Newsletter- 9th Week of Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners
This Sunday we celebrate one of the most fundamental beliefs of Christianity: The Most Holy Trinity – three distinct, coequal Persons in one God. For the Church, the Trinity is considered a mystery. There are aspects of the Trinity that we will never fully grasp while we are this side of Heaven. But it is something we hold as revealed truth. We may never comprehend its totality, but we experience its presence and accept its reality.
The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity has been an official and universal celebration in the Church since the 1300’s. It is even celebrated by many Protestant denominations as it is a fundamental belief shared by all Christians. During today’s Mass, our prayers honour each of the Persons of the Trinity, but every Mass contains multiple references to the Trinity and prayers showing our devotion. This is evident in the simplest of prayers – the Sign of the Cross. We make this action upon entering and leaving the Church, and at the beginning and end of Mass, and even sometimes during the Mass. The words that accompany the action express our belief in the Holy Trinity – “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Even when done silently, the action itself becomes a prayer!
Maybe at the next Mass that you attend, make a point to notice how many times we make the Sign of the Cross. Think about the words. Listen, too, for other prayers throughout the Mass that honour the Holy Trinity. Of course, the Creed (Profession of Faith) is probably the most obvious, but you will find others that express our belief in the Holy Trinity – three Divine Persons in one God.
Corpus Christi – Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th June – next weekend at all our Sunday Masses we keep the great Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). At both the Saturday evening Vigil Mass, at 6 pm and the Sunday morning Mass at 9.30 am, I will invite our Parish Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to stand in their places to renew their commitment. This will take place after Holy Communion and before the Post Communion Collect. In addition, at the Sunday morning Mass in place of the Final Blessing, the sacred Host will be enthroned in a Monstrance and will be carried in procession from the church along the Barrowby Road and back along my driveway and into church. After which there will be short period of silent prayer and Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, concluding with Benediction.
Parish Mission Visitations: Our visitation will take place here at St Mary’s over the weekend of 13th/14th June when we will welcome Canon Edward Jarosz, V.G. He will stay with me at the Rectory over the weekend and he will help to celebrate the weekend Masses and preach at all the Sunday Masses celebrated in the parish. I know Canon Eddy is looking forward greatly to meeting different members of our parish community during his stay here. Please keep him in your prayers as he prepares to come to make this Visitation on the Bishops behalf to our parish later in June.
With my prayers for you and for your families during the coming week,
Your friend and parish priest,
Fr Jonathan
2026 31st May – Newsletter – Download