Parish Missions Page

Missions

Perth's Parish Mission 2013...

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St John the Baptist Church, Perth

Come and See

On Monday 25th February, the start of a week-long mission in the parish began with a Healing Service led by Fr Kieran and Fr Mulligan from the nearby St Mary's Monastery at Kinnoull. The Oil of Healing was carried in procession at the start of the service which was attended by around 200 parishioners.

Fr Kieran summed up the 'four attitudes' which prevent us from recognising God's love in ourselves and in others: envy; resentment; gossip and selfishness. "No matter how we feel about others," said Fr Kieran, "God is calling us to bring the Good News to them." Treating others with dignity and respect is what Jesus showed us when he sought out Bartimaeus among the crowds to heal him of his blindness. 'What is it that you want?', Jesus asked him. The man's cry for help had been heard. Jesus gave him the sight he had asked for saying, 'Your faith has healed you.' Christ is asking each of us - what would you like me to do for you? In our own lives, among those we know, people are crying out for forgiveness or a better understanding. We can bring these people nearer to Christ if our anger and spite, or the wounds of many years, are healed. Inviting the congregation to come forward to be anointed with the Oil of Healing, Fr Mulligan said, "God loves us - not for the people we would like to be, or for the people we should be - but for the people we are." The hymns were led by the choir, under the direction of Miss Susan Cassidy.

Parish Mission in Bourne and Deeping...

...given by Sister Phyllis Hughes and

Fr. Charles Corrigan from 24th -30^th March

Bourne and Deeping are two market towns in Lincolnshiresurrounded by farming communities. Both towns have pre-reformation churchs and at the time of the reformation were staunchly Catholic. Today only a few Catholics live there. At one time the parishes were separate but in recent times they have been amalgamated and served from Bourne by Fr. Clement Orango. We stayed in Bourne during the mission, the services were spread evenly between both churches.

We were invited by the parish council to give this mission a year ago but it was postponed as I had lost my voice. At the end of last year I went to visit the parish and had a day’s discussion with the parish council about the forthcoming mission. As a result of the discussion we concluded that there is only one mission, the mission of Jesus who has given this mission to the church, to the parish and to the Redemptorists. The mission is to preach the word of God through the witness of our lives. Christ is the centre of the mission and as we only share with others what gives us enthusiasm, the most important task of our week, is to help the parish celebrate Christ’s presence in the church so that they can celebrate it in their lives and communities.

Mission in Glasgow...

See for yourself how the Scottish Catholic Observer covered this mission in Bearsden, Glasgow.

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Fr Kieran Brady C.Ss.R., made it to the front page of the SCO...

Mission in Sevenoaks...

'Discovering God', this banner will hang over the sanctuary for the mission week. Various groups have been working for months to make this week a wonderful success. Judging by the turn out at the opening event, it is sure to be so.

The first night 'Discovering Healing - Restoring Hope'touched many people’s hearts, while the early mass is proving popular with many folk, a free breakfast thrown in before boarding the trains to London. Later in the week the school have organised a Eucharistic Procession to celebrate Corpus Christi. Members of the new 'Ordinariate' are also joining in the mission celebrations.

Browse a few pictures of our celebrations so far, including Fr Charlie Corrigan, Fr. Kieran Brady & Fr. Richard Harvey PP getting some sun. May this week be a time of prayer and growth in the parish of Sevenoaks, as the parish mission prayer book quotes:

Protect us O Lord, from thoughts without action.

Guard us O Lord, from words without feelings.

Defend us O Lord, from ideas without results and

surround us with Your Presence.

from a prayer by David Adam

A selection of photos from a couple of the nights and ceremonies

Mission in Leicester...

As you may know, the Redemptorists have been giving all kinds of missions and retreats in the UK for about 150 years but we always move with the times and adapt our style.

Frs Kieran Brady and Charlie Corrigan CSsR have been adapting one particular style to suit some parishes. They have recently been giving a mission in the joint parishes of St Mary's and St John Bosco's in Leicester, needless to say the week has been going well.

All groups in the parish have been touched by the Word of God.

The lay people have been formed into small faith sharing teams and have themselves prepared many aspects of the liturgy and Mission.

The mission nights were intitled, 'A Healing touch' 'Heart to Heart' 'A Mother's love' while the young people of the parish helped construct a night called 'A Just Word' exploring Justice in our world.

In the pics of the mission we see both Fr. Kieran and Fr. Charlie and their 'little helpers' on the Family themed event in the mission.

Each night was, of course, judged by the people to be a great success and a special moment in the spiritual journey of these faith communities.

Feel free to contact the Redemptorists about a possible Renewal for your own parish.

The next scheduled event for Fr. Charlie & Fr. Kieran will be leading a similar format mission in the parish of St. Thomas of Canterbury, Sevenoaks in Kent towards the end of June.