1st November Today the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. The feast of All Saints should inspire us with tremendous hope. Among the saints in heaven are some whom we have known. All lived on earth lives like our own. They were baptized, marked with the sign of faith, they were faithful to Christ's teaching and they have gone before us to the heavenly home whence they call on us to follow them. The Gospel of the Beatitudes, read today, while it shows their happiness, shows, too, the road that they followed; there is no other that will lead us whither they have gone. So we all have this "universal call to holiness." What must we do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40). Wish you all a very happy Solemnity of All Saints!

Holy Family's Sufferings & Patience (1) Every now and then, we hear people asking these questions: “Why do good people suffer?” “Why isn’t good deeds being rewarded?” “Why is there so many unfairness in this world?” If you also wonder why, then turn your eyes to the Holy Family. From them, you may be ‘reassured’ to know that even the Holy Family is not exempted from all these. Think about when Mary journeyed for days to go back to Bethlehem with Joseph, although Joseph was on foot and Mary was on the donkey’s back, but that did not mean Mary is at a more comfortable position. Because there is no such thing as the Tarmac over 2000 years ago, so you can imagine the road should be dusty or muddy and quite uneven and rocky, also sitting on a possibly bony donkey (because of their poverty) would be quite discomfort and constantly wobbly, together with being heavily pregnant at that time, thus added more tiredness onto the weariness of the journey. But that is not all, when they finally arrived, hoping that they will received some hospitality from the home town, they received coldness, indifference, rejection... doors after doors shutting in front of Joseph’s face especially when homeowners knew Mary is giving birth soon. Will you wonder, where is God in all these? Why is even carrying God in Mary’s womb did not make her life any easier? But Jesus also said: “For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve...” (Mk 10:45) Mary left everything is God’s Providence, bear with them patiently, she even asked Joseph to pray with her for those hard-hearted people who refused them. “...love your enemies, ...and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you” (Matt 5:44)

Organ Music for the Bell Tower As part of our fundraising for the Church Bell Tower, there will be three organ recitals taking place between now and Christmas. They are:  12th November – Tim Lyons All recitals start at 7.00pm and there will be a retiring collection in aid of the Bell Tower fund. Please come and support the music, the organists, and your Parish.

Journey in Faith Becoming a Catholic — RCIA The Parish welcomes enquirers for this new group. Please take a leaflet and speak to one of the Priests.  Meetings will take place at 7pm on Wednesdays in the Presbytery

Volunteers are needed to help run the Parish night shelter for rough sleepers which is due to open on Friday 4th December. The shelter opens each Friday until the end of March 2027. If you wish to volunteer, or want more information, please contact Peter Sullivan on 07906 10 10 15 or petersullivan46@btinternet.com

Holy Family's Humility & Meekness (3b)  How touching it was to see, during the evening meal that night in the Upper Room, when Jesus as a Rabbi, took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist and began to wash his disciples’ feet, in order to show us what humility and servanthood is. But Jesus’ humility and meekness reached its summit during His Passion. He foresaw His Sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemani, yet with His immense anguish of soul He humbly submit to His Father’s Will. When Judas kissed Jesus as a signal for the soldiers to seize his Master, He knew why he done so, but he did not punch him in the face, He did not say ‘How dare you!’, He simply said: “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Lk 22:48) And to the high priest’s servant whom Peter cut off his ear, He healed him. To the men in the high priest’s house who mocked and beat Him, to the soldiers who derided His Kingship by putting thorns on His Head, reed on His Hands and purple cloak on His Shoulder, He remained silent, He bear with all these patiently and meekly. “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent…” (Acts 8:32) He humbly accepted the false accusations by His own people, He accepted the unfair sentence that was given by Pilate, He did not defend Himself with any words, but embraced this shameful cross wholeheartedly. On the way of the Cross, He did not bitterly ask His Mother to take revenge for Him, instead He gently consoled the women of Jerusalem who wept for Him. At the end, our Saviour was not raise by his people to the throne of a king with praises and glory, but to a big wooden cross on Mount Calvary between two thieves with mocking and shame. Although He is the King of kings, but for our sake, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death (Phil 2:8), and died as a criminal. Jesus, my Lord, what more could You have done and have not done for us?

“The word Adoremus means ‘we adore,’ or maybe ‘let us adore.’ That’s what Adoremus is about – adoration of the presence of Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, in the Blessed Sacrament before us…when we’re before the Blessed Sacrament, we’re there with that presence of the Lord in his greatest act of love for us and for his Father. And from that love of father and son comes the gift of the holy spirit. So it's not surprising that many people have found praying before the blessed sacrament a very powerful and important experience…There's a French priest called the Curé of Ars or St. John Vianney, and he said the presence of Jesus in the blessed sacrament is God's greatest gift to us because if God had anything greater to give us then he would have given it and this is what he has given… You don’t have to bring anything. Just yourself…place yourself before Jesus…but stay focused on the person of Jesus…You have all the time you want to be silent and just you, face to face, heart to heart with Jesus who loves you, who wants to draw you to himself so that he can tell you what’s in your heart and then together be before Our Heavenly Father.”

Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. 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.

Holy Rosary will be held in Our Lady’s Garden at St Peter’s every Sunday in October at 10:45am Week 4 (25 October) The Glorious Mysteries For the universal Church, Priests & Religious All are welcome to join the full Holy Rosary in the October month of the Rosary!