This Thursday, 15 May, there will be a music rehearsal in the church of St Alphonse at 19:00, practising the music for the First Holy Communion Mass next Sunday. If there is time, music for the outdoor Mass will be looked at too. All welcome!

As part of the Octave celebrations, the rosary will be prayed in various languages, including English, this Wednesday(14 May) in the cathedral at 20:00, and on Wednesday 21 May during the torchlight procession from St Michel to the cathedral, beginning at 21:00. It has been suggested that these recitations of the rosary might be a good opportunity to show solidarity in prayer, praying for the 270 or so girls kidnapped in Nigeria. The second date is, of course, the date of our Octave Mass at 19:30.  Fr Ed

If you have been in the centre of Luxembourg over the last couple of days, you can’t have missed the fact that the Octave/Oktav is underway…markets, restaurants, and crowds thronging the cathedral mark this season each year. To find out more about the Octave, you can read the official flyer (EN/POR) here. The Octave Mass for our parish will be celebrated in the cathedral at 19:00 on the 21 May. Traditionally we have a procession from our church to the cathedral, with the children who have just made their First Holy Communion leading the way. We will leave St Alphonse for the cathedral at 18:30 on 21 May in procession — please do come along for this important event. The walk this year is relatively short — last year it was from Hollerich!

My parents have returned home after their stay in Luxembourg, which they thoroughly enjoyed. They wish me to pass on their thanks for the warm welcome they received. They were impressed with the sense of community at our Sunday Mass, the full church and the presence of so many children and young people. So ‘Thank-you’ from them, and ‘Thank-you’ from me! Fr Ed

Reminder, that is to say, that there is no English-speaking Mass this Sunday, 11 May, at St Alphonse. We are all invited to attend the ‘Messe du Peuple de Dieu’ at the cathedral at 10:30. At 11:15, there will be a full rehearsal for the First Communion candidates and their families in the church of St Alphonse. All must be present for this preparatory event. Thanks, Fr Ed.