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Many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to decorate our churches for Christmas, to our musicians, servers and readers. We were greatly blessed in our celebrations this year! See all our churches beautifully decorated below.    Due to unforeseen circumstances, this essential talk on Assisted suicide has had to be changed form Monday to WEDNESDAY 6th November. Please remember you can watch it on zoom if you cannot make it to St Joseph's.  If you are able, please make an effort to attend this talk at St Joseph's. It is extremely important as Catholics that we understand what is at stake if the law on Assisted Suicide is changed in our country. If you cannot get to St Joseph's you can watch by zoom by following the instructions below.  There is also the excellent Pastoral Letter written on this subject by the Cardinal last weekend. Please click the following link to read it. Pastoral Letter by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
 Next weekend we are celebrating the Solemnity of Blessed Carlo Acutis. The Feast day is on Saturday, but as he is our patron we can transfer this to Sunday 13th October and celebrate it as a Solemnity. This year the relic will be available at each of the Sunday Masses but also at the SVP Mass for the sick on Saturday 12th at St Michael's Church.
In preparation for the feast we are starting our Novena today on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. Click here for a copy of the Novena. SPECIAL SESSION FOR ALL EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION This will take place on Friday 27th September at 6.30pm in ST Michael’s Hall. It will be followed by a reception with refreshments.
FAMILY & FRIENDS SKITTLES NIGHT (Indoor bowling). FREE Entry. Saturday 21st September at 7pm in St Michael's Church Hall. Raffle and refreshments available. BYO drinks and nibbles if you wish. Proceeds to Good Shepherd Ministry. Further details from Sarah: 07948 963325 Email: [email protected] MACMILLAN AFTERNOON TEA & CRAFT FAYRE Saturday 28th September, 2pm-4.30pm in St Michael's Church Hall. Free entry. Delicious home-made cakes, scones and sandwiches. Tea & coffee brought to your table. Donations via cash or BACS transfer on the day. Bring friends and loved ones. We appreciate donations of cakes and bakes for the afternoon tea, please. Further details and to pledge items, contact Sarah: 07948 963325 Email: [email protected] CHARITY REMEMBRANCE CONCERT - West Midlands Concert Band. Saturday 9th November at 7pm in St Michael's Church Hall. Tickets just £8. Bookings will open soon, so save the date. Brought to you by Catholic Women's League. CHRISTMAS PLANNING: if you will be wanting a Nativity Scene this Christmas, please see the catalogue at St Michael's Piety Stall this July. Dozens of styles and sizes are available, and orders are placed this summer. (The main Christmas plus Confirmation order will be made next week so will be a large one. I am reluctant to be speculative when the costs of items such as crib figures have risen markedly.)  On Sunday afternoon February 18th, all those who have been on our Journey in Faith programme since last September attended the Rite of Election at St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham. This is the formal ceremony where the Archbishop welcomes them into the life of the diocese and they begin their final preparations before being baptised or received into the church during Eastertide this year. Please keep our catechumens and candidates in your prayers during lent as they get ready to receive the sacraments.
In February, the Dudley and Wolverhampton Deanery will be hosting a series of vocation events, “Listening to God’s Call”
There will be three online sessions on Tuesday evenings at 7pm: 20th Feb: Consecrated Life, 27th Feb: Marriage and Single Life. 5th March: Priesthood and Diaconate, Everyone is welcome to join the sessions. The Zoom link is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88033199202?pwd=Bkfm1pgM2iXaYczxemTzmzdH7lJSId.1 Meeting ID: 880 3319 9202, Passcode: 218505 These meeting s will be recorded and will be available on YouTube afterwards. THERE WILL ALSO BE TWO SPECIAL MASSES FOR VOCATIONS, after which there will be an opportunity to meet some of the speakers: Wednesday 7th February at 2pm at St Michael’s, Coalway Road, Wolverhampton, Thursday 22nd February at 5pm at St Joseph’s, Willenhall Road, Wolverhampton. For more information, please contact: [email protected] WHATSAPP PRAYER GROUP FOR VOCATIONS The Dudley and Wolverhampton Deanery Vocations Group have set up a WhatsApp Prayer Group with the aim of forming a ‘prayer bank’ for Vocations month in February. We started with a target of 1000 Hail Marys collectively, which we have achieved. If you are interested in joining the prayer bank to offer prayers for vocations, then please email: [email protected] with your name and mobile number and ask to be added to the WhatsApp Prayer Group. Please note that for safeguarding purposes, participants must be aged 18 years and over.  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:
 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. 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. Unfortunately an item was missed of the bulletin for this Saturday night:
FAMILY SKITTLES NIGHT this Saturday 17th September at 7pm in St Michael’s Church hall. Free entry. BYO nibbles & drinks. Tea, coffee, squash and raffle for charity. All welcome!  Between 28 July and 14 August, Aaron was back at the United Nations for the 10th Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. Representing the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, he was able to pose questions to world leaders and take part in discussions on nuclear policy. The Catholic Universe Weekly wrote an article about Aaron's first week, available to read using the button below. (See pg1 and 4) Aaron also posted regular updates on his Twitter feed.  On Wednesday 10 August, Aaron was able to visit the Holy See Mission to the United Nations. He was an intern there from September to December 2019. In the picture above, he is standing with Msgr Robert Murphy. Msgr Murphy is the Deputy Permanent Observer and a priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. In the edited recording below, Aaron challenged the US Under Secretary for Nuclear Security in her use of the word "minimum" to describe its current weapons stockpile. The High-Level Meeting focused on the US Nuclear Weapons Posture Review.  The Bishops of England and Wales have published a reflection on our responses to the Synod. You can read a copy using the button below. The document will go forward, along with the previously published National Synthesis, to form part of the European continental stage of the Synod.
 The compilation of all the reports from the diocese of England and Wales has just been published. This is the document that is being submitted to Rome as our National response to the Synodal process. To read the full report, click the button below.
Dear Val and all at St Michael’s Church,
Greetings to you all. Nadi(Club) primary school- Good Shepherd School and Good Shepherd clinic This year the situation is the same as last year, nothing changes. The economic situation is becoming a big challenge to us as Sudanese people. Up to now the new government have not yet taken their place in their leadership, that makes the young people remain in the streets. the market is very expensive, the poor cannot afford to eat. This year also many children drop out of the school specially club school, last year the children were 400 but this year there are 210 only because of the economic situation. We were able: To purchase school uniform for two schools. To provide breakfast for the children. Renew the clinic, Electricity, cleaning materials and other needs. We also managed to buy books, pens, pencils, chalk etc. Also we covered the social insurance of the school staff. We as sisters in the parish trying our best to help and support the children and young girls by the grace of God. And also through your contribution that sustained us very much. We thank you for your contribution towards the 2021-2022, may God bless you all. Sr. Angelina Ebrahim On Sunday 19th June, both SS Peter and Paul's and St Michael's held processions to mark Corpus Christi. Thank you to all those who took part! A gallery of images from each church is available underneath the video. SS Peter and Paul Gallery St Michael Gallery |
