Newsletter - 12th December 2021
A Faith Journey With Our Young Parishioners
Last Sunday our young parishioners received the Sacrament of Confirmation by Bishop John Sherrington. It was a very beautiful ceremony and it was quite emotional to see them becoming adults in their faith by making their own decision to faithful disciples of Jesus and witnesses of His word.
Our young people have so much to give. Each of them, with their own personality, skills, talents and gifts can be an asset not only to our parish but to the entire world.
In our parish some of them are involved in our 11am Sunday Mass as helpers & leaders for the Children’s liturgy, others as singers and musicians for our choir. Some others are involved in our youth group every other Friday from 7.30pm to 9pm, in the cabin.
Our youth group is a great chance for them to gather together to have fun, play board games and all sorts of games, pray and share thoughts, while getting to know each other better and deepen their friendship.
“If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire,” was repeated many times by St. Catherine of Siena. This is true for everyone, especially for our young people, who, for many different reasons, very often feel unworthy or useless.
How wrong they are to think in such way! If they only knew the potential that dwells in them and how much God loves them the way they are, they would be the happiest people in the world, ready to turn every difficulty into an opportunity and every challenge into a wonderful adventure.
I really would like to encourage our newly confirmed young parishioners and all the young people in our parish to consider what Blessed John Henry Newman once said: “God has created me to do him some definite service. I have part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught.”
We must ask ourselves: “What does God want from me?” or better, we should ask God: “Lord, what is your plan for my life? What is your will? I want to fulfil it.” And we need to be confident, as Pope Benedict XVI once said, that “He will respond.” But, will we be afraid of His answer? Well, as Pope John Paul II said to the youth at his first solemn mass: “Do Not Be Afraid! Open, Open Wide the Doors to Christ”. Yes, life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.
Chiara Aletti
Catechetical Coordinator
Focus of the week
Service of Reconciliation
In order to prepare ourselves for Christmas we are invited to our Service of Reconciliation on Thursday 16th December 7.30pm – 9pm with an opportunity for personal Confession and writing of letters or prayers which will be offered at Mass.
Rorate Masses
Next Friday (17th December) we will be celebrating the “Rorate Mass,” at 7:00a.m. This is a Mass in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is traditionally celebrated in candlelight just before dawn. The name comes from the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon, “Rorate caeli desuper,” Latin for “Drop down dew, ye heavens.” (Isaiah 45:8).
The Mass is 30 minutes and will be followed by a breakfast in the large hall.