Archbishop Hollerich has invited all young people who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation in the course of the past year to a special Youth Mass at Sacré Coeur this Friday, 17 January, at 19:00. A copy of the invitation may be found here. Fr Ed
LITURGY 12 JANUARY
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord year A.
First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4. 6-7 Isaiah’s prophecy of the blessings the Messiah will bring.
Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38 God does not have favourites
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus is baptised in the Jordan by John, and the voice from heaven affirms him as Son and beloved.
Music (Sunday)
Entrance: Come to the Water (by Frank Andersen)
Lord have mercy (St Lukes)
Clapping Gloria
Psalm The Lord will bless (Lionel Valdellon)
Alleluia
Offertory Take me Lord
Holy is the Lord
Behold the Lamb of God
Comm Lord I am not Worthy and Yahweh (777)
Recessional Up from the waters (396)
CELEBRATION FOR COLIN BUCKLAND update
UPDATE: There will be a retiring collection this weekend (11/12 January) towards a presentation for Colin. Next Sunday (19 January) there will be a celebration in St Alphonse (see below). Offers of help and of food still urgently needed!
To mark his more than 30 years of faithful service to the music of our parish, we will be holding a celebration for Colin after Mass on Sunday, 19 January, the the couvent of St Alphonse. All are invited!
Numbers: to help with the catering arrangements, we will need to have an idea of the numbers who will be attending. If you are planning on coming to the celebration, please let either Regan Otte or myself (Fr Ed) know. In the email, please put COLIN as the subject.
A presentation to Colin will be made by the Parish Council on behalf of the parish. If you wish to make an individual donation, please give any money or cheques to a member of the parish council, give to the 2nd collection over the next couple of Sundays, or make a direct transfer to the parish account (details below) marking the payment ‘Colin Buckland’. Account Details: Paroisse Européenne/Section Anglophone BIC BCEELULL IBAN LU18 0019 3755 5648 2000
Food: We need as many people as possible to help provide food for the cold buffet. If you are able and willing to bring something for the table, please contact Regan Otte and let her know.
LITURGY FOR 29 DEC
Feast of the Holy Family, year A. Readings and prayers for the day can be found:
NEW MISSAL: 66
Readings only, OLD MISSAL: 143
First Reading: Ecclesiasticus 3:2-6. 12-14 A reflection on the importance of paying honour and respect to one’s parents
Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21 Paul advises the Christians in Colossae how to live together peacefully that their life might be a witness to others
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15. 19-23 Joseph, being warned in a dream, takes Mary and Joseph into Egypt until King Herod is dead, then they return to live in Nazareth.
Music (Sunday)
Sunday 29 December
Opening Hymn: It came upon a midnight clear 135
Kyrie: Taizé
Gloria: Angels we have heard on high 130
Creed: We believe, we do believe (sung)
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia
Preparation of the Gifts: Blest are you, Lord, God of all creation 603
Sanctus: Echo
Eucharistic Acclamation: ‘O come let us adore him…’ (Adeste Fideles)
Agnus Dei: Deiss, Lourdes
Communion: : Silent Night 136
Closing Hymn: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing 155
AMAZING FIND IN ST ALPHONSE
Amazing find in St Alphonse, Luxembourg. UPDATE: Link to coverage in Wort.lu (English edition) with video here.
In common with churches throughout the world, and in a special way in churches with a Redemptorist tradition, Advent is a time for dusting down the crib figures from last year and arranging them for devotion in the church. In the church of St Alphonse, home to the English-speaking Catholic community in Luxembourg, this year things started normally and took a dramatic and unexpected turn. On 19th December, with a parishioner, Silvia, I began to unwrap the crib figures that were usually used each year. At the very back of the dusty, much-neglected cupboard, there were what appeared to be several bundles of old newspaper. On closer inspection, there were clearly substantial contents within. What emerged were statues of the Holy Family, along with a couple of angels. In spite of the layers of dust, these wooden carvings were quite clearly old, and beautifully decorated. The angels seemed to date from the 1920s or 1930s, in the art deco style. But the figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were older, and beautifully painted. Two days of careful cleaning followed, and the results were amazing, as you can see from the pictures below. However, something else emerged that adds a whole new angle to the story.
On close examination, the yellowing, fragile newsprint in which the statues were wrapped were dated 20 December 1939, just months after the outbreak of the Second World War. The newspapers contained accounts of the ‘serious actions of the English’ [sic] and were clearly early propaganda. According to accounts here in Luxembourg, the people realised that invasion of the Grand Duchy would be inevitable, and in December 1939 began to hide away anything precious they feared would be looted by the Nazi forces they were expecting. And so the crib was stashed away. The monastery of St Alphonse was occupied in May 1940, and the military forces used St Alphonse as their church. The sacristy corridor became their latrine, and part of the choir-loft their washing-area. There are still relics of this era in the monastery, though most evidence was destroyed at the end of the war.
What was, and is, truly amazing is that this crib set remained hidden for 74 years, and has only now seen the light of day. Already people are flocking to see part of their (or their parents’ or grandparents’) heritage. The last time these figures were seen was in a time of great fear and foreboding. The feet of St Joseph are damaged, possibly accidentally, and the hands of Jesus are missing. Incidentally, the ‘new-born’ infant is standing up and looks 3 years old! The absence of hands has prompted the community to propose for devotion the prayer of St Theresa of Avila:
Christ Has No Body
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
If the Lord, as it were, lacks hands, then he can use ours to do his work and fulfil his mission.
So Christmas will continue as usual here this year — but with added interest.
Ed Hone CSsR (pictures below)
Silvia Rossetto, before the restoration of the statue of the Virgin Mary
The restored crib figures in situ in St Alphonse
One of the newspaper clippings verifying the date of the concealment of the crib figures
