Fr Mathew was taken ill this morning and has been taken into Ipswich Hospital. Please remember him in your prayers and pray for his speedy recovery.
Cover has been arranged for the 6:00 pm Mass today, Sunday 24th June, but all the weekday Masses for this week have been cancelled until we know more about his condition.
Churches hold a lot of data about their worshippers, like Baptism, Confirmation, First Holy communion, marriage and death records. They also hold some financial data regarding standing orders and to satisfy Gift Aid requirements. Most importantly churches have their worshippers address and contact details. Diocesan guidance on the new GDPR regulations, which came into force in May, mean that parishioners need to explicitly authorise the church to allow the use of this data for contact purposes, and to define the manner of that contact. Forms are available in the narthex or can be downloaded here - if you have not completed a GDPR form, please do so this week and give it to Fr Mathew.
Today we begin the children’s Liturgy of the Word during the Mass at 10.00am. Please feel free to give your comments and feed back so that we can improve on what we are starting in imparting faith to our young ones.
Every parish in the diocese is assigned a week to pray for vocations to priesthood and religious life from that parish. Next week is our turn to pray for vocations from our parish family. Next week at all masses there will be special prayers for vocations to priesthood, religious life and permanent diaconate from our parish. We need to pray for and actively encourage our young men and women (and the not so young) to think about and discern the possibility of offering their lives in serving the church as priests, permanent deacons and consecrated men and women. Let us pray that many will generously offer their lives to God. If you are one of those thinking about discerning the possibility of pursing vocation, please speak to Fr. Mathew.
On Friday 29th June we celebrate the solemnity of saints Peter and Paul. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass times: 9.30 am and 7.30 pm. Peter is the first head of the Roman Church, our leader in the faith and Paul the great missionary, scholar and fearless preacher. Paul’s epistles give the earliest application of the Gospel message in everyday life. He brought the call of God to the nations while Peter raised the church from the flock of Israel. Both are very different in their character, talents and approach yet one in their love and commitment to the Gospel and the Lord. Both had a martyr’s death. Both learned from their mistakes and are prototypes for ordinary Christians. Next Sunday there will be a retiring collection for Peter’s Pence. This is to support the Holy Father and his staff in their service of the universal Church.
A new group has been established at St Pancras church and will be holding just three sessions in the month of July on Tuesday evenings. Each session will consist of:
1 a talk;
2 a bible/catechism study;
3 share your thoughts and questions.
You are invited to join the group for these sessions which will be held in St Pancras church hall:
Each session, which is open to all, will run from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Please bring a bible and catechism if you can.
The Ignite Team is leading a pilgrimage to York, Durham, Lindisfarne and Iona for those aged between 16-35. The pilgrimage will take place from July 24th to 29th this year, and to confirm a place, bookings must be made by 15th June. More information can be found on the Diocesan web site.
Dublin, Ireland, has been chosen by Pope Francis to host the next World Meeting of Families, from 21st 26th August 2018, guided by the theme “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World”. Held every three years, this major international event brings together families from across the world to celebrate, pray and reflect upon the central importance of marriage and the family as the cornerstone of our lives, of society and of the Church. The event has at its heart the following key moments: 21st August 2018, a National Opening of WMOF2018, which will take place simultaneously in all the different dioceses of Ireland. 22nd to 24th August 2018, a three-day Congress. Each day will reflect on the theme “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World” chosen by the Holy Father and will include an enriching programme for adults of keynote speakers, workshops, talks, testimonies and discussions; an engaging and exciting programme for young people as well as fun activities for children. Sunday 26th August 2018, WMOF2018 will close with a solemn Eucharistic Celebration that will gather thousands of people from Ireland and all over the world.
More information: http://www.worldmeeting2018.ie/en
On Sunday 22nd July, the National Grandparents Pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham will take place. This will commence at 11:00 am with reconciliation, music and song and include Mass celebrated by Bishop Alan at 12 noon. More information can be found on the poster in the narthex, or from the Catholic Grandparents Association (tel. 01328 560333 or email info@catholicgrandparentsassociation.org.) Alternatively you can visit their web site www.catholicgrandparentsassociation.org.
A summary of the parish finances for 2017 has been prepared and is displayed on the notice board in the narthex, with copies available for you to take away. The summary documents can also be downloaded here.
The synopsis of the accounts is that a surplus was made for the year of just over £8000 – this was due to some generous donations received and a reduction in some areas of expenditure.