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Showing posts from July, 2011

Prayer Request

I do not have a homily this week I have though a special request for prayers: Matthias is my 10 yr old nephew who has been fighting cancer for about 18months please could you circulate the prayer below from my parents  in the most appropriate way to as many as is possible. This is a prayer that we would like to be said by all who do everyday. it is for Matthias's surgeon who will be operating on him in a few weeks time. His name is Mr. Murphy. God be in his head and in his understanding, God be in his eyes and in his looking, God be in his hands and in his working. we ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.  So Please pray for him and his family and all those involved in his care

New Bishop: who taught me at St Johns

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Pope Appoints Auxiliary Bishop to Diocese of Westminster posted on 30 June 2011 Fr John Sherrington Pope Benedict XVI today has appointed Father John Sherrington as Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Westminster. The Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-elect Fr Sherrington will take place on Wednesday 14 September at Westminster Cathedral (the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, Westminster), London SW1. Fr Sherrington, 53, was ordained a priest for the Nottingham Diocese in 1987 and has been parish priest for the Good Shepherd Parish in Nottingham for the past two years. In addition to various diocesan curial responsibilities, Fr Sherrington has also assisted the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales on ethical issues and was a part of the working party for the Bishops’ Conference document ‘Cherishing Life’ (2005). After a degree in Mathematics from Cambridge University and two years working for Arthur Andersen Management Consultants London, Fr Sherrington was acce

17th Sunday of the year a

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There are many different themes in this Gospel today and it will be impossible to really share them all with you today but I want to focus on and explore the first small parable the Parable of the treasure in the field. When reading this particular parable I asked myself some questions which I would like to share with you and the thoughts that I had about it. My first question is what is the treasure? We could see that the Treasure is the presence of God within.  We know that God is always with us through the good times and bad times. But just like treasure it does sometimes take a long time to find it. We search and search we look but we do not find him. We are like those beach comers who try our best to find that hidden treasure but we get frustrated because it is well hidden. So how do we awaken the treasure within? The first thing is to discover ourselves and what our own gifts and talents are what is our treasure what can we give that helps the Kingdom of God to grow and flou

16th Sunday of the year

A number of years ago I was supplying in a parish down near Margate. I was not in clericals because I was on holiday myself. As I came into the Church to pray before Mass I planted myself at the back of the Church. As I sat there praying I was aware of someone hovering by the side of me. Then I got a tap on the shoulder “That’s my seat” she said although the Church was still quite empty I got up and moved. After a while I got out of my seat went to put on my vestments and started Mass. I looked at her and you could visibly see that she was quite upset. After Mass she came up to me and said “If I had known it was you I would not have asked you to move.” I told her that she should never do that at all even if they are not a priest. You may be quite upset and even shocked with this story but it is not uncommon. I have witnessed this in this Church among this community. I have been both shocked and angry that this is happening where we are meant to be a community that builds the Kingdom o
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Vatican newspaper says Harry Potter film champions values A scene from last year's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1." (CNS/Warner Bros.) By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The last battle of the almost-grownup Harry Potter may be too scary for young viewers, but it champions the values of friendship and sacrifice, the Vatican newspaper said. "The atmosphere of the last few episodes, which had become increasingly dark and ominous, reaches its pinnacle," said one of two reviews of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" printed July 12 in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. The darkness "may disturb younger audiences," said reviewer Gaetano Vallini. "Death, which was a rare occurrence (in the previous Harry Potter films) is the protagonist here," which is another reason the film may not be appropriate for everyone, he said. "As for the content, evil is nev
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Bishop Michael Evans dies peacefully after long illness Requiescat in pace Bishop Michael Evans, Bishop of East Anglia, died peacefully on 11 July at the age of 59. Six years ago he was diagnosed with advanced and aggressive prostate cancer, and continued his ministry throughout his treatment. Although his engagements were limited from early 2011 as his condition deteriorated, he continued to work up until his admission to hospital. In his last months he was much in the thoughts and prayers of the people of his diocese, as well as those of family, friends and his fellow Bishops. Archbishop Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, said, “Bishop Michael will be very much missed by so many people in the Archdiocese of Southwark and the Diocese of East Anglia - family, friends, laity, religious and clergy. As a priest of the Archdiocese, Michael was totally committed to his priestly ministry both as a pastoral priest and Professor of Theology for many years at St. John’s Seminary. Having k
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15 th Sunday of the Year A number of years ago I was doing a course in Margate with priests and religious all over the world. One of the things that we really looked at was the use of story and image in preaching and also what was described as the “Lost art of listening” It seems to me that in our modern era we have lost both these things. The reason is that we have become self absorbed and only looking at our own world rather than anyone else’s. We have become a self absorbed society. Our favourite word is “I.” We use it all the time “I don’t like that. It does not suit me. You made me angry” Some of these statements are so wrong. How can anyone make you angry apart from yourselves? Because of this self absorption the words of the Gospel ring home as true. Let us listen again to what Jesus has to say: “ For the heart of this nation has grown course, their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes for fear they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understa
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Homily for the 14 th Sunday of the year It seems that in the modern era we have become far too busy. We have many different forms of technology where we make life easier and I put that in inverted comas. From the Internet to the mobile phone we can now have instant access to information and world events. These modern devices have been designed so that we many have a less busy life. But, in fact they have had the opposite effect.  We have become busier as a society and the affects are showing in the wider world. There are more people with health problems because of being too busy there burdens are too heavy for them to carry. So we need to find places and times where we slow down and learn to breath and ultimately find God. In today’s Gospel we are told “Come to me all you who are over burdened and I will give you rest.”   The one word that is contradictory to our modern way of thinking is the word “Rest.”   To be at rest is not to be lazy but active listening and being with the Lord.