Music group Alizeti (which includes Helen Clark and Calum Heffernan from our Music Group) are giving a concert tomorrow

(Sunday 4 October) in aid of the Ilula Orphanage Program. Al Hal, Contern, 13:30.

The concert is part of the wider Appelfest series of events — discover more here (LE)

Just time to get along there after Mass if someone manages not to preach for too long…

Fr Ed

An upcoming concert in the church of St Alphonse touches on an important and very current theme:
PLEASE DON’T CLOSE YOUR DOORS will take place in St. Alphonse church on Friday, the 9^th of October at 19:30.

It’s going to be a special concert indeed, performed by a Polish bard and song-writer, Paweł Orkisz,

For over 30 years Paweł has been sharing his interest in ballads, interpreting Russian songs as well as these of Leonard Cohen. He regularly plays at Sunday Mass in a old, little church in Kraków (Poland) and has been doing so since the early 90s, giving praise to God by his music and sharing his faith with others.
‘Don’t close the doors’ is the title of the of Paweł’s CD, which includes his own songs and an interpretation of religious texts. However, it’s also a metaphor describing his openness towards God and towards people expressed throughout his music. You can sample Pawel’s music here:
The Prayer

Song about Friendship

Three Sisters – Faith, Hope and Love

Fr Ed

The celebration of First Holy Communion is one of the annual highlights of our parish life, and is a joyful, life-giving event in our community. Fittingly, our next celebration will be on May 29th 2016, the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ.

Registration for First Holy Communion classes for candidates wishing to make their Communion next year (May 29th 2016) is on Sunday 18 October after the 11:15 Mass, in the parish meeting room (the opposite side of the garden/parking to the church.

To be clear at the outset, to be eligible:

• A child must be 8 years old by 01 January 2016
• Present their certificate of Baptism on application
• Be a member of the English-speaking Catholic community (i.e. attend the English-speaking Mass at St Alphonse)
• Attend the preparation classes
• Complete the application process in time for the start of classes on 25 October
• Parents must be willing to be involved in some classes or in some aspect of preparing for the celebration on May 29th

Any exception to the conditions above must be agreed by Robert Foley, the organiser of the FHC programme, and myself. These conditions are in place to help both the preparation and the FHC Mass run smoothly, to assist the organiser and catechists in their responsibilities, and to ensure the best preparation and experience for all the children and parents involved.

A special website has been set up with all relevant information — I’ll post the address later this week.

Thank you,

Fr Ed

Ministry of Readers

If you are on the Readers’ rota, you will have received the following email from Caren Baviera, the Co-ordinator. This is a reminder regarding dates, times, and letting Caren know which of the meetings you will be attending. The input will be spiritual and practical. I hope you can come! Thanks, Fr Ed.

“Dear Readers,
In October, there will once again be an opportunity for “old” and new readers to get together for a brief refresher/induction meeting. Two alternative dates are proposed: Saturday, October 3^rd  or Saturday, October 17^th. The venue is St Alphonse, in the room where the children’s liturgy takes place. Starting time is 10am sharp, and the duration will  be about 45 minutes. We would particularly like to hear from you about any issues you might have with the way we handle the  reading ministry. I do hope that you will all be able to come to one of these sessions – we have always found them inspiring and helpful in the past, and I am sure that Fr Ed will pull out all the stops to make sure that it is so this time around, too!

Over the next few weekends, Fr Ed will be mooting the idea of having the Prayers of the Faithful being prepared by the faithful rather than by the celebrant, during the Advent season. He will be announcing two information meetings on the subject, at 11am on the same dates, and at the same venue,  as the readers meetings above. These meetings are open to all, not just to readers, as the two functions would be quite independent (though I would be organising a roster for each). However, I do hope that some of you may be interested in taking part in this exercise, or at least in finding out more about it. So do please feel more than welcome to attend both!

I’d be grateful if you would let me know in advance whether you can attend a readers’ meeting on 3^rd or 17^thOctober or not; and specify if for the Prayers of the Faithful meeting as well.

Archbishop Hollerich has issued a Pastoral Letter to be read out in all parishes this weekend, September 19th-20th. In it, he urges us, as part of the Church in Luxembourg, to respond wholeheartedly to the plight of refugees fleeing their homeland and looking for sanctuary in Luxembourg. The letter can be found here (English, unofficial translation) and here (French, official version). As a parish community we will certainly respond positively to the archbishop’s appeal. Please study the letter, decide what you might be able to contribute, and contact me.

Thanks,

Fr Ed.