 This Advent we begin a year of preparation for the Holy Year in 2025. The Holy Father has asked us to make PRAYER the focus of our preparation. Advent often gets lost in the preparations for Christmas, so to help us focus more on prayer we are encouraging the following initiatives:
 The First Session of the Synod in Rome has come to an end. A Letter to the People of God and a Synthesis Report have been produced by the Assembly and can be accessed on our Synod page. Another meeting in Rome will take place in October 2024.
With synod discussions continuing in Rome this month, it may be of interest to check out the 'Synod Page' on our website. You will find the responses we collected at parish level as well documents produced by the Diocesan, Continental and Universal stages. The working document that is being used in Rome, called the Instrumentum Laboris, is available to read. Links to an interesting podcast series by Christopher Lamb can also be accessed. Three young people from our parish (Ann, Tobi and Patrick) together with Fr. Sean from August 1-6 2023, were at the World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. Together with other young people from the Archdiocese of Birmingham, they joined over a million young Catholics across the globe to celebrate the Catholic faith. They share their amazing experience including Mass with Pope Francis, after several efforts and fundraising to make their participation a reality.  On Saturday 1st July, 3 young people from our parish (Tobi, Dumebi and Ann) completed a sponsored climb of mount Snowdon in Wales along with Fr Sean and two other group leaders, Jemmima and Stephanie. This was part of their efforts to raise money to attend World Youth day in Portugal. They took the Llanberis path up the mountain which is 14.5 KM long! The bottom of the mountain was fair weathered, warm and sunny. The middle of the mountain was incredibly steep and tested everyones resolve but they persevered. As they neared the top they entered the clouds, where the temperature dropped, the wind increased, and the visibility reduced significantly. Every now and then a big gust of wind would lift up the clouds revealing the beautiful scenes of the valleys below. There was great satisfaction upon finally reaching the summit of the highest mountain in Wales. The work was not finished however, as the journey down hill is, surprisingly, perhaps the hardest part on the legs. A massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored Tobi, Dumbebi and Ann for this climb! If you would like to support them in their fundraising efforts please give your donation in a clearly marked envelope.  HALF WAY UP  AT THE SUMMIT  BACK HOME IN WOLVERHAMPTON On Tuesday 20th June 2023 at 7pm, vespers were held at S.S Peter and Paul church to launch the exhibition of the Holy Shroud of Turin Replica. Led by Mgr. Mark Crisp, in attendance were many from various Christian denominations in Wolverhampton, including Rev. David Wright from St Peter's Collegiate Church and Rev. Linda Gilson from the Methodist Church. The St. Peters Collegiate Church choir graced the evening with beautiful singing. Pam Moon, the curator of the exhibition gave a talk on the history and mysteries surrounding the Holy Shroud of Turin. She explained how the burial shroud was used to wrap the body of Jesus, and how the image on the Turin Shroud matches all the wounds inflicted on Jesus. How the image was formed on the shroud remains a mystery. The exhibition continues in S.S Peter and Paul till the 2nd of July 2023. The feast of Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, on Sunday 11th June 2023 at S.S Peter and Paul Church in Wolverhampton climaxed with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament after Holy Mass. This involved a large joyous congregation including children who beautified the celebration with colourful petals. The procession was from S.S Peter and Paul Church to St. Peters Square where the congregation gathered and blessed the city of Wolverhampton. Mgr. Mark Crisp indicated that the gathering at St. Peters Square was very significant, since the monks invited by Lady Wulfruna (founder of Wolverhampton) many years ago to evangelise the area lived there.
 Antonia Salzano, the mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis, is making a short visit to London. On Wednesday 31st May from 7.30pm to 9pm at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, there will be Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction presided over by Bishop Nicholas Hudson, especially for young people of the diocese. During this time Antonia will talk about her son’s trust and focus on the Lord in the Eucharist. You can watch this by following the live stream below: www.farmstreet.org.uk/livestream On Thursday 1st June at 6.30pm in the Church of Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, there will be a Sung Mass after which Antonia will also talk about her son, his life and his relationship with the Lord. To follow this, click on the second livestream below: corpuschristimaidenlane.org.uk/ On Sunday 14th May parishioners from all our three churches met at St Bernadette's to process through the streets and then crown the statue of Our Lady at our Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Wombourne. This was the first Parish May Procession in many years and it was so successful that we intend to make it an annual event from now on. Many thanks to all who worked so hard to make is such a blessed afternoon! 
After the discipline of lent it is easy to take a bit of a spiritual dip; well not this year! Fr Sean will be leading a free Easter week retreat beginning on Monday 10th until Monday 17th April. The theme of the retreat will be ‘Union with God through faith, Hope and Love.’ It will last about ten minutes per day. The retreat can be joined online through the Catholic prayer social media website and app called ‘Hozana.’ To join, click the button or 'Hozana' link below:
Thanks to everyone (over 100 people!) who came to the Good Friday walk of Witness in the city centre of Wolverhampton. God blessed us with sunshine. Just as Jesus was not ashamed to go to the cross for our salvation, so we are not ashamed to bear witness to our love for our crucified Lord and saviour. Jesus prayed on the night before he died that we might all be one. Joining together with our brother and sisters from across Wolverhampton for this time of prayer was a great way to put this unity into action. We were honoured to be joined by The Right Worshipful The Mayor of Wolverhampton Sandra Samuels OBE. Have a look at the pictures from the day. Thank you to everyone who joined the competition to decorate the best Easter egg, All of the eggs look amazing, and I hope you enjoy seeing them in Church. They will be in St Michaels this weekend, St B’s next and St P&P the weekend afterwards. There were two prizes: one for under and over tens. The incredible winning egg for the under tens (and overall winner) goes to 8-year-old Fionn O’Dell from St Bernadette’s. Congratulations! The over ten winner is Denise Creswell. Well Done! Prizes can be collected from Fr Sean.  A few of the other eggs:This week the Bishops of England and Wales have released important statements concerning Buffer Zones and Migrant Policy. Please click below to read the full statements on their website.
 The Working Document for the Continental Stage of the Synod has been posted on our dedicated page. Entitled Enlarge the Space of Your Tent, it summarises the responses gathered from the first phases of the synod. The document will be considered by each of the Continental Assemblies, with their work contributing to the final 'Instrumentum Laboris' (to be completed by June 2023). This will provide the foundation for discussions between the Bishops in Rome this October.
The European Continental Assembly will take place in Prague, Czech Republic, from 5-12 February 2023. Further details about the Assembly can be found here. The parish held a send-off ceremony at St. Michaels on Sunday 8th January 2023, to celebrate Sr. Rita for her selfless service for five years. Sr. Rita is set to continue her good works in India as her memorable time with outstanding contributions in the parish especially at St. Michaels and St. Edmunds School come to an end. The ceremony was attended by many parishioners with lots to eat and drink. Many showered her with presents, words of appreciation and encouragement as she embarks on a new journey. Msgr. Mark Crisp concluded with a farewell speech highlighting the fact that many will miss Sr. Rita not only for her good works, but also her warm smile and kindness. The ecumenical #FollowTheStar procession through Wolverhampton took place on Saturday 17th December. Accompanied by the West Midlands Fire Service Band and two alpacas, we walked from St John's in the Square to St Peter's. Along the route, we stopped at the Market and at different points along Dudley Street for readings and carols where we were joined by lots of shoppers. The clip below shows the band playing 'In the Bleak Midwinter' next to the Christmas Tree.  Come along and join us singing Christmas carols and listening to the Christmas story as we walk through the City Centre.
The idea is that we all carry LED Lanterns. For a simple instructions to make a lantern, click on the button below.
As we approach Halloween and All Saints Day, you might find this video useful when planning what to do next week.
Halloween.mp4 from Chris Noonan on Vimeo.  The coach is going to collect parishioners from St Bernadette’s at 1.45pm before going to St Michael’s. We will leave St Michael’s at 2.15pm to arrive at Hednesford about 2.45pm. The return journey will be at 5.30pm via St Michael’s before arriving at St Bernadette’s .
If you haven’t already paid your £5 please bring it with you on Sunday. Any questions please call David Spinks, 07544960402. It it wonderful to see our altar servers well represented at the annual celebration of Holy Mass for the Guild of St Steven at St Chad's Cathedral on Saturday 1st October. A lovely afternoon was had by all. |
