Week beginning Sunday 25th October, 30th Sunday of the Year

SS Chad and Cedd (Monday 26th) – these saints were brothers: they both studied under St Aidan at Lindisfarne, and subsequently became missionary monks and bishops. Chad became bishop of the Northumbrians & Mercians, Cedd was bishop of the East Saxons.

SS Simon and Jude (Wednesday 28th) These two saints are listed by all the Evangelists among the 12 Apostles of the Lord. Simon is called ‘The Zealot’ – a member of a militant Jewish independence movement. Jude wrote one of the Epistles in the New Testament. Liturgically they have long been celebrated together and tradition says they travelled together as missionaries to Persia, where they were martyred.

Next Sunday, the 1st November, we celebrate All Saints Day. In old English the name for this feast was ‘All Hallows’ – ‘hallow’ meaning ‘holy’, since the saints are those holy people whose lives have been touched by God.

The evening before All Hallows, Halloween, should be a time of prayer and preparation for the great feast which falls the next day. Unfortunately, in recent times, it has become a festival which celebrates evil spirits, ghouls, ghosts and other horrors. This has been largely driven by commercial concerns – just walk into any supermarket currently and see the ‘halloween’ goods for sale! – but also taps into some older folk customs, many of which have unhealthy pagan overtones to them.

No doubt, most ‘halloween parties’ are intended to be nothing but harmless fun, but it is always dangerous to open the door – however unintentional – to the spirit of evil which is a very real presence in the world. Catholics are well advised to have nothing to do with the modern celebration of ‘halloween’, which has come to overshadow our own great celebration of God’s holy ones. Rather, we should recover the true meaning of ‘All Hallows Eve’, making it again a preparation for the Feast of All Saints.

Most years, St Joseph’s organises a ‘Night of Light’ on ‘All Hallows’ Eve. Intended particularly for younger children, this event helps to commemorate the saints and acts as a counter-point to the pagan celebration of ‘halloween’.

Unfortunately, since this years October 31st falls on a Saturday, and during half-term, the ‘Night of Light’ is not able to take place (another event for younger children is planned just before Advent – details will go on the Event Page asap). However, families could organise their own celebration on that evening instead – light a candle for family prayers, read the stories of some favourite saints (our bookshop has many saints’ lives for children!) and perhaps make a cake or enjoy a special meal together.

As we prepare to celebrate the heroes of our faith, let us rejoice in all that is good in the world – and not revel in the darkness.

Week beginning Sunday 18th October, 29th Sunday of the Year

St John de Brebeuf & companion martyrs (Monday 19th). Born in France and sent to Quebec in 16156, St John and his Jesuit companions worked for 34 years among the Huron Indians and were martyred in 1649 by the Iroquois (enemies of the Hurons) and their remains eaten by them.

St Antony Mary Claret (1807 – 1870 / Saturday 24th), born in Spain and ordained in Cuba, he formed a missionary institute (the Claretians), and was exiled with Queen Isabella II as a result of the Spanish liberal (anti-clerical) politicians.

Is the Church Fit for Mission – the Church of our Parish?

This was the question which we asked ourselves at this year’s Annual General Meeting of the Parish earlier this month.

The AGM, on Friday 2nd October, began with Receiving of Reports from our many and varied parish groups and organisations. The Chairman of the Parish Finance and Fabric Committee then presented their annual report (financial details as on page 13 of the current edition of the Parish Magazine), after which Fr Peter gave the Parish Priest’s annual report which included thanks to his colleagues Fr Richard, Deacon John Sampson and Deacon John-Simon Lawson, as well as to Agnes Vella (Parish Secretary), David Roberts (Treasurer) and many others who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the efficient and smooth-running of our parish.

He went on to list the many extra-parochial responsibilities and involvements which our two priests have in the parish, the diocese, and for the wider Church, and gave statistics of our parish’s liturgical celebrations (eg. 68 Baptisms, 50 First Communions, 34 Confirmations, 5 Receptions into the Church, 10 Marriages including 4 Convalidations, 25 funerals, and an ever-increasing number of Confessions).

A sample list of the groups using the new Pastoral Centre highlighted our extensive community provisions – the most recent initiative being for Korean Catholic Families. Father gave a month-by-month snap-shot of our Priests’ activities and involvements and how they spend their time (always an eye-opener!) and concluded by listing various pastoral and other initiatives, enhancements, and a preview of various aspects of parish forward-planning.

Fit for Mission? Church was then the main focus of the AGM, beginning with a masterly overview of the four key documents of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) from Fr Richard, who drew us into the particular insights of Bishop Patrick O’Donaghue (author of the Fit for Mission? documents which have been so highly praised by the Vatican) as outlined on this attachment to the bulletin.

Parishioners at the AGM then broke into groups to discuss and respond to specific questions raised in Fit for Mission? Church, from which proposals emerged including

1. inviting parishioners to a further exploration of the key teachings of Vatican II
2. our parish clergy, catechists and others undertaking a thorough review of sacramental programmes and related areas of parish life, to ensure we are all Fit for Mission!

from the Webmaster… the Fit for Mission? Church insert is now up on the website, www.stjoseph-newmalden.org.uk/articles.

Week beginning Sunday 11th October, 28th Sunday of the Year

St Wilfrid (633 – 709 / Monday 12th) – Benedictine founder of Ripon Abbey (Cathedral) who played a leading part in the Council of Whitby when Roman usages were adopted by the whole of England.

St Edward the Confessor (1003 – 1066 / Tuesday 13th), crowned Kig of England in 1042, built Westminster Abbey, where he is buried. He was kindly, just and gentle.

St Callistus I (Wednesday 14th), died 222, was a Christian slave in Rome who became a Deacon and then Pope.

St Theresa of Jesus (of Avila / Thuesday 15th), a 16th Century reformer of the Carmelites whose mystical experiences have had profound effect across Christian denominations.

St Hedwig, 1174 – 1243 (Friday 16th), Royal mother of seven children who fostered the Religious Life in Croatia and became a Cistercian nun in widowhood.

St Ignatius of Antioch, died 107 (Saturday 17th), wrote seven letters (still extant) of great doctrinal value. Martyred in the Roman amphitheatre. Named in the Canon.

The Gospel today contains the story of the rich young man, to whom Christ addressed the call: ‘Follow Me’. It is a call the Lord still makes to thousands of young men every year – if they have the faith to hear, and the courage to respond.

The word for priest in Latin is ‘pontifex’, which literally means ‘bridge-builder’. That is what the priest does – he builds a bridge between heaven and earth, offering his people to God, and God to his people.

How does the priest offer his people to God? Through prayer – most of all, through offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is the greatest prayer there is. He also prays for them, reciting his Breviary, or Divine Office, which is the Prayer of the Church. Lastly, the priest’s private prayer is important too. How many times does the priest hear the words: ‘Father, please pray for me/my mother/my friend’ and so on. Often those who ask are not even Catholics – but instinctively they seek the intercession of the priest. A priest without prayer is truly a contradiction in terms.

How does the priest offer God to his people? Chiefly, through the Sacraments: baptising infants, preparing young people to encounter the Lord in Communion and Confirmation, absolving sins in Confession, encouraging vocations to priestly and family life, caring for the sick and dying – and constantly preaching the word, in season and out of season.

This is a demanding role, and demands a great deal of detachment. This was something the young man in the Gospel sadly lacked – and so he went away sad. To encourage this detachment and selflessness the Catholic Church asks its priests to live a life of celibacy – the form of life most appropriate to the Priesthood, for it was the way of life chosen by Christ himself, by his Blessed Mother and by so many great saints down the ages. It can bring great joy, but also great demands – which is why praying for our priests is so important. This year especially, ‘The Year of the Priest’, try to make intercession for your own priests a special priority.

St Bruno (1032 – 1101 / Tuesday 6th) Founder of the Carthusian Order (Benedictine monk-hermits) at Le Grande Chartreause, near Grenoble. London’s Charterhouse saw monks martyred at the ‘reformation’. Visit Charterhouse at www.parkminster.org.uk.

Our Lady of the Rosary (Wednesday 7th). This feast instituted in 1571 by Pope Pius V, celebrates Our Lady’s help for those who call on her aid, and encourages us all to mediate on the life of her Son.

St Denis (Friday 9th), sent with five other bishops from Rome to Gaul where he became the first Bishop of Paris. He suffered martyrdom by beheading.

St Paulinus of York (Saturday 10th), a Roman monk sent by Pope St Gregory the Great in 601 to aid St Augustine’s mission. He spent 24 years in Kent (part of our Archdiocese of Southwark). In 625 he was ordained Bishop of York, successfully evangelised Northumbria, but was later driver from his See and returned to Kent as Bishop of Rochester (also now in this diocese).