NEWSLETTER

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Year B)

Sunday 24 November, 2024

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Message from Canon Kristian

Dear brothers and sisters
We saw our first snow this week, heralding the change of the seasons and the arrival of winter.  Liturgically, we are approaching a similar change of season.  This Sunday is the last Sunday of our present Liturgical Year, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, more familiarly called the Feast of Christ the King.  This celebration marks the beginning of the last, and 34th, Week in Ordinary Time before we embark on a new year next weekend with the First Sunday of Advent.

As we know, all our human words and ideas are inadequate to express the fullness of the mysteries of our Faith, especially the reality of who God is. Our limited and finite attempts to describe the deepest realities of the Divine realm and of the human soul, made in the image and likeness of God, will always fail to plumb the depths of these eternal truths, and struggle to grasp “the length and breadth, height and depth of God’s love” for us (Ephesians 3:18).  This is especially true of the idea and imagery of “king” and “kingdom” that we so often use in our liturgical texts and prayers.  Christ is “king” in a way totally unlike the kings and monarchs of our world.  Likewise, God’s “kingdom” bears little resemblance to the territories over which human kings have fought and ruled throughout the centuries. Christ’s power is found in self-giving sacrifice and service which has nothing to do with the domination and oppression of others, and God’s Reign is based on the revolutionary Gospel paradox of the first being the last, and the last being the first, together with those deep spiritual values set out in the Beatitudes and incarnated in the whole teaching and life of Jesus. As Jesus himself says starkly to Pilate in the Gospel of John: “My Kingdom is not of this world” (18:36). The Letter to the Ephesians seeks to express it all in this way:

” God has let us know the mystery of his purpose, according to his good pleasure which he determined beforehand in Christ, for him to act upon when the times had run their course: that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth. And it is in him that we have received our heritage, marked out beforehand as we were, under the plan of the One who guides all things as he decides by his own will, chosen to be, for the praise of his glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came. Now you too, in him, have heard the message of the truth and the gospel of your salvation, and having put your trust in it you have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance, for the freedom of the people whom God has taken for his own, for the praise of his glory. That is why I, having once heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love for all God’s holy people, have never failed to thank God for you and to remember you in my prayers. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, how rich is the glory of the heritage he offers among his holy people, and how extraordinarily great is the power that he has exercised for us believers; this accords with the strength of his power at work in Christ, the power which he exercised in raising him from the dead and enthroning him at his right hand, in heaven, far above every principality, ruling force, power or sovereignty, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as he is above all things, the head of the Church; which is his Body, the fullness of him who is filled, all in all.” (Ephesians 1:9-23)

Next Sunday is also significant because it is the first Sunday on which we will start using the revised Lectionary.  The readings of the Mass will be taken not from the Jerusalem Bible translation, which has been in use in the English Liturgy since the late 1960’s, but from the English Standard Version (Catholic Edition).  This is a very different English translation, related to the Revised Standard Version, and will sound quite foreign to our ears at first, which is not surprising after over 60 years of hearing our scripture readings proclaimed in another translation.  We will lose our familiarity with the text which, though a sadness, is also an opportunity to hear the word of the Lord in a new way, to perhaps be challenged from the “comfortableness” with our accepted interpretation of the text to a different hearing of it, to allow the Lord to speak to us anew from the Word.

I am sure many of us will find this change a challenge because the liturgy is such a part of the woven fabric of our lives, but it is important to approach this change with an open and positive mind rather than one full of regret and longing for what has been.  The Responsorial Psalms, too, will be slightly different, but still familiar.  They are a revision of the Grail Psalms which have been in use up till now and are now known as the Abbey Psalms, having been revised by the monks of Conception Abbey in the United States.  There are a number of resources to help us understand the reasons behind the decision of the Bishops to make these changes and the differences between the Jerusalem Bible translation and the English Standard Version, and I have highlighted those contained on the website of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in the Newsletter.  More will become available as time goes on.

Along with the Newsletter this week I attach:
  • the weekly guide to a prayerful reading of the Sunday Gospel from Monika Manser
  • the November Newsletter from CHAT and the Reverse Advent Calendar
  • the latest Newsletter from the Lighthouse Cafe and Bookshop in Tiverton
  • the poster for the Quiz Night at The Steamer to raise funds for CHAT
  • details about the Advent Day Retreat at St Rita’s, Honiton.
I pray that you all manage to stay safe as Storm Bert passes over our area, and do keep a place in your prayers for the sick, elderly and needy of our parish and local communities. As November comes to an end, we will be commemorating individually the names of our deceased family, friends and acquaintances which have been placed in the receptacles in front of the altars at the Mass this coming Friday at 12noon at St Andrew’s.  May they all rest in peace and rise in glory.
God bless
Canon Kristian
Canon Kristian Paver
Parish Priest
Parish of St Boniface and St James Mid Devon
40 Old Road Tiverton EX16 4HJ

New Mass Lectionary

From next Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent, we will be using a different translation of the Scriptures for our readings at Mass. The Bishops of England and Wales have chosen to use the English Standard Version Catholic Edition instead of the Jerusalem Bible that we have been using until now. The language and cadences are quite different from what we have become accustomed to but, with time, the different texts will become familiar. There are some helpful resources on the Bishops’ Conference website explaining the importance of the new Lectionary and the significance of the ESV translation: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/lectionary/.

Cards for Those in Residential Homes

Tony and Anne Doble will be making Christmas cards with our children after the Morning Masses at St Boniface and St Andrews this Sunday to take to the sick and elderly in local residential and nursing homes.

“Lament and Light” Ecumenical Service

An ecumenical service will be held this Monday, 25 November, at 2.00pm, at St Mary’s Church, Market Road, Plympton, Plymouth, PL7 1QW, to mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, a campaign for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

Tough Times Support Group

The Tough Times Support Group will meet this Tuesday, 26 November, in St Boniface’s Hall at 7.00pm. This is a gathering open to all who might be living a particularly tough time now (or it may be something from the past which is still hard to live with) and who need some support and companionship.

Advent Service of Light

The congregation of St Andrew’s invites us to join them at 4.00pm next Sunday, 1 December, for their Service of Light, with the In Ecclesia Choir from Taunton.  The Service will be followed by refreshments in the Hall. 

Advent Reflection Group

Amidst the flurry of Christmas preparations and the bombardment of consumer products, it is important to re-energise spiritually during the Advent period. Why not join Monika Manser at 7 Blundell’s Avenue after 9.00am Mass each Tuesday in Advent to reflect on the daily meditations in the book “Advent and Christmas Wisdom” by Henri J.M Nouwen? The daily Advent Action at the end of each reflection will help focus on living the Advent and Christmas message in our daily lives. The book is published by Redemptorist Publications and is readily available from various on-line bookshops.

Polish Evening

You are invited to come along and celebrate the culture and food of the Polish members of our parish community on Friday 6 December at 7.00pm in St Andrew’s Hall. Our parish is so blessed to have parishioners originating from Poland as an integral part of our community.

Advent Retreat Day

An Advent Retreat Day will take place at St Rita’s, Honiton, on Saturday 7 December, 9.30am-3.30pm. The day will be led by Fr Jonathan Bielawski on the theme “Jesus Is Coming: Why?”. The charge for the day, including lunch, is £25. Booking can be made by phone, email, or online (ADVENT RETREAT DAY – “JESUS IS COMING: WHY?” ). Payment can be made on the day.

Quiz Night for CHAT

A Quiz Night has been organised at The Steamer Coffee House and Kitchen in Willand by Ewelina Zychlinska to raise funds for CHAT on Saturday 7 December. Tables are for teams with a maximum of six people: £5 per person participating in the quiz, £3 for spectators. There will also be a raffle, food and bar, games and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! If you would like to book a table, please email Ewelina at wiolainiemamocna@wp.pl with your team name, and the money can be paid via her fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/page/ewelina-ych-1731777385365?newPage=true . Doors open at 7.00pm and the Quiz starts at 7.45pm. Barclays Bank has undertaken to match what is made on the night pound for pound, so any additional donations would be very much appreciated.

Toasters and Kettles for CHAT

Please continue to bring in toasters and kettles so that CHAT can replenish their stock which they use to assist those who are given accommodation and who have little by way of possessions or resources to set up a home. These basic items, though seemingly insignificant, really help to make a place a home.

Christmas Draw Tickets

The tickets for the Christmas Draw are now on sale. This year the prizes are different from previous years. Instead of multiple prizes, there are only three large hampers, filled to the brim with luxury or local products for Christmas! Tickets are £5.00 each.

Christmas Get-Together at St Boniface

The annual Christmas Get-Together at St Boniface Hall will take place on 21 December, 2.00-4.00pm. Finger food will be on offer and some desserts too. People are asked to bring a plate of food along to share if possible. Carols will be sung, and “Goody bags” and selection boxes will be given to the children.

Praise him with sound of trumpet, Praise him with strings and pipe!

We’re running short on musicians at St Boniface. So it’s time to take your music talent out from under a bushel and let it shine! If you can make a tune on something, please get in touch with jane.wardle321@gmail.com. 

Heating, Repairs and Redecoration of St Boniface

Following the installation of the new heating system in St Boniface, there is now need to repair the walls where the plaster has lifted. Once this has dried, there will be a complete internal redecoration of the church. As a result, there will only be Mass celebrated on Sundays at 9.30am from now until the week before Christmas to enable the work to be carried out throughout the week. There will not be any Mass on Wednesdays until further notice.

Masses and Events this week

Sunday 24 November –Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Saturday, 23rd November – Weekday

    • Holy Baptism of Lilia McDonagh at 12noon
    • Christmas Craft Fair, 2.00-4.00pm, in St Andrew’s Hall
    • Vigil Mass of Sunday at 6.00pm Marie McKinney RIP (anniv)

    Sunday 24 November – Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

    • Holy Mass at 9.30am (St Boniface) Pro Populo
    • Holy Mass at 11.30am

    Monday 25 November – Weekday

    • Singing to Remember at 2.00pm in St Andrew’s Hall

    Tuesday 26 November – Weekday

    • Holy Mass at 9.00am
    • Monthly Lunch, 12noon-2.00pm, in St Andrew’s Hall
    • Tough Times Support Group at 7.00pm in St Boniface’s Hall

    Wednesday 27 November – Weekday

    • No Mass at St Boniface

    Thursday 28 November – Weekday

    • Holy Mass at 9.00am Deceased Priests and Parishioners (FM)

    Friday 29 November – St Cuthbert Mayne, Priest and Martyr

    • Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 11.30am
    • Holy Mass at 12noon with Commemoration of the Deceased Family and Friends
    • Prayer of the Holy Rosary at 12.30pm
    • SVP Meeting at 12.45pm in St Andrew’s Hall

    Saturday 30 November – St Andrew, Apostle

    • Youth Club, 11.30am-1.00pm, in St Boniface’s Hall
    • Vigil Mass of Sunday at 6.00pm

    Sunday 1 December – First Sunday of Advent (C)

    • Holy Mass at 9.30am (St Boniface) Pro Populo
    • Holy Mass at 11.30am