Holy Apostles and Martyrs Parish

Holy Week: Maundy Thursday

Thursday 9th April 2020

Today, on Maundy Thursday, we recall the Passover Meal that Jesus shared with his Disciples on the night before he was put to death. We reflect upon the intimate connection between the two great themes; Eucharist, and service and how, as Catholics, we require both. We cannot have one without the other.

Jesus shows this by his actions of washing his disciples’ feet – the ultimate display of humility, setting them an example to follow.

The words spoken by Jesus are meant for us all this Maundy Thursday; they are an invitation for us to follow in the Lord’s example of loving service.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
John 13-14

We are invited to continue on our walk with the Lord on the final steps of his earthly journey.

Please take a look at our Homily and Bidding Prayers for this Thursday.

Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319) Licensed under Wikimedia Commons Agreement

Website update:

Menu functions / search and cross-platform compatibility.

Hi all. Hope this finds you well.

You’ve probably seen a few changes randomly appearing and then disappearing as you browse the pages.

Currently – the menu system is what we’re working on – to find the best way to present you with the content required!

The menu is being produced by two different plugins – and I’m aware of an issue on mobile devices which will show two ‘menu’ buttons – one doesn’t appear to do anything – this is simply a placeholder for a piece of code used to generate the menu. This will disappear over the next few days as the website is optimised for different platforms.

The next update will include social media buttons in the menu area, and hopefully you’ve already seen the search function – I’m just working on the way that the search is displayed to highlight the area of text which contains your search terms – but so far, it’s pretty accurate.

Please do keep sharing the website and please let me know if you notice any errors, omissions, or incorrect content.

I’ll provide another update in a few days when hopefully everything will be working as I’d like.

Take care,

Tom

Holy Week: Palm Sunday

Sunday 5th April 2020

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. It is on this day that we celebrate and remember the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem as our saviour and king to large crowds of people shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”.

We are invited to walk with Our Lord on the final steps of his earthly journey.

Please take a look at our Homily and Bidding Prayers for this Sunday, together with our newsletter.

Holy Week:

The week that changed the World :

Holy Week from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday is the climax of the Christian year and the greatest Feast in our calendar. It even overshadows Christmas, for Christ was born to die and rise.

Over the centuries the Church has celebrated these seven days with deep solemnity. This is known as the ‘Great Week.’ In fact the three days from Thursday night until Sunday morning are celebrated not simply as separate days but as one huge Feast. In Latin this is called the ‘Triduum’ or the ‘Three–day Feast.’

It is a Week that changed the world and can once more change you and me. The drama of our faith unfolds as the Week goes on, and we recall our pledge to let the salvation of Christ won for us on the Cross take effect now in our daily lives.

This Week is something not to be missed and is something worth participating in as fully as possible. Certainly you would be well repaid if you reflected on the three parts of the Triduum: the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday and the Easter Vigil.

What we do this Week is that we ask the Holy Spirit to come upon us so that what Christ won for us in that first Holy Week may be real and effective in our lives. We actuate it. That means we make it really present so that it can take hold of us. We summon up its power. And if we let it, it can and will change us.

We’ll be adding posts throughout Holy Week for your to read.

Palm Sunday – 5th April 2020

Canon Philip Moor

NEW PARISH WEBSITE (BETA TEST):

Dear all!

We hope you’re enjoying our new and updated website.

It’s still in the testing phase, and we’re currently ironing out some issues and we’d really appreciate if you – the users could provide us with as much feedback as is possible – to ensure that together, we can develop a website that will be brilliant, and informative, but mostly, a website that will put our parish at the forefront of the community.

So, as you navigate through and take in all of our information, I’d appreciate if you could ask yourself a few questions:

How easy is the website to navigate? Were you able to find (content permitting!) what you were looking for? Are there any errors; incorrect spelling or grammar?
How does the website appear on your device? Does it load quickly? Are there any issues or barriers to you using the website?
Are there any features that you’d like to see?
Are there any features that don’t work as you expected?

Clearly this is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it’s enough for you to get started!

You can email us directly here,

Alternatively, you can use the contact form here. Please be sure to select “Website Enquiries” from the drop-down menu.

Thanks for your time,

Webmaster (It’s actually Tom – but webmaster sounds cooler)

RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN’S LITURGY:

Whilst we are no longer able to gather together at the current time, we can still come together as a parish through prayer.

CAFOD are now streaming a virtual children’s liturgy, live every Sunday at 10am.

In order to view the stream, you will need to register.

Each session comes with downloadable resources for children, and adults alike.

For further information, please visit the CAFOD Education Service, here.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Church closure:

From Tuesday 24th March 2020, Holy Apostles and Martys Parish Church will be closed until further notice.

Further announcements, weekly newsletters, homilies and other information will be posted on the parish website, Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Please note that live streaming of Mass and daily prayer from Shrewsbury Cathedral is available here:

Diocese of Shrewsbury – Live Streams

Canon Philip Moor

Dear friends, we are united in prayer. Please stay at home, be safe and take care.
May God bless you and your families at this difficult time.
Fr Phil.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Coronavirus update:

During the public health crisis and following official advice from Friday evening 20^th March 2020 Mass and acts of worship will not be publicly celebrated in Holy Apostles and Martyrs Parish Church until further notice. In these emergency circumstances, and for as long as they last, the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is removed.

Hopefully the Church will remain open for personal prayer and details of opening times will be announced asap, when entering Church please follow with great care public health guidelines to maintain hygiene and social distancing.

These are temporary measures which will be regularly reviewed by the bishops as circumstances and public health advice changes.

Details of the Cathedral and other Diocesan parishes who have live streaming for Masses and prayer will be made available in the next couple of days.

Canon Philip Moor
t – 0151 606 4362
e – ham.parish@gmail.com