24th June will be a special day in our parish
Four children from St Joseph’s join with youngsters from Bishop’s Cleeve to make their first Holy Communion following their preparation programme spearheaded by Selina Dorehill.
Please see their pictures on the wall in the Narthex and keep them in your prayers – that they may always count Jesus as their most true friend and saviour.
Thank for all who came and enjoyed being together at Tewkesbury Abbey last month
£400 profit was made for supporting the trip to Liverpool by four parishioners who will attend the Adoremus Eucharistic Congress in September.
Very many thanks to the team who worked so happily and effectively
Hopefully we will repeat this exercise next year
Bishop Declan Lang, Chair of the Bishops’ Conference Department for International Affairs, has given an address to European and African bishops about the mission of the Church in context with the challenges of globalisation.
Speaking in Fatima, Portugal, on 14 April, Bishop Declan was taking part in an on-going series of collaborative study seminars hosted by CCEE, the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, and SECAM, Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar.
The theme for reflection was: ‘What globalisation means for the Church and cultures in Africa and Europe’.
Bishop Declan split his address into three sub-themes to explain the nature of the Catholic Church’s mission:
Affirming Pope St John Paul II’s insistence that globalisation “must serve solidarity and the Common Good”, Bishop Declan acknowledged the enormous potential for countries to cooperate to serve the human person, create livelihoods, and open up new opportunities but recognised that systems and safeguards need to be in place with regard to access to foreign markets and global trade.
“Time and time again the system is stacked in favour of wealthy countries and multi-national corporations, labour standards are kept low in the interest of profit, and human rights commitments remain nothing more than promises on paper.
“Yes, international trade has helped people out of poverty. But on too many occasions it has also allowed rich countries to become dependent on cheap goods, holding back working conditions in the developing world.
“It has allowed agricultural dumping to destroy the livelihoods of struggling farmers. And it has undermined environmental safeguards designed to protect our planet for the next generation.”
The second challenge, in the Bishop’s view, is to address isolationism and work, as a universal Church, for international solidarity.
“We have a mission to pastorally support those who legitimately feel left behind by globalisation, as well as those who have been stigmatised because of isolationist sentiment. Particularly when upheavals such as the Brexit vote take place we have a role to play repairing bridges both within and between our countries.”
Finally, Bishop Declan discusses the Christian responsibility to nurture and strengthen the Church’s own global cooperation in the service of humanity. He praises the commitment and efforts of Catholic schools and parishes and the work of Caritas around the world – “truly global solidarity in action”.
He also gives the example of the Santa Marta Group as evidence of the Church’s international approach to the Common Good. The Santa Marta Group is an alliance of Bishops and police chiefs from more than 35 countries working in collaboration to tackle modern slavery.
“The partnerships, education programmes, community initiatives, and victim support services that have been established through the group are making genuine progress in the fight against this horrendous crime. Our own congregations are also being mobilised to educate themselves, hold elected officials to account and exercise their power as consumers in pressuring businesses to act.”
Please click on the ‘Syrian Situation’ link below to read the recent message from Samara concerning the heightening tension and problems on the ground.
Your prayers and your practical support are urged.
All are asked to renew their church parking permits, please.
The Finance Committee have decided that an increase in charges will be in order for those parking overnight and/or all day in our grounds.
Cheques for the new 2018-2019 permits should be made payable to St Joseph’s Parish and posted into the office with details of your vehicle – Registration, Make, model and colour.
For the overnight parking passes the parish will be able to accept payment in two installments June & September if that is helpful
Each month, on the first Sunday, we recite the Rosary at 8.30am prior to our Mass at 9.00am .
Whenever you find the rosary being recited prior to Mass, please join in as soon as you arrive at church.
Please call into the office and collect information sheets to how to make
a child’s Smiley Bag.
You can help relieve the suffering of innocent little ones in war torn Syria and Iraq.
Alternatively find details of dignity bags for women in the war torn area. We did this earlier in the year but the problem is an on-going one and they need our help.
Click below to read the latest news sent from Samara to Richard Sear – our parish link with the aid initiative in the middle east.
