March for Life

Anointed Fire Catholic Ministries are hosting the National Awakening Eucharistic Healing service in Bethel Convention Centre near Birmingham on Saturday, September 6th . Speakers include John and Aleksandra Stayne of Cor et Lumen Christi plus dynamic youth ministry music, talks, mass, confession, prayer ministry and healing in Adoration  You are invited to come along for a refreshing, powerful and Spirit filled healing day. All ages including children’s streams and teen/youth meetings. Buses are available. The venue is just off the motorway. If you are interested, please contact Madeleine Jeremy on 07791503857

Canon John on leave With Canon away for the next few weeks, there will be no weekday Mass at St. Teilo’s and Our Lady of Lourdes. St. Teilo’s will be open each day for people to spend time in private prayer (Except for the week beginning Monday, September 8th, see below). Many thanks to the small group of volunteers who are facilitating the Church opening by agreeing to open and lock the Church each day. Weekday Mass is available in our neighbouring churches: Nazareth House (access to the chapel is through the door on Colum Road, lift assisted access is via the convent entrance) – Mass is celebrated at 10am at Nazareth House on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (No Mass on Tuesday) St. Joseph’s – Mass is celebrated at St. Joseph’s at 9.15am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 7pm on Wednesday. The Three Churches – Mass is celebrated in the 3 churches as follows: Monday at 9.30am at St. Brigid’s, Tuesday at 9.30am at Christ the King, Wednesday at 9.30am at St. Paul’s, Thursday at 9.30am at Christ the King, Friday at 9.30am at St. Paul’s, Saturday at 9.30am at St. Brigid’s. St. Mary of the Angels and Holy Family –Mass is at 9.30am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at St. Mary’s and at 9.30am on Thursday at Holy Family.

Adoration and Exposition – Our Lady of Lourdes The Polish Community holds silent Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursday evenings from 7.30 to 8.30pm. All are welcome to come along and pray in silence, in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Adoration is preceded by Mass in Polish at 7pm.

In the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia, our safeguarding team is deeply committed to supporting victims and survivors of abuse with sensitivity and compassion. Our LoudFence events highlight our commitment to raising awareness of abuse, our ' Restorative Circles ' bring together people to listen and share their experiences, while Archbishop Marks dedicated ‘ Time to Listen ’ sessions, ensures that survivors are given time and space to share their experiences directly with him. These initiatives are part of our ongoing commitment to learning from survivors, walking alongside them in their healing journey, and ensuring safeguarding remains at the heart of diocesan life. If you haven’t previously engaged with the Archdiocese Safeguarding Team but feel that it would be helpful to do so, please don’t hesitate to contact the safeguarding office on 02920 379480 or email safeguarding@rcadc.org The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) has launched a thematic inspection on survivor engagement and support, with a particular focus on how dioceses and Religious Life Groups (RLGs) respond to those who have suffered abuse. As part of this work, the CSSA is inviting survivors to take part in a public survey, sharing their experiences of engaging with a diocese or RLG. This includes both recent and non-recent experiences, and while the primary focus is on the period from July 2024 onwards, survivors are encouraged to share as much as they feel able. The survey is an important step in ensuring that survivor voices are heard, valued, and used to shape future safeguarding practice. The CSSA is asking every diocese and RLG to help share this important public call. We are eager to reach as many victims and survivors of abuse as possible, encouraging them to contribute to this survey so that their experiences and insights can help shape a safer and more compassionate Church for all. Information and the link for the survey can be found below:

Rest in Peace Please pray for the repose of the souls of Rev. Deacon David O’Keefe, a long-time servant of the Archdiocese who ministered in the Merthyr Tydfil parishes. Deacon David died recently, following a long period of illness. Deacon David’s body will be received into St. Mary’s Church, Merthyr Tydfil at a Vigil Mass on Tuesday this week at 6pm. His Requiem Mass will be on Wednesday at 12.30pm.  Please also pray for Gina Cumberlidge who has died. She was a parishioner of St. Teilo’s but in recent years had been living in a nursing home in Romilly Road. Her Funeral Mass will be on Saturday, October 25th at 10am at St. Teilo’s. Please remember them both in your prayers.

The Annual Ecumenical Service of Sung Vespers will take place in the grounds of Tintern Abbey on Sunday, September 15th at 3pm. This open-air service will focus on Prayers for Peace. This openair ecumenical service will draw together Christians of all backgrounds to this sacred site. The preacher this year will be Abbot Brendan Thomas OSB, Abbot of Belmont. You are invited to bring a folding chair for the service. Entry to the Abbey is free for those attending the service. Lunches and teas are available in the village nearby.

From Monday, September 8th to Friday, September 12th there will be Carpet Fitters at St. Teilo’s replacing the current carpet tiles with new carpet which is Supacord Heavy Contract Fibre Bonded Carpet and is specific for churches and areas with heavy footfall with a BREAM Rating of A+ which indicates that the product has the lowest overall environmental impact. The carpet comes with a 10 year guarantee and has been used in schools and other heavy-duty high traffic environments for over 40 years.  Many thanks to the parishioners who have noted the various breaks and wears in the current surface, it has taken a while to get Archdiocesan approval for the work to take place, but hopefully by Sunday, September 14th everyone will see the difference. Naturally, these things do not come cheap with the lowest tender being for £21,000. It seems like a good time to think of ways to fund this expenditure please let the Parish Finance Committee know if you have any suggestions for fund raising.

For the first three weekends Canon John is away, Fr. John Patrick Thomas will be celebrating Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes on Saturday evening and hearing confessions before Mass. Mgr. Reardon will be celebrating the two Sunday Masses at St. Teilo’s. We welcome them both as they lead us in our Sunday worship. On the final Sunday of September, while Canon is in Lourdes, Fr. John Boles, Superior of the Columban Missionaries in Britain will celebrate all three weekend Masses and make the missionary appeal for the Columban Missionaries.

As is usual at this time of the year Canon John will be on leave for the next three weeks and will then be in Lourdes for a week as the chaplain to the HCPT pilgrimage.