Holy week resources

Dear Parishioners, 

May God continue to bless you, your families, and friends during this holy week. May the glory of God and his divine love abide with you and with all those you love as we celebrate Easter and as we share in the glory of Jesus's resurrection in a few days time. Amen.

You may consider using the Holy Week program in this website for your private prayers and celebration at home during this week. This is in addition to our parish Youtube and  facebook device and the other livestream and zoom resources already available to you.  I wish to remind you that Fr. Francis and I are constantly praying for you here in our parish church. We always lift you and your loved ones up at Mass everyday. Please pray for us. 

Our Youtube Mass has not been so wonderful. On occasions, it has been incomplete, disjointed and virtually poor due to the fact that we really don't have the proper tools for recording them at the moment.  Whenever this evil pandemic is over, we shall source for funds and install or set up a much needed  "livestream" device in our Church just as many other catholic parishes have done. This will be a top priority for us this time.  Please continue to stay safe, stay holy, stay happy, and stay healthy.

Fr. Innocent Abonyi, MSP

Parish Priest

Solemnity of the Annunciation, March 25th 2020

The feast of the Annunciation, now recognized as a solemnity, was first celebrated in the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized and Mary had an important role to play in this plan, God’s plan. From all eternity, God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world.  Mary is the virgin-mother who fulfils Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38). She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become.

The encounter between the Angel Gabriel and the Blessed Virgin Mary changed human history forever. It provides the setting for the Incarnation, when “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). The sheer profundity of this meeting taxes superlatives both with respect to the remarkable circumstances in which the event took place, its seminal significance, and what it meant for human history. Mary was a young Israelite girl, living in the seemingly obscure, small town of Nazareth. These humble circumstances befit the immeasurably humble act of God becoming man.

The feast of the annunciation is a test of the will. She passed that test. The full message for today’s feast is that Mary said “yes” to God through the Angel Gabriel (the messenger) even when she did not know exactly the full implication of what she was asked to do and what she was accenting to. What if she had said “no”?  Her “yes” made the whole difference in the salvation history. She lived in the dark midst of faith and was very consistent about her faith in times of trials and temptations. She a woman of great faith and total submission to God. We are called to faith such as Mary’s at all times but especially at this time when corona virus is rampaging across the nations of the world, raving lives, and bringing unprecedented pain and chaos to our beautiful world. Today’s liturgy calls us to resilient faith and positive attitude towards life like our blessed Virgin Mary had facing her own many tribulations, trials and temptations. 

Let us pray, “You heard the annunciation, Blessed Virgin Mary, that you would conceive and bear a son. The Angel waited for your response. We too, in this troubled time, in this time of unprecedented health crisis cry out to you for help. We await your response, we live in hope of hearing a word of mercy from you. The cost of our salvation is in your hands. If you say yes, we will be set free because you are  the consolation of the sorrowful, the liberation of all, the redemption of all peoples, your lineage, depends on your response. Open your heart to faith, your mouth to consent, and your chaste body to the Creator, God almighty.

Let us celebrate Our Lady’s role in our salvation and entrust ourselves to her peerless intercession, today and always.

Closure of Churches due to Corona Virus (COVID-19)

Update from Fr. Innocent

When something akin to Corona virus threatened the very life of the infant Jesus Christ, it was to Egypt that God sent him for safety. It wasn't anywhere in Israel. One of my colleagues referred to this big threat to the life of the infant Jesus as contained in the Gospel of Matthew 2:13-23 as Covid-Herod. Egypt would have been the most unlikely place for a Jew to seek shelter or refuge in the days of Jesus because for the Jews, it was a land of Idol worshippers, a pagan country, a gentile country but God in his wisdom chose that land. God had so many better choices or means to use in saving the life of Jesus. For instance, he could have asked Joseph to hide the child in the Temple of Jerusalem, since the temple, like the churches of today should provide immunity to worshippers from the attack of King-Herod-killer-virus.  

God is not angry with us for closing our Churches or public worship to stem the tide of this killer virus referred to as corona virus or covid-19. The Bishops have issued a statement telling us that we are free from the obligation to attend Sunday mass and the other holy days of obligation as long as the closure directive persists. There is no sin at all here because we have been dispensed. We are also doing a great good by obeying our government, statutory, health and religious authorities because they represent God in this particular circumstance. 

We can pray from our homes and with our families or alone because the Bible did not say that we must pray only when we gather at mass, in groups or church buildings (see Matthew 18:20).

 It has been established that the virus is speedily transmitted at mass gatherings. So, stopping or ceasing to gather in mass or as a staying away from the crowd makes huge sense, it is a good way to stem the tide of this killer virus, this silent enemy. Let us pray to God in the confines of our homes, praying together as a family or as an individual if we live alone. In doing this we are assisting in our own way those who are working hard to protect us. We are also saving our own lives and that of others. Let us stay at home, in the house, at this critical time.  Let us run from the corona virus as Joseph and his family did. Even in Egypt God was with his only begotten Son and with the Holy Family. In our rooms and houses and families, God is with us and will bless us.

 The Apostle Paul writing to the Romans, said “…hardship develops perseverance, perseverance develops character, character produces hope and hope does not disappoint, since the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us.’ (Rom 5:3-5). We are people of profound hope. We will remain firm in faith and generous in charity, through Christ the ‘hope of glory,’ alive within us. (cf. Col 1:27). Let us continue to pray for all those working to overcome the effects of the Coronavirus and all those affected by it.

 I wish to recommend that you kindly listen to the Youtube music by Lynda Randle which says “God of the Mountain is still God in the Valley. When things go wrong, he makes them right. And God of the good time is still God in the bad time. The God of the day is still God in the  night.”  This music inspires me a lot at a time like this.  

 

Mass update and new Youtube and Facebook page

Dear sisters and brothers,

The Government has mandated the ‘closure of all shops selling non-essential goods . . . and other premises including places of worship.’ As we continue to pray through the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the graces of this time has been the use of digital platforms.

We have created a YouTube channel and Facebook page for Our Lady of the Rosary church, to stay connected during a time of social distancing.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAA82hr_LUXXuU-Xcipv0FA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OLRBRX/.

Initially, we will be sharing Mass once weekly, but there is scope for growth.

Please circulate these links, so that others may subscribe to the YouTube channel, and like the Facebook page, to receive automatic notification of updates. Please please please remind everyone that these are public platforms, so they must not post personal information. Should they need to speak with Father Innocent or Father Francis, they must call the parish, not leave a message on YouTube or FB.

Archbishop Wilson also reminds us that '…hardship develops perseverance, perseverance develops character, character produces hope and hope does not disappoint, since the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us.’ (Rom 5:3-5)

Cardinal Vincent Nicholls offers a message of hope with Jesus

In response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic we are no longer able to gather for public acts of worship in our Catholic churches in England and Wales. This will begin from Friday evening, 20 March 2020, until further notice. Cardinal Vincent Nichols offers a message of hope with Jesus. For a video clip of Cardinal Vincent Nicholls address, please view this shared link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZ0_x__Cxc&feature=youtu.be

A letter from Archbishop John

As Archbishop John says in his letter to the Clergy yesterday concerning the measures to be put in place, this is a Lent like we have not experienced before. We are entering a period of great uncertainty which most of us have never experienced in our life time.

The cessation of the public celebration of the Mass in our parishes from Friday 20th March indicates the serious action that is being taken to avoid this pandemic.

The Archbishop’s advice to us at the present time is:

· Be Good Samaritans to each other;

· Support those most in need in the best possible way;

· Speak to our families and loved ones as often as we can.

We must approach the period ahead with personal faith and prayer doing all we can to support those in our care. As Parishioners of Our Lady of the Rosary, we are required to care for each other and our families. I would be grateful if all our parishioners can do their best to look after our elderly brothers, sisters, and friends whether they are parishioners or not. Some may not have the necessary level of support in the current climate and it is essential that we keep a close eye on them during the next few weeks. We can do this by offering phone support on a regular basis and ensuring that their shopping needs are met.

Please click below for important information from both the Archbishop of Southwark and the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales regarding the suspension of our public worship and services due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Newman and the New Evangelisation with Bishop Robert Barron

Invitation from Bishop Robert Barron

Friends, if you live in the Oxford area, I'd like to invite you to a lecture I'll be giving on Oct. 16th: tiny.cc/barronoxford

To celebrate the canonisation of John Henry Newman, I'll be giving a lecture on "Newman and the New Evangelisation" in the Church where Newman gave some of his greatest sermons.

The Fathers of the Oratory would like to thank the Vicar and Churchwardens of The University Church of St Mary the Virgin, by whose kind permission this lecture is able to take place.

This event is possible thanks to the work of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, and the sponsorship of The Thomistic Institute and The St Barnabas Society. To join us, please register right here: tiny.cc/barronoxford

Urgent Notice

Urgent Notice!

Friday 20th March's morning Mass at 10am will be the final one with a public congregation.

Fathers Innocent and Francis will celebrate conduct Mass daily, behind closed doors - parishioners can book Mass as usual, but not attend. No congregational attendance is permitted until further notice.

The church will be open for personal prayer, observing the distancing, handwashing, and the use of sanitizer directives.

Newsletters will be in their usual place for new information and updates. Please use our websites regularly for updates also.

The Church is open all day on Saturday and Sunday.

Our Church is also open from 9.00 am – 2.00 pm, Monday – Friday.