Below are a few interesting news items from this week’s Bulletin. To download the full version of our latest Bulletin, please go to our Bulletin page. Thank you.
THOUGHT FOR THE NINETEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR A
Faith in the storms & turmoil
Faith is wonderful, beautiful – the days of calm and peace, when the sun shines and creation glows. But then the storms come – a bereavement, unemployment, fleeing from terror to a land that does not want you… Perhaps suffering for your faith or values, or your ethnicity, gender or orientation. And can God seem strangely silent, distant, disappearing in the dark clouds of pain and the heavy rain of disillusion and depression.
But Faith deepens as it confronts doubt; Faith is enlarged as it battles against the waves; Faith becomes more luminous as you walk the dark valley of tears. Maybe you feel you are sinking beneath the waves: but like Peter, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and stretch out your hand – and he will be there even though you do not see or feel Him. That is real Faith – faith to walk on troubled waters and through the storm – Faith that gives Life! Faith that makes life worth living!
POPE LEO ON ‘SYNODALITY’ He told the Spanish Bishops – ‘the synodal style at the service of the mission of the Kingdom…requires attention to the way decisions are made and responsibilities are exercised, through transparency, evaluation, and share responsibility’
UPDATE ON THE GROWTH OF SYNODALITY IN THE CHURCH Over a year ago the Final Report of the ‘Synod on Synodality’, held over two years in Rome, was published. The whole Catholic Church has been asked by Pope Leo to reflect prayerfully and ‘synodally’ on this document and to come forward with plans to introduce this new form of governance in every diocese in the world. An initiative of the late Pope Francis, Pope Leo is deeply committed to this vision of ‘this new way of being Church’. It is to reshape how we make decisions at parish level and deanery level as well as at diocesan level. This is not optional, but calls for all bishops, priests and people to ‘catch the vision’ and find ways of putting it into practice. Sadly we have had little or no guidance as yet from our own Bishops of England and Wales, but this must not hinder us as a parish from becoming an increasingly ‘synodal parish’. To this end there are a number of copies in the porch of a brief summary of the Final Document, made available by Westminster Archdiocese and the full version of the Final Document is available on request. Our Parish Pastoral Council will be discussing this and both our Celebration of the Feast of St Nicholas of Tolentino (September 6th) and our Parish Synod (Sunday October 4th after mass) are part of exploring together how we embed ‘Synodality’ in our parish. Please keep both these dates as a priority for attendance – thank you!
THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A CATHOLIC? If you or someone you know might be thinking about becoming a Catholic, or simply want to know more about our faith, then the Journey of Faith Group is for them. Or if you are already a Catholic but have not been Confirmed in the Holy Spirit, or simply what to deepen your faith, then this group is also for you. Please contact Richard or Mary Hopper. We will have a ‘Come and See’ meeting after Mass on Sunday 23rd August
CALLING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO CONFIRMATION At last we are now able to prepare our young people (aged 13 +) for the vital Sacrament of Confirmation. It is the Church’s wish that Confirmation is delayed until an age when our young people can decide for themselves to take this step of commitment as disciples of Christ. Parents can encourage, but must not make this decision for their children. We wish to gather the names of your g people who would like to explore the possibility of receiving Confirmation. We will have a meeting with them in early September and begin a Programme of Preparation (along the lines of the Journey of Faith) in October and hope to arrange with Bishop Bosco a date for Confirmation in February/March. Young People, please approach Richard or Mary as soon as possible.
NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS- ADOREMUS 2026 10/11 OCTOBER
Each year there is this special event gathering pilgrims for all diocese in England and Wales. There is teaching, prayer, Mass and public witness. There will be a ‘Corpus Christi’ Procession from Southwark Cathedral to Westminster Cathedral through the streets of London. 45 places have been allocated to our diocese. If you are interested in taking part, come to an orientation meeting on Saturday 12th September beginning with Mass at Clifton Cathedral. apply through: www.adoremusclifton@eventbrite.co.uk
PARISH SHARING THE NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS As a parish we will take part in the National Congress with Eucharistic Adoration and a possible Corpus Christi Procession during the weekend of 10/11 October. I welcome suggestions how we should renew our love and understanding of the gift of the Christ in the Eucharist as we plan to participate in the Congress and focus centrality of the Eucharistic Christ in our lives – ideas to Fr Richard please.
PREPARING FOR YOUR CHILD’S BAPTISM Parents seeking the baptism of their children are asked to inform Eustace Tameh or Fr Richard as soon as possible. Next Baptism celebration: BAPTISMAL SUNDAY 30th August at 10am Mass
Parents Preparation Sessions: Friday 21st & 28th August at 6.30pm (Church)
Rite of Child Catechumen (or Welcoming): Sunday 23rd August at 10am Mass
URGENT NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS Minette has been leading the flower-arranging tam for many years. Sadly she needs to step down from this ministry. If no-one steps forward to help we will probably have no fresh flowers in the Church. We thank Minette for her faithful service. Please see her or Richard to help with this important ministry that enriches our Liturgy and worship.
FREE SURVIVORS & INFORMATION EVENT – 11th August 2026 Hosted by the South West Ecumenical Safeguarding Forum in Partnership with First Light. Please share the information about this event within your parishes and networks. More information and registration is via Eventbrite.
The South West Ecumenical Safeguarding Forum (SWESF) is a regional collaboration across the South West of England, focused on safeguarding within Christian churches and faith settings. First Light is a specialist UK charity that supports and empowers people affected by abuse, including domestic abuse, sexual violence, and church-related abuse. If you have been affected by abuse, you are warmly invited to attend this supportive and informative event. Free Survivor Support & Information Event Tickets,
AREA HOUSE MASSES To gather parish members dispersed around Bristol, to bring the Eucharist to the community and to build small local communities, we are holding regular Area Masses, After such Masses we have simple refreshments – tea/coffee, biscuits (may be cake), but no more. Please contact Richard if you will host a Mass. Any Volunteers for the next few Area Masses ? Please contact Richard
NEWS OF DEACON ANDREW BENT Andrew has written to inform the parish that he has been accepted by our diocesan Vocations Team and Bishop for seminary training to discern God’s call with the possibility of formation for Ordination to the Priesthood. This is a challenging period of study and spiritual development at the seminary and great responsibility as a priest serving parishes. He wants to thank our community for all the nurturing, friendship and support over the years that led him to Ordination as a Permanent Deacon. He asks our prayers as he steps into this demanding and transforming phase of his Journey of Faith and discipleship. He joins Allen Hall Seminary in London in September.
THE CATHOLIC POST – A NEW MONTHLY CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER You will find in the porch today this free paper – a relatively new initiative to bring Catholic News to our communities. Please take one and if you feel it would help our parish community please let us know and we will arrange to have regular monthly copies. We have received these thanks to the sponsorship of Downside Abbey School.
PATRONAL FEAST OF ST NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO – SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6th
Just a few weeks away until we rededicate ourselves as a parish to be Good News to the Poor and servants and witnesses of the foot-washing Jesus whom we love. PLEASE, PLEASE make every effort to come ready celebrate as a community during and after the Mass. Please come in cultural dress, bring some food to share from your culture. Come and ask God’s blessing and inspiration to guide our parish into the future. Being a ‘synodal parish’ means being a community that walks together, listens to one another and cares for each other especially in hard times. St Nicholas of Tolentino pray for us!
CHURCH CLEANING – FRIDAY MORNINGS Thank you to those who have been serving the parish in this way each Friday morning from about 10.00am onwards. Some have found work so we urgently need more volunteers who can commit once or twice a month to come. Please Contact Eddie or Richard to volunteer for this ministry, this act of service to God and the whole community. Thank you!
IMPORTANCE OF SUNDAY MASS: FROM TNE EARLIEST TIMES, SUNDAY WAS THE DAY THAT THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO WORSHIP GOD AND CELEBRATE JESUS CALL TO COMMUNITY. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IF WORK PREVENTS YOU FROM COMING TO OUR 10am MASS THERE ARE 3.00pm MASSES AVAILABLE TO YOU TWICE A MONTH – 1st and 3rd Sundays. IT IS SO IMPORTANT NOT TO MISS SUNDAY MASS UNLESS SERIOUS ISSUES PREVENT (LIKE SICKNESS, CARING RESPONSIBILITIES, UNAVOIDABLE WORK). WE MUST RECLAIM SUNDAY AS THE LORD’S DAY!
CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD (CLOW) We have not been able to restart this essential part of our Liturgy and the foundation of catechesis for our children through lack of enough volunteers to help our children and parish in this way. However we are having Children’s Liturgy of the Word each Sunday in Advent – starting next Sunday. BUT WE DESPERATELY NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS TO HELP IN ORDER TO SUSTAIN THIS IMPORTANT MINISTRY. Please offer some time and energy so that our children can enter more fully into the wonder of the Mass – Eucharist and the Word of God.
MONTHLY YOUTH-LED MASS We congratulate our young people as they bring their special gifts and to our monthly Youth-led Mass (on the Third Sunday of the Month). We all encourage our young people to fulfil a ministry on each third Sunday of the month.
THE VOCATION OF THE CATECHIST Jesus taught, accompanied and formed his disciples, making them ready for the Mission He was entrusting to them. This is what our Catechists are called to do – teach, accompany and form a new generation of ‘missionary’ disciples. This begins with Children’s Liturgy of the Word (sadly every fortnight rather than every Sunday), continues with preparing children and families for First Eucharist and First Reconciliation, then into adolescence with calling our young people to Confirmation in the Holy Spirit. Then there is the preparation of parents for their children’s Baptism and adults seeking to become Catholic Christians. And all this to form ‘missionary disciples’ proclaiming the Gospel and changing the world. WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE THIS FOUNDATION WORK – THINK ABOUT SERVING IN THIS MINISTRY – YOU PARISH REALLY NEEDS YOU,
A HOUSE MASS IN YOUR HOUSE? Because we are so widely spread out as a community, we have had several beautiful Area Masses which have brought parishioners together in the area where they live. Could you host one in your home? It does not need any complicated preparations, just a living room and a table. After such Masses we have simple refreshments – no cooking! Please contact Richard if you will host a Mass.
GREAT NEED FOR BLOOD DONATIONS – ESPECIALLY FROM BAME COMMUNITY When you donate blood you could save up to 3 lives in 1 hour.
Information can be found on a few websites below:
ACTL partnership with NHSBT https://youtu.be/HzGIBjUfXpI?si=VNkm_9AItWvdEVpx
Disney Ironheart message about blood donation
https://youtu.be/DZNd37O0-ng?si=8DH2GW7Tc4ucasuH
African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust website https://aclt.org NHS Blood and Transplant
https://www.blood.co.uk/why-give-blood/demand-for-different-blood-types/why-more-black-blood-donors-are-needed/
‘ALL ARE WELCOME IN THIS PLACE’ It is our privilege to host here at St Nicks the Diocesan Ministry among the LBGTQ+ community. It would be a great sign of welcome, valuing ‘Gay’ Catholics, if more parishioners would come sometimes to our 3rd Sunday a month Mass with our LGBTQ+ friends. Do try to come occasionally and share with us.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE IN HOSPITAL: When a Catholic goes into hospital, the patient or their family MUST request a visit from the Catholic Chaplain – data protection and confidentiality rules in hospitals prohibit the passing on of information to chaplaincies otherwise. The Chaplain cannot visit a patient without prior request to visit.
HALL BOOKINGS For hall bookings please contact Debbie (our temporary Parish Administrator during Astrid’s maternity leave) in the office, either using the Parish Office email or phone number (see front of bulletin for both)
NEED FOR WELCOMERS It is so important that when people come to Mass on Sundays (especially if they are visitors or have not been to Church for a long time) that they are warmly welcomed. We need more volunteers for our Welcoming Ministry. It makes such a difference when people are greeted at the door. Welcomers will need to arrive no later than 9.30am for this Ministry, ready to hand out the bulletin and any Liturgy sheets.
CALLING SISTERS AND BROTHERS WHO FEEL ALIENATED FROM THE CHURCH
There are so many who have been hurt by their experiences in the Catholic Church and many reasons for that hurt. A particularly destructive hurt has been abuse especially by priests and religious. Yet Christ calls us to be a welcoming, safe and healing community.
Here at St Nick’s we seek to offer an unconditional welcome and a safe and respectful place to be and to speak your voice. We seek to echo the words of Jesus: ‘Come to me all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you peace’. So we want to welcome you, be a community where you can if you wish speak your pain, voice your hurt and anger, or just come and be. We understand that for many it is impossible to trust the Church again, and we do not expect or deserve that trust. But we do want to earn it and so offer to share your journey and make together the safe space that is your right. ‘Our community currently includes those who have expressed some of their own experience of this particular hurt. They, particularly, would like you to know: “If you come to see us you won’t be alone – it isn’t easy but we do seek to journey together gently.”We understand it may be difficult for some to enter the Church. If you wish to make contact please tell us what might help to make things easier for you.
THE PARISH DATABASE The Parish Pastoral Council seeks to create a comprehensive database to include all our parish members. Today forms will be distributed asking for some essential information – names of all family members, address with postcode, telephone and email contact details etc.The purpose of this is to enable effective pastoral care, community building and effective communication. The information given will be used solely for internal parish and pastoral reasons and will not be divulged to any other party. Please sign the forms giving your permission for us to hold your details on our database – this is essential for compliance with GDPR (Data Protection legislation). THANK YOU!
GOD’S CALL TO SERVE THE LIFE AND MISSION OF YOUR PARISH It is very clear that our parish, together with all churches and voluntary organisations around the country, has not yet recovered fully from the effects of the Covid Pandemic and the restrictions placed upon our meeting together during that time. A significant number of our community are not coming to Mass here for a variety of reasons. It is a joy to welcome new families and individuals who have found their way to St Nicks. However there has been great difficulty in drawing members of the parish into being part of the many ministries and tasks of the parish. Whether it is the welcoming Ministry, Church Cleaning, the Foodbank, Catechists, the ministry of the Parish Office serving the wider community, too few are doing too much in support of the parish’s life and mission. We are all called by our baptism to serve and build the Church as a mission community. We are all called to sacrifice time and energy to build our parish community and support the Mission of Christ entrusted to us. I realise only too well that many have heavy commitments caring for children or elderly family members and juggling work and family. They are indeed serving Christ in these ways. But I do ask everyone to reflect whether some time can be given to sustain the parish’s life and mission as we move towards a lay-led parish. This will be a great challenge for all of us. Please pray about this urgent need in building the future of our unique parish.
ST NICK’S AND COMMITMENT TO ‘SYNODALITY’ We have played our part in contributing to the Church’s world-wide ‘Synod’, as last year we gathered in different groups to listen to one another and share our thoughts and feelings about being part of the Catholic Church. The result was a 60 page report (which remains on our parish website for all to read) which we sent not only to our Bishop but also to those overseeing the Synod in the Vatican in Rome. But this is only the beginning! For the first time the ‘International Synod of Bishops’ in October in Rome will include 70 non-bishops (clergy, religious, lay men and lay women) with full voting rights. This is a very significant step forward – but there is a long way to go yet! But what is equally important is that your Parish Pastoral Council is committed to finding ways of embedding ‘Synodality’ in the life and ‘governance’ of our parish community – prayerful listening to one another in order to discern what the Spirit is saying to us in our parish about the way forward into a future different from the past yet fully alive with Prayer, Community and Mission. The Synod’s working document emphasises that those who experience being excluded from church life “are bearers of Good News that the whole community needs to hear” and that “whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God.”
WHAT IS OUR COVENANT WITH THE POOR? In preparation for the great Millenium of year 2000 the Bishops of England and Wales asked every parish to draw up and make a ‘Covenant with the Poor’. As part of our parish’s Covenant we pledged to pray regularly for Justice & Peace, to serve the homeless and poor who come in increasing numbers to our extensive Food Bank and the Wild Goose Café and to encourage parishioners to volunteer time and energy to work in the Food Bank and the Wild Goose Café; and also to give non-perishable food (especially rice, pasta, tinned fruit and tomatoes, tinned fish and meat etc) and/or money (in special envelopes) to be used for the poor. This food and money goes to support our ministry among the poor of our area. During Lockdown this as greatly expanded and very many people inn Bristol are supporting us, in addition to our parishioners. We also founded and developed our Borderlands Charity (‘from exclusion to belonging’) to serve our asylum & refugee community that has remained serving throughout the periods of Lockdown. In normal times, the Offertory Procession at Mass regularly sees gifts to be shared with the poor and vulnerable, carried to the Altar (restoring the ancient meaning of the Offertory Procession). So the Covenant with the Poor that we renew solemnly at each Patronal Feast of St Nicholas of Tolentino (early September) has continued to grow and develop and as such has shaped the life, mission and witness of our parish community. The development of the ministry of the Parish Office has enabled us to develop our ‘Option for the Poor’ in obedience to the Gospel Let us praise God for such rich grace and love poured out upon our community, and though our community to many in their need.
LOVE THE CHRIST OF THE POOR – WORDS OF ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM “Would you honour the Body of Christ? Do not despise His nakedness; do not honour him here in church clothed in silk vestments and then pass him by unclothed and frozen outside. Remember that He who said ‘This is my Body’ also said ‘You saw he hungry and gave me no food’. I am insisting that nothing can take the place of care for the poor. What use is it to adorn the altar with gold cloths and deny Christ a coat for his back? He would be outraged!”
MEN AND WOMEN EQUAL IN MINISTRY There are many charisms and ministries in the Body of Christ – each one of us, young and old, male and female, lay and clergy, and whatever our gender identity – all of us are ‘beloved children of the Father’, each of us is gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve, to proclaim, to build the missionary Body of the Christ and to transform the world. In our parish we are moving towards a parish community led and served by predominantly lay ministry, served and supported by the ordained ministry including a part-time (non-resident) priest. We are committed as a parish to promote, empower and train many different forms of ministry. The ministry of women and men are equally valued, the ministry of lay people and ordained deacons and priests are equally valued. All of us over 40 years old have almost certainly grown up in a church that has neglected and minimised the ministries of lay people. We are still in a clergy (and therefore male) dominated church and this has caused major problems while being unfaithful to the New Testament. Some ministries are denied to women (and not just ordained ministries) … therefore there is an urgent need to enable voices of women to be heard, their gifts to be recognised and their ministries to be released, for the good of the whole Church and its Mission and witness. This is to correct the imbalance and injustice that has been the norm for centuries. Please do not misinterpret this as diminishing or demeaning the ministries of our brothers, lay or ordained. We are all called to work together for the Kingdom as equal partners in the Lord’s work.
IS GOD CALLING YOU TO FOSTER OR ADOPT A CHILD? 109 children are taken ‘into Care’ each day in this country! 109 children everyday looking for security, for a home where they can belong and thrive. Also there is an increase in the number of unaccompanied child refugees arriving in this country (which will increase with the Afghan Exodus). I know from my own personal experience how important adoption is to give a child a new start in life. Many children are from the BAME community and there is a great need for more fostering and adoptive families from these diverse ethnicities. Could God be calling you, your family, to this healing vocation for a child in care? Contact CCS Adoption (tel: 0117 935 0005 or email info@ccsadoption.org) or ‘Home for Good’ (clare.walker@homeforgood.org.uk )