30th June this year is our patronal feast at the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul. The Bishop will celebrate the 10.30 Mass and also celebrate Vespers and Benediction at 4pm that day.
Later this year the Diocese of Lancaster will celebrate 100 years since its foundation by Pope Pius XI. This has a special resonance for us because it is the moment St Peter’s went from being a simple parish church to a cathedral. Beginning in November the Diocese will have a series of celebrations to give thanks to God for the 100 years of its existence. The official beginning of these celebrations will be on the feast of Christ the King, 24th November, with the Bishop celebrating our 10.30am Mass.
Next year is also a Holy Year, called by the Pope. So there truly never is ordinary time, but always an opportunity for grace and encounter with the Lord!
After having had two Sundays where we celebrated the Feast of the Trinity followed by the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ we return now to Sunday's of ordinary time starting with 10th Sunday.
This Sunday we return to green vestments at Mass for the first time is several months, after the purple of Lent
and the white of Easter. This marks the beginning of what the Church calls the ‘Sundays in Ordinary Time’. In a
sense there is never ‘ordinary time’ in the life of a Christian. Each day, each moment, is an opportunity to
encounter the Lord and to be touched by His grace.
Sacred Heart of Jesus
The month of June is set aside by the Church to focus on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Friday 7th June we celebrated the
feast of the Sacred Heart. It is an image we are very familiar with as Catholics, but what does it mean? The Heart
of Jesus is a living, beating symbol of His infinite love for us, and an invitation to love Him in return. This love is
especially centred around His real presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus is truly there in the tabernacle,
inviting us to draw near to Him. Why not make a resolution this June to call into the Church whenever we are
near and visit Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament?
CCC 1360 The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all "thanksgiving."
Come to Me - parents and pre school gathered together and sang a thank you song to remind us that Eucharist means thanksgiving. The children also spontaneously clapped at the end of each our our liturgy songs - which was a real joy.
Come to me: Parents and children
Follow Me - our children coloured in a monstrance which is something we use to 'show' Jesus during adoration. They shared things they were thankful for as a reminder that Eucharist means thanksgiving.
Follow Me children shared what they were thankful for.
We are familiar in Lancaster for praying for the Lancaster Martyrs. Today is the feast day of an African saint who was martyred for his faith. St Charles Lwanga is an African saint and one of 22 young men aged between 13 and 30 who was burned to death on 3rd June 1886. He is known in Africa as a patron for young people and for Catholic action.
The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Preparing to receive the Body and Blood of Christ
Today we celebrate the great feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Our Gospel is from Mark and contains two sets of instructions Jesus gave the disciples. The second set of instructions are very familiar we hear them every time we come to Mass when the Priest follows Jesus instructions by TAKING bread and, giving THANKS, BREAKING it, and GIVING us the People of God not the bread but the Body of Christ so that when we leave Mass and are sent out on our Mission we take Jesus with us.
We are reminded in the words used to bless the wine which becomes for us the Blood of Christ that this is a new covenant, a promise between God and his people. When we receive communion and say Amen, we are agreeing that we believe we are receiving Jesus and promising to fulfil his commandment to love one another.
The first set of instructions relates to preparing the room for the Passover meal which we know as the Last Supper. The disciples didn't know what was going to happen in that meal, but when we come to Mass we know what will happen which is both a mystery and something that is truly amazing. In reflecting on the opening section of the Gospel it struck me that what seemed everyday preparation of getting a room ready was also important.
For each of us coming forward to receive the Body of Christ we need to think about how we are preparing ourselves (our room). As we come forward as the Body of Christ each with our own hopes, fears, joys and sadness with our God given gifts and talents, we receive the Body of Christ who we take out into the world. So perhaps we can be more aware of how we prepare to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. AMH
Sacraments 101 Eucharist (How we receive)
There are two ways we can receive Jesus in our hands or on our tongue, this short video reminds us of things we should remember when receiving Holy Communion and provides some teaching from the catechism for those wanting to learn a bit more.
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