Yes, everyone, after the long Christmas break the next UEL masses are nearly back. Here are the dates, times and venues:
Wednesday 16th January, 1.00pm, Room NB1.01, Docklands
Thursday 24th January, 1.00pm, Room RB2.29, Stratford
and
Sunday 27th January, 12pm, Room NB1.01, Docklands
See you there!
Yes indeed, tomorrow (Sunday 7 October) is the first day on which Father Thomas brings pizzas to share with all attendees following Mass in room NB1.01 at the UEL Docklands campus. For those who attended last year, also remember that the mass time is now 12 noon, a little later than before.
We’re sorry that the blogging has been a little ‘few and far between’ so far this semester; it’s because most of our time has been taken up at Southend Pier for Antonisia’s art exhibition (by the way, if you haven’t been yet, please come!) It’s easy to get to Southend via the C2C train line and the exhibition (at the end of the pier) is on for another week until Saturday 13 October. Hope to see some of you there…
John and Nisia
This week has seen many members of Cathsoc meet up again after the long summer break to try to attract new members joining the university for the first time. Freshers Fair is running all week and Cathsoc has had a stall every day. There are still two more days to get involved, so if you have some spare time, head down to the East Building on Thursday or Friday.
To get you in the mood, here are some pictures from earlier this week.
As some members of Cathsoc will know, Father Thomas is currently at Ecclesia 2012. As its own website says:
Ecclesia is a summer formation program led by the religious brothers and sisters of the Community of Saint John at the University of Mary in Bismark, North Dakota. In response to Pope John Paul II’s call to a New Evangelization, Ecclesia offers you the opportunity to earn undergraduate, graduate, or continuing education credits, all while experiencing a summer of prayer, evangelization, and fellowship with future leaders of the Catholic Church from across the country.
Enjoying the beautiful campus, with a tremendous view overlooking the Missouri River of the University of Mary in Bismark, North Dakota, participants from all over the United States will enjoy a month of prayer, community, and intellectual formation with three Brothers and one Apostolic Sister. Join us as we kick off the Ecclesia program with four days of back packing in the Badlands and then dive into the New Evangelization together. We want to help form evangelizers and leaders, those wanting to be Saints wherever they find themselves in the Church (families, youth ministers, directors of religious education, CCD teachers, singles, those discerning, students, working people, etc.).
Father Thomas sent us back some pictures this week, and it looks like he is having a great time. One shows him with the group attending Ecclesia while in the other he is seen saying an outdoor Mass. We look forward to welcoming you back to Britain in August, Father, and for the restart of Cathsoc in September! Hope everyone is having a happy holiday!
John and Antonisia.
All members of Cathsoc are reminded that this Sunday marks the return to UEL for mass, after the last two weeks have been spent away from campus at other local churches.
This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday and to celebrate it, we will meet as always in room NB.1.01 at the Docklands campus from 10am. We look forward to seeing you there.
We know how much you all like pictures too, so check the below one out – its our very own Father Frank with Bishop Thomas at the Brentwood Cathedral Chrism Mass!
I’m sure that most members of UEL Cathsoc have had a full Easter schedule but I know that lots of you managed to make it to the lovely Easter Vigil at St Margaret’s, Canning Town, on Saturday night. It was a long but beautiful service which finished just before midnight as we progressed into Easter Sunday and the joy of the resurrection of Christ today.
On a personal level it was a very emotional and important day as John was confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church. This was the culmination of months of preparation and I must give thanks to Father Thomas for listening and talking to both of us during many many sessions to talk through the Catholic faith and the importance of what John did yesterday.
From the lighting of the Paschal Candle in the car park of the church (the Liturgy of the Light) through the procession, the seven readings during the Liturgy of the Word, Father Thomas’s touching homily, the Liturgy of Baptism (where three of John’s fellow Catechumens were baptised), and finally the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the service was a full and complete reminder of why we follow our faith and of what Jesus did for us on the cross 2,000 years ago.
Thanks to all of those who came to support John; we were both really touched by the support we received; and I hope you enjoyed this lovely service as much as us. It was beautiful.
God bless
Antonisia.
As we have another of our retreats this weekend, this time to Worth Abbey, the regular UEL mass will not be taking place. Father Thomas will be joined by a number of members of Cathsoc for the contemplative and peaceful weekend, where mass will of course be celebrated on the Sunday. More information on the trip to Worth Abbey can be found below here in this blog.
Mass is back as usual at UEL next week on Sunday 25 March.
Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and new year break. It seems like such a long time ago now doesn’t it??! Just a quick reminder that UEL Docklands Sunday morning masses begin again tomorrow (Sunday 15 January), at the normal time of 10am. Lectio Divina, where we discuss a passage from the Bible is at 9.15am and opportunities for confession are at 9.45am.
I’m sure we will have a great second semester and look forward to more important teaching from Father Thomas and fellowship with each other.
Antonisia and John.
Today we learnt about the parable of the ten bridesmaids who went out to wait for the bridegroom. I believe this parable portrays God as the bridegroom and us, humanity, as the bridesmaids. The ‘wise’ among us are the ones who prepare our lives here on earth for the second coming and our eternal lives in heaven, while the ‘foolish’ ones are those who hide their light and wisdom, or who fail to prepare for the return of Christ.
The final line in the reading is particularly important: ‘..because you do not know the day or hour’. This is very true and is a reminder of why we should live our lives every day as if it will be the day of Christ’s return. Thank God for the good things he gives you, show to others you live with the love of Christ in your eyes and actions, and don’t be ashamed of talking of Christ’s kingdom and demonstrate your love for him. As Father Thomas said today, he does this in one way by making the sign of the cross over the food he eats at the ‘Edge’ cafe at UEL. Why should we be ashamed to show our love of God in our own way?
I also find it quite significant that God/the bridegroom says to the foolish bridesmaids ‘I do not know you’. This line shows how important it is, in terms of our eternal lives, to prepare in the right way for his second coming. We want to enjoy a relationship with God for the rest of eternity; not for him to reject us and say he does not know us as a result of our actions here on earth.
So, the message for today is don’t compromise on your faith. He who has real faith should never be ashamed of it.
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Matthew 25: 1-13; The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
This week is a very special one for Catholics as we remember all the saints and the lives of the faithful departed, on All Saints Day and All Souls Day respectively. All Saints Day has been marked for around 1,400 years in the Catholic Church, having been introduced by Pope Boniface IV who consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the saints. It has been celebrated in Rome every year since and is now seen as a ‘day of obligation’ for Catholics, where they must attend Mass unless they have a good and specific reason not to do so.
The following day is All Souls Day when we remember and pray for the souls of our faithful departed. This was first instituted in around 998 but was only accepted more widely by Rome in the 1300s. The day is about remembering, praying and offering mass for those who have died and who have not yet attained full sanctification and moral perfection, which is needed for them to enter heaven. This means they are still in purgatory.
Indeed, the whole month of November is often used to remember those that have died, a most important time for the Catholic Church. I think it is important that the faithful departed are not forgotten but instead remembered for the good they did during their lives. In turn we should pray for them to achieve the perfection they seek.
Anyone that wants to go to a local service, there is of course the 1pm mass on Wednesday for All Souls Day. On the Tuesday, see below for the times and places of mass:
Mass times at Canning Town: 9.30am and 7.30pm
Mass times at Saint Mark’s, Beckton: 8.00pm
Mass times at Saint Anne’s, Custom House: 9.15am
Mass time at Saint John’s, Silvertown: 8.00am
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