David Taylor MP

Many in our community will have been saddened to hear the news over the weekend of the death of our Member of Parliament, David Taylor. He was admired by many, whatever their political views, as an excellent constituency MP. He preferred to follow his conscience in the House of Commons, rather than seek ministerial office. He was a practising member of the Church of England, and his Christian faith informed his attitudes on  issues to do with the sanctity of life and on questions of justice and peace.
Our prayers and good wishes go out to his family. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Happy Christmas

Newsletter for 26/26 December - Holy Family

Click here to read this week's brief Newsletter.

St Wilfrid in Rome

I have had a couple of days in Rome recently. Whilst there I visited  Non Angli sed Angeli, an exhibition which celebrates both the history of English pilgrimage to Rome, and also the mission of priests from the Venerable English College to our country during penal times. Our own St Wilfrid gets a mention as one of the earliest recorded English pilgrims to Rome.

Newsletter for 19/20 December - Advent 4

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Newsletter for 12/13 December- Advent 3

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Christmas Mass times at St Wilfrids

Christmas Eve:

6.00pm

9.30pm

Carols before both Masses

Christmas Day:

10.00am

Saturday 26th December:

6.00pm

Sunday 27th December:

10.00am

You may be interested to know that the Pope's 'Midnight Mass' starts at 10pm, Rome time, this year. With the time difference, he will start Mass half an hour before we do at St Wilfrid's. We are in good company!

Click here for story.

Happy feast!

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady. The hymn in the Divine Office for today provides a lovely reflection:

Holy light on earth’s horizon

Star of hope to fallen man,

Light amid a world of shadows,

Dawn of God’s redemptive plan.

Chosen from eternal ages,

Thou alone of all our race,

By thy Son’s atoning merits

Wast conceived in perfect grace.

Mother of the world’s Redeemer,

Promised from the dawn of time:

How could one so highly favoured

Share the guilt of Adam’s crime?

Sun and moon and stars adorn thee,

Sinless Eve, triumphant sign;

Thou art she who crushed the serpent,

Mary, pledge of life divine.

Earth below and highest heaven

Praise the splendour of thy state,

Thou who now art crowned in glory

Wast conceived immaculate.

Hail, beloved of the Father,

Mother of his only Son,

Mystic bride of Love eternal,

Hail, thou fair and spotless one!

Exploring the Encyclical

Those of you who are using pray-as-you-go during Advent, will be aware that the reflections highlight themes of Pope Benedict's encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).
You will find more about the encyclical from the on line journal of the British Jesuits, 'Thinking Faith', here.
The full text of Caritas in Veritate can be found here.

Newsletter for 5/6 December- Advent 2

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Bamenda Water Project

This Advent we are, once again, supporting a project to enhance the water supply to communities in the area around the Cistercian Abbey of our Lady of Bamenda in Cameroon. We thank our Justice and Peace Group for promoting this connection and motivating us in this project.

Advent Prayer

You might like to have a look at the prayer material on the excellent pray-as-you-go site. Each weekday there is an audio reflection which you can listen to at your computer, or download, a week at at time, to your iPod or other MP3 Player.
Details of the special Advent reflections, based  on themes in the Pope's latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) can be found here.

Consultation form - what to do.

I have just completed the consultation form on assisted suicide, using the guidelines on the Bishops' Website, and following their example document for this rather confusing form.
I hope some of you will feel able to do the same.
After you have filled out the form save it and either:
1) email it to: assistedsuicide.consultation@cps.gsi.gov.uk
or
2) Print it out and post it to the following address:
Assisted Suicide Policy Team
Crown Prosecution Service Headquarters - 6th floor
50 Ludgate Hill
London
EC4M 7EX

Video on assisted suicide - Archbishop Smith of Cardiff.

Archbishop Peter Smith on the CPS consultation on assisting suicide from Catholic Church (England/Wales) on Vimeo.

Public Consultation on Assisting Suicide

The Catholic Church in England Wales website has lots of useful material about the consultation going on by the Crown Prosecution Service on the issue of assisting suicide, and when those involved should be prosecuted. You will find a video presentation by Archbishop Peter Smith, the consultation document from the CPS, which includes an opportunity to respond, and a submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions from the Bishops' Conference. It is important that we are aware of these issues, inform our consciences appropriately, and make the Catholic voice heard.
You can find all this here.

Newsletter for 28/29 November - Advent 1 - Year C Starts

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Fairtrade Shop...

...at St Clare's School on Thursday, 26th November at 3.30pm. There sill be a wide range of Fairtrade items for sale. Refreshments will be available. Please come and support.

Newsletter for 21/22 November - Christ the King

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This Sunday is National Youth Sunday. You can find resources for our young people and their families here.
I particularly like this introduction to Lectio Divina - suitable for all ages.

Anglicanorum coetibus

The Apostolic Constitution on the Personal Ordinariate for former Anglicans who wish to be received into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church, which was announced in October, has been issued over the last few days. Click here to read it, and the associated documents. You will understand that this is a matter of great interest to former Anglicans like myself.
I think it important to look beyond some of the headlines in both the secular and the religious press which often over-simplify complex issues and seem more concerned to create heat than to shed light! My own feeling is that this is a generous response from the Church to a perceived pastoral need.
However, on a personal level, I am delighted to be a priest of the Diocese of Nottingham. I knew, when I was received into the Catholic Church some fifteen years ago, that I needed to immerse myself in parish and diocesan life. I have been deeply enriched by so doing. My Ordinary will continue to be the Bishop of Nottingham to whom I promised obedience on my ordination day.

Newsletter for 14/15 November - 33rd Sunday of the Year.

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I retire from my ministry as Catholic Chaplain of HMP Sudbury and HMP/YOI Foston Hall this week to become full time in the parish. It seems strangely fitting that this Sunday is Prisoners' Sunday, the start of Prisons' Week. Please pray for all prisoners, prison staff - including chaplains, prisoners' families, and, of course, all victims of crime.

Interesting Link

You may be interested to follow the blog of a postulant at Mount St Bernard Abbey. Click here to view.

Newsletter for 7/8 November - 32nd Sunday of the Year

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Confirmation

Thanks to all who made tonight's celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation such a wonderful occasion.

Newsletter for 31October/1 November - Solemnity of All Saints

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Bishop's Pastoral Letter - Year of the Priest

Click here to read the Pastoral Letter which was read at Mass this weekend.

Vocations afternoon

This came too late for next week's newsletter so I thought I would give it a mention here:

Vocation Discernment Afternoon
Run by the Franciscan Sisters Minoress in Clay Cross - for women discerning their future who wish to find out more about Religious Life. Age 16-35. 31st October 2.30-5pm, and then last Saturday of each month. See poster for details. Contact fsmsisters@live.co.uk or visit website www.stclaresconvent.fsnet.co.uk

Visit of our Bishop

Next Friday, 30th October, Bishop Malcolm visits our Parish to celebrate Mass and Confirmation at 7pm.

Newsletter for 24/25 October -Sunday 30(B)

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 This weekend we have a Pastoral Letter from Bishop Malcolm on the Year for Priests, called by Pope Benedict.

Link to 'Year for Priests' on English Bishops' Website.
Read the Pope's Letter proclaiming a Year for Priests

Personal ordinariate...

..is an expression I hadn't heard until yesterday! You may have heard on the news about  a new provision for Anglicans who wish to come into the Catholic Church. It made the front page and a couple of inside pages of the Times, and seems to be a very significant and welcoming initiative by the Church. I don't yet understand how things will work out in practice. You might like to look at the links and videos below for more information.

Joint statement by Archbishop Vincent and Archbishop Rowan

Note from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Newsletter for 17/18 October -Sunday 29(B)

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This Sunday is World Mission Sunday. More here.

Aid to the Church in Need

This coming weekend we have an appeal on behalf of ACN, Aid to the Church in Need. You can find more about this organisation which helps persecuted and oppressed Christians by clicking here.

Newsletter for 10/11 October - Sunday 28(B)

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Monday, 12th October, is the 1300th Anniversary of the death of our Patron, St Wilfrid. Mass will be at 9.30am. Please pray for our parish on this day, and come to Mass if you can.

Click here for Wikipedia article on St Wilfrid.
Click here for Catholic Encyclopaedia article on St Wilfrid. 

St Thérèse of Lisieux comes to Nottingham - the pictures

Arrival of the relics. (I think they mean Nottingham - not Mottingham!)
Evening Mass and Vigil
Farewell Liturgy

New Archbishop of Birmingham

It has been announced today that Bishop Bernard Longley, currently an Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster Archdiocese, will replace Archbishop Vincent Nichols as Archbishop of Birmingham.
Story from BBC.
Announcement on BBC website.
Announcement on Catholic Church in England & Wales website.
Please pray for all our Bishops.


Bishop Bernard Longley: Archbishop-elect of Birmingham from Catholic Church (England/Wales) on Vimeo.

Newsletter for 3/4 October - Sunday 27(B)

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If the text appears small on your screen, you can zoom in and out with the + and - buttons on the right.

St Thérèse of Lisieux comes to Nottingham

I'm sorry that I have not had the opportunity to share much information about the visit of the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux to our Cathedral. They will be there on Monday evening and Tuesday morning next week, 5th and 6th October. Full programme here.
Click here for some thoughts I had on the visit of the relics a year ago.

Papal Visit

I've just seen on the BBC website that the Pope is due to visit Britain in 2010. Exciting News for us all.
Click here for the story.

Newsletter for 26/27 September - Sunday 26(b)

Click here to read this week's Newsletter. This will probably be the last 'Newsletter Lite'. By next weekend we hope to be able to produce a full newsletter again.

With the newsletter you will find your CAFOD Harvest Fast Day envelopes. I'm sure we all remember that happens: we give up something on Friday, 2nd October, put the money in the envelope, and return it when we come to Mass next weekend. Please sign the Gift Aid declaration if you are a taxpayer.

A message from Father Colin

I couldn’t believe my ears when the bishop asked me to come to St Wilfrid’s as your priest in charge. I was being asked to come back home, to the place where I was received into the Catholic Church, and where I was ordained to the priesthood nearly twelve years ago. I had no hesitation in saying ‘yes’ to the bishop’s request. I have a deep sense of peace and joy about this new task. I am excited at the prospect at working with you, but also a bit apprehensive: I am aware of my own limitations and I don’t want to let down a community which means so much to me! Please pray for me.
I think that most of you know that I shall be ‘part-time’ for the first couple of months. I don’t retire from my prison chaplaincy work until November. We will have the usual weekend Masses, and I shall be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the Saturday evening Mass. There will be a modified and reduced programme of weekday Masses. This may vary from week to week, so please read the newsletter very carefully. I do ask for your patience and understanding during these couple of months. It will be a question of keeping the essential things going and leaving everything else until I start full-time in mid-November.
As I reflect on this new stage of my life and ministry, I keep going back to words of Pope John Paul II when he addressed 35,000 young people in Cardiff in 1982. The Pope said that he hoped that, as long as the memory of his visit lasted, it would be remembered that he had come to Britain 'to call you to Christ, to invite you to pray!' Although I have had no time to form definite plans for the way the parish might develop, I am trying to keep those words of Pope John Paul as a sort of backdrop to my thinking and praying. I would be very happy if it were to be said of me, 'Father Colin came to Coalville to call us to Christ and invite us to pray.'

Newsletter for 19/20 September - Sunday 25(b)

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Home Mission Sunday - 20th October

Pope Paul VI in 1975 in his Exhortation ‘Announcing the Gospel,’ said that the first stage of evangelisation – of bringing the Gospel to others – is witness. Witness means allowing the Gospel which we have come to believe, and which has brought us into a relationship with Jesus Christ, to speak through our actions. We cannot hope to bring the Gospel to others if we have not first of all allowed the Gospel to transform our lives. Our life then becomes a clear statement of our faith. This is witness. But, Pope Paul went on to write, that witness, at a certain point, has to be able to ‘give an account of the hope that is in us’. It has to be able to speak the name of Jesus, and to give witness to how He has transformed our lives.

More about Home Mission Sunday

For younger people

More about the Catholic faith for enquirers