MESSAGE ON THE 22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YR C)
Friday 26th August 2022.
My dear people,
It is truly wonderful to be back home after my holidays this year which were very enjoyable. As always, it was priceless to see and catch up with family especially after three years and with all the added stress that the COVID-19 pandemic caused in different parts of the world. I was also particularly moved when celebrating Mass at the churches in the village where I grew up.
As I sit at my desk, I am very conscious of all that lies ahead of us in terms of challenges for the growth of our parish. Life in a parish is never static but dynamic and we are truly blessed that dynamism is a wonderful characteristic of our parish.
Over the past three weeks, Natasha, our Evangelisation Coordinator, wrote three excellent pieces about renewal, both personal and of our parish. She made it clear that a personal relationship with Jesus first is primordial for us Christians since our belief is in the person of Jesus Christ. To achieve that, we need to do more than attending Mass on a Sunday. It definitely starts with Sunday Mass, which is non-negotiable, but must include something else. More about this in the next few weeks from me.
One of the main points behind Divine Renovation is the importance of hospitality. The Evangelisation Team and the Social Committee have organised different events under this banner to showcase the hospitality of our parish. In order to make hospitality a focus of our parish, we have bought a coffee machine for use by parishioners after Mass so as to be faithful to the Eucharistic Fast. Hopefully, this will encourage many people to stay back after Mass to enjoy coffee and each other’s company. There is a box in the foyer to help with the cost of running this new initiative in our parish.
This weekend we will celebrate the First Holy Communion of our younger parishioners from St George Preca Primary School. Let us pray for them, that they will understand this most precious gift that they are receiving, Jesus’ gift of himself to them.
On Sunday night, I will go on my annual retreat. The last time I went on retreat was three years ago and I am truly looking forward to a week of silence, talking only to our Lord. I invite you to pray for me during the week and, as always, you can count on my prayers.
We continue turning to our patron saint, and we ask for her intercession.
St Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Fr Richard Rosse PP