Wednesday 29th April 2020 - A WEEKLY PRAYER CUSTOM Welcome to the of Our Lady & St. Robert

Celebrating the Year of the Word Robert Street, Harrogate, HG1 1HP ( of ) Registered Charity No: 249404 Clergy: Canon Jim Callaghan –Parish Priest with The Wednesday Word. Priests: Fr. Ben Hilton -Assistant Priest Lectio Divina - prayerfully Parish Office (St. Robert’s Presbytery)- Closed until further notice preparing for the Sunday Mass. The P ar ish V er sion web:strobertsharrogate.co.uk Tel: (01423)504988 e-mail: [email protected] Preparing for the Mass of Sunday 3rd May 2020 - The Fourth Sunday of Easter

St Robert’s Centre—Closed until further notice 1 Relax & Remember Tel: 01423 529771 e-mail: [email protected] web: strobertscentre.co.uk

Set aside 10 -15 minutes and create a suitable environment by removing any distractions. Make sure that you are comfortable. Perhaps light a candle. Make the sign of the cross † and remain still for a minute of settling silence. Call to mind the love that God has for you. Remember that through this scripture our Lord is truly present. Then read the Gospel, preferably aloud and slowly, and pay attention to any words that stand out. If any do, meditate on them for a few minutes and be invited into a dialogue with God. 2 Read

Taken from the Gospel for Sunday 3rd May 2020 - The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-10) Jesus said: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’ Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. So Jesus spoke to them again: ‘I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold. All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.’ Sunday 26th April 2020

3 Reflect Canon Jim Callaghan and Fr Ben Hilton will say Mass privately After spending a few minutes considering this Gospel, continue by reading Fr Henry Wansbrough’s reflection. each day for your Intentions In each year of the three-year cycle of readings this fourth Sunday of Easter is designated Good Shepherd Sunday, with readings from the parable given in John 10. In the first two Sundays after Easter the meetings with the Risen Lord are described, but after that the most important truth about the Risen Lord which the Church puts before us is that this Jesus whom we encounter is the Good Shepherd. In the Old Testament God is the Shepherd of Israel, and indeed in the neighbouring pastoral nations too the protective deity of the nation is commonly called their ‘Shepherd’. As the pastoral ancient world well knew, the duty of shepherds is to care devotedly for the sheep, with no regard to the personal cost to themselves. Ezekiel repeatedly LIVE-STREAMING OF DAILY MASS AND DEVOTIONS FROM LEEDS castigates the recent leaders of Israel for their failure to care for the sheep and for managing the flock for their own personal advantage. It is especially striking that in all four gospels the divine title of Shepherd is transferred from God to Jesus himself, at least implying not only that Jesus is the perfect shepherd, but also that he is the incarnation of that divine Shepherd, fulfilling the duties which had hitherto been credited to the God of Israel alone. Holy Mass will be live-streamed EACH WEEKDAY at 10.30 am and on SUNDAYS at 11.00am By his selfless generosity Jesus is the model for all rulers and leaders of nations. There will also be a live-stream of the Angelus at 12.00 Noon each What does it mean to you to describe Jesus as the Good Shepherd? Who is your special guide in life and why? weekday, followed by praying the Rosary. Details of other devotions are available via the Leeds Dom Henry Wansbrough OSB Cathedral website and Cathedral Bulletin.

4 Respond & Request To participate online, please access the Live YouTube channel www.leedscathedrallive.org.uk where the words of Prayers, Devotions and Orders of Service Now slowly and prayerfully read the Gospel once again but this time in silence. Consider how this Gospel could apply to your life in general. may be viewed, or downloaded from the Diocesan and Cathedral websites. Then thank God for any insight you may have received. Conclude by asking God to bless you with one of the following spiritual gifts to help you act on any resolution you have made: love, understanding, wisdom, faithfulness, peace, self control, patience, or joy. Please remember to pray for the Church and particularly our school families. Then conclude by requesting the prayers of Our Lady & St Joseph.

The Wednesday Word is under the patronage of St Joseph, Patron Saint of Families and Protector of the Church Within the tradition of the , each Wednesday is dedicated to St Joseph

® The Wednesday Word Ltd. A registered Charity in and Wales limited by guarantee – 1125628 © Copyright 2020 The Wednesday Word Trust www.wednesdayword.org Parish Finance Today, Thursday 23rd April, we celebrate the Feast of St. George, Patron Saint of Many thanks to all who continue to support our of St. Robert’s and St. Aelred’s during the present time of crisis and lock- England. A reminder to us, that all of our prayer at this time is assisted and supported down. The Diocesan Finance Office report that many people from around the Diocese are phoning and sending e-mails asking how they can contribute to their parishes while public Masses are suspended. What follows is an explanation of the ways in which you by the Communion of Saints. Please hold in prayer, as do Fr. Ben and I at Mass each can contribute but if you already have a standing order, or collection envelopes please ignore what follows. day, those who are gravelly ill and their families, often now separated from their loved ones. Giving to your Parish:

We continue to support so many in their critical moments, by telephone calls Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has continued to support St Robert’s and St. Aelred’s week in and week out, especially those- especially. who have made new arrangements to donate towards the continuing work of our parish during these difficult times. It is possible to make your weekly or monthly offerings in several ways: It has been very moving this week to respond to non-Catholic callers who phone the Presbytery seeking reassurance and prayer.

Set-up a Standing Order with your bank or building society. (GAD forms can be downloaded) to either St. Robert’s or St. Aelred’s There is a framed quotation from the late Cardinal Hume which hangs above my desk; Diocese of Leeds Our Lady Immaculate St Robert’s Harrogate Sort Code: 40-27-15 Account No: 81017489 in part it says this: Diocese of Leeds St Aelred of Rievaulx Sort Code: 40-27-15 Account No: 41017470

“There is an urgent task to be done in our time. It is to give hope to a world where disillusionment is widespread. To show our contemporaries that in the Word of God Make a one-off payment via internet or telephone banking to the Church using the details below: and in his sacraments they can be touched by the Divine and be cheered”.

Diocese of Leeds Our Lady Immaculate St Robert’s Harrogate Sort Code: 40-27-15 Account No: 81017489 Diocese of Leeds St Aelred of Rievaulx Sort Code: 40-27-15 Account No: 41017470 Never has that been more true than now.

Canon Jim. Press the Donate Button on the opening page of the St. Roberts or St Aelreds webpage, and follow the ************************************************************************ instructions.

Mass for the Sick and their Families, NHS Front-Line workers and those working in Use the text service, to donate £5 to St Robert’s text CHURCH ROBERT to 70500 for St. Robert’s and Social Care - The Catholic of England and Wales recognise that this time of the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every person in our countries. Those who are to donate £5 to St. Aelred’s text CHURCH AELRED to 70500 for St. Aelred’s sick, and their families, are suffering many hardships of isolation from contact with those they love. Our front-line workers in hospitals and in care homes all over our **Please note that it is a feature of the text-giving facility that allows for no more and no less than £5 to be given to the lands are giving exceptional service to those who are vulnerable at this time. In or- Offertory via each text. If your regular weekly parish giving is either more or less than this amount, please feel free either to der to show a spiritual solidarity with all those who are involved in the ways de- send more than one text – or maybe use this facility just once a fortnight or once a month.** scribed above, each week from next Thursday, a Catholic will celebrate Mass in their Cathedral which will be live-streamed for people to join. This will take place

every Thursday at 7.00pm

Leave a donation (cash or cheque) through the Presbytery letterbox at St. Robert’s. 30th April Bishop Cathedral 7th May Bishop Leeds Cathedral

Thank you all for your generosity and the support you give to your parish. Bless you all! 14th May Bishop Robert Byrne CO Newcastle Cathedral 21st May Bishop Mark Davies 28th May Bishop Terence Drainey By visiting the Cathedral webpage, or the Bishops’ Conference Webpage (cbcew.org.uk) links for the live-streaming of these Masses can be found.