Bulletin 22 January 2023

 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 18th to 25th January

25th January is the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, an appropriate date given that Saul, as he was before his conversion, was a persecutor of Christians. He approved the stoning to death of St Stephen. So if Saul can change to become the great saint, Paul, then unity between Christians is possible with the grace of God.

I (Fr Noel) have been part of the Presbyterian/Roman Catholic forum for past few years. It was a most enriching experience. While we accept each other’s differences, there is more uniting us than dividing us. The Presbyterians I encountered at those meeting were people of great faith in Christ and committed to Christian values, sometimes in a heroic way. They are robustly pro-life, for example. We have much to gained from each other. Now a word about CTBI:

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI)

There are many different Christian churches and denominations, but all have the same basic calling – to worship God, to share the good news about Jesus Christ and to work for the good of all people. So they often need to work together, as well as co-ordinate the work they each do separately. When they do, they are acting as Churches Together. But being Churches Together means more than that. It means commitment by each church and denomination to deepen its fellowship with the others and, without losing what makes each distinctive, to work with them towards a greater visible unity. Many areas of work are best tackled for Britain and Ireland as a whole rather than in the separate nations. It is also important for those involved in similar activities in different parts of Britain and Ireland to keep in touch even when working separately. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is the instrument that facilitates that process.

Feasts and other important dates 2023

Ash Wednesday: 22nd  February Mass and Distribution of Ashes at 10.00 am

Easter Sunday 9th April

Confirmation Day 24th April

First Holy Communion 13th May

Ascension 21th May

Pentecost 28th May

Corpus Christi 11th June

Advent begins 3rd December

Diocesan Needs Quarterly Collection

The Diocesan Needs Quarterly Collection will take place this weekend 21st/22nd  January. This quarterly collection contributes to the day-to-day running costs of the Diocese including the cost of personnel, utilities (light & heat, phone, postage & stationery, repairs & maintenance, insurance), professional fees, primary and secondary school religious advisory costs, safeguarding, data protection, mission and ministry and levies paid by the Diocese for national hierarchy costs. People have been very generous to these quarterly collections over the years and your support would be greatly appreciated in the upcoming collection.