First Week of Advent

Friday 2 December 2022

Advent Music

Late in the evening, I often listen to Choral Evensong from Canterbury Cathedral on YouTube.  It’s beautiful, prayerful and relaxing.  Last Sunday, they had a beautiful Advent Carol Service.  Why not check out their channel:

Canterbury Cathedral – YouTube

 

Thursday 1 December 2022

At his General Audience yesterday, Pope Francis offered this thought.

“A daily examination of conscience is so important:  before ending the day, stop a moment.  What happened?  Not in the newspapers, not in life: what happened in my heart?  Was my heart attentive?  Did it grow?”

 

Wednesday 30 November 2022

pause appreciate the good

 

Tuesday 29 November 2022

Archdiocesan Online Advent Calendar

This Advent, the Archdiocese is running an online Advent Calendar which will feature daily videos from various people across the Archdiocese. The videos will include reflections, an insight into what Advent means to them, and their plans for Advent.

You can view the Calendar here:

Archdiocese of Liverpool – YouTube

 

Monday 28 November 2022

An Advent Prayer by Henri Nouwen
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways
long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy
seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people,
walking in darkness,
yet seeking the light.
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!”
Amen.

 

1st Sunday of Advent (A) – 27 November 2022

advent1

Mass Sheet we will be using in church:    Mass Sheet (Advent 1A)

Bidding Prayers:    Bidding Prayers (Advent 1A)

Reflection on the Readings:   prego-advent-1-a-2022

Pastoral Letter:    Pastoral_Letter_Advent_2022

 

 

PRAY FOR UKRAINE

cathedral ukraine

CAFOD’s Prayer for Ukraine

Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.

Amen.

 

Some Funnies

security cams

 

rail replacement

 

only 2 more pms till xmas

 

God bless,
Fr Dave


Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Thursday 24 November 2022

practise the pause

 

Wednesday 23 November 2022

red wed 2022

Red Wednesday

Today is ‘Red Wednesday’ when we come together globally to “Break the Silence” on the persecution of Christians and those of other faiths.

The Catholic charity, ‘Aid to the Church in Need’, organises Red Wednesday as a way of standing in solidarity with persecuted and suffering Christians.

Bishop Tom Neylon, the Lead Bishop for Asia, said:

“Pope Francis reminds us that God created all human beings equal in rights and that freedom of conscience and religious freedom are inseparably linked to our innate dignity. He emphasises that this is not limited to freedom of worship alone, but the right of all to live in accordance with their religious convictions.

“Aid to the Church in Need has continuously shone the light on persecution of Christians across the world, including in parts of Asia where I have heard, first hand, about the threats and violence that people experience daily. On Red Wednesday, let us pray for all those facing persecution and everyone working for change.”

For more information:  Aid to the Church in Need | #RedWednesday 2022 (acnuk.org)

Red Wednesday events:  RW.Events-Information

 

Tuesday 22 November 2022

Jesus comes for those who've not got it all together

 

Monday 21 November 2022

Arms_of_the_Archdiocese_of_Liverpool

ARCHDIOCESAN WEBSITE

Today, the Archdiocese has launched a new website.  It’s at the same address:  The Archdiocese of Liverpool (liverpoolcatholic.org.uk)

The new website comes a year since the launch of our Pastoral Plan which maps out the future of the Church in the Archdiocese.  As we journey towards the future, a new website will help us grow and enhance our online presence and communicate and share the Good News from across the Archdiocese.

Features on the new website include:

  • A map of churches with Mass times
  • A map of schools and contact details
  • Helpful resources including prayer and sacrament details
  • Contact details of the departments and teams in the Archdiocesan office
  • A donate button to help support your local parish
  • Details of events from across the Archdiocese
  • The latest news stories… plus lots more

The Archdiocese would be delighted to receive feedback about the new website.  Please email:  [email protected]

 

Solemnity of Christ the King (C) – 20 November 2022

christtheking

Mass Sheet we will be using in church:    Mass Sheet (Christ the King C)

Bidding Prayers:    Bidding Prayers (Christ the King C)

Reflection on the Readings:   prego-christ-the-king-c-2022-1

 

WORLD YOUTH DAY

world youth day

Today is World Youth Day when we celebrate the presence and contribution of young people in the life of the Church.  You can find out more about World Youth Day here: www.worldyouthday.com

Week of Prayer:    youth-sunday-Week-of-Prayer

Resources:    Stand up you are appointed as a witness (worldyouthsunday.com)

 

PRAY FOR UKRAINE

cathedral ukraine

CAFOD’s Prayer for Ukraine

Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.

Amen.

 

Some Funnies

314894987_10160598291314808_2958714756687969003_n

 

image_6487327

 

cheque mate

 

God bless,
Fr Dave


Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

Thursday 17 November 2022

De Profundis
Kevin Nichols (1930-2006)

Hear this appeal, Master of my life,
out of the darkness where my spirit dwells
hopeless, unless you turn your gaze
attentively towards me.

If it is my sins that catch your eye
truly, my case is desperate;
but yours is a forgiving love
therefore, though fearfully, I come to you.

In you, Lord, is my hope,
at your word my spirit quickens.

As the weary watchman on the ramparts
strains his eyes for daybreak,
more eagerly than he my sleepless heart
awaits your coming –
because your name is mercy
and all your ways compassionate,
because the sins of your people
dissolve in your healing love.

This is a translation of Psalm 129/130 by the late Fr Kevin Nichols, the author of some well-known hymns, including ‘In Bread We Bring You’.

 

Wednesday 16 November 2022

Stress

Tuesday 15 November 2022

Remember the People of Ukraine

In an interview with Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London, Bishop Nowakowski talks about the devastating impact of the war but also the solidarity and welcome many people have shown throughout the UK to Ukrainians fleeing the war.

Click on the link below for the video:

Don’t underestimate the long-term impact of the war in Ukraine, says Bishop – YouTube

Monday 14 November 2022

mountains-g88436c7e9_1280

Prayer of St Augustine of Hippo

God of our life,
there are days when the burdens we carry
chafe our shoulders and weigh us down;
when the road seems dreary and endless,
the skies grey and threatening;
when our lives have no music in them,
and our hearts are lonely,
and our souls have lost their courage.

Flood the path with light,
turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise;
tune our hearts to brave music;
give us the sense of comradeship
with heroes and saints of every age;
and so quicken our spirits
that we may be able to encourage
the souls of all who journey with us
on the road of life,
to your honour and glory. Amen.

 

 

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – 13 November 2022

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

1981303

Mass Sheet we will be using in church:    Mass Sheet (33C)

Bidding Prayers:    Bidding Prayers (33C) 2022

Reflection on the Readings:   prego-sunday-33-otc-2022

 

WORLD DAY OF THE POOR

WDotP-1

Today is the sixth World Day of the Poor.  In his message for the day, Pope Francis invites us to greater solidarity and responsibility for the poor.  This “is precisely what solidarity is: sharing the little we have with those who have nothing, so that no one will go without.”

Message from Pope Francis:    World Day of the Poor 2022 Pope Francis

 

PRAY FOR UKRAINE

cathedral ukraine

CAFOD’s Prayer for Ukraine

Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.

Amen.

 

Some Funnies

cat and wig

 

little toe

 

mobiles in church

 

God bless,
Fr Dave


Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

Friday 11 November 2022

World Day of the Poor

Sunday will be the sixth World Day of the Poor instituted by Pope Francis.  In preparation for the day, Pope Francis blessed a new sculpture in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday that highlights the plight of the homeless.

Sheltering by Timothy Schmalz

‘Sheltering’ is a life-size bronze sculpture showing the figure of a homeless person being covered by a blanket pulled over them by a dove in flight.  The sculpture is the work of Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz.  His work ‘Angels Unawares’, about migrants and refugees, was installed in St Peter’s Square in 2019.

Source:  Independent Catholic News (www.indcatholicnews.com)

Thursday 10 November 2022

prayers make a difference

Wednesday 9 November 2022

A Poem for November – All Souls

So what is heaven?

In each year’s eleventh month we ask: so what is heaven?
(And on the eleventh day at the eleventh hour reply: An end to war, at least!)
We ask this not abstractly but from the place of loss.

Unlike the case of Christ, we don’t proclaim the death of those we’ve loved
to be the source of life; yet we profess their resurrection, too.
The Afterlife is, as seen from here, an act of trust,
a surrendering to Love and to Eternity of those who’ve gone before.

So what is heaven? Better say what it is not:
not an everlasting frigid calm, all white robes, harps and halos;
nor a reward for lives spent ‘being nice’ and minding ‘p’s and ‘q’s.

Ask Jesus what it’s like, and he replies with tales of harvests, parties, feasts:

the gathering up of all that’s been, shorn now of hurt,
the remembering of the unloved and forgotten,
the pardoning of what we’d not forgiven,
the welcoming of things that did not fit.

So what is heaven? This:

an arc of covenant that spans all vales of tears,
the Beyond that touches our today with peace,
the assurance that what we’ve lost is found,
now home and safe, at one with God.

© Rob Esdaile, 2022

Source:  Independent Catholic News (www.indcatholicnews.com)

 

Tuesday 8 November 2022

Capitular Mass and Installation of New Canons

liverpool met cathedral

The Archbishop will install four new Canons at the Cathedral today during Mass at 12.15 pm.

The Mass will be livestreamed here:

Tuesday 8 November 2022, Capitular Mass and Installation of New Canons – YouTube

The order of service is here:

Tuesday 32nd Wk Ord Time Yr II – Installation of New Canons

 

Monday 7 November 2022

COP27+graphic+square+cafod

COP27

The COP27 climate conference has started in Egypt with calls for leaders to act after a year in which the destruction caused by the climate crisis has become even more stark.

The summit comes 12 months after leaders left Glasgow at the end of COP26, where governments took some steps to move away from fossil fuels but failed to commit to the deep and rapid emissions cuts required to keep global temperature rises below the catastrophic 1.5C threshold.

The need for governments to act has been made even more urgent after a year in which millions of families have been pushed to the brink of starvation in East Africa and millions in Pakistan have lost homes and livelihoods to monumental floods.

Campaigners are demanding rich countries commit at COP27 to set up and contribute towards a ‘loss and damage fund’, meaning the countries that have historically polluted the most provide financial support to countries that have contributed least to the climate crisis but are being hardest hit.

Polling undertaken ahead of COP27 shows that a majority of people in the UK feel the government must do more to tackle the climate crisis.  The poll, conducted by YouGov on behalf of CAFOD, showed that nearly six out of 10 people feel the government has done too little to tackle the climate emergency.

Bishop John Arnold, Chair of CAFOD, said: “The environment cannot be isolated from our relationship with God. We are blessed with stewardship over the earth, but with this comes the responsibility to protect our planet and preserve it for future generations. For too long, we have been reliant on fossil fuels which are causing devastation to communities around the world. As the world’s eyes descend on COP27, I pray the government and world leaders will seize this opportunity and invest in renewable energy so we can protect our planet for future generations.”

Prayer

God of blessings,
the universe sings of your glory.
Deepen our gratitude for all you have made
and awaken in us a renewed commitment
to care for the earth and each other.

Inspire world leaders at COP27,
with openness to listen to those most affected by climate change
and with courage to act urgently and wisely,
so that our common home may be healed and restored
and all people, and generations to come, may delight in it.

Amen.

Source:  www.cafod.org.uk 

 

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – 6 November 2022

sun32c

 

Mass Sheet we will be using in church:    Mass Sheet (32C)

Bidding Prayers:    Bidding Prayers (32C)

Reflection on the Readings:   prego-sunday-32-otc-2022

 

cathedral ukraine

CAFOD’s Prayer for Ukraine

Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.

Amen.

 

Some Funnies

adam's underwear

 

God bless,
Fr Dave