Today is also Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in the season of Lent. Traditionally, this Sunday has been a day of celebration, within the austere period of Lent. This Sunday gets its name from the first few words of the traditional Latin entrance for the Mass of the day. “Laetare Jerusalem” (“Rejoice, O Jerusalem”) is Latin from Isaiah 66:10.

Download Bulletin 19th March 2023

Fr Hugh’s Homily for 4th Sunday in Lent

What Jesus saw in the man born blind was his heart. Remember that line from the first reading: ‘Man looks at appearances but God looks at the heart.’ Jesus knew that the man had heart enough, was honest enough, and tough enough to accept the truth, and importantly to stand up for it. So when he is cured his neighbours doubt it, the authorities attack him, his parents don’t back him up, he is on his own….

Complete Homily 4th Sunday in Lent

Readings for 4th Sunday In Lent

Daily Prayers Lent 4

Third Sunday of Lent

March 10, 2023

Download Bulletin 12th March 2023

Deacon George’s Homily for 3rd Sunday of Lent:

Two strangers, one a man and one a woman, meet at a well outside a town. They have never met before and should not be meeting at all. Because one is a Jew travelling through foreign territory, the other is a Samaritan who is on home ground. Jews and Samaritans have been estranged and hostile for many generations. And according to their individual cultures, they should remain strangers. Their meeting could have been short, sharp and hopeless because of their difference in sex, age, personality, background, religion, nationality etc. And because of the barriers and differences their honest meeting would have been insurmountable. But he was no ordinary man, and she was no ordinary woman. The man was Jesus….

Complete Homily for 3rd Sunday of Lent

Readings for 3rd Sunday of Lent

Daily Prayers Lent 3

Second Sunday of Lent

March 3, 2023

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Fr Hugh’s Homily for 2nd Sunday of Lent

‘Let us build you three tents,’ says Peter. What do you do in the face of something that you cannot possibly understand or deal with but go back to what has always been reliable. This is the equivalent for us when we are facing something tough and saying, ‘Shall I put the kettle on?’ Peter has no idea what has just happened. He can see it is Jesus who is his friend, but now in a way he has never seen him before, and two blokes from the past who should just not be there. What he is looking at makes no sense. But the thing is that he trusts Jesus. This is possibly the farthest Jesus has gone, but Peter has sort of got used to Jesus doing the impossible while has been travelling with him. He is getting to know Jesus….

Complete Homily for 2nd Sunday of Lent

Readings for Lent 2

Daily Prayers Lent 2

First Sunday in Lent

February 24, 2023

Download Bulletin 26th February 2023

Pastoral Letter First Sunday of Lent 2023
My dear people, at the beginning of Lent I address you with words of encouragement, knowing that you live complex and demanding lives. I address you as people of Faith, knowing that you can find it difficult to live your Faith in Christ as you should. We all long to be closer to God, but often we sense that we are failing in so many ways. The longing to be close to the Lord will not leave you, because it is God given. Just a few weeks ago we were wishing one another a happy new year. All too quickly the world’s realities assert themselves and our hopes for a happy 2023 have to be adjusted. The most recent global tragedy to gain our attention has been the earthquake affecting millions in Turkey and Syria. Many of you will already have made a personal contribution to help the relief work. The plight of those now homeless and bereaved and injured can help us reflect on our lives this Lent…..

Complete Pastoral Letter First Sunday of Lent

Readings Lent 1

Daily Prayers Lent 1

Read the March Catholic Voice Here

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 17, 2023

Download Bulletin 19th February 2023

Deacon George’s Homily for 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In our Gospel reading, Jesus quotes from the ancient “Law of Limited Retaliation” – “Lex Talionis” or commonly known as the “eye for eye” law. This law is in the book of Leviticus (24:19). It states: “Anyone who injures a neighbour shall receive the same in return, a broken limb for a broken limb, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As the injury inflicted, so will be the injury suffered. (Lev. 24:19.)” This may seem a savage and bloodthirsty law, but in fact, it was the beginning of mercy in the ancient world. It was originally, the “Code of Hammurabi”, written in Babylon, 2,250 years before Christ. It was introduced to prevent blood feuds and vendettas. For example, if someone from the first village, killed someone from the second village, then in revenge, the second village would attack the first village, and perhaps tens, and hundreds, of lives would then be lost. Therefore, this “eye for eye” law reduced the fighting and multiple deaths, and thus limited the retaliation, to the penalty of the equal injury. One death for one death. In reality though, in most civilised societies, this law was very seldom carried out to the letter…..

Complete Homily for 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for 7th Sunday OT

Daily Prayers 7th Sunday OT

Parish Magazine Winter 2023

February 16, 2023

In this first issue of the New Year, we have a new “Castaway,” AND We continue our review of the Proposed Constitution for the Catholic Church. THERE IS A book review from Elizabeth Cartmell and, as always, SVP news from Raymond Daley.

enjoy READING THE 20th ISSUE SINCE THE RE-LAUNCH….

Parish Magazine Winter 2023

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 10, 2023

Download Bulletin 12th February 2023

Fr Hugh’s Homily for 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

You get to the counter and they are just closing. ‘Can I get a ticket or pay this in, its really important.’ ‘No, we close at 5.00, it is more than my job is worth to do anything now.’ Driving your pregnant wife to hospital and the police stop you. ‘You are going over the speed limit.’ ‘But I have to get her to hospital.’ ‘Sorry, that is no excuse, wait while I write the ticket and check your details.’ (I might be being a bit harsh on the police here.) But you know what I mean. It is the ‘jobsworth’ approach to life, that only does exactly what they are instructed, with no idea of being helpful or using their imagination or initiative…..

Complete Homily for 6th Sunday

Readings for 6th Sunday

Daily Prayers 6th Sunday

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 3, 2023

RACIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY

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Fr Hugh’s Homily for 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the film Ali, one of the opening scenes is a young Mohammed Ali, then Cassius Clay, being dragged to the back of the bus as black people had to sit at the back, and when he gets into that crowded space, even though there was plenty of room in the white section, he reads the front of someone’s newspaper about a black man being killed because of his colour. From that moment on, even though he is very young, he is starting to think about why he is discriminated against as a black person……