St Helen's Roman Catholic Church, Caerphilly
I Have Come To Light A Fire On The Earth | Luke 12:49
As many of you are aware over the past few months we have formed a choir – and very good they are. However, we are still looking for new members of the singing group. No previous experience in a choir or singing group is required, just enthusiasm! We will next be meeting at 7:30pm on Monday 3rd June in the church.
So why not come along and see if you like it? It’s great fun and they’re all very nice people!
The Parish Pilgrimage leaves for a visit to Saint Francis and Saint Clare in Assisi tomorrow, Monday. All are welcome to the early Mass (8.45 a.m.) to see them off and pray for them as they will pray for us while they are there
This Sunday is all about the “Divine Community” – in other words, the way in which our God is in himself a communion of love: Father, Son and Spirit, distinct yet perfectly united – three persons, one God. We hear of the perfect union between Father and Son, revealed in the mysterious poem of the First Reading, where the Son is “Wisdom” joining the Father in the act of creation. This union bears fruit in the Spirit, who pours this perfect love into our hearts, so that we may imitate the “Communion of Love” by living together and hoping for our place within the Divine Community.
Today’s Scripture
Proverbs 8: 22 – 31
Response: Psalm 8
When I see the heavens the work of your hands,
The moon and the stars which you arranged,
What is man that you should keep him in mind,
Mortal man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god;
With glory and honour you crowned him,
Gave him pow’r over the works of your hand,
Put all things under his feet.
All of them sheep and cattle,
Yes, even the savage beasts,
Birds of the air and fish
That make their way through the waters.
(Sung Antiphon: How great is your name, O Lord our God,
through all the earth
Romans 5: 1 – 5
Acclamation for the Gospel:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
the God who is, who was, who is to come.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
John 16: 12 – 15
Prayer of the Faithful: R/. Lord, lead us into truth.
If you were in church on Saturday or Sunday of last week, you will be aware that there will be a change to Sunday Mass times. As of the weekend of the 15th/16th June, Mass will start at the later time of 10.30 am. Here is a Pastoral Message (including revised mass times) from Archbishop Stack that we distibuted last week.
CAFOD South Wales is organising a 6 mile ecumenical walk around Cardiff churches as part of the Enough food for everyone…IF campaign. It will take place on June 1st, 2013. We’re walking to raise awareness of the campaign which seeks to help bring an end to global hunger.
Join us for the full walk, part of the walk, or for the shared picnic at Bute Park at 12.00 on the day.
09.30: Start, Cardiff Bay
12.15: Shared picnic
14.00: Finish, Cardiff city centre
Contacts
CAFOD South Wales (southwales@cafod.org.uk)
Map: CF10 5AL
Telephone: 029 2045 3360
Email: southwales@cafod.org.uk
09.30: Start, Cardiff Bay
12.15: Shared picnic
14.00: Finish, Cardiff city centre
For further details or to register your place please contactsouthwales@cafod.org.uk
Welcome and Congratulations to our 24 new Communicants:Joseph Cairnes, Ben Farley-Hoyland, Scott Hopkins, Dylan Jones, Rhys Jones, Sam Monkton, Scott Morgan, Sean O’Gorman, and Evan Wells on Saturday evening; and Carrlisa Alleyne, Hazel Branley, Isabel Branch, Giulia Celestini, Ellen Cushion, Charlotte Deane, Olivia Harris, Sam King, Seren LeConte, Molly Newsam, Amy Rivers, Caitlin Seaborne, Danilella Viernes, Ryan Warlow, and Isabella Yates on Sunday morning.
As well as the celebrations at Mass and at many family gatherings to mark their sharing in Sacramental Communion for a first time this weekend, we are invited to celebrate their Second Holy Communion with them all next weekend at the 10.00 am Sunday Mass, and afterwards in the Hall with photos, certificates, cake, and refreshments. And we keep them in our prayers and draw them ever closer to us in the Communion of Christ’s Body, the Church.
We arrive at the fiftieth day – the completion of the Easter Season, and the completion of the Paschal Mystery: the Lord has died, is risen, has ascended to heaven and now gives birth to his Church, by sending the Spirit upon the apostles. This feast of the gift of the Spirit is so significant for us, because it marks the handing on of Jesus’ ministry to the Church – in the Church we are guaranteed the presence of the Lord, in his sacraments, in his ministers and the gathered Church, in the Blessed Sacrament and in his Celebrated Word. It also marks the fulfillment of our thoughts about baptism throughout this season: the gift of the Spirit which we receive in Confirmation is the `seal’ of our baptism, guaranteeing and confirming all that baptism achieves.
Today’s Scripture
Genesis 11: 1 – 9 or Exodus 19: 3 – 8, 16 – 20
or Ezekiel 37: 1 – 14 or Joel 3: 1 – 5.
Response: Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, my soul:
Lord God, how great you are,
clothed in majesty and glory,
wrapped in light as in a robe.
How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.
Bless the Lord, my soul.
All of these look to you
to give them their food in due season.
You give it, they gather it up:
You open your hand, they have their fill.
You take back your spirit, they die,
returning to the dust from which they came.
You send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the earth
Romans 8: 22 – 27
Acclamation for the Gospel: Sequence: “Holy Spirit, Lord of light, …”
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Jesus said: “I give you a new commandment:
Love one another, just as I have loved you.” Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Continue reading “The Word This Week”
The CAFOD Spring Newsletter is now available and it covers all the news and updates for CAFOD in the Dioceses of Cardiff and Menevia.
Here are some highlights:
As you may already be aware, the G8 summit will be taking place in mid-June in Northern Ireland. This meeting offers a great opportunity for us to make sure that our world leaders take action on the global food crisis. All around the world, even in the UK, people are struggling to feed their families. We need to take action on the scandal where 1 in 8 people go to bed hungry each night even though there is enough food for everyone.
On the 8th June we will be gathering in London with thousands of supporters from across the UK to make sure our world leaders take action on this important issue. We are therefore asking as many of our supporters to be there on the day to join in on this once-in-a-decade opportunity to call on world leaders to act ahead of the G8 (see page 7 in the newsletter). We are organising transport for the day, details to follow on our blog.
We are also asking our supporters to take part in local community actions called ‘The Big IF’. These can be anything from parish-based campaign card signings, to talks, workshops, market stalls, Emmaus meals, in fact anything that will get your local community talking and thinking about the global food crisis and the IF campaign. We need as many ‘Big IF’ displays (see page 3 in the newsletter) as possible to bring to the London gathering, including representations from schools and parishes in our local area.
Can you help make IF happen? Please do read through our newsletter to find out more and what you can do to help stop the global food crisis.
At the end of Mass today we will send forth 16 of our young members to be Confirmed: This Wednesday, 8th May at 7.00 pm Archbishop Stack is coming to the Parish to celebrate the Gift of the Holy Spirit with us and Confirm our young people.
Please make every effort to join the Parish celebration, to welcome and encourage these (very lively and joyful) young adults as they make this important step in faith and hope: Eiry Allender, James Bevan, Rachel Brenton, Charlotte Chowdrey, Callum Hallett, Eleri Jones, Joseph Jones, Nadine Jones, Katie Quinn, Daniel Roberts, Thomas Simmonds, Laura Stephens, Ffion Thomas, Aled Wathan, Huw Wathan, and Rhys Wathan.
Please keep them in your prayers all this week, and as we watch them continue to grow and serve in our Parish.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales will host a Reception for Assembly Members at the Senedd on Tuesday, 7 May 12-2pm.
Located in Cardiff, the Senedd is the main public building of the National Assembly – the centre for democracy and devolution in Wales.
The reception is being sponsored by David Melding AM, the Deputy Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales.
The purpose of the reception is:
The Bishops of the three Catholic Dioceses in Wales will attend the reception:
The Most Revd George Stack
Archbishop of Cardiff
The Rt Revd Tom Burns
Bishop of Menevia
The Rt Revd Peter Brignall
Bishop of Wrexham
