SERVICES
AND GATHERINGS
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, public Church services and gatherings
are suspended till further notice. Father
Duncan
will live stream Holy Mass every day and assures you of his prayers for you
and your family.
INTRODUCTION
This is a difficult feast to celebrate at home when we are unable to receive
the gift that Jesus gives us - his Body and Blood - and it is now quite a
long time since we were able to receive Holy Communion. Perhaps today we can
offer our prayer in solidarity with all those, past and present, who have
been unable to receive this gift. Our own forebears in the time when Catholics
were not allowed to celebrate Mass in our country, or people today, especially
in the developing world, who have no access to Mass or perhaps do so only
every couple of months. The gift of Jesus, while a real, physical gift that
we eat and drink, is also a spiritual gift - a gift of presence and communion
beyond the physical. Let us give thanks for that, as we look forward to receiving
his Body and Blood again in the future.
A READING
FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN (6:51-58)
Jesus said to the crowd "I am the living bread which has come down from
heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever and the bread that I
shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world." Then the Jews started
arguing with one another "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
they said. Jesus replied "I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat
the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in
you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and
I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood
is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I
live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from
the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. This is the bread come
down from heaven - not like the bread our ancestors ate. They are dead but
anyone who eats this bread will live for ever."
REFLECTION
The Eucharist is not a thing - it is a person. Jesus gives himself to us,
not as an idea or concept, not as a symbol or memory, but as a living reality
in our here and now. This faith of the Church in the 'real presence' of Jesus
is what we celebrate today. But as we do so far from our Church buildings,
unable to receive Holy Communion, it challenges us to think a little more
broadly about that presence. Our priests are still celebrating Mass every
day and this is true throughout the whole world. Just imagine, for a moment,
all those Masses. Imagine them connected up, like a network, each Mass a point
where the Body and Blood of Jesus are truly present. Each Mass is the presence
of the same Lord Jesus, who thus spreads his presence across the whole world.
We may not be at Church, we may not be receiving Holy Communion but the 'net'
that is the real presence of Jesus is spreading over us even now, from altar
to altar throughout the world.
NEW
APPOINTMENT FOR FATHER DUNCAN
Bishop Nolan has appointed Father
Duncan as Parish Priest of Saint
Bride's Church, West Kilbride with the coming retirement of Father Boland
on 21 June 2020, whilst remaining Parish Priest of Saint Peter's. Our two
parishes will be looking at common issues for the coming months, particularly
the issue of Mass times and so on.
LIVE-STREAMING AT SAINT PETER'S
Saint Peter's is now live-streaming the daily Mass and the Sunday Mass and
it is already in operation. Kevin Rennie, David Priest and Eddie McArdle have
literally 'worked their socks off'over many hours and days to get it ready.
I am very grateful to them for all the hard work and dedication. It has been
a huge task. Mass will be live-streamed during the week from Monday to Saturday
with the Holy Rosary at 9.35am and Holy Mass at the weekday usual time of
10.00am. On Sunday. Mass will start at the usual time of 10.30am. Just go
our websites SaintPeterInChains.net or SaintPeterInChains.co.uk and click
on the link to the live-streaming. Please pass the word, especially to those
who are stuck at home.
REOPENING
OF OUR CHURCH
We are hoping and praying that Saint Peter's will be open soon for private
prayer. To open safely, we will need to find an answer to two big challenges
- cleaning the Church and stewarding it during opening times. Our cleaners,
who have done such a wonderful job over many years - we'll come back to this
later - can't help with this because of age restrictions and health issues.
If you could help with cleaning or being a steward , please get in touch with
the Parish Office as soon as possible. The reopening of Churches depends on
these two things - cleaning and stewarding, otherwise we won't be able to
go ahead. Thank you!
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
Every day this week, Father Duncan
will celebrate Holy Mass, focusing on these thoughts about the Real Presence
of Christ in the Eucharist.
A message from Father Duncan on Sunday 14 June 2020 - Solemnity of the Most
Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Today, I celebrate Holy Mass for the Parish. During
Pope Benedict's visit to the United States a few years ago, he had a meeting
in Washington with leaders of different religions. During that meeting, he
encouraged everyone present not to be afraid to speak about the real differences
between the different religions. He said "Dear friends, in our attempt
to discover points of commonality, perhaps we have shied away from the responsibility
to discuss our differences with calmness and clarity." - Papal Address
to Inter-religious Leaders, 17 April 2008). One of the biggest differences
between the Catholic faith and the different Protestant Christian denominations
like Baptists, Methodists, and Evangelicals, is connected with the great mystery
of the Eucharist which the whole Catholic Church, throughout the world, celebrates
in a special way today, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
- Corpus Christi. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you
and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Monday 15 June 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass for the Parish. The
Catholic Church has always believed and taught that Jesus Christ is really,
truly present in the sacrament of the Eucharist. This makes the sacrament
of the Eucharist the greatest of all sacraments. Here's how the Catechism
puts it - In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood,
together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore,
the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained. That means
that the Eucharist is not just a symbol of Christ's presence. A symbol points
to a reality but as Catholics, we know that Christ is not just symbolically
present in the Eucharist - he is truly, really present. That's what makes
the Eucharist a sacrament, instead of just a symbol. Every time an ordained
priest pronounces the words of consecration at Mass - when he says "This
is my body ... this is my blood" - Jesus himself, in a mysterious, sacramental
way, becomes truly present under the appearances of bread and wine. This is
what Jesus taught and this is what Catholics have believed since the very
dawn of the Church.
Please be assured of my daily prayers for you
and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Tuesday 16 June 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass for the Parish. Every
time Mass is celebrated, whether on a battlefield, in a hospital, in the jungle
or right here in Saint Peter's in Ardrossan, a real miracle occurs. Just as
Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, at every Mass he
turns bread and wine into his own body and blood. Only God can do that kind
of thing - only God can perform miracles. Theologians can only describe what
happens. They call it transubstantiation. This means that during the Mass,
the substance of the bread and wine are changed into Christ's body and blood,
but the appearance of bread and wine remains the same. Please be
assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Wednesday
17 June 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass for the Parish and Bernard Kilbane, Michael Leonard
and Robert Bennett at their anniversaries. Many times
throughout the history of the Church, God has allowed other miracles to take
place to remind us of the reality of the central miracle of the Eucharist.
There are documented cases of consecrated hosts - the host is the small piece
of bread used during the Mass and after it is consecrated by the priest, it
becomes a consecrated host, the Eucharist - that have begun to bleed, that
have turned into flesh, that have been miraculously preserved in the midst
of devastating fires. Miracles like these, of which history is full, are just
reminders of the main miracle that occurs every day - Christ turning bread
and wine into his body and blood. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Thursday 18 June 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass for the Parish,
in thanksgiving for support following the death of Joe McIver and Owen McGuire
on his anniversary. This miraculous
presence of Christ explains why we give so much reverence to this greatest
of all the sacraments, the Eucharist. We use precious metals for the vessels
used at Mass. We decorate our Churches with beautiful and valuable art because
here in the church building, in the small box called the tabernacle, our Lord
is present, accompanying us and interceding for us in the Eucharist 24/7.
We celebrate first Holy Communion with splendour and joy. We always genuflect
when we cross in front of the tabernacle. We hold processions every year in
which the Eucharist is carried in honour through the Church or through our
streets just as any other king is honoured by his subjects. We dress respectfully
and elegantly when we come to Mass, because we are coming to worship and receive
our Lord who will truly become present once again. All of this is part of
our rich heritage as Catholic Christians, and it all flows from Christ's true
presence in this sacrament. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Friday 19 June 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass for the Parish and Sheelagh Kelly at her anniversary.
Why did Jesus decide to give us the Eucharist? He
wanted to extend his incarnation into every corner of the world, into every
cranny of history. That's how much he loves us. We are human beings, body
and soul, and so we need to feel Christ's presence not just spiritually, but
also here-and-now, in this sacrament. He knew we would need a place, a real
physical place, where we could go to speak to him, heart-to-heart, in good
times and bad. Please be assured of
my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Saturday 20 June 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass for the Parish and to overcome all forms of racism,
intolerance and the instrumentalisation of the human person. We
also need Christ's own strength to help us fight bravely against temptations
and stay faithful to God's will in our lives. Through the Eucharist, we are
mysteriously present at the very sacrifice that Jesus made on Good Friday
and so at every Mass we can unite our own sufferings and sacrifices to his.
Let's thank him again today for this amazing gift and when we receive him
in Holy Communion hopefully soon, let's promise him that we will never take
it for granted or let it go to waste. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A SIMPLE EXPLANATION OF THE MASS - PART 3
The Introduction to the Order of the Mass comments - Since worship engages
Christians fully, in every aspect of their being, they worship God with their
bodies and feelings as well as their minds and spirits, with their hands and
feet as well as their eyes and ears. The non-verbal elements of the Liturgy
can express what cannot be articulated in words and, at times, can reinforce
the spoken word. Because of their importance, the gestures and postures of
the Liturgy are to be given the attention they require. Our celebration of
the Eucharist is filled with many scared gestures and postures. For example,
when we enter our Church, we bless ourselves with Holy Water - a reminder
of our Baptism in Christ. Before we enter a pew, we genuflect or bow as an
act of adoration and mark the respect for the Eucharist. Every Catholic Church
has a Tabernacle where hosts are kept. We believe that Jesus continues to
be truly present in the hosts after the celebration of Mass has finished.
In Christian liturgical tradition, standing is the posture of an Easter people
lifted up to greet the Risen Lord. During Mass, we sit to listen and meditation
the Word of God. We kneel before God as an expression of our humble submission
to him as our creator as a sign of contrition for our sins and as an act of
adoration and reverence. Other gestures used during Mass include bowing a
a natural and gracious sign of respect, kissing the altar and the Book of
the Gospel, joining hands as an expression of prayerfulness and striking the
breast as an act of humility and contrition. A good practice suggestion is
to perform ritual actions in a prayerful and reverent way, for example, making
the Sign of the Cross slowly and reverently, bowing and genuflecting with
reverence, exchanging the Sign of Peace with a sense of the presence of Christ
in those around us.
A MYSTERY
GREAT AND EXHAUSTIBLE
In 1263, a German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at Bolsena while on a pilgrimage
to Rome. He is described as being a pious priest but one who found it difficult
to believe that Christ was actually present in the consecrated Host. While
celebrating Holy Mass above the tomb of Saint Christina, he had barely spoken
the words of the Consecration when blood started to seep from the consecrated
Host and trickle over his hands on to the altar and the corporal. The priest
was immediately confused. At first he attempted to hide the blood but then
he interrupted the Mass and asked to be taken to the neighbouring city of
Orvieto, the city where Pope Urban IV was then residing. The Pope listened
to the priest's account and absolved him. He then sent emissaries for an immediate
investigation. When all the facts were ascertained, he ordered the Bishop
of the diocese to bring to Orvieto the Host and the linen cloth bearing the
stains of blood. With archbishops, cardinals and other Church dignitaries
in attendance, the Pope met the procession and, amid great pomp, had the relics
placed in the cathedral. The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is
still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the Cathedral of Orvieto. It is
said that Pope Urban IV was prompted by this miracle to commission Saint Thomas
Aquinas to compose the Proper for a Mass and an Office honouring the Holy
Eucharist as the Body of Christ. One year after the miracle, in August of
1264, Pope Urban IV introduced the saint's composition and by means of a papal
bull instituted the feast of Corpus Christi. After visiting the Cathedral
of Orvieto, many pilgrims and tourists journey to Saint Christina's Church
in Bolsena to see for themselves the place where the miracle occurred. From
the north aisle of the church one can enter the Chapel of the Miracle where
the stains on the paved floor are said to have been made by the blood from
the miraculous Host. The altar of the miracle, which is surmounted be a ninth
century canopy, is now situated in the grotto of Saint Christina. A reclining
statue of the saint is nearby. In August of 1964, on the seven-hundredth anniversary
of the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi, Pope Paul VI celebrated
Holy Mass at the altar where the holy corporal is kept in its golden shrine
in the Cathedral of Orvieto. Twelve years later, the same pontiff visited
Bolsena and spoke from there via television to the forty-first International
Eucharistic Congress, then concluding its activities in Philadelphia. During
his address Pope Paul VI spoke of the Eucharist as being " ... a mystery
great and inexhaustible."
PRAYER DURING A PANDEMIC
May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose
between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools
close remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those that have no safe place
to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market
remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country, let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbours. Amen. Cameron
Bellm
JUST
FOR A LAUGH ...
• The Government in Egypt has asked the city's taxi drivers to drive around
Cairo sounding their car horns. It is hoped that the familiar sounds of the
city will induce a return to tranquillity and normality following the recent
pandemic. Operation Toot 'n Calm 'Em will last for the rest of the week.
•
Last night my wife sent me a text, saying she was in casualty. When I got
home I watched all fifty minutes of it - I never saw her once. She still hasn't
come home yet. I'm starving!
CATHOLIC-THEMED
TELEVISION PROGRAMMES
There are two Catholic-themed documentaries which will be broadcast next week
on the BBC Scotland channel - My First Communion on Tuesday 16 June at 8.00pm
and Our Fathers on Thursday 18 June at 8.30pm. My
First Communion follows four little girls in the months leading to their First
Holy Communion, a day they will never forget. Each year, around eight thousand
children in Scotland make their First Holy Communion. This rite of passage
brings with it months of preparations, dress shopping, party planning and
religious instruction. In a rural school in the Highlands, it's the first
day of communion lessons for the Primary 4 class. Miss Smith runs the class
through rehearsals before the day and Father Roddy lets the children taste
the altar bread for the first time. Along the way, we meet the family members,
teachers, priests and catechists who guide, instruct and accompany the children.
Through tears and excitement, interviews with the children and their own video
diaries, each moment is another milestone on a personal journey as we go behind
the scenes of their First Holy Communion.
WEEKLY
BULLETIN
If you would like to receive the weekly bulletin and updates by email, please
get in touch with the Parish Office and send us your email address. If you
know of someone who would like to be included on the mailing list, please
let us know. Thanks!
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The financial support and upkeep of the Parish is also drastically affected
by the present situation. Please try and hand in your Offertory envelopes
to the Parish Office when you can or better still, consider taking out a Banker's
Order for Saint Peter's as the social isolation will probably impact us
for the next months. Banker's
Order and Gift
Aid Declaration forms are available in the Parish Office and on our website.
If you would prefer that we email you or post the forms, please let the Parish
Office know. If you require any assistance in completing the forms, please
contact George at the Parish Office and he can speak to you by phone. Thank
you for all you do and for your solidarity and generosity. In
these difficult financial times, there is no obligation to give to the Sunday
Collection. If, however, you feel able to, you can donate by text message
to an account set up by the Diocese of Galloway. It is not possible to nominate
a particular parish so all text-giving donations will be shared among parishes.
To donate, text the word SUNDAY to 70085 followed by the number of pounds,
from 1 to 20. For example, SUNDAY 5 to 70085 gives £5. This message
would cost £5 plus one standard rate message charge. Thank you for all
your commitment and support.
USED
POSTAGE STAMPS
We have been asked to donate our used postage stamps to fund Medical Science.
Please hand your used stamps to the Parish Office or give to Alfie Agostini.
NEW PARISH WEBSITE
Please have a look at our new parish website which is now up and running.
There are lots of resources for prayer and information, latest news and also
the weekly bulletin. The history section is being expanded step by step and
has really interesting video clips and photos from past events at Saint Peter's.
Have a look at SaintPeterInChains.co.uk.
WEEKLY BULLETIN
If you would like to receive the weekly Bulletin and updates by email, please
get in touch with the parish office and send us your email address. If you
know of someone who would like to be included on the mailing list, please
let us know - thanks.
HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY
If a member of your family or a friend is sick, please let us know and give
us the details. Deacon Bill Corbett (01292 521208, 07904 248948, Rev.BillCorbett@btinternet.com)
is the Chaplain to Crosshouse Hospital and is assisted by the Priest on call
each week.
ADVERTISER SUPPORT
Our advertisers would welcome your support. We are grateful for their continuing
sponsorship. We are grateful for the support of Mr and Mrs Sohal, Nisa Stores,
Glasgow Street for the weekly donation of tea, coffee and milk for the Sunday
teas.
PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS - MISSION STATEMENT
The Catholic Church in Scotland is concerned with the lives, safety, wholeness
and well-being of each individual person within God's purpose for everyone.
It seeks to safeguard the welfare of people of all ages who are involved in
whatever capacity with
the Church and its organisations. As a Church community, we accept that it
is the responsibility of all of us, ordained, professed, paid and
voluntary members, to work together to prevent the physical, sexual, emotional
abuse or neglect of children, young people and vulnerable adults.