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Following Christ’s journey through Lent, we should be amazed at His generosity in teaching, healing and loving all he met: and we should experience our own humility that we can share these gifts too. But what is this humility?

“Taking the knee” has become a widespread symbol of opposition to racism. It is a genuflection with the specific purpose of committing oneself to a particular cause, to act in solidarity with others of like minds. The same action has been, and still is, used for a variety of purposes. People kneel to show respect for others and to acknowledge they are, in some way, higher in status to us (e.g. they have authority over us). We may kneel in making a commitment to others (as when someone is knighted). We kneel to ask someone to marry us, an act of commitment to loving that person.

We are used to genuflecting. At Mass, we “take the knee” before the tabernacle. When we do, we are signalling three very important things about the nature and depth of our faith:

• As an act of submission, we acknowledge God’s authority, in Jesus who is in the tabernacle;
• As an act of service, we are saying to Jesus that we are willing to serve him in fulfilling his mission;
• As an act of love; we are asking him to accept our love for Him, just as He offers his love to us. 

Humility is something that gets a bad press in these days of so-called self-dependence. Fortunately, one blessing of the Covid 19 disease has been the way in which most people have moved away from such selfishness to help one another. That, though heartening, is not what is meant by christian humility. 

True humility includes helping those who need it: however, it can lead us into self-gratification and a swift stroll down the path taken by Dickens’ Uriah Heap, who was proud of saying the he was “very ‘umble”, although all the while being a hypocrite. 

For christians, humility is a fundamental act of giving – giving not just material things, but surrendering to Jesus everything – all of us. In the words of the old song, we act with humility when we can say to Our Lord “All of me, just take all of me.”                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                     TC

Tom Caple’s book of poems Stations of the Cross is available free. Each poem is a reflection for each Station. Contact Tom at dashwoodtales@gmail.com. Voluntary donations will go to the Parish.

Whatever Mary was planning for her life with Joseph, it did not include becoming pregnant outside that relationship. An unexpected word interrupts the routine of ordinary time and proposes a ground-breaking diversion from what is planned; nothing less than a startling new future is proposed. Will Mary stay with her own domestic plans or risk an uncharted adventure as God’s collaborator? Mary’s annunciation to the angel enshrines her response in consenting to the word of God happening to her. “I am the handmaid of the Lord … let what you have said be done to me.” (Luke 1:38). Mary gives up her own wishes an adopts God’s desire; she gives up personal control of her life in favour of God’s promise; in her response she pledges her body and spirit to the purposes of God. Mary welcomes the unforeseen and adjusts her life to this new adventure. [Mary] …… is the one who, when hearing the word of God, gladly allows that word to form her life. Later, her son will say during his public ministry: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice (Luke 8:21). Mary is now presented as the perfect disciple who is the bearer of the word and a doer of the word. With that response the angel takes his leave. Thus, Mary becomes the literal embodiment of the promise of God: she conceives the promise, she becomes pregnant with the promise and she will give birth to the promise. The choice she makes and honours will earn her the first title she was accorded by the Church: theotikos, God-bearer. The promise will be called “Holy, the Son of God.  

“Mary showed complete trust in God by agreeing to be used as an instrument in spite of her nothingness because she knew that he who is mighty could do great things in her and through her. Once she said ‘yes’ to him, she never doubted. She was just a young woman, but she belonged to God and nothing nor anyone could separate her from him.”                                                            Sr Teresa of Calcutta                                       

                                               From Throughout the Year with Mary • Denis McBride C.Ss.R. Diary 2021

Bury St Edmunds, has been selected by Suffolk County Council to provide education for children with moderate learning difficulties. This means a purpose-built unit of three classrooms will be built on site. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop education for the most vulnerable within our community and live our mission as a Catholic school. It will be the first unit in the Diocese. We hope the parish community will add their support to this exciting venture by going to the planning application and leaving a comment. http://suffolk.planningregister.co.uk/Planning/Display?applicationNumber=SCC%2F0013%2F21B

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It is, perhaps, too easy to treat Lent as a period of gloom as we follow the road to Jesus’ earthly death. True, it is a time for reflecting on Christ’s mission and sacrifice, together with our own relationship with God. But it is not a season for wearing sackcloth and ashes for 24 hours a day. It is a time for refreshing and developing our understanding of God’s love for us and for our role in His creation. Thomas Merton’s reflections on Life are helpful in increasing our knowledge of and faith in the world Christ came to save:

“[Our] creation in the image and likeness of God proclaims that the creation was indeed a triumph of life. When God breathed into the face of Adam, everything in man came alive: not only his body, not only his mind, but also his spirit in which the image of God was hidden. And the image of God was live with likeness to God, that is to say with contemplation. …… God lived in him and he lived in God. …….

When we say that the creation of the first son of God was a triumph of life, we mean that every aspect of human living was exalted and sanctified at the dawn of man’s history. Man’s whole existence, not only in his relations with his own kind (Eve) and with the rest of the created world, were transfigured by divine insights and by an awareness of the inmost reality and value of everything that had come from the hand of God.”
                                                                  The New Man Thomas Merton Burns & Oates 1962

Lent can be a time when we mourn how Adam and Eve lost this divinity; but, much more important, we can reflect on how Jesus offers to restore these gifts of God. In his mission amongst us, in his suffering on the Cross, in his death and resurrection and his ascension, Jesus invites us to follow him to a life in paradise. This is the joy we can take from Lent. This is how we can mourn death and, at the same time, celebrate life, as we put our lives in the service of our beloved Saviour.
                                                                                                                                         TC

“Friendship …. Should be a wonderful kind of togetherness where each of the friends encourages and liberates each other into the fulness of their own potential. Friends very often become habitual with each other and they limit the potential of their friendship. If you feel with your friend that you are called to the outer frontiers, then the friendship is in growth, and it also has a bit of danger in it, and risk; and without risk in the world of the soul, nothing really grows.”
Walking on the Pastures of Wonder John O’Donohue • Veritas 2015

Do not fall into the trap that, because we are physically distanced from our friends, whether by yards, miles or continents, we fear that friendship will languish. I don’t need to list the variety of ways though which we can keep in touch with others. Even if we have to adopt a holding position during this period of lockdown, we now have some strong indicators of when we will be hugging them again. First among these friends, and unaffected by lockdown, should be Jesus. Now is the time to begin preparing for that closer re-union:think about what you can do to take friendship further to the “outer frontiers”.
                                                                                                             TC

“Silence is something sacred. It ought to be greatly respected and avidly cultivated, for God abides in eternal silence. It is in that eternal silence that the Father uttered a Word. And the Word became flesh to communicate to us the meaning, the mystery of that divine silence. It is our duty, therefore, to keep a silent space within our hearts, so that we may be able to hear the Word.

In spiritual life, the practice of exterior silence and that of interior silence have always been intimately connected. One does not exist without the other. When the heart, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, … [is[ …truly silent and pacified , the divine life hidden within is revealed. …… an ancient monk used to encourage in his disciples the practice and necessity of silence by telling them ‘The love of silence ultimately leads to the silence of love.’ “
                                                            Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette • Blessings of the Daily

Whatever trials and tribulations the Covid 19 Pneumonia and government regulations and advice may bring us, one gift is the opportunity to be silent. This is important. Many lead isolated lives at present: all of us may fear those times when we have no-one to talk too, or when others are too absorbed in their own fears and worries to listen to us or to express their anxieties. Yet for us, it is a golden opportunity to ask for the support of the Holy Spirit in adopting the silence that leads to peace of heart and the recognition of God’s love.

You might start with reading the Gospel of the day in your missal, or silently praying the Lord’s Prayer or saying a Hail Mary to seek her intercession. Think about the words of these prayers. Don’t try to analyse them but allow them to float around in your head, until they fade into silence. You are now on your way to the spiritual silence that, by leading to peace of soul, brings with it peace of mind and body.                                                                                                           TC

Walking from Mildenhall to Eriswell the other day, I was reflecting on the fact that I have slowed down. I used to be able to walk four miles an hour; I now can only do a little over three miles. Age is catching up on me, I thought; then realised that was silly. Ageing is a good, though not always accurate, indicator of what we can do or no longer take for granted, a reminder that nothing stands still and that change is a persistent and personal experience.

As we realise that there are some things we can no longer do, or do as often or as frequently or as competently, we need to face up to the importance and difficulty of being patient. This is a Christian issue. Jesus practised patience each minute of his life – in loving his parents and disciples and waiting for their slowly growing grasp of who he was and what he was doing. He needed patience to deal with the tricks of scribes and pharisees who tried to trip him up regularly. His love of the sick and poor made him patient in coping with the not necessarily grateful demands of those who came for his help; the fatigue and tiredness he experienced day by day in pursuing his mission required patience as did his suffering during his Passion.

Our commitment, our responsibility, our burden and joy, as Christians, is to follow him. As St Polycarp often said to his disciples “let us be imitators of his patience.” St john Chrysostom wrote: “Patience means that we should endure as Christ endured ……. Also, we should wait for him, that is, we should be prepared …... For this is to love God, to endure and not to be troubled”

Today as we prepare for Lent and continue to cope with the challenges and demands of living with a deadly virus amongst us, let us practice patience: patience to wait for the decline of Covid 19 and its effects; and patience to follow Jesus to his death and resurrection knowing that such loyalty will bring the joy of redemption.
                                                                                          TC

Lord Jesus, give us. the grace to hear your voice.
And the strength to continue working for your kingdom in this time of pandemic.
Do not allow us to be indifferent to those who today suffer the loss of a loved one, or who suffer because of the absence of work.
But give us the courage to accompany and side with those who suffer violence or injustice.
Amen.
                                                                                 CAFOD: Javier Edwardo Martinez Rueda

... reached retirement age some time ago, but Pope Francis asked him to stay on as our Bishop until such a time as his successor would be appointed. Bishop Alan would now like the diocese to join together in actively praying for his successor and our future Bishop. He suggests the prayer below:

O God, Eternal Shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your church who will please you by his holiness and show to us watchful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

Our Lady of Walsingham, Pray for us.
St Felix, Pray for us.
All Holy Martyrs and Saints of East Anglia, Pray for us.

To offer support during the pandemic while many are unable to get to Mass and communal Mass books and missalettes are not permitted, CTS are offering The CTS New Sunday Missal 2021 for just £1.99 while stocks last.

This liturgical companion for Catholics is beautifully designed for every churchgoer and runs from the First Sunday of Advent 2020 to Christ the King 2021.

To order go to https://www.ctsbooks.org/product/cts-sunday-missal-2021/ or call 020 7640 0042

A reminder that at this current time Holy Communion can only be received on the hand. Please place your hands flat (do not try and take the host from the priest) so that the host can be placed on your hands without the priest touching your hand. Holy communion should be received in silence, understandably many of us go into ‘auto pilot’ and say “Amen” without thinking. However, where possible please try and remember to refrain from saying “Amen”. Please also, where possible, stretch out your hands over the barrier as to keep maximum physical distance from the priest at the moment of Communion.

My newspaper informs me that we are now a divided nation, between those who comply with the government’s requirement to wear masks and those who don’t. I have never trusted implicitly what the papers or other news media say. They each have their own agendas and I have learned to step carefully between fact and fiction, propositions and prejudices, truth and lies.  

Even so, it is worth thinking about what a mask does that is acceptable to some people and intolerable for others.  

A mask, of the type we have to wear in close contact, hides the mouth and jaw and the more prominent part of the nose. As such, Masks make it difficult to recognise people and just as difficult for us to project the kind of person we are.  

One way of justifying not wearing a mask was summed up in something I overheard. “Well, Jesus never wore a mask, did he?!” True, as far as we know. However, Christ the Man was not facing an epidemic of the sort we face today.  

The Son of God was dealing with a much more virulent and deadly disease – sin, the loss of faith in salvation, hope of rescue, and love of our neighbour. His mission to restore and deepen faith, strengthen hope and keep love’s flames burning was rooted in the truth of the psalms that remind us we are “a little less than god” (Ps.8.6) and “sons of the most high” (Ps.81.6). As such we are servants of God (Ps.133 and servants to others.  

To be children of God, His servants and of service to one another, it seems to me at least, to justify a small act – wearing a face mask to protect those whom we meet and to avoid the plague so that we can continue to do His work.                                  TC

Please note that at this time, our buildings will only be used for public Mass; no other groups will meet in the Churches. Anyone accessing the building other than for Mass or to clean must clear this with Fr Luke first.  

Sacristy: Sacristies are strictly out of bounds to all people, without exception (Fr Luke will act as his own sacristan for the time being) (Mildenhall parishioners must not use back door to enter church.)  

Toilets: If necessary one toilet will be available for everyone to use in each of our churches.  

Time in buildings: Please arrive just before Mass and leave shortly after (unless you are cleaning).

Thetford has a new Rosary group and with that an email address has been set up for intentions. Please feel free to email Thetfordrosary@gmail.com and your intention will be offered on a specific date. You will receive an acknowledgement, and this can be for your own personal intention or for someone you know. The intention will be prayed by someone from the rosary group and all details will be confidential.

Fr Luke writes: My rest-day (day off) is usually on a Monday.  This means that (except of course for emergencies) I will not usually respond to phone calls, messages, or emails from Sunday late-afternoon/evening until Tuesday morning at the earliest. For non-urgent matters and general parish admin I would most grateful if you can contact the presbytery between Tuesday and Saturday. Thank you for help and understanding with this. God bless you.

Fr Luke writes:            

Would you like a personal visit from the Risen Lord? Although restrictions prevent people receiving Holy Communion and gathering in Church. As a ‘religious worker’ I am key worker and so can come to you and assist you. I can bring the Blessed Sacrament to your home, expose the Host in small monstrance at your door, window or back garden if there is a side entrance (keeping 6ft away) lead prayers with you and then give you Benediction.   

So how about it? Are you missing Jesus? Want to pray together in person? Contact me now and we’ll book in time for a visit from the Risen Lord! I will remain at your door/garden/front window with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I will not come in, social distancing will be observed at all times.

“This course is dedicated to helping you get the facts you want with regard to Catholic teaching and history, so you can have your questions answered in your search for truth. As you study the Church’s teachings, practices and history, you may find—as many others have—that there’s a lot you never knew about the Catholic faith! Like training for a race or sporting event, it requires time, commitment, discipline and friends but we know that the fruits of the labour will better equip us on our journey.”  

Please consider joining a group of people via ZOOM for about 30 mins each morning to pray and explore our glorious Catholic faith. TASTE and SEE START: THURSDAY 3 rd of SEPTEMBER via ZOOM at 7am Email for more details: MOSJ@olise.co.uk or Declan on 07853140355

Don’t worry you can now just visit our website!

The Facebook live steam in now integrated with our parish website, this means you can simply go to the parish website and see the live stream. The video will appear in a screen below the main logo (active while services are being streamed live). If it doesn’t appear after a few minutes refresh the page.  If still having problems, click on the link in the box below the live stream place holder.

For those of you who are using Facebook and commenting, please continue to do so as you can only interact with the page through Facebook.

The Irish station Radio RTE, which is based in Dublin, is broadcasting to the UK on long wave 252kHz. Every other Sunday they broadcast Mass at 11am.

Radio Maria England, which is based in Cambridge, broadcasts on DAB+ in Greater London and on DAB (Band 11C 220.352 MHz) in Cambridgeshire and the surrounding areas.  You can also listen to it from across East Anglia online at https://radiomariaengland.uk  Broadcasts include Masses, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and morning and evening prayer.

EWTN, which has a base in Walsingham, Norfolk, produces a wide range of radio programmes and can be reached on https://www.ewtn.com/radio

Premier Christian Radio is on DAB, Internet and can be also accessed via TV Freeview 725.

At this time, it will not be possible for people to receive Holy Communion. Everyone is invited, however, to join in the ancient practice of making regular spiritual communions, this can be particularly fruitful when following the daily Mass in your Missals on online via the live feed.

Prayer of St Alphonsus:  My Jesus, I believe that you are present in this Holy Sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things and I passionately desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my soul so that I may unite myself wholly to you now and forever. Amen.

Struggling with the coronavirus and social distancing measures? Scared? Need to talk? Struggling to get shopping or basic groceries?

Pick up the phone!  Your parish is your family and we are here for you, in the first instance feel free to call Fr Luke on 01842 812200 and he will do his best to help you, support you and put you in contact with others who may be able to help. If you don’t get an answer.  Leave a message and your number (Clearly) and he will get back to you. We may be socially isolating -but we are not on our own!

(especially if you are having trouble live-streaming Online)

Radio Stations: DAB (Digital) Radio: Radio Maria England, Premier Christian Radio (available on TV Radio as well and has Sunday Morning Worship) Radio 4 Has Sunday Worship on Sunday Morning at 8:10 am on FM and a Daily Service at 9:45 am on Long Wave (not FM).

TV: Sky TV 588 is ETWN (Catholic Channel) and has Daily Mass broadcast as well as other prayers and devotions.

Websites: https://pray-as-you-go.org/ https://shalem.org/programs/online/holy-interruptions/
https://stpaulcenter.com/hub/

Coloring prayer resources: If you would like adult-coloring sheets, to help with
prayer/mindfulness/meditation please contact Fr Luke and he will try and source them for you.

We are a small parish, as everybody knows and, unusually, we have to maintain three buildings. Fortunately, we have a congregation which, time after time, provides funds, through offertory payments, stole fees and donations. So we are very grateful. One way in which you can help the parish in the long term is to consider a bequest in your will. Talk to Fr Luke or Philip Kemp for further information about this.

Thank you all for helping to keep the parish going, your generosity means we are surviving as a parish. Although we have returned to public Masses, we are still not able to take a collection at Mass, so we still rely on your giving:

Please consider how you can donate at least equal to your normal giving.

Here’s how you can do this:

1. By Standing Order or Direct Debit. A form is included in the next section which you can use. Details of the parish’s bank account are

• Bank Name: Lloyds Bank plc
• Bank Address: Thetford (309858) Branch
• Sort Code: 30-98-58
• Account Number: 00489176
• These details are already printed on the Standing Order form below. You can set this up online or post this to your bank, if you are unable to go there in person.

2. By making a transfer from your bank account to the parish’s, using the details above.

3. By sending a cheque to the parish made out to Brandon & Mildenhall RC Parish.

                      ***  Please do not send cash  ***

We suggest that you arrange these payments on a monthly basis, starting on the first Monday of each month.

Thank you to all those who have been making bank transfers or forwarded cheques as offertory donations to the Parish since the lockdown commenced. Bank transfers are preferred but if you do make cheque payments please note that the payee details for the Parish are "Brandon and Mildenhall Catholic Parish".

THANK YOU for helping in keeping the parish going.

                   Fr. Luke Goymour, Parish Priest 

                   Philip Kemp, Parish Treasurer

New Gift Aid envelopes have arrived but are not being distributed until Sunday Mass collections resume. Parishioners who are in the Gift Aid scheme are encouraged to make their offertory contributions preferably by bank transfer, or by cheque, as indeed many are doing so already. Your contributions are still being collated for Gift Aid claim purposes. Many thanks.

Thank you to those who have signed up to GA. If you missed this and would like to discuss your GA, please let me know. If you pay UK tax the Parish can claim back 25% of your Sunday offering from the tax office. The only details required are your name, address and signature confirming you pay UK tax. Philip Kemp Tel 07514430468 Email pjkemp1@gmail.com

I am obliged to inform existing members of the Gift Aid Scheme that I will be claiming tax rebates for 2019-20 tax year on your behalf unless informed of the contrary. You are also requested to advise me of any changes in address, post code or name in the last 12 months.

Thank you

Philip Kemp, Parish Treasurer & Gift Aid Organiser

Tel 07514430468; Email pjkemp1@gmail.com

The 50:50 Club is a major source of income to help keep this parish running.   ---  FACT 

The proceeds go half to winners and half to the parish   --- FACT 

You can join now!  ---  FACT 

Speak to David Thomas (St Thomas’); Janet Murphy (St John’s)  ---  SIMPLE! 

50:50 Club Winnings

I will hold on to the monthly winnings until after the lockdown. Alternatively winners can email me their bank details to facilitate a bank transfer.

PhilipKemp: pjkemp1@gmail.com

Winners for July and August 2020 were published in the Parish Newsletter for the week of September 6th, 2020.

A new book by a local Catholic author Derek Williams is available at the back of the Church priced £7.99.

“Tithing for Catholics is an innovative piece of writing that cuts to the heart of Scripture and Church Teaching…. the author takes us on a journey of first-hand experiences that demonstrate how tithing is a real service of faith that won’t let you down because God cannot be outdone in generosity”

                                                                        - From the cover of ‘Tithing for Catholics’

Please place money in CTS box or give to Fr Luke directly.

The Parish - whole Church – depends on its members for finance to achieve its mission. That is why we have first and second collections at Mass and welcome people’s generosity in making donations. 

Have you considered continuing your contributions after you have departed? 

You can do this by making a gift in your will. You can specify what it is to be spent on and the charity that will benefit.  Talk to our treasurer for more information: 

Philip Kemp: Tel 07514430468; Email pjkemp1@gmail.com 

Whether you want to support a local cause such as your parish or diocese, provide for vulnerable families in the UK or help overseas communities and parishes, a legacy could be the most far-reaching gift you ever make.

Go to https://www.yourcatholiclegacy.org for more information.

The Easter Mass Offering is normally an important contribution to annual income of the Parish Priest. If you are considering making a BACs (online transfer) for this purpose please reference it 'Fr Luke'.  

Fr Luke writes: Thank you so much for all your kind offerings, gifts and cards all appreciated, I hope that despite everything you are still able to enter into the joy of season and celebrate our faith in the Risen Lord.

Needs our help!

One of the casualties of the recent panic buying of foodstuffs is that Food Banks across the country are experiencing a severe drop in contributions from the public. This leaves those in most need with healththreatening problems for themselves and their children. We can show the UK that Mildenhall is not and will not follow this trend!  

Next time you shop – or have someone shopping for you – use two bags, one for you and one for those who cannot afford to find good food for themselves. 

We can’t collect your donations as usual at this time, but you can • Take your bag with you the next time you go shopping and drop it off at the Food Bank, or  • Ask a neighbour who is going shopping to deliver your contribution, or • Have your contribution put into the Coop’s or Sainsbury’s special basket for Food Bank donations.  

The Food Bank is open from 10am - 12 noon each Monday and Friday. It is located on the ground floor of the King’s Project on the corner of Market Street and King Street, Mildenhall.  

Useful items include:  Milk (UHT or powdered), Sugar, Long life Fruit Juice, Cereals, Tinned sponge pudding, Tinned Tomatoes, Tinned vegetables, Soup, Tinned rice pudding, Tea bags/instant coffee, Instant Mash, Rice, Tinned meat/fish, Tinned Fruit, Jam, Biscuits/snack bars 

... who contributes to the Food Bank.  We thank God for this opportunity to comfort our brothers and sisters.

Pax Christi (The Peace of Christ) works for:

• Peace – based on justice. A world where human rights are respected, basic needs are met and people feel safe and valued in their communities.
• Reconciliation –a process which begins when people try to mend relationships –between individuals or whole countries after times of violence or dispute.
• Nonviolence –a way of living and making choices that respects others, challenges what is not fair or unjust, and offers alternatives to violence and war.

To do this Pax Christi works to:

• Support teachers, chaplains and youth workers in promoting a culture of peace in schools and amongst young people.
• Develop solidarity between people who are working non-violently for justice and peace. Pax Christi does this through joint actions for peace in Israel-Palestine, through events to encourage international efforts to abolish nuclear weapons and by celebrating the life and witness of peacemakers.
• Promote an understanding of sustainable security where human needs are met and the environment is protected, rather than seeking security through weapons and warfare. Pax Christi campaigns against military spending, the arms trade and nuclear weapons.

                                                                                                    TC

Your local J&P Group brings together Brandon, Mildenhall and Newmarket as our two parishes work together to promote practical action in support Catholic Teaching. We: 

• Arrange exhibitions & displays;
• Organise peace vigils;
• Provide resources to celebrate church festivals (from Easter chicks to Peace Poppies);
• Run campaigns (e.g. “Share the Journey”) to support people in need in the UK and elsewhere round the world;
• Raise funds for specific projects;
• Keep people informed about J&P Matters.

We always welcome new members to the group. You don’t have to come to meetings! You can join by using Skype of Face Time or just receive and respond to our monthly Update. 

The Justice & Peace Group usually meet on the first Monday of each month. All are welcome.

Talk to Tom or Gill Caple for more information: 01638 716474 

Prayer 

O Lord Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, full of compassion and maker of peace, you lived in poverty and suffered persecution for the cause of justice. 

You chose the Cross as the path to glory to show us the way of salvation. May we receive the word of the Gospel joyfully and live by Your example as heirs and citizens of Your kingdom. Amen. 

On Sunday, July 7th, the Justice & Peace Group facilitated a shared lunch and discussion on what a parish might do to counteract or reduce the effects of climate change. Here are some of the ideas that emerged: 

A. Become a Live Simply Parish 

B. Use Solar Panels/Raise money for Solar Panels 

C. Become a plastic-free parish? 

D. Educate the kids in the Children’s Liturgy 

E. Make a commitment as a parish to: 

     • Turn off lights when not in use 

     • Make sure all our lights are LED bulbs 

     • Check the lights 

F. Have a walk/cycle to mass Sunday (for those who can) 

G. Share cars to get to Church using less fuel.

Many other suggestions were made as well, some of which are already in place. There’s no doubting that more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of local action, and not just waiting for world leaders to solve the problem. 

If you have suggestions about practical actions we can take, please contact Gill or Tom Caple 

Ten years ago the UK Government took a global lead and passed the pioneering Climate Change Act committing us to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Recent research by climate scientists has stressed that this is no longer enough. We need to go further, faster. Unless we make dramatic changes, the damage caused by climate change will be irreversible. We need to reach ‘net zero’ emissions by 2045 at the latest. This is based on the science behind keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C. Several countries have already committed to reach this target. The UK as a global leader on climate change must join them to ‘revive’ our common home. So what can we do? 

For further information about the national campaign go to www.cafod.org.uk/climate 

Working with Adult Faith Formation (AFF) 

AFF is a group that has come together to work together in their spiritual development. They meet monthly on Thursday evenings and Tuesday lunchtimes for prayer, talks by invited speakers and study sessions. 

In February the J&P led an event on Intercessions.  AFF members took part in an interactive session involving discussion, practice in composing intentions and reflection.  The papers supporting the session can be obtained from Tom Caple.  Participants said that the session was helpful.

The session was repeated (with suitable adjustments) for the Tuesday Lunch Club.  It also got a positive response.

Stations of the Cross 

We led a poetry-based Station service at OLISE on Palm Sunday.   Each participant read a relevant poem at each station. Across the echoing church, each reading draped us with insights and reverence for Christ’s gift of sacrifice. It proved a very moving way of remembering Jesus’s journey. 

Nonviolence Works is a network of Christian Peace Organisations, including Pax Christi, committed to furthering peace in communities. The network has evidence that there are ways other than violent intervention to resolve differences and bring an end to wars. It publishes cases that show how nonviolent approaches can and do work. We will publish examples from time to time. Here are three: 

Norway 1942 

Teachers refused to co-operate with the pro-Nazi Quisling regime and, although many endured prison, the obligation to teach Nazi doctrines had to be withdrawn. 

Mozambique 1989-92 

The Rome-based Community of Sant” Egidio brokered an agreement between RENAMO and FRELIMO forces, ending ten years of war. 

1996 -- The movement to oust Serbia dictator Slobodan Milosevic, which began in November 1996 with Serbs conducting daily parades and protests in Belgrade and other cities. At that time, however, Serb democrats lacked a strategy to press on the struggle and failed to launch a campaign to bring down the Milosovic dictatorship. In early October 2000, the Otpor (Resistance) movement and other democrats rose up again against Milosevic in a carefully planned nonviolent struggle.

1999 to Present -- Popular protests of corporate power & globalization begin with Seattle WTO protest in Seattle, 1999. This is what set the trend for the Occupy movement which is still alive.

2001 -- The “People Power Two” campaign, ousts Filipino President Estrada in early 2001.

Guatemala 2007 

Young stilt walkers used circus acts and carnival in the streets to transform the climate of violence spread by brutal youth gangs. 

Gracewing has just published a beautiful little book Devotions to St Thomas Becket by Fr John S. Hogan, a priest of the Diocese of Meath in Ireland, with illustrations by a monk of Silverstream Priory. As well as the Christmas Novena to St Thomas, Fr John's book offers an 'armchair' pilgrimage to Canterbury with the Seven Stations of St Thomas of Canterbury. The book retails at £7.99 St Thomas Becket, a popular little life of the saint, at £6.99 - you can find copies of these books at the back of the Church in Brandon. Please put money in the CTS pamphlet box on the wall. 

A new statue of the Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Walsingham has been donated to our parish for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at St Johns. Please have a look at our new statue and take a moment to ask the prayers of Mary, Mother of God of Walsingham. 

Walsingham is our National Shrine and the centre of the New Evangelisation as designated by the Bishops of England and Wales, we are blessed to live so close to this beautiful and important site for Catholicism in our Country. 

There is sometimes confusion about what stole fees are and who receives them. 

They are amounts of money given to priests for various services (Baptisms, Marriages, funerals, etc.). In some countries, the priest keeps the fee. In East Anglia, because priests receive a modest stipend (salary) each month, Bishop Peter Smith decreed that fees should be part of the parish income. This is still the situation. 

Items left behind or lost are now accumulating. If you have lost anything please check what is in the narthex. We will keep abandoned items for one month, but will then have to dispose of them. Items of value may be kept longer, but we cannot take responsibility for these or anything else left behind. 

If you are struggling to get a roast dinner ready after Mass at Brandon, consider taking one home with you from the Orient Express Carvery! For £9:99 they give you a takeaway tin and you fill it with freshly cooked food and locally sourced meats. 

Thank you to Lina Busuttile, a member of the Mildenhall community who kindly created the new altar cloth for St Thomas’. Mass goers at St Thomas’ will also notice the new icons around the Church. These were purchased with the remaining funds that with given to the parish by an anonymous benefactor of the Divine Mercy Pictures 

Having a mass said or paying for flowers in the church are practical ways supporting the work of the parish. Please give your donations to Fr Luke or Philip Kemp. 

Has your house been blessed? Would you like a home visit and a blessing for you home and family? 

If you would like Fr Luke to visit you in your home and invoke God’s blessing upon your home and family, please speak to him after Mass or call the presbytery. 

Even if your home has been blessed in the past we can still pray together and ask for God’s blessing upon our lives. It’s also an excellent way for priest and parish to get to know each other! 

Just Traid, the Fair Trade shop next to St John the Baptist Church, St John’s Street, Bury, has launched an exciting new menu in their café and a wide range of goods in their shop. Well worth a break to rest your legs and your pocket, when Christmas shopping! 

• Just Traid are also looking for volunteers to help in the shop and the kitchen. For more talk to Gill Caple. 

The Fund deals with emergency grant applications from families or individuals in need. It also considers support for young people wishing to explore a third world project in their gap years or long vacations. 

The fund is administered by Caritas East Anglia. All applications come from the parish or endorsements from professionals working with applicants. 

Over the past year, the Fund has supported families and individuals facing homelessness or job losses resulting in rent arrears. Others helped have been dealing with the sudden onset of terminal illness. 

For more details go to:  https://www.rcdea.org.uk/caritas-east-anglia/ 

November is a traditionally the month when we pray for the dead. In both of our Churches you will find a ‘Book of the Dead’. 

Please put the names of your loved ones who have died in the book and they will be prayed for throughout November. I will also offer Mass for the Holy Souls at various points in November and they shall be remembered in those Masses. 

To add a name, simply find the page which corresponds to the month that they died and write the name in. Any name of any deceased person can be added, they do not need to have died in this last year nor do they need to be a Catholic. All people alive and dead can benefit from our prayers! 

were donated to the parish and have come from the shrine at Krakow. To find out more about this devotion please take a leaflet from the rack at the back of Church. 

Time set aside for Lectio Divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm. We discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God offers us in the person of his son, Jesus Christ. We can attend "with the ear of our hearts", listening for God's presence in our lives. 

• Choose a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray. This could be a reading for that day’s mass, or a particular book from the New Testament. The amount of text covered is in God's hands, not yours. 

• Place yourself in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. This could be a few moments focused on your breathing, or a favourite prayer. Use whatever method is best for you and allow yourself to enjoy silence for a few moments. 

• Turn to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savour each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow says, "I am for you today." In Lectio Divina, God is teaching us to listen to him, to seek him in silence. 

• Take the word or phrase into yourself. Slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories, and ideas. Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself that, when they rise up during Lectio Divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self. 

• Speak to God. Whether you use words, ideas, or images--or all three--is not important. Interact with God as you would with one you know loves and accepts you. Give to God what you have found within your heart. Experience God by using the word or phrase he has given you as a means of blessing and of transforming the ideas and memories that your reflection on his word has awakened. 

• Rest in God's embrace. And when he invites you to return to your contemplation of his word or to your inner dialogue with him, do so. Learn to use words when words are helpful, and to let go when they no longer are necessary. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence. 

 Many prayer groups find it a useful approach to collective study and prayer. 

This form of Lectio Divina works best in a group of between four and eight people. A group leader coordinates the process and facilitates sharing. The same text from the Scriptures is read out three times, followed each time by a period of silence and an opportunity for each member of the group to share the fruit of her or his Lectio. 

• The first reading is for the purpose of hearing a word or passage that touches the heart. When the word or phrase is found, the group's members take it in, gently recite it, and reflect on it during the silence that follows. After the silence, each person shares which word or phrase has touched his or her heart. 

• The second reading (by a member of the opposite sex from the first reader) is for the purpose of "hearing" or "seeing" Christ in the text. Each ponders the word that has touched the heart and asks where the word or phrase touches his or her life that day. Then, after the silence, each member of the group shares what he or she has "heard" or "seen." 

• The third and final reading is for the purpose of experiencing Christ "calling us forth" into doing or being. Members ask themselves what Christ in the text is calling them to do or to become today or this week. After the silence, each shares for the last time, and the exercise concludes with each person praying for the person on the right of him or her. 

Those who regularly practice this method of praying and sharing the Scriptures find it to be an excellent way of developing trust within a group. It also is an excellent way of consecrating projects and hopes to Christ before more-formal group meetings. 

 Based on “How to Practice Lectio Divina” Rev. Luke Dysinger OSB www.beliefnet.com