Message from Canon Kristian

Dear brothers and sisters

Without doubt, this week has been dominated by the terrible events taking place in the Middle East, in Israel and in Gaza.  The pictures of atrocities committed against innocent children and babies, together with the traumatic suffering of so many families who have lost loved ones, both young and old, have been beamed right into our homes by TV,  radio and other electronic media.  It is a human tragedy of immense proportions, and the acts of inhumanity are continuing with the displacement of over a million people, and even worse things are being threatened.

Attached to the Newsletter are two letters, one from our own Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and one from all the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.  These make clear that position of the Christian Churches in the Middle East and you will read that every parish is being asked to observe this coming Tuesday, 17 October, as a Day of Fasting, Abstinence and Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation in the Holy Land:

On behalf of all the Ordinaries of the Holy Land, I invite all parishes and religious communities to a day of fasting and prayer for peace and reconciliation.

We ask that on Tuesday, October 17, everyone hold a day of fasting, abstinence, and prayer. Let us organise prayer times with Eucharistic adoration and with the recitation of the Rosary to Our Blessed Virgin Mary. Although most probably in many parts of our dioceses circumstances will not permit large gatherings, it is possible to organize simple and sober common moments of prayer in parishes, religious communities, and families.

This is the way we all come together despite everything, and unite collectively in prayer, to deliver to God the Father our thirst for peace, justice, and reconciliation.

In response to this appeal, there will be two hours of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, including the recitation of the Rosary, this coming Tuesday evening from 6.00pm-8.00pm at St James.  Please feel free to come and go as you like during this period and perhaps those who are unable to come to spend some time at church praying for peace can unite yourselves in prayer at that time whether at home or at work.

As you are also probably aware, Pope Francis issued a new Apostolic Exhortation on 4 October, entitled Laudate Deum, which responds to the increasing dangers of climate change.  It is not long, but is very hard-hitting, and I attach a copy to this email in the event that you have not had a chance to read it.  In response to this Exhortation, to the Pope’s earlier Encyclical on the Care for our Common Home and the recent showing in the parish of the film “The Letter”, a group of parishioners has decided to set up a Laudato Si’ Group in the parish. Information about this initiative is included with the Newsletter and you are warmly invited to become part of that group.

So, along with the Newsletter, I attach:

• the weekly guide to a prayerful reading of the Sunday Gospel, offered by Monika Manser
• No 84 of Inspire, from Deacon Peter
• the September Laudato Si’ Newsletter
• the Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum, on the Climate Crisis
• the Letters from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem
• the Churches Together in Devon October Update
• the most recent Newsletter from St John’s School

In order to reduce the amount of attachments to the Newsletter, I have decided not to duplicate attachments and have chosen to use PDFs where possible, since this is the way that most information is sent out as attachments in other spheres. Hopefully, this will not be an issue for you.

As always, let us remember the sick, housebound and needy in our prayers, especially those who are in hospital at this time.

Be assured of my prayer for you all.

God bless

Canon Kristian

Canon Kristian Paver

Parish Priest

Parish of St James & St Boniface

40 Old Road

Tiverton EX16 4HJ