News fro St Peters Hamilton

Vocations Sunday

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:45:27 GMT

A Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Mark:

Archbishop Mark has written a pastoral letter to the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia, inviting all unmarried men who feel God may be calling them to the priesthood to take a first step in discernment. He invites every unmarried man who is open to this call to join him for Evening Prayer at St David's Cathedral, Cardiff, on Sunday 31st May at 3:30pm, followed by an opportunity to meet with the Archbishop and others exploring the same vocation.

To watch Archbishop Mark visit the Archdiocese website here . To register your interest, please email vocations@cardiffmenevia.org .

Parish of Gorseinon 59 Club

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 22:58:52 GMT

This is a reminder that the payment for the 59 Club is now due for a further year. Payments should be made by standing order or by Cheque for £48. Cheques being made payable to ‘parish of Gorseinon’. Cash payments are also acceptable. The draw takes place on the first Saturday of the month with the bonus ball from the National Lottery and the winner receives £50.

If you want a number speak to Margaret Cleveland or Stephen Nessmann.

Welsh National Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Taper, Cardigan

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 18:42:17 GMT

Led by Rt Rev Peter Brignall – Bishop of Wrexham. Sunday 17 May 1.30 – 5.45.

Event includes Confessions, Rosary Procession, Mass, Benediction and Blessing of the Sick. For further information contact Canon Pius Augustine on 01239 612 615.

Grow your Plants

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 18:39:39 GMT

As mentioned by Betty last Sunday you are invited to grow either vegetable or flower plants ready to plant out. We plan to have a plant sale near the end of May 26 where these can be sold and the proceeds go to the parish.

Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials this week

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 14:21:53 GMT

APRIL

28th – St Louis Grignon de Montfort;

29th – St Catherine of Siena;

30th – St Pius V;

MAY

1st – St Joseph the Worker

Our Lady's lamp

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:28:44 GMT

Our Lady’s Lamp - Intentions week commencing 26th April 2026

Blessed Sacrament No Intention

St Bride’s No Intention

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

Latest Archdiocesan Newsletter Is Out

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:35:56 GMT

Did you know the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia sends a free monthly newsletter? Each month you'll find stories from across the Diocese – from over 150 people preparing to enter the Church this Easter, to young people discovering monastic life at Belmont Abbey.

Go to Home - Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia to sign up.

Help wanted

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:16:19 GMT

An individual to co-ordinate the Gift Aid Declarations (GAD) for the Parish. This will entail keeping track of the parishioners who Gift Aid their donations in an excel spreadsheet ready for the curial office finance department at the end of the financial year. The work is not time consuming and would probably only take a few hours a month. If you feel able to undertake this role for us please speak too Stephen.

Scripture Study Group

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 23:27:23 GMT

Meet Tuesday at 5pm in the Parish Office.

Tea and coffee

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 22:27:42 GMT

Please join us for tea, coffee and a chat after mass on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month in Gorseinon

Parishioners Birthdays

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:35:18 GMT

Fr. Clement mentioned a few weeks ago that he intended mentioning parishioners birthdays each Sunday from April 26. If you wish your birthday mentioned then please put your name and date of birth (not month and year) on the sheet in the back of the church. Please note: The sign up sheet will be available next week.

Men's Rosary Rally

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:12:45 GMT

First Saturday of the month in Swansea Centre, outside St David’s Priory at 1pm.

Parish Film Club

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:50:49 GMT

Every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month in the Gorseinon Parish Hall. Doors open at 1.30pm, film to start at 2pm

Holy Rosary Group:

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:49:20 GMT

First Saturday of the month at 11am in the Blessed Sacrament parish hall

Chrism Mass

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 16:44:27 GMT

This year's Chrism Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday of Holy Week ( 31st March) at 11am at St David’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Cardiff. There will be light refreshments in the Jane Hodge Hall in the Cornerstone after the Mass.

Holy Week Services 2026

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 10:37:41 GMT

Holy Week Services 2026

Holy Week Services 2026

All Services are in the Blessed Sacrament Church, Gorseinon unless otherwise stated:-

Sunday 29 ^th March: Passion (Palm) Sunday, 10.30am;

Monday 30th March: Stations of the Cross, 7.00pm

Tuesday 31st March: Chrism Mass at Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral, 11.00am

Thursday 2nd April: Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7.00pm with watching until 9.00pm and Night Prayer at 8.45pm

Friday 3rd April: Stations of the Cross, 2.15pm; Passion of the Lord 3.00pm

Saturday 4th April: Blessing of Easter Breakfast Baskets - 10.00am; The Easter Vigil, 7.30pm

Sunday 5th April: Resurrection of the Lord: 8.30am at St. Bride’s Church and 10.30am in Blessed Sacrament Church.

Passion Plays

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:58:06 GMT

Clydach Players Passion Play 2026

Local dates as follows:-

March 27th - Our Lady Queen of Peace Llanelli

(commence at 7 pm)

A great opportunity to see the Passion of Christ being performed on its 40th Anniversary. If you haven’t seen it take this opportunity during lent to see this very dramatic and moving portrayal of the last days of our blessed lord. This year our parishioners Jonathan and James will be joined by Maria and Dominic our altar servers

Parish Church organ

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:17:05 GMT

We have currently collected approximately £2500 toward the full repair of the organ. You will recall that the cost of a full refurbishment of the organ is just over £10,000. If anyone would like to give a donation toward the cost please see Stephen.

Pilgrimage to Lourdes

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:26:34 GMT

Welsh National Pilgrimage to Lourdes: Dates: 20th - 24th July 2026 . A full religious programme, flights and transfers in France, full board 4* Hotel, as well as insurance and Lourdes Levies are included in the pilgrimage package. Apply & Book Now!

Bookings: www.tangney-tours.com/tours-and-pilgrimages/diocese-welsh/

Enquiries: welshnationalpilgrimage@gmail.com

Services during Lent 2026

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 14:28:26 GMT

Mondays during Lent - Stations of the Cross at 7pm in the church.

Saturday 28th March 26 – Holy Rosary Group at 11am in the Parish Hall.

Sunday 29th March 26 – Palm Sunday – Commence in the parish hall.

Easter Cards 2026 designed by the Sisters at Holy Cross Abbey

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 21:13:25 GMT

Easter Cards 2026 designed by the Sisters at Holy Cross Abbey Size: A6 10.5cm x 14.8cm. Price: £4 per pack of 5, supplied with white envelopes. Price includes packaging and second class postage UK only. The inside reads: May this Easter bring you peace and happiness Boed i’r Pasg hwn ddwyn ichi dangnefedd a hapusrwydd. To order: Call: 01994 240725 Ext 1 (altar breads answerphone) Email: hcawhitlandshop@gmail.com or go to www.hcawhitland.co.uk. A copy of the cards is available on an A4 sheet in the porch.

Emmaus Discover - Sound of Silence

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:56:02 GMT

An event for Year 8 to Year 13 at Belmont Abbey on March 14th 2026. The day will be an experience of monastic life, an opportunity to pray together during Lent, and a chance to get to know other young Catholics. The day is £15pp. See poster for booking details.

Fr. Clement will be away

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:10:33 GMT

Fr. Clement is away from Tuesday 24th February 26 until Thursday 12th March 26 . During this time there will be no weekday mass. If a priest is required during this time please contact the parish priest at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Mumbles on 01792 367283.

Help in the Office

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 19:11:36 GMT

We are still looking for assistance with the Parish Newsletter. This work is all part of keeping the parish running smoothly and as they say ‘Many hands make light work’ . So if you can help in any way please speak to Stephen.

Emmaus Encounter

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 15:47:54 GMT

The next event run by 'Emmaus Encounter', our ministry to young adults aged 18-30 – is a residential retreat at Belmont Abbey taking place from March 27th to 29th . The retreat costs £150pp, plus a £25 single supplement. The retreat is full board, with a full timetable of activities, including a trip into Hereford on the Saturday to learn about local martyr St John Kemble. See poster in porch for booking details.

Stations of the Cross

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 22:03:27 GMT

From Monday 23rd February 2026 and every Monday during Lent there we will start at 7pm in the Blessed Sacrament Church, Gorseinon.

All Welcome.

Stop assisted suicide - further action needed!

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 20:58:24 GMT

Please take 30 seconds to stop assisted suicide from being forced into law. Right To Life UK has made an Easy Action tool to email your MP asking them to oppose attempts to force assisted suicide into law by bypassing the House of Lords.

Please visit www.righttolife.org.uk/ASCommons2026 to ask your MP to oppose forcing the assisted suicide Bill into law.

Ash Wednesday

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 18:44:13 GMT

A day of penance by fasting and abstinence from meat. Is on 18th February 26.

Mass times are as follows: St. Bride’s Church at 9.30am; Blessed Sacrament Church at 6.30pm.

Archbishop Outlines His Vision for the Archdiocese

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 19:15:59 GMT

Archbishop Mark has published a pastoral letter, 'Heart speaks to heart', calling the Archdiocese to become a missionary and synodal diocese built on prayer and four pillars: youth and vocations, evangelising zeal, formation in faith, and loving service. The letter challenges Catholics to encounter Christ more deeply and share that encounter with others, and will be broken into six pieces for study during Lent or Eastertide. Read the full pastoral letter on the Diocese website. ( https:// tinyurl.com/nmj5ppxk )

Newsletter - Help wanted

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 16:07:04 GMT

We are in need of a volunteer to assist in the production of our newsletter This entails working opposite a current parishioner every other week. The newsletter needs to be completed in time for mass at St. Bride’s church, Pontarddulais each Saturday. The volunteer would need to be familiar with Microsoft office as we use Word and Publisher to produce the newsletter. If you are interested speak to Stephen

Health & Safety - Help wanted

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 16:05:37 GMT

We are in need of a volunteer to keep our Health & Safety programme up to date. This work is not arduous and entails using a software programme to keep risk assessments up to date. But it does need to be done regularly. If you have relevant qualifications in Occupational Health & Safety e.g. Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety, and can spare some time each week please speak to Stephen for more information.

Lenten Station Mass

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:04:16 GMT

Our Lady of the Rosary, Ammanford.

A Lenten Station Mass will be led by His Grace, Archbishop Mark on 24th February 2026, commencing at 7.00pm, in Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Ammanford, SA182NP. All Welcome.

Legislative Consent Motion on Assisted Suicide Bill

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 11:42:52 GMT

As the Senedd prepares to debate whether to give legislative consent to Westminster's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Archbishop Mark and Bishop Peter Bignall wish to express their deep concern about legalising assisted suicide in Wales. International experience shows that where assisted suicide is legalised, eligibility criteria expand over time and subtle pressure is placed on those who are elderly, disabled, or who fear becoming a burden. True compassion means accompanying those who suffer and ensuring no one feels abandoned, not ending life. They urge Members of the Senedd to withhold consent and focus on strengthening palliative care. On Monday 26th January, those who can are asked to observe a day of fasting in solidarity with the vulnerable. Please also engage respectfully with your Member of the Senedd to make your voice heard on this important decision for Wales.

Crib Offerings 2025

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 16:10:12 GMT

This year's Crib Offerings will be shared between Aid to the Church in Need and projects helping homeless people within the Archdiocese. If you would like to donate electronically there is a QR code ,which you can scan next to the crib.

Reflection - The Epiphany

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 20:36:34 GMT

 Reflection for the Epiphany – Year A

The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the nations, symbolized by the visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12). It is a moment of divine revelation — God’s light breaking into the world, not for a select few, but for all peoples.

In Year A , the Gospel invites us to see ourselves in the Magi: seekers who journey through uncertainty, guided by a light they do not fully understand, yet compelled to follow. Their perseverance leads them not to a palace, but to a humble home — a reminder that God’s glory often appears in unexpected places.

The Magi’s gifts — gold, frankincense, and myrrh — are more than treasures; they are acts of worship, acknowledging Jesus as King, God, and the One who will suffer for our salvation. Their encounter transforms them, sending them home “by another way,” symbolizing the change that true meeting with Christ brings.

Reflection Points:

• God’s light is for everyone — no one is excluded from His love.

• The journey of faith requires trust, humility, and openness to surprise.

True worship leads to transformation and a new way of living.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Light of the world, guide my steps as You guided the Magi. Help me to seek You with a sincere heart, to recognize You in the humble and unexpected, and to offer You the gift of my life. Amen.

The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 13:23:59 GMT

The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord is celebrated on Tuesday 6th January 2026 and is a Holy Day of Obligation.

Masses as follows:

Monday 5th January 26, Vigil Mass in St. Bride’s Church, Pontarddulais at 5pm;

Tuesday 6th January 26, Mass in Blessed Sacrament Church, Gorseinon at 9.30am.

Clergy Appointments

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 19:28:10 GMT

• Canon Benedict Koledoye will move from St Joseph’s Co-Cathedral, Swansea to Canton/Fairwater as Parish Priest and will be in situ for the weekend of 7/8 February 2026. St Mary’s Priory, Canton will also become an “Induction and Formation House” for all priests arriving from abroad.

• Fr Phillip Harries will move from Carmarthen to St Joseph’s Co-Cathedral and will be in situ for the weekend of 21st/22nd March 2026. Fr Phillip will be on sabbatical from the beginning of January until that date.

• Fr Carlito Reyes will remain at Holy Cross Abbey, Whitland for these next months and will provide cover for Carmarthen, from the beginning of January until the beginning of February, 2026.

• Fr Solomon Ugwummadu will move from Canton/Fairwater to Carmarthen as Priest-in-Charge and will be in situ for the weekend of 7/8 February 2026.

• Fr Clement Oloruntoba OP is appointed as Priest-in-charge at Gorseinon/Pontarddulais with immediate effect. He will retain chaplaincy at Swansea Prison and Singleton Hospital.

• Fr Anthony Nwosu will move to Tenby/Saundersfoot as Priest-in-Charge, with immediate effect and this will be reviewed in the Summer 2026, given his newness to the diocese and the local pastoral situation.

Christmas Services 2025

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 14:19:17 GMT

Blessed Sacrament

24th Christmas Eve

5pm Children/Family Mass with Blessing of the Crib

12.00am Midnight Mass during the Night

25th Christmas Day

10.30am Nativity of the Lord

28th December 25

10.30am Mass - Holy Family

St Bride

24th Christmas Eve

8.00pm Mass During the Night with Blessing of the Crib and Carols

27th December 25

5.00pm Vigil Mass – Holy Family

Children’s Christmas Party

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:37:12 GMT

The Children’s Christmas Party will be held on Sunday 21st December 25 from 12pm in the parish hall. All children welcome.

For more information contact Anne-Marie on 07956331430.

Nativity Family Mass

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 15:54:22 GMT

Practice for the Nativity Family Mass on Christmas Eve will be during the Sunday children’s liturgy. All children welcome.

Advent retreat

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 13:09:08 GMT

"God enters only his own rooms, where someone is always keeping watch for him..." - Father Alfred Delp SJ. St Joseph’s, New Zealand Road, Cardiff are having an Advent Retreat on Saturday 20 December from 9.15 am – 12 noon . It will begin with Mass at 9.15 am followed by a talk. There will then be refreshments followed by Adoration (during which time there will be an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). The retreat will end with Benediction. All are welcome.

Children's Christmas Party

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 23:16:46 GMT

Children’s Christmas Party will be held on Sunday 21st December 25 from 12pm in the parish hall. All children welcome.

For more information contact Anne-Marie on 07956331430.

Annual Parish Raffle

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 20:21:11 GMT

Raffle tickets for the Annual Parish raffle are available from Margaret Cleveland as you leave church today.

Advent Penitential Service

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:31:05 GMT

Adoration with Confession on Sunday 7th December 25 from 9.40am to 10.20am in the Blessed Sacrament Church, Gorseinon.

Shroud of Turin Exhibition

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 13:07:27 GMT

Shroud of Turin Exhibition at Swansea Minister Church of St Marys' from Nov 17th until Dec 10th 2025 . All are welcome , entry is Free , further information at https://swanseaminster.org.uk/events-%26-news

Parish Film Club - help needed

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 15:51:19 GMT

We are in need of assistance to run the film club which is held every second and fourth Thursday of the month. Volunteers would be expected to help with the setting up of beverages, washing up and cleaning tables after the film. There is also a need for a volunteer to help with the setting up of the laptop for the film when the current volunteer is away. Full training can be given. If you can help see either Sue or David Doherty.

Holy Souls

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 13:55:39 GMT

November is the month of Holy Souls. Envelopes are available in the porch for you to place a list of your deceased family, friends and anyone for whom you wish to pray. Holy Mass will be offered for them during the month of November. “Have pity on me, at least you my friends, for the hand of the Lord has touched me”

Introducing Emmaus Youth Mission – Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 13:52:24 GMT

If you’ve been following our Youth Instagram account, you’ll have noticed something’s changed. We’re stepping forward with a renewed vision and a new name: Emmaus Catholic Youth. This isn’t just a rebrand. It’s a declaration of what we believe youth ministry should be: a journey of accompaniment, rooted in one of the most powerful encounters in Scripture – the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).

Journey With Us To all young people (13-17) we would like to invite you to our launch event “Emmaus Discover Youth Retreat” on 23rd November, 2025 at St David’s Catholic Sixth-Form College for a day of fun, prayer, friendship and an opportunity to discover the person of Jesus who always walks with us. Use this link to register: https://rcadc.org/emmaus-discover-youth-retreat/

To all young people (18-35): please keep an eye out for “Emmaus Encounter Retreat” which will be launching soon! Go to our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/emmauscatholicyouth/

Parish Film Club

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 20:23:04 GMT

Please join us every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month in the Gorseinon Parish Hall. Doors open at 1.30pm, film to start at 2pm.

Help wanted

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 19:30:07 GMT

We are in need of a volunteer to co-ordinate the parish hall bookings. This entails speaking to potential users of the hall, arranging for the contract to be completed prior to signing by the parish priest and arranging for the hall to be opened and closed before and after use. This is not a time consuming role but vital in terms of parish income. The volunteer will be required from the beginning of September 25.

If you are interested speak to Stephen

Sacrament of Confirmation 2025

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 19:21:42 GMT

The Sacrament of Confirmation

: If you are in Y9 - Y13 and want to take part in the autumn Confirmation preparation programme starting in October 25, please complete an application form, which can be found in the porch and then speak to Fr Clement/Fr Carlito. Application forms need to be received by the end of September 25 .

SVP News - Sept 2025

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 16:23:56 GMT

St Vincent de Paul (SVP) News

The Annual Matthew Mulchay sponsored walk takes place on Sunday 28th September 25 at 2pm from Brangwyn Hall. This is in aid of South Sudan Baby feeding Stations. Donations can be made via the just giving page https:// www.justgiving.com/page/martin-kearns-3? utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL or to Anna Bruty. Thanks to all who bought the Summer raffle tickets. The draw will be made on September 25th 25. Good Luck.

First Holy Communion

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 15:45:03 GMT

First Holy Communion will commence at the beginning of October 2025. Forms are available in the porch. Please note all candidates need to of 7 years of age to commence the course. Any queries please see Mary Roberts.

Children’s Liturgy Group at Blessed Sacrament Church

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 15:11:19 GMT

We are looking for helpers to pass on our faith to our younger parishoners. The more that can support the lighter the workload. If anyone feels they can support us or wants any information as to what is involved they can contact Andrew Hall 07900400938 or email andrewhardinghall7@gmail.com

Repair of Church organ at Blessed Sacrament Church

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:02:45 GMT

As you may be aware, we have not been able to use the organ in church due to the repairs required. The cost for repairs is just over £10,000. Currently, the Parish cannot afford to pay this. If anyone would like to donate towards this, please see Stephen. Please do not put any additional monies into the collection for the organ appeal as we need to keep a record of the amount raised. Any amount is a step nearer to our goal.

Thank you.

Stephen.

Scripture Group Meeting

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 08:39:25 GMT

Scripture Group Meet Tuesday at 5pm in the Parish Office

Understand the Bible from start to finish

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:10:04 GMT

Understand the Bible from start to finish ,

the Old and New Testament, with this FREE OF CHARGE, world-renowned course presented online LIVE by Mauro Iannicelli.

Starts on Wed 1st October 2025 at 7pm UK time (x8 Wednesday evening sessions).

Info & Registration: www.comeandsee.org

Meet the new Monks: from Downside to Belmont

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:20:41 GMT

Saturday, September 20th at Belmont Abbey. An opportunity to welcome our new monks. Come & hear the Downside community’s unfolding story and get to know their fresh hopes. The next in our Deanery Horizons of Hope meetings, 10am Coffee for 10.20am start.

Followed by a short book launch!

Garden Group

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 19:25:43 GMT

We are in need of someone who can assist in the weeding and watering of the plants in the church grounds. This will entail coming

to the church once or twice a week in conjunction with another volunteer so the plants are watered every other day. This role will cease

during the winter months. If you can assist please speak to Stephen

Mothers' prayers

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 14:40:35 GMT

Join us to learn about establishing your own Mothers' Prayers group with the UK national coordinator. Discover how these small, faith-filled groups began under the Holy Spirit's guidance and now flourish in 120 countries. Together we surrender our children and the world's children in prayer to God's love and mercy.

• When & Where : Saturday 13th September, 10am2:30pm All Hallows Church, School Road, Miskin CF72 8PG. Free lunch provided.

• Who's Welcome : All mothers, grandmothers, and women with hearts for children

• Arranged b y: Nora Woodward and Sister Susan Armond on behalf of the Archdiocese of Cardiff - Menevia.

"Stop your crying and wipe away your tears. All that you have done for your children will not go unrewarded;

they will return from the enemy's land. There is hope for your future; your children will come back home." - Jeremiah 31:16-17”

Electronic newsletter

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 13:23:41 GMT

The Electronic Newsletter is now being sent to those who requested a copy. If you would like to receive a weekly newsletter by email or you have any newsletter additions, please email gorseinon@menevia.org .

March for Life UK - 6th Sept

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 17:02:00 GMT

March for Life UK takes place on Saturday 6th September in London. . For further information on the coach leaving from St Dyfrig’s, Treforest contact Howard at Howard.bayliss@templebaptist.org.uk; for information about the coach leaving St Alban’s, Cardiff and picking up from Newport, contact Clare on 07983 522 851.

Changes to Mass Times at St. Benedict’s Church Sketty and St. Joachim & Anne Church, Dunvant

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 14:44:09 GMT

Due to the impending changes in clergy there will be some changes in Mass times at the above churches.

These changes are planned to take place on the first weekend of September 2025:-

• Saturday 4pm Sketty

• Saturday 6pm Dunvant

• Sunday 9.15am Dunvant

• Sunday 11.15am Sketty

• Monday No Mass

• Tuesday 10.am Dunvant

• Wednesday 10.am Sketty

• Thursday 10.am Dunvant

• Friday 10.am Sketty

Livestreaming Mass

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 15:09:38 GMT

Please note all services in church are livestreamed via our website at www.parishofgorseinon.org. The livestream only shows part of the front two rows of the centre aisles and the altar. If you have any concerns please speak to Fr. Clement or Stephen.

Parish website

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 13:25:22 GMT

We have had a website in the parish for a few years now and we will be undertaking a review of the site with the view to making the site easier to move around and find information. If you have any comments or suggestions please let Stephen know or preferably send us an email at gorseinon@menevia.org

Clergy Move Effective 6th/7th September 2025

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 16:57:22 GMT

Fr Clement Oloruntoba OP from Gorseinon/ Pontarddulais to be in residence at Mumbles

and to retain chaplaincy at Swansea Prison and Singleton Hospital;

Fr Carlito Reyes from Sketty to Gorseinon/ Pontarddulais;

Fr John Browne to take on pastoral care of Sketty (in addition to Dunvant);

New Monthly Diocesan Newsletter

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 13:27:57 GMT

The Archdiocese has launched a new monthly email newsletter, bringing together the latest news, events, and features from across the Diocese and beyond. This month’s edition includes:

(1) An update from the first Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting

(2) Guidance and support on tackling modern slavery and human trafficking

(3) Reflections on the Youth Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi

(4) … and much more!

To subscribe, visit ( https://rcadc.org/new-diocesannewsletter-launches-on-friday-sign-up-today/ )

Donate Blood

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 09:34:23 GMT

Donation Session Monday, 21st July 25 at Gorseinon Institute.

Thank you

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:15:26 GMT

Thank You: To everyone who came to the Garden Party last weekend which was a great success despite the weather. To all of you who brought cakes, food and helped out on the day many thanks. A special thank you to the Loughor Boating Club for providing the Cider and Beer and Lucy’s Best Bites for the cakes, party salads, and serving hotdogs and hamburgers all afternoon. £125 was collected bringing the total to £1410.67.

Men’s Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Penrhys

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 15:00:10 GMT

19th July 2025 . Cardiff Oratory are holding a men’s 22 mile walk to the shrine of Our Lady starting at 8am with breakfast. If you are interested please contact Luke or admin@cardifforatory.co.uk

Clergy Move Effective 6th/7th September 2025

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:56:20 GMT

Mgr Joseph Cefai to resign from Ecclesiastical Ministry. Archbishop Mark thanks Mgr Joe for his many years of priestly ministry

and dedicated service at parish and diocesan level and wishes him a long and happy retirement;

• Canon Barry English from Merthyr to Port Talbot & Cwmavon;

• Fr Elliot Hanson as Assistant Priest at Port Talbot & Cwmavon and as chaplain to St Joseph's Comprehensive School;

• Fr Clement Oloruntoba OP from Gorseinon/ Pontarddulais to be in residence at Mumbles

and to retain chaplaincy at Swansea Prison and Singleton Hospital;

• Fr Carlito Reyes from Sketty to Gorseinon/ Pontarddulais;

• Fr John Browne to take on pastoral care of Sketty (in addition to Dunvant);

• St David's Priory to assume responsibility for university chaplaincy in Swansea

Social Media

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 20:01:47 GMT

For regular updates on church news, follow our Facebook @Roman Catholic Church Gorseinon and Instagram @blessedsacramentgorseinon to receive church news and updates.

Ecumenical and Interreligious Pilgrimage This Summer

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:50:17 GMT

Join this year's Ecumenical and Interreligious Pilgrimage, hosted jointly by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia and the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. The pilgrimage begins at 1:30pm on Thursday, 3 July 2025 at St Padarn's Institute with reflections from Archbishop Mark and Bishop Mary Stallard (Bishop of Llandaff), followed by a walk to St Teilo's Well and Llandaff Cathedral before crossing the River Taff to Bute Park and on to St David's Cathedral for a liturgy of prayer and reaffirmation of Baptism, with refreshments to follow, concluding around 5pm. A wonderful opportunity for different faith traditions to journey together, bearing witness to God's love. To book your place, head over to here: https://tinyurl.com/3k3exdvb

Deanery Station Mass

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 19:49:24 GMT

Join Archbishop Mark and other members of the Clergy and Faithful on Wednesday 2nd July at Our Lady, Queen of Peace, Llanelli SA15 3AB, starting at 7pm.

Charity Garden Party

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 17:05:03 GMT

You are invited to a lovely afternoon and evening with refreshing drinks, tasty bites and a relaxing outdoor atmosphere to raise money for the

Blessed Sacrament Church. July 5th from 2pm. Adult entry £5, children free. RSVP at +44 7948 799890 Thank you for your support! Maurizio.

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 16:18:46 GMT

Below is a Statement from the Catholic Bishops' Conference

Stella Maris Webinar

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 17:09:13 GMT

- All parishioners are invited to an online webinar being run by Stella Maris on Thursday 19th June from 7:30pm to 9pm. You will hear about the work

that Stella Maris has been doing with seafarers and fishers over the past year or so, including the use of the funds kindly donated on Sea Sunday last year.

To attend this webinar, please sign up at: www.stellamaris.org.uk/thankyouwebinar

Volunteer Support Team

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 17:06:47 GMT

The Archdiocese is establishing a Volunteer Support Team to provide practical and emotional assistance to parishes during times of crisis or difficulty. We are seeking empathetic individuals with strong listening skills who can help create a compassionate and supportive environment for priests and parish communities in need. Interested in finding out more? Call the safeguarding team on 029 2037 9480 or email safeguarding@rcadc.org

Annual Mass for Sick & Retired Clergy

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 16:59:57 GMT

An opportunity to give thanks for the contribution our retired clergy have made to the life of the Archdiocese. The Mass, celebrated by Canon Benedict Koledoye, will take place on Tuesday 17th June , 11am at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Swansea. All welcome

Gardeners wanted

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 12:58:45 GMT

As you can see the garden at the far side of the Blessed Sacrament church has developed nicely thanks to Angela and her small team.

We need more volunteers to assist us in particular with the weeding of the flower beds and also with help in the general weeding of

the church grounds. If you can assist please see Stephen.

Safeguarding Training for Volunteers

Sat, 31 May 2025 15:14:02 GMT

The Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia safeguarding team is working with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation to deliver free ‘live’ on line training sessions via TEAMS.

2.Digital Resilience – Wednesday 11th June 6-8pm

3.Understanding Harmful Sexual Behaviour – Wednesday 24th September 6-8pm

4.Child sexual exploitation awareness – Wednesday 12th November 6-8pm

To book your place please contact safeguarding@rcadc.org – stating which date and your name

Further information on each session is available in the porch.

Catholic Renewal Jubilee Days

Sat, 31 May 2025 12:54:34 GMT

The diocesan Catholic Charismatic Team invites you to a Saturday with praise and worship, Mass and small group sharing at Jubilee shrines across the Archdiocese. Each day runs 10 am - 3pm, please bring packed lunch.

14 June - Sacred Heart Centre, Swansea SA6 6HX

28 June - Belmont Abbey, Hereford HR2 9RZ

5 July - St Non’s Retreat, near Haverfordwest SA62 6BN

PPC Conference: Peregrinatio Pro Christo

Sat, 24 May 2025 19:43:22 GMT

The Swansea Curia of the Legion of Mary in conjunction with the regional Senatus of the Legion of Mary present an afternoon conference, relating the experience of the Legion of Mary in its role of evangelization on Saturday 31st May 2025 at St. David’s Priory Church, St. David’s Place, Swansea, SA1 3NG . Holy Mass at 12:30pm opens the conference, followed by refreshments and prayer. The programme included details of national and international events, concluding no later than 3:30pm

Jubilee Family Fun Day

Sat, 24 May 2025 13:02:18 GMT

Saturday May 31st at Belmont Abbey. Commencing at 11am with Mass led by Archbishop Mark at 11.30am. There will be a Vigil Mass at 4pm. For more information see the poster on the notice board.

The Ascension of the Lord

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Sat, 24 May 2025 09:10:10 GMT

The Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on Thursday 29th May 2025 . Mass times are as follows: St. Bride’s Church, Vigil Mass on Wednesday 28th May 2025 at 5pm. Blessed Sacrament church, Mass on Thursday 29th May 2025 at 9.30am.

Safeguarding coffee and chat

Mon, 19 May 2025 14:59:38 GMT

Drop-in session on 22nd May , 11am and 1pm at the Church Hall, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Llanelli. Available to anyone for administrative issues, to raise concerns or to gain information about the support they offer.

Priest Training & Discipleship Appeal

Sun, 18 May 2025 19:39:27 GMT

The Priest Training & Discipleship Appeal makes a vital contribution, not only to support the training of our future priests, but for the first-time donations will also be used to support wider discipleship activity – whether that’s youth ministry, catechetical formation, or diaconate and lay leadership training. If you would still like to donate, you can online by visiting the Archdiocese’s website www.rcadc.org/ donations/

A message from Archbishop Mark O'Toole

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 17:02:58 GMT

Dear brothers,

Happy Easter!

Despite his illness of these past months, we were all saddened to hear the news yesterday of the death of Pope Francis. He was an extraordinary witness to the Risen Lord and we pray now that the Lord quickly receive him into the kingdom. I will be celebrating a “Mass of the Resurrection – Remembering Pope Francis” in St David’s Cathedral, Cardiff at 6.30pm tomorrow evening (Wednesday). Please come to concelebrate if you can and encourage our people to come too.

There will also be a Vigil of Prayer on Thursday Evening at 6pm in St David’s Cathedral to which we have invited ecumenical, inter-faith and civic dignitaries. Do come to that, too, if you are able, and encourage people to attend, if they can.

With my thanks and with my prayers and best wishes.

Yours devotedly,

Most Rev Mark O’Toole

Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia

Holy Week Services

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 17:12:57 GMT

Holy Week Services

New Paragraph

Diocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 22:04:10 GMT

Diocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy: Church of the Sacred Heart, Morriston (25 years of the Sunday of Divine Mercy 2000 -2025). A warm welcome awaits you for the Celebration of the Jubilee Holy Year 2025 for the Sunday of Divine Mercy and Canonisation of Blessed Carlo. We will be blessed with the visit of two of the Sisters of St Faustina from her convent in Kracow Poland.

1.30 pm Parish Centre: Blessing of Images of Divine Mercy; Confessions and Adoration begin.

1.30 pm weekly Latin Mass in Church

2.45 pm Procession of Blessed Sacrament to the Jubilee Church -Shrine of Divine Mercy.

3 pm Hour of Mercy led by the Sisters from Poland (Confessions continue)

4 pm Benediction

4.15 Holy Mass

5.15 pm Veneration of the 1st Class Relics of St Carlo and St Faustina

Book stall with relic Rosaries, Images and books also cards of St Carlo Acutis. Other Sunday Masses as normal 9.30am, 11am, 8pm

Palm Sunday

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:59:13 GMT

Palm Sunday - is 13th April 25 . Mass at Blessed Sacrament will commence in the parish hall and process to the church through the far doors and up the slope. Those parishioners with mobility issues are advised to wait in the church.

Holy Week

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:55:28 GMT

Holy week will soon be upon us. The following are the dates and times of services during Holy Week:

Sunday 13th April : Passion (Palm) Sunday, 10.30am; Exposition with Penitential Service, 5.00pm – 6.00pm

Monday 14th April : Stations of the Cross, 7.00pm

Tuesday 15th April : Chrism Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, 11.30am

Wednesday 16th April : There will be no mass at St. bride’s due to the Chrism Mass in the Cathedral.

Thursday 17th April : Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7.00pm with watching until 9.00pm and Night Prayer at 8.45pm

Friday 18th April : Stations of the Cross, 2.15pm; Passion of the Lord 3.00pm

Saturday 19th April : Blessing of Easter Breakfast Baskets - 10.00am; The Easter Vigil, 7.30pm

Sunday 20th April: Resurrection of the Lord,8.30am at St. Bride’s Church and 10.30am in Blessed Sacrament Church.

Assisted suicide legislation

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 15:10:47 GMT

The important vote for all MPs on the assisted suicide legislation, known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, is likely to take place on 25th April. The charity Right to Life UK has a simple online mechanism to allow people to contact their Member of Parliament and it only takes a few moments to submit a message to ask an MP to stop assisted suicide being rushed into law. It can be accessed here: https://righttolife.org.uk/asvote . Also, postcards from Right to Life are available in the porch to send to your MP on this subject. A range of further resources on opposing assisted suicide is available here: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/ opposing-assisted-suicide/

Holy Week Services

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 10:28:26 GMT

Holy Week Services

Sunday 13th April: Passion (Palm) Sunday 10.30am

Exposition with Penitential Service, 5.00pm – 6.00pm

Monday 14th April: Stations of the Cross 7.00pm

Tuesday 15th April: Chrism Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral 11.30am

Thursday 17th April: Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7.00pm

with watching until 9.00pm and Night Prayer at 8.45pm

Friday 18th April: Stations of the Cross 2.15pm

Passion of the Lord 3.00pm

Saturday 19th April: Blessing of Easter Breakfast Baskets 10.00am

The Easter Vigil 7.30pm

Sunday 20th April: Resurrection of the Lord 8.30am at St. Bride’s Church, 10.30am at Blessed Sacrament Church.

Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia Safeguarding Report 2024

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:19:33 GMT

The Safeguarding Department have released the 2024 Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia Safeguarding Report.

In this year’s report, they highlight key actions taken, including:

* The establishment of a dedicated victim-survivor support post
* A major reduction in DBS backlogs
* The development of policies to promote best practices

Looking ahead, the report outlines plans for:
* Enhanced safeguarding audits
* Improved training for clergy, staff, and volunteers
* Stronger collaboration with statutory agencies

Click the link below to read the report:

Spring Clean the Hall and associated Rooms

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 23:21:21 GMT

On Saturday 29th March 25 , between 10am and 12 noon we will be cleaning the church hall. This will require high cleaning

as well as tidying up. If you could spare a few hours, please speak to Stephen or just come along

Office Assistant Required

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 23:20:05 GMT

Are you familiar with Microsoft office, especially Word and Publisher, or seeking to gain experience with it?

If so we are looking for an assistant volunteer to help in the office with the production of the newsletter.

The tasks involved take roughly 2-3 hours a week once you are familiar. The work will be undertaken on either a

Friday or Saturday in preparation for the first mass of the weekend on Saturday at 5pm. If you are interested speak to

Luke, Stephen or email the office at gorseinon@menevia.org

MENS’ SPIRITUAL EXERCISES – 31ST MARCH – 5TH APRIL 2025

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:13:28 GMT

A 5-day version of the Ignatian Exercises offered specifically for men (whether lay or ordained), this retreat will be preached by the Benedictine Monks of St Joseph’s Abbey, France. Founded in 1988, this community has retained its charism of a specific apostolate to men and of engaging them through a shortened version of the Ignatian Exercises. One-to -one direction will be offered alongside the talks. Priests are welcome to attend and concelebrate or celebrate their own Mass. For more information and to book: https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/mens-spiritual-exercises/

WEBELIEVE FESTIVAL – 25TH – 28TH JULY 2025

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 13:51:02 GMT

Taking place at St Mary’s Seminary, Oscott and centred on the Eucharist with families in mind, this festival offers a feast of invitation for each step of the faith journey, in a unique experience of the universal Church. For more information, please visit https://www.webelievefestival.com

JUBILEE YOUTH PILGRIMAGE TO ROME/ASSISI – 25TH – 28TH JULY 2025

Farewell Get Together

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 21:37:01 GMT

- As a way of saying thank you to Father John Patrick, Aileen, Rlyn, Melanie and Cyrill are organising a get together after church with

Filipino food and drinks. Please join us in wishing Father a gracious farewell! It will be held on Sunday, 23rd February, after 10.30am

Mass in the Parish hall and all are welcome!

WE BELIEVE FESTIVAL – 25TH – 28TH JULY 2025

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:09:34 GMT

For more information, please visit https://www.webelievefestival.com

Change of Sunday Morning Mass Time

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 22:07:52 GMT

Please take note that on the weekend of 1 st February the time of the Sunday Morning Mass at Gorseinon will be changing to 10.30 am .

This is as a consequence of the appointment of Fr Clement who is the Prison Chaplain to Swansea Prison. He has the obligation to celebrate

their morning mass at 9.00 am every Sunday. I am sorry for the inconvenience this may cause some of our parishioners,

Fr. John Patrick

VISIT OF THE RELICS OF BL CARLO ACUTIS – 13TH – 17TH FEBRUARY 2025

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 16:42:40 GMT

The relics of Bl Carlo Acutis, who will be canonised in April, will visit our Archdiocese in February. Over the course of the visit, the relics will be made available for veneration at both cathedrals, as well as Belmont Abbey and Bl Carlo Acutis School, Merthyr.

Sunday 16th: St Joseph’s Cathedral, Swansea

8.00am Arrival of the Relic and Mass

9.00am Veneration of the Relic

10.00am Mass (celebrated by Archbishop Mark)

11.30am Veneration of the Relic, Sacrament of Reconciliation & Devotions

3.00pm Holy Hour

4.00pm: Benediction

Sunday 16th (evening): Sacred Heart, Morriston

5.00pm Documentary & refreshments (Parish Hall)

5.45pm Reception of the Relic (Parish Hall)

6.00pm Prayers & Talk on Bl Carlo

6.50pm Candlelit procession to the Church

7pm Holy Hour

Rosary

Sacrament of Reconciliation

8.00pm Mass followed by Veneration of the Relic

The feast day of St Josephine Bakhita

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:53:22 GMT

The patron saint of victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, takes place on February 8. There are 50 million victims of human trafficking across the world and as many as 130,000 in the UK, hidden in plain sight in your neighbourhood. Pope Francis describes human trafficking as “blood money” and a “crime against humanity”. We are all called to combat this evil trade. To find out more and what you can do, go to santamartagroup.org/resources .

Jubilee for Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:47:37 GMT

The weekend of February 8-9 marks the Jubilee for Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel.

Mass will be held at the co-cathedral of St Joseph, Swansea on February 8th at 11am.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT TRAINING

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 22:00:56 GMT

A Training Day for Parish Volunteers is to be held on Saturday 1st February 2025 , 9.30am to 3pm in St Cadoc's Parish Hall, Llanrumney, Cardiff.

This course is aimed at enabling volunteers in Parishes wishing to start a Bereavement Support group or those who are joining or have joined established groups but not received any training.

The cost (to be paid by parish) is £25 per person, which covers all training materials and a light lunch.

To book your place, please emailflc@rcadc.org or telephone 02920 379483, ensuring to leave a message if no one is available to answer.

Volunteers Please for Hall Tidy Up

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 21:58:09 GMT

Fr John Patrick would like the stage in the church hall to be tidied up. The piano needs to be scrapped, this has been condemned by

the piano tuner as the cost or repair outstrips the value of the piano. He would also like the former office to the side of the of the stage cleared.

He would also appreciate it if the members of the Children’s Liturgy Group/catechists who have stored learning material in the steel cabinet

could go through the materials and discard what is not required anymore.

Urgent Request to Renew the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 11:28:14 GMT

Will you to take some action to ensure that the Listed Places of Worship VAT Scheme continues. This government grant allows us to reclaim the VAT on certain works to our listed Churches. This scheme is worth tens of thousands of pounds for the diocese every year. The scheme comes up for renewal in March 2025. If you want this support to continue we believe that now is the right time to contact our local MP Tonia Antoniazzi. To learn more visit www.rcadc.org/an-urgent-request-to-renew-the-listed-places-of-worshipgrant scheme/

White Flower Appeal 2025

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 23:21:08 GMT

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) will be holding its annual appeal on Sunday the 19th January.

SPUC exists to radically transform culture so that abortion is not only abolished but becomes truly unthinkable. To accomplish this mission, the Society is positioning initiatives in politics, education, legislation and culture. Through these efforts we will restore a respect for the sanctity of human life to our society. This year’s appeal postcards call on the government to adhere to the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A Debt of Gratitude

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 23:06:46 GMT

As parishes both Gorseinon and Pontarddulais we are always indebted to those who prepare not only our Christmas liturgies but weekly liturgies too. I would therefore like to thank on behalf of us all (though it would be to voice your appreciation too to the individuals periodically) the members of the Children’s liturgy Group, crib erecters, our organist, the altar servers, the ministers of Holy Communion, our readers, the flower arrangers, church cleaners, fundraising group, gardeners, Safeguarding representatives, all the members of our Health and Safety Commission, Bookkeeper, and Newsletter compiler. Much work lies behind the scenes and it is important that we encourage and support those who have volunteered there time and expertise to enhance our parish life and ministry. May God continue to bless and reward those who serve with cheerful hearts.

In Gratitude

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 23:05:24 GMT

It is with gratitude I thank all of you who were generous in sending me cards, gifts and contributing to the Christmas Offering Collection.

I truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers not only at this special time but throughout the whole year. My prayer for you all is that the

Lord continue to bless our parish family with all manner of gifts, spiritual and material so that we can realise our full potential as messengers

of the gospel and builders of His kingdom in this part of His vineyard. May God bless you all.

Fr John Patrick

A Year of Hope: An Introduction to the Jubilee Year with the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 18:24:20 GMT

2025 is a Jubilee year, but what does that mean? How will the Church be celebrating it? What can I do? Join us for an introduction to the Jubilee with our special guests including Fr Jan Nowotnik, Director of Mission for the Catholic Bishop’s Conference, Christine Allen, CAFOD Director, and Kayode Akintola, CAFOD’s Head of Africa. Hear highlights of how we’re celebrating as a church and see how we can be tangible signs of hope and build a better world together throughout this holy year. Saturday 18 January 2025 from 10:30am-midday, online

https://cafod.org.uk/news/events/a-year-of-hope-an-introduction-to-the-jubilee-year

The Archconfraternity of St Stephen.

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:38:54 GMT

On the feast of the Epiphany which is celebrated next Sunday those altar servers who have yet to be inducted into the Archconfraternity will be invited to join it. This will be during our mass on Sunday morning. Therefore could I ask all the altar servers’ mams and dads to ensure that they are in mass that morning.

For information about the Archconfraternity blessed visit: https://www.guildofststephen.org/aboutus

Many thanks, Fr John Patrick

Teenagers’ and Young Adults’ Jubilee Pilgrimages

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:12:27 GMT

In addition to the Diocesan Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome in June, the Youth Council are organising two pilgrimages for our young people for the Jubilee Year. I have been asked to pass on the following information: - Teenagers’ pilgrimage to Rome & Assisi – 24th-27th April 2025: An exciting opportunity for young people aged 12-17 to participate in a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi for the Canonisation of Bl Carlo Acutis. We hope that representatives from across the Archdiocese can be invited from amongst our deaneries.

The group will depart from Heathrow on April 24th and return on April 27th, with the following key highlights: - - - - The Holy Doors of the four Papal basilicas in Rome; Basilicas of St Francis, St Clare, & St Mary of the Angels in Assisi; Veneration of the relics of Bl. Carlo Acutis; Mass with the Holy Father for the Canonisation of Bl. Carlo Acutis A full itinerary is attached to this Ad Clerum. The Archdiocese has secured two spaces per deanery for teenagers to join this spiritual journey. The cost of the pilgrimage is £949 per person. We kindly ask each deanery to invite two participants and submit their names by the second week of January. This is a wonderful opportunity for our young people to deepen their faith and witness this historic moment. Your support in encouraging and selecting participants is greatly appreciated.

You can contact the organising team via Fr Dale Cutlan: dale.cutlan@rcadc.org - Young adults’ pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi – 25th-28th July 2025: Including the canonisation of Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati – price TBC. Please contact the Youth Council on youth@rcadc.org for more details.

For our Readers

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 11:26:12 GMT

New Lectionary and Scripture Formation Resources

Fleur Dorrell, the Bishops’ Conference Biblical Apostolate Manager, has asked that a new Lectionary and Scripture Formation Resource be circulated. It is available here: https://www.godwhospeaks.uk/lectionary-scripture-formation -resource/

Resources for scripture readers at Mass and for clergy

The Diocese of Leeds has produced videos which provide a very brief and accessible introduction for those who read the scripture readings at Mass in their parish churches and chapels. They can be accessed here: www.LeedsCathedralLive.org.uk . An explanation sheet of the videos, along with some DOs and DON’Ts for readers, which also has the link to the videos is available for all our readers at the back of the church.

Thanks for our Christmas Parties in December 2024

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 11:19:55 GMT

Our gratitude and thanks go to all the volunteers and organisers of the various individuals and

parish groups that put together our 3 celebration meals and parties.

In total over 75 parishioners young and older made them really memorable celebrations .

Younger Children's Christmas Party 15th December 2024

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 22:37:00 GMT

Our Younger Children’s Christmas Party 15th December 2024 12:15-2.30/3:00pm

After the Nativity Practice (please indicate children’s age if 11 or younger) Food is provided - Pizza, French fries, Birthday cake

We are asking for a “suggested” donation of £5 per family towards the food, but no pressure

Further details contact Andrew 07900400938

The Sycamore Advent Course

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:57:17 GMT

This Sunday’s offering will be screened in the parish office in the presbytery at 3pm due to the Children’s Christmas Party in the Hall.

Parish Christmas Raffle

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:34:34 GMT

Parish Christmas Raffle

£1.00 a ticket

Prizes include: a Bike, Cheese & Wine Hamper, Bottle of Bacardi,

Chocolates, Wine, etc..

See Margaret Cleveland after mass.

The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:28:30 GMT

On behalf of the parish of St Bride Fr John Patrick applied to the Guild for a grant to help with the parish mission. He was successful in

receiving £1260. He asks that parishioners please remember to pray for the Guild who support parishes in their missionary activities

Diocesan Opening Mass for the Jubilee Year

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:25:47 GMT

On the Feast of the Holy Family (28th December), Archbishop Mark will celebrate the 11:00am Mass at St David’s Cathedral, Cardiff as the opening Mass for the Jubilee celebrations. It would be good if parishes began using the Jubilee Hymn that weekend. As a reminder, the hymn can be found at:

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/hymn-for-the-2025-jubilee/

Advent Youth Retreat

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 14:14:34 GMT

Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia Youth Advent Retreat

On Saturday, December 14th, 2024, young people from all over the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia will participate in a special Advent Retreat

at St David's Catholic College, Cardiff, at which Archbishop Mark O’Toole will celebrate Mass.

This retreat, organised by the Youth Council, is open to young people aged 12– 18 in secondary education.

The day will include Mass, fun activities, inspiring talks, prayer, Adoration, food and music.

When : Saturday, December 14th, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Where : St David's Catholic College, Ty-Gwyn Road, Cardiff, CF23 5QD

Cost : £10 (includes lunch and transport)

Registration : Can be completed via the following link ( https://forms.gle/ a5cks4e3Jm8R7SRj6 )

or by scanning the QR Code on the poster in the church porch

Questions : Any questions can be addressed by emailing ( youth@rcadc.org ) or by contacting Deacon Christian Mahoney at 07764515864.

Family Christmas Pizza Party 14th December 2024

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 14:08:17 GMT

Our Christmas Pizza Party is on Saturday 14th Dec at 12.30pm at Fabio and Esterina’s Pizzeria Gowerton.

Any family wishing to join them are invited to sign up on the sheet in the porch as soon as possible.

The Season of Advent Its Meaning and some Ideas

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 21:40:18 GMT

Mistakenly because of consumerism focusing on Christmas winter festive celebrations these precious 4 weeks of Advent have lost their purpose and meaning. Advent is about preparing for the Lord’s return at the end of time – as He promised. That preparation is at the heart of the Church’s mission which is captured in the liturgy by our readings at mass. Reading that focus on the importance of the prophecies of the Old Testament which prepared the people of Israel for the birth of Jesus, the ministry of John the Baptist as his herald and the place of Mary in God’s plan of Salvation as announced by the archangel Gabriel.

By praying and meditating on these readings in the light of our Christian Faith we can enter more fully into the mission of the Church to be heralds of hope and announcers of the fulfilment of the salvation of the world we work towards. To be Christ bearers and co-workers with him in radiating the love and forgiveness, the joy and the peace of God.

At last week’s clergy deanery meeting a few ideas emerged regarding getting into the spirit of Advent.

Advent Angels

To cut out paper angels, and write the names of parishioners on each angel and put them in a basket. Then ask each parishioner to pick out an angel and over the 4 weeks of Advent to pray for that parishioner (without telling them). Then just before Christmas to tell the parishioner who has been prayed for and give them a small gift.

Christmas Tree Petitions

Cut out paper squares and thread each card with a piece of cotton. Ask parishioners to write a prayer of petition on each one and hang them on the Christmas Tree. Then pray for all those petitions throughout Advent and Christmas.

Blessing the Baby Jesus

In many countries there is the tradition of families bringing the Baby Jesus from their family crib to mass of Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent) and having it bless.

Blessing of Christmas Cards

Some have the tradition of having the Christmas Cards they send blest before they sent them, as a spiritual gesture of closeness and blessing.

Flame Congress 15th March 2025

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 19:59:55 GMT

The Flame Congress has been running for nearly 10 years and it provided our young people (16-30 years) the opportunity to gather and support each other in exploring and celebrating the Faith. Each year around 20,000 young people gather for the Congress and f ind it a remarkable occasion in which they draw strength from the faith of their peers. If anyone in that age bracket is interested in participating please make yourselves know to Fr John Patrick. Transport will be provided

Cardiff-Menevia "Catholic Youth Advent Retreat"

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 13:20:08 GMT

Sign up for the Cardiff-Menevia "Catholic Youth Advent Retreat". It will be held at St David's College in Cardiff on Saturday 14th December, where the Archbishop will celebrate Mass, welcoming youth from across the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia. The event is open to those aged 12-19.

The day’s programme includes:

- Mass with our choir

- Inspiring talks and discussions

- Prayer and Adoration

- Great food

- Music and fun activities

- The chance to meet new friends

The retreat will be led by Father Matt RocheSaunders and Deacon Christian Mahoney.

To register, click the link https://forms.gle/ a5cks4e3Jm8R7SRj6

November A Month of Prayer for the Dead

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 13:17:22 GMT

The month begins with the celebration of All Saints which reminds us of Christ’s victory over the grave. The name Halloween comes from the eve of All Hallows – All Saints. Interestingly this past week someone asked Fr John Patrick what Halloween was all about. In pagan times this time of year marked the end of harvest time and the beginning of the dark period of the year. It was believed that the division between this world and the Other world was at its thinnest allowing the spirits of the Other world to return during this period in an active way. People used to leave out food for these spirits to appease them and therefore safeguard them and their livestock from the ravages of winter. The souls of deceased relatives were also thought to visit and families would set table places at meal times to welcome them in honour and as a mark of respect. When Christianity came to these lands many of the pagan rituals were adapted and Christianised. The feast of All Saints was initially celebrated at the end of Easter but eventually was moved to November as a spiritual means to re-affirm the message of Easter – that Christ has risen and so too all who have died and believed in him.

Synod on Synodality – Final Report

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 13:13:35 GMT

Last weekend Pope Francis closed the Synod on Synodality. He made available the report available immediately and will not be issuing an Apostolic Exhortation. This means that the finds of the Synod have been given the weight of Magisterial approval. In other words they lay the foundations for individual parishes and dioceses to develop those aspects of Communion, Participation and Mission along the spirit of the synod’s finding.

You can read an article on the final report at

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-10/press-conference-synod-final-document-magisterium-women.html

Social/fundraising

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 14:50:47 GMT

Film Club:

Second and fourth Thursday of the month. Doors open at 1.30pm and film starts at 2pm. All welcome

14th November

59 Club:

If you wish to have a number please see Margaret Cleveland

Meet and Chat:

First and Third Sunday of the month after mass at Blessed Sacrament

Scripture Group:

5pm every Tuesday in meeting room in Presbytery

Men’s Rosary Group:

First Saturday each month near St David’s Swansea at 3pm

November – The Month Dedicated to the Holy Souls

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 19:43:23 GMT

The month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Church commemorates all her faithful children who have departed from this life, but have not yet attained the joys of heaven. St. Paul warns us that we must not be ignorant concerning the dead, nor sorrowful, "even as others who have no hope ... For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven ... and the dead who are in Christ shall rise.

The Church has always taught us to pray for those who have gone into eternity. Even in the Old Testament prayers and alms were offered for the souls of the dead by those who thought "well and religiously concerning the resurrection." It was believed that "they who had fallen asleep with godliness had great grace laid up for them" and that "it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." We know that a defiled soul cannot enter into heaven.

Excerpted from Liturgical Meditations, The Sisters of St. Dominic

If you wish your loved ones who have gone before us to be remembered at masses for the Holy Souls then please make a list of their names and place your list in the Holy Souls envelopes at the back of the church. It is customary that an offering is made and this too can be placed in the same envelope. These envelopes are collected and placed on the altar during the month of November. Should the number of masses exceed the available days of November masses these will be celebrated throughout the following year.

Parish Christmas Party Lunch 4th December 12.30pm

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 16:23:23 GMT

It won’t be long coming so looking ahead it has been suggested we have a parish celebratory lunch at SEAGERS – Gorseinon. The lunchtime 2 course menu is priced at £22.95 per person.

There are a choice of starters:

Cheddar and Garlic Baked Mushroom (V), Classic Prawn Cocktail, Winter Vegetable Soup (V)

Main Course choices are:

Beef Medallions, Traditional Roast Turkey, Luxy Cranberry Nut Roast (VG), Garlic and Mushroom Chicken

Complimentary Coffee and Mince Pie

If you wish to join us please complete the form in the porch and kindly note there is a £5.00 per person deposit needed. Final numbers have to be in before the end of October.

New Lectionaries

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 14:47:55 GMT

The Archdiocese of St Andrew's and Edinburgh have published three YouTube videos on the Lectionary which are useful for formation as to why the text of the Lectionary has changed.

These can also be found on the Bishops' Conference website:

https:// www.cbcew.org.uk .

The links are:

 Bishop Hugh Gilbert (Aberdeen) on "Introducing the English Standard Version" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VmjpvOxkWg

 Fr Paul Denney on "The New Lectionary" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjCcYGDC5Mk

 Fr Adrian Porter SJ on "Proclaim the Word in the Liturgy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shuALIEpUGk

Parish Safeguarding Representative for Gorseinon Parish

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 18:40:47 GMT

We urgently require a Parish Safeguarding Representative in order for us to meet the requirements of our diocesan Safeguarding protocols. There is the requirement to undertake administrative work in processing our parish applications for the Disclosing and Barring Service. Please see Fr John Patrick or Julie Moruzzi Thomas or Felicity John.

Catechetical Programmes of Christian Formation

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 15:19:40 GMT

Scripture Group Tuesday 6.00 pm The Parish Meeting Room in the Presbytery

Christian Adult Formation Please see Kevin Boyt/Margaret Cleveland/Fr John Patrick

1st Confession/Holy Communion: 1st Holy Confession/Communion 5pm Tuesday 24th Sept

Infant/Child Baptism: Please contact Fr John Patrick

The Sacrament of Confirmation: Please contact Fr John Patrick

The Sacrament of Marriage: Please contact Fr John Patrick 6 months before the date

Online Resources: Can be found at www.sycamore.fm

Pastoral Letter on Assisted Suicide Bill

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 13:16:44 GMT

Weekend of 29th Sunday, 19/20 October 2024

Pastoral Letter for the weekend of 29th Sunday, 19/20 October 2024

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I write to you about a serious matter. A bill has been introduced in Parliament which, if passed, will allow doctors to supply lethal drugs to people with an incurable illness, in effect physician-assisted suicide.

In today’s readings we are reminded that Jesus Christ entered fully into our suffering. “It is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weakness”, the letter to the Hebrews reminds us (Hebrews 4; 15). Jesus knew the reality of suffering and death from the inside. He gave His life for us all. Our experience of death and dying takes place against this transcendent horizon. We believe every person is made for God and called to be with God forever.

All human life is sacred. This message is not just for people of faith, but for all people of goodwill, because the proposals for physician-assisted suicide are not just contrary to the dignity and sanctity of life, they pose grave dangers to vulnerable people. Cherishing life means building a society where every person is included and the diversity of individuals is not seen as a burden.

If the bill were to become law, the experience of countries such as Canada, Belgium, Netherlands and some parts of the USA, shows that the most vulnerable very quickly feel at risk. In Oregon, often suggested as a model by proponents of assisted suicide in the UK, over 47 per cent of those who accept it cited being a burden on family, friends and caregivers as a reason. Belgium has extended an initial permission to adults, to allow voluntary euthanasia of children. It has seen some extraordinary individual cases – euthanasia for anorexia nervosa, euthanasia for someone who regretted gender reassignment, euthanasia of twin brothers who feared losing their sight.

Supporters of the bill will say that these cases are not possible under the proposed law in our country. Yet the history of such legislation shows that once permission is given for one set of circumstances it will soon be extended. We should not only be concerned

about this “slippery slope” in the proposed law. Nor should supporters of the bill try to see our opposition as a merely religious matter. The deeper question is the inherent dignity of every person, especially in relation to those who are disabled, elderly or vulnerable. If, as a society, we facilitate suicide for certain categories of people – in this case those who are terminally ill – and seek to prevent suicide of others – the healthy and the young – then what we are ultimately saying is that some lives are less worthy than others.

Those who argue for a change in the law say it is about dying, not about other vulnerable people. However, in framing their arguments, they appeal not to the reality of someone’s approaching death. They speak rather about the alleged indignity of being dependant on another, or of reduced mental capacity, or the fear of being a burden on family and friends. But to say, as a society, that these are intolerable would ultimately be to condemn every disabled, elderly and vulnerable person. It would open the flood gates and put huge pressure on the most vulnerable. There would be a sense that there was a duty to die. Many would feel insecure about the future and conclude that they are a burden on loved ones and the health service.

The new bill marks a very serious moment for our country. It raises serious questions about what sort of society we want to be. Especially of concern is whether we will continue to promote a proper care of the dying, and of those who are vulnerable through disability or age. We must treasure and value these individuals among us. Our countries have such a rich tradition of care for the dying. We should invest more in such care.

It is good to see that those opposed to a change in the law includes a diverse group of medical professionals (especially, but not only, from the field of palliative care), disability rights organisations, researchers, carers and a range of other concerned institutions and individuals.

I urge you write to, or email, your local MP, to express your concerns about the bill. There is information on the Right to Life – https://righttolife.org.uk – website and poster of how to do this. Thank you and please pray for me.

Yours devotedly,

Archbishop Mark O'Toole

https://rcadc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Archbishop-Mark-Pastoral-Letter-coloured.pdf

First Confession and Communion and Confirmations 2025

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 20:03:34 GMT

1st Confession and Communion

Application Forms are available at the back of the church as well as on our website. Please complete as soon as possible and return them to Fr John Patrick. Please have copies of your child’s baptismal record.

The Sacrament of Confirmation

Application Forms Forms are available at the back of the church as well as on our website. Please complete as soon as possible and return them to Fr John Patrick. Please have copies of you/your child’s baptismal record

The Second Session of the Synod Rome

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 15:17:43 GMT

Pope Francis’ opening address and request to the Synod participants:

Brothers and sisters, we begin anew our synodal path with an eye toward the world, since the Christian community is always at the service of humanity in order to announce the joy of the Gospel. In such a dramatic time in our history, when the winds of war and the flames of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations, there is need for this message.

In order to invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy for the gift of peace, I will recite the holy rosary and make a heartfelt plea to the Virgin in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major this coming Sunday. If possible, I ask all members of the Synod to join me for this occasion.

The following day, 7 October, I ask everyone to participate in a day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world.

Let us walk together. Let us listen to the Lord and allow him to guide us by the "breath" of the Spirit.

Our holy Father Pope Francis has extended his request to include all of us to fast and pray for the peace Christ won for us to be manifest in the strive-stridden places of our world today.

Mass of the Sick Sunday 20th October at 3.00 pm

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 15:16:14 GMT

We shall be celebrating a mass for the sick in October which will involve the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Please make a note of the date and feel free to invite family and friends along to celebrate this great sacrament of healing.

Ministries and Ministers

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 15:12:15 GMT

As I mentioned last week at the end of mass we are in need of additional master of ceremonies, readers and ministers of holy communion. I would therefore ask you to consider these roles or nominate a parishioner who you believe to be suitable.

Safeguarding

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 15:06:59 GMT

The latest Diocesan Safeguarding Newsletter is now available at

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/rR6MccCabrBswLYr?ref=email

Please visit the site.

Safeguarding Café Drop-in Session Saturday 12th October 11.00am – 1.00pm

Our diocesan Safeguarding Team will be holding a Café drop-in session at St David’s Priory Church Hall. Everyone is invited if they have an administration query, to raise a concern or simply to find out more information about the area of Safeguarding. For more information Visit rcadc.org/safeguarding .

Parish Safeguarding

Things have come on greatly in the area of developing a robust Safeguarding culture within the Church. There is always room for improvement for as all agencies are aware there is still much learn. Safeguarding is the responsibility of all of us and not something that can be delegated to others. All who work with children and vulnerable adults as professionals or volunteers are required to obtain a current DBS certificate. This applies with no exception.

Those who exercise oversight in parishes i.e. parish priests are required to undergo training periodically throughout the year and to heighten the awareness of the importance of vigilance in Safeguarding and to disseminate information and materials to parishioners to ensure that their parishes are safe places for all who are vulnerable in the community.

To assist with the administration of the DBS requirement and to liaise with the diocesan Safeguarding Team parishes are expected to have a designated parish representative, this cannot be the parish priest.

On behalf of the parish of Gorseinon I wish to thank Mrs Julie Moruzzi-Thomas who has been our parish Safeguarding Representative for many years and who has asked to step down. It is to her we owe a debt of gratitude in the administration process securing DBS for catechists and ministers of holy communion and for liaising with the diocesan Safeguarding Team over the years.

We need therefore to replace Julie as a matter of urgency. I would greatly appreciate it if you would seriously consider if you are able to fulfil this vital liaison and administrative roll. Julie is willing to assist in your orientation in the role.

This is as I say a vital ministry among us and I hope you will respond with generosity and love for the wellbeing of all.

Fr John Patrick

Book Corner

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 14:30:43 GMT

Thank you everyone who has bought or donated books to our little bookshelf. The contribution to the parish is about £100 per year.

The shelves need to be replenished, so if you have any books to donate, please leave them in a bag next to the shelf.

All books not sold will be passed onto the local charity shops in Gorseinon.

Saint Theresa Feast Day

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 14:28:58 GMT

The 5th of September was the Feast day of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, please pray and smile for her throughout the month. A charity box will be placed by her statue and all proceeds will go to the Sisters of Charity.

As a tribute to the Mother of the Poor, a card with her quotes will be given out as you leave mass today. Please place these cards somewhere they will make a difference such as in a book, on a bus, in a café etc. We do not know the effect they will have on those who find them, but we can pray and hope that they make a difference. Thank you.

The Sacraments of Initiation

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 14:26:42 GMT

1st Confession and Holy Communion

Parents wishing that their children be prepared for their 1st Confession and holy Communion are asked to complete the application forms and give them in as soon as possible. Forms can be download from our parish website. Kindly also note that there are 2 online courses (4 or 8 weeks) for parents whose children are preparing for holy Communion and they can be found at: https://www.sycamore.fm/ pathways/c-sacramental-pathways/

The Sacrament of Confirmation

Those young people wishing to prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation are asked to complete an application form and hand it in as soon as possible. A form can be found on our parish website. Parents accompanying their children who are preparing for the sacrament can find 2 online courses for themselves at https://www.sycamore.fm/ pathways/c-sacramental-pathways/

*NB* Please note that Bishop Mark has requested that parishes with less than 8 candidates join a neighbouring parish for the celebration. This year we joined Llanelli parish for what was a wonderful celebration in which over 40 young people celebrated the Sacrament.

PILGRIMAGE TO SHRINE OF ST DAVID & ST NON’S – 7 TH SEPTEMBER 2024

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 14:43:35 GMT

Bishop Mark will be leading this pilgrimage to the Shrine of St David and St Non’s, Pembrokeshire, for both Dioceses, and the day will include a prayer liturgy at St David’s Cathedral and a pilgrimage walk to St Non’s Retreat Centre, concluding with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. To book a place on the coach from Cardiff, please contact Fr Michael Doyle michael.doyle@rcadc.org

A Message from Fr John O’Brien

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 21:00:42 GMT

“Fr. John Patrick will return from Caldey on Friday and I will be off home. Being here for this last month has been most pleasant. Thank you for your kindness to me and your faithfulness to Christ. Peter - in today’s gospel - speaks for us, “To whom should we go? You have the message of eternal life.” Wherever we are, please God, we will stick with Jesus; through good times and not-so-good times, through thick and thin. United in following Christ.”

Visiting Clergy

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 21:28:01 GMT

We welcome Fr John O’Brien From 30th July until 30th August when Fr John Patrick will return to us for further period of discernment.

Torchlight Procession ‘Our Lady of Peace’ Church

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 14:39:49 GMT

We’d like to invite you to the Torchlight Procession taking place at 7pm on the 22nd August at Our Lady of Peace Church, Newbridge (Newport).

There will be light refreshments available afterwards.

For enquiries and registration please email: comeandseehca@gmail.com

Adoremus in my Parish On Sunday 15 September

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 10:41:16 GMT

The Bishops of England and Wales invite all parishes across our countries to have a period of Exposition to unite the faithful

in focusing on the Eucharist in anticipation of the Jubilee Year with renewed and deepened devotion.

This can be a Holy Hour or a period of prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Feast of the Assumption

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 21:29:29 GMT

Thursday is the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven, the great mid-August feast of Mary and a Holy Day of Obligation. We, Catholics, are urged to celebrate Mass on that day, to worship together, praising God for the “great things the Almighty has done to his lowly handmaid”, and through her for us.

In Gorseinon, there will be a Mass at 7pm on Wednesday and 9.30am on Thursday. In Pontarddulais, Mass will be at 5pm Thursday evening

Fr. Royston CSsR

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 11:37:46 GMT

"Hello, just a little note to say thank-you to the parishioners of Blessed Sacrament and St Bride's for a warm welcome during my two weeks supply. It's been lovely to be back in South Wales, and the weather has been (mostly...) superb. I'll be back in the area next year, when I'll be preaching a parish mission at Llanelli in July (7th-11th), so do pop over and say hello. God bless, and be assured of my prayers, Fr Royston CSsR"

ANNUAL NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD MASS 8TH AUGUST 2024

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 15:11:54 GMT

The annual Mass will be celebrated in the Welsh language in St Dyfrig's Church, Treforest, at 6pm on Thursday 8th August . The principal Celebrant will be Bishop Edwin Regan, and the preacher will be Fr Gildas Parry, O.Præm. There will be light refreshments after the celebration. Bilingual booklets will be available.

Catholic Mothers South Wales

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 12:42:35 GMT

Are you a Catholic mother interested in learning about and deepening your faith, whilst creating a fellowship of like-minded mothers in a relaxed and child-friendly environment? Beginning this September 2024, Catholic Mothers South Wales will be facilitating a monthly group study on 'Divine Mercy for Moms: Sharing the Lessons of St Faustina’ by Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet. For more information or to register your interest please contact us via our social media or email | catholicmothers.southwales@outlook.com

Union of Catholic Mothers

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 15:07:59 GMT

The ladies of UCMW will be doing their sponsored silence on 22nd July . Please support them as all proceeds will go towards the Lourdes fund and Parish funds. Please speak to Margaret Cleveland if you would like to make a donation. Thank you.

Summer Concert

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 15:06:32 GMT

A big thank you to all who helped make the summer concert a big success by helping to set up and clean up, bringing food and raffle prizes, to Ms Theresa Hacche and the choir of St Joseph’s school, the Eclectics and all our amazing church talent. You all made it a wonderful evening and we raised £600.

Sea Sunday 13th July 2025

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 21:25:59 GMT

Seafarers and fishers play a vital role in all of our lives, but they often work in difficult, hazardous conditions. Sea Sunday is next Sunday 13th July . It is when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea. Your support will make a big difference to seafarers and fishers in need. You can donate in church through the second collection, by visiting www.stellamaris.org.uk/donate , or by texting ‘SEA’ to 70460 to donate £5. This collection is vital to enable Stella Maris to continue its important work, so please give generously. Thank you.

Fr Gregory Becket

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 19:58:48 GMT

We welcome to the deanery Fr Greg who Bishop Mark has appointed to Llanelli Parish as assistant priest to the dean Fr Donnelly.

He will take up his post 3/4th August.

Youth Summer Event

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 12:30:36 GMT

Catholic Youth Summer Retreat

July 24-28th at St David’s Pembrokeshire

This Youth Retreat is for 14-18 year old. Archbishop Mark O’Toole will be joining the retreat for a night or two. It will be a time of prayer, reflection and fun in a fantastic part of the world that is on our doorstep.

It cost £250 which includes accommodation at St David’s Bunk Barns and coach travel and meals.

To register please go to https://rcadc.org/register-for-our-catholic-youthsummer-retreat/

Summer Concert

Sat, 06 Jul 2024 13:22:13 GMT

There will be a summer concert on Saturday 13th July . We have a wonderful acappella group coming to entertain us and also hope to showcase our own local talent. If anyone hasn’t come forward yet to sing, play an instrument, tell jokes or perform in any way please give your name to a member of fundraising group.

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 21:56:33 GMT

A General Election has been called for 4 July 2024. The threat of abortion being decriminalised was averted when this election was called, but these extreme proposals are sure to return. The next Parliament will also likely see a big push to legalise assisted suicide. It is therefore vital that we elect MPs who will oppose these threats to life.

To contact your candidates, and to check on their voting intentions on pro-life issues, please go to:

https://www.spuc.org.uk/General-Election-2024

Peter’s Pence – Our 2nd Collection at this weekend’s masses

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 21:54:31 GMT

With your gift, regardless of its size, you express your love and trust in the Holy Father. We help Pope Francis in his mission, which extends throughout the world: from the proclamation of the Gospel to the promotion of human development, education, peace and humanitarian interventions in the most diverse situations of need, thanks also to the daily service of the Holy See. Thanks to the donations to Peter’s Pence, we have supported the Pope in his mission by financing 192 projects in 72 countries*.

* 40.1% Africa, 22.4% Europe (Ukraine), America 19.8%, 16.1% Asia (source: last annual report published in June 2023)

For more information on Peter’s Pence, please visit www.obolodisanpietro.va

Safeguarding Online Newsletter

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 21:52:19 GMT

Everyone is each other’s brother and sister’s keeper. All of us have a duty of care towards others. Its rooted in the 2 greatest commandments Love of God and neighbour. Periodically our diocesan Safeguarding Team publish a newsletter with helpful and insightful articles that help us to remain informed and vigilant in this regard.

The most recent newsletter can be found at: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/rR6MccCabrBswLYr? ref=Link&loc=play

Volunteers needed

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 13:15:32 GMT

We are in need of volunteers for:

• Teas and Coffees

• Parish Film Club

• Collection Counters

If you can spare some time to help the parish please speak to Fr John Patrick.

Adoremus – National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and Congress – 14th Sept 2024

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 10:37:33 GMT

There is a poster at the back of the church and published on our parish website with he details of this important event in September.

The Congress costs are covered except for £25.00 transport costs. We have a bus picking up in Carmarthen and Swansea on the day. Our deanery has been allocated just 11 tickets so if you wish to join the pilgrimage and congress representing our parish and deanery then please see Fr John Patrick this coming week.

A coach has been hired times and pickup points to be announced in due course.

Fundraising Group – Online Training

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 15:04:42 GMT

27th June 2024 at 7.00pm

Following the meeting held prior to Easter those who participated are invited to participate in an online training session organised by Mr Owen Collins who has been employed by the Archdiocese to assist parishes in Fundraising and Grant Application. We are always appreciative when others wish to join this group so if you would like to help in anyway then please speak with Fr John Patrick Details can be found here:

https://rcadc.org/writing -funding-bids-the-dos-and-donts-of-successfulfundraising/

New Lectionaries

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 20:25:53 GMT

Since last weekend we have been blessed by benefactors who wishing to remain anonymous have covered the cost of our new lectionaries in both parishes. Although anonymous the Lord knows who they are and in praise and thanking them for their generosity we pray that the Lord continue to bless them abundantly.

Day for Life 16th June 2024

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 20:17:43 GMT

Day for Life is the day in the Church’s year dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition. This year’s message for Day for Life is written by a hospital chaplain, who shares a testimony of compassion, hope and care. It can be found at

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/day-for-life-message-2024/

Pope Francis’ message for the Day for Life can be found at

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/pope-francis-gives-hisblessing-to-day-for-life/

Standing Orders

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 15:10:26 GMT

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.

Donations for the New Lectionaries

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 15:08:48 GMT

We are very grateful for the donations that have been coming in for our new Lectionaries which will be with us hopefully by November. Please note whilst we are accepting donations for The Blessed Sacrament Parish, the full amount has been reached for St Bride’s. May the Lord bless those who are and will be contributing to the continuation of the Liturgical Proclamation of the Word among us.

New Lectionaries

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 13:20:55 GMT

As was mentioned a few weeks ago from 1st Sunday of Advent 2024 (1st December) the translation of the Lectionaries we use at all our services is changing. From that date on we will be using the New English Standard Version (ESV) Catholic Edition and the Abbey Psalter for the psalms. This is a change that affects the whole of the English-speaking Church. To that end we have pre-ordered the new Lectionaries from the publishers The Catholic Truth Society. The cost for the new lectionaries is substantial. Fr John Patrick is asking for donations towards the set of lectionaries that will be used in both parishes.

Blessed Sacrament Parish:

Lectionary (Ambo Edition) (4 volumes) £695.00

Book of Gospels (Processional Edition) £395.00

St Bride’s Parish:

Lectionary (Chapel Edition) (4 volumes) £395.00

If you wish to donate in memory of a loved one, their names can be inserted into the inside cover of books should you so choose.

The unfortunate consequence of having a new translation is that those of you that have Sunday/Weekday Missals may have to consider replacing them.

New Lectionaries

Wed, 22 May 2024 08:16:57 GMT

New Lectionaries

To that end we have pre-ordered the new Lectionaries from the publishers The Catholic Truth Society. The cost for the new lectionaries is substantial. Fr John Patrick is asking for donations towards the set of lectionaries that will be used in both parishes.

Blessed Sacrament Parish:

Lectionary (Ambo Edition) (4 volumes) £695.00

Book of Gospels (Processional Edition) £395.00

Pentecost Sunday

Wed, 22 May 2024 08:14:30 GMT

The Holy Ghost (der heilige Geist) used to be the forgotten person of the Trinity. Perhaps from being a spirit, since for many people today, only tangible, material things are the whole of reality ... Read more within the newsletter

Vacancy - HeadTeacher

Wed, 22 May 2024 08:07:42 GMT

Advert for Executive Headteacher.

The Mary immaculate and St Teilos Catholic Primary Schools Federation is now recruiting to appoint a permanent Catholic Executive Headteacher. Interested parties can contact the Chair of Governors Mr P Mansfield - contact here . The closing date is the 10th June 2024

Whitsun Witness Walk

Mon, 13 May 2024 14:18:27 GMT

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.

Family Quiz Night

Mon, 13 May 2024 14:12:05 GMT

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

Mon, 13 May 2024 14:10:13 GMT

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

Requests for Masses

Mon, 13 May 2024 14:07:39 GMT

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 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

Mon, 13 May 2024 14:04:05 GMT

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.

Volunteers Please

Sun, 12 May 2024 16:08:23 GMT

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.

Month of May – A Time for Praying with Mother Mary

Sun, 12 May 2024 15:37:35 GMT

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.

Reflection - Sixth Sunday of Easter

Sat, 04 May 2024 20:53:07 GMT

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.

Our Candidates - Preparing for the Sacraments

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 16:05:47 GMT

As I mentioned at the end of last Sunday’s morning mass, we have much to thank the Lord for in those among us who are preparing to celebrate the sacraments among us. They are signs of the Lord’s love for our community. Therefore, please pray for them:

For the Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion .

Currently, we have Kyan a local student who has been among us for well over a year and he has begun undertaking catechetical formation in preparation for the Sacraments of Christian Initiation.

To be Received into Full Communion with the Catholic Church .

We have Luke. Luke has been among us now for about a year and is nearing readiness to be received into Full Communion. He will be celebrating the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and participate in Holy Communion for the first time among us, on Pentecost Sunday. He will join the likes of Lori who was received during the Easter Vigil.

The Sacrament of Confirmation

Over the past 6 months or so our young men Emils and Matiss, have been preparing for Confirmation and are now ready. It is hoped that Emils and Matiss will celebrate the Sacrament with Bishop Mark in Llanelli on Saturday 1st June at 11.00 am.

First Holy Communion

Among our younger parishioners we have Dominik, Denzel and Rocco who will be joined by Leonard, Lilly, and Illia in celebrating their First Holy Communion. This special celebration will be on the Feast of Corpus Christi – The Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ – Sunday 2nd June at the 10.00 am mass.

The Sacrament of Marriage

Although late in the day we congratulate Mary Chidimma who on 6th April married her fiancé Arinze back home in her native Nigeria. Looking ahead in September Lori and Robert will celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony among us.

A Change to Tuesday’s Weekday Mass

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 16:00:58 GMT

COVID has impacted on those coming to all our weekday masses. The Tuesday morning mass was stopped last year because no one was participating. It was re-introduced at the beginning of Lent but sadly this has not improved matters. As of Tuesday, the 7th May mass will be celebrated in the evening at 7.00 pm in the hope it will encourage parishioners to participate in God’s greatest gift to us. This will be reviewed at the end of summer.

Reflection - Fifth Sunday of Easter

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 15:34:51 GMT

Reflection - False Prophets

Admirers have suggested that the brilliance of Oscar Wilde’s plays was only surpassed by that of his conversation. He was a superb raconteur whose conversational offerings were heavily laced with irony. He had a particular penchant for parables, often recounting them in the style of the gospel narrative. Here is one of them. “One day, an unknown man walked down the street. It was the first hour of daylight and people had not yet gathered in the market place. The man sat down by the wayside and, raising his eyes, he began to gaze up to heaven. And it came to pass that another man who was passing that way, seeing the stranger, he too stopped and raised his eyes to heaven. At the second and third hour, others came and did likewise. Soon word of this marvellous happening spread throughout the countryside and many people left their abodes and came to see this stranger. At the ninth hour, when the day was far spent, there was a great multitude assembled. The stranger lowered his eyes from heaven and stood up. Turning towards the multitude, he said in a loud voice: “Amen, amen~ I say unto you. How easy it is to start a religion!”

To start a religion, as Wilde observed, may not be that difficult, but to ensure its survival is quite another matter. People are gullible. Futurists predict a growth in religious activity in the 21st century. For them it forms part of the leisure industry which is expected to expand dramatically. Whether one should greet this prediction with joy or apprehension is a matter for debate. A purely statistical increase in church membership is a dubious gain. What counts for Christianity — indeed, what ensures its survival — is not external but internal growth. What is required is not more members of the Catholic Church, but better disciples of Jesus Christ.

Mere membership and full discipleship are worlds apart. Christianity has always suffered from a surfeit of members and a shortage of disciples. Humans are social animals and crave to be associated. In a world grown cold and depersonalised the churches offer a comfortable ambiance of friendship and security. Often the gospel is diluted to accommodate the prejudices and lifestyle of the parishioners. Few preached fearlessly enough, like St Paul, to risk their livings, let alone their lives. The radical Christ is made into a benign bishop and the collection plate registers members’ approval. Too many withered branches remain un-pruned.

St John tries gently to prod us into discipleship. “My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.” You won’t meet Christ in your Sunday liturgy, if you haven’t rubbed shoulders with him in the office, in the factory or in the kitchen. You won’t hear his message from the altar, if you were deaf to his call at your office desk. Jesus put it simply and bluntly: “It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit and then you will be my disciples.”

Reflection - Fourth Sunday of Easter

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 17:43:24 GMT

Reflection - Pastors who care for people

Jesus illustrates his teaching by referring to shepherds and sheep, seeing himself as the Good Shepherd foretold by the prophets. It’s about the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. Though the imagery is old, the message is topical. It is relevant to us here and now. By faith we accept Jesus, and our relationship is a deeply personal one. The bond of love uniting us is based on the love that unites the Father and Jesus. Our new existence is founded on God’s unbreakable love and faithfulness.

In order to enter eternal life we must listen to Jesus and obey him. The alternative opening prayer puts this in practical terms. We have to tune our minds to the sound of his voice. Self-centredness can make us deaf to the voice of Jesus. Easy options can draw us into easier paths than the one he has traced. Pressure to abandon Christian principles is inevitable. But God is faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond our strength. No one can drag us away from him, The Father has entrusted us to his Son. The same God who kept faith with Jesus by raising him from the dead will also raise us by his power.

Paul and Barnabas ‘spoke out boldly’, and made an impact. A courageous proclamation of the gospel to our contemporaries can be as fruitful now as it was in apostolic times. All the baptized, particularly those who are confirmed, are bound to spread the faith. Laity as well as priests and religious are in the service of the Risen Lord. Our faith urges us to take personal part in the work of evangelisation. Are we doing so? How many evils persist in our society just because good people say nothing and do nothing? A breviary hymn of Eastertide (no.25) spells out what is expected of us by the Risen Lord: Now he bids us tell abroad/How the lost may be restored/How the penitent forgiven/ How we too may enter heaven.

“Good Shepherd Sunday” is an opportunity to think and pray about how priestly ministry the catholic church will fare into the future. In 2015 Ireland the average age of ordained priests is about sixty five, a statistic that urgently calls for significant change in how we recruit priests for the future, and what is to be expected of them. In a recent article about this impending crisis, Padraig McCarthy invites us to remember that there is no such thing as a priest-less parish. “There may not be an ordained priest as is the practice at present, but the parish is a priestly people. How will this take flesh in the coming decades? Are there factors which had value in the past which now are an obstacle to the mission of the church? What new model of ministerial priesthood is called for?” Fr. McCarthy divides the shepherding challenge into three questions that are worth examining by bishops, priests and laity:

1) Who will be the true shepherds in the coming years?

2) How will those shepherds carry out the mission to those outside the fold?

3) What needs to change in the Catholic Church, so that each local community can have a full Eucharistic celebration every Sunday?

Consultation Process on the Proposal to merge the Diocese of Menevia with the Archdiocese of Cardif

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 21:23:21 GMT

The meeting in Carmarthen on 3rd February was attended by about 40 people for the various parishes around the diocese. The consultation process continues and Bishop Mark is keen to hear as many voices as possible . Below is the schedule dates and times for you to engage with the consultation process. If as yet you have not engaged with the consultation please make every effort to do so.

Many thanks Fr John Patrick

Catechetical Programmes of Christian Formation

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 19:53:48 GMT

Scripture Group Tuesday 5.00 pm The Parish Meeting Room in the Presbytery

Christian Adult Formation Tuesdays 11am-12.30pm Parish Meeting Room in the Presbytery

Children’s Formation for 1st Confession/Holy Communion : Tuesdays 5-6pm in the Parish Hall during term time

Infant/Child Baptism : Please contact Fr John Patrick

The Sacrament of Confirmation : Please contact Fr John Patrick

The Sacrament of Marriage : Please contact Fr John Patrick 6 months before the date

Online Resources: Can be found at www.sycamore.fm

Reflection - Third Sunday of Easter

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 18:54:47 GMT

Reflection - Repent and be forgiven

“You see how it is written that the Christ would suffer, and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations.” This prediction or mandate of the risen Christ is echoed by Peter in the first reading, “Now you must repent and turn to God, that your sins may be wiped out.” In John’s epistle too, we are urged to stop sinning, and if we have sinned the sacrifice of Christ can take our sins away. People who live without thought of God or of His will, may silence their consciences with the promise of repenting some future day. But is it possible that a change of heart can happen in a single day? Can we our character and habits possibly improve by an act of our will?

Some may be inclined to wonder, “Why all the fuss if everyone is a sinner, and if forgiveness is easily got?” To this, St. John has a sober warning, “We can be sure that we know God only by keeping his commandments.” Knowing God has a moral dimension and has almost nothing to do with intellectual understanding. To know God means to have a close and personal relationship with our Maker and Father. This happens most surely if we live in imitation of Christ, or put on Christ, as St Paul says. Being Christians gives us the great privilege of a relationship with Jesus; but it also makes great demands on us, for we cannot be like Christ unless we aim to become pure in heart. ,

There was a poor and simple man who regularly visited a certain church, and there pray on his knees before a large crucifix. When he was asked why his lips never moved while praying before the cross he said, “I just look at him, and he looks at me.” Words had given way to contemplation. Those who look long enough at Christ, will finally become like Christ, seeing him as he really is.

Preparing for the Jubilee of Hope 2025

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 18:31:01 GMT

We are invited to pray and meditate together on the Lord’s Prayer to prepare for the celebration. The booklets WE DARE TO ASK at the back of Church are there for us all to being our preparation. please come along to our parish gathering each Sunday evening at 5pm in the parish hall.

Reflection - Second Sunday of Easter

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 12:18:21 GMT

Reflection - Unlocking our doors

Most houses are well alarmed nowadays; the computerised alarm has become as basic an item as table and chairs. We also need to have good strong locks; long gone, at least in the cities and towns, are the days when you could just leave the key in the door, and let neighbours ramble in casually for a chat and a cup of tea. We are more fearful about our security than we used to be, and this fear and anxiety has led us to take more precautions to protect ourselves. Fear of what others can do to us tends to close us in on ourselves, not just in the physical sense of getting stronger door-locks, but also in other senses. We tend to be somewhat withdrawn around people whom we perceive to be critical. We are slow to open up to someone we think will judge us. We hesitate to share ideas and plans we might have with those who are known not to suffer fools gladly. Fear of others can often hold us back and stunt our growth.

In the gospel we find the disciples locking themselves into a room because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Even after an excited Mary Magdalene came to them from the empty tomb announcing that she had seen the Lord, this was not enough to overcome their fear. What had been done to Jesus could be done to them. .. which led to their hiding in selfimposed confinement. The turning point came when the risen Lord himself appeared to them behind their closed doors and helped them over their fear. He did this by breathing the Holy Spirit into them, filling them new energy and hope, freeing them from fear and releasing them to share in his mission. “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you,” he said. In the power of the Spirit they came to life and went out from their selfimposed prison, to bear witness to the risen Lord. This is the picture of the disciples that Luke gives us in today’s reading from Acts. He describes a community of believers, the church, witnessing to the resurrection both in word and by the quality of their living.

We can all find ourselves in the situation of those first disciples, locked in their hiding place. Any combination of the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” can water down our commitment to following the Lord. Like the disciples in today’s gospel, we can be tempted to give up on our faith journey. The will to self-preservation can prevent us from doing what we are capable of doing with the Lord’s help. The wounds we carry from earlier, failed initiatives make us hesitate to try again. Even when someone seems full of enthusiasm and hope like a Mary Magdalene, we shrug it off. We let them get on with it, while we hold back and stay safe. The gospel today suggests a way out of our self-imposed confinement. If Magdalene makes no impact on us, the Lord will find another way to enter our lives and to fill us with new life and energy for his service. No locked doors, nor even locked hearts, can keep him out. He finds a way to enter the space where we have chosen to retreat and he empowers us to resist what is holding us back. He does require some openness on our part; at the least some desire on our part to become what he is calling us to be. The risen Lord never ceases to recreate us and to renew us in his love. Easter is the season to celebrate the good news.

Just as the disciples were unmoved by the hopeful enthusiasm of Mary Magdalene who had seen the Lord, so Thomas was unmoved by the witness of the disciples who told him they too had seen the Lord. Thomas, it seems, was an even harder nut to crack than the other disciples. He is one of those people who insist on certain conditions being met before he makes a move, “Unless I see, I can’t believe.” As he had done with the other disciples, the Lord takes Thomas on his own terms. He accommodates himself to Thomas’ conditions and says, “Put your finger here.” The gospel today implies that the Lord meets us wherever we are. He takes us seriously in all our fears and doubts. The Lord is prepared to stand with us on our own ground, whatever that ground is, and from there he will speak to us a word suited to our personal state of mind and heart. We don’t have to get ourselves to some particular place in order for the Lord to engage with us. He takes himself to where we are, wherever it is a place of fear or of doubt. We might pray this Easter season for the openness to receive the Lord’s coming into the concrete circumstances of our own lives, so that we too might say with Thomas, “My Lord and my God.” We might also pray that, like the Lord, we would receive others where they are, rather than where we would like them to be.

Reflection - Easter Sunday

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 13:27:08 GMT

Reflection - Meeting the Risen One

Mary of Magdala was first to go to the tomb, before the dawn when it was still dark, and discovered it empty. Jesus was missing — the master who had understood her and cured her, the prophet she had followed faithfully until his death. Who would she follow now? So her lament to the disciples was: They’ve taken my Lord from the grave and we don’t know where they have put him. Her lament could express the experience that many Christians are living through today: What have they done with the Risen Jesus? Where have they put him — the Lord in whom we believe: is it a Christ full of the promise of life or a Jesus whose memory keeps fading little by little in our hearts?

We don’t need scientific proofs in order to believe more firmly. To experience the joy of Easter it’s not enough to turn to the magisterium of the Church, or to study theological books. In order to meet the Risen One we need above all to journey within. If we don’t meet him inside ourselves, we won’t meet him anywhere. Later, John describes Mary going about looking for information. But when she does see Jesus, she’s so blinded by grief and tears that she does not recognize him; she thinks he’s the gardener. Jesus just asks her a question: Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?

Maybe we too need to ask ourselves something similar: Why is our faith so sad and low-key? What are Christians today looking for? What do we yearn for? Are we going around looking for a Jesus that we need in order to feel full of life in our communities? When Mary doesn’t recognize Jesus, he calls her by her name, with the same tenderness in his voice as when they were walking through Galilee: Mary!. She turns around quickly: Rabbuni! Master!.

Mary meets the Risen One when she feels herself personally called by him. That’s the core of resurrection faith. Jesus shows himself full of life to us when we feel ourselves called by our own name and we hear the invitation that he makes to each one of us. That’s when our faith grows. Our faith in the living Christ won’t be revived only by the Easter accounts alone. We won’t properly meet him if we don’t seek a living, personal contact with him. A combination of the love of Jesus known through the Gospel and sought personally in the depths of our hearts, can best lead us to meet the Risen One. [José Antonio Pagola]

Readers for Holy Week

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 23:38:48 GMT

We require readers for the following days:

• Maundy Thursday – 2 readers

• Good Friday – 2 Readers

• Easter Vigil Saturday - 5 Readers.

We would like to try to have these readings said in different languages to highlight the various countries parishioners come from.

We have two volunteers at present so more would be welcome. If you are available please let us know asap.

An opportunity to explore what the Holy Spirit is doing in South Wales & Herefordshire

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 21:50:53 GMT

Pope Francis has invited Spirit-inspired Catholics to come together. You’re invited to do so:

• Saturday 13th April 10 am - 3.15 pm at All Hallows, Llantrisant (CF72 8PG)

• Saturday 20th April 10 am - 3.15 pm at St David’s & St Patrick’s, Haverfordwest (SA61 1SX)

Both days begin with Mass. To learn more, see Facebook.com/CCRSWH or contact Anne Nolan annec_nolan@yahoo.co.uk or 07989 839710

Reflection - Palm Sunday

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 21:46:49 GMT

Reflection - Looking on from a distance

There is great hostility in the story we have just heard, all of it directed against Jesus. There is the hostility of the chief priests, of the Roman soldiers, of those who passed by and jeered as he hung from the cross. Alongside the hostility of those who rejected Jesus, there is the failure of those who had been closest to him. His disciples all deserted him and fled; Judas betrayed him and Peter denied him publicly. Yet, there were a few people who responded to Jesus in that dark hour faithfully and nobly. There was the anonymous woman who in an extravagant gesture of love and respect anointed the head of Jesus. Then there was the Roman centurion, who looked on as Jesus died and exclaimed, ‘this man was son of God’. Joseph of Arimathea took the bold step of going to Pilate to ensure Jesus had a dignified burial. The women disciples who looked on from a distance noted where Jesus was buried and went away to prepare spices to anoint his body at the earliest opportunity. All of these people men and women saw Jesus with eyes of faith and love.

The story we have just heard invites us to identify with those who saw Jesus with the eyes of faith and love, who recognized the light of God in the darkness of Jesus’ passion and death. When we look upon the passion and death of Jesus with such eyes, we see a divine love that is stronger than sin, a divine light that shines in all our darknesses, a divine power that brings new life out of all our deaths, a divine poverty that enriches us at the deepest level of our being. We have heard the story of Jesus’ last journey told in the space of ten minutes. This Holy Week, the church invites us to travel that journey at a much slower pace, day by day as it were. We are invited to enter into that journey with the eyes of the anointing woman, the centurion, Joseph of Arimathea and the group of faithful women. We look beneath the surface of what is happening, we listen deeply to all that is taking place, so as to recognize the good Shepherd who laid down his life for us all, so that we might have life and have it to the full.

Reflection - Fifth Sunday of Lent

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 23:34:51 GMT

Reflection - For Others’ Sake

Martin Luther King once wrote about a time when he knelt in prayer in the kitchen of his home in Alabama. Stones had been thrown through the window because of his call for civil rights for black people. His wife and children were in danger. He was already a respected academic and a promising career lay ahead. In prayer he found himself asking if it was right to put himself and them in danger? It was in that moment he decided to put the will of God and the welfare of his people before his own security and that of his family. He chose to serve God by working for those who were most oppressed. In a sense, he chose to die so that others could more fully live. It was a striking echo of what Jesus says in the gospel reading, that the grain of wheat must fall into the ground to yield a rich harvest.

Jesus himself was the supreme expression of this principle. He is the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, and in dying yields a harvest of life. He describes that harvest in prophetic words: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”

If God worked powerfully through the life of Jesus, He worked even more powerfully through the death of Jesus, a death that reveals the power of God’s love, even more fully than his life of healing and ministry, for the amazing love revealed in his death on the cross drew people to God, and continues to do so. Over the centuries, millions of people, by looking upon the crucifix, have experienced God’s personal love and compassion and found themselves drawn to God in return. In accepting the loss of so much that was dear to him, in particular, his vibrant life and warm companionship with others, Jesus drew people of all nations to himself and, thereby, to sharing in God’s life.

It was when some Greeks (i.e. foreigners) came to hear him speak that Jesus made this declaration; and then he asked: “What shall I say? Save me from this hour. No, it was for this reason I have come to this hour.” In these lovely spring days we may find ourselves sowing some seeds in the garden. The seed that dies in order to yield a new form of life is as familiar to us today as it was in the day of Jesus. This phenomenon of nature can speak to our own experience as much as it did to the experience of Jesus. Each of us in different ways has to accept some significant loss if we are to remain true to our deepest and best self, true to what God is asking of us.

Then there are other losses in life that we do not choose, but that are forced upon us. These are losses we have no choice but to accept. We may have to accept the loss of people we love and care about because of choices they make themselves. Parents may not wish to see a son or daughter go far away to live and work, but they accept this necessary loss out of respect for the one they love. In accepting the losses that life imposes, in letting go of those we love, we often find something fuller and richer, just as Jesus’ disciples received him again in a new and fuller way through his resurrection from the dead and the sending of the Spirit.

At the end, for each of us, there is the final, unavoidable struggle to let go of our very life, with all the loss that is entailed in that. As we face of all these inevitable losses that are integral to life, we are strengthened by the words of Jesus in today’s gospel, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” We trust and believe that, at the end of the day, after we have struggled through all our losses, the Lord will draw us to himself, and, when that happens, we will lack nothing.

‘Walk with Me, Lent 2024’

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 23:35:07 GMT

‘This year we celebrate Lent within the context of the Year of Prayer, a year of preparation for the Jubilee Year, entitled Pilgrims of Hope. We are asked to make the Lord’s Prayer a particular focus, deepening our understanding of and devotion to it. This is what we do on our Walk With Me journey through Lent.’ Archbishop Mark continues, ‘The Lord’s Prayer reminds us of that wonderful truth that we are children of God, loved by our Father in Heaven, and thus we enter into Jesus’ own relationship with his Father. God is our Father who loves us more than we can imagine, and who comes to search for us lost sheep, and draws us back to Him through the Death and Resurrection of His Son… What better way of living Lent than by truly entering into this prayer more deeply.’ Walk with Me booklets are £1 each.

Why not give a copy to a friend, relative or work colleague?

Act now to stop DIY abortion up to birth

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 16:41:58 GMT

Diana Johnson MP has tabled an amendment (New Clause 1) to the Government’s Criminal Justice Bill, which is coming up for Report stage in Parliament in early March. This amendment seeks to change criminal law so that “no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy” at any gestation. This means that a woman who induced her abortion at home using pills (or any other method) at any stage of pregnancy, including just before natural birth, would commit no offence. This is dangerous for women and lethal for unborn babies.

Please contact your MP urgently, asking them to oppose this extreme and barbaric proposal. You can do this using SPUC’s easy to use webtool, at

https://www.spuc.org.uk/abortionamendments

Please pray for the defeat of this amendment, for protection of unborn babies, and help and comfort for mothers in need.

Reflection - Forth Sunday of Lent

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 16:37:28 GMT

Reflection - These Brighter Days

By now we feel that the snow is over and the days are getting longer. We are half way through March and already there is light in the evenings beyond six o’clock. We have longer daylight to look forward to, especially when the clock goes forward next weekend. With the increase in light, there is also an increase in growth. The first blossoms of spring have already come out. Nature is coming to life after a time of hibernation. Today’s gospel echoes what is happening in nature, for ‘light has come into the world.’ The light refers to God’s revelation brought into the world by Jesus. Both St Paul and the gospel declare that God’s light is the light of love. For Paul, God “made us alive together with Christ”. The central gospel truth is that God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. In the light of Jesus we find mercy, compassion, great love, kindness, infinite grace. There is a certain kind of light that can expose us mercilessly, like the light of the interrogator’s lamp. But Jesus brings a light that need hold no fear for us; it is a divine light that lifts us up, just as the Son of Man was lifted up, to save our human race. Here is a light that assures us of our worth and that helps us to see the good we are capable of doing. It is a light that helps us see that ‘we are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live a good life.’ We long for a light that is strong and enduring, a light that is more resilient than all the darkness in this world. We may struggle from time to time with the darkness of illness or depression, with a sense that we are worthless and that life is not worth living. That darkness of spirit finds expression in today’s Psalm, composed during the exile in Babylon. ‘By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept, remembering Zion.’ Our Scriptures for today affirm that in whatever darkness we encounter, the light of God’s enduring love is greater, so that we may have life and have it to the full. As Jesus said, ‘God gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.’

Reflection - Third Sunday of Lent

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 23:25:40 GMT

Reflection - Moving House

Psychologists tell us that, apart from the death of a loved one, perhaps the most traumatic experience a person can have is that of moving house. Those of us who have gone through all that is involved in this particular trauma can attest to the truth contained in these words. One of the benefits derived from the exercise, however, is that we get rid of all the junk we have accumulated since our last move. It could perhaps be argued that people’s dread of moving is directly proportionate to the amount of stuff” they have gathered. The Israelites, having come out of Egypt, had been through the experience, and were inclined to avoid too much clutter. (One of the psalms laughs at the pagans who “carry around their idols made of wood.”) Today we find Jesus clearing all the accumulated junk out of the Temple. But what is happening here is not merely the removal of unwanted items; by this symbolic act, Jesus is calling all the peoples of the earth to worship God “in spirit and in truth.” True worshippers, he will tell us later in the gospel, are those who worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

Worship is not a word which figures largely in our religious vocabulary today. Like “adoration,” it is a particularly God-centred word, ill-suited to be our self-centred age where religiousness is more often expressed in terms of self -actualization. There is a sense in which it is true to say that people today have forgotten how to worship, so that often even our liturgical acts become simply gatherings or experiences. To worship means to acknowledge the transcendence of God, and his claim on us as our creator, and to respond appropriately. Rather than being just a relic of primitive religion, worship is an integral part of the Judeo-Christian religious sense. From deep within our self springs the desire to worship and adore God. Getting in tune with that desire, and expressing it through word and gesture is at the heart of prayer.

In order to worship in spirit and in truth, we must prepare our hearts and minds by being faithful to the covenant relationship (keeping the commandments) and seeking the wisdom of God, which is the wisdom of the cross. We have to let Jesus cleanse us, as he cleansed the Temple, leave our sins behind, and simplify our lives, getting rid of any needless clutter. Then we are able to enter into the new Temple, which is Jesus himself, praying in and through him.

When the side of Jesus was pierced on Calvary, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The place of worship is no longer the Temple in Jerusalem; now, it is through the pierced side of Christ that we have “access to the Father in the one Spirit.” So it is that, after the resurrection, Thomas will place his hand in Jesus’s side and worship, saying, “My Lord and my God,” as today’s gospel tells us: “When Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered� and believed. If we are to properly worship God, we must leave behind everything that gets in the way, then enter into that secret chamber which is the side of Christ, and there worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

The Parish Needs You!

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 21:03:39 GMT

We really need a coordinator able to act as an overseer for the various administrative needs noted below.

Parish Hall Our hall is fit for hire therefore we need a hall manager to see to the administration and running of the hall as in important income stream for the parish. Therefore I would be grateful if someone would come forward.

Church/Hall Repair Renovation We need a body of parishioners willing to take on this project in collaboration with the architect and the various bodies and contractors that will move this project forward. I therefore ask for volunteers to assist in this necessary and important work.

Parish and Council Meeting

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 19:25:08 GMT

Agenda : Parish representatives for Diocesan Pastoral Council. We have been asked by Bishop Mark to nominate 3 parishioners from each parish to make up a deanery pastoral council. Would those interested in representing our parishes please let Fr John Patrick know.

Reflection - Second Sunday of Lent

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 19:15:15 GMT

Reflection - What must be cast aside?

“If your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better to enter into life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the hell of fire!” Matthew 18:9). This condemnation of anything which may prove a moral stumbling-block for us was deliberately extreme to make it stick in people’s minds, and it does. But “hell fire” is not precisely what Matthew wrote, but rather the “fiery Gehenna.” The Hebrew word Gehenna meant the “Valley of Hinnom,” a gorge just south of the Jerusalem Temple. It was a place under a curse, for it was there that the pagan Canaanites used to sacrifice children to their god Moloch, by throwing them into a fire.

Some breakaway Jews followed that savage custom until the idol of Moloch was finally destroyed in the 7th century B.C. The horror of the place survived, and it became the refuse dump of Jerusalem, a place of continual smoke from burning rubbish. In the public mind it became synonymous with hell, a visible image of what that place must be. But there was no place for child-sacrifice in true worship of God, and devout Jews would claim there never was. They saw the confirmation of this in the actions of Abraham, their father in faith, how God stayed his hand as he was about to sacrifice his son Isaac.

The story of Abraham and Isaac is full of high drama. The demand that Isaac be sacrificed seemed to utterly contradict God’s promise that the boy would pass on Abraham’s line into the distant future. It was a radical trial of faith, and no greater test of obedience could be set. Abraham’s heart was pierced by the boy’s innocent question, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Finding it impossible to tell his son that he was the intended victim, Abraham stammered, “God will provide.” St. John may well have this episode in mind when he wrote, “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son” (3:16). This story raises several acute questions. Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? Why did Abraham intend to obey? Indeed why did God allow his own divine Son to be sacrificed? The connection between Isaac and Jesus is obvious. Isaac prefigured Our Lord in that he was to be sacrificed on a hill, and he carried on his shoulder the wood for the intended sacrifice. But there the likeness ends. Isaac was the least notable of the patriarchs, a bridge of transition between Abraham and Jacob. In contrast, Jesus at the Transfiguration was shown to his three Apostles, as a figure of miraculous glory, truly God’s Son and messenger to the world. Despite their enthusiasm, the of the Apostles’ faith would be tested later on, as Abraham’s was. The shining revelation of the divine person of Christ was in sharp contrast to watching him in Gethsemane sweating blood before his Passion. The God who spared the son of Abraham and showered him with blessings, did not spare his own Son, but left him in the hands of his enemies for our redemption.

Unlike Isaac, Jesus was aware of what lay ahead. “The Son of Man must suffer,” he had said. Shortly before the Transfiguration, when he first told the disciples what he was to suffer, Peter prayed that God would not allow such a thing to happen. The Lord’s response was instant and severe, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as humans do” (Mk 8:33). In dealing with God we must have faith and trust. On the cellar wall of a bombedout house in Cologne an unknown fugitive, obviously Jewish, left a testimony of trust that only came to light when the rubble was being cleared away after World War II. It read: “I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I do not feel it. I believe in God even when he is silent.” That is the faith of Abraham, and is the kind of faith we should seek as well.

Parish Film Club

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 17:45:39 GMT

Thursday 29th February at 2pm we are showing the new blockbuster film “O”. It has recently won 7 BAFTAs and the storyline is explosive! It is a long film bring a cushion or comfy folding chair. There will be a comfort break at half time. Teas and coffees provided, entry free, donations accepted but not essential.

Catholic Youth Retreat

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:17:35 GMT

Following on from our excellent Catholic Youth Retreat in Swansea, when over 140 young people attended, the Youth Council have organised a Lent Youth Retreat in Bridgend. It will take place on Saturday 24th February at Archbishop McGrath High School, Bridgend. Tickets cost £10 and include transport, food and refreshments. The programme includes:

Mass with our choir • Inspiring talks and discussions • Presentations • Prayer and Adoration • Great food • The chance to meet new friends

To register, head to: https://rcadc.org/sign-up-for-our-lent-youth-retreat-2024/

Reflection - First Sunday of Lent

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 12:53:35 GMT

Reflection - Shun not the Struggle

A reflective way of looking at life is to see it as a struggle between sin and grace, selfishness and holiness. Our time on earth will be successful in the measure that we put aside sin and try to live by the grace of God. Today’s Scriptures show two contrasting reactions to temptation. The first humans, Adam and Eve, are imagined as preferring their own inclinations to the will of God. Jesus, the Saviour, on the contrary resisted temptation, remaining faithful to what God the Father required of him. St Paul reflects on how these choices affect ourselves: Adam’s sin brought trouble on all, but we are saved and offered new life because of the fidelity of Christ.

An old priest who was blind for many years before his death, liked to urge his penitents to renew their efforts with these inspirational lines: “We are not here to play, to dream, to drift. We have good work to do, and loads to lift. Shun not the struggle. Face it. ‘Tis God’s gift.”

Temptation in one form or another is an unavoidable part of life. If we honestly examine our daily experience, we can find many aspects of temptation: impulses or tendencies counter to the right way of doing things. To rationalise away these temptations, so that they become socially acceptable and politically correct — is itself an insidious temptation. We want to dictate for ourselves what is right and wrong, to draw for ourselves the boundaries of “acceptable” behaviour, unencumbered by any notional commandments of God. This is rather like Adam demanding to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Our real growth to Christian maturity comes by acknowledging and accepting the vocation of struggling against temptation, to achieve the kind of behaviour and attitudes Jesus expects. We must submit our behaviour to his gospel. Christ and Adam show the two opposite reactions in face of temptation: Adam, archetype of sinful, evasive, self-seeking humanity, finds plausible reasons to yield to it, and rebels against God’s will. Jesus, archetype of the new God-seeking man, resists temptation even repeatedly. It can only be conquered by this blend of patience and loyalty, supported by trust that what God requires of us is what is best for us.

Reflection - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 23:27:39 GMT

Reflection - Leprosy of the Soul

By referring to leprosy in two of the three readings today , clearly the Church wants to direct our attention to something deeper than a purely physical disease. This is confirmed in the Responsorial Psalm, celebrating the joy of those who confess their sins before God, and experience his forgiveness. We might regard sin as a kind of leprosy of the soul. The ancient world used to combat physical leprosy by isolating the lepers, make them live outside the camp or town, and making them cry aloud, “Unclean, unclean!” as a warning to anyone approaching them. Also, whoever had the misfortune to even touch a leper would be regarded as unclean, and would be excluded from the community.

Perhaps there is some parallel to this on the spiritual plane. In the church of Jesus Christ, a sin committed by any member of this community is never a purely private affair, but a rejection in some degree of the standards the members have pledged to uphold. One of the most disturbing sayings of Christ in the gospels was his reference to Judas at the Last Supper: “Not one of them is lost, except the one who chose to be lost” (Jn 17:12).

There is a touching humility in the leper’s request to Jesus, “If you want to, you can cure me.” This appeal was met with compassion by Jesus, who, as St Mark comments, was moved with pity. He went further, stretching out his hand and touching the leper, so making himself unclean according to the law. Shortly afterwards Mark says that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in country places. This compassion for suffering humanity resulted in more and more people coming to him, and even today the outstretched arms of God’s Son on the cross are a never-ending invitation to sinners to seek refuge with him. No longer was the leper, when cured, forced to live apart. After showing himself to the priest he was readmitted as a member of the community.

What in the past was called confession is now called the sacrament of reconciliation. We should reflect that just as mortal sin is not an isolated act, but rather the culmination of a series of minor infidelities, so reconciliation is a gradual return to God over a period of time, with the reception of the sacrament as the high point, a time to celebrate our joy and gratitude in being at one with God again. This conversion, this newlyfound commitment to the Lord is a thing which has to be constantly renewed. There is an enduring need for reconciliation, if we want to love God with our whole strength, and our neighbour as ourselves — the task Christ has set each of us when he said, “This do, and you will live.”

Reflection - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 22:12:29 GMT

Reflection - Signs of God’s Healing

There is a debate about whether the people whom Jesus healed were really possessed by the devil or were just mentally disturbed. That debate is utterly besides the point. These individuals were deeply troubled and Jesus healed them. His intent was to heal people both in body and soul. Most scripture scholars now agree that miracles were an important part of Our Lord’s ministry and of the memory of that ministry in the early church. We simply cannot abandon them to please those who say miracles are impossible. The precise explanation of how these healings were accomplished is another matter and perhaps one that is also besides the point. Jesus did not work miracles to prove anything. Rather they were signs that God’s healing love is at work in the world.

Once upon a time some doctors discussing whether prayer helped their patients. “Does it do any good,” they asked, “for people to pray for those who are sick?” One group said “Well, it helps those who pray to feel that they’re doing something for the sick person. But it really doesn’t help the sick person at all.” The other group said that they had the impression that prayer really had a positive effect on sick people. The first group said “That’s scientifically impossible!” So they decided to try a “double blind” experiment on those who were recover from heart problems. They would have prayers said for some and not for the others to see what happened. The doctors didn’t know who was chosen to be prayed for and the subjects of the prayers didn’t know either. However a list of first names were given to those who were to do the praying. So neither the “pray-ers” nor the “pray-ees” nor the researchers knew who had been chosen to be the target of prayer. What happened? Those for whom praers were said recovered more quickly. “See!” said those who had argued that prayer worked, “there’s more things under heaven than science dreams of.” (This story of research was reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.)

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 17:07:45 GMT

The feast was first observed in the Eastern Church as "The Encounter." In the sixth century, it began to be observed in the West: in Rome with a more penitential character and in Gaul (France) with solemn blessings and processions of candles, popularly known as "Candlemas." The Presentation of the Lord concludes the celebration of the Nativity and with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point toward Easter.

"In obedience to the Old Law, the Lord Jesus, the first-born, was presented in the Temple by his Blessed Mother and his foster father. This is another 'epiphany' celebration insofar as the Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of Anna the prophetess. Christ is the light of the nations, hence the blessing and procession of candles on this day. In the Middle Ages this feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or 'Candlemas,' was of great importance. "The specific liturgy of this Candlemas feast, the blessing of candles, is not as widely celebrated as it should be, except of course whenever February 2 falls on a Sunday and thus takes precedence. There are two ways of celebrating

Reflection - Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 17:02:20 GMT

The theme for Racial Justice Sunday “Seeing one another in the life of the Church”.

Bishop’s Message for Racial Justice Sunday

Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Racial Justice, offers a short message for Racial Justice Sunday. This year’s day is celebrated in England and Wales on Sunday, 28 January 2024. Bishop Paul explains the theme and offers Catholics suggestions to mark the day. One key focus is for us to look at our ‘saints of colour’, men and women who made their life’s work to oppose racism and to promote equality and justice.

Hello. My name is Bishop Paul McAleenan. The theme of Racial Justice Sunday in England and Wales in 2024 is ‘Seeing one another in the life of the Church’. There are different ways that the theme could be approached. I would like to suggest one particular way.

In the history of the Church, there have been those who looked at the society in which they lived, and responded to what they saw. They looked, made a decision based on what they saw, and acted. Alert and sensitive as they were to the commandments of Christ, when they saw justice being denied to someone because of their racial origin or colour, they were prompted to act. Their actions of opposing racism, promoting equality and justice, became their life’s work. Following this path, sometimes they encountered hostility, rejection, and attempts to overturn what they were doing.

However, they persevered and became instruments of change, agents of progress, and some are acknowledged as saints of the Church. There are many, many saints in the Church. Each is different. Each chose to follow a particular aspect of the person of Jesus.

Some saw Jesus as a teacher and devoted their lives to teaching. Some followed Jesus as one who loved the sick, and opened hospices and hospitals. Others saw Jesus as the friend of the poor and gave witness to that. Among the saints are those who remembered the words of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for what is right. They shall be satisfied.” And then they spent their lives working that everyone would be treated justly, with fairness and without discrimination.

For Racial Justice Sunday this year, can I suggest that you explore the lives of those great men and women – those who devoted their lives to the pursuit of racial justice, those who emulated God’s passion for justice, which we read about in the scriptures.

They will inspire us, teach us, and make us sensitive to the importance of racial justice and why we work for it.

May we too, like them, see one another in the life of the Church

Right to Life UK Stop two extreme abortion amendments

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 14:42:50 GMT

Pro-abortion MPs, Stella Creasy and Diana Johnson, have tabled two extreme abortion amendments in an attempt to hijack the Criminal Justice Bill. Right To Life UK has launched a tool on its website that makes it easy for you to email your MP to ask them to oppose the two extreme abortion up to birth amendments and sign Early Day Motion 131 to stop abortion pills being sent out without an in-person medical appointment.

Please visit

https://righttolife.org.uk/abortionamendments to contact your MP now. It only takes 30 seconds.

SVP News - December 2023

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 14:38:54 GMT

St Vincent de Paul (SVP) News

Food Hampers

£400 was donated to St John Lloyd School SVP Youth Group Hamper Appeal which saw 21 substantial hampers were then delivered on our behalf to deserving families in the Gorseinon and Pontarddulais area on our behalf. 20 food vouchers were given to deserving families distributed by Yr Uchaf School; together with 20 selection boxes.

22 small gifts were given to Gorseinon parishioners and 30 similar in Clydach Parish. 20 Vinnie Packs (survival kits) were given to Matthews House in Swansea for homeless refugees together with food and toiletries donated by parishioners.

We gratefully thank all our benefactors who gave donations in money or kind which resulted in £1016 worth being distributed. Every good wish for a happy and healthy 2024

- SVP Blessed Sacrament

Reflection - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 14:29:24 GMT

Depending on God

“Living with their heads in the clouds” is no compliment to anyone living in this world of ours. How realistic is Paul’s advice, to live as though the ordinary events and concerns of life did not matter? As if business, planning, bereavements, possessions and the rest were of no fundamental importance? Well, first of all he does not mean that people should withdraw from all these things, or neglect the practical life.. What he does mean is that we should get our priorities right, and get a proper balanced view of things, so that what is of lasting importance can play its part too — namely, the question of our eternal destiny, and how we stand in the sight of God.

Under the influence of a brush with death — a near escape, or a recent bereavement — we come to realize how trivial are the usual concerns that engross us, when compared to the abiding mystery of life and death. Does it have a purpose? Is our life going anywhere, or is it simply an absurd farce, poised between comedy and tragedy? There are three common reactions to this mystery of life and death:

First: You can’t take it with you — so spend it while you can. When you’re dead you’re dead and that’s it! So make the most of these short years, enjoy them to the utmost, and then submit to the universal annihilation that awaits us all

Second: A hope that there may be life beyond the grave, but one which seems so shadowy and insubstantial that there’s little point in thinking about it. Still, it’s a worry. Perhaps there will be a punishing judgement for wrongs done in this life, which we managed to get away with

Third: The conviction that God holds each human life securely in his hand, so that death is just a passing-over into his direct presence. In the biblical view, we should not worry about death, nor about anything. in life so much as to turn to God, and obey his word. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his glory” says Jesus. If we can make the right primary decision, if our first desire is to fit in with God’s plan for us, then everything else will fall into place; life and work, marriage, successes and failures, sickness and even death itself.

All of us, no matter how long we have been living in the faith, need to reawaken this attitude of trust. We need conversion, no, less than the people of Nineveh, or the people of Galilee. Repent, and believe, says Jesus today, to each one here. Believe that God is my father and your father; believe that he is near at hand, and that he is merciful; realize that God’s will for you is that you be saved — and that includes the need to live by his Gospel. “Repent” — yes, the challenge is as fresh today as when our Lord first spoke it. As though we were hearing of the kingdom of God for the first time, and making our first act of total trust and total submission to God’s love.

Taking Jesus at his word, being converted to genuine faith in God the Father, does not mean living with our head in the clouds. Genuine Christian devotion certainly fixes our ambition away above the passing things of life, but also keeps us aware of everyday duties towards other people. Hearing the Gospel, welcoming and following it, keeps a person with feet well grounded in reality, more keenly involved than ever in carrying out the tasks that have to be done here and now, because now is the day of salvation; now is the time, given us by God to pay him our thanksgiving through service.

©Association of Catholic Priests

Reflection - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sat, 13 Jan 2024 23:26:24 GMT

Opening doors in life

We can probably all think of people who opened doors for us in life. Perhaps at a crucial moment in our lives they pointed us in the right direction. They were an influence for good on us; maybe they shared with us some gift they possessed, or allowed us to benefit from an experience they had or some discovery they made. We appreciate these people because they had the freedom and the generosity to give something worthwhile away for the benefit of others, rather than keeping it to themselves.

That is how John Baptist is portrayed in the gospel reading this Sunday. He had come to recognize Jesus as a very special revelation of God’s love. Far from keeping that discovery to himself, he shared it with his own disciples, even though he knew that in doing so he was going to lose them to Jesus. He pointed two of his disciples in the direction of Jesus. He opened a door for them, even though it would mean a loss to himself. A short while later, one of those two disciples, Andrew, did for his brother, Simon, what John the Baptist had done for him. He led his brother to Jesus. In the first reading, Eli did something similar for Samuel, helping him to hear God’s call. The readings this Sunday put before us three people, Eli, John the Baptist and Andrew, each of whom, in different ways, pointed others in the right direction, led others to the one who is the source of life.

We could probably all identify a John the Baptist or an Andrew or an Eli in our own lives, people who, in some way or another, brought us to the Lord, or helped us to recognize and receive the Lord who was present to us. We might think first of our own parents who brought us to the baptismal font as infants. As early as possible into our lives they wanted to say to us what John the Baptist said to his disciples, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God’. Then, in the following years, they may helped us to grow in our relationship the Lord into whom we had been baptized, bringing us to the church, praying with us, reading stories from the gospels to us, taking us to see the crib at Christmas, placing an image of the Lord or of one of the saints in our room, helping us to prepare for the sacraments of the Eucharist and Confirmation. If we were fortunate, we might have had a good religion teacher at school who took us a step further in our relationship with the Lord, who enabled us to ‘come and see’, in the words of the gospel today. I went to secondary school in Beneavin College in Finglas, and one of the De La Salle brothers there brought us through the gospel of Luke in religion class. Looking back, he was sharing with us his own relationship with the Lord. It made a deep impression on me at the time.

Samuel who was led to the Lord by Eli is described in the first reading as a boy. In the gospel reading, the two disciples who were led to the Lord by John the Baptist and Simon who was led there by Andrew were all adults. It was as adults that they allowed themselves to be directed towards the person of Jesus. In our adult years, we too may have met people who helped us to grow in our relationship with the Lord. There can come a time in our adult life, when we are very open to a reawakening, a deepening, of our faith. We may find themselves searching for something more than we presently experience. The first words of Jesus to the disciples of John the Baptist took the form of the question, ‘What do you want?’, or, ‘What are you searching for?’ Jesus sought to engage with those who were searching. He enters our adult lives in response to our deepest longings. In our searching we can meet someone or some group who opens a door for us into a deeper relationship with the Lord. Through them the Lord can reach us and touch our lives in a way he had never done so before.

At any time in our adult life we can meet a John the Baptist who says to us, ‘Look, there is the Lamb of God’, and that can happen to us over and over again, right up to the very end of our lives. The Lord never ceases to call us through others into a deeper relationship with himself. Indeed, there can come a time when the Lord asks any one of us to be a John the Baptist or an Andrew or an Eli for somebody else. He may call us to share our faith in some simple way, to open a door to the Lord for others. Our response to such a call can take many different forms. For Eli it took the form of helping the younger Samuel to find the right words for his prayer. For Andrew, it took the form of sharing a significant experience with his brother. The readings this Sunday invite us to be open to the many ways the Lord can draw us to himself, and also to the ways that he may be calling us to help him in drawing others to himself.

©Association of Catholic Priests

Synod Event - You are invited

Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:37:27 GMT

EVENT ON THE SYNOD AND WHY IT MATTERS FOR PARISHES WITH AUSTEN IVEREIGH Wednesday 24 January 2024 - The Cornerstone, Cardiff 2 pm Austin Ivereigh is a UK-based Roman Catholic journalist, author, commentator and biographer of Pope Francis. He was one of the expert facilitators at the recent Synod in Rome which began on October 4th 2023. Please visit to book your place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/why-what-happened-at-the-synod-mattersfor-parishes-with-dr-austen-ivereigh-tickets-785841923347? aff=oddtdtcreator

Dates for your diary

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 23:17:38 GMT

Important parish dates for your diary . Events and activities parishioners may be interested in Week.

Tuesday’s: First Holy Communion Class 5pm-6pm in the parish hall. (in term time)

Tuesday’s: Scripture Group meet in the Parish Office, Meeting Room at 6pm.

Sunday, 7th Jan 24: Meet and Chat in the Parish Hall after 10am Mass.

Thursday 25th Jan 24: Film Club In the parish hall. Doors open 1.30pm film commences 2pm

Reflection - The Holy Family

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 20:55:25 GMT

Reflection

Ideals for family living

Some might feel that this feast sets too high an ideal for families, if the homilist highlights the virtues of the Holy Family, without also showing that they had to face many issues not unlike those of our own households. Fortunately the Gospel tells us something quite different about the childhood of Jesus, in a down-to-earth way, by instances.

Even though we call them the Holy Family that does not mean they never had problems to face, as every family must. Just as each follower of Jesus has a cross to carry, so also the holy family had to experience the cross in their shared life. To mention just a few examples, we can imagine how misunderstood both Mary and Joseph must have been about the conception of Jesus before they came to live together. Joseph was even planning to divorce Mary privately before being assured that it was the work of God. Nine months later, the birthplace of Jesus was an animal shelter, since no better lodgings could be found.

Today’s Gospel from St Matthew shows how the little family had to flee as refugees to Egypt because the child Jesus’ life was in danger from king Herod, in much the same way as refugees from war-torn countries have to flee to save their lives. This prompts us to be more aware of, and show more empathy towards, those refugees in our own day who seek a safer life among us than they had in the countries from which they fled.

St Luke has another story to illustrate what trials were faced by Mary and Joseph, in trying to understand the development of Jesus as a young person. When he was twelve, they were shocked to lose him for three days and then had to deal with the unsatisfactory explanation that he “had to be about his Father’s business.” Still, he returned with them to Nazareth and was subject to them, in the quiet rhythm of family life in their village. We do not hear of Joseph any more after that so we presume that he had died before Jesus began his public ministry. Then too, the public life of Jesus must have taken its toll on Mary. In the Temple when he was an infant, old Simeon had predicted that a sword of sorrow would pierce Mary’s soul. How she must have been pained to hear his enemies say that Jesus was a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners, and at the end, when Mary watched her son die in public disgrace, on the cross.

What sustained the family of Nazareth through all of these trials and crosses? What holds families together in times of difficulty is love and trust. Whenever families are happy, it is where love and respect are highly prized among them. We pray for an outpouring of those qualities in our families today. A major threat to family life nowadays is that we don’t spend enough time together. We are so busy working, socialising, using our electronic gadgets or watching TV that we have no time to talk to each other.

A barrister, a busy career woman, was living just ten kilometers from her old, widowed father. But months often passed between her visits to him; and when her father texted to ask when she might bring his grandchildren to visit him, she detailed lots of reasons that kept her too busy to see him, court schedules, meetings, new clients, research, etc. Her father frowned and then asked, ‘When I die, will you come to my funeral?’ The daughter was indignant. “Dad, how can you ask me that? Of course, I’ll be there!” He smiled and said, “Aah! Then please forget my funeral and come to visit me now. I need you now more than I will then.” Message understood – and his daughter began to visit him regularly after that.

Join Us: Meet and Chat

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 10:44:13 GMT

Meet and Chat : The next meet and chat will be held Sunday, 7th January 2024 (First Sunday of the month,) following the 10am mass, tea and coffee and biscuits will be served in the parish hall beneath the Blessed Sacrament Church.

Pope's Intentions

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 00:30:12 GMT

The Pope’s Prayer intentions – January 2024 - For parishes

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit helps us recognise the gift of different charisms within the Christian community, and to discover the richness of different ritual traditions in the heart of the Catholic Church.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:15:09 GMT

Adoration of our Blessed Lord in the Holy Eucharist

The Next Adoration of our Blessed Lord in the Holy Eucharist will be Sunday 14th January 2024 for 1 hour from 4.00 -5.00 pm.

SVP Christmas Parcels

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 21:29:12 GMT

St Vincent de Paul (SVP) News

The SVP will be providing food parcels this year, once again aided by St. John Lloyd school Llanelli. Anyone wishing to contribute can do so by making a donation towards the cost or by bringing any of the following:- Tea, coffee, sugar, tins of soup, peas, beans, butter beans, chick peas, etc. Rice and pasta, also toiletries, these can be left in the church porch.

Please provide your donations by 17th December 2023 .

Big thanks to all who supported our summer raffle, sponsored walk (£220) and the shoebox for Romania appeal (10). We are very grateful for your support.

Blessed Sacrament Parish SVP.

Christmas Services 2023

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 10:29:55 GMT

The Parishes of

The Blessed Sacrament Gorseinon and

St. Bride’s Pontarddulais

4th Sunday of Advent

Saturday 23rd St Bride’s Confessions 4.15 pm Mass 5.00 pm

Sunday 24th Blessed Sacrament Confessions 9.15 am Mass 10.00 am

Christmas and New Year Services

Christmas Eve 24th

Blessed Sacrament Church

Children and Family Christmas Mass 5.00 pm

St Bride’s Mass During the Night 8.00 pm

Blessed Sacrament Church

Blessing of the Crib and Carol 11.30 pm

Mass During the Night Midnight

Christmas Morning 25th

Blessed Sacrament Church

Mass during the Day 10.00 am

New Year’s Day 1st January 2024

The Solemnity of the Mother of God

Blessed Sacrament Church 10.00 am

St Bride’s 11.30 am

Retrouvaille programme

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 11:05:34 GMT

Retrouvaille programme for 2024. Details in poster.

Prayer, Praise and Healing Gathering

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 09:52:50 GMT

Saturday 16th December 2023, 10am - 12 noon

Catholic Youth Retreat

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:40:24 GMT

Saturday 16th December at Stella Maris Convent, Swansea.

Sunflower Appeal for Ukraine

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 09:25:14 GMT

At our 'Meet and Chat' after Sunday Mass this week (3rd December 2023) a Ukrainian Family will sing traditional Ukrainian Carols. A collection will be taken for Sunflowers Wales. Further information can be found at sunflowerswales.org.uk.

St. Vincent de Paul Society News

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 10:21:08 GMT

News

St Vincent de Paul (SVP) News

SVP Christmas Parcels

Big thanks to all who supported our summer raffle, sponsored walk (£220) and the shoebox for Romania appeal (10). We are very grateful for your support.

Blessed Sacrament Parish SVP.

Jesuit Institute

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 12:01:20 GMT

The Jesuit Institute are pleased to announce that booking is now open for our autumn/winter programme of online prayer, workshops and courses.

Living with the Spirit of the Synod 7th, 11th and 14th November 2023 (runs again in January and July) Over this short online course of two evenings and a full day, we will explore synodal expressions of mission, participation and community through shared experience, prayer, reflection and discussion. We hope that this will help us grow more as pilgrims of love, changed through encounter, listening and discernment.

https://www.jesuit.org.uk/events/living-with-the-spirit-of-the-synod-2

Welcoming the Year of Prayer Wednesday 15th November 2023 19.30–20.45 We will prayerfully welcome in the Year of Prayer in preparation for the Jubilee Year 2025 with a guided time of prayer around the theme of jubilee and the opportunity to share in small groups.

https://www.jesuit.org.uk/events/welcoming-the-year-of-prayer

Adventure in Prayer Monday 27th November – Friday 1st December 2023
Afternoons: 14.00–15.15 OR Evenings: 19.30-20.45 Find a way of praying that works for you and experience the riches of prayer with our online course. Adventure in Prayer will involve being guided in different types of prayer, individual time for prayer and sharing in small groups.

https://www.jesuit.org.uk/events/advent-adventure-in-prayer

Imagine First Wednesday of Each Month, 8pm A guided prayer meditation with the imagination based on themes from the Gospels, the saints and seasons, the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola and even the natural world. Includes optional sharing in small groups.

https://www.jesuit.org.uk/events/imagine-november-3 (no need to book)

https://www.jesuit.org.uk/events/imagine-december-3

Advent Booklets 2023 - Now Available

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:53:37 GMT

Walk With Me Booklets will be on sale from this weekend in the porch. Priced at £1 each they are a good way to help you walk through Advent.

Coffee and Tea - St. Brides

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 17:19:50 GMT

There will be tea and coffee after Saturday evening mass has been suspended until Easter 2024.

Retired Clergy

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 11:42:19 GMT

Second Collection for Retired Clergy, 4th/5th November 2023.

Second Collection for Sick & Retired Clergy Fund: 4 ^th /5 ^th November This Weekend

This weekend there will be a second collection for the Diocese’s Sick & Retired Clergy Fund. The fund makes a vital contribution to providing our priests with a secure and dignified retirement. Over the last four years the average cost of providing this care has been some £160,000 per year.

Donating is one way in which we can simply say ‘thank you’ for their years of service. If you would like to Gift Aid your donation, please pick up an envelope or leaflet at the back of the church.

St. John Lloyd Catholic Comprehensive School

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:58:46 GMT

To view weekly messages from the School go to: www.stjohnlloyd.co.uk

New Paragraph

Livestream Camera - Not Working

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 09:12:44 GMT

Livestream Camera at Blessed Sacrament Church, Gorseinon.

Update: 29th September 2023.

Our camera that shows the mass livestream at the Blessed Sacrament Church has developed a fault and is therefore not working due to a router problem with virgin Media. We apologise for this inconvenience and will get back up and running as soon as possible.

LoudFence

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 10:02:52 GMT

Mass in St. David's Cathedral, on Saturday 21st October at 12 noon.

A Welsh version of this poster is available here.

World Day of Migrants and Refugees

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 11:03:51 GMT

Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay

“Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay” is the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR). Pope Francis intends to promote a renewed reflection on a right that has not yet been codified at the international level: the right not to have to migrate or, in other words, the right to be able to remain in one’s own land.

A copy of Pope Francis letter is attached HERE

A thought for consideration

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 20:15:19 GMT

A thought for your consideration

We are blest to be a parish of multiple ethnicities. This is something we need to be reminded of from time to time. We were blest recently to have 3 young people (2 from Ukraine) use their musical talents during our Sunday mass. They added to the sense of celebration. There is such a wealth of untapped spiritual and cultural creativity among us. How can we bring out and celebrate these treasures in the liturgy and social life of our parish?

Evangelii Gaudium Sunday

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 20:12:27 GMT

Evangelii Gaudium Sunday A Video message from the Archbishop: Archbishop Mark has recorded a short video message, which you can view here: https://rcadc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mark-Evangelii-Gaudium-Sunday-message.mov There is also a mandatory retiring collection for the work of Home Mission. First Confession and Holy Communion Preparat

First Confession and Holy Communion

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 19:59:23 GMT

First Confession and Holy Communion Preparation Programme

Would those families who wish their child(ren) to be prepared to celebrate their first Confession and Holy Communion on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi 2024— 11 June please see Mary Roberts in the porch after mass on Sunday mornings to complete the application forms

Safeguarding Developmental Officer

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:39:32 GMT

Full-time – 35 hours per week-Two-year Fixed Term Contract

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia is committed to safeguarding and this vacancy provides an opportunity for a skilled and experienced professional to lead the Safeguarding function. The primary focus for the Safeguarding Development Manager is to implement, as a matter of urgency, an action plan to improve and embed safeguarding practices across the Diocese.

The Safeguarding Development Manager also has a senior role in facilitating safeguarding across the Diocese, demonstrating strong and inspiring leadership skills, leading the delivery of case support, supervision and the provision of expert advice to the Bishop, Trustees, and Clergy, and taking appropriate action in response to safeguarding issues that arise.

The successful applicant will need to have a comprehensive knowledge of safeguarding legislation, policy procedure and best practice guidance and come from a background of either Police, Probation, Social Work or Health, with specific experience in safeguarding at a senior level. The role is based in the Curial Offices in Swansea, with the likelihood of travel throughout the Diocese. However, hybrid working will be available.

For further information/informal discussion about this role please contact Fr Robert Davies, Moderator of the Curia on 01792 653343 / Canon Benedict Koledoye, Interim Chair of the Safeguarding Sub-committee on 01792 652683.

The annual salary range is £40,000 - £42,000 depending on experience.

To view the job description and person specification, and to download an application form for this post, please visit www.menevia.org/vacancies .

Closing date for receipt of applications: 12noon on Monday 25 ^th September 2023 .

Shortlisting will take place on Friday 6 ^th October 2023 .

Interviews will take place on Friday 20 ^th October 2023 .

Reflection 22nd Sunday of the Year

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 08:34:00 GMT

The Cost of Discipleship

If invited to pick and choose within the Gospels, and form our religion only with what appeals to us, what a cosy, comfortable church we would have! We might keep the stories about Christ’s birth and infancy, his temptation in the desert and his healing miracles. We would include our favourite parables, like the Prodigal son, the Pharisee and the Publican, and of course, the Good Samaritan. But would we leave out that Gospel for today, that hard teaching about renouncing self, taking up the cross, losing our lives for the sake of Jesus? And even if we have not removed those words from our Gospels, do we remain deaf to them in practise, in our lives?

In a way, isn’t following Christ like accepting a friend whom we must accept in full or not at all; welcoming the demands as well as the benefits of friendship? Just as we need to take people as they are, without trying to change them to suit ourselves, so with the Gospel: we accept the whole of Christ’s recorded words, because we trust him and know that his ways are truth.

So what does the Lord want from us? What does he mean by “renounce yourself,” “lose your life for my sake,” “carry your cross,” or (in the epistle) “present your bodies as a holy sacrifice?” Surely these words don’t refer to anything suicidal, to devaluing of this present life, its joys and its achievements? And yet, are these not something more than a pious way of saying: Put up with what cannot be changed? These are questions to revolve in the mind, without expecting any quick or simple solution. If we will allow, God’s Word challenges us out of any complacency with a comfortable, conforming religion. It unmasks our many evasions, our double standards, our desire for “cheap grace” — wanting salvation at cut price, unwilling to involve ourselves in sacrifice.

Perhaps a clue to this demand is in the first reading, in Jeremiah’s extraordinary accusation that he was seduced by God. Letting his prophetic vocation overpower him, Jeremiah was involved in many a thankless task. He had fallen in love with God , so that nothing held him back from doing God’s will, no matter where this might lead. Have we fallen in love with Christ? Are we seduced by him, so as to give to his service all that is ours to give? Wouldn’t that be becoming a living sacrifice ?

We might overly focus on the “renunciation” in today’s Gospel so as to miss its positive aspect. All growth, all lasting achievement demands effort and sacrifice. Yet the sacrifice can be a satisfying part of experience, when orientated towards a high and valued goal. (Examples: athletic training; mountain-climbing; studying a language; practising any skill.) So, the self discipline involved in Christian life, and accepting the circumstances in which God places us, contribute to our personal destiny. And we look forward in hope to the great reward of loyal service — when the Son of man, coming in glory, will reward all according to their behaviour.

Catholic Family Get Together

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 08:44:21 GMT

September 3rd 2023 at 12.30hrs in Holy Cross Church, Gendros, Swansea.

The Feast of the Assumption

Sat, 12 Aug 2023 21:17:22 GMT

The commemoration of the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Dormition, or falling asleep, as it was known in the East) is known as the Assumption because of the tradition that her body did not decay but that she was raised up, body and soul, into heaven. This tradition was already present in the sixth century; by the beginning of the twentieth century it was widespread; and after consulting the views of bishops all over the world, the Pope formally and Infallibly declared the doctrine of the Assumption to be part of the authentic and ancient doctrine of the universal Church.

Vigil Mass on Monday 14th Aug 23 at 7.00pm in St. Bride’s Church, Pontarddulais and Mass on Tuesday 15th Aug 23 at 7.00pm in Blessed Sacrament Church, Gorseinon.

Parish Administrative Duties

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 13:43:09 GMT

As you may well be aware Stephen has been working in the Parish office for a number of years undertaking the administrative duties required to support me in the parish. Well Stephen has informed me that he intends to retire from his duties in the parish office at the end of this year.

We will need to find a replacement for him who Stephen can train in the duties required. Initially the main duties will be preparation of the newsletter, managing the Facebook page and keeping the website up to date. A working knowledge of Microsoft Office will be necessary to undertake these tasks. If you are interested please speak to Stephen or myself.

Fr. J. P. Thomas

Maintenance Team

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 13:24:31 GMT

We are looking to establish a small maintenance team to take on the everyday tasks around the church/hall. Initially this will consist of things identified via the Health & Safety Audit and Fire Survey.

Once these have been done it will be general maintenance as required. If you have skills which you think would help please see either Fr. JP or Stephen.

There will be an initial meeting to brief everyone on the work and to agree who will do what etc. Many thanks.

Reflection - The Transfiguration

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 13:16:07 GMT

A Glimpse of Heavenly Glory The Transfiguration also offers us a foretaste of heaven, where we will behold God face to face in all of His glory. In our earthly journey, we often struggle to grasp the fullness of God’s presence and the reality of the afterlife. However, the Transfiguration reminds us that one day, in heaven, we will experience the radiant splendor of God’s divine presence. Like the apostles on Mount Tabor, we too will witness the glory of the Risen Christ, which will surpass anything we can currently comprehend.

The Feast of the Transfiguration calls us to embrace the call to holiness. As we contemplate the glorified Christ, we are invited to renew our commitment to living lives of virtue and grace. Just as the apostles were transformed by their encounter with the transfigured Christ, we are called to be transfigured by our encounter with Him in the Eucharist and through prayer. This transformation is an ongoing process, as we seek to become more like Christ and reflect His light to the world.

The Feast of the Transfiguration is a profound celebration of Jesus’ divine nature and His ultimate triumph over sin and death. As we meditate on this event, we are reminded of the heavenly glory that awaits us and the transformative power of encountering Christ in our lives. Let us strive to follow the example of Peter, James, and John, embracing the call to holiness and allowing Christ’s light to shine through us, so that others may also catch a glimpse of the glory that awaits those who faithfully follow Him. May the Feast of the Transfiguration inspire us to draw closer to Christ and become bearers of His love and light in the world.

Themes for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

• The Transfiguration of Jesus : The gospel describe the moment when Jesus is transfigured before His disciples on a mountain, revealing His divine glory and reinforcing His identity as the Son of God.

• The Presence of Moses and Elijah : During the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appear and speak with Jesus, rep resenting the Law and the Prophets, and affirming Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and His authority.

• Peter’s Response and Revelation : Peter’s reaction to the Transfiguration shows his awe and desire to commemorate the event, highlighting the disciples’ struggle to fully comprehend Jesus’ divine nature.

• God’s Voice from the Cloud : God’s voice affirms Jesus as His beloved Son and commands the disciples to listen to Him, underscoring Jesus’ unique role as God’s chosen Messiah and the authoritative source of divine revelation.

• Secrecy and Timing : Jesus instructs the disciples not to reveal the Transfiguration until after His resurrection, indicating the importance of timing and the gradual unveiling of His identity and mission.

* Confirmation of Jesus’ Identity : The Transfiguration serves as a significant confirmation of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, preparing the disciples for the challenges ahead and stren gthening their faith.

Reflection - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:38:17 GMT

There were people in Our Lord’s time who wanted him to separate the bad from the good as well. Among them were people who claimed the moral high ground, the Pharisees whose name means “the separated ones.” Even John the Baptist expected Jesus to separate the cream from the skim, to have only holy people around him. John foretold that Our Lord would separate the chaff from the wheat. He said (Mt 3:12) “He will gather his wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.” That’s precisely what Our Lord didn’t do. He had all sorts of people around him, a rainbow coalition of people, the learned, the ignorant, the good-living, the bad-living, tax-collectors, prostitutes, the lot. What in God’s name is he doing, they said. Why doesn’t he get down to business? Why doesn’t he weed them out?

As any gardener knows, weeding can be the greatest threat of all to the life of the young seedling. At first, the problem is one of identifying which is which. The weeds must be left until the seedling can be clearly recognised. Even then, removing the weeds may pose an even greater threat. It might sever the seedling’s root system. Often the weed brings the seedling away with it.

In the case of human beings it is an even more risky business. “Weeding-out” has no history of success which doesn’t seem to curb people’s passion for it. Seventy years after Hitler’s final solution, the horrendous weeding out of six million Jews in concentration camps, the Bosnian Serbs are attempting the brutal policy of “ethnic cleansing.” Race, religion, colour, sex, politics are still considered ready-reckoners for identifying society’s weeds. Increasing power over nature provides new and sinister instruments for weeding out. The unborn child, the seed of life is threatened with abortion. At the other end of life, euthanasia is proposed as the final solution for the new Jews, the old, the maimed, the incurables and the burdensome. Right through life, the weeding-out continues remorselessly. The handicapped axe institutionalised, the delinquent are penalised, the deviant are ostracised and the poor are patronised.

Weeding out is not confined to faceless bureaucracy. We’re all tempted to try our hand at it. We are sharp at spotting the undesirables, the troublemakers, the misfits. One shudders to think of the people who might have been weeded out if God had not chosen to intervene. Probably most of the saints in the calendar. Peter, after his triple denial in the crucifixion crisis should have been weeded out for failing the leadership test. Strange isn’t it, that Christ never weeded out Judas? The church did not always show her master’s tolerance. Galileo could testify to that. The spirit of the Inquisition lives on. Excommunications and anathemas may be out of fashion but old habits die hard.

The parable of the weeds is starkly simple and yet widely ignored. To the question “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” the answer of Jesus is a categorical “No.” And the reason is self-evident. Only God has eyes sufficiently discerning and fingers sufficiently gentle for this job. Weeding out is God’s prerogative. Life would be so much better for everybody, if only we would leave it to him.

Parish Scripture Study Group

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:36:10 GMT

The Scripture Study group meet at 6pm in the Parish Hall every Tuesday. All welcome

You're Invited - Sycamore

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:32:11 GMT

Join us on this parish journey through the Sycamore program. A unique opportunity to explore and discover the deeper meaning of our faith.

Books for sale

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:35:47 GMT

We a variety of books for sale at the back of the church. All priced at £1 each unless otherwise stated. All proceeds to parish funds.

St. John Lloyd School

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 08:49:24 GMT

Latest News and Events - Scan QR code below

Music Workshop - 26th August 2023. Click on post for more information

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:24:52 GMT

Reflection - Sunday 23rd April

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 22:23:41 GMT

A Gospel within the Gospel

The Emmaus story is like a gospel within the gospel. It is so rich a lesson that it serves as a summary of our own bonding with Jesus Christ. For these disciples on the road to Emmaus, the future looked grim indeed. For the previous few years, life had been exciting and they were captivated by the Gospel message of Jesus. But it emerges that they hadn’t grasped some vital parts of what he had said. We can empathise with them, because mostly we too tend to pick and choose the parts of his message that please us, and fail to take seriously other words of the Lord.

After his death on the cross, they felt all was lost. But Jesus used the Jewish scriptures to enlighten them. The prophecies declare the divine promises and reveal the saving plan of God. The Scriptures have power like an electric current, and are inspired by the Spirit of God. When he opened the meaning of God’s Word to them, they began to understand his cross in a totally new light. They saw it not as a total disaster but as the start of a new age of grace.

Once arrived in Emmaus, they recognised him also in the breaking of bread. The prayerful sharing of a meal among friends was a living symbol of friendship and trust. What was special about the way Jesus broke the bread is an intriguing question. Perhaps it was the spirit of self-giving that he invested in the act that showed them who he really was. There was a level of focus, of sharing and of sacredness unique to Jesus, something they had experienced previously, before his passion. His presence touched their deepest hungers, and the bread he broke was not just physical. It was food that they opened their hearts as well as their mouths to receive.

The Emmaus story speaks to people of all ages. We can see ourselves in these two weary travellers on their journey, the faith and hope they have lost, the future they have hoped for fallen apart. And yet they met an unknown friend walking the road with them, who gave them a fresh insight, and connected the new world with the world they knew. And, of course, he is present in a particular way in the Eucharist, in the breaking of bread, full of the many meanings that breaking bread had for Jesus himself, during his life and after the resurrection.

Christian Aid Week

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 09:07:15 GMT

Christian Aid 2023 15th -21st May 2023 - St. Bride’s Church, Pontarddulais.

Ecumenical Service on Wednesday 17th May 2023 in Trinity Chapel at 2pm.

Coffee Morning at Pontarddulais Institute Friday 19th May 23, between 10.30am –12.00pm. Raffle (tickets to be sold on the day) a prize to be donated per church/chapel. Helpers are needed on the day.

Red Box 2022: Thank you. In 2022 St. Bride's parish raised £598.50 through our Red Boxes and donations to Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries. Thank you. Our missionary community here at St. Brides is part of a worldwide network of people supporting missionaries through prayer and financial assistance. Your support of projects such as the Fundong Mission station in Cameroon has enabled Fr. Leon, a Mill Hill Missionary, to help children learn in a safe environment and instil values that empower them to turn away from conflict and towards faith in God. Visit missio.org.uk to find out more about how your support changes lives for the better.

Sea Sunday 9th July 2023:

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 17:06:13 GMT

Seafarers and fishers play a vital role in all of our lives, but they often work in difficult, hazardous conditions. In the last year, more crews have been abandoned by their employers than ever before. Many are still being denied the right to leave their ships for even a short break away from the relentless noise and pressure onboard. Many are reporting more stress and poorer mental health. Sea Sunday is Sunday 9th July . It is when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea. Your support will make a big difference to seafarers and fishers in need. You can donate in church, by clicking HERE , or by texting ‘SEA’ to 70460 to donate £5. This collection is vital to enable Stella Maris to continue its important work, so please give generously. Thank you.

Peter’s Pence Second Collection today.

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 17:04:13 GMT

The Holy Father’s charitable outreach to victims of war, migrants and refugees, and the poor affected by illness and natural disasters is supported by contributions to the Peter’s Pence Collection. When you participate in the second collection, you join Catholics across the globe in supporting the Pope’s mission of mercy as well as the activities of the Holy See’s dicasteries that assist his ministry.

Reflection - Hospitality of heart

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 17:01:19 GMT

Openness to life! Hospitality of heart – These are some of the themes that suggest themselves through the readings of this Sunday. The woman in the first reading was open to life; she welcomed the prophet into her home, was aware that he was a holy man of God, and set about facilitating his mission. In the gospel we, as disciples of Jesus, listen to his words addressed directly to us telling us how we are to open our lives to him, give him pride of place over family and friends even to the point of bearing his cross. Our welcome is to be whole-hearted, and if I am in any doubt as to where I am to exercise this total acceptance of Christ in my life I have only to turn to my neighbour. “He who welcomes you, welcomes me” Nothing could be clearer. Christ is all around me. He is present in my home, at work, in those who pass me in the street.. He is present in myself! In today’s second reading St Paul adds his voice to the celebration of Christian life! Through baptism we have entered into the great life of the resurrection. No wonder we cry out with the psalmist in joy; “I will sing forever of your love, 0 Lord.” The beautiful story of the Shunemite woman illustrates the fact that God’s word finds acceptance in people’s lives through the instrumentality of human agents. Elisha may seem to be an itinerant preacher. It is the woman who detects his mission and makes room for him in her house. Likewise, many a parent makes space for God in their family life by helping a child learn the words of a prayer and by showing respect for the things of God. When I reflect on how God found a space in my life, I will inevitably return to the influence of a human agent. The gospel’s emphasis on hospitality is presented in the form of a strange equation: “He who welcomes you, welcomes me.”

We may expect, then, that Christ will come to our doors in many disguises and almost always at the wrong time! He may not even be wearing clerical garb! Rather, I may find him hidden in the stranger, the outcast of society, the neighbour, the child needing attention, the sick person.. There are many delightful fairytales of princesses hidden in rags and of princes imprisoned in toads. Every child’s eyes light up in wonder at the moment when the disguise is dropped and the truth is revealed. Openness to wonder, to the mystery of Christ hidden in the other: these qualities are often sadly missing in my life. The “cup of cold water” is proverbially quoted as a somewhat dubious sign of Christian charity. Perhaps this is because it does not cost much in rain-drenched climates! In a hot, dusty climate, however, a drink of cold water can be a life-saver. The attitude of thoughtfulness, the lack of self-absorption; these would seem to underline the Christian attitude towards others. It is not what is given that counts but the heart with which it is given.

A legalistic, mathematical mind tends to measure the bare requirement due to the other. This does not make for a happy environment. No wonder that a sub-theme of today’s liturgy is joy: “Happy the people.. who find their joy every day in your name” we read in the psalm. The open-hearted person is always happy; there is much joy in giving. Cups of cold water may be translated into a letter, a phone-call, a smile, a word of appreciation. They cost little but how the world today is crying out for cups of cold water! Christ is often wounded and struggling in my neighbour. The image that could be explored by the homilist pertaining to the theme of hospitality is that of making a space for God in our lives. The woman of Shunem had a room built on the roof of her house for the prophet so that he might be rested and refreshed for his mission throughout Israel. She made physical space for the holy man of God. Christianity calls on us to make space for Christ and his message in our lives. Where do I find this space? Is it my time? A small part of my earnings to support the preaching of God’s word? Or is it a quiet space in my life where I can turn to welcome the indwelling of Christ in my heart? Mary is the model of Christian hospitality: she made a space in her heart for the Word just as she made a space in her womb for his body. She pondered his words in her heart so that gradually her whole life was filled with his presence.

Reflection (For Sts. Peter and Paul, 29th June 2023)

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 21:42:18 GMT

Singled out for service

What singled Peter out from the other disciples was his God-given insight into the identity of Jesus. It was because of his unique insight that Jesus gives Peter a unique role among his followers. He is to be the rock, the firm foundation, on which Jesus will build his church. It is an extraordinarily significant role for Jesus to give to any of his disciples. Peter’s role is further spelt out by Jesus giving him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The image of the keys suggests authority. The nature of that authority is expressed in terms of binding and loosing. This is probably a reference to a teaching authority. Peter is being entrusted with the task of authoritatively interpreting the teaching of Jesus for other members of the church. Yet, this same Peter would try to deflect Jesus from taking the way of the cross, and when Jesus did take that way, Peter would deny any association with him. Jesus is portrayed by Matthew’s gospel as giving a significant role to someone who remains very flawed.

If the gospel associates teaching with Peter, the 2nd Reading associates preaching with Paul. In that reading Paul refers to the Lord who “gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be preached for all the pagans to hear.” Paul was the great preacher of the gospel to the pagans throughout the Roman Empire. He preached it for the last time further west, in the city of Rome, where, like Peter, he was martyred for his faith in Christ. The extract from his second letter to Timothy that is our 2nd Reading today may well have been written from his Roman imprisonment. It is a very stirring text, “I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.” The image of the fight and the race suggest that “keeping the faith” was a struggle for Paul; it did not come easy to him, just as keeping the faith did not come easy to Peter either.

Keeping the faith does not always come easy to any of us. Paul’s letters show that he was very aware that keeping the faith was not due primarily to his own efforts; it was the Lord who enabled him to keep the faith. As he says in today’s 2nd Reading, “the Lord stood by me and gave me power.” It is the Lord who empowers all of us to keep the faith; his faithfulness to us enables us to be faithful to him; his faithful love encourages us to keep returning to him even after failure. The faithful witness of Peter and Paul speak to us ultimately of the Lord’s faithfulness to us all.

Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 18:23:30 GMT

Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 04th—8th September 2023, led by Bishop Mark O’Toole

Price of £699.00 per person Package includes: Return flight from Bristol Airport 4 night’s accommodation on full Board basis in 3* Knock House Hotel.

All entertainment, excursions and guided tours. Assistance from Knock Pilgrimages representative. Single room supplement of £150.00

Congratulation to our children

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 18:02:14 GMT

After nearly a year in preparation our young people are celebrating their First Holy Communion among us this weekend. It is a special day for them and not least the parish. The celebration is a wonderful blessing and sign for us that Jesus is with us, blessing us with his undying love.

We thank our heavenly Father for today but especially the parents and family members of the children who have brought them to this day; for their prayers and support and for sharing the Faith with them. May the Lord bless them and the close ones with his peace.

We owe a deep sense of gratitude to Mary Roberts who has dedicated her time and resourcefulness in overseeing the children’s preparation for their special day. May our prayers and thanksgiving for her to the Lord bring her the reward she richly deserves.

Pallium of Archbishop Mark

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 18:33:18 GMT

On Thursday 22nd June at St. David’s Cathedral Cardiff Archbishop O’Toole will receive the Pallium from the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Miguel Buendia on behalf of Pope Francis.

The word pallium is Latin for a traditional Roman cloak made from wool. It is a garment that only the Pope can confer and signifies the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop and also the special communion that the recipient shares with the Pope and the Church of Rome.

Day For Life

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 09:53:34 GMT

This week’s Second Collection 18th June 2023 - Day for Life

Bishops‘ Introduction

Voices of women who have had an abortion are often silent in Church and in society. This year’s message for Day for Life is written by a woman and hopes to break this silence and offer opportunities for hope, healing and reconciliation.

Copies of the message are available on in the porch or go to Day for Life - Catholic Bishops' Conference

Download a copy of the message HERE

A sincere and heartfelt thank you

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 18:20:14 GMT

On behalf of my brothers, aunt and myself I wish to thank all of you who have sent mass cards, offered up your prayers and made donations in respect to the death of my father Des. His funeral last Monday was a wonderful celebration and we appreciated the warmth, respect and sacrifices you made to lighten our grief. May almighty God bless you and keep you always in his love. Fr John Patrick

Fundraising

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 15:39:36 GMT

Blessed Sacrament Church

I am conscious we already have the 59 Club and the Parish Film Club that are engaged in fundraising. Last weekend The Film Club appealed for a volunteer to help on this month’s viewing. Whilst the organisers have found someone, they really need others to volunteer from within the parish. Please give it your consideration.

A few weeks ago, I asked for volunteers who may have experience in applying for and managing Grant Funding to come forward and form a group. The cost of the presbytery refurbishment will be more than £250,00 and recently a verbal estimate was given regarding making watertight the church in the area of £800,000. This is quite a load for us to carry. Bishop Mark has asked Mr Owen Collins who has worked with the Archdiocese of Cardiff to also work for our diocese on a project-by-project basis. Our diocesan Trustees have approved this and so he will engage with projects within our diocese. For your information, he has in the past two years secured about £1.2 million in grants for projects in the Archdiocese. Obviously, his work is not done in isolation. He works with parish teams to secure grants. That is why I appeal once again for volunteers to get involved. Please contact me if you are able and willing.

St Bride’s

In comparison to Gorseinon, St Brides is very low maintenance. However, that does not mean our church does not need attention from time to time. I have asked a contractor to re-stain the weatherboards supporting the troughing as these are looking somewhat bare. The cost is going to be £400. I am conscious too of the interior. This needs refreshing. I haven’t yet looked for a contractor, but it will be considerably more that the staining of the weatherboards. I would appreciate it if parishioners of St Bride’s would form a fundraising group to sustain the necessary maintenance the fabric of the church requires.

Fr John Patrick

Ordinations

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 15:23:52 GMT

Archbishop Mark is delighted to share the news with you that Deacon Greg Beckett has been accepted for ordination to the Priesthood for Menevia and Dale Cutlan has been accepted for ordination to the Diaconate for Cardiff.

Deacon Greg will be ordained on Saturday 15th July by Archbishop Mark at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Swansea. Parishioners are welcome to attend. If you plan to attend the ordination please let Fr. JP know as numbers have to be given to the Cathedral before the ordination.

Dale will be ordained, also by Archbishop Mark, on Saturday 10th June at Westminster Cathedral. Please keep both men in your prayers, and continue to pray for vocations to the Priesthood

Reflection - Themes for Pentecost:

Sun, 28 May 2023 15:21:10 GMT

The Mass readings for Pentecost clearly emphasize the role of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit’s gifts, we are empowered to share the message of Jesus Christ with the world. This important day marks the birth of the Church and is celebrated 50 days after Easter, signifying the end of the Easter season.

• The Holy Spirit’s role in the inception and growth of the Church : In the first reading from Acts, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, enabling them to speak in different languages and leading to the conversion of thousands. This event marked the beginning of the Church, and the Holy Spirit continued to play a vital role in its growth and development.

• The diverse gifts given by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the Church : In the second reading for Pentecost Year A, Paul emphasizes the importance of the various gifts given by the Holy Spirit, such as prophecy, healing, and teaching, among others. These gifts are meant to be used for the benefit of the entire body of Christ and to build up the Church.

• The unity of the Church as one body in Christ through the Holy Spirit : Paul compares the Church to a human body, made up of many parts that work together to function as one body. In the same way, the Church is a unified body in Christ through the Holy Spirit, with each member playing a unique role in building up the Church.

• The power of the Holy Spirit to empower believers for Christ’s work in the world : In the Gospel reading for Pentecost Year A, Jesus breathes on his disciples, giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit and commissioning them to continue his work of forgiveness and reconciliation in the world. Through the Holy Spirit, believers are empowered to do the work of Christ and to spread the gospel message to all nations.

• The message of forgiveness and reconciliation through Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit : In the Gospel reading, Jesus commissions his disciples to forgive sins, emphasizing the message of forgiveness and reconciliation that is central to the gospel message. This message is empowered by the Holy Spirit, who gives believers the power to share this message and to continue the work of Christ in the world.

World Communications Day

Sat, 20 May 2023 15:34:37 GMT

Pope Francis, following tradition, has released his message for World Communications Day on 24 January, the Feast of St Francis de Sales – patron saint of Catholic writers and journalists.

The Holy Father stresses the need to listen before speaking truth with a pure heart to “see beyond appearances and overcome the vague din which, also in the field of information, does not help us discern in the complicated world in which we live.“ The call to speak with the heart,” he says, “radically challenges the times in which we are living, which are so inclined towards indifference and indignation, at times even on the basis of disinformation which falsifies and exploits the truth.”

The Pope hails the example of the great Doctor of the Church, St Francis de Sales, and his commitment to patient, heartfelt dialogue with everyone – even those who opposed him. A gifted theologian, his phrase “Heart speaks to heart” inspired many, none more so than the recently canonised Saint John Henry Newman who, on being made a Cardinal in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII, chose as his cardinalatial motto, Cor ad cor loquitur or Heart speaks to heart. Catholics in England and Wales will remember with affection that ‘Heart speaks unto heart’ was also the motto for Pope Benedict XVI’s historic visit to the UK in 2010.The 57th World Communications Day is celebrated on 21 May 2023.

Today’s Sunday’s Second Collection will be for World Communication Day

This year’s World Communications Day is celebrated today Sunday, 21 May 2023. The theme comes from Ephesians 4:15, Speaking with the heart - 'The truth in love'. In his message to mark the day, Pope Francis stresses the need to listen before speaking truth with a pure heart to "see beyond appearances and overcome the vague din which, in the field of information, does not help us discern in the complicated world in which we live.

" The Holy Father, warning against indifference and indignation, hails the example of the great Doctor of the Church, St Francis de Sales, in particular his commitment to patient, heartfelt dialogue. A gifted theologian, his phrase 'Heart speaks to heart' inspired many, none more so than the recently canonised Saint John Henry Newman, who chose the phrase as his cardinalatial motto, 'Cor ad cor loquitur'. Catholics in England and Wales will remember with affection that ‘Heart speaks unto heart’ was also the theme for Pope Benedict XVI’s historic visit to the UK in 2010.

You can read Pope Francis’ message for the day , and, if you feel you can, support the work of the new Communications Directorate o f the Bishops’ Conference.

Novena to the Holy Spirit

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Sat, 13 May 2023 08:54:13 GMT

The Novena to the Holy Spirit

Ascension Thursday to Pentecost Sunday (inclusive) God is love and Jesus made his love known in all his words and works by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who he declared would lead his disciples into the fullness truth [of God’s love]. Jesus invites us who are marked by the sign of faith to ‘remain in me’ by following his commandments of loving God and neighbour as he loves us. Think of his commandments not as rules per se but currents in which the knowledge and love of God flow. Aligning our spirits with the Holy Spirit assures us of growth and vitality in holiness of life. If we refrain from stepping into the flow of Divine love, we flounder and fail. This year I invite everyone in the two parishes I serve to undertake a novena to the Holy Spirit.

Copies are available in the porches of each church. Click HERE to download a copy

Retrouvaille: A Programme for Couples Struggling in their Marriages

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Sun, 07 May 2023 08:57:33 GMT

The programme helps spouses uncover or re-awaken the love, trust and commitment that originally brought them together. It helps them through difficult times whether they are disillusioned or in deep misery. There is no group therapy or group work. For confidential information about ‘Retrouvaille’ or to register for the next programme commencing with a Virtual weekend on 6 - 9 July 2023 or a Face to Face weekend in Welwyn Garden City on 13-15 October 2023, call or text 07887 296983 or 07973 380443 or email retrouvailleukinfo@gmail.com - or visit www.retrouvaille.org.uk

Weekday Masses and Thank You

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 22:30:49 GMT

It is well over a year now since we have moved out of COVID lockdowns and subsequently the protocols surrounding public health in social gatherings have been relaxed. However, one of the apparent long-term effects has been the drop off in numbers of those coming to weekday masses both here in Gorseinon and Pontarddulais.

The blessings of regular participation in the mass are many not least in our being deepened in God the Father’s love for us through remembering his beloved Son’s sacrifice on the cross. It is Jesus’ desire that through celebrating the mysteries of faith together regularly we grow closer together in love, in understanding and in our vocation as members of his body the Church. Thus strengthening each other in witnessing to the gospel of love and building up the parish as a visible expression of the kingdom of heaven.

It may have come to your attention that for quite some time there has been no Tuesday morning mass in Gorseinon. The decision to drop the mass was based the necessary commute to the parish while the renovation of the presbytery was underway and finding myself celebrating mass in an empty church. Now that the presbytery renovation is nearing completion it is my desire to restore the Tuesday morning mass once I have moved back into the presbytery. In the meantime, can I invite you to come along and participate in the weekday masses if you are able and willing?

Every blessing,

Fr John Patrick

Parish in Council

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 22:11:31 GMT

The next Parish in Council meeting will be held on Sunday, 23rd April 2023 between 4pm - 5pm in the parish hall.

All welcome

SVP Updates and News

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 17:00:55 GMT

The St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) is an international volunteering organisation, giving practical help to those in need. We are looking for volunteers to support our vibrant schools programme that help children put their faith into action. Volunteers are required to support teachers and talk to children about how they can be involved. The role is flexible but does need people with some availability during school hours. At least 2 mornings or afternoons per month. Full training is given, resources are supplied and costs covered. If you are interested and would like to know more please contact. Sarah Barber on youngvincentions@svp.org.uk.

From Fr. J.P. Thomas

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 09:56:33 GMT

From Fr JP Thomas

Weekday Masses It is well over a year now since we have moved out of COVID lockdowns and subsequently the protocols surrounding public health in social gatherings have been relaxed. However, one of the apparent long-term effects has been the drop off in numbers of those coming to weekday masses both here in Gorseinon and Pontarddulais.

Thank You In these times of hardship for many I am deeply grateful for your generosity in thinking of me at Easter. For the cards and gifts and Easter Offerings please accept my sincere thanks. Know that every day I pray for you all asking the Lord to bless you. May he continue to do so as I do too.

Every blessing, Fr John Patrick

Reflection - Sunday 2nd April

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 22:21:49 GMT

Our great week

We begin the most solemn week of the liturgical year. Once called the ‘Great Week‘, nowadays we know it as ‘Holy Week‘. In it we witness the total self-giving of Jesus. St Paul describes it as his “kenosis” (Greek: κένωσις is the act of emptying) or ‘self-emptying’ by which Jesus made himself entirely receptive to the divine will. See Philippians 2:7 ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.” Paul goes on to affirm to total vindication of Jesus: ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσεν καὶ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα. “God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name.”

Our liturgy this week invites us to follow Jesus every step of the way, beginning with his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. There he was welcomed, applauded and acclaimed by a crowd of well-wishers. On Thursday we will join him at table, to receive his gift of himself in the eucharistic bread and wine. After dining with him we will, in our reflections, go with him along the trail from the Upper Room to the Garden of Olives. There we will see him struggling with fear and anxiety about the cruel death that awaits him. On Good Friday we will be standing in spirit beside his mother at the foot of the cross, while he hands his spirit back to the Father who sent him.

On Saturday we will be quiet and silent around his tomb, as we remember the injustice and cruelty of humanity, for which he died. Then, late on Saturday, we will move from the darkness of our Passion journey to the place of the bright Easter fire. There we will join the procession of the great Paschal Candle, representing the risen Christ, as he lights up the darkness of our church and lives.

The pain of our compassion with Jesus to Calvary will give way to the hope and joy of Easter. Jesus Christ is not dead and gone. No, he is risen, strong and powerful, alive in himself, and alive in us. Then we can hold in our hearts those assuring words that Juliana of Norwich in her vision of Christ Crucified. From his own lips she heard this promise: ‘All will be well, all will be well, all manner of things will be well.’

Evangelisation

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:23:59 GMT

Evangelisation We need to establish a small group to take forward and develop our work on evangelisation. This work is the Church’s reason for existing. This work is as critical to parish life. If you are interested in being part of this group please see Fr. JP.

Passion Play

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:15:00 GMT

The Passion Play returns on Tuesday 4th April 23 to the Blessed Sacrament Church at 7.00pm. Tickets £5 available on the door. All Welcome.

World Youth Day

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 22:15:00 GMT

The Synod responses from the Diocese highlighted the encouragement of young people in their faith as an important area to focus on. Cardiff and Menevia Dioceses are taking a group of about 50 young people with Archbishop Mark to World Youth Day in Lisbon in the summer. World Youth Day, from 26 th July – 7th August, is a wonderful opportunity for them to deepen their faith, see the Pope and experience the Universal Church on a wider scale. It is truly a preparation for the future of the Church. It will cost around £1,500 for each young person to go, and some may struggle to pay this. There will be a second collection on Sunday 19th March 23 for this cause. If you would prefer to donate online, you can do so at https://rcadc.org/donations/ .

SVP - Easter Hampers for those in need

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 17:48:38 GMT

As part of Lent along with the SVP we are launching Easter Hampers for those in need. So could you bring along something such as:- Cereal, Soup, Pasta, Rice, Tinned tomatoes/ pasta sauce, Lentils, beans and pulses, Tinned meat, Tinned vegetables, Tea/ coffee, Tinned fruit, Biscuits, UHT milk, Fruit juice, Food Hampers also provide essential non-food items like toiletries and hygiene products. Please leave your donation in the box in the porch. Hampers will be distributed at Easter. Please bring donations by 2nd April 23.

Synod Resources for Lenten Spiritual Excercises

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:53:47 GMT

As an aid to our Lenten spiritual exercises the General Secretariat of the Synod have provided us with the following resources: A Way of the Cross: STATIONS_OF_THE_CROSS_2023.pdf (mcusercontent.com) This will be used each Friday during Lent. and also a series of reflections for use in a prayer group setting: Lenten Synod Reflections (click link to access) https://mcusercontent.com/e0fbbeecffe9831bf1ef67a4a/files/284c01c2-a5a6-abcc-61cc-4005f2d7c47a/ Lenten_Synod_Reflections.pdf

RCIA - The Scrutinies

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:42:48 GMT

RCIA - The Scrutinies 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent The Scrutinies are three special rites that help prepare the Elect, those participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), to enter the Catholic Church. They take place during the period of RCIA formation known as Purification and Enlightenment, near the end of their formation. This year we are blessed to have Morgan among us who is preparing to celebrate the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion at our Easter Vigil.

Reflection - Pilgrim’s Progress: Life as Journey

Sat, 04 Mar 2023 22:10:14 GMT

The years of our life pass smoothly by, each one seeming shorter than the last. We are on a journey from youth to age, from the cradle to the grave. In his dream-like poem, The Lotus Eaters, Alfred Tennyson describes a sense of weary resignation, one option we might take, in face of the passing years:

“Let us alone. Time driveth onward fast,

And in a little while our lips are dumb.

Let us alone. What is it that will last?

All things are taken from us, and become

Portions and parcels of the dreadful past.”

Through eyes of faith, the passing of the years looks somewhat different. We believe our journey is going somewhere: instead of simply terminating with death (full stop, finis), we will emerge into the life of heaven (welcome, transition into God’s presence.) We are pilgrims, like Abraham, moving toward the land of promise. Like St Paul, we try to deal with the problems and setbacks along the way, with the help of the Lord. And in the end, if we are faithful, we will share the total joy of joining Christ in glory, as the reward of life’s pilgrimage.

Pilgrim’s Progress: In our many journeys today (the age of mobility) we tend to move around a lot, without showing much signs of spiritual progress; indeed, in that respect we often appear to be going backwards. Our goals and desires are short-term, narrow, superficial. Moved by a restless urge for money, for celebrity, novelty, success and pleasure, we go round in rapid circles. But the pilgrims’ sights are set on a higher destination, and like Martin Luther King they can say: “I have a dream!” However far-off and hard to reach this dream may be, it is worth more than all the short-term desires we follow. Each step on the journey takes on meaning in light of the goal God sets before us.

A personal, inward journey: Our whole life can be made a pilgrimage towards God. Just as he called Abraham, so he calls each of us to be his own. His call to us is quiet but insistent. Not exactly in the form of: “leave your country and your father’s house,” but “leave your old ways, the pride and selfishness, the hardness of heart, the angry temper, the envy and the falsehood. And go to the land I shall show.” The direction of our pilgrimage is not geographical but moral: “Go towards charity, purity, sharing in truth and prayer and good-will. Go in the way of the gospel. Go to heaven.’

Meaningful Living: Having God’s command, and submitting entirely to it, made Abraham the first great pilgrim. Henceforth all his activity took on the value of obedience to God; he was on the high road towards Yahweh, the living God. The same spirit would give the deepest meaning to our lives too. Far from being absurd or useless, the pilgrim’s efforts to follow the gospel of his Master are full of meaning. Progress along this way is the real formula for peace of mind. Augustine said it profoundly: You have made us for Yourself, o Lord; and our hearts can never be at rest, until they rest in You.

Lenten Reflection - The Eucharist

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 16:23:26 GMT

The attached gives a reflection on the Eucharist and is recommended reading during Lent. Click HERE to access the document.

Women's World Day of Prayer

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 11:57:59 GMT

This Year's Women's World day of Prayer will take place on Friday 3rd March 2023 in St. David's Church, Loughor at 6.30pm. There will be tea/coffee following the service. All are welcome

Lenten Reflection

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 10:23:05 GMT

Returning to the Source – A Lenten Reflection on Cistercian Spirituality - An Aid to Spiritual Renewal

Sunday 5th March, 2-5pm

The Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Gorseinon

As an aid to parish and personal growth Fr John Patrick invites you to a half day period of recollection and prayer on the spirituality of our Cistercian brothers and sisters. We are truly blessed having both the male and female branches of the Order of Strict Obedience within our diocese. Often overlooked and on the periphery of our diocesan field of vision it their prayer and radical witness to the gospel can offer us an simple and noble approach to deepening God’s love for us within and among us.

You might find it helpful to purchase either in paperback or Kindle Carl McColman’s work Befriending Silence and Philip Freeman’s book The Rule of St Benedict.

May the Lord continue to bless you with Lenten fruit.

Ash Wednesday and Lent 2023

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Sat, 18 Feb 2023 10:41:52 GMT

Next Wednesday 22nd February 2023 is Ash Wednesday and a day of Fasting and abstinence.

Morning prayer and blessing of ashes at 7.30am in Blessed Sacrament Church.

Mass at 9.30am in St. Bride’s church and 7.00pm in Blessed Sacrament Church both with distribution of ashes.

During Lent there will be Stations of the Cross at Blessed Sacrament on Friday’s at 7.00pm and on Wednesdays at 7pm in St. Bride’s church.

As part of Lent along with the SVP we are launching Easter Hampers for those in need. So could you bring along something such as:-

Cereal, Soup, Pasta, Rice, Tinned tomatoes/ pasta sauce, Lentils, beans and pulses, Tinned meat, Tinned vegetables, Tea/coffee,

Tinned fruit, Biscuits, UHT milk, Fruit juice, Food Hampers also provide essential non-food items like toiletries and hygiene products.

Please leave your donation in the box in the porch. Hampers will be distributed at Easter.

The UCM will be holding an Easter Raffle. There are Various prizes. Tickets are £1 each and will be on sale from Sunday 5th March in the church.

The Spiritans - Holy Ghost Fathers

snessmann@hotmail.com (Stephen Nessman) — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 10:36:08 GMT

This weekend we welcome Fr. Matthias from 'The Spiritans' who will be making a mission appeal at both masses. There will be a second collection for 'The Spiritans'.

Below is some information about 'The Spiritans'.

The Spiritans (Holy Ghost Fathers) - OUR MISSION

“We are a Roman Catholic Religious Congregation founded in 1703. Over 300 years on, over 3000 professed and lay Spiritans, drawn from all continents, today carry out their mission of evangelization in more than 60 countries throughout the world”

Our mission is the evangelisation of the “poor” (Lk 4:18). Therefore we, Spiritans, go especially:

· to peoples, groups and individuals who have not yet heard the message of the Gospel or who have scarcely heard it.

· to those whose needs are the greatest, and to the oppressed.

· We willingly accept tasks for which the Church has difficulty in finding workers.

The Spiritan option for the poor involves a solidarity which brings us to share in the world of the marginalized. “When we opt for the poor, we opt not for poverty as such, but for people who are unjustly poor.”

Our Spiritan Rule of Life (14) asks of us to make ourselves “the advocates, the supporters and defenders of the weak and the little ones against all who oppress them.”

For more information go to: www.spiritans.co.uk

Pope's Prayers

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 10:36:54 GMT

What does Pope Francis expect from parishes? - Generous, open communities near to all

· The new Pope Video calls parishes to truly be communities: places of listening and welcome whose doors are always open.

· Pope Francis’ message places the accent on parishes functioning as “schools of service and generosity” where people can “find the gift of the sacraments.”

· At the same time, the Holy Father asks us to be “daring,” to be able to rethink “the style of our parochial communities.”

(Vatican City, January 30, 2023) – The second Pope Video of the year has just been published with the prayer intention that the Holy Father is entrusting to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. This February, Pope Francis, with a smile, invites every parish to put a sign on their door saying, “Free Admission.” With these words he wants to remind all of us that there are no special requirements for entering, because “parishes are not a club for the few, which give a certain kind of social belonging.”

The Pope's second video on the above can be found at www.popesprayer.va

Diocesan Response to the Synod Continental Stage

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 16:55:39 GMT

Below is a response to the Document of the Continental Stage from Archbishop Mark O'Toole, in Cardiff and Menevia.

VIEW HERE

Jesuits in Britain spirituality team

Sat, 21 Jan 2023 23:18:58 GMT

We are also running a series called ‘Living with the Spirit of the Synod’ which might be of interest to those in your diocese who took part in the earlier stages of the Synodal process.

Days/times: Wednesday 25th January: 7-8.30pm; Saturday 28th January: 10am-4pm; Wednesday 1 February: 7-8.30pm.

Closing date for registrations: Sunday 22nd January 2023 More information and link to book below:

https://www.jesuit.org.uk/events/living-with-the-spirit-of-the-synod

Retrouvaille: A Programme for Couples Struggling in their Marriages

Sat, 21 Jan 2023 23:08:39 GMT

Help Your Marriage – Do you feel alone? Are you frustrated or angry with each other? Do you argue … or have you just stopped talking to each other? Does talking about it only make it worse? Retrouvaille is a programme to support couples who have difficulties in their marriage. It brings a positive focus, new hope and helps nourish and grow your marriage. Tens of thousands of couples headed for divorce have successfully saved their marriages by attending and using the tools provided. The programme helps spouses uncover or re-awaken the love, trust and commitment that originally brought them together. It helps them through difficult times whether they are disillusioned or in deep misery. There is no group therapy or group work. For confidential information about ‘Retrouvaille’ or to register for the next programme commencing with a Face to Face weekend in Welwyn Garden City on 24 - 26 February 2023, or a Virtual weekend on 6 - 9 July 2023, call or text 07887 296983 or 07973 380443 or email retrouvailleukinfo@gmail.com - or visit www.retrouvaille.org.uk

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children

gorseinon@menevia.org (John Thomas) — Sun, 08 Jan 2023 12:46:01 GMT

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) will be holding its annual White Flower appeal this coming weekend 14th/15th January 2023. SPUC wants a world where abortion is unthinkable, and is raising awareness of the widespread problem of abortion corercion.

According to an independent poll, 87% of GP's are concerned that the Government's "pills by post" scheme leaves women vulnerable to coerced abortion. SPUC is calling on the Prime Minister to condemn this abhorrent tragedy.

There will be a second collection for this cause next weekend.

Requiem Mass - Pope Benedict

Sun, 08 Jan 2023 00:32:57 GMT

Requiem Mass for Pope Benedict (Swansea Cathedral): Archbishop Mark will celebrate a Requiem Mass for Pope Benedict on Thursday next week (12th) at 12 noon at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.

Reflection - On Baptism

Sun, 08 Jan 2023 00:25:48 GMT

Having a clear purpose in life

During a pilgrimages to the Holy Land I and some friends stood up to our knees in the river Jordan, to renew the promises of our baptism. It was a moving experience as we remembered the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus just after HIS baptism. By being baptised into him we are counted as members of God’s beloved family. United with Jesus, we are made like him, God’s own daughters and sons. Others who stood that day in the Jordan will remember that moment today and use it to renew their commitment to Jesus. But all of us were baptised somewhere, sometime, and we can claim that baptism fully as our own.

Our Lord’s baptism is a vital moment in our story of salvation, where he joined with humanity in the humble outreach to God, and where the Father and the Spirit are seen and heard to be there with him. Our gospel says that “the heavens were opened,” a powerful statement of the point of contact between heaven and earth. Later on, as Jesus completes his life-journey on Calvary, we read how “the veil of the Temple was rent in two,” a symbol that we are not completely free to enter the Holy of Holies. Today’s gospel has Jesus beginning a journey which each of us is asked to travel. It is a journey full of purpose, a journey of intent. We need a sense of purpose and pattern to our living. St Peter summarised the purpose and pattern of Christ’s life when he said, “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” We are each invited, personally, to make this purpose our own.

A little story about finding direction: A Dubliner was down the country travelling along by-roads where the signposts were few and far between. After a while, unsure of his directions, he decided to ask the first person he saw. When he came across a farmer driving his cows home for milking he stopped the car and asked if he was on the right road to Mallow. The farmer told him that he certainly was on the Mallow road. The driver thanked him and was about to move forward when the farmer added, in a nonchalant way, “You’re on the right road, but you’re going in the wrong direction!’ Let’s look into our own lifestyle today, to see if our direction is right.

Jesuits In Great Britain

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 13:40:51 GMT

Jesuits in Britain spirituality team . This event which is an ideal introduction to Ignatian prayer led by our team, takes place over Zoom. The day will involve being guided in prayer, individual time for prayer, sharing in small groups. After the day you will be given further suggestions to continue your prayer journey.

Date: Thursday 19th January 2023Times: 10am-4pm on Zoom, including breaks for time off screen Further details and link to book: https://www.jesuit.org.uk/events/school-of-prayer

We are also running a series called ‘Living with the Spirit of the Synod’ which might be of interest to those in your diocese who took part in the earlier stages of the Synodal process.

Days/times: Wednesday 25th January: 7-8.30pm; Saturday 28th January: 10am-4pm; Wednesday 1 February: 7-8.30pm.

Closing date for registrations: Sunday 22nd January 2023

More information and link to book below:

https://www.jesuit.org.uk/events/living-with-the-spirit-of-the-synod

Thank you from the SVP

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 13:37:37 GMT

S.V.P. Christmas Appeal News Gorseinon, Pontarddulais parishioners and generous donors – Thank You – for your magnificent response to our Christmas appeal. A massive £660.97p was raised. You have shown love and kindness and are silent partners with us in our endeavour, reaching out to those in need.

With St. John Lloyd School some 60 parcels have been delivered in Gorseinon, Pontarddulais, Clydach, a local primary school and special needs school (in school) in Swansea.

Food, toiletries and vinnie packs (consisting of hat, scalf, gloves, toothpaste and brush, hand wipes and foil blanket) were donated to Matthew’s House in Swansea for the homeless and refugees.

A breakdown of the funds received and spent follows:- Money Received:

£440.97 (raised in church collection – Gorseinon).
£ 50.00 (Pontarddulais parishioners)

£120.00 Anonymous donor

£ 40.00 Anonymous donor

£ 10.00 Anonymous donor

£660.97 Total

Money Spent

£320.00 Food Parcels
£420.00 Food vouchers (21x£20) and food parcels – Local Primary School.

£ 30.00 20 Selection Boxes – Local Primary School.
£ 28.50 Small gift and card to parishioners in own home/Nursing Homes.

£100.00 Vinnie Packs

£898.50 Total

May you receive many blessings throughout the coming year.

With heartfelt thanks Gorseinon SVP

Thank you from Fr. John

Sat, 24 Dec 2022 15:40:54 GMT

A Message of Gratitude Thank you to all who have given or sent me Christmas Cards and gifts. This year has seen the joyful return to some kind of normality post COVID. We have also some new members who have moved into our locality to whom I have said Welcome! It’s a joy too to see so many of young people among us once again and thanks to their mams and dads who have encouraged them to come along. Thanks to the Children’s Liturgy Group who have facilitated their Liturgy of the Word, organised their Christmas Party and of course their Christmas Children’s Mass. We have been so blest this year we have much to give thanks to the babe Jesus and our heavenly Father

Support for Ukraine

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 11:07:58 GMT

Below is an extract from a letter sent to the bishops of England and Wales asking for support for the people of Ukraine. If you can assist the details are below: -

As I write this letter, Ukraine is facing one of the severest air attacks it has been subjected to since Russia's full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. Peaceful Ukrainian cities have been hit with deadly missiles, civilians have been targeted, and infrastructure destroyed leaving many without the basic necessities including electricity, heating, and water. Millions have been displaced internally or forced to seek refugee outside of their homeland.

The Emergency Winter Appeal will be run in partnership with Caritas Ukraine, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church parishes in East and South Ukraine, as well as local NGOs.

The cost of one food parcel, providing enough food for two people for a week will cost approximately £ 16. Each package will contain the basics (grains, flour, pasta, meat and fish preserves, oil, canned vegetables, sugar, tea, coffee, biscuits etc.)

We hope to raise £160,000 allowing us to supply 10,000 food parcels to those most in need. I write to ask if during this Advent and Christmas season your dioceses and parishes would consider supporting our Emergency Winter Ap-peal.

Up to now, donations raised to Help Ukraine were sent to my Chancery Office with cheques made payable to AUGB. If you do wish to support our new request in this season of good will to all people, may I please ask that funds be re-mitted to our Eparchial Account

Account Name: Ukrainian Catholic Church Central Fund

Account Number: 20927317

Sort Code: 20-92-60

or by cheque made payable to the Ukrainian Catholic Church referencing Winter Appeal in both cases.

Wishing you all a blessed Advent season,

With prayerful best wishes, I remain fraternally yours in Christ,

KENNETH

Eparchial Bishop

Christmas Nativity

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 21:46:27 GMT

Christmas Nativity : Practice continues after 10am mass. All children are welcome to come along and participate. If you have any questions see Andrew Hall.

You're Invited

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 21:40:35 GMT

The Diocese of Menevia of School of Evangelisation and Catechetics (DOMSEC)

invites you to an Advent Recollection on Saturday, 10 December 2022, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Townhill, Swansea. Time: 10am - 1.30pm. Theme: Renewed Expectations. This day of renewal, anchored by the Dominican priests, will include Adoration, Confession, Holy Mass, Spiritual Talk, and Group sharing. Please bring a packed lunch.

Advent Diocesan Retreat

Sun, 27 Nov 2022 23:03:13 GMT

Advent Diocesan Retreat “Longing for Jesus.”

The Archdiocese of Cardiff and Diocese of Menevia invite everyone to an Advent Retreat day on Saturday
3rd December 2022 hosted at St David’s Catholic College, Cardiff CF23 5QD from 10:30am to 15:00pm (registration at 10:00am) There will be two talks, imaginative contemplation and silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

The core theme of the retreat will be centred upon our shared spiritual journey from perceived anguish and darkness, felt in so many different ways in our lives, to peace and freedom in Christ. We will begin as we begin in all things with the ‘longing for Jesus’ and journey towards the spiritual place of Bethlehem (a very real place in our interior lives) where the baby Jesus lovingly awaits our arrival for adoration before Him.

The retreat is free and lunch will be provided. The retreat is being facilitated by Rev. Christian Mahoney who is the diocesan representative on the Spirituality Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

Please let family and friends know about the retreat day. It is even on a Saturday!

If you would like to attend or would like to find out more information please contact Rev. Christian on 07764515864 or email christian.mahoney@rcadc.or

Synod 2023 Updates

Sun, 20 Nov 2022 10:15:15 GMT

Our Parish Synodal Pathway - 'The Continental Stage' Update -

We have taken the next step towards discerning a synodal pathway for our parishes.

Last Sunday we held our 1st Parishes in Council Meeting. Both parishes were represented.

Our time of prayer and reflection on both chapter 2 of Acts of the Apostles and the responses

from our survey proved fruitful.

It is clear that the aspirations of many of us are filled with a desire for a hopeful and bright future

for our Catholic communities here in Gorseinon and Pontarddulais.

Each of us has been graced by our Heavenly Father's and Jesus' Life Giving Holy Spirit.

As the Lord and Giver of Life the Holy Spirit naturally resonates within us and give rise to these desires and hope.

Let us therefore continue to prayer to Him to open up the pathway we need to walk

in raising up a new generation of believers from among those we live along side.

THE CONTINENTAL STAGE

You may remember that the Synodal Process began in parishes like ours at the end of last year and how we sent a report to the diocese. Parish reports were put together in a Report from the Diocese, which we have shared with you. Diocesan reports were then brought together in a National Synthesis. The same process has gone on around the world and the next stage (2) is a continental one. To prepare for this Continental Stage, the Syntheses from the Bishops’ Conferences around the world have been made into what is known as the Working Document for the Continental Stage

A condensed version: Download Here

The Full Document

https://www.synod.va/content/dam/synod/common/phases/continental-stage/dcs/DocumentoTappa-Continentale-EN.pdf (DCS).

Its purpose is to give back to those who have contributed to the process an account of the wider response of the Universal Church and how their particular contribution can now be seen in that context. It then asks for a response to that larger picture.

The local Church is being asked to see if the content of the Working Document resonates with what was said in their previous discussions. The reflections at the Continental Stage will focus on the following questions:

1. “After having read and prayed with the DCS, what resonates most strongly with your experience of your parish? Which of the things described in the DCS are new, or illuminating to you?”

2. “After having read and prayed with the DCS, what possible tensions do you think are particularly important? What are the questions or issues that should therefore be addressed and considered in the next steps of the process?”

3. “Looking at the previous two questions, what are the priorities, recurring themes and calls to action that stand out and should be taken further?”

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS 2023

We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.

With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;

Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.

We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.

Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.

Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.

All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever.

Amen.

Listen to the Podcast

Diocese Synthesis Report

National Synthesis Report

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 11:35:04 GMT

The National Synthesis Report has now been completed, and is available for viewing. The report is a synthesis of all diocesan reports submitted to the Diocese for review. The results of this review has now been compiled in the form of a National Report.

Mass for HM Queen Elizabeth ||

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 16:58:36 GMT

His Grace Archbishop Mark will be presiding at a Requiem Mass for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday 14th September at 6pm in the Cathedral. There will be a Book of Condolences open in the Porch for you to pay your respects and express sympathies to The Royal Family. All welcome.

Cleaning Group Meeting

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 16:25:30 GMT

Tuesday, Saturday 17th December 22: Parish Hall Cleaning Group. Meet in the church between 10am—12pm.

Giving thanks for the Life of Queen Elizabeth ||

anthony@everydaychristianmarketing.co.uk (Anthony Evans) — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 11:15:51 GMT

We give thanks for the life and the service of Queen Elizabeth ||

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,

and let Your perpetual light shine upon her.

May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Amen.”

Parish Telephone Problem

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 21:26:27 GMT

We apologise for the continued problems with our landline. IF you need to contact us please use our mobile number or email address. Both can be found in our newsletter.

Diocesan Synod Report

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 19:59:47 GMT

The Diocesan Synodal Report has now been completed, and is available for viewing. The report is a synopsis of all parish reports submitted to the Diocese for review. The results of this review has now been compiled in the form of a Diocesan Synodal Report.

Synod for the Parish

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 14:48:34 GMT

We have taken the next step towards discerning a synodal pathway for our parishes. Last Sunday we held our 1st Parishes in Council Meeting. Both parishes were represented. Our time of prayer and reflection on both chapter 2 of Acts of the Apostles and the responses

from our survey proved fruitful.

It is clear that the aspirations of many of us are filled with a desire for a hopeful and bright future

for our Catholic communities here in Gorseinon and Pontarddulais.

Each of us has been graced by our Heavenly Father's and Jesus' Life Giving Holy Spirit.

As the Lord and Giver of Life the Holy Spirit naturally resonates within us and give rise to these desires and hope.

Let us therefore continue to prayer to Him to open up the pathway we need to walk

in raising up a new generation of believers from among those we live along side.

Confession

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 02:08:48 GMT

Practical guidance for those concerned about missing the Sacrament of Reconciliation.