NOTTINGHAM DIOCESAN DRAFT SYNODAL RESPONSE

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CATHOLIC BISHOP'S CONFERENCE OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Guidance for Churches - January 2022

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KUhZISNvympVV4E6_qdQMieSMVEMS2NF/view?usp=sharing

FR PATRICK'S WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY CLASS

Patrick Bassey is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Bible Study/doctrinal Class

Patrick Bassey is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Bible and doctrinal Class

Every week on Wed, until Apr 20, 2022, 7 occurrence(s)

Mar 9, 2022 07:00 PM

Mar 16, 2022 07:00 PM

Mar 23, 2022 07:00 PM

Mar 30, 2022 07:00 PM

Apr 6, 2022 07:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84553203330?pwd=c1JXVjRLczJxc0ZOa2JuVnhEWGcwZz09

Meeting ID: 845 5320 3330

Passcode: 698947

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kpbhmMYI8

AFRICAN MASS - Sunday, 20th February at 2pm

Please join us for our first African Mass, which will be held at St Hugh’s on Sunday at 2pm. The Mass will be in English, and you are all very welcome to come and join.

The Synodal Process at St Hugh’S

By the time you read this article we will have had the second of our open parish meetings as part of our synodal journey. Hopefully next week we will be able to provide a summary of our

deliberations and an indication of any proposed actions which we as a parish can undertake to reach out to those who are marginalised or separated from the church.

Of course, not everyone is able to engage with parish meetings for a variety of different reasons. Therefore some people may wish to contribute to the synod process by answering the synod questions on the diocesan web-site: www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/synod2023 If you click on the section ‘Have your say’ you will be taken through to the questions. This would also be a good way to encourage non church going family and friends to have their say in the process.

Pope Francis, Bishop Patrick, and hopefully all of us very much want to hear what they will have to say.

A reminder that the questions are:

· What is my dream for the Church, for my parish so that it can become more outward

looking and missionary?

· To achieve this what do we need to do differently or stop doing?

· How do I hear and respond to God’s Holy Spirit in my life, what signs of the Spirit at work do I see in the life of our parish?

· What steps may the Holy Spirit be calling us to take, on our journey into God’s future?

· As a parish do we know who are the people who feel marginalised or separated from the parish and society?

· How best can our parish respond? Suggest at least two identifiable ways in which, as a parish, we will reach out and listen to the marginalised or separated.

As you can see the questions go from the open ended to the very specific. It is important that we start from our dreams for the Church, but we are also asked to arrive at some definite actions that we as a parish will be able to take over the coming weeks and months.

You can also follow the Synodal process by following the QR code above.

The Synodal Process at St Hugh’s

As a parish we have begun making our contributions to the diocesan phase of the Synodal

Process. Our first meeting was on Tuesday November 2^nd, and we thank those who could make it. Attendance was very encouraging, though we are ready to welcome even more people in the next meetings.

It was observed by many during the meeting that our parish is blessed with rich cultural and

national diversity, and that we are a friendly parish with a welcoming and strong community

spirit. The children liturgy and the increasing presence and participation of young adults give both dynamism and hope to our parish life.

It was also observed that in spite of this general atmosphere of familyhood, the Masses are dull at times and a few people still feel marginalized or prefer to be uninvolved spectators who just

worship and hurriedly go away.

It was agreed that concerted efforts should be made to give all a sense of belonging, integration and commitment. Also, the liturgy should be made more vibrant with music for the active

participation of all. The parish should engage more in outreach program to the sick, housebound and those parishioners who find it difficult to attend church, as well as the homeless and charity

organisations in the community. This could be one way of practicing what we hear in church.

Please join us as we continue to ask: 1) What is my dream for the Church, for my parish so

that it can be more outward looking and missionary? 2) To achieve this what do we need to do differently or stop doing? 3) How do I hear and respond to God’s Holy Spirit in my life, what signs of the Spirit at work do I see in the life of the parish? 4) What steps may the Holy Spirit be calling us to take, on our Journey to God’s future? 5)As a parish do we know who are the

people who feel marginalised or separated from the parish as a society? 6) How best can our parish respond? Suggest at least two identifiable ways in which, as a parish, we will reach out and listen to the marginalised or separated.

The next two meetings take place in St Hugh’s church hall on Saturday, 13th November at 12noon, and Tuesday, 30th November at 10.30am. If you didn’t attend the first meeting please try to attend one of the remaining meetings (or both).

The synodal process invited us to journey together, and you can also answer the questions raised via the diocesan website: www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/synod2023 or by following the QR code above.

Sir Edward Leigh MP our guest speaker on the topic of Faith and Politics. 29^th October 2021

Questions were asked from written submissions and the attendees. The overall response was that a politician has a responsibility to the majority view. Notwithstanding that, a politician has a duty to pursue the concerns of each and every constituent no matter what their political persuasion. However, in extremis the politician would be obliged to follow what they perceive to be the overriding view of the majority.

That was how I interpreted Sir Edward’s response following my reading out to him the questions that had been posed.

It was a very interesting evening. Two major factors were brought to the floor that certainly illustrated the potential, if not actual, conflict between faith and politics.

The first was assisted dying, euthanasia. The second; on demand abortion at any time before birth. Needless to state that there was plenty of discussion. The general view was that neither was in the public interest or in accord with the principles of faith.

A further meeting with the same topic and a different member of parliament will take place in the New Year. Perhaps parishioners will be able to attend that meeting. Our meeting coordinator will keep you informed as to when it is.

Yours fraternally

Terence P O’Halloran ChFP FCII BSc (Hons) President Lincoln Catenian Circle

Message from Fr Matthew

"I would like to thank everybody who attended my leaving Mass on Thursday. I found the occasion very moving.

Thanks also for the very kind collection for me which is very much appreciated.

Please remember to keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine."

(The photo below shows a few of the people who were at Fr Matthew's Mass - including Merdyn his dog!

The Synodal Process at St Hugh’S

As a parish we have been asked to contribute to the diocesan phase of the Synodal Process which has now begun. Bishop Patrick has asked all parishes and chaplaincies to make tome to consider the following questions over the next few weeks.

· What is my dream for the Church, for my parish so that it can become more outward

looking and missionary?

· To achieve this what do we need to do differently or stop doing?

· How do I hear and respond to God’s Holy Spirit in my life, what signs of the Spirit at work do I see in the life of our parish?

· What steps may the Holy Spirit be calling us to take, on our Journey into God’s future?

· As a parish do we know who are the people who feel marginalised or separated from the parish and society?

· How best can our parish respond? Suggest at least two identifiable ways in which, as a parish, we will reach out and listen to the marginalised or separated.

As you can see the questions go from the open ended to the very specific. It is important that we start from our dreams for the Church, but we are also asked to arrive at some definite actions that we as a parish will be able to take over the coming weeks and months.

In order that we may consider these matters together there will be three parish open meetings, taking place at different times with the hope that everyone might be able to get to at least one of the meetings. The dates and times are:

Tuesday 2 November at 7.30pm (after Mass for All Souls Day).

Saturday 13 November at 12 noon (after Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)

Tuesday 30 November at 10.30am (after morning Mass)

The synodal process invites us to journey together but if for some reason people wish to respond individually to the questions, they can do so through the diocesan web site: www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/synod2023 or by following the QR code above.

THE SYNODAL PATHWAY BEGINS - WE ARE INVITED TO JOURNEY TOGETHER

This Sunday Pope Francis will launch a time of listening and discernment in preparation for the next worldwide Synod of Bishops in October 2023. This process will have a ‘diocesan phase’ which Bishop Patrick will launch this weekend by means of a pastoral letter. We will also have a special hour of prayer at 5pm prior to the usual 6pm Mass this Sunday.

FR PATRICK’S SUNDAY REFLECTION - 29TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

‘To practice environmental Justice’, and ‘To conserve the environment for use by future generations’. These would serve as our sixth and seventh ecological work of mercy. The Psalm today reiterates that the earth is filled with God’s kindness and mercy, and that God ‘loves

justice and right’. In God’s Oikos (household) therefore, Mercy, Justice and Righteousness are the underlying virtues for an integral ecology. Our attempts to safeguard a home for all God’s creatures, ‘must integrate questions of justice…, so we can hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’. (Pope Francis). The earth’s resources are the common patrimony of all.

Environmental justice and righteous living will entail that: the benefits and burdens of the

environment are shared equitably. In the face of the prevalent global inequality, environmental justice demands that our use of the earth’s resources should not deprive others the use of these resources. Equally, no one should be allowed to suffer the consequences of environmental

degradation or resource depletion more than others. It is also the demand of justice that we

observe the precautionary principle of forestalling any possible negative effects of human

activities on the environment whether the impacts of these actions are fully known in the present or not. This is true not only for technological innovations in the production of goods and

services, but also even in the formulation of global economic and political policies. Victims

of environmental pollution caused by multinational companies must be adequately compensated and their land rehabilitated, just as the polluters must be held accountable. The sustainable use

of earth’s resources implies too the needs of the future generation are taken into serious

consideration. We must take concrete steps to leave an environment fit for their own habitation. Intergenerational justice and ‘solidarity are not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us. It is an ‘ecological holocaust’ and grave injustice when multinational companies employ in poor developing

countries, extraction and production patterns that fall below globally approved standards and are even unacceptable in their home countries. The debt profile of many developing nations today would never allow them to grow out of poverty and underdevelopment. It is grave injustice

to continue the present global structure/policy of loans from international donors without an

accompanying moral obligation to monitor their use.

Please join Fr Patrick for the final Reflection Service on the theme of ‘Living simply,

sustainably and in solidarity’. Which will take place in St Peter and St Paul Parish Hall on Wednesday, 20th October at 7pm. You are all invited!

27^th Sunday of the year B

Our 5^th ecological work of mercy is to reduce our ecological footprints. Technically, ecological footprints refer to the overall human impact on the ecosystem over a period of time through our production, consumption and waste disposal patterns and through the size of human population. As the prevailing culture of materialism and compulsive consumerism continues to increase, as the “throwaway culture” continues unabated, the end would not be in sight for the increase in our ecological footprints. The same would happen if economic growth remains the only indices of human development. The overriding motif here is that we are to live simply in such a way that we do not leave undue strain on the earth whether in terms of the waste and pollution we generate or the resources we extract from the earth. As world leaders gather for the COP15 on biodiversity this October and COP 26 on Climate Change in November, we pray that their secret thoughts, emotions, and attitude towards humanity and towards nature as a whole be moulded and guided by God’s wisdom even in their quest for scientific methods to achieve environmental sustainability. We pray that we may become more aware of the ‘shortness of our lives’, the precariousness of the global environmental crises, so that we may be wise enough to allow His word to become our moral compass and our inspiration to live simply towards achieving sustainable wealth creation and development for all. Jesus makes it clear that living simply not only makes wealth available for the poor but also makes it easy for us to attain the life God intends for all. The net zero carbon emission initiative is a path in the right direction, but we must not forget that technology transfer much more than aid can help poorer nations pursue the I.5carbon target of the Paris agreement. Fr Patrick.

LIST OF ITEMS FOR YMCA/NOMAD TRUST

If you can help by donating one or more items, it would be much appreciated.

Deodorant both sexes.

Sleeping bags

Rain Jackets

Socks

Gloves

Spoons (Tea and Dessert)

Umbrellas

Bike Locks

Hand warmers (disposable)

Hand soap (liquid)

Non-perishable food items

Please put your items inside the Tent.
Thank you for your support.

COVID UPDATE

As the restrictions on Covid ease the parish team are constantly reviewing our procedures to ensure the minimum of restrictions consistent with our safety. We are now having singing at some Masses and altar servers will be coming back onto the sanctuary soon. We are hoping to restart a formal reader's rota for Sunday Masses and anyone wishing to become a reader should speak to a member of the Clergy. We will also start inviting thecongregation to offer a sign of peace. A physical sign should only be made with familymembers with a gesture or smile being made to others in the congregation. We would remind you that communion in the hand is the preferred way of receiving but if you wish to receive the Blessed Sacrament on the tongue please come up at the end of the line and allow the minister time to sanitise their hands. Deacon Kevin

HOMILY FOR THE 26TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (26th September 2021)

As we continue in our theme for the Season of Creation, today’s second reading from the letter of St James reminds us about our responsibilities for those around us. When we consider the impacts of our actions on the environment and the world around us we need to be mindful of the implications of our lifestyles both here and now, but more-so into the future.

It is now over 6 years since Pope Francis published his encyclical Laudato Si – on care of our common home, where he examined issues of consumerism and irresponsible development, as well as lamenting the impact that society has had on the environment and of global warming and urged all people of the world to take swift and global action.

Pope Francis reportedly has said that the encyclical was not really an environmental document at all. The warming of the planet is a symptom of a greater problem: the developed world's indifference to the destruction of the planet as they pursue short-term economic gains. This has resulted in a “throwaway culture” in which unwanted items and unwanted people, are discarded as waste.

The real problem he said lies in the fact that humans no longer see God as the Creator.

Thus we see "other living beings as mere objects subjected to arbitrary human domination" and do not realize that "the ultimate purpose of other creatures is not found in us." The Pope says that instead of viewing humanity as having "dominion" over the earth, we must see that everything is interconnected and that all of creation is a "kind of universal family". Nature cannot be seen as something apart from humanity, or merely the place where we live.

So as we consider our responsibilities for taking care of God’s creation, maybe this is an opportune moment to reconsider how we in our own homes and lives can and will protect God’s gift to us. Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental campaigner is now probably best known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action on climate change, but before her rise to fame, her activism started at home by persuading her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced their own families carbon footprint.

We recognise that to do nothing now is not an option. As St James puts it, if we continue to live a life of comfort and luxury we will be responsible for condemning those around us and for generations to come. And like Greta this change has to start close to home.

In the Church we often use symbols as a focus for an event or something which is taking place, This Season of Creation, it has been suggested that one such symbol should be a tent, representing “Abraham’s tent”. A tent represents a sign of hospitality for all beings who are excluded, and could maybe be a focus to remind us to pray with and for the vulnerable and the homeless. The tent could also be a symbol of our goal to create a home for all, regardless of race, creed, colour or social status. This is particularly pertinent as we seek to support refugee’s fleeing from Afghanistan and other areas of conflict. We often see tented villages and towns springing up after natural disasters have occurred and more so when we now see more extreme weather events fuelled by global warming, so the tent also represents survival, and meets the basic human need for shelter.

The tent is also a sign of simplicity. Particularly among young people, the tent and the backpack symbolize what is essential, sufficiency, living within our means, and travelling lightly upon the Earth.

As you will see, we have pitched our tent here in the church as a symbol of the Season of Creation and I would encourage as you bring along items which may be used to help those less fortunate than yourself and place them in our tent, but more than that, as you look at it, to consider and pray for what it means to you.

In our scripture readings today, we heard about the two men, Eldad and Medad who remained in the “camp” prophesying in the power of God’s Spirit. Then in the gospel, we equally hear about men outside the group of Christ’s disciples preaching and casting out demons both in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus Christ. In both cases we see the zealous and envious disciples getting afraid and worried.

They were afraid that these men outside of the ‘chosen group’ were threats to their mission and position. So, instead of seeing them as fellow workers in God’s mission, they became jealous and despised them. They thought that God’s spirit and mission solely belonged to them. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

Moses and Jesus refused to accept their fears, jealousy and request of their disciples to stop them. Being filled with the spirit of God themselves, Moses and Jesus wisely discerned and knew that these men were genuine. Their mission was in line with the will of God; That all men should receive His spirit and preach the good news.

Hence, Moses responded: “…If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets and, the Lord gave his Spirit to them all.” While Jesus told his disciples: “You must not stop him; No one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me.” So, for Moses and Jesus, it was a good development and they were against the spirit of envy and oppression.

There are several lessons for us from these two readings;

· First, God can and does choose and use anyone He wishes for His mission.

· Second, He gives his Spirit freely for the continued growth and development of his church on earth.

· Third, nothing can stop whoever God truly anoints for his mission.

· Fourth we must not be jealous or envious of the gift of others. Rather, we should see one another as companions in God’s mission.

With this in mind, our response to todays readings in our lives today would be to be mindful about how we view and respond to people who we view as different, maybe by the way they look or speak or by what they represent or because they belong to different faith and belief groups. Much can be learnt from all people who have been charged with taking forward God’s mission and care must be taken not to consider a singular religious or world view. Likewise we need to be open to considering different points of view and challenging our perceptions and responsibilities for the common good of all God’s people.

Deacon David Knight

Pulpit Announcement for Sunday 18 July 2021

As you will no doubt be aware tomorrow England moves into ‘step 4’ of the easing of lockdown restrictions and it is an opportunity for us to review and change some of the measures we are currently taking at St Hugh’s. We are sure you are also aware that the number of cases is currently increasing and whatever we do we must do carefully and cautiously, and always acting with concern for the wellbeing others especially those who are most at risk.

From next Sunday we will revert back to having Masses at 8.30am, 10.00am, and 6.00pm. We will also increase the capacity of the church by restoring the majority of the benches back to their original positions.

Following the advice received at national and diocesan level we will maintain the current level of social distancing in the front section of the church. Hence there will be a small number of seats at the front of the church that will still maintain a 2-metre distance from other households and these need to be booked in advance by phoning the parish office certainly before 3pm on Thursday. Seats in the rest of the church do not now need to be booked in advance.

We are still strongly urged to keep a record of all those who come to Mass to support the NHS track and trace system. Hence when you arrive at church you will be given a slip of paper on which to write your contact details which we will retain for 21 days.

We are required to maintain our current systems for hand hygiene, ventilation, and church cleaning, and we strongly urge everyone to continue to wear face coverings unless you are medically exempt from doing so.

We will make some changes to the way we currently celebrate our Masses, most notably we will resume people coming up to the altar row by row to receive Holy Communion. People are still recommended to receive Holy Communion in the hand but those who wish to receive on the tongue may once again do so. We will also resume passing the collection baskets around the church rather than taking the collection as people depart.

Other changes will follow later in the summer, including hopefully the resumption of congregational singing and the resumption of tea and coffee in the hall after Mass. We hope to welcome back our altar servers once the new school year begins.

We would like to thank everyone for their support and co-operation throughout the pandemic and to urge us all to remain careful and vigilant as legal restrictions ease. Even if we are no longer required to do certain things by the law, our concern for the wellbeing of others should urge us to go beyond the letter of the law to keep one another safe and well.

Finally, we need volunteers to help with putting back the benches and giving the church a good clean on Tuesday evening at 6pm, all are welcome!

With our prayers and blessings,

Parish Clergy

TOWER FUND MY GIVING LINK

Work has begun to restore the tower at St Hugh's, in Lincoln! Throughout 2021, they aim to complete as much of the work as possible to ensure the tower is both safe and retains its character as a Grade II listed building. If you would like to contribute financially to the works currently being undertaken, please post any donations in an envelope marked ‘St Hugh’s Tower Fund' St Hugh's Church, Broadgate, Lincoln, LN2 5AQ or by donating here: https://tinyurl.com/szwj8r4t

STATEMENT ON THE MARRIAGE OF BORIS JOHNSON AND CARRIE SYMONDS AT WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL

https://rcdow.org.uk/news/wedding-in-westminster-cathedral/

Pastoral Letter for Pentecost Sunday, 23rd May 2021

Pastoral Letter for the 7th Sunday of Easter - Diocesan Safeguarding Sunday

drive.google.com/file/d/1On3r5MfX9Lxq-GzEYb9g8zbTDtEB0mSu/view?usp=sharing

CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Reflection by the Bishops of England and Wales

The Day of the Lord

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XOVa5v0eUfDWraBEDuwH7X7U2U-pCp8v/view?usp=sharing

EASTER TRIDUUM

Our Easter Services are now fully booked but you can view them online using the following links:

Holy Week at St Hugh's will also be available on our livestream channel using the following links which are also available via the parish website:

Palm Sunday 10am: https://youtu.be/Dl6syftcsTM

Maundy Thursday 7pm: https://youtu.be/nsWisMDrwsQ

Good Friday 3pm: https://youtu.be/-a123xzmJL4

Easter Vigil Saturday 7pm: https://youtu.be/lXrTZ7ufbMs

Easter Sunday 10.45am: https://youtu.be/nNEJCYmvEC4

CHURCH TOWER UPDATE

CHURCH TOWER UPDATE

The Diocesan Building and Sites Commission have given the go ahead for the work on the church tower to proceed and the scaffolding company will be on site this week to build up the scaffolding to the top of the tower. Hopefully the necessary work can be done during the summer months. I am sure people will have a number of questions about what this all means: Please do not enter the site area without checking with the workers on site.

How much will it cost? The contract price, reconfirmed by the main contractor, is £315,000 + VAT + professional fees. As the church is a listed building we will be able to reclaim the VAT but adding in professional fees we can expect a cost of about £350,000.

Where will the money come from? Despite our best efforts it is clear that we will not be eligible for any ‘lottery heritage funding’. As a parish we can commit £150,000 from

our ‘savings’ whilst still retaining some money (£20,000) for any unexpected but

necessary expenditure in the coming years. Thank you to all who have helped with fund raising so far, your efforts over the past 2 years have brought in approximately £34,000 for the Tower Fund and this has reduced the amount that we will need to borrow.

How will we borrow the remainder of the money? The diocese is offering us a ‘hybrid’ loan. The first £60,000 we will repay as a conventional diocesan loan over 15 years. Based on current interest rates this will mean a repayment of just short of £5,000 per year. Paying off this part of the loan will need to be a major focus for parish fund raising over the coming years. The remainder of the money (anything up to £140,000) will be lent to us from the ‘poor and needy parishes fund’ on an indefinite and interest free basis. We would repay this from any capital receipts (e.g. legacies) that might come into the parish over the coming years. If there are no such receipts then as a last resort consideration would be given to the rental or the sale of the Rectory to pay

off this debt.

I know it will come as a shock to move overnight from being a parish with savings in the bank to being a parish in debt to the diocese, however the work to the tower is

necessary and can’t be delayed any longer. I hope we can work together as a parish

to pay off the debt we will incur. I hope too that others in the city and beyond who

appreciate St Hugh’s will help us. However it is also important that as a parish we do not lose sight of other matters and not least the importance of being outward looking and missionary as we are being called to be, not only by our diocesan Bishop and by Pope Francis, but above all by the Lord himself.

With good wishes and prayers, Fr Eddy.

EASTER TRIDUUM

To book your Masses for Holy Week please use this link: EasterBookings@sthughslincoln.org.uk

IMPORTANT information: Holy Week and Easter 2021

We are thankful that this year we will be able to celebrate our Easter Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil) as well as our Easter Sunday Masses together in St Hugh’s. However we will have to strictly adhere to the guidelines for social distancing and therefore places will be limited. In order to allow as many people as possible to attend we will be putting on some additional services, as well as adjusting times of Masses on Easter Sunday as follows:

1st April, Maundy Thursday 7pm

2nd April, Good Friday 3pm and 7pm

3rd April, Holy Saturday 7pm

4th April, Easter Sunday 8am, 9.15am, 10.45am and 6pm

In order to book a place at any of the above listed times we have set up a dedicated email address which is available from now. Please send an email to the following address:

EasterBookings@sthughslincoln.org.uk

Your email MUST contain the following information:

• The Service or Services you wish to attend,

• The names of all individuals who will be attending

• A contact telephone number for our track and trace records

Please note bookings WILL NOT be accepted for anyone outside your own household.

If you are unable to email your booking then please contact the parish office between 9am and 3pm on Mondays-Thursdays only.

Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, and you will be contacted to confirm if you have secured your requested seats or where possible offering an alternative.

Unfortunately once a service is fully booked we will not be permitted to add additional people into the church on the day.

Please continue to book places at all other Sunday and weekday masses (including Palm Sunday) using the usual tickets@sthughslincoln.org.uk email address.

Fr Eddy’s Homily for Reception into Church and Vigil Mass for Deacon Peter Brogan RIP

In the few minutes that I have available this evening I am not able to give a full account of Peter’s life and ministry, and I am conscious that his children have prepared a eulogy which we will hear at the end of our Mass. However I would like to share a few thoughts based around the readings that Mary and the family have chosen for this Mass.

The First reading (Wisdom 4:7-15) speaks about the virtuous man who dies before his time. Peter was a virtuous man, and by the law of averages we can say that he died before his time. After all, 67 is these days a young age to die, and I am sure that Mary, his children, and his grandchildren, had hopes and indeed reasonable expectations of many more years of Peter’s company. But they, and others, will have heard Peter say on more than one occasion, ‘If the Lord wants me, I am ready’. Although Peter may have died suddenly, he was not unprepared. Perhaps we can truly apply some the sentiments of this reading to him, ‘He has sought to please God, so God has loved him’ … ‘his soul being pleasing to the Lord, he has taken him quickly’ … ‘grace and mercy await the chosen of the Lord, and protection his holy ones’.

The Second Reading (1 John 3:1-2) contains a phrase often used by Peter, ‘we are already the children of God’. This was part of his underlying attitude to life, that we are all

children of God. This helped Peter to welcome and accept all people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and faiths. Although quite conventional and even traditional in his own outlook, he would happily interact with anyone that life brought him into contact with. Whether in his working life in the fire service, or his ministry in parish and school, I am sure he would have faced many difficult and challenging situations, and he was able to face them with the faith and confidence that comes from knowing deep down that he and everyone is loved by God. Moreover as this reading reminds us, we can rejoice not only in what we have now, but also in what is promised to us for the future, that ‘we shall see God as he really is’. Our prayer for Peter tonight and tomorrow is that he is already experiencing this reality.

In the Gospel Reading (John 6:51-58) Jesus promises that whoever does ‘eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life’. Peter not only attended Mass on a Sunday but he tried

to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion each and every day. When he was working on the school minibuses he would often come into Mass at St Peter and St Paul once he had completed his morning duties. I understand that Peter was at Mass and at Holy Communion here at St Hugh’s on the morning of his death, the best reassurance that he was indeed prepared and ready to meet the Lord when the Lord called him to himself later that day.

The Responsorial Psalm, which is based on Psalm 103, also contains a word for us tonight. Even in our sorrow and sadness we are invited to ‘Bless the Lord and worship his holy name’. Peter’s earthly journey and ministry is over. As a deacon he proclaimed the Gospel in word and deed, he had a heart for the poor and vulnerable, and he assisted at the liturgy of the church as befitted his role as a deacon. He now takes his place in the liturgy of heaven. There he will be ‘blessing the Lord and worshipping his holy name’. I am sure his word to us now would be another of his favourite phrases, ‘God is good!’ and that he would invite us to join with him in singing the praises of God who has safely gathered

Peter to himself and one day will gather us to himself too.

ALL CHANGE AT ST HUGH’S!

Bishop Patrick has asked Fr Matthew to become Parish Priest of the four parishes of Holy Souls, and St Bernadette’s, Scunthorpe, St Norbert’s Crowle, and St Thomas of Canterbury, Gainsborough. It is a huge responsibility, and he will be assisted by Fr Liam Carpenter. Fr Matthew will be leaving St Hugh’s the week beginning 15th February. Hopefully sometime in the future we will be able to welcome Fr Matthew back for a ‘farewell’ Mass, and s party in the church hall.

Our new Parish Priest will be Canon Edward Jarosz (Fr Eddy) who will reside at St Hugh’s Rectory with Fr Patrick assisting him. Fr Eddy will also remain the Parish Priest of St Peter and St Paul Church, Lincoln, where he will be assisted by Canon Geoffrey Hunton.

Whilst we are all sad to hear that Fr Matthew is leaving us, we are very glad that Canon Eddy is our new priest and welcome him to his new home when he takes up his ministry at St Hugh’s at the beginning of Lent.

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