THIS SUNDAY: And so we arrive at the start of Holy Week. We will be invited to make Jesus’ journey our own and enter more deeply into the story of God’s tremendous love for each one of us. This Sunday’s celebration is, of course, dominated by the reading of St Mark’s account of the Passion. What Mark seeks to offer us is the story of God reaching out to us with the gift of salvation; a free gift that comes through the sacrifice and the brokenness of Jesus, his beloved Son. There is plenty this week to deepen our prayer, whether that be through the great Liturgies of the Triduum, or through the celebration of the Office, through Confessions, or simply reflecting upon the journey of Holy Week in the stillness of God’s presence. Holy Week is a most beautiful ‘event’ in our Christian calendar. If you have yet to discover the beauty of the Triduum Liturgies, then maybe this year is for you.

EASTER FLOWERS: The flower ladies will be asking for your help and support through this weekend’s retiring collection for the flowers at Easter. Do, please, give them what support you can next weekend.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Morning Prayer in the Church this Palm Sunday beginning at 9.45am.

PALM SUNDAY SOUP LUNCH: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place this Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. Just sign up on the list in the Narthex to ensure you are well catered for.  What is raised goes to support our charitable, outreach projects.

MASS IN ITALIAN: For the celebration of Palm Sunday, Fr Gerardo Fabrizio who will be with us once again to celebrate Mass at 5.00pm in Italian this Sunday afternoon (1 April). Do come along if you can. There will be refreshments in the Hall afterwards.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taizé prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along; we deepen our relationship with the Lord through prayer, through the scriptures, and through beautiful, simple, chant.

CHURCH CLEANING FOR EASTER: If you can spare a little time on Thursday morning at around 10.00am, then all willing hands would be most welcome to help get the Church ready for the great Three Days of the Triduum. If you bring a mop, a brush, or some polish, then everything else (including the tea) will be provided for you.

HOLY WEEK CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Holy Week. There is an opportunity as part of Taizé evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) from 6.00pm until 7.30pm, and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm, as well as on Good Friday afternoon after the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion from 4.30pm _ 5.15pm.

HOLY THURSDAY COLLECTION: During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the collection taken just before the Offertory will be our Lenten gifts to the poor. Your CAFOD boxes can be placed in this collection and what is raised (outside of the CAFOD boxes) will be used to support the poor in our own city of Bristol.

GOOD FRIDAY WITNESS: This year, the customary walk of witness is not taking place. Instead there is an ecumenical witness of faith outside of Asda at 10.00am on Good Friday. Do go along for the reflection upon the Passion story – a wonderful, simple way to remind people of the importance of this day.

ŚWIĘCONKA: This Polish Blessing of Easter food and baskets, which has become a regular feature in our Holy Week timetable, is taking place on Holy Saturday at 11.00am. All are most welcome!

TABLE TOP SALE: To raise some much needed funds for CLIC (Cancer and leukaemia in Children) and SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal death), Barbara Coles is hosting a table top sale in the Hall on Saturday 21 April from 12 – 200pm.  If you can help out by making baked goods, jams and preserves, or you have something for the gift table or some unused, unwanted toiletries, you can hand them into at the presbytery or contact Barbara on (01275) 837754 as soon as possible. Do come along on the day, though, and support these charities, please.

WEDNESDAY CAFÉ: Beginning late May we will begin a very simple, uncomplicated parish series where, on each of the Wednesdays mornings, there will be opportunity to deepen your understanding of what it means to be a Catholic over a cuppa and begin to explore what lies at the heart of what we believe. Watch this space!

Morning Prayer: 9.45am
Mass: 10.30am    George Parker’s Intentions
Vespers: 4.00pm
Italian Mass: 5.00pm

Monday of Holy Week ~ 2 April    
Morning Prayer: 8.40am
Mass: 9.00am
Taizé Prayer around the Cross: 7.30pm

Tuesday of Holy Week ~ 3 April    
Morning Prayer: 8.40am
Mass: 9.00am
Confessions: 6.00pm ~ 7.30pm

Spy Wednesday ~ 4 April    
Mass of Chrism at Clifton Cathedral: 11.00am
Evening Prayer: 6.30pm
Mass: 7.00pm   Chandra de Fonseka RIP
Confessions: 7.30pm ~ 8.15pm

HOLY THURSDAY ~ 5 April   
Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.15am
Big Clean for Easter: 10.00am onwards

Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 8.00pm
Watching at the Altar of Repose until midnight
Night Prayer: 11.50pm

GOOD FRIDAY ~ 6 April      
Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.15am
Family Stations of the Cross: 11.00am

Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion: 3.00pm
Confessions: 4.30pm ~ 5.15pm
Prayer around the Cross: 7.00pm

HOLY SATURDAY ~ 7 April      
Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.15am
Święconka Blessing of Easter Food and Baskets: 11.00am

Easter Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection:  8.00pm

EASTER SUNDAY ~ 8 April   
Mass of Easter Morning:    8.30am
10.30am       Pro Populo
Solemn Vespers of Easter:    4.00pm

Mass will be celebrated here at St Bernadette’s. All are most welcome! There is plenty of parking. All you need do is pass the word around and bring your friends with you – Italian and non-Italian, alike.

The series of reflections will begin on the Fifth Sunday of Lent – 25 March 2012.

Log on each day to jounrey through those fourteen steps to the Cross and to the tomb.

The evening of prayer, gathered around the Cross, take place on Monday 2 April 2012, beginning at 7.30pm. St Bernadette’s is easy to locate on the Wells Road (A37), and has plenty of parking facilities.

All are welcome!

This is a new thing for our parish, but our hope is that drawing on the simple, beautiful, and meditative chant and prayer of the Community of Taize, we will deepen our sense of the presence of the Lord as we seek to accompany him through the pilgrimage of Holy Week.

THIS SUNDAY: There were two remarkable moments in the story of the Old Testament where God saved his people; one was in the escape from Egypt – we’ll keep that for the Easter Vigil. The other was the end of their second exile, this time in Babylon, which we hear of today. Of course there was an even greater moment when God saved his people: the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God – and we hear Jesus tell Nicodemus about that today. So today’s theme is “salvation”: but to understand “being saved”, we must ask “What from?” Saved from slavery, from exile, from human enemies – these are all clear. But the last and greatest salvation brought by Jesus is harder to understand: saved from sin and death. These threaten us as much as any other enemy, and our salvation in Jesus is as real as any other. We are also at the mid-way point of Lent – Laetare Sunday invites us to to a certain joy as we near the events that celebrate our salvation.
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LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. A great way to tap into that Lenten fasting as well as reaching our in love to those less fortunate than ourselves.   Just sing up on the list in the Narthex to ensure you are well catered for.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent at 4.00pm, there will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Just for the Season of Lent, we will continue to celebrate Morning Prayer in the Church each Sunday beginning at 9.45am.

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: This Friday and for the remaining Fridays of Lent, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am).

VATICAN II COURSE: Keep 20 March (that’s this coming Tuesday) free in your diaries – Clifton Cathedral, 7.30pm. Professor Paul Murray from Durham University will be with us to talk about the Decree on Ecumenism and the Council’s ecumenical outreach and, of course, its impact on what we are called to be, as Church, today. Prof Murray is well able to deepen our understanding of the Council’s ecumenical initiatives, and it’ll be great to reflect upon how we continue to live the fruit of that invitation today. All are welcome – a fantastic series so far!

MASS IN ITALIAN: For the start of Holy Week and the celebration of Palm Sunday, Fr Gerardo Fabrizio will be with us to celebrate Mass at 5.00pm on Palm Sunday in Italian (1 April). Do come along if you can. There will be refreshments in the Hall afterwards.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taize prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. In song and prayer, reflecting upon the scriptures and drawing upon the spirituality of Taize, we come to the Lord. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along – there will also be opportunities for confession that evening, too.

LENTEN CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Lent. The two Saturday opportunities are there as well as an opportunity as part of Taize evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) from 6.00pm until 7.30pm (altered), and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm. There will be a couple of priests available those evenings.

THE ROAD TO CALVARY – A Passion Play: This reflection as we head towards Holy Week takes place at St Gerard’s, Knowle, on Friday 30 March at 7.00pm. Tickets cost £5. All are welcome.

TABLE TOP SALE: To raise some much needed funds for CLIC (Cancer and leukaemia in Children) and SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal death), Barbara Coles is hosting a table top sale in the Hall on Saturday 21 April from 12 – 200pm.  If you can help out by making baked goods, jams and preserves, or you have something for the gift table or some unused, unwanted toiletries, you can hand them into at the presbytery or contact Barbara on (01275) 837754 as soon as possible. Do come along on the day, though, and support these charities, please.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER: The schedule for Holy Week this year is available for you to take away. Do make sure you pick up an extra one or two copies to pass around to folk who might just need a little encouragement to come and celebrate Easter with us.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS: We remember in our prayers Evelyn Welling and Kathleen Joyce who both died during this last week. Evelyn’s funeral will take place at South Bristol Crematorium this coming Friday at 2.00pm, and Kathleen Joyce’s funeral takes place here at St Bernadette’s on Monday 26 March at 10.00am. May they rest in peace.

OUR PRIMARY SCHOOL: Do keep our primary school in your prayers this week as they welcome the Section 48 (RE) inspector into school on Tuesday and Thursday.

THIS SUNDAY: This week, in our journey through the Old Testament, we reach Covenant Number Three: and this is the big one – the Covenant with Moses at Sinai. The Ten Commandments are (or should be) familiar to us all: they form our side of the agreement with God – if we stick to these rules and commands, then we are truly God’s people, and he is truly our God. If we ignore them, or break them, then we break the Covenant or relationship.  The Temple was, for the people of Israel, the place that guaranteed the permanence of this Covenant – God dwelling with man. Jesus alerts us to the new Temple – himself – since he is the core of the New Covenant, God and Man in perfect unity. Only by the destruction of this new Temple, in his death, will he rise again as an eternal Temple, and the eternal guarantee of the New Covenant which we enjoy.

FIRST COMMUNION 2012: We welcome the children to 10.30am Mass this Sunday as they are presented with a copy of the scriptures, reminding them of Christ’s presence to us in his Word – a Word that grow attentive to each and every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

THE SEASON OF LENT ~ a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so that we might be re-moulded, renewed, re-imagined, refreshed and re-fashioned to become more like Christ.

CAFOD FAST DAY: A big thank you for your great kindness shown through our Lenten CAFOD collection. You raise a whopping £1577.34 which, of course, with the Government £1 for £1, is a staggering amount of money (£3154.68) for those without clean water. Thank you.

LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. A great way to tap into that Lenten fasting as well as reaching our in love to those less fortunate than ourselves. Details of the ecumenical lunches in the local churches are on the notice board.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent at 4.00pm, there will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Just for the Season of Lent, we will continue to celebrate Morning Prayer in the Church each Sunday beginning at 9.45am.

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: This Friday and for the remaining Fridays of Lent, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am).

MASS IN ITALIAN: For the start of Holy Week and the celebration of Palm Sunday, Fr Gerardo Fabrizio will be with us to celebrate Mass at 5.00pm on Palm Sunday (1 April). Do come along if you can.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taize prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. In song and prayer, reflecting upon the scriptures and drawing upon the spirituality of Taize, we come to the Lord. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along – there will also be opportunities for confession that evening, too.

VATICAN II COURSE: Keep 20 March free in your diaries – Clifton Cathedral, 7.30pm. Professor Paul Murray from Durham University will be with us to talk about the Council’s ecumenical outreach and its impact on what we are called to be, as Church, today. Prof Murray is well able to deepen our understanding of the Council’s ecumenical initiatives, and it’ll be great to reflect upon how we continue to live the fruit of that invitation today. All are welcome – a fantastic series so far!

LENTEN CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Lent. The two Saturday opportunities are there as well as an opportunity as part of Taize evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) from 6.00pm until 7.30pm (altered), and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm. There will be a couple of priests available those evenings.

THE ROAD TO CALVARY – A Passion Play: This reflection as we head towards Holy Week takes place at St Gerard’s, Knowle, on Friday 30 March at 7.00pm. Tickets cost £5. All are welcome.

BRISTOL IRISH SOCIETY: There’s a poster on the board with details of this coming weekend’s St Patrick’s celebrations on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

TABLE TOP SALE: To raise some much needed funds for CLIC (Cancer and leukaemia in Children) and SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal death), Barbara Coles is hosting a table top sale in the Hall on Saturday 21 April from 12 – 200pm.  If you can help out by making baked goods, jams and preserves, or you have something for the gift table or some unused, unwanted toiletries, you can hand them into at the presbytery or contact Barbara on (01275) 837754 as soon as possible. Do come along on the day, though, and support these charities, please.

LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOPS NICHOLS AND SMITH: A copy of the Archbishops’ letter on same sex marriage is available for you to take away from the Narthex. Please do pick up your copy.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER: Hopefully, the Holy Week and Easter schedule will be available for next weekend.

4 March 2012 – Second Sunday of Lent (B)

THIS SUNDAY: We spool forward a few centuries in the story of the Old Testament, to arrive at Abraham, “our Father in faith”. Keep that theme of Covenant in the front of your minds as you listen to the readings this Sunday. We hear of another Covenant (like last week) – even though the word is not used. God promises Abraham descendants like “the stars of heaven”, and the showering of blessings. This shows how much God loves Abraham, and all his children.  This love is proved for us in Jesus: God loves us so much he sacrificed his only Son (just as Abraham was willing to do); but this is not all: Jesus also rose from the dead, to stand at God’s right hand and plead for us. All this is revealed in the story of the Transfiguration, where Jesus is seen in the glory that is rightfully his as the only Son of God. Not until after the Resurrection will the disciples see this fully again.

FIRST COMMUNION 2012: We welcome the children to 10.30am Mass on Sunday 11 March (next Sunday) as they are presented with a copy of the scriptures, reminding them of Christ’s presence to us in his Word – a Word that grow attentive to each and every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

PARISH LITURGY GROUP: This little fledgling group meets on Tuesday 6 March at 7.00pm. It is made up of representatives from the ‘liturgical’ side of our parish community: someone to represent our readers, our extra-ordinary ministers, our Children’s Liturgy, our servers, our welcomers, our musicians and cantors, our flowers ladies, those who beautify the Church for us, and those who put the rotas together for us. It is a real way of communicating and coming together with a common vision as well as planning and providing opportunity for preparation.

THE SEASON OF LENT ~ a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so that we might be re-moulded, renewed, re-imagined, refreshed and re-fashioned to become more like Christ.

CAFOD FAST DAY: Envelopes that were attached to last week’s newsletter can be popped into the Retiring Collection, please, which will take place after all Masses. This year’s collection is focused upon giving clean water to communities without. There is a government price match – for every £1 we raise for CAFOD, the government will match it with another £1. Please do make use of your envelope (especially if you are a tax payer) and please give as generously as you can to this important Lenten retiring collection.

LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. A great way to tap into that Lenten fasting as well as reaching our in love to those less fortunate than ourselves. Details of the ecumenical lunches in the local churches are on the notice board.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent at 4.00pm, there will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction. This prayerful journey to the Cross draws us deeper into the mystery of Christ’s love for us. If you can make this a real part of your Lenten prayer, please do come along. We’ll use a different set of reflections for each of the weeks.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Just for the Season of Lent, we will continue to celebrate Morning Prayer in the Church each Sunday beginning at 9.45am. If you want to make this part of your Lenten Prayer, then please come along. The Liturgy of the Hours is a beautiful celebration of the psalms sung to simple tones and enables us to pray, not only for the Church, but with and on behalf of the Church, too. This is only for the six Sundays of Lent… so come and see!

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: Continuing this Friday and the remaining Fridays of Lent, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am) just to allow those who want to, to either stay on or to allow folk to just pop in for a moment of prayer. The Church will be open, so do make use of this little opportunity to deepen our relationship with the Lord.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taize prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. In song and prayer, reflecting upon the scriptures and drawing upon the spirituality of Taize, we come to the Lord. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along – there will also be opportunities for confession that evening, too.

VATICAN II COURSE: Keep 20 March free in your diaries – Clifton Cathedral, 7.30pm. Professor Paul Murray from Durham University will be with us to talk about the Council’s ecumenical outreach and its impact on what we are called to be, as Church, today. Prof Murray is well able to deepen our understanding of the Council’s ecumenical initiatives, and it’ll be great to reflect upon how we continue to live the fruit of that invitation today. All are welcome – a fantastic series so far!

LENTEN CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Lent. The two Saturday opportunities are there as well as an opportunity as part of Taize evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) at 10.00am until 10.45am, and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm. There will be a couple of priests available that evening.

THE ROAD TO CALVARY – A Passion Play: This reflection as we head towards Holy Week takes place at St Gerard’s, Knowle, on Friday 30 March at 7.00pm. Tickets cost £5. All are welcome.

‘Remain here.’  Jesus’ instruction to Peter, James and John is clear.  In this crucial period of prayer that bridges his Last Supper and his arrest, Jesus, as true man, needs to accept the fate which, as true God, he knows awaits him.   The intensity of it is such that he sweats blood and yet three times he breaks from his prayer and goes to his disciples.  Why?

The disciples are willing, but their flesh is weak and they fall asleep, perhaps not realising how important their presence is to Jesus in his agony.  For although there is little the disciples can do, Jesus simply wants them to be there with him.

Lord Jesus, like your disciples, I too can underestimate how much you value my presence.  

When I listen, I hear you gently urging me, ‘remain here’,

For you love me so much that you gave your life for me:

Of course you want me to remain with you! 

But I, Good Lord, not loving you as I ought, 

Wander far from your gentle whisper

and forget the sweetness of your voice amidst the clamour of the day.

Help me, my Lord Jesus, to remain in you.

Help me to bring the gift of your love to others,

Remembering the value of simply being present to others in their need.  

Amen.

THIS SUNDAY: We begin our Lenten journey at the decisive moment of the flood, when God establishes his first Covenant with man, in the person of Noah. Noah was saved from the waters, while we (as Saint Peter points out) are saved by the waters of Baptism. This is the Covenant we live in, thanks to Christ, who came to establish this “new and eternal Covenant in his blood”. He is the only one who can do this, because he is without sin, despite “having been tempted in every way that we are”.

FIRST COMMUNION 2012: The preparation sessions for our youngsters continue this coming week -Wednesday, 29 February – at 11.00am in school.  The children will still have their books in school already, but if they haven’t, parents are asked to make sure you send them in, please. We welcome the children to 10.30am Mass on Sunday 11 March as they are presented with a copy of the scriptures, reminding them of Christ’s presence to us in his Word – a Word that grow attentive to each and every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

WOMENS WORLD DAY OF PRAYER: This year, the Day of Prayer takes place on Friday 2 March beginning at 11.00am in Christchurch, Petherton Road. Please do go along and support this annual day which, this year, has been put together by the women of Malaysia. A light lunch served afterwards.

PARISH LITURGY GROUP: This gathering will look at ensuring that each of our ministers is formed and supported, as well as providing a real opportunity to reflect upon what we do as a community of prayer. The meeting aims, also, at allowing each of those coordinators to communicate with one another and facilitate a planning of what takes place here when it comes to our prayer. They meet on Tuesday 6 March at 7.00pm.

THE SEASON OF LENT ~ a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so that we might be re-moulded, renewed, re-imagined, refreshed and re-fashioned to become more like Christ.

CAFOD FAST DAY: This year, the CAFOD fast day takes place on Friday 2 March. Envelopes are attached to this week’s newsletter in readiness for the collection which will take place on Saturday 3/Sunday 4 March (Second Sunday of Lent). This year’s collection is focused upon giving clean water to communities. There is a government price match – for every £1 we raise for CAFOD, the government will match it with another £1. Please do make use of your envelope and please give as generously as you can.

LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: Lent got off to a good, nourishing start this last Friday. The second of our parish soup lunches takes place on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12noon onwards. A great way to tap into that Lenten fasting as well as reaching our in love to those less fortunate than ourselves. Details of the ecumenical lunches in the local churches are on the notice board.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent, beginning this Sunday – 26 February – at 4.00pm, there will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction. This prayerful journey to the Cross draws us deeper into the mystery of Christ’s love for us. If you can make this a real part of your Lenten prayer, please do come along. We’ll use a different set of reflections for each of the weeks.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Just for the Season of Lent, there will be Morning Prayer in the Church on Sundays beginning at 9.45am. If you want to make this part of your Lenten Prayer, then please come along. The Liturgy of the Hours is a beautiful celebration of the psalms sung to simple tones and enables us to pray, not only for the Church, but with and on behalf of the Church, too. We’ll begin Morning Prayer this Sunday on 26 February. This is only for the six Sundays of Lent… so come and see!

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: On each of the Fridays of Lent, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am) just to allow those who want to, to either stay on or to allow folk to just pop in for a moment of prayer. The Church will be open, so do make use of this little opportunity to deepen our relation with the Lord.

WALK WITH ME: These beautiful little books of Lenten reflections are available from the Narthex. They cost £1 and will take you through each day of the six weeks of Lent. Pick up your copy whilst they are there. The money can be popped in with the newspaper money.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taize prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. In song and prayer, reflecting upon the scriptures and drawing upon the spirituality of Taize, we come to the Lord. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along – there will also be opportunities for confession that evening, too.

BORN FOR THIS: A powerful musical recounting the story of Easter is being performed in our Cathedral by talented young people from our diocese. Taking place on Saturday 3 March in the Cathedral, this wonderful musical presentation begins at 7.30pm… and all are welcome. Entry is free. An ideal opportunity to celebrate the Season of Lent and look forward to the wonder of Easter. Do go along and support our young people, our secondary schools, and our Diocesan Youth Service. Poster in the narthex for more info.

VATICAN II COURSE: Keep 20 March free in your diaries – Clifton Cathedral, 7.30pm. Details next week. Professor Paul Murray from Durham University will be with us to talk about the Council’s ecumenical outreach and its impact on what we are called to be, as Church, today. All are welcome – a fantastic series so far!