Mass Times * News * Fr Cyril Chiaha Writes
Weekly Mass: 12th – 20th June
Throughout the Pandemic all Masses will take place in the parish church of St Richard of Chichester, Buntingford.
The obligation to attend Mass remains suspended. Please see the Coronavirus page for more details.
Saturday 12th June: Vigil Mass of the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
- 6.00pm: Buntingford
Sunday 13th June: 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
- 9.15am: Buntingford
- 11.00am: Buntingford
Tuesday 15th June: Feria
- 9.30am: Buntingford
Thursday 17th June: Feria
- 9.30am: Buntingford
Friday 18th June: Feria
- 9.30am: Buntingford
- 10.00am: Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Saturday 19th June: Vigil Mass of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 6.00pm: Buntingford
Sunday 20th June: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 9.15am: Buntingford
- 11.00am: Buntingford
The readings for Mass can be found every day on the ‘Universalis’ website.
Some churches in our diocese stream Mass online, you may be able to watch one of these during this time.
A warm Welcome to you if today is your first time to attend Mass since the easing of the lock-down. Our church is planned in a COVID-safe manner. Thank you in anticipation for adhering to the safe measures in place – maintaining safe distancing and hygiene.
Sacrament of Confession
- In these exceptional times confession is by appointment and will be held at Buntingford.
Parish Office Hours
- Please consider using the email or telephone for office matters. While we must all support each other in these times, we must also try and do our part in lessening the spread of the this disease.
Attending Mass during the pandemic – while the church remains open for public Mass during this time, please keep in mind that anyone who has any symptoms of the coronavirus is expected to stay at home and follow the government guideline. Doing so is for the good of all and speedier resolution. Also those who attend has to remain in the seat until the end of Mass.
Day for Life will be celebrated in England and Wales next Sunday, 20 June 2021. As we may know, the Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. So, we will be having a second collection then to assist the work of Anscombe Bioethics Centre and other life-related activities supported by the Church in that regard.
Offertory Collection
- Many Thanks to all those who have maintained regular parish offering through Standing Order, loose plate or cheque and to those who wrote a cheque covering the time we were in lockdown.
- Setting Up A New Standing Order: If you are setting up a Standing Order or donating online for the first time, please note that a new Confirmation of Payee service has been rolled out for additional security reasons.
- Although no changes have been made to the name of our parish bank account, you would be required to use the full name of the parish account set below when setting up a new payment instruction. In other words, the full meaning of the abbreviation WRCDT has to be used.
| Account name: Westminster Roman Catholic Diocese Trustee Old Hall Green and Puckeridge Parish |
Account name: Westminster Roman Catholic Diocese Trustee Buntingford Parish |
|---|---|
| Account Number: 91270044 |
Account Number: 51308610 |
| Sort Code 40-05-20 | Sort Code 40-05-20 |
Fr Cyril Chiaha Writes:
Today’s gospel reading presents to us two parables: the parable of the growing seed and the parable of the mustard seed (see Mk 4:26-34), both of which were taken from the farming world.
With the image of the farmer, who sows with trust that his handiwork will not be fruitless, who relied in the power of the seed and in the goodness of the soil, the parable of growing seed highlights the mysteries of the creation, of God’s fertile work in history. It is He, who is the Lord of the Kingdom, human beings are His humble collaborators.
On the other hand, the second parable reminds us that our life and world is not limited to what we see, as human way of seeing is often based on appearance. For instance, from an outward perspective, it would not be easy to understand how a mustard seed, which even though is considered as the smallest of all seeds, is able to become the biggest of all shrubs.
Accordingly, this parable invites us to recognise that one’s life and world is not limited to visible appearances and calls us to align our way of seeing with that of God, whose way of seeing is beyond visible appearance.
In our world, there are many people who are deemed insignificant, who are poor in heart, who do not rely on their own power but on that of the love of God, who are instruments through which Christ’s power bursts in and transforms the lives of others. Indeed, there are many people who are not important in the world’s eyes but whose small acts of goodness have impacted immensely on the lives of those who are seemingly important.
Thus, the second parable reminds us that any good act, even if it is infinitesimal and powerless in the face of the world’s problems, fears no obstacle when it is inserted in that of God because the Lord’s victory is guaranteed; He is the One who causes every seed of good that is scattered on the ground to germinate.
Both parables invite us to walk by faith and not only by sight; it informs us that God is indeed at work in creation; that behind every seed, circumstance and human collaboration is the faithfulness and power of God to change lives. It urge us to be optimistic in spite of the difficulty, suffering and evil that we may encounter. It reminds us that in God’s eyes no person or circumstance lacks merit or attraction. Have a blessed week!