Sadly, due to a case of Covid, all those in the year 6 bubble at St Michael's School have had to self-isolate. This means we cannot proceed with the Confirmations this evening. The date has now been fixed for September 27th. Please keep our young people and their families in your prayers as this will come as a great disappointment for them.
Today is Sea Sunday, when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea. Today’s second collection is for Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), the Catholic Church’s official maritime welfare agency. It supports seafarers both practically and spiritually. For an appeal talk from Bishop Paul Mason, and a video showing some of what Stella Maris does, please visit www.stellamaris.org.uk/SeaSunday This collection is vital to enable Stella Maris to continue its important work. To donate, please visit www.stellamaris.org.uk/donate or text ‘SEA’ to 70460 to donate £5. Stella Maris is dependent on voluntary donations, so please give generously. Thank you.
This week's bulletin is now ready to download. Toby Duckworth, who spent a year discerning his vocation at SS Peter and Paul, is to be ordained a Deacon at Palazzola on Sunday 4th July.
You can watch the ordination on YouTube using the button below. The livestream is scheduled to begin at 9:30am. Dave (far left) who was living here at Giffard House last year has now completed his fourth year of formation, (one in Valladolid and three in Rome) and has been instituted as an Acolyte at a Mass in the Chapel at Palazzola today. Palazzola, which is in the Alban Hills south of Rome, is the summer house of the Venerable English College. All the students of the college spend the last couple of weeks of term there at the end of the academic year. He was instituted by Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States at the Vatican. Archbishop Paul was himself a student at the Venerable English College at the same time as your parish priest!
Dave will be coming back to England over the summer and will be doing his pastoral placement in Malvern. Please remember him in your prayers. Toby Duckworth will be ordained deacon in the same chapel next Sunday. We hope to have a link on this website so that you can watch the Mass from home. Below is the certificate that Dave received after the Mass. Mark 5:21-43 the Raising of Jairus' Daughter. In today's gospel we see Jesus who is full of life and healing. This vibrant message is the most important witness we can share with the world around us!
The bulletin is now ready to download on form the Online Activities and Bulletin page. All EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members who were resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, should apply without delay at www.gov.uk/eusettlementscheme so that they can continue to work, study, and access free healthcare and benefits in the UK after 30 June 2021.
An application must be made for every eligible child within a family. Parents should check if they need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for their children, even if they have already applied and been granted a status themselves. If an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and their family members have lived in the UK for many years or have a permanent residence document or EEA Biometric Residence Card (BRC), they still need to apply to the EUSS (or apply for British citizenship) by 30 June 2021 to secure their existing rights in the UK. Irish citizens and those with indefinite leave do not need to apply but may do so if they wish. Help is available If you, or anyone you know, needs help with making an application to EUSS a range of support is available including over-the-phone advice to more tailored one-to-one support. View all the support services here. You can also find details here of how to contact the 72 organisations across the UK that have received Home Office funding to help support EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and their family members to apply. Using your status Those who have successfully applied to EUSS can access their pre-settled or settled status online, update their personal details, and get a ‘share code’ to provide their status securely to others at www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status You should use this service to update the Home Office with any new documents you’ve been issued since applying. If you plan to travel after 1 July, you should also use this service to ‘add’ any document that you did not use to apply – so if you applied with your passport but plan to travel on a National ID card, you should use this service to update the Home Office with your National ID card. This will avoid any delays at the border when re-entering the UK. After the deadline There’s still time to apply before the deadline, and all eligible applicants should do so if they can. However, there remains scope, indefinitely, for a person eligible for status under the EUSS to make a late application to the scheme where there are reasonable grounds for their failure to meet the deadline. Every late application will be considered on its individual merits, and this guidance, published on 1 April, provides further details. Eligible close family members living overseas can apply to join an EU, EEA or Swiss family member who started living in the UK by 31 December 2020. They can apply to come to the UK at any point. More information on joining family members can be found on GOV.UK. Time is running out Secure your own existing rights or encourage eligible EU, EEA and Swiss citizens you know living in the UK to apply now online at www.gov.uk/eusettlementscheme here to edit. We have a pastoral letter from the Archbishop which will be read out at all our Masses this weekend. The text of the letter can be found by clicking here. The bulletin is now ready to download from the Online activities and Bulletin page.
We begin a great week this weekend with the celebration of Corpus Christi where we give thanks for the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Blessed Carlo Acutis used to remind people how lucky they are because in the time of Jesus, the only people who could come close to him were his disciples and the individuals he met in his ministry. Today, however, any of can come close to him, juts by visiting the nearest Catholic Church where Jesus Christ its truly present in the tabernacle. Moreover, when we receive Holy Communion he enters into our deepest being because he is passionate to be close to us. We are reminded of the passion of the love of Jesus in this Friday's Feast of the Sacred Heart. Nothing can come between us and the love of God poured out in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Next Sunday we are going to hear a pastoral letter from the Archbishop where he lays out the plan for our Archdiocese over the net few years. This is an exciting time of renewal as we come out of lockdown and begin to share our faith once more with each other and with the world around us. The bulletin is now ready to download with all the events of the coming week. "We are sorry to share the sad news, regarding the passing of Alice Mary Stevens (nee Loydon), formerly of Bilston, but resident in Castlecroft, Wolverhampton, for the past ~40 years. She passed peacefully on the 3rd May 2021, in the care of Highcroft Hall, Bushbury. The arrangements for the funeral are:
Alice received into St Peter & St Paul’s on Monday 14th June 2021 at 4:30pm. Requiem Mass to take place at 1:30pm on Tuesday 15th June 2021 Followed by committal service at Bushbury Crematorium at approx. 3pm Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, the family are having to restrict numbers and track attendees at the funeral. To that end, if anyone would like to enquire if they might be able to attend, then please contact Alice's nephew, Neil at either neil.loydon@gmail.com or 07985 735639, who would be very pleased to hear from you. Additionally, please note, it is requested that it is family flowers only, but if anyone wanted to make a donation, the family have asked that these go to the Brothers of the Good Shepherd, Wolverhampton (https://www.gsmwolverhampton.org.uk/about-us/), which was a cause dear to Alice, where she put in many hours of valuable volunteering, over the years." We celebrate the full mystery of life, the universe and everything created and uncreated in today's feast!
The bulletin is now ready to download on the Online Activities and Bulletin page. The Bulletin is now ready to download. This Sunday we have a Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of England and Wales praying for the renewal of our earthly home. The full text of this letter is given below: CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF ENGLAND AND WALES Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Solemnity of Pentecost reminds us that everything which exists, every person and the whole of creation, is a gift of “God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” God our loving Father creates and continues to give life to the world through His Word, Jesus Christ, in the power of His Holy Spirit. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church, which we celebrate at Pentecost, is not something separate from Creation. God’s revelation of himself in Creation is inseparable from the revelation of his love for us in Christ and in his desire to live in us through his Holy Spirit. ‘God’s Spirit is always and everywhere “the Lord, the Giver of Life”, and the voice of Pentecost is echoed in the voice of creation being transformed into the glorious liberty of God’s children.’ In this liberty, as God’s children, we call on the Spirit to ‘renew the face of the Earth’, and as his children, we are called, in turn, to use this liberty for the good of creation and for the good of all that brings life. Our world, God’s creation, is a precious gift to us. It is our common home entrusted to each generation. But how have we used that glorious liberty? How do we honour this precious gift? Are we really demonstrating love, care and respect for our common home? As we celebrate Pentecost this year, we are acutely aware of the damage that continues to be inflicted on the Earth, and the repercussions for the well-being of our brothers and sisters, both here in our own countries and, more especially, in the poorest countries of our world. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have both taught us that everything is interconnected and interdependent. The way we live our everyday lives has an impact on everyone and on the earth. The urgency of the situation, and the enormity of the challenges we face, have spurred us to speak out together this Pentecost Sunday, as bishops of England, Wales and Scotland, about the role that the Catholic Church and our faith must play in our shared care for God’s gift to us. For all too long we have either been ignorant of, or ignored, the systematic exploitation of our planet and the unsustainable consumption of its resources. While accepting the crucial need and demand for energy for the benefit of the poorest of our brothers and sisters, the provision of our energy must, nonetheless, be by means which radically reduce the use of carbon-based fuels. In our political thinking, there must be a new global understanding of our world, where nations recognise our common responsibility for the dignity of all people and their rights to sustainable livelihoods, in authentic freedom. Pope Francis speaks of a global politics that looks beyond our own needs to the needs of all, most especially the poor and the marginalised. But we cannot leave the healing of our common home and the wellbeing and care of our brothers and sisters merely to a response from industry and governments. Our own local concern and action is necessary and has far-reaching consequences. We all have a part to play, each and every one of us, in the routines, choices and decisions of our everyday lives and our aspirations for the future. The actions of parishes, families, schools, and individuals will have a significant impact on our efforts to restore our common home. There are now many resources, freely available, to advise us on our choice of food, saving of water and electricity, suggestions about travel, waste, and re-use. These are measures that everyone can employ, in some degree, with minimal inconvenience and change. They are effective ways in which we can each reaffirm our personal vocation to be stewards of creation. This Pentecost comes at a time of remarkable challenge and opportunity. We are gradually emerging from the tragedies and restrictions of the pandemic. We have the ability to make changes. Our countries are also hosting two most important meetings this year, the G7 in June and COP26 in November. These meetings will gather together men and women who have the power to make defining choices and policies which will help us build back better, provide for our brothers and sisters, and take care of our common home. In all our human endeavours, we need the presence of the Holy Spirit, “the Lord, the Giver of Life”, whose gift to the Church and the world we celebrate again at Pentecost. Let us keep this Feast with that enduring hope that we can begin to repair the damage we have done and provide a healthy home for future generations. Our hope will be strengthened by our prayer. May our constant request be that the Holy Spirit guide us, strengthen our resolve and ‘renew the face of the earth’. As we continue our Pentecost Novena please note that from Pentecost Sunday, there will be an extra Mass at SS Peter & Paul at 6.00 pm. For more details, the bulletin is now ready to download from the "Online activities and Bulletin" page.
A message from Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am very happy to announce to you that the annual Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians will take place on the Sixth Sunday of Easter (Sunday, 9th May 2021), with the participation of Christians from all over Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and India. This Day of Prayer – promoted by the French charitable organization, L’Oeuvre d’Orient and its UK counterpart, Fellowship and Aid to the Christians of the East (FACE) in partnership with the Congregation for Oriental Churches – will offer Eastern and Western Christians an opportunity to be united in prayer during the time of Easter. It will offer us in the West an opportunity to think of the Eastern Churches and to give thanks to God for all that we owe them: the first preaching of the Gospel, the origins of the monastic tradition, the early Church Fathers, and above all the witness of the Eastern Christians down the centuries, which has been, and still is, an inspiration to our faith. This Day could also be an occasion to give thanks for the recent pilgrimage of Pope Francis to Iraq and to draw inspiration from its message of solidarity, fraternity and hope. Today, the Eastern Christians, many of whom are suffering from the effects of war and from discrimination, now face the added crisis of the Covid epidemic, with its threat to their livelihood, health and well-being. This is a crisis within an already existing crisis! They deserve our prayerful support. In commending this Day of Prayer to you, may I suggest that you bring it to the attention of your family and friends, perhaps sharing with them the following prayer: Heavenly Father, we pray today for peace in the world, especially in the Middle East. By your heavenly grace, strengthen the faith and hope of Eastern Christians. May they be blessed with peace and prosperity in their countries. May we be inspired by their devotion and witness to the Gospel, by their love and compassion for all in their communities, and by their courage, their endurance and self-sacrifice. Through their charity, tolerance and friendship, bring peace and reconciliation to those troubled lands, where Christianity was born and first spread. This we ask of you through Christ our Lord. Amen. I trust that this Day of Prayer, despite the restrictions caused by the current pandemic, will bring comfort and assurance to Eastern Christians. In our solidarity and communion, may we all be renewed by the hope we place in the Risen Christ. With the assurance of my prayers and with my warmest wishes for a joyful celebration of Easter, Yours in Christ Michael Cardinal Fitzgerald M.Afr In response to the Holy Father's heartfelt wish, the month of May will be dedicated to a "marathon" of prayer, to ask for the end of the pandemic, which has afflicted the world for more than a year now, and to ask for the resumption of social and work activities. Pope Francis wishes to involve all the Shrines around the world in this initiative, so that they may become vehicles of the prayer of the entire Church. The initiative is being conducted in the light of the biblical expression: "Prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God" (Acts 12:5). Each day a different shrine from around the world will host the praying of the Rosary and each day there will be a particular intention relating to the pandemic. Click below to see the list of shrines and intentions for each day of May. If you would like to join each shrine online, go to the link of Vatican YouTube Channel below. The bulletin is now ready to download from the Online Activities and Bulletin page
Today is Vocations Sunday
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Vocations Sunday or Good Shepherd Sunday and is marked as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The purpose of this day is to fulfil Jesus' instruction to “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38). While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates her attention today on raising up shepherds for God's people - vocations to Holy Orders (the priesthood and diaconate) and to the Consecrated life (religious life, secular institutes and various forms of consecrated single life.) - while encouraging all who are discerning their vocation to pray more earnestly that they may hear and respond to God's call. Our Diocesan Vocations Office produces materials for our parishes, schools and universities to mark this day. Physical copies of posters and prayer cards are sent to parishes and schools in the diocese and digital copies can be downloaded from https://www.vocations.org.uk/vocations-sunday The Clergy Training Fund On Vocations Sunday we are not only asked to pray for vocations but also to financially support the training of Priests and Deacons in our diocese. Today’s second collection will therefore support our seminarians- men in formation to be our future priests of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. It will also contribute towards the formation of deacons who serve in parishes across our diocese. As well as the second collection today, there are also leaflets (featuring our own Fr Sean on the front!) which show you how you can support the Clergy Training fund by Standing Order and Gift Aid. Full details are in the leaflet. Please take one to find out more. Prayer for Vocations Sunday God our Father, you call each of us to follow Jesus, your Son, on the path he has marked out for us - the way of charity, service and fulfilment. May the homes and parishes of the Archdiocese of Birmingham be blessed with ever-renewed dedication to the work of building up your kingdom here on earth. May those whom you call to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life faithfully give themselves to the service of your Church. Prompted and strengthened by your Holy Spirit, may I respond generously to the call to follow you each day and live out my vocation, to give you glory, for the good of those around me and for my own happiness. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. The bulletin is now ready to download from the ONLINE ACTIVITES AND BULLETIN page. In St Luke's Gospel this week we learn more about the nature of the Resurrected body of Jesus when he asks for something to eat and the astounded apostles give him some grilled fish!
The Bulletin is now ready to download from the ONLINE ACTIVITIES AND BULLETIN page. The bulletin is now ready to download from the Online Activities and Bulletin page. Please note that the printed version of the bulletin in Church has a mistake in it. Dan O'Hara's Funeral is at 12.30pm on Friday. The online version of the bulletin now has the correct time on it.
The Bulletin is now ready to print from the Online Activities and Bulletin page. All of our Easter Masses are now booked so please consider coming to any of the Easter Weekday Masses instead. It will also be possible to watch Mass on you phone in your car outside at SS Peter & Paul and after Mass I will bring Holy Communion to you. God Bless, Fr Mark
As Watching in the church is not allowed under the current coronavirus guidelines, we will have an hour's watching online from 10.00pm to 11.00pm tonight.
This will finish with Night Prayer of the Church at 10.45pm. The text for Night prayer can be found on our Watch Live page. The Staff and pupils of our three primary schools: St Bernadette, St Michael and SS Peter & Paul, have prepared a beautiful Service of the Stations of the Cross for you to pray during this week. Many thanks to all who have worked behind the scenes to make this happen. Let us pray for all our young people, that the message of Holy Week will touch their lives this Easter. God Bless, Fr Mark
To pray the Stations with the children, please click the picture above. So we begin Holy Week with a simplified celebration of Palm Sunday this morning. Please remember that if you have not booked a place in church or are unable to attend, you can follow all of our Holy Week Services on line.
Please also remember that the clocks go forward one hour tonight! The bulletin is now ready to download from the Online Activities and Bulletin page Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and we begin Holy Week. If you click on the button below you can print off a poster to display in your window as a witness to the solemn events of this week.
This week Fr Sean is giving the ecumenical Lenten talk on behalf of our parish for the local Christian communities. You can find his the video for this talk below and join in the discussion for the questions he raises on Monday 22nd at 4PM on Zoom. To join the Zoom chat follow: https://zoom.us/j/93980443205?pwd=enNDTlZScE96bUp1OEI3ZlhJdW8vQT09 First Class Relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis We have been very privileged to receive a relic of Blessed Carlo’s hair for veneration in the parish. This was only made possible by Mgr Anthony Figueiredo who was kindly able to bring it from the Bishop of Assisi whilst visiting his mother in England. Fr Mark was then able to shoot down to Watford on Friday to pick it up for the parish. Considering all the travel restrictions and the fact that Italy has now gone into lockdown, we have been very blessed that this precious relic was able to get to us safely. Close veneration of relics is not allowed under the present Covid restrictions, but the relic will be on display on the altar for the live-stream Mass this Sunday and as soon as the restrictions are relaxed, we will be preparing a special event for public veneration. This will enable us to spread the devotion to Blessed Carlo across the country. I have housed the relic of Blessed Carlo in the Olive Wood Monstrance of the Tau of St Francis. In Assisi you will see the Tau everywhere as it was the beloved version of the Cross used by St Francis. As Blessed Carlo had such a devotion to St Francis, and his own tomb now lies in the old Cathedral of Assisi, it is fitting that our relic of Blessed Carlo be housed in the centre of the Tau Cross.
This week's bulletin is now ready to download. Please note that we have changed the layout of the website so that if you go to the ONLINE ACTIVITIES AND BULLETIN you can more easily access all the online events and also find the bulletin, all on the same webpage. All of our Services and Masses can also be found on the WATCH LIVE page. |
InformationThis page page displays the latest announcements. For regular weekly news, please ensure you also read the Parish Bulletin, which is available on the Home page. For previous versions of the Bulletin, click here. Archives
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