THE CARDIFF ORATORY PARISH CHURCH OF ST ALBAN ON THE MOORS A Parish of the Archdiocese of Cardiff (a Registered Charity 1177272) Website: www.cardifforatory.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/CardiffOratory Contact: [email protected] Parish Priest: Fr. Sebastian M Jones Hospital Chaplain (Fr Peter Davies) 029 2074 3230; St Alban's Oratory House: 029 2046 3219. ~ To participate in the daily Masses /Benediction / Stations of the Cross at St Alban's via our Live Streaming or to watch later go to: LIVE STREAMING https://www.youtube.com/c/cardifforatory Sat 28th 8am: Holy Souls 6pm: (Vigil) Sheila Donovan, Int. Sun 29th 10:00am: Lee Taylor, RIP Passion Sunday 11:15am: Holy Souls 5th Week of Lent 4pm Solemn Vespers & Benediction *5.00pm Mass: People of the Parish Mon 30th 7:30am: Holy Souls 9:00am Exposition & Benediction 9:30am: Pat Jennings, RIP Tues 31st 7:30am: Holy Souls 9:00am Exposition & Benediction 9:30am: Joji, Int., Wed 1st 7:30am: Holy Souls APRIL St Francis of Paola, hermit. 6:00pm Exposition & Benediction 7:00pm W & P. Walentin Thurs 2nd 7:30am: Holy Souls 9:00am Exposition & Benediction 9.30am: Paul O'Brien, RIP Fri 3rd 7:30: Holy Souls ABSTINENCE IS TO BE 9:00am Exposition & Benediction OBSERVED TODAY 9:30am Sheila Donovan (LoM) 7:00pm Stations of the Cross Sat 4th St Isadore 8am: Holy Souls 6pm: (Vigil) Thanksgiving to the Sacred Heart Sun 5th Palm Sunday 10:00am: Sheila Donovan, RIP 11:15am: Holy Souls 4pm Solemn Vespers & Benediction 5.00pm Mass: People of the Parish Fr Sebastian write... We are all so accustomed to our free movement for the purposes of work, housekeeping, exercise, leisure and worship so that when these freedoms are impeded we begin to reflect upon how very much we have taken them for granted. Of course we hear reports of some people ignoring the clear and prudent instructions given by HM Government that only essential workers and essential journeys are a legitimate reason for leaving home. Those who ignore the injunction are of course the product of their age... In recent years, particularly in the aggressively atheistic-secular media and entertainment industries, those who identify as a "stay at home mum", "home schooling" or being a "family man" are portrayed as being oppressed, backword, abused and abusing, repressed: hiding some smouldering Freudian scar. The concerted rejection of the Catholic doctrine of the family as the model of domestic society and the most fundamental unit of civic society has become this party's final solution. Their purpose is to replace the family with a pseudo-creed that asserts and would legislate to escalate un-fettered self-realisation through gratifying oneself, without any thought for its consequences, not only for one's immortal soul or the scandal it causes, but equally for the consequences such hedonism has upon on our country and the planet. The only alternative to this present death-march for human society is the rediscovery of the Catholic doctrine of the family, the Gospel reveals how in this basic unit of human society with its propensity for sustainability, mutual sexual co- responsibility, human formation in virtue, dignity in work, a compassionate society in micro and life skill education are best nurtured and moderated within the Church's understanding of the family so as to contribute to the country and the planet. The displacement by the West of the Catholic doctrine of the family has, and will continue to have grave consequences for everyone as the quickening pace for self-gratification only accelerates, while the assuaging of the hunger that seeks to consume new food sources and remove barriers or restraints upon its own free access to greater consumption goes un-challenged. The world's resources are finite, we are part of creation, not its Creator. We must be responsible. The atheist-secularist assertion that one can only be truly happy by being a consumer is the new "rule of life". The acceptance of this new vision of a DIY Promised Land transcends the old political divide of Left and Right: all British political parties have adopted the broadest possible acceptance of the agenda that there is nothing inherent or of the natural law to be found in the Catholic doctrine of the family. Political parties that assert concern for the planet, at the same time make no defence of the family as the natural habit for the nurturing of humanity. Ecology doesn't extent to humanity, because there is a broad consensus among atheistic secularists that humanity can only be controlled in the rejection of the Catholic doctrine of the family by greater and greater consumption. This cult of seeking self-gratification tolerates industry's present course of manufacturing goods with designed obsolescence, a limited life, as it reflects the atheistic-secular world view that humanity itself must necessarily always chase after the new as it needs to consume to be fulfilled. In this darkened world view Wisdom, fortitude, understanding, right judgement and awe are discarded as obsolete. The media and entertainment industries present people as objectified images for their own and other's personal gratification. Lifestyle choices, designer lives, airbrushed and sterile for appeasement, which we are told is the norm is becoming the only absolute truth. The same media and entertainment industries that have convinced many that the greatest threat to the planet is questioning recycling plastic bottles and replacing rain forest with soya production, are the very same luminaries that bank roll the insatiable greed destroying our rain forests, building on green belt fields, poisoning marine life. It is the self-same greed that asserts that some lives have much less dignity, value, or place in the world than others. There is much less talk in public discourse of listening and empowering the developing world, than creating my own world. That some lives don't matter, that the "me too" media campaign is only for the elite and not the sweat shop worker, the trafficked people, the homeless, those holding down various jobs just to make ends meet; that my own personal agenda and the assertion of a univocal right to choose regardless of the human costs are accepted as to challenge them, would be to question the entire edifice of the atheistic-secular narrative. All of us I am sure are hoping and praying for the end of the spread of the virus and the necessary isolation that we endure at present. But think of it in another way. In fact, in the present moment, we have never been more free to make choices as to what we teach our children, what they read, what they watch on the TV., the anecdotes we share of our own childhoods, where we walk with them, the songs and films we watch, even if we only walk in the local park or street it is a time you would not normally have with them. In the present moment, the family is revealed as the most fundamental unit of our society, the bedrock. Civil society has intruded into the legitimate autonomy of parents. It has intruded into the choices parents make over their own children, to raise according to the Gospel. In these days we have all joined, though reluctantly at first the world of the stay at home mum, the home schooling family, the family man. We may never have the opportunity again to spend so much quality time with our family. There can be no excuse that we are too busy with other matters. We are free for the moment to live family life. Let us all do so while we can! Please remember them when praying the rosary; in personal prayer: Billy Page, Alison, Kit Lewis, Sheila Donovan, Eileen, Phoebe Paul, Ruth Pinder, Audrey Bodenham, Dennis Caine, Christian Babu, Paul Burns, David Burns, Julie Cale, Irene Casey, Ethan Chichester, Phyllis Clarke, John Cowley, Justin Domenico, Alun Edwards, Elle Fine, Mary Healy, Nell Horan, James Hogg, Barbara Hurley, Don & Dorothy James, Anthony Jeremy, Jennifer King, Colin, Shirley & Michael Kingston, Alexandra Micallef, Betty Millar, Michael McCauliffe, Betty Murphy, Edna Murray, Beatrice Rajanayagam, Fay Simpson, Beatrice O'Brien, Iris Murphy, Elizabeth Sitole, Shelagh O’Donaghue, Gareth & Ethan Woodberry, Pat Xuereb. The Fathers and Brothers pray for these intentions every morning. LENT '2020 Icons of the Passion of Our Lord: Stations of the Cross Meditation on Icons of Our Lord’s from St Alban on the Moors Passion by a Brother of the Little Oratory First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death by Pontius Pilate. (Photo: St. Alban's Stations of the Cross) Live streamed The Entry into Jerusalem from St Alban's Church, Splott The Orthodox have a wonderful way of at Friday 7pm. expressing earthy human passions and even humour in their icons. Such is the Palm Sunday activity: case with icon of the Lord’s Entry into Take the children into the garden to collect enough Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Features of branches for everyone at home or make a palm branch out of some paper. Your child's note here are: Jesus again dressed in the imaginations will supply the rest of the scene! red and blue robes – not the white robeson a foul on earth, O Christ God, accept the showing his Divine glory, which we see praise of angels and the songs of children who in the Transfiguration and Resurrection sing: Blessed is he who comes in the name of icons. He is riding side-saddle the white the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! colt of peace, not the war horse. 1. Jesus is alone, totally isolated.