Mass Times * News * Fr Cyril Chiaha Writes
Weekly Mass: 1st- 9th May
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 1st May: Vigil of the 5th Sunday of Easter
- 6.00pm: Buntingford
Sunday 2nd May: 5th Sunday of Easter
- 9.15am: Buntingford
- 11.00am: Buntingford
Tuesday 4th May: The English Matytrs
- 9.30am: Buntingford
Thursday 6th May: Easter Feria
- 9.30am: Buntingford
Friday 7th May: Easter Feria
- 9.30am: Buntingford
- 10.00am: Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Saturday 8th May: Vigil Mass of the 6th Sunday of Easter
- 6.00pm: Buntingford
Sunday 9th May: 6th Sunday of Easter
- 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.
Priest Training – Thank you to for your generosity to the Priest’s Training Fund collection last weekend. It is not too late to make a donation if you wish or to return your donation envelope if you have not done so. Envelopes are still available in the porch for those who need it. For more information, or to make a donation, visit http://www.rcdow.org.uk/donations
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.
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 recalls one of the Last Supper’s discourses, in which Jesus exhorts His disciples to remain united to Him, like the branches to the vine. With those words, “Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty”, the reading expresses the truth that Christian life is a life of communion with Christ; that one’s spiritual fruitfulness is union with God.
We live in a world where productivity is the standard of success, where success is based upon how fruitful one is. While rewarding productivity is often the measure of success, it does not usually create intimate and abiding relationship. It creates transaction.
With Jesus’ words, every disciple is reminded of the need of staying connected to the source of life. As people with free will, staying connected would be a decision each individual would have to make because we choose where we abide and how we stay connected.
As the month of May has just began, the month, which for many Christian communities is the Marian month, may we have recourse to intercession of Mary, whose life, like no other, remained united to Christ, asking her to continue to watch over the journey of our lives. Her life informs the heart that the secret to spiritual fruitfulness can only be found in God alone.
I hope that each of us will remain connected to God and never allow human challenges to put an end to one’s relationship with God, as quality of life is determined, not by quantity of material wealth, acquisition or possession, but in one’s union to God.
Have a blessed week!