Masses for the Lent Season 2021
CLICK HERE
for the Pope's Lenten Message
The requirement to attend weekly Mass is still suspended, so please see the links below.
On a number of sites on the internet, there are live masses
for people to watch in their homes, broadcast from around the world. The
Vatican, and our Cathedral of Clifton will be broadcasting services each day. If you have a computer or smart phone, I hope you will be able
to benefit from the links below, or any of your own choice.
https://cliftoncathedral.org/
https://mass-online.org/daily-holy-mass-live-online/
https://www.ewtn.com/easter/schedule.aspx
http://www.catholictv.org/masses/catholictv-mass
https://www.churchservices.tv/
http://www.catholictv.org/shows/papal-programming
If you wish to make a general donation
please click the button
April
2020. Dear
Parishioners, We
hope you are all keeping safe in these very difficult times Now
that the churches of St John Fisher and St Richard are closed, there is no money
coming in on the weekly offertory plates which produce a substantial amount of
the total income of the parish. As
a result there is now a £1,300 per month shortfall between current income and
costs. This
is untenable if it continues and therefore we need to do something now. If
you usually give your donation to the church through the weekly plate, can
we please ask you to consider normalising it with a regular monthly Standing
Order/ gift-aided donation? Gift
Aid does not cost you anything if you pay any Income Tax and any income tax you
have paid on the money you donate will be given to the Parish by the inland
revenue. This makes every £1.00 you give into £1.25 A
Standing Order/Gift Aid form can be downloaded by clicking HERE.
Please email completed forms to John
Macaulay - ga.wellington.stjohnfisher@cliftondiocese.com If
you do not feel you are able to commit to a regular monthly payment at the
current time, this is appreciated as many of us will be facing our own financial
problems. However, any amount you can afford to give will be very much
appreciated and can be given by clicking the following button. Again this
donation can be “Gift Aided”
This
will help to keep the Parish from a potential difficult situation. Thank
you for taking the time to read this. With
Best Wishes Chris
Shackleton Treasurer
St John Fisher Wellington/St Richard Wiveliscombe Treasurer.wellington.stjohnfisher@cliftondiocese.com On
behalf of the Finance and General Purposes Committee Resident
Priest 57
Mantle Street, Wellington, Somerset TA21 8AX Tel:
01823 662283 Welcome to the Somerset To find out more, Parish
Visitors Church Email address
A
Guide to Parish Ministries Click
for more details
Fr
Ikeokwu Nduh, Parish Priest St.
John Fisher Presbytery 57
Mantle Street, Wellington TA21
8AX (01823)
662283 To ask for a prayer to be said on your
behalf, to register as a new-comer to the area
(even if you are not a regular church-goer), or to receive a copy of our occasional
news sheets, then please click on the "Register" button. contact the Webmaster
for feedback, comments, and suggested links
Clifton Diocese is a company limited by
guarantee; registered in England and Wales under number 10462076 | Registered
Charity No. 1170168 | Registered Office: St. Ambrose, North
Road, Leigh Woods, Bristol, BS8 3PW
Here
is Pope Francis' 2021 Lenten Message: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Jesus revealed to his disciples the deepest meaning of his
mission when he told them of his passion, death and resurrection, in fulfilment
of the Father's will. He then called the disciples to share in this mission for
the salvation of the world. In our Lenten journey towards Easter, let us remember the One
who "humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a
cross" (Phil 2:8). During this season of conversion, let us renew our
faith, draw from the "living water" of hope, and receive with open
hearts the love of God, who makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. At the
Easter vigil, we will renew our baptismal promises and experience rebirth as new
men and women by the working of the Holy Spirit. This Lenten journey, like the
entire pilgrimage of the Christian life, is even now illumined by the light of
the resurrection, which inspires the thoughts, attitudes and decisions of the
followers of Christ. Fasting, prayer and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus (cf. Mt
6:1-18), enable and express our conversion. The path of poverty and self-denial
(fasting), concern and loving care for the poor (almsgiving), and childlike
dialogue with the Father (prayer) make it possible for us to live lives of
sincere faith, living hope and effective charity. 1. Faith calls us to accept
the truth and testify to it before God and all our brothers and sisters. In this Lenten season, accepting and living the truth revealed
in Christ means, first of all, opening our hearts to God's word, which the
Church passes on from generation to generation. This truth is not an abstract
concept reserved for a chosen intelligent few. Instead, it is a message that all
of us can receive and understand thanks to the wisdom of a heart open to the
grandeur of God, who loves us even before we are aware of it. Christ himself is
this truth. By taking on our humanity, even to its very limits, he has made
himself the way - demanding, yet open to all - that leads to the fullness of
life. Fasting, experienced as a form of self-denial, helps those who
undertake it in simplicity of heart to rediscover God's gift and to recognize
that, created in his image and likeness, we find our fulfilment in him. In
embracing the experience of poverty, those who fast make themselves poor with
the poor and accumulate the treasure of a love both received and shared. In this
way, fasting helps us to love God and our neighbour, inasmuch as love, as Saint
Thomas Aquinas teaches, is a movement outwards that focuses our attention on
others and considers them as one with ourselves (cf. Fratelli Tutti, 93). Lent is a time for believing, for welcoming God into our lives
and allowing him to "make his dwelling" among us (cf. Jn 14:23).
Fasting involves being freed from all that weighs us down - like consumerism or
an excess of information, whether true or false - in order to open the doors of
our hearts to the One who comes to us, poor in all things, yet "full of
grace and truth" (Jn 1:14): the Son of God our Saviour. 2. Hope as "living
water" enabling us to continue our journey. The Samaritan woman at the well, whom Jesus asks for a drink,
does not understand what he means when he says that he can offer her
"living water" (Jn 4:10). Naturally, she thinks that he is referring
to material water, but Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit whom he will give in
abundance through the paschal mystery, bestowing a hope that does not
disappoint. Jesus had already spoken of this hope when, in telling of his
passion and death, he said that he would "be raised on the third day"
(Mt 20:19). Jesus was speaking of the future opened up by the Father's mercy.
Hoping with him and because of him means believing that history does not end
with our mistakes, our violence and injustice, or the sin that crucifies Love.
It means receiving from his open heart the Father's forgiveness. In these times of trouble, when everything seems fragile and
uncertain, it may appear challenging to speak of hope. Yet Lent is precisely the
season of hope, when we turn back to God who patiently continues to care for his
creation which we have often mistreated (cf. Laudato Si', 32-33; 43-44). Saint
Paul urges us to place our hope in reconciliation: "Be reconciled to
God" (2 Cor 5:20). By receiving forgiveness in the sacrament that lies at
the heart of our process of conversion, we in turn can spread forgiveness to
others. Having received forgiveness ourselves, we can offer it through our
willingness to enter into attentive dialogue with others and to give comfort to
those experiencing sorrow and pain. God's forgiveness, offered also through our
words and actions, enables us to experience an Easter of fraternity. In Lent, may we be increasingly concerned with "speaking
words of comfort, strength, consolation and encouragement, and not words that
demean, sadden, anger or show scorn" (Fratelli Tutti, 223). In order to
give hope to others, it is sometimes enough simply to be kind, to be
"willing to set everything else aside in order to show interest, to give
the gift of a smile, to speak a word of encouragement, to listen amid general
indifference" (ibid., 224). Through recollection and silent prayer, hope is given to us as
inspiration and interior light, illuminating the challenges and choices we face
in our mission. Hence the need to pray (cf. Mt 6:6) and, in secret, to encounter
the Father of tender love. To experience Lent in hope entails growing in the realization
that, in Jesus Christ, we are witnesses of new times, in which God is
"making all things new" (cf. Rev 21:1-6). It means receiving the hope
of Christ, who gave his life on the cross and was raised by God on the third
day, and always being "prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls [us]
to account for the hope that is in [us]" (1 Pet 3:15). 3. Love, following in the
footsteps of Christ, in concern and compassion for all, is the highest
expression of our faith and hope. Love rejoices in seeing others grow. Hence it suffers when
others are anguished, lonely, sick, homeless, despised or in need. Love is a
leap of the heart; it brings us out of ourselves and creates bonds of sharing
and communion. "â€~Social love' makes it possible to advance towards
a civilization of love, to which all of us can feel called. With its impulse to
universality, love is capable of building a new world. No mere sentiment, it is
the best means of discovering effective paths of development for everyone"
(Fratelli Tutti, 183). Love is a gift that gives meaning to our lives. It enables us
to view those in need as members of our own family, as friends, brothers or
sisters. A small amount, if given with love, never ends, but becomes a source of
life and happiness. Such was the case with the jar of meal and jug of oil of the
widow of Zarephath, who offered a cake of bread to the prophet Elijah (cf. 1
Kings 17:7-16); it was also the case with the loaves blessed, broken and given
by Jesus to the disciples to distribute to the crowd (cf. Mk 6:30-44). Such is
the case too with our almsgiving, whether small or large, when offered with joy
and simplicity. To experience Lent with love means caring for those who suffer
or feel abandoned and fearful because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In these days of
deep uncertainty about the future, let us keep in mind the Lord's word to his
Servant, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you" (Is 43:1). In our
charity, may we speak words of reassurance and help others to realize that God
loves them as sons and daughters. "Only a gaze transformed by charity can enable the
dignity of others to be recognized and, as a consequence, the poor to be
acknowledged and valued in their dignity, respected in their identity and
culture, and thus truly integrated into society" (Fratelli Tutti, 187). Dear brothers and sisters, every moment of our lives is a time
for believing, hoping and loving. The call to experience Lent as a journey of
conversion, prayer and sharing of our goods, helps us â€" as communities
and as individuals â€" to revive the faith that comes from the living
Christ, the hope inspired by the breath of the Holy Spirit and the love flowing
from the merciful heart of the Father. May Mary, Mother of the Saviour, ever faithful at the foot of
the cross and in the heart of the Church, sustain us with her loving
presence. May the blessing of the risen Lord accompany all of us on our journey
towards the light of Easter. God bless us all.
The Sunday Masses will be at Wiveliscombe at
09.00 The weekday Masses will be on Wednesday 09:15
in Wellington, As throughout most of last year, spaces are
limited; please ring 01823 662283 in advance to reserve your place. At the instructions of the Government, masks
must be worn, and community singing is not allowed. Please refrain from
conversation inside the Church: Outdoors is safer. God bless.
Fr Ikeokwu Nduh
Catholic
Parish
of St John Fisher, Wellington,
with St Richard of Chichester, Wiveliscombe
please click on
one
of the buttons on the left
can't see buttons?
click here
(Click for details
of support for the housebound, sick or bereaved)
Lenten Programme of Masses
During the continuing lockdown, Mass times throughout Lent remain as they have
been for the past 6 months:-
and at Wellington at 11.15
Thursday 10:00 in Wiveliscombe
and Saturday 10:00 at Wellington.