OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE

The journey from Eastertide to Ascension and Pentecost calls us to mission. This year, in the light of Bishop Richard’s new Pastoral Plan , the whole Diocese is invited to come together for four weeks of prayer to the Holy Spirit for the raising up of new vocations in the Church. Let us spend some time each day this week reading about the spirit of truth (Jn 14:15-21) and praying for all young people to have the gift of discernment in a changing world. You can download our Month of Prayer for Vocations leaflet. To find out more about vocations, visit our website . (Leaflets also available in the porch.)

Jesus is very clear about the call to His disciples to bear fruit, something that is simply impossible unless we remain close to Him, part of the vine. Given the current worldview - with conflict, famine, challenges to our climate, economic hardship, and an ever -present devaluing of the dignity of human life before our eyes in the news at almost every moment - the Lord’s call to each of us to bear fruit, to be His disciples, is a call to action to each and every one of us. This action grows out of prayer, our experience of the Eucharist, and our encounter with the Lord as we see Him present in others. St John in his first letter expresses it another way: our love is not to be just words or mere talk but something real and active. This is the measure of our discipleship, the proof that we are children of the truth, coheirs with Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. At the beginning of Lent, we heard the words of St Paul: "now is the favourable time, this is the day of salvation." This same sense of urgency is with us each and every day as we seek to do the Lord's work and is most pressing in these present times. May our experience of faith, a lived relationship with the person of Jesus, find expression in our care for our brothers and sisters wherever they may be. With every blessing, + Richard

Last Sunday afternoon I spent some time in A&E in Worthing suffering from swelling and discolouration in my right arm. The next few days I underwent tests and treatment at Worthing and Brighton hospitals. After many tests the diagnosis is a DVT in the upper right arm / shoulder (subclavian vein). I avoided an operation as I have responded well to blood thinning injections. I am now on 3 months of medication with a referral to haematology to see how the clot disperses and as to its cause. The swelling and discolouration in my arm have reduced. I wanted to let you know what has happened and ask for your prayers and patience now and as investigations proceed. I will try to slow down a bit and focus on the necessary things of priestly ministry. I think the Lord is asking me to spend more time with Him in prayer.  Thank you for your prayer, support and understanding. With my prayer for you all. Fr Graham.

There are lots of feasts this coming week. The celebration of saints days helps us to persevere in our daily struggle to be holy and ask for their help. Our task is to remain not only close to Jesus but to live in Him, as He lives in us. This is what the saints did in whatever vocation God called them. They forgot themselves and allowed God to grow ever bigger in them by flowing with the direction of grace. They were authentic and real. It would have been easy to see that they were disciples of Jesus. Some people didn't believe that Saul was really a disciple. Barnabas speaks up for him by telling of Paul's bravery and the things that proved he was a disciple. I hope the same can be said of us. Our faith and love is not be "mere talk, but real and active". The others will know we are disciples. Living in Jesus and being part of the "Vine" means we have to be pruned by God. It involves a change and conversion. To live for God and not for ourselves. We can find more recent examples of young people who have tried to live this way. Their vocation stories are inspiring. In our prayer for vocations this week we pray especially for young people and the gift of discernment. To truly follow Jesus and be authentic. Sr Clare Crocket is such an amazing story. We can learn from her about conversion to Jesus in our choices and true joy. With my prayer for you all this Eastertide. God bless you.  Fr Graham

This Good Shepherd Sunday, at the request of Bishop Richard, we begin a month of prayer for Vocations, especially for future Priests for our diocese. A vocation, especially the Priesthood, is not a career path that we choose. Every vocation, including marriage, is a calling from God, to which we consent and say "Yes". It is both personal and communal. A priest isn't a priest for himself but to serve Christ and His people in the Church. The same is true for all vocations. Jesus always calls enough priests, deacons, religious, spouses, teachers, prophets, consecrated, healers. The problem is not the call but the hearing. We need to "know" the Good Shepherd in order to hear His voice. Behind every vocation there is a story. Jesus knows us well. We are His children, He knows what we shall become and He has "laid down (His) life for us". He is the only One through whom we can be saved. The urgency for more priests is not so that we can keep our diocese and parishes going, but so that more people might be saved by Jesus through the sacraments. Jesus will never leave us, even if we are scattered. He is still calling us to follow Him wherever He may lead us. With my prayer for you all this Eastertide and especially those to be anointed this week. God bless you.  Fr Graham

Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking – Communities and Parishes Presentation, 29 June, 11am-1pm, Shoreham-by -Sea BN43 5WG. Join members of the Santa Marta Group for a presentation and discussion on topics including 'What is Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking?' With an introduction to the Santa Marta Group, and case examples. Contact Tessa Ricketts to find out more, or see poster in the church porch.

You can watch the talk, ‘The New Eve’, given by Father Graham last Wednesday using this link: https://www.youtube.com/@ABCharismaticDSC/streams There were some connectivity and power issues on the night, but if you scroll to 13 minutes 50 seconds, you’ll see the talk in full. The next talk will be on ‘Salvation’, given by Deacon Phil Richardson, on Wednesday 17th April, 8.00pm. Click here for more information: https://www.abdiocese.org.uk/news/promise -father

Dear brothers and sisters, This Sunday’s Gospel Reading, taken from Luke’s text, follows on from the Emmaus encounter with the Lord and begins with the two disciples recounting their experience. As we read the Gospels describing the post-Resurrection appearances of the Lord, we might wonder why Jesus’ followers were so slow to catch on! Mary of Magdala, Peter, John, Thomas, the disciples on the road to Emmaus – the number of experiences grows as we read the Gospels. Yet still, the Lord needs to offer proof that He is truly risen. He questions their doubts and eats in their presence – further proof that He is truly alive, risen from the dead. Luke then writes that Jesus "opened their minds to understand the scriptures." Through our baptism, we belong to Him. We are called to live our lives in the love that exists in God. We receive the Holy Spirit – the same Holy Spirit that came upon the Apostles at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit who is the gift of the Risen Christ. Our minds, too, can be open to understand the scriptures; minds free from any doubt that the Lord has truly risen. This conviction is the gift that is the foundation for our mission as the Body of Christ – the mission to proclaim His life and love to a world in need – a mission we must carry out with total conviction and with every gift that God, in His mercy, has given to us. In this mission lies our joy and fulfilment. With every blessing, + Richard

We have built up a large collection of new/nearly new childrens’ books, from toddler to teen, which we will be selling next Sunday after the 9.00am mass at St Peter’s. All proceeds will go to the SVP sponsorship of education of primary and secondary school children in India. Please note: we don’t need any more books donated! Please come to the sale, where we can take cash and card payments. Thank you.