A Year in Our Parish: Looking Ahead to a Year for Young People

Dear Parishioners,

It’s one year now since I moved to this parish! Thank you very much for welcoming me and helping me be part of the Christian community here in Ellesmere Port.

As communicated in my first Sunday homily in the parish a year ago, my areas of focus for the parish were (and are) FAITH, PRAYER, COMMUNITY. Whatever we do should reflect, revolve around, or promote these.

I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support, especially those who have given, give and will give their time, talents, resources to help promote these in the parish (e.g. those who help with
catechesis and preparation for the various sacraments, sacristans, liturgical musicians and instrumentalists, Altar servers, parents and grandparents bringing the younger generation to church, those who take part in the daily Eucharistic Adoration, cleaners, the elderly and housebound parishioners who unite the suffering and prayer intentions for the parish, extraordinary ministers of Communion, SVP, social events organisers and participants, those who call into church at different points to pray, light a candle, offer flowers to Our Lady etc.

 

As I embark on my second year with you all, I would like to dedicate it to the YOUNG PEOPLE of the parish, inspired by Mt 19:14 But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’”

I would like to count on the parish’s support in bringing our young people back into church and having them grow in their faith, immerse themselves in prayer, and be active participants and members of this
Christian community. We owe this to our young people, for as St Paul tells us in today’s Second Reading, “Brothers and sisters: Owe no one anything, except to love each other ” (Rm 13:8). May we express this love to them by helping them get closer to God who is love. In subsequent newsletters, details and updates would be given on some of the faith and social projects and activities on offer for our young parishioners. Please join me in my big prayer intention this year, that our young people would not shy from actively practising their faith and discovering the true love and peace found in God through the person of Jesus Christ.