Trinity Sunday
Today is Trinity Sunday when we celebrate the doctrine of the Trinity – the three persons of God. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I remember at school trying desperately to comprehend the concept of the Trinity and never completely understanding or rationalising the idea much to the frustration of Sr Imelda who taught us RE. I suppose that the understanding of all scriptural doctrine is by faith which comes through the work of the Holy Spirit and therefore, it is appropriate, that this mystery is celebrated the first Sunday after Pentecost, when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit first occurred. I shall listen to the homily intently (more intently than usual!) to see if I can begin to grasp this mystery to me. We also remember in our prayers at Mass on Sunday Bishop Tom who will be celebrating his 15th Anniversary of Episcopal Ordination.
Plans and preparation for the Eucharistic Congress are coming together day by day, and one of the initiatives that is almost ready to be printed and given out to everyone is the Adoremus Parallel Programme which contains talks, discussions, workshops, prayer opportunities and cultural events complementing the main events which will be taking place at the Arena. There are numerous things that are taking place across the City which will be of interest to families, young and older people so do keep your eye out for the fliers when they become available.
We will be hosting an Archive exhibition in the Abraham Apse which will be an exhibition of items from the 1908 Eucharistic Congress in London illustrating the history of the Catholic Church in England & Wales. Displays include other materials about Adoration of the Eucharist from the last century up to our own time.
We are also hosting the International Exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles designed by Servant of God, Carlo Acutis (1991-2006). Carlo collated all the Church’s confirmed Eucharistic Miracles and put them online. Shortly after completing the project Carlo died of fulminant leukaemia. The Exhibition will be split between ourselves and St John’s in Kirkdale, Liverpool.
There are also talks in preparation for the Congress which are free and open to anyone at the Liverpool Carmelite Monastery , Maryton Grange. The talks will take place on the last Sunday of the month through August. The first one – and I hope it’s not too late to tell you about – will be today, 27 May, from 3.30pm – 5.30pm and will be on St Alphonsus and Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament by Fr Tim Buckley CSsR. All of the talks will include Adoration and Evening Prayer with refreshments to follow. Just so you have the next ones in your diary – the dates are Sunday 24 June and will be a talk by Denise Armstrong- Hunt on the spiritual journey of a deaf person, and on Sunday 29 July Anne Grimes will give a reflection on the partnership between parish and schools in preparation for the Congress.
Next Sunday at all Masses there will be a retiring collection for the provision for priests in retirement. There are some envelopes at the back of the Crypt and the Cathedral so please pick one up with you this morning and bring it back next week. The Priest Retirement Fund offers a way for us to give back to our Catholic priests who have served us so faithfully. Your contribution will help archdiocesan priests live modestly and peacefully in retirement. Help us offer thanks for their years of devotion to God and our communities and please be generous.
Claire Hanlon
Executive Assistant to the Dean
Canon O’Brien is away
