My dear sisters and brothers of St Martin’s, It may have been a season of lockdown and isolation, bit it’s also hopefully been a season that has lifted our spirits and helped us to hope as we’ve journeyed with the Lord over the last 40+ days from the wonder of his Resurrection, to the glory of his Ascension on Thursday
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24th May 2020
My dear sisters and brothers, Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension, a day which can get overlooked in many ways alongside the greatness of the feasts of Easter and Pentecost. When we focus in on it though, it highlights many important things about our faith. When the Church talks about Jesus it talks about his Passion (suffering), Resurrection
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As much as I would like to avoid mentioning finances at this time, I do need to bring to your attention the fact that because a large majority of income for parishes comes from the Sunday collection, church income will significantly reduce as a result of the current ban on public liturgies. Considering there are 69 parishes in our diocese,
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The Northampton Diocese finance office have been able to extend the donation facilities to include a telephone option. They will begin a ‘Giving Tuesday’, commencing on Tuesday 5th May 2020. Each Tuesday between 10:00am and 4:00pm, parishioners will be able to call, 01604 712065, and donate to our parish. Please have your debit or credit card to hand when calling. You can
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Today we begin our journey towards Pentecost as our readings introduce us to the person of the Holy Spirit or, as Jesus calls him in the Gospels, the Advocate; he who acts and speaks on our behalf. It’s interesting that in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles Peter and John have to go to Samaria – alien territory
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Today’s readings present us with some very real problems that we can probably all relate to. In the First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, we have the age-old problem of prejudice. The Hellenists are all Jews, but they’re not Jews who grew up in Israel; they were born elsewhere in the Greek speaking world. However, they all seem
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The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue releases its annual message for the Muslim month of Ramadan, and encourages everyone to protect all places of worship… Read all: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-05/pontifical-council-interreligious-dialogue-ramadan-message.html By Devin Watkins As Muslims celebrate the month of Ramadan, the Vatican is urging both Muslims and Christians to protect places of worship. In a message released on Friday for Ramadan and the feast
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Bishop David is very conscious that there are a considerable number of people around the Diocese who are due to be baptised or received into full communion with the Church, to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and to receive their First Holy Communion. All these celebrations are currently delayed through the coronavirus crisis. Bishop David sends the following messages to
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We are facing an unprecedented emergency in every country we work in; and we are also mindful, each day, of people in our own Catholic community here in England and Wales who are unable to attend Mass; people worried and overstretched; of those who have tragically lost loved ones, and of those who were already enduring loneliness and are now
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