Newsletter - 9th January 2022
Baptism of the Lord, Year C
Life Together – the story of our parish
In our parish there is a large mosaic image of Christ the King. When you look closely at the tiny multi-coloured tiles that form the image, you see that each one is a photo of a person or family from the parish. It is a wonderful symbol of any parish community - a large mosaic made up of many unique and distinct people.
Over the last few weeks many people of the parish have met to share with each other a little of their personal journey with the church. Similar meetings were being held in parishes all around the world in preparation for the Synod focused on our life together as church called by Pope Francis for 2023. At these gatherings people were asked a simple question: “What is your experience of church?” – the joys, sorrows, and hopes.
What are the fruits of such meetings? In our parish, I would say that those who participated left with a heightened sense that their personal stories are part of a larger story. They are not just “my story” and “your story”, but “our story” - the story of our parish community, the story of our church.
The meetings in our parish tried to bring together a wide range of the people: young (confirmation candidates) and old (the BT Club), and various other groups (parish sharing groups, Welcome Team, Our Common Home, Knights of Columbus). In the end, there will be 10 such meetings, including one open to anyone who wishes to attend.
As rich as these meetings have been, the fact remains that many have not yet been able to participate. Before this phase of the synod ends (a report to the diocese must be submitted by January 21), there will be an opportunity for all who wish to respond in writing to the same 3 questions asked at the meetings. Here is how you can do this:
A paper copy of the 3 questions can be found on the table outside the parish office.
Write (in your best hand please) your response to the 3 questions. There is no need to include your name as all responses will be recorded anonymously.
Put your response through the letter box on the left side of the parish office door.
Responses can be made anytime over the coming week. If they are to be included in the official parish report to the diocese, they need to be received by next Sunday, 16 January 2022.
Deacon Ted Wood ccn
Focus of the week
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be held 18-25 January, 2022. This annual event is organised by the World Council of Churches and supported by our local Churches Together. This year’s theme is the visit of the Magi: “We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him…” (Mt. 2:2) and has been planned by the Christian churches of the Middle East.