We’re getting very excited about Saturday’s Celebration of Hemsworth’s Patron Saint.
Coming to a street near you! (timings are approximate)
1-2pm Woodland Crescent Conisborough Way Lowfields Estate
2-3pm Little Hemsworth Common End Scots Estate Hamel Rise
3-4pm AbHHH West End Holly Bank Spring Vale Rise
Please join in by: -praying for good weather -arrange to have a socially distance festive afternoon tea (or perhaps something bubbly) in your front gardens to be able to receive the blessing of the relic. -encourage your neighbours to join in too
#SaintHelenPray4Hemsworth
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May is traditionally ‘Mary’s month’, when we join with her in celebration of her Son’s glorious Resurrection. Pope Francis is encouraging households to join together in praying the Rosary throughout May, and we are encouraging families to do the same.
To help with this we’re hoping to have May Online Rosary Group. We’re planning to meet
Each Tuesday in May at 5pm using Zoom
This will allow us to come together to say hello, briefly share some news, and to Pray the Rosary together. Fr Robert will lead the meeting.
Some guidance on how to get yourself set-up to join the meeting, and on how the meeting will be conducted is available here.
If you would like to join the group please contact Fr Robert for the zoom link.
Fr Robert is encouraging everyone to join in this initiative. For some excellent resources see here.
The Pope’s initiative is based around the Sub tuum praesidium, the oldest preserved extant hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Theotokos, probably dating back to the third century (before even the New Testament reached it’s current form). For more see the wiki entry.
Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despiciasin necessitatibus sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper,Virgo gloriosa et benedicta
We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God; Do not despise our petitions in our necessities,but deliver us always from every danger, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.
Here is an an English metrical paraphrase (776776) written by Canon Jeremy Haselock which is produced in the hope that the hymn can become popular once more.
Beneath your loving mercy, God’s Mother, we take refuge. Our prayers, do not despise. In all our needs please help us, And in all dangers save us, O only pure and bless’d.
Manuscript of paraphrase sung to tune: In Allen Meinen Thaten Recording of a paraphrase
A Swedish translation: Under ditt beskydd tar vi vår tillflykt, heliga Guds moder. Ringakta inte de böner som vi ber när vi är nödställda, utan befria oss alltid från alla faror, du ärorika och välsignade Jungfru.
At the Abbaye de Lérins they sing this version of the Sub tuum praesidium in a French translation (the photo of the statue which can be seen at the beginning and end of the short film is closely related to the Sub tuum praesidium devotion):
Holy Week and Easter cannot be cancelled. 2000 year ago, all the forces of hell tried that. They failed.
As we begin this Holy Week, we do so in different circumstances to normal. Normally, we would begin the wonderful celebration of Palm Sunday Mass. This year must be different – we are not able to gather as a congregation – but we are still able to live out the events of this week as we read the scriptures and make the journey to Jerusalem with our Lord. We hope the resources provided will help you as you seek to keep this week holy.
During Holy Week it is good to pray the stations of the cross. A form can be found for doing that here.
Many of us will normally want to meet Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation at this time of year, and to leave our sins at the foot of the cross and hear the comforting words of absolution from a priest. This will not be possible this Holy Week and Easter, so we recommend that during Holy Week you make an ‘Act of Contrition’. There is a booklet for this here.
A full schedule of the Psalms and Reading can be found here.
Devotional Videos
Those who use Facebook are encouraged to watch them there and to share them so that they reach as many people as possible. However, it is also intended to subsequently post the videos (for those who don’t use Facebook) here.
Mass will still be celebrated, the offices of morning and evening prayer will still be sung and the needs of the parish of Hemsworth will still be prayed for. Do please make sure you follow the daily posts being made on our Facebook page.
For pastoral care, please don’t hesitate to contact the Rector He is endeavouring to produce a weekly pastoral message. If you do not currently receive it, but would like to do so, again, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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2020 Youth Pilgrimage – led by Bishop Philip North
The Youth Pilgrimage is a week of lively worship, teaching, fellowship and fun for 11-18 year olds.
Our friends are some of the most important and influential people in our lives. Often we have many different types of friends: best friends, school friends, sports team friends, church friends and people we are friends with on social media who we might not have ever met in person.
Friendship is a gift from God and our friendships should model Christ’s love for us. There are not many things in this world that are more valuable than true friendship. We are called to love our friends for who they are, not what they can offer us.
The 2020 Youth Pilgrimage will explore the theme of Christian friendship with its ups and downs, helping us to look to Christ as our model so that we can be the best friends possible.
