MESSAGE ON THE 28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YR A)
Friday 9th October 2026.
My dear people,
The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. Tomorrow, the First Class relic of Saint Carlo Acutis, his pericardium, will be with us. This is an unbelievable opportunity for us to come and venerate the First Class relic of this wonderful saint. At a very young age, his relationship with our Lord came to shine through his life. His cataloguing of Eucharistic miracles is going to be one that will be remembered for a long time to come. We were blessed with these being available to the parish last year for a week in November. Most importantly, he was inspired to use modern means of communication to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, specially building a website for the Eucharistic miracles. This itself is something that can inspire all of us. Most importantly, his youth reminds us that young people can also have a profound relationship with Our Lord and help to inspire us to be better disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that the presence of the First Class relic with us over the weekend will bring about an encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ for all of us and inspire us to deepen our relationship with him. May abundant blessings come upon us through the intercession of Saint Carlos Acutis.
The Parish Pilgrimage for 2026 was a wonderful experience for all the pilgrims. The opportunity to visit the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome, the Holy Stairs and being present at the Angelus and the Papal Audience are events that will stay with us forever. Visiting the places where St Catherine of Siena, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Clare of Assisi and Saint Padre Pio lived and ministered reminded us that holiness is within the reach of everyone who decide to make Jesus the first priority. Our time in Medjugorje reminded us of the importance of Our Lady and her role in salvation history. Most importantly, that she is our mother in heaven is also a great comfort. I trust that you were all able to travel along with us through the photos I posted on the parish Facebook page.
This coming week, the celebration of the Sacrament of Confession for the first time for our younger parishioners is hopefully an event that they remember for the rest of their lives. Let us continue to pray that the first celebration of the Sacrament of Confession will confirm for them the knowledge that God loves them unconditionally and that his mercy and forgiveness is always available for them.
This evening, we will hold our monthly Men’s Group gathering of the year. It will start at 7pm with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The Sacrament of Confession will be available from 7pm until 7:40pm when Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament will be given. Then, we will proceed to the presbytery for some fellowship to conclude this evening. This evening, Suan Teo, the Coordinator of our Grief and Bereavement Ministry, will give us a talk on this topic.
The fourteenth season of Alpha in our parish began last Wednesday 7th October, and it is still possible to join this season. I strongly urge you to think about attending Alpha. We all have gone through times in our lives when we have questioned the very meaning of life. Perhaps you are going through this right now. Perhaps your daughter or son, brother or sister, or colleague is going through this. Alpha is the best way to come to reflect on the deeper meaning of life, over dinner, a short film and conversation. May I ask you to consider attending as well as warmly inviting others to attend Alpha? The transformation in people’s lives, their healing and closeness to Christ is testament to the fruits this wonderful program has to offer!
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