First Holy Communion Celebration Masses

T he second of our First Holy Communion Masses will take place this Sunday at 10.00am at St James. Our congratulations and prayers go to the children who will receive Holy Communion for the first time this weekend. A special thank you goes to the catechists who have enabled our children to develop their understanding of this most sacred Sacrament and to the children’s families who have supported them along the way. Please note the change of Mass time at St Boniface to 12noon this Sunday.

Next Sunday, at the 11.30am Mass at St Boniface, the First Communion children who usually attend this Mass are invited to come to Mass in the First Communion clothes so that the congregation there can celebrate this special occasion with them as well.

Day for Life

The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, Day for Life is celebrated this Sunday, the third Sunday of June each year. For the first time, it will be celebrated in Scotland and Ireland on the same day. The theme is ‘Listen to Her’ and focuses on post-abortion trauma and the impact of abortion primarily on women, but also on others.

Each year a message is released, usually by the Church’s Lead Bishop for Life Issues, offering a reflection on the year’s theme. The 2023 Message is unique in that the Bishops have given it over to a Catholic woman who has had an abortion to share her experiences. Often the voices of women who have had an abortion are silent in Church and in society. The hope is that this will help break this silence and offer further opportunities for healing and reconciliation. The 2023 Message and some prayers for the Day for Life are attached to this Newsletter.

There is a retiring collection to support the Church’s proclamation of the Gospel of Life at the national level. Please be as generous as you can to support this important mission.

Mission Animation

Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries invite Red Box Holders and all parishioners to a Mission Animation to explore and celebrate mission in the Diocese of Plymouth on Saturday 1 July, 1.00-2.30pm, at the St Richard Reynolds Centre, Blessed Sacrament Church, Heavitree, Exeter. Light refreshments will be available.

Caritas Diocese of Plymouth – Refugee Week Event

Refugee Week is approaching and the theme this year is Compassion.  Caritas Diocese of Plymouth would like to invite people to learn more about  ‘Love the Stranger’ - a new publication by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which reflects on our Christian response to the challenges facing those who have left their homeland in search of a better life.

Many in our diocese welcome those new to their community, reach out to asylum seekers, welcome families through community sponsorship, host Ukrainian families and much more.  This event will be an opportunity to find out more about what is happening and to learn from each other. All welcome to join Caritas via Zoom this Wednesday 21 June from 6.00-7.00pm. Please email caritas@prcdtr.org.uk  or fill in this short form to receive the Zoom link https://forms.office.com/e/DeWyqB7cL9.

Sponsored Walk for CHAT

Our parishioner, Ewelina Żychlinska, and her daughter, Zofia, are doing a 1000km walk over three months to raise funds to support the work of CHAT. If you would like to support them, you can do so online at Ewelina Żych is fundraising for Churches Housing Action Team (Mid Devon) Ltd (justgiving.com) or by giving your donation to them directly.

Cheese and Wine Evening

After a popular debut last year, we will be holding a Cheese and Wine Evening in the Hall at St James on Friday 7 July at 7.00pm. Donations of cheese would be greatly appreciated. A list can be found at the entrance to church to sign up with a donation.

Skittles Evening

Following a break of a few years, the SVP will be holding a Parish Skittles Evening on Friday 18 August at the Racehorse Pub in Wellbrook Street, Tiverton. Further details to follow at a later date. 

Amen App

One of our parishioners has found the Amen app, a free Catholic prayer app which has been developed by the Augustine Institute based in Colorado in the USA, a useful help in their spiritual and faith life and would like to share it with you just in case anyone is looking for some online resources. The app provides a number of resources including Bible in a Year, Psalms and Stories for Sleep, Daily Mass readings and daily reflections, Opening the Word of the Sunday Readings, Pray the Rosary, Lighthouse Talks, family content and Catholic Prayers and Meditations.

School Transport Funds

The School Transport Fund subsidises the cost of children travelling to Catholic schools in the Diocese. If you think that you may qualify for assistance, speak to Canon Kristian or to Rosie in the Parish Office and they can provide you with an application form. The closing date for applications is 31 July 2023.

Diocesan Vacancy – Payroll and Accounts Administrator

The Diocese is looking to appoint a part-time Payroll and Accounts Administrator based at the Diocesan Offices in Ashburton. Details are attached to the Newsletter and on the noticeboard.

Survey for the New Diocesan Newsletter

The Communications Team would love to get a better idea of what content people would be most interested in receiving by answering the few short questions in this survey https://forms.office.com/e/BnKMkfYQE0.