Our Vision Group met last Saturday to shape a first draft of the Parish Vision Statement. They began the day at 9am with a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, & successfully completed their spiritual work at 5.30pm. We are deeply grateful to them for their facilitation over the last few months in our Parish Forums. The draft Statement is a tribute to your prayerful & wise contributions thus far. Before finalising the Statement, the Group need your feedback on this draft; both what you like about it & any suggestions for improvement. Please share these by adding cards to the Hall wall if possible, or otherwise by making notes on one of the paper copies available at the back of Church, & returning it to the box provided. So that we have the Vision in time for Christmas as planned, please respond in one of these two ways by next Sunday 16th Dec 2018. To allow you to have time & space to pray & to ponder on it, the draft is given here;
We are a growing community which through the power of the Holy Spirit joyfully serves the mission of Jesus Christ
We are a welcoming family in which you are known by name, loved & accepted as you are, encouraged to pray, share your life & grow to become the person you were created to be
Together we reach out in love to offer the joy & hope of the gospel to others through our actions, our words & the example of our lives
After the Holy Hour last Saturday morning, the Group had an initial quiet time in the Hall to gather first thoughts. Please read these which are in a “cloud” arrangement in the Hall just preceding the draft Statement. During that quiet time Sophie Rowe composed a beautiful prose for the moment. Copies are available as you leave the Church, (& following) I would warmly encourage you to take home at least one copy to read & to realise how appropriate it is for our Parish & our current situation.
Welcome to Our Lady & St Benedict’s – Come in.
Leave the worldly hustle & bustle, the noise, the demands..& warm yourself for a moment by the fire Find a corner, find a friend, someone to talk to, to share what troubles you Bring others in too… Study together, relax together, find solutions together Let the Words of Scripture be your Light Let laughter ring out, let tears flow In the silence draw closer to the One who loves you more than you can imagine In music let your spirit sing Run to the one who needs you Arrange your armfuls of flowers, wash & clean & polish Share your surplus, trust in Providence Repair, design, make plans Discuss, create, lay foundations Cluster together in small groups, fling open wide your doors
(composed by Sophie Rowe at the Vision Group Day on Saturday 1st Dec 2018, as the Group met to shape the draft Parish Vision Statement)
Last weekend we launched our Advent Appeal with St Hilda’s for the Apostleship of the Sea. For the last few years we have collected shoe boxes which have been filled with small essentials & treats, which are delivered to the Port Chaplain at Hull Docks, Anne McLaren, a few days before Christmas, so that she can ensure that seafarers have the enjoyment of opening one of our wrapped shoeboxes at sea on Christmas morning. Please source a shoebox & bring it to Church by Sun 16th Dec. St Benedict’s Primary School were involved in a similar venture involving woolly hats & small gifts this last Friday, & we are grateful to pupils, parents & staff who helped Anne McLaren in School, & to her for coming.
Last Sunday St Benedict’s Primary School held their Christmas Fair in the Parish Hall. In every sense, it was a great success & it was a pleasure to see the Parish & the School weaving together for the greater good of our young disciples. On your behalf I would like to thank the PTA, parents & staff for their hard work & splendid achievement in raising £1250. Perhaps this is an Advent moment for some of you to gently encourage a pupil & parent to join us here for Mass.
Last Tuesday we held our first Advent Reflection evening in the Parish Hall, where we opened together a painting of the Annunciation. We had 8 parishioners in total from St Hilda’s & OL&SB. It was a lovely Advent moment full of hope, possibility & expectation. The second session will be on Tuesday week 18th Dec at 7pm in our Parish Hall. With my love & prayers, Fr Bede.