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The final week focussed on the liturgy of Holy Week.

This week there was a focus on God's love and forgiveness, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation - see the video below. Some of the questions discussed by the group were: 1. Does sin as dis-ease resonate with you? 2. Are there more ways we can be more merciful as a community in our locality? 3. What is my response to God's love for me? 4. What struck you about the story of the young man's experience of the sacrament? 5. Has your attitude to sin, examination of conscience and confession been changed today? 6. Who would you like to experience God's merciful love through reconciliation? How would you explain the beauty of the sacrament to them?

This week focused on the nature of the Church and how we might contribute to our local church community. Watch this week's video below.

After a lively session last week, we're into the second week of our Zoom-based Lenten course. You can read one participant's response to the session in the last week's blog post. It's in the comments section. I recommend it to you. Here's the video for week 2 of the course. Enjoy! THE VISION FOR THE DIOCESE from BISHOP RICHARD Here is an abridged version of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan

Check out this week's video from the diocese's Lenten series; part of the Invited programme.

Prayer of St Benedict: Gracious and Holy Father, give us the wisdom to discover You, the intelligence to understand You, the diligence to seek after You, the patience to wait for You, eyes to behold You, a heart to meditate upon You, and a life to proclaim You, through the power of the Spirit of Jesus, our Lord. Amen. Rule of St Benedict. Read it HERE.

Here's a wonderfully spiritual way to prepare for Christmas! Come and join your fellow parishioners on a Zoom course that focuses on the spirituality of some of our most famous saints. Learn - through video and friendly discussion groups - how the age-old wisdom and teaching of the Saints can be a practical help to us today. By the end of this short course you'll be well and truly ready to celebrate the coming of the Saviour. Naturally, the course is free to all our parishioners. To join in, just email John Lodge at: johnlodge47@gmail.com The course runs over six Wednesday evenings from 7.30 - 9.00PM. The dates are as follows: November 8th - St Patrick November 15th - St Benedict November 22nd - St Francis November 29th - St Catherine December 6th - St Ignatius December 13th - St Theresa Don't worry if you can't attend all the sessions; just drop into the ones for which you're available. Click HERE to read details about the course.

St. Patrick's Breastplate ("I Arise Today") I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through the belief in the threeness, Through confession of the oneness Of the Creator of Creation. I arise today Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism, Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension, Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom. I arise today Through the strength of the love of Cherubim, In obedience of angels, In the service of archangels, In hope of resurrection to meet with reward, In prayers of patriarchs, In predictions of prophets, In preaching of apostles, In faith of confessors, In innocence of holy virgins, In deeds of righteous men. I arise today Through the strength of heaven: Light of sun, Radiance of moon, Splendour of fire, Speed of lightning, Swiftness of wind, Depth of sea, Stability of earth, Firmness of rock. I arise today Through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to save me From snares of devils, From temptations of vices, From everyone who shall wish me ill, Afar and anear, Alone and in multitude. I summon today all these powers between me and those evils, Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, Against incantations of false prophets, Against black laws of pagandom Against false laws of heretics, Against craft of idolatry, Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul. Christ to shield me today Against poison, against burning, Against drowning, against wounding, So that there may come to me abundance of reward. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the threeness, Through confession of the oneness, Of the Creator of Creation.

Participants in the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops have approved a Letter to the People of God giving thanks for their experience, detailing the work of the past few weeks, and expressing the hope that in the coming months, everyone will be able to "concretely participate in the dynamism of missionary communion indicated by the word 'synod'". Read the letter HERE.

There's a fascinating article in the current issue of the Tablet about what's happening in the Synod discussions. Read it HERE.

The Vatican has just broadcast a pod cast entitled, "Synod General Assembly: Navel-gazing or listening to silent voices?" It's a take from a range of voices around the Church. You can listen to it HERE.

At the start of the Synod and on the feast of St Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis publishes Laudate Deum - his letter to the world. CAFOD has an excellent article which outlines its key points. Read it HERE. The full text of Laudate Deum is available on the Vatican website Read it HERE.