Sixth Sunday of Easter, 2020
Dear Parishioner
Here is our parish Newsletter for the coming week.
Please rest assured that I continue to pray for you all in the hope that you are keeping well and remain in good spirits.
I suspect we are still trying to grow in our understanding of the recent changes our Government have made this week into slightly easing the lock down. We must now “Stay Alert, Control the Virus and Save Lives.”
What does it mean for us? Essentially this means you must:
- stay at home as much as possible
- work from home if you can
- limit contact with other people
- keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
- wash your hands regularly
- do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms
I do hope that we will all be accepting of these measures. As a nation we have a responsibility to look out for the well-being of each other.
You can keep up-to-date with the latest coronavirus guidance on the Government website.
The following prayer may help us to refocus our minds and hearts:
Almighty and eternal God, our refuge in every danger and to whom we turn in our distress, in faith we pray that you might look with compassion on the afflicted, grant eternal rest to the dead, comfort to mourners, healing to the sick, peace to the dying, strength to healthcare workers, wisdom to our leaders and the courage to reach out to all in love, so that together we may give glory to your holy name through Christ our Lord.
Please take care of yourselves. Try to pray every day and strive to read your bible, God’s Word can offer great comfort in times of trial. Pray for each other and please pray for me.
May the Risen Lord bless you all
Father Patterson
Mass to view on line
Mass is live streamed from our Cathedral on a Sunday at 11.30 and on weekdays at 12.00. These services may be viewed live or anytime later at
Bishop Robert Barron or Fr. Steve Grunow from Word on Fire, continue to celebrate daily Mass from the bishop’s private chapel which is available anytime after 13.15 UK time.
More information and support may be found on our Diocesan website.
Mass Intentions
I continue to celebrate Mass privately every day. The following Intentions will be remembered this week.
- Monday – Carol Belton
- Tuesday – Knock, Hughes and Kelly Families
- Wednesday – Brian Gilmore
- Thursday – The sick, NHS & Care Workers
- Friday – Francis Dodds
- Saturday – Fr “P’s” Intentions
- Sunday – For the intentions of all our parishioners
As you are unable to celebrate Mass with me, you may wish to make this act of spiritual communion:
Lord Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
Masses for the Sick and their Families, NHS Front-Line workers and those working in Social Care
Every Thursday one of our Bishops will be celebrating a special evening Mass for the sick, their families, NHS staff, and those working in Social Care.
Mass this coming Thursday, 21st May, will be celebrated by Bishop Mark Davies from Shrewsbury Cathedral at 19.00.
Liturgical Restrictions
The celebration of Mass in church along with the celebration of all other Sacraments and sacramentals is suspended until such time as we are allowed to reopen our churches.
Funeral Masses and Funeral Services are not permitted in our churches. A simple funeral service may be celebrated at the graveside or at the crematorium where numbers attending are limited. These Local Authority restrictions are made in the light of the latest guidance from the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities, the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management and central Government. The funeral director will guide you in this regard.
Please keep in your prayers this week:
- all our parishioners who are sick, housebound or in hospital and,
- all those near and dear to us whose memories we cherish at this time.
A Prayer for Carers, Nurses and Doctors
Lord Jesus, who healed the sick and gave them new life, be with doctors, nurses and carers, as they act as agents of your healing touch.
In desperate times, keep them strong yet loving; and when their work is done, be with them in their weariness and in their tears. Amen.
Pause for thought
Psychologists tell us that a true friend is someone who has seen us at our worst and still loves us. If you have encountered me only on my best days, I have no guarantee that you are my friend. But when you have dealt with me when I am most obnoxious and you still love me, then I am sure that you are my friend.
The old Gospel song says, “What a friend we have in Jesus!” This is not pious sentimentalism; it is the heart of the matter. What the first Christians saw in the dying and rising of Jesus is that we killed God and God returned in forgiving love. He saw us at our very worst and loved us anyway.
Thus they saw confirmed in flesh and blood what Jesus had said the night before he died: “I no longer call you slaves. . . . I have called you friends.”
They realised, in the drama of the Paschal Mystery, that we have not only been shown a new way; we have been drawn into a new life, a life of friendship with God.
(Bishop Robert Barron)
Charitable Donations
Fr. Patterson received a call from Cafod this week who wish to thank us for our recent donation to their Coronavirus Crisis Appeal.
Alone [Together]
If you are finding it difficult living in isolation – on your own or ‘stuck’ with family – you might find the thoughts of Fr Christopher Jamison helpful. He is a monk of Douai Abbey in Berkshire. Drawing on almost 50 years experience as a monk, Fr Christopher has helped to create a website Alone [Together] which addresses loneliness and self-sufficiency raised by the current Coronavirus crisis.
This website is frequently updated, so if you have visited it before, it may be worth returning for another look – watch the gentle video “You can’t look forward” or the “Locked down psalm.” There is much more to see, hear and read.
Your weekly offering is greatly valued and is our sole source of income
As our churches remain closed Fr. Patterson would ask those of you who may feel able, in what I am aware are difficult times for us all financially, to consider contributing your weekly offering by bank transfer directly into the parish account. It will help us meet our ongoing financial commitments. I am very grateful to those of you who have already chosen to do so.
Alternatively, you may wish to send a cheque made payable to the appropriate Account name below or you might put aside your envelopes each week and bring them along to church once we can reopen and celebrate Mass and socialise together.
The details for bank transfers
St. Alban’s HSBC bank account name: DHN Pelaw St Alban, Sort code: 40-34-18, Account No: 92010984
St. Patrick’s HSBC bank account name: DHN Felling St Patrick, Sort code: 40-34-18, Account No: 52010453
And finally …
More information and support may be found on our Diocesan website.
