A
message from Father Duncan on Monday 23 March 2020
Dear
Parishioners
Today, I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish, Pat Woods' special
intention and Ian Neal who died recently. Pope Francis has pointed out
that our God 'is the God of closeness, is a God who is close, who walks
with his people' and who 'makes the prescriptions, writes them with his
own hands on the stone, he gives them to Moses, but he does not leave
the prescriptions and he goes away - he walks, he is close, and he observes.
What nation has a God so close? Ours is a God of closeness.' In this context,
the Pontiff points out that 'Our God is close' and 'asks us to be close
to each other, not to distance ourselves from each other.' And at this
time of crisis due to the pandemic we are experiencing, he clarified "this
closeness asks us to show it more, to show it more. We cannot, perhaps,
physically approach for fear of contagion, but yes, we can awaken in us
an attitude of closeness between us - with prayer, with help, many forms
of closeness. And why should we be close to each other? Because our God
is close and he wants to accompany us in life.
A
message from Father Duncan on Sunday 22 March 2020
Dear
Parishioners
Today, on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for
the Parish. "I asked the Lord to stop the epidemic. Lord,
stop it with your hand." This is what Pope Francis responded when
asked what he prayed for four days ago, when he ventured to Rome's Centre,
making a pilgrimage on foot from Rome's Marian Basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore,
to the Church of San Marcello al Corso where there is a miraculous cross.
"This is what I prayed for. During these difficult days, we can find
small, concrete gestures expressing closeness and concreteness towards
the people closest to us. These include a caress for our grandparents,
a kiss for our children, for the people we love. If we live these days
like this, they won't be wasted. We must rediscover the concreteness of
little things, small gestures of attention we can offer those close to
us, our family, our friends. We must understand that in small things lies
our treasure. These gestures of tenderness, affection, compassion, are
minimal and tend to be lost in the anonymity of everyday life, but they
are nonetheless decisive, important. I ask everyone to stay close to those
who have lost loved ones, to be close to them in every possible way. Consolation
must now be everyone's commitment." Today - Mothering Sunday - is
a National Day of Prayer. We are invited to pray the Rosary at 12 noon,
asking for her intercession for our country and our world in this time
of need.
In the midst of all the uncertainty, changes and anxiety, we know the
nature of Gods fatherly heart. We know he draws ever nearer to us
in times of suffering, and we know his first impulse is to love and to
create. So, in everything, we remain grateful, optimistic and full of
hope that there are sublime blessings that will come from this. As we
navigate our new reality, I wanted to assure you of two things - you,
the Parish family of Saint Peters are my number one priority and
I will offer Holy Mass daily for your and your families. In Church, the
Parish is making available powerful resources to help bring Catholics
closer to God, pray at home and keep the Sunday as a Holy Day. There is
a special prayer leaflet called When Mass cannot be Celebrated Publicly,
a prayer card The Act of Spiritual Communion and a pocket-sized prayer
card with the Order of Mass. The Parish bulletin is also available with
the Sunday Mass Readings and Thoughts for every Day. Please avail yourself
of these resources and remember our Church is open from 9.30am until 4.30pm
every day for a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and private prayer.