From Fr Greg's Desk: Sunday 13th March

Hi everyone!  

Nice to see that the rain has eased somewhat over the last few days, although no doubt we're still in for some more this weekend and in the weeks ahead. 

Easter Masses Planning Meeting this Wednesday Evening (SCB Hall @ 7.30 pm)

In preparation for the upcoming Easter Masses and Liturgies, we have scheduled a kind of 'Town Hall' meeting next Wednesday 16th March at SCB Parish Hall, and we are inviting all to help us pre-plan for these huge events. We are expecting much bigger numbers this year than over the last two years, and so we will need good organisation and many volunteers. Please help me 'tap people on the shoulder' for this one, so that we fill the impending 'vacancies' as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible at SCB Parish Hall this coming Wednesday, (Coffee and Tea on offer from 7.15 onwards).

Senior's Week 'Mass & Morning Tea' Courtesy of CatholicCare - Wed 30th March 

Patricia Lay, our Parish 'Community Care Worker' has organised with Catholic Care for a 'Seniors Week Morning Tea' after the 9.20 am Mass at SCB on Wed 30th March, 2022 as part of "Senior's Week". For catering purposes, Patricia requests you please notify the Parish Office of your intention to attend. Our own "Noah's Ark Cafe' will be providing the Coffee and tea, thanks once again to the generous patronage of CatholicCare. We warmly invite all our Seniors to take advantage of this lovely service to 'Celebrate your Seniority" and meet other 'Seniors' in and around our Parish. So please 'Save The Date' in your diaries! And, although not yet quite in the category of 'Senior'. I nevertheless look forward to seeing you there as well on the day!

Gardening Around SCB Church

My thanks goes out to those very determined helpers in our 'Green Fingers" Gardening Brigade, who valiantly pushed those lawn mowers into a formidable 'mini wall of grass' around the SCB Church grounds ! I am very grateful for your help! We definitely need more volunteers to help out whenever possible,as the lawns need to be mowed every second week, and there are always issues with weeds springing up around the place. Contact me to let me know your availability, even during the week, and I will gladly set you up with some work.

Communion at SCB Church

Many of you would have noticed that, with the notable increase in participants at Masses at SCB Church of late, we have reintroduced the practice of giving the Eucharist down towards the rear part of the Church, where there is wider row for people to return back to their seats in between the pews. Whenever we have the numbers to warrant it, and enough Eucharistic Ministers, we will be inviting those who find themselves either upstairs or to the rear of that row to receive Holy Communion from this spot in the Church. Please feel free to bypass this rear 'Eucharist Point" and head towards the front Altar whenever the lines there are small, so that the time spent receiving Communion be minimised wherever possible. Let's see how that works out!

Patience Requested In Exiting Churches when Full, especially on Rainy Days!!

It has been brought to my attention that several people were upset on Ash Wednesday evening because it took extra time for everyone to exit SCB Church after the 7.30 pm Mass, there being a deluge of 'Biblical Proportions' going on outside SCB Church at the time!! (And we haven't yet got to our heavily attended Easter services, and the forecast of rain in that period!)

 As it is a little difficult to organise our Masses around the vagaries of the weather, and,being unfamiliar as I am with effective prayers for making rains cease, I would instead encourage all our Parishioners to exercise a little more patience in such unavoidable circumstances, and particularly in this time of Lent. Perhaps you could look upon such inconveniences as excellent opportunities for some quiet personal prayer after receiving our Lord as 'Word and Food'?? 

The wonderful thing, really, is that more and more people are coming back to our Churches and the numbers of attendees are steadily increasing, Please be on the lookout for new people to our Parish and welcome them as you would welcome Jesus himself if he were to pop in. 

Please also note that now that COVID restrictions have eased, we are once again able to use both the side and back doors of both Churches to enter and exit. especially when it is raining and the Churches are full, as exiting will quite naturally be slower than usual, with people looking for umbrellas in the foyers before venturing out into the deluge.

And that's it for now! Your brother in Christ;s service, rain, hail or shine!!

 

Fr. Greg