Saturday 6th September Bethel Convention Centre nr Birmingham Hosted by Anointed Fire Catholic Ministries Speakers include John and Aleksandra Stayne, (Cor et Lumen Christi) and dynamic youth ministry music. Talks, mass, confession, prayer ministry, healing in adoration. All ages including children streams and teen/ youth meetings  Buses available (venue just off motorway) Contact Madeleine Jeremy 07791503857

PARISH AFTERNOON TEA Thursday 4th September 1pm at the Community Hall, Bedford Street. Cakes, sandwiches, savouries, coffee/tea, a glass of fizz/bucks fizz. £12.00 Sign-up list will be available after Mass this weekend.

Holy Communion (2) Can you imagine? The created in union with the Creator. The Creator within the created. "He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him." (John 6:56) Our distance with God at that moment is not a million miles away, but it is zero distance. At that moment, He is no longer that Almighty King who sit high up in Heaven, He become a kindly Father, a longing Lover. We share and converse with Him who we are, what we got, what we have gone through, what we want to ask for...He exchange with us His Love, His Blessings, His Grace, His Answers… If you truly believe then you will understand how beautiful and how wonderful this is. Communion with God, is like a man finally knows his roots, like a lost child finally find his mother; then one finally knows the meaning and purpose of life. One may also easily finds the word 'communion' sounds like 'come-union', and indeed Holy Communion is a Divine Invitation, therefore we need to prepare ourselves carefully for such an important and holy moment. How? If you need to find your best dress or suit to go to a wedding, then for a spiritual feast you will also need to make sure your spiritual garment is beautiful and clean enough to attend - your soul. To do so, we must examine our conscience, and if conscious of a grave sin then we must go to Confession. And when we worthily received Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, this deepen union with Christ can transform our lives, not only it preserves, increases and renews the life of grace received at Baptism, strengthen our charity, even cleanse us from past sins and preserve us from future sins even mortal sins. (Reference: Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Pope Leo XIV at the Mass for the Jubilee of Young People at Tor Vergata in Rome on Sunday 3 August “It is truly beautiful, especially at a young age,” the Holy Father said, “to open wide your hearts, to allow him to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity.” St Augustine, reflecting on his intense search for God, asked himself: ‘What, then, is the object of our hope…?’ Asking whether our source of hope is the earth or something beautiful that comes from it, he argued that these items were not, but rather ‘the One Who made them,’ ‘He is your hope.’ Like Augustine’s search for meaning, the Pope acknowledged the young people at times ponder similar questions, “There is a burning question in our hearts, a need for truth that we cannot ignore, which leads us to ask ourselves: what is true happiness? What is the true meaning of life? What can free us from being trapped in meaninglessness, boredom and mediocrity?” Pope Leo recalled the young people have had many beautiful experiences, adding that through all this, “you can grasp an important point,” namely the fullness of our existence does not depend on what we store up or, as we heard in the Gospel, on what we possess. Rather, he reminded, fullness has to do with what we joyfully welcome and share. “Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough. We need to lift our eyes, to look upwards, to the ‘things that are above…'”  “Dear young people, Jesus is our hope,” Pope Leo insisted. “It is He, who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives… to commit… to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal…Let us remain united to Him, let us remain in His friendship, always, cultivating it through prayer, adoration, Eucharistic Communion, frequent Confession, and generous charity, following the examples of Bl Piergiorgio Frassati and Bl Carlo Acutis who will soon be declared saints.” Hence, he invited, “Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around you.”

O God, who cause the minds of the faithful to unite in a single purpose, grant your people to love what you command and to desire what you promise, that, amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,  God, for ever and ever. Amen

Next meeting is on Thursday 28th August at 2.30pm in St David’s Chapel Entrance via Bedford Street. There will be praying Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy

Sunday 24 August St Mary’s Church, Monmouth Begin with Mass at 9.15am and set off to walk to Welsh Newton from 10.15am, the event will concluded with Benediction in the Church at 4.15pm. Everyone welcome - bring a packed lunch. For further information, contact Mary Walsh on 01600 713 316

Saturday 13th September 10am-2:30pm All Hallows Church, Miskin Free lunch provided Welcome all mothers, grandmothers, and women with hearts for children Arranged by: Nora Woodward and Sr Susan Armond on behalf of the Archdiocese. Learn about establishing your own Mothers' Prayers group with the UK national coordinator. Discover how these small, faith-filled groups began under the Holy Spirit's guidance and now flourish in 120 countries.

Holy Communion (1) Do you notice that in our lives we always need companionship, friendship, relationship, or some simply like to go to where people exist? Since from the very beginning, God has said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper..." (Genesis 2:18) Therefore, whilst we are still living in this world, this togetherness (or this union) is necessary and tends to be in our nature. Thus you may find some chose to be with someone, some chose to be with something... But there is a union on this earth which is above all, that is, the communion of a human with God - the receiving of the Holy Eucharist - the Holy Communion. What is the word 'communion' means? Dictionaries will give you the meaning of 'connect in a meaningful way or a close relationship with someone in which intimate thoughts, feelings and emotions are shared or exchanged, especially on a mental or spiritual level'. Do not forget, Jesus is really, truly and substantially present in the Eucharist. The Holy Mass is not simply the breaking and sharing of the bread in memorial of Our Blessed Lord. Because, during the Mass, the greatest of Miracles occurs - 'Transubstantiation' - the change of the whole substance of bread and wine (though not the appearance) into Christ's Body and Blood. It begins at the moment of the Consecration and the Eucharistic presence of Christ endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Therefore, in the most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist is “the Body and Blood, together with the Soul and Divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ". So this union, receiving of the Holy Communion, is not a distanced or superficial connection, but a very close, deep and intimate connection. (References: *Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament *The Holy Mass Explained to Catalina Rivas by Jesus and Mary *Catechism of the Catholic Church)