people off the Church.  I think Joe was included as an additional hurdle you had to cross.  But one of the hurdles many people brought with them, and which I think many of us carry with us even as cradle Catholics sometimes, is how difficult it is to get into heaven.  Now, I am not ignoring the story of the camel passing through the eye of the needle, and I don’t think it is without difficulty.  But those difficulties are ones we bring ourselves.  So let me explain….

Complete Homily for Baptism of the Lord

Readings for Baptism of the Lord

Daily Prayers Baptism of The Lord

The Epiphany is celebrated on Thursday 6th January and is a Holy Day of Obligation.

Masses at Kendal will be 12 noon and 7pm

Christmas & New Year Bulletin 2021

Fr Hugh’s Christmas Homily  2021

 It is a pretty exciting event.  I say this never having experienced it directly but was down in London baptizing a new great niece a while ago and it was a great moment.  (When you have to think, No, she is not a ‘niece,’ but a great niece, it makes you think!)  Above all it was a very joyful event, a family event.  And I know I am blessed to have such a family.  At the same time, however exciting it might be, a new baby comes with responsibilities and challenges, and especially if it is your first.  It can mean quite a rethink of your lives.  Many of you will have already experienced that.  Babies, children (however old) can have their ups and downs and that can challenge us at any time in our lives.  We accept this because we love them, often have to adjust our lives because of this love…..

Complete Homily for Christmas 2021

Readings for The Holy Family

Daily Prayers The Holy Family

Download Bulletin 19th December 2021

Fr Hugh’s Homily for Fourth Sunday of Advent

When Mary goes to see Elizabeth she takes on quite a journey.  Dangerous and treacherous paths through the mountains, and pregnant herself.  No doubt she went to see if she could help her cousin, but I would think she probably felt in need of help herself.  Mary, a young woman, finds herself living in two worlds.  In one very special world God himself has spoken to her and told her that she is to give birth to the Messiah, that it is through her that God is going enter the world.  And in response she has said, “I will do whatever you ask of me.”……

Complete Homily for 4th Sunday of Advent

Readings for 4th Sunday Advent

Daily Prayers Advent 4

The 6pm Christmas Eve Mass is now fully booked.

 There are JUST a few spaceS left at 10am Christmas morning

and plenty of room at Midnight Mass.

Download Bulletin 12th December 2021

Fr Hugh’s Homily for 3rd Sunday of Advent

I sometimes have a dream that Tuchel, Klopp, Conte or Pep Guardiola, (one of the great football managers), suddenly decide that their life was not enough of a challenge, so he announces that he is resigning immediately and for very little money has taken up the post of managing Blackpool.  In my dream this shoots us to the top of the Championship and next season into the Premiership and the season after that we are in the Champions League final playing Bayern Munich, though somehow that game seems to be a home one at Bloomfield Road  (which I am sure you all know is Blackpool’s home ground.)  There are of course certain things that make this dream unlikely.  But one question that never comes up in my dream is whether even a Tuchel or a Klopp could manage it with the players we now have. In my dream he remains loyal to the current player and still succeeds.  But as we know, you need the players as well as the coach.  The great thing about God is that he has complete faith in his players, which is each and every one of us.  He is well aware that we aren’t on our best form every day, and that sometimes a promising career gets completely derailed.  And yet even then he has total faith that we can turn it around…..

Complete Homily for 3rd Sunday of Advent

Readings for 3rd Sunday Advent

Daily Prayers Advent 3

Download Bulletin 5th December 2021

Fr Hugh’s Homily for Second Sunday of Advent

My Nana’s house always had a front room ready for visitors.  Unused and generally tidy, though the ironing did slip into it sometimes.  If a special guest came it would be into that room they would be taken.  The rest of us were in the back room by the gas fire.  For me, if someone comes, I have to do a quick rush round and pick up the papers on the floor, put the cushions back on the couch, shift a few books.  For bigger events people often spend quite a time getting the house ready.  Christmas lunch often means shifting a table or tables about and rearranging the furniture.  Advent is a time when we are awaiting a special guest, obviously Jesus.  We prepare to celebrate his first coming and look at our lives to see if we are living as we would like to, he would want us to, in expectation of his second arrival….

Complete Homily for Second Sunday of Advent

Readings for 2nd Sunday Advent

Daily Prayers Advent 2

Read the Catholic Voice here

Download Bulletin 28th November 2021

Bishop’s Pastoral Letter for Advent…..

My dear people,
Many worthy matters will be competing for your attention in these days, matters ranging from the personal to the global. I address you as my flock, and ask for your attention as we move into the shortest days of what has been for many another difficult year. On this first Sunday of Advent there are matters of Faith that claim a priority on our time not only so that we celebrate Christmas as we ought, but also if we are to be found ready when the Lord comes.  We are moving into the darkest time of the year, but Christ is our unfailing Light. We look back over the many events of 2021 and see that Christ has been our constant companion. We plan as best and as wisely as we can for the year ahead, knowing that Christ’s plan is there for us. At times, our plans, even our best plans, must give way to His which is so much better. He will be our way, our guide and our loyal companion….

Complete Pastoral Letter for Advent

Readings for 1st Sunday of Advent

Daily Prayers Advent 1