For myself, I feel that the last few weeks have been hectic in the life of the Parish. We celebrated First Communion in St Elizabeth’s which was followed by the Communion Celebration Mass in St Joseph’s. My congratulations to the children and their families and sincere thanks to all who helped in anyway. I know that for all that were involved it was a grace-filled time.
On Friday 21st June the Bishop came to the Parish for the Celebration of Confirmation. We had 25 young people confirmed, a big step for them in taking ownership of their own faith with the help of the gifts of the Spirit. Again my thanks to all who helped in the many ways in our Confirmation Programme and Mass.
The next major event in the Parish will be the Ordination of David to the Diaconate on Saturday 13th July at 11.30a.m. First of all I would like to remind you all that every member of the Parish is invited to the Ordination Mass. It would help for organisation purposes if we had an idea how many are coming so could you please put your name on one of the lists on the noticeboards.
A number of people have asked me what they should give David by way of a gift. I have talked to him about this and there is nothing in particular that he needs at this time. But in common with all students he could do with a bit of extra money to cover his various expenses. If you would like to make a contribution you can either address the envelope to him or you can put your donation in an envelope marked ‘Ordination’ and either put it in with the collection or you can drop it through the Presbytery door.
The Holy Hour on Sunday 7th July will be set aside especially to pray for David as he comes to the end of his retreat and it is his final Sunday before his Ordination. My hope is that many of you will make the effort to attend at least part of that Hour.
David is now in the Cenacle Retreat House in Netley doing his 30-day retreat. I hope that he is in all your prayers; praying that this retreat will be a fruitful time for him as he prepares for ordination. I know that there are many things that he could be doing here in the Parish at this time but he has decided on a major retreat as the most important way to prepare. This has an important message for us all about our priorities.
As a Parish we have still a lot of preparations to make before the big day. The Ordination Mass need to be arranged, the music chosen and rehearsed and the booklets prepared and printed. The altar servers need to be familiar with the ceremony and practised for the day. The church needs to be prepared, cleaned and flowers arranged. On the day itself we will need ushers and welcomers so that all our visitors will be welcomed and shown to their seats. We will also need helpers with the reception after the Mass . My hope is that the 13th July will be a special day in the life of the Parish and that every member will feel involved and invited. There will be more room for the Parish at the Diaconate Ordination than there will be next year for the priesthood because there are fewer visitors invited.
Today there are two lists on the board: first of all there is the list for those who are coming to the Ordination. All members of the Parish are invited. The second list is for all that can offer help either before or on the day itself. Please indicate how you would like to help and we will do our best to include all volunteers in one way or other.
From Thomas Merton, a Prayer
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am
following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are with me, and never leave me to face my perils
alone.
For the next four weeks I will be away from the parish on final preparation for ordination in July. I will be on a 30-day retreat. Some people have asked how I will survive 30 days on retreat but in fact I feel quite privileged to be able to take so much time in prayer before I make the final decision towards diaconate. I suppose you have noticed in the Gospels that Jesus is not often alone. We have many stories of crowds gathered around him and his disciples are seldom far from his side. But there are a few times when he left them all to go and pray. At important times in his life and generally before a major turning point he spent time alone with his Father. It seemed to give him strength for the tasks ahead. In some way I hope that my time ‘in the desert’ will allow me to prepare properly. Please remember me in your prayers over the next month and I look forward to celebrating with you on July 13th.
One of the saddest and most difficult things that I experience as a priest is dealing with people who feel excluded from the Church. I think that it is fair to say that for most of these people no one ever said to them that they were not welcome in Church but somehow they feel that they no longer belong. How sad it is that some people look on the Church as an exclusive club to which they do not belong.
First of all let me say that I think that we should be an inclusive community where all are welcomed and all feel at home. Who among us has never sinned or never did anything of which we were not ashamed. We are all in our different way broken, hurt people who are all in need of Christ’s grace of repentance and forgiveness.
Many of the young couples who come to the presbytery for baptism or marriage come with a great sense of fear of the sort of welcome they will receive. They no longer feel part of what they see as the Church. This is the time when they must first of all be welcomed and be given an experience of a loving caring Church. The Sacraments of the Church are not given as a reward for good behaviour but are channels of Christ’s grace to us all. We all have a part to play in reaching out.
A number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus
and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus replied: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the
sick... I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.
Matthew 9: 10-13
The Parish Pastoral Council is coming to the end of its first year. I would like to express my appreciation for all the hard work of the members. It is always difficult starting off a new venture like a pastoral council because the council needs to establish a certain credibility in the Parish before it can have real authority. Hopefully the council is gradually getting better known. The Activities Fair was an example of good practise. That Fair gave a very clear idea of the many and varied activities in the life of the Parish and the great number of people who are involved.
We come now to the time for new elections. Every year we need four new members coming on to the council, replacing those who retire after three years. We need nominations by 23rd June at the latest, elections will follow. It is important that we get plenty of nominations from a wide variety of people within the Parish. Anyone over sixteen is welcome to be nominated for the council. I am asking for nominations from today, forms are available at the church entrances. If you would like serve why not ask someone to nominate you? If you know someone who has something to contribute, why not ask them to allow their name to go forward. The future authority of the council does depend on the amount of support shown in the number of nominations and then by the number of parishioners who vote. This year I hope that when people come to vote there will be enough nominations for people to have a real choice.
At 10.45a.m. Mass todaywe celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen. There will be a special liturgy and the opportunity to join fellow parishioners for a shared lunch afterwards.
Today if I write about the deanery I wonder how many people know what I am on about? Here in St. Joseph’s we belong to the East Berks Deanery. This covers parishes in Maidenhead, Twyford, Windsor, Ascot, Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst and Wokingham. So by any standard it covers a large area. The deanery has a pastoral council, which meets regularly. The council gives an opportunity to exchange views and to find out what is happening in other parishes. It organises some events and courses, which would be difficult to organise within one parish. For example the course for the Training of Eucharistic Ministers is done at a deanery level, there is also a retreat day every year.
But I think that it is true to say that for most people in our parish the deanery does not make much of an impact. This may be because the deanery is very inactive with very little opportunity for people to get involved. It may also be due to geography. The deanery may be too big and scattered as it is at the moment.
Bishop Crispian has asked to open discussion in the parishes and deanery to make a decision about its size. Should we think about dividing the deanery into two units? A smaller deanery would allow local parishes to do more together and be of more support to each other. On the other hand should we at a time of falling numbers be dividing into smaller units?
If any one in this parish has any views, please drop a line to Veronica Wright, Chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council. Letters can be left for her at the Presbytery. Maybe there are people who have experience of deaneries in other parts of the country. If you do, it would be good to hear from you. Your experience may be good or bad, whichever, it can be of equal value. The July meeting of the Deanery Pastoral Council will make a recommendation to be sent to the Bishop about the future of the East Berks Deanery.
Today we celebrate the birthday of the church. Like all birthdays it gives us an opportunity to celebrate who we are and to be positive about ourselves and where we have come from. We look back on that first Pentecost and the excitement and joy of that day when the Holy Spirit released all that new energy on the small group of believers who then felt that they could do anything for Christ.
It would be sad if in our time we lost that excitement and joy. The reality is that we have received all the same gifts that the apostles received. Our generation deserves to be able to hear the gospel, the good news, as the early church did. It is true that over the years church leaders and church people have not always followed the way or the spirit of the gospel. All of us have things that we need to be forgiven for. But we belong to the church of Christ and in that church we have everything we need to lead us to Christ. If we can be positive and loving towards our church then we can have a great influence in bringing other people to Christ. If we want to be negative and always critical, we only drive people away. If we love the church we can gradually lead to change in a loving way from the inside. In this way we can be part of the renewing process in the church, because as a living body the church is always in need of renewal.
For me one of the great joys of this time of the year is the celebration of First Holy Communion. In this parish we are blessed with having so many lovely children. I pray that the blessing that they receive on their First Communion Day will be a blessing on the entire parish.
Sunday gospels vary a great deal. Some report on miracles and other noteworthy events in the life of Jesus. Others give aspects of his teaching. But today’s gospel is different. It is very special. It is a prayer - the prayer of Jesus before his death, a prayer for his followers, a prayer for you and me.
We need to stop in our busy lives to absorb the extraordinary fact that the Son of God prayed to his Father for each of us, and continues to do so. It is a gospel to be heard in the heart rather than in the head.
He prays that he may give eternal life to everyone who has been entrusted to him. This is his gift to us, to share in the life of God, now and forever. His prayer is that our hearts may be open to receive such a gift and that receiving it we may glorify the one who brought it to us.
To know God is the pinnacle of human life. No other acquisition, achievement or gift can match it. Indeed, all human effort finds its enrichment in so far as it leads to God. Today’s gospel is an invitation and an opportunity to absorb something of this wisdom.
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
“Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son so that your Son may
glorify you; and, through the power over all mankind that you have given
him, let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him. And
eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
you have sent.
I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world was.
I have made your name known to the men you took from the world to give me. They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
Now at last they know that all you have given me comes indeed from you; for I have given them the teaching you gave to me, and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you, and have believed that it was you who sent me.
I pray for them; I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you: all I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them I am glorified.
I am not in the world any longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.”
John 17:1-11
Today begins our Week of Guided Prayer. We have twelve people taking part, which considering the size of our parish is rather disappointing but I am sure that there are valid reasons why more people are not involved. The Week of Guided Prayer is important not just for those taking part but it is a time of grace for the entire parish. So this week I would ask you all to make a special effort to spend time in prayer for our parish. If we are not guided and inspired by prayer then it is very easy for us to get side-tracked in all directions and forgetting that we are here to build up the Body of Christ.
I have often wondered how we can build up our parish into a more praying community? Somehow it seems to me that very often we are afraid of prayer and we are certainly afraid of sharing our prayer. Yet if prayer is not part of our lives how can we support our spiritual lives? We now live in a world that is dominated by noise. By in large we have moved farther away from God’s creation. Because of this I feel that we need more support in prayer than ever before. Surely the most important support comes from each other; spending time in prayer together and sharing our prayer experience. I would be interested in hearing from people with ideas of how things can be moved forward and what people are prepared to do.
I would like to congratulate and thank all who prepared and organised our Activities Fair last weekend. I met many of the people who visited and all were impressed by the quality of each presentation and by the range of activities in the life of the parish. As the priest in the parish, I can say how fortunate I am to be part of such an active parish. Clearly with so many activities there will always be a certain overlap and at times we will feel that we are in each other’s way and we get on better with some people rather than others but that is the real test for us, to be able to have respect for each other’s differences and to be able to see the bigger vision of the parish rather than our own point of view. We should be able to see ourselves as people of service rather than power.
As well as showing the parish the various activities there is also the invitation to each member of the parish to come forward and see how they can be involved. We only feel at home in the parish when we get involved. So if you are not involved then I would like you to read the excellent new Parish Handbook and see what you can offer to the parish.
I am sure that like me you were very proud of the success of the Lenten Project. I hoped that the project would be well supported; but how well? It was far greater than I dared to hope. My sincere thanks to those who organised the events and all who supported them so generously. It is good to think at least some people have a better quality of life because of our efforts. We need to be continually aware of our responsibility to support the poor of the world and to work for an end to poverty.
On Friday last Br.Damian made his exit from Maidenhead. I hope he will be missed by all who knew him.
Br Damian writes: “Now that I’ve got your attention I had better explain myself. As most of you know I am a member of a religious congregation, the Presentation Brothers. Well, I was until last Friday when I signed the papers that came from Rome freeing me from vows. As my journey towards priesthood continues I have to make some difficult decisions and last Friday came one of the biggest so far. The congregation that I joined when I was 17 do not ordain to priesthood so I had to leave. I had to apply to the Holy Father to be dispensed from the vows I made at final profession. As these vows are made for life special permission has to be obtained from Rome freeing me to be ordained Deacon in July. Normally the two ceremonies would overlap on the same day but my dispensation was granted early. Like all separations it is difficult but it marks another milestone in my preparation for priesthood.
Damian was the name I was given when I joined my congregation so now I go back to using my baptismal name David. I know it is going to be difficult to get used to it. You can imagine that after using it for almost twenty years it is going to be difficult for me also. But in this Easter Season it’s good to remember our Baptism and the promises that were made for us. Please continue to remember David in your prayers.”
Next Sunday is the World Day of Prayer
for Vocations
Where there is a desire to follow the call, the invitation, let us support the seed which was sown in the home, or in the school or in the university, or in the Parish.
As a good shepherd in the parish or school community or wherever, let us be open to the call which Christ has for each one of us. Let us remember that when it came to the call of the disciples, Jesus did not pin a notice to a tree and ask for volunteers. Jesus did not call the experts. Instead he looked people in the eye and called them by name to follow him. Individuals will rarely if ever answer their vocation in life if they are not invited in the first place. Let us do that by drawing out the gifts and talents of others by supporting and nurturing them. We are called to channel the Lord’s call which never grows silent.
As a good shepherd in this new millennium we have much to offer. Whether we be 10, 20, 40, 80 years of age; whether we be priest, ancillary worker, parent, teacher, unemployed, nurse, police, politician, we have much to do.
Cardinal Hume was passionate up to the time of his death that all people in this land would work together to create a climate of vocation. Indeed, his was the living out of the unwelcome vocation of illness. His carrying of the cross was a perfect example of Christian vocation lived to its full. Let us continue to share and remember his words:
“Happily in these islands there still exists nearly everywhere a close relationship of trust and affection between priests and people. Yet there are considerable gaps in peoples’ understanding. Although they instinctively recognise and respond to a good priest, they might be at a loss to explain clearly what gives him his distinctive role, what sustains, inspires and gives him hope. Anything which helps to increase their knowledge must, I believe be welcome.”
If we truly live out these words, we will imitate the Good Shepherd. We will move towards the day when the harvest will be great and the labourers many.
Week of Guided Prayer 5th - 11th May 2002
What is a Week of Guided Prayer?
It is a form of in-parish retreat, through which many have discovered a new depth and reality in their prayer. It is suitable for people at every stage, who have a desire for God and wish to deepen that relationship with Him. The heart of it is a daily commitment to prayer by participants and a time of individual prayer guidance / spiritual direction based on this prayer each day for five days.
What is the pattern of the week?
All participants meet as a group with the team of guides at 4.00p.m. Sunday 5th May. After general introductions some different methods of prayer, particularly praying with scripture, are discussed. They are then introduced to their Prayer Guide and meet in small groups where they arrange a timetable for the week. Each day participants meet individually with the guide allocated to them at prearranged times, usually for about 30 minutes, the time needed to be set aside for individual prayer.
Last May we had a very good Week of Guided Prayer for the first time in St. Joseph’s Parish and I know that those who took part found it a very significant event in their lives. This time my hope is that many of those who took part last year will take part again and that they will share their experience with others and encourage them. It would be great if we had about 40 people participating. How many people say they would like to go on retreat? This is an opportunity to make a retreat in our own parish.
Contact Details
Parish Priest: Fr. Tom McGrath, Tel: 01628 783988
Parish Office: 01628 783988 Fax: 01628 776863 (Monday to Friday 9.am to 12 noon)
Parish Centre: 01628 636312 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12.30pm)