Dear brothers and sisters in Christ
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated the ordination of four new priests for the archdiocese. It was truly a great occasion when so many people from our parishes, priests, deacons and consecrated women and men, came to the cathedral to pray for the four men on the day of their ordination. Prayer is something that defines us as the Christian people. Prayer is the “sunshine of the soul”, it is as the Catechism describes, “the raising of our mind and heart to God”. Like the air we breathe into our lungs to live, so prayer is the supernatural air that helps us to live in God’s presence and to know that God is present to us, and present for us in our everyday lives.
This last week has seen us as the archdiocese on pilgrimage to Our Lady’s shrine of Lourdes in France, where we go, as it were, “on tour” as the church of Liverpool. It is always a grace-filled time for me as we go on pilgrimage to be together and to pray. Following on from September 2018, when 10,000 people came to Liverpool from across England and Wales for the Adoremus National Eucharistic Congress, the Bishops’ Conference is holding a national event at St Mary’s seminary, Oscott in Birmingham, in mid-September. On 21 September here in Liverpool Archdiocese, I would like us, as the family of the archdiocese to gather for “Adoremus Liverpool” to adore the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at the two cathedrals in Liverpool and Douglas, to come on pilgrimage to the cathedral church from our parishes, families of parishes and deaneries to make a localised pilgrimage, a shared pilgrimage for a couple of hours to journey together, to pray, to be together before God, to be still, to be silent and to pray in adoration of the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There will be Eucharistic Adoration, Holy Mass, opportunities throughout the day to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a shared time of prayer during the afternoon for all.
2024 is a time designated by the Holy Father as a “year of prayer” in preparation for the great Jubilee 2025 which reminds us of the Lord’s life and ministry among us. This coming Jubilee year also commemorates the 1700th anniversary of the council of Nicea in 325AD which gave us one form of the creed which we pray each Sunday.
We gather every Sunday at the Holy Eucharist, at the Holy Mass, as we are “blessed to be invited to the Supper of the Lamb”. We gather to hear His word and to receive His body and blood and to make communion with Him and each other as the Christian people. I invite each of you listening to or reading this pastoral message to come to either of our cathedral churches on 21 September, and to invite someone to come with you, to pray together as the archdiocese, as the family of parishes, as the family of God in Liverpool. In the coming weeks, the programme and resources will be made available to help us prepare together from the Pastoral Development department. If you have any questions or enquires regarding “Adoremus Liverpool”, please feel free to contact adoremus@rcaol.org.uk for more information.
I hope you have a blessed time of rest and family time over there summer weeks. With my prayers and good wishes to you and those you love.
In Christ’s love,
Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP
