As we approach Halloween and All Saints Day, you might find this video useful when planning what to do next week.

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. 

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!

​Our three churches will be open during the day today (Friday 9th September) for anyone who wants to come and pray for the repose of the soul of Queen Elizabeth II. Eternal rest grant to her O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in Peace. Amen.
There will also be a special Reqiuem Mass this evening at St Michael's Church at 6.30pm. All are 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.

There has been much to celebrate recently in our parish. On Pentecost Sunday, Chike Ezike was elevated as a Knight of St Columba. We also celebrated the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in St Michael's Hall. Then, on 6th June, the Carmelite Monastery marked its 100th anniversary with a Mass presided over by Archbishop Bernard Longley. Thanks to all those who helped make these occasions so special!

Please note that there is a mistake in the printed version of the bulletin in the churches this weekend. There is not an SVP Afternoon Tea gathering in St Michael's hall on Wednesday because the hall is not available. Many apologies. 

​When one begins formation for priesthood it feels as though you are in for the long haul and can’t get to the finish-line quick enough. Suddenly, I find myself at the end of fourth year and receiving candidacy -- the Church’s formal recognition of a clerical vocation -- and so the countdown to ordination next year (first as deacon) has begun!

Bishop Paul Mason, bishop to the military, presided over the mass and preached on how God intends us to soar like eagles, but with the Holy Spirit in our wings. I must say, I was quite on air myself. From this point onwards, I may dress in clerics (priestly garb) so as to witness to my intention to complete my formation. The rite involved us being asked if we were “morally certain” of a call from the Lord, and if we are “resolved” to carry on with a view to ordination? I can say that I do now feel interiorly free and happy enough to say yes to Christ and His Church. I was very conscious of the number of you who continue to pray for me. No man makes it through without such support. Thank-you.
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It seems, however, that I might be part of the old guard who receive candidacy at the end of year 4 of seminary. The Bishops of England & Wales are currently deciding on how to readjust the “ministries” conferred on a discerner so as to bring formation in line with the wishes of Pope Francis. Since he created the lay ministry of catechist it has become more theologically acute that the ministries of reader and acolyte are primarily baptismal ministries that are open to all the faithful and not just those of us progressing towards ordination. As a result, candidacy may be moved earlier on in the process or left up the seminarian to express when he feels ready to take this step. For the moment, however, no-one knows just how everything will develop. As for me, although aware of my many faults, I praise God for calling me to minister soon enough in our Archdiocese and express here, once again, how lucky I feel to have shared the journey thus far with so many wonderful priests and parishioners along the way.     

Synodal Path Meeting and the Parish Pastoral Council

As we journey with the Synodal Process, it is a moment to remember the purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council.
It is not intended to be a group of people who do things for the parish, but a group of representatives who share your thoughts and suggestions with the parish clergy so that the parish priest can make informed decisions about pastoral priorities of the parish.

The Parish Pastoral Council was therefore keen that the work along the Synodal Pathway should continue in the Parish well beyond sending the report of our listening activities to the Diocese. For this reason, there was an open parish meeting on 7th May, to look at how we could move forward across 8 areas of parish life: 
1. Participation and Outreach
2. Access and Communication
3. Young People
4. Families
5. Learning about our faith
6. A place for all
7. Support for the poor and marginalised
8. Parish Liturgy and Music

Following discussion of the issues that emerged from the listening activity, several potential actions were proposed by those attending, which you can see in this attached document. However, this is just a starting point, and there is an opportunity now for others to also become involved. 

We are looking to set up a number of short-term task groups, where each group will consider one of the areas, for example ‘Learning about our Faith’. Such a group would agree and add to the priority actions as appropriate and come up with ways that these actions could be taken forward in our parish. 

If you have a particular interest in an aspect of parish life, and would like to contribute your enthusiasm, your skills and knowledge or your ideas for the future, please consider joining one of the groups. We know that many people are busy juggling work and family life, or for other reasons find it hard to come out to meetings, so there will be flexible ways you can get involved so that as many people as possible can feel part of these next steps.
 
If you would like to get more involved in whatever way, please email the Parish at [email protected]  and put “Walking Together” in the Subject Line, or phone the Parish Office on 01902 341343 leaving your name and contact number and which area you are interested in, and someone will get back to you. There will also be opportunities over the next few weeks to hear more about the particular strand of activities, and sign up to one of the groups then.  

This is an exciting time in the life of our Parish, as we get back to a new normal, following two difficult years. I very much hope that many people will feel able to answer the call of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, to walk together to help make our parish life together better.

This Thursday is the Solemnity of the Ascension and then we begin the ancient Novena of Prayer for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Let's pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in all these new initiatives in the parish.

We have been experiencing problems with our internet provider, Vodafone, and there was no internet connection to the house all morning today. This mean that Mass could not be livestreamed at lunchtime. Many apologies for this. Hopefully, the disruption has finished and we will not have problems on Sunday,  Fr Mark 

Today we pray for Vocations to the Priesthood, Diaconate and the Consecrated life, that many will hear the call to follow Christ to chare the Good News! There will also be a special vocations webinar hosted by the Archdiocese on Tuesday evening at 8.00pm looking at models of holiness which will be all about our parish patron Blessed Carlo. If you would like to sign up for this webinar, go to - Quo Vadis? | Birmingham Vocations Then on Wednesday we will be having our monthly Blessed Carlo Mass, which this month will be at St Bernadette's, and we will also be praying for vocations at that Mass.

MANY THANKS to all of you for your kind Easter Offerings and gifts to the priests over Easter and AGAIN MANY THANKS to everyone who worked so hard to make all the Easter Services so beautiful across our three churches. So many people were involved with all the preparations that went on in the background: the stewarding, the music, the flowers, the cleaners, the readers and the servers. It was a great start to our Easter Celebrations which continue now through to Pentecost.

The bulletin is now ready to download from the Home Page
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On behalf of Fr Mark, Fr Gary, Fr Sean, Sr Lydwin and Sr Rita, we wish you every blessing over the Easter holiday for you and your families!
The Bulletin is now ready to download from the Home Page.

After the Solemn Mass of the Lord's Supper at St Bernadette's and SS Peter & Paul we then began the watching of the Blessed Sacrament where we remember Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene. At SS Peter & Paul (above) we remain until midnight. We finish with Night prayer at 11.45pm.

We now begin the most solemn week of the church’s year. 

ON TUESDAY the following churches will be open for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 6.30pm to 8.00pm and priests will be available for confession. You have the choice of going anywhere in the deanery: St. Anthony, Fordhouses; St. Chad and All Saints, Sedgley; St. Joseph, Wolverhampton; St. Mary and St. John, Wolverhampton; St. Michael, Penn; Our Lady and All Saints, Stourbridge; Our Lady of Lourdes, Kingswinford; St Patrick, Wolverhampton; The Sacred Heart and Holy Souls, Tipton. This is the last chance to go to confession before Easter as the sacrament is not usually supposed to be celebrated between Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. 

ON SPY WEDNESDAY there is no Mass in the parish as all the priests concelebrate Mass with the Archbishop at 11.30 am in the Cathedral in Birmingham. At this Mass all the sacred oils are blessed for the sacraments in all the parishes for the next year. If you want to watch this, go to  https://www.mcnmedia.tv/camera/st-chads-cathedral-birmingham 
The Triduum
Really, the three great services of the Triduum should only be celebrated in one church, but so that all three communities within our parish have an opportunity for some of the services, we celebrate Maundy Thursday in St Bernadette & SS Peter & Paul and then on Good Friday in St Michael’s and SS Peter & Paul and then the Easter Vigil in St Michael’s. As we are one parish, please realise that all three churches belong to you.

ON MAUNDY THURSDAY we remember the last Supper that Jesus celebrated with his apostles. On this night he gave us the commandment to love one another, (Mandatum in Latin, which eventually in old English became Maundy) and the sacraments of the Holy Mass and the Holy Priesthood. At this Mass we recommission all the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion of the parish. (If you are not around this week, please let Fr Mark know so that you can be recommissioned at a later Sunday in Eastertide) At the end of this Mass the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the main tabernacle to a side chapel to commemorate Jesus’s agony in the garden of Gethsemene. It is a wonderful tradition to remain in silent prayer after this Mass or to return later for a period of time for the “watching of the Blessed Sacrament” watching and praying with Jesus in the garden.
At this Mass we have a collection for the poor. This year the proceeds will go to food vouchers to be given out in our local food banks. 

ON GOOD FRIDAY we remember the moment when Jesus offered his life for the salvation of the world on the cross on Calvary. The most important service is the Solemn liturgy at 3.00pm but as well as this, we traditionally mark this day with moments of prayer, such as at Matins, the stations of the Cross and Walks of Witness. This year the young people of the parish will lead us in a walk of witness in the city centre at 1.00pm.

ON HOLY SATURDAY we remember that Jesus truly died and laid in the tomb. It is a sombre day and the celebration of Matins is a moving liturgy commemorating the emptiness of this day. No sacraments are to be celebrated usually on this day (apart from in danger of death). For this reason, there are no confessions at St Michael’s on Saturday morning.

ON HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT after the sun has set, we gather at St Michael’s at 8.30pm to celebrate the Solemn Easter Vigil. At this service listen to how God prepared the people of Israel through the Old Testament for the coming of the Saviour. We then celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus and we renew our baptismal promises. Those adults who have been preparing for baptism are then baptised and confirmed and receive the Eucharist for the first time. At the end of Mass, the Paschal Candles for each of our churches are lit and we process outside where there will be Fireworks to celebrate the Resurrection.

The full Bulletin with times of Masses and Services can be downloaded from the Home Page.

The ​University of Wolverhampton and City of Wolverhampton Council want to better understand how Covid-19 has impacted the lives of people living, working and studying in Wolverhampton and how this has affected the mental health and wellbeing of different communities within the City. This short survey will ask about, your wellbeing, how aspects of the pandemic have affected your wellbeing. It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. We would like people aged 16+ who live, work and/or study in Wolverhampton to complete the survey. There is a prize draw for £150 first prize and two runner up prizes of £50 at the end that people can choose to opt into once they have completed the survey. More information is available when you click on the link to the survey. To access the survey click the hashtag: #WolvesWellbeingandMe. You can watch a video telling you more about this work here: Empowering Communities Project - #WolvesWellbeingandMe
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This week's bulletin is now ready to download off the Home Page.

This Friday is the Feast of the Annunciation and Pope Francis has asked us to set aside times of Adoration between Midday on Friday and Midday on Saturday as a global act of conversion to the Lord. He also will be consecrating Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart to Mary to claim all hearts there for peace. In our parish we are setting aside two 3 hour periods of Adoration: 3 hours at SS Peter & Paul on Friday afternoon and 3 hours at St Michael’s on Saturday Morning. (We are including the hour of Adoration on Thursday at St Bernadette’s in this intention.) There will be sign up sheets in St Michael’s and SS Peter & Paul this weekend so that there will be continuous prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Please consider offering half an hour of prayer for peace during this extended vigil. 
For the rest of this week's news, please download the bulletin from the Home Page.

Fr Mark visited the Ukrainian Catholic Church last Sunday 6th March to express our solidarity and prayers for peace. For more information about fundraising activities in the parish, check out the latest edition of our bulletin which is ready to download from the home page. 

On Sunday 6th of March, St Michael's Church hosted the Rite of Election for those preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter. Catechumens from local parishes were able to meet Bishop Stephen Wright during the service. The contingent from Blessed Carlo Acutis can be seen above!