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HOLY CROSS CHOIR, LEICESTER LINKS |
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Links: these include old Parish Newsletters over the last three years or so. The current newsletter may be found in plain text below.
Our Director is David Cowen and the current music list can also be found on his website by clicking here and following the link at the bottom of that page.
The Parish Newsletter, below, gives information on parish activities and events.
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SHORT LENTEN TALKS ― Through Death to Life. The usual season of Lenten Talks is now under way. Talks are given by one of the friars after the 10am and 12:30pm Masses each Friday in Lent. This week Fr Fabian will speak on "The Carrying of the Cross". We hope you can make these part of your Lenten celebrations.
MONEY MATTERS: Last Weekend’s collections ― Offertory Collection £1637.66; SVP £32.40; Friends of Holy Cross £17.35; Holy Souls £16.73; Grenada Church Restoration £4.80. The McNabb Appeal fund stands at £6650.38. The Lenten Fast Day collection for Aid to the Church in Need came to £417.52. Next week there will be a retiring collection for the McNabb Appeal for parish funds. 200 Club. Last month’s winners were: 49, S Morton £150; 3, K Redmond £100; and 130, I Pye £50. Congratulations! Very many thanks for your continuing generosity.
Our bishop, Malcolm McMahon OP, has recently withdrawn his permission ‘for public celebration of Mass explicitly for homosexual people at Holy Cross Priory’. This is partly because a group that was holding bi-annual Masses here did not adhere to an agreement they made with him regarding their website, that all content and links contrary to the Catholic faith would be removed. This request from the bishop was made a few years ago, and despite requests and reminders to comply, no relevant changes were made. The Church mandates that, ‘No authentic pastoral programme will include organizations in which homosexual persons associate with each other without clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral’ (Homosexualitatis problema, 15). The bishop asks us friars here to ‘continue to reach out to all marginalized people to offer them the light of the Gospel.’ Naturally, any homosexual person can attend any Mass at Holy Cross or any other Catholic church. The same rules apply to all Catholics: we are urged to offer ourselves at Mass, and if we wish to receive Communion, to be in a state of grace, availing ourselves of the sacrament of Confession. We must extend the charity of Christ to all our brothers and sisters.There is a VACANCY FOR A HEADTEACHER at St Patrick’s Primary & Nursery School, Mansfield. Details from ken.daly@nottingham-des.org.uk or (01623) 478090. Closing date is 15 March.An important one-day conference on Medical and Moral Issues around the end of life is taking place at London Metropolitan University on Monday 29 March. For more information, see the University website or contact Fr Thomas.Thanks from SPUC for our White Flower collection in January: "Fantastic; best ever!"
Message of thanks received from the Red Cross: "We would like to express our deep thanks and gratitude for the timely response to our recent emergency request for baby items. The Red Cross’ Refugee & Asylum support project was responding to the specific need of a family experiencing hardship. One parent had no recourse to public funds and, after a tough decision, we assisted the other parent to apply for support with the baby. This will allow there to be support for him and his baby under the National Asylum Seeker Support scheme. We understand the benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and baby but, in this specific situation, breast feeding was not an option. Both parents wish to express their sincere thanks to all those who responded to this crisis."The Secular Society has organised a petition asking that no part of the cost of the Pope’s visit be met by the taxpayer. You can counter this by signing an alternative petition expressing support for the Pope's visit (details at www.proecclesia.com/page_newsflash.htm).Congratulations to Gail Neil, one of our long term, loyal parishioners, the head teacher of Bishop Ellis School, who has been appointed as the new Director of the Diocesan Education Service! She will be responsible for the Catholic ethos of all our schools. The pro-life group based at Holy Cross is holding its second annual candlelit Prayer Procession at 7pm on Friday 19 March (St Joseph’s feast day) to pray for an end to abortion. If you would like to take part please contact Sica on 0775 88 44 918.
The Divine Office IF you come early to the Saturday Vigil Mass, or the Sunday 9:30am Mass, or on Sunday evening for the Rosary at 6pm, or Benediction at 6:40pm, it is very likely you will find the friars and some lay people singing psalms and praying. This is called the ‘Divine Office’ ― it is a strange use of the word ‘office’, but think of it as ‘service’ or ‘prayer’. Most people find the Divine Office a mystery. Even by its other name ― the Liturgy of Hours ― we are no closer to understanding what it is, and why it exists. Many Catholics have an idea that monks and possibly nuns chant psalms, and that priests have big fat prayer books. What many don’t realise is that these chants and fat prayer books do not belong to priests and consecrated religious. They are the patrimony of the whole Church. Every Catholic knows what the Mass is. As ancient as the Mass, and intimately related to it is the ‘Divine Office’. These are the two official prayers that the Church offers daily. The Divine Office extends and prolongs the worship offered at Mass to cover the whole 24-hour period of a day. If you think of the Mass as a jewel of the supreme form of worship, the Divine Office surrounds the Mass like a beautiful golden setting. What is it? It consists of psalms, hymns, readings and other prayers which are sung or recited at set times in the day and night. The Divine Office contains seven day offices and one night office, corresponding to the words of the psalms, Seven times a day I have given praise to thee, and I rose at midnight to give praise to thee. The offices are Matins (night office), Lauds (at dawn), Prime (6am), Terce (9am), Sext (12noon), None (3pm), Vespers (at dusk) and Compline (before retiring to bed). Vatican II called Lauds and Vespers the ‘hinges’ of our prayer, and it asked that all parishes (parishes, not just friars!) should celebrate Vespers, at least on Sundays. At Holy Cross we sing Lauds and Vespers daily. Lauds (from Latin laus, praise), or Morning Prayer, praises God at the start of the new day and asks for His help in the coming day. Vespers (from Latin vesper, evening), or Evening Prayer, gives Him thanks as the daylight fades. These two offices are sung in English. On Sundays we sing an early Compline (from Latin completorium, completion) in Latin, in the traditional Dominican form. See the noticeboards outside for times. Everyone is warmly invited to attend these prayers, and to draw inspiration from the voice of the Church praising God. If you come a little earlier, books can be provided so that you may follow the offices more closely. It’s a little tricky, but with time you will get the hang of it. Remember to sing quietly. Even if you don’t wish to come into the sanctuary, you can share in the prayer from wherever you are sitting, and stand when the friars stand (because Christians always stand for the Gospel!). In Holy Week there is a special form the Office takes during the last three days. We call this Tenebrae (Latin: darkness), which is a dramatic and beautiful preparation for Easter. Come and join us, if not as Lenten prayer ― at least as Lenten penance! It depends what you think of our singing... Fr Leon Pereira OP
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