Church Schedule
Masses
Private/Individual Prayer only
Wednesday: 10 am – 12 pm
Friday: 10 am – 12 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 12 pm
Sunday: 3 pm – 5 pm
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday:
9:15 am
Wednesday: 7:30 am, 12:00 noon, 7:00 pm
Friday: 9:15 am, 7:00 pm
Sunday: 11 am - livestream only
Parish Message
21st February 2021
1st Sunday of Lent
Dear Parishioners
Welcome back! It is wonderful to be able to open the doors of the church again for the public celebration of Mass for the first time since early January. We open the doors very conscious that we are not out of the coronavirus woods yet and that we still all need to do everything possible to reduce the risk of infection and to protect each other. But we also recognise that, especially as we go through Lent, we need to really focus on our spiritual needs – that deepest part of ourselves where we draw close to God and find the peace, hope, love and strength which only he can give.
As we go through our Lenten journey together. Our readings on Ash Wednesday say it all. We heard the call that is at the heart of Lent at the very beginning of our first reading on Ash Wednesday from the Prophet Joel – “Come back to me with all your heart”. There it is – the cry from God’s heart to ours. Lent is God’s urgent plea to us to once more bring him back to the centre of our lives, and to walk closely with Jesus his Son who wants to show us how to love as God himself loves. So a really crucial starting point for our Lenten journey is to simply recognise our need for God – that there are things in my life which are damaged and broken and need God’s healing if I am to be whole, if I am to truly radiate his love to others. We have had a lot of plumbing and water problems since the church closed in January and so I have become very aware of the importance of good drainage and working waterworks! As someone said to me in the midst of all our problems with the church’s heating and sewage systems – are you a ‘radiator’ or a ‘drain’ in your life! So, in other words, are you someone
who gives or takes in life? Do you help or hinder others? If we’re honest, there’s probably a bit of both in us. Lent is a time to clear out our drains and service our inner radiator! And, as Jesus himself tells us in today’s Gospel, the 3 sacred paths of prayer, fasting and almsgiving can help us to do this – both individually and as a community. Inside this newsletter you will find some initial ideas for how you might
follow these 3 pathways this Lent.
May this Lent be a time of real renewal and new life for our whole parish.
With all best wishes and prayers for the Lenten journey ahead.
God bless,
Fr Richard
Please support White City Walk for Water 2021 who are fundraising for The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) on JustGiving.
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“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
St. Maximillian Kolbe