“Without yielding to evasions or illusions, “Mary accompanied the suffering of her Son: she supported him by her gaze & protected him with her heart. She shared his suffering, yet was not overwhelmed by it. She was the woman of strength who uttered her “yes” who supports & accompanies, protects & embraces. She is the great guardian of hope…from her, we learn how to say “yes” to the stubborn endurance & creativity of those who, undaunted, are ever-ready to start over again”. Mary was a young woman, whose heart overflowed with joy, whose eyes, reflecting the light of the Holy Spirit, looked at life with faith & treasured all things in her youthful heart. She was energetic, ready to set out immediately once she knew that her cousin needed her. She did not think about her own plans, but went “with haste” to the hill country. When her young son needed protection, Mary set out with Joseph to a distant land. She also joined the disciples in awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In her presence, a young Church was born, as the apostles went forth to give birth to a new world." (“Christus Vivit” by Pope Francis)
The combined Ampleforth/Gilling Harvest Service was held in Holy Cross, Gilling last Sunday followed by a wonderful shared supper in the Village Hall. Almost 80 people joined us & it proved to be a timely opportunity for our own parishioners from both Ampleforth & Gilling to meet in prayer & then in social conversation, which hopefully will be the first of many such moments to weave together all three local communities, including St Aidan’s in Oswaldkirk. We are grateful to Rev Catherine Reid & her flock from St Hilda’s & Holy Cross who gave us such warm hospitality, & indeed those who organised & served us at the Harvest Supper. Let us keep each other in prayer as we come to terms with the practicalities as well as the spirituality of our gradual amalgamation.
The Annual Inspirational Day for both Ministers of Holy Communion (MOHC) & Ministers of the Word (MOW) will be held at the Spa Conference Centre in Scarborough on Sat 23rd Nov 2019. The guest speaker will be Sr Gemma Simmonds CJ, with registration at 9.30am, with the day ending at 3pm after Mass. Bishop Terence Patrick encourages everyone commissioned to attend at least one study day each year. Feedback from our Ministers each year is always warm & appreciative of the day. Please contact Kit Dollard (MOHC) or David Cragg-James (MOW) to register by 3rd Nov 2019. The cost of £27 per delegate will be paid by the Parish. This is an opportunity to express our deep appreciation to all these Ministers for their faithful service at our daily Masses.
The Amazon Summit/Synod begins in Rome this Sunday & continues until 27th Oct 2019. Please pray for its success in bringing to the attention of the Church & the World the urgent need for the action of each & all of us in slowing down Global Warming. I wonder how many of us have begun, & continued, to return the plastic packaging in which most of our food is now purchased, to our shops & supermarkets with a gentle request for such provisions to be sold in less damaging paper. As the Tesco slogan reminds us “every little helps.” You may like to make the following a daily prayer. “May the Holy Spirit inspire the participants at the Synod to strive to fulfil our catholic universal mission, by acting together in defence of God’s planet against the climate change we have caused, responding to “the cry of the poor” & “the cry of the earth.” (Laudato Si)
October is the month Our Lady of the Rosary: some of you pray the rosary religiously each day, often for the needs of others both locally & further afield. Each year we give a set of rosary beads to each of our children in Class 3 & Class 4 in St Benedict’s Primary School, & we teach them how to pray this 15/20 minutes of quiet & gentle servant discipleship. If you haven’t a set of rosary beads, please be in contact with me. With my love & prayers Fr Bede.