Well I’m back from my first holiday since January 2020 and feeling refreshed and ready to go. It’s always important, I believe, to have a holiday a relatively short time after moving parishes. Part of the reason for this is that when you’re away people often ask you where you live and so you can tell them your new place of residence.
When you return from holiday return for the first time you return ‘home’. As a priest we move as individuals and not as a family unit and so our concept of home can be slightly different to some married people. So, it’s a sort of psychological switch that you throw when you arrive back at ‘home’ for the first time. I’m delighted to be home and that home to be St. Bons.
Over the past couple of days I’ve had discussions with different people about what we will be doing for Advent, and the whole build up to Christmas and the celebration of the birth of our Saviour. Generally, my view is that I would like to see what we normally do, and then look next year at how we might alter, expand, or improve on it if necessary.
One of my Advent plans for this year is to work in conjunction with our primary school, so that each of the classes in the infant stage will have a small crib scene. This will be taken home by one pupil each day so that they and their family can have a special crib service in their own home. In this way we link the parish and the school in our joint mission to proclaim Christ to the world.
Finally next Saturday we have a 1st Holy Communion Mass for those children who, for various reasons, were unable to complete the course earlier this year so please keep them and their families in your prayers this week.
Mgr Massey
