Weekly Zoom Prayers
Webmaaster • October 22, 2020
Weekly Zoom Prayers
Weekly ZOOM PRAYERS - AT 6PM
Prayer time leading to the Assumption of Our Lady
The Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Theme is : Your body is holy and glorious
CLICK TO Join Zoom
Meeting ID: 790 7736 3714
Password: novena
Sunday
Hymn As I kneel before you
1. As I bow my head in prayer, Take this day, make it yours and fill me with your love.
Refrain:
Ave Maria,Gratia plena, Dominus tecum, Benedicta tu.
2. All I have I give you, Every dream and wish are yours, Mother of Christ, Mother of mine, present them to my Lord Ave Maria, Gratia plena, Dominus tecum, Benedicta tu.
In their sermons and speeches on the feast day of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the holy fathers and the great doctors of the church were speaking of something that the faithful already knew and accepted: all they did was to bring it out into the open, to explain its meaning and substance in other terms. Above all, they made it most clear that this feast commemorated not merely the fact that the blessed Virgin Mary did not experience bodily decay, but also her triumph over death and her heavenly glory, following the example of her only Son, Jesus Christ.
Meditate and then Discuss:
We think about what we understand that after death Mary, Mother of Jesus was taken up to heaven in bodily form. A most ancient tradition of the Church.
Prayer
Here again is the wonderful day on which the Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven. We all praise her with the words:* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
℣. Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of praise: through you has risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God.* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Monday
Hymn As I kneel before you
Thus St John Damascene, who is the greatest exponent of this tradition, compares the bodily Assumption of the revered Mother of God with her other gifts and privileges: It was right that she who had kept her virginity unimpaired through the process of giving birth should have kept her body without decay through death. It was right that she who had given her Creator, as a child, a place at her breast should be given a place in the dwelling-place of her God. It was right that the bride espoused by the Father should dwell in the heavenly bridal chamber. It was right that she who had gazed on her Son on the cross, her heart pierced at that moment by the sword of sorrow that she had escaped at his birth, should now gaze on him seated with his Father. It was right that the Mother of God should possess what belongs to her Son and be honoured by every creature as God’s Mother and handmaid.
We think about the privileges given to Mary mother of Jesus.
Discussion
Here again is the wonderful day on which the Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven. We all praise her with the words:* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
℣. Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of praise: through you has risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God.* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Tuesday
Hymn - As I kneel before you
St Germanus of Constantinople considered the preservation from decay of the body of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, and its elevation to heaven as being not only appropriate to her Motherhood but also to the peculiar sanctity of its virgin state: It is written, that you appear in beauty, and your virginal body is altogether holy, altogether chaste, altogether the dwelling-place of God; from which it follows that it is not in its nature to decay into dust, but that it is transformed, being human, into a glorious and incorruptible life, the same body, living and glorious, unharmed, sharing in perfect life.
No other person has had this Assumption into Heaven We think and discuss
Here again is the wonderful day on which the Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven. We all praise her with the words:* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
℣. Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of praise: through you has risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God.* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb
Wednesday
Hymn As I kneel before you
Another very ancient author asserts: Being the most glorious Mother of Christ our saviour and our God, the giver of life and immortality, she is given life by him and shares bodily incorruptibility for all eternity with him who raised her from the grave and drew her up to him in a way that only he can understand.
All that the holy fathers say refers ultimately to Scripture as a foundation, which gives us the vivid image of the great Mother of God as being closely attached to her divine Son and always sharing his lot.
We consider in what other ways Mary was closely attached to Jesus. Here again is the wonderful day on which the Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven. We all praise her with the words:* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
℣. Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of praise: through you has risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God.* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb
Thursday
Hymn As I kneel before you.
It is important to remember that from the second century onwards the holy fathers have been talking of the Virgin Mary as the new Eve for the new Adam: not equal to him, of course, but closely joined with him in the battle against the enemy, which ended in the triumph over sin and death that had been promised even in Paradise.
Think about this new title “The New Eve”
Here again is the wonderful day on which the Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven. We all praise her with the words:* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
℣. Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of praise: through you has risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God.* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb
Friday
Hymn As I kneel before you.
The glorious resurrection of Christ is essential to this victory and its final prize, but the blessed Virgin’s share in that fight must also have ended in the glorification of her body. For as the Apostle says: When this mortal nature has put on immortality, then the scripture will be fulfilled that says “Death is swallowed up in victory”.
The Fathers of the Church see Mary as the first and closest disciple of Jesus
Here again is the wonderful day on which the Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven. We all praise her with the words:* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
℣. Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of praise: through you has risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God.* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb
Saturday
Hymn: As I kneel before you
So then, the great Mother of God, so mysteriously united to Jesus Christ from all eternity by the same decree of predestination, immaculately conceived, an intact virgin throughout her divine motherhood, a noble associate of our Redeemer as he defeated sin and its consequences, received, as it were, the final crowning privilege of being preserved from the corruption of the grave and, following her Son in his victory over death, was brought, body and soul, to the highest glory of heaven, to shine as Queen at the right hand of that same Son, the immortal King of Ages.
We call Mary Queen of Heaven, what do we appreciate her for?
Here again is the wonderful day on which the Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven. We all praise her with the words:* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
℣. Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of praise: through you has risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God.* Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb
The Parish is facing two repairs. The flat roof over the long corridor has water penetration to the retaining wall capping stones. The tall chimney of the old boiler is blamed for some water penetration and must be removed. The second repair follows a report of water penetration of the tower. The rain entry threatens electric contacts of the bells. Again work on the capping stones and the lead covering which will call for scaffolding to the top. Project pictures and information will be displayed in the entrance of the Church shortly. The weekly collection is not covering our outgoing costs, as we all know in paying our utility bills. We hope to have various fundraising projects to assist this essential work. If you have any ideas for fundraising please share on the list at the back of Church. Any contributions will be gratefully welcome Fr Chris & Finance Committee
“...I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them…” (John 17:8,9) Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord, so that we, who believe that the Saviour of the human race is with you in your glory, may experience, as he promised, until the end of the world, his abiding presence among us. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
In the message for the 60th World Communications Day 2026, Pope Leo told us: "Our faces and voices are unique, distinctive features of every person; they reveal a person’s own unrepeatable identity and are the defining elements of every encounter with others...Faces and voices are sacred. God, who created us in his image and likeness, gave them to us when he called us to life through the Word he addressed to us. This Word resounded down the centuries through the voices of the prophets, and then became flesh in the fullness of time. We too have heard and seen this Word (cf.1 Jn1:1-3) — in which God communicates his very self to us — because it has been made known to us in the voice and face of Jesus, the Son of God...Preserving human faces and voices, therefore, means preserving this mark, this indelible reflection of God’s love. We are not a species composed of predefined biochemical formulas...If we fail in this task of preservation, digital technology threatens to alter radically some of the fundamental pillars of human civilization that at times are taken for granted...The challenge, therefore, is not technological, but anthropological. Safeguarding faces and voices ultimately means safeguarding ourselves...renouncing creativity and surrendering our mental capacities and imagination to machines would mean burying the talents we have been given to grow as individuals in relation to God and others. It would mean hiding our faces and silencing our voices… The task laid before us is not to stop digital innovation, but rather to guide it and to be aware of its ambivalent nature. It is up to each of us to raise our voice in defense of human persons, so that we can truly assimilate these tools as allies…” There is a Second Collection THIS weekend for the World Communications Sunday.
National flags On this Solemnity, we would like to decorate the Church with different national flags that represent all the nationalities that make up our Parish Community. If you have a national flag, can you please bring it to the Church by Sunday 17 May . There will be a box in the porch (please label the flag with your name for returning). Nationalities in the Parish We wish to celebrate the diversity of Parishioners in our Parish on Pentecost. Please add your own Nationality or Ethnicity to the list in the entrance THIS WEEKEND . The list will be typed up and attached to the newsletter on Pentecost Sunday. Bidding Prayers on Pentecost Sunday NEXT WEEKEND , we will be looking for parishioners to volunteer to say one bidding prayer in their own language on Pentecost Sunday. National Dress To celebrate the diversity in our Parish and if you have an ethnic costume, perhaps you may wish to wear it at the Pentecost Sunday Mass. The Our Father At the Pentecost Mass, we will ask parishioners to say Our Father Prayer in their own language (all at the same time) if they wish.
PLEASE CONSIDER donating the following base ingredients as needed by the St Vincent de Paul Society: Sugar Oil Flour Tea Coffee Dried beans, Chickpeas, Peas Pasta & Rice Thank You
Archbishop Mark is inviting all unmarried men who feel drawn to explore this possibility to join him for Evening Prayer at St David’s Cathedral, Cardiff, on Sunday 31 May at 3.30pm . Afterwards, there will be a chance to meet with the Archbishop and other men who are discerning a call. To register, email Fr Matt Roche-Saunders, at: vocations@cardiffmenevia.org
For the over 55s in the Community Hall, Bedford Street. Wednesdays 1.30pm - 4pm Community Cuppa afternoon involves entertainment (organised by parishioners and guests), quizzes, bingo, raffle and plenty of cake and beverages.
Sunday 17th May 1.30pm – 5.45pm Led by Rt Rev Peter Brignall – Bishop of Wrexham Event includes Confessions, Rosary Procession, Mass, Benediction & Blessing of the Sick For further information contact Canon Pius Augustine on 01239 612 615
Bereavement Talk time/Cuppa Would you like a chance to talk about the loss of a family member or friend? Whether it was recent or historical, the bereavement group was set up for this. We meet on 10th May at 2.30pm in St David's Chapel. Please use the back gate in Bedford Street
Join us on the 14th May for Holy Mass and the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord.