Hope all’s well.
A feature of the life of our parish over the years, the decades, has been many parish pilgrimages, the most recent of which have been two to Iona in the past three years.
If you have any pics of parish pilgrimages, please send them in for our video collage.
Today is the feast of St Columba the founder of the famous monastery at Iona.
Anyone who has been there cannot help but be impressed with how incredibly peaceful a place it is.
The isolation and the deep stillness of the island add to it being a deeply spiritual place.
For centuries it has been a great place of pilgrimage.
For those who have never been on a pilgrimage or who are unable to travel, there is always ‘a pilgrimage of the heart’.
Find a quiet place, unplug from the many devices we use, and pray to become aware of God’s presence. Talk to God. Have that heart speaking to heart with God.
Lockdown is not a bad time to go on one or two ‘pilgrimages of the heart’. They’re good......and you don’t need to worry about queues or missing your stop
Our pilgrim walk for St Joseph’s and St Andrew’s to Schoenstatt would have been on Sunday there. It was a lovely sunny day as well. Pity. Anyway, hopefully, next year.
How about another 9@9 novena? It’s good to unite in prayer, especially during these times. This time to the Sacred Heart - Feast Day, Friday 19th June. Start this Wednesday at 9pm for nine nights and say this prayer.
Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O my Jesus, you have said: 'Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. ' Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request) Our Father... . Hail Mary... . Glory Be to the Father... .
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
Oh, and remember and let others know about the guidelines for the reopening of the church. The parish’s working group is now meeting weekly to plan for the reopening. I’ll be appealing for help soon, as we’ll need volunteers to be stewards, and we’ll need to make sure we have a sufficient number of cleaning teams. More details very soon.
Hope you have a good day.
Take care
Fr Mackle
It's good to see some bright signs of the church doors reopening. Visit BCOS.org.uk for guidelines which include the compulsory wearing of facemasks, how to enter and leave the church, distancing, receiving communion, baptisms, weddings and funerals.