Saturday 18th May at 11.00 am . Last month a small number of St Bride’s parishioners joined members of the local Anglican and Methodist communities in a walk of Witness to the church of St David Penllergaer, Church in Wales. The fruit of which is that Fr John Patrick is organising a Whitsun Walk of Witness from the Church of St Bride’s, Pontarddulais to the Blessed Sacrament, Gorseinon. Everyone who is able is encouraged to participate. Invitations to our fellow local churches are being issued.
There will be a family quiz night on Friday 24th May at 7pm . Tickets are £5 each (children free). There will be a bring and share buffet and a glass of wine. Soft drinks will also be available. We have a great quizmaster lined up and in promises to be a fun night! There is a list of food items in the porch, please choose what you would like to bring and sign your name beside the item.
Gift Aid As you appreciate, we are enduring a tough time as the cost of living is increasing. Many are struggling to put food on the tables and are resorting to Foodbanks on a regular basis. If you are a taxpayer the Gift Aid Scheme enable charities such as ours to claim the tax on the contributions you make to the parish, small or large. It costs you nothing but is a lifeline for us. Thankfully quite a number of parishioners are signed up but it is important that where possible we try to take full advantage of this scheme to benefit our parish’s needs. And thanks go to all those in the Blessed Sacrament parish and St Bride’s parish who currently gift aid and on last years contributions we reclaimed nearly £3000 and £180 respectively from the Inland Revenue. If you are a taxpayer and willing for the parish to claim the tax you have already paid on your parish contribution, then please complete a Gift Aid Form at the back of the church and return it to Fr John Patrick. Standing Orders We abolished the use of weekly collection envelopes in the wake of the COVID Pandemic simply because the cost of the envelopes with diminishing users was becoming unviable. At the time I asked if parishioners would be so kind and set up a Standing Order with their bank to assure a regular income and also to cut down on administration of the Gift Aid scheme. This has proven to be very helpful. Therefore, I invite you (if you haven’t already set up a Standing Order) to consider doing so. This would be of great help to the parish.
It is a long-held tradition within the Church that a priest is asked to offer up the Sacrifice of the Mass for specific intentions. This tradition has in recent memory tended to fade a little. To have a mass offered is to give thanks and praise for a blessing that has been received or to ask that the freedom and grace won by Jesus’ death of the Cross and celebrated in his resurrection be imparted for someone who is sick or has died. Praying for the Holy Souls is a great act of charity and reminds us that the Lord is the Lord of all, living or dead. When requesting a mass, it is usually accompanied by a stipend which is an offering to the priest. If he does accept the request, he enters a contract to celebrate a mass or series of masses if a stipend is given. He is at liberty to accept or decline the request. In some cases where he has too many mass intentions, he may send the surplus to fellow priests who have fewer or no mass stipends. It is to be noted that the stipend is taxable as it forms part of the priest’s means of income. While there is no set amount for a mass stipend as it is an offering it is suggested that £10 be sufficient. Kindly note that at present dates up until mid-June are no longer available as all have masses booked.
Reflection - Last Will and Testament In the gospel we have just heard Our Lord’s final instructions, his Last Will and Testament. Just before leaving them, he reminds them of what he expects of them. Earlier he had sent them out to spread the Kingdom of God. Those who go in his name, do so with his authority. The authority goes with the mission, so to speak. In Matthew’s version he now adds this great promise, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mark says that the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it”. And Luke emphasises that they will be “clothed with power from on high”, that is, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is very definite about what he has to say. Like any gathering of people, the feelings of his disciples were varied. But he sends them out to speak and act in his name. Their mission was both easy and hard: easy to understand but hard to carry out. It was to teach others all that he had taught them. Just as he asked them to follow his way, they were to ask that others should follow that way too. Has a doctor ever put you on a course of antibiotics. The most basic guidance about antibiotics is to complete the course. Even if the patient starts to feel well after a few days, to discontinue taking the medicine can let their condition grow worse. Similarly, the message of salvation must continue to be shared until the end of time. With all the changes in the church and in society, neither Jesus nor his message have changed. His Gospel remains a call to live our lives to the full. You write a new page of the gospel each day, through all that you do and whatever you say. Others read what you write, be it faithful or true. So what is the gospel according to you? He is with us always. This can be a real help against loneliness. Being alone is not the same as being lonely. One can feel lonely in a crowded street; or alternatively, like Cicero, never less alone than when alone ( “minus solum, quam cum solus”). This applies especially to those who believe the promise, “l am with you always.” Talking with him doesn’t even need words. If we are open to His presence in our heart, and treasure it, we can experience fully that “Joy of the Gospel” so warmly described for us by our good Pope Francis. © Irish Association of Catholic Priests.
The Church Grounds at the Blessed Sacrament Church Each year the parish has been paying near £1000 for a local company to maintain the grass and trees at the Blessed Sacrament Church. Given the need to raise funds for the renovation of the church Fr John Patrick is asking for volunteers to step in and take on the task as he is trying to save money. Will you be willing to help? Please contact him as soon as possible. Teas and Coffees This year we began making available Teas and Coffee every two weeks after the Sunday morning mass. It has proven to be a great time for us to get to know each other in a social gathering. The teams who organise them would appreciate a few more helpers to assist. Please speak to them if you are willing. Parish Film Club This continues to be greatly enjoyed by those among us who come regularly. The team that organise this afternoon out are also looking for a helper or two this month as members of the team are taking a holiday. The task is not onerous by any means. If you are a film buff and willing to help, please see Anna Bruty, Sue, or David Doherty. Collection Counters We have two volunteers who regularly assist in the counting of the collection. We need a few more volunteers to help in this task to ensure the ongoing integrity of accountability in matters financial. It is hoped that we can build up a sufficient team to start a counters rota. Please see Kevin Boyt, Trevor Jones, or Fr John Patrick if you would like to volunteer.
Fr John Patrick is encouraging us to pray the Rosary in each other’s homes during May. Our Blessed Mother is the Queen of Peace and in these times of uncertainty and unrest many especially those who are suffering persecution and violence, need our prayers. Already in St. Bride’s Angela and Adrian have offered to host parishioners wishing to take up this invitation wo join them each Wednesday afternoon throughout May. They have printed a little hand out for parishioners with their contact details which are available in the porch at St. Bride’s. It would be great if parishioners in Gorseinon parish would also take up this invitation. If you are willing, please let him know.
Our Lady’s Lamp - Intentions week commencing 12th May 2024 Blessed Sacrament Nancy & Ron Powell RIP St Bride’s Jim Collins If you wish Our Lady’s Lamp to be lit for a loved one or an intention, please let us know. A donation of £5 is suggested and the candle will be lit all week in the church
Reflection - Choosing and being chosen The experience of being chosen by someone can be a welcome one. It might be as simple as someone choosing us to be on their team; or, some years later, to be their referee, when applying for a job; they trust us to give them a good reference. But being chosen can be even more significant still. At the root of every happy marriage is the fact that two people once chose and then kept on choosing each other. At the heart of every true friendship is a similar choice. Two people choose to be friends with each other; they valued their relationship as special and worthwhile. As in marriage, the choice must be mutual if the friendship is to last. When the choice is one-sided, there can be heartbreak for the one not chosen in return. One of life’s really painful experiences is unrequited love. In the gospel today Jesus uses this language of choice and friendship. He tells them (and us), “I chose you,” “I call you friends.” We can each hear those words as addressed to us. The disciples here represent us all. He has handed over his life for us all. Like St. Paul we can each say that the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. In giving his life for us, Jesus chose us, personally, called each of us his friend. His words are to us, “You are my friends.” The Mass makes present the self-giving death of Jesus in every generation, to every community that gathers for the Breaking of Bread. Right here and now he continues to speak those same words from the last supper, “You are my friends,” “I chose you.” But here’s a thing: In our personal lives, choosing one means not choosing another. This is not the case with the good Lord, who is able to choose each of us equally. As Peter says in the first reading, “God does not have favourites.” If I choose someone as a friend, I want that person to make a similar choice of me. Similarly, the Lord’s choice of us seeks and desires our choice of him. Having chosen us, he wants us to reciprocate that choice. Earlier in the gospel, at a time when many people stopped following him, he turned to his disciples and said to them, “Do you also wish to go away?” Jesus was inviting them to respond to the choice he had made of them. At that highly-charged moment, Peter said on behalf of them all, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the message of eternal life.” In this way he publicly declared his choice of Jesus. At Mass we both celebrate the Lord’s choice of us and we renew our choice of him. When we respond to his invitation to take and eat, we take Him to heart and renew our choice him as our way, our truth and our life. © Irish Association of Catholic Priests.
