Good Shepherd Sunday

Good Shepherd,

Teach us to follow you

to care for all that are close to us,

to protect those who are threatened,

to welcome those who are rejected,

to forgive those who are burdened by guilt,

to heal those who are broken and sick,

to share with those who have little or nothing,

to take the time to really know one another

and love as you have loved us.

Good Shepherd,

Teach us to follow you

to spread compassion to those who are far away,

to speak for those who are voiceless,

to defend those who are oppressed and abused,

to work for justice for those who are exploited,

to make peace for those who suffer violence,

to take the time to recognise our connectedness,

and to love as you have loved us.

Good Shepherd,

Teach us to follow you

and to be faithful to calling you gave us

to be shepherds in your name.

Divine Mercy Sunday

O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us. We trust in You. May the wonders of the divinity of Jesus Christ always lead our path to righteousness, now and forever.

Msgr. Cuthbert's 25th Anniversary Mass - ON DEMAND

In case you missed it, you can now view Msgr. Cuthbert's 25th Anniversary Mass which was celebrated on March 25th (Solemnity of the Annunciation). Video Credit: Maria Pantin.

With Thanks....

On behalf of the parish priest and deacon, we would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all those who assisted in the liturgies over the past 4 days within the parish. May God richly bless each and every one of you in what you do for him:

• Choir
• Eucharistic Ministers
• Lectors
• Altar Ladies
• Animators
• The hard working altar servers who remain committed for the 4 days of celebrations
• And the Parishioners

"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers." - 1 Thess. 5:18

Happy Easter!

Our Lord has conquered death and he is alive! Let us be glad and rejoice! On behald of the parish priest, we would like to wish everyone a Happy and Holy Easter. May the graces of the risen Christ enrich your lives both now and forever!

Paschal Triduum - Day 3

Today we celebrate the culmination of the Easter Triduum which also marks the end of Mass which began on Holy Thursday. We last left Jesus' corpse being laid to rest in a tomb which had never been used. It is believed that when Jesus died on the cross, his soul descended into Hades. For souls to be in Hades it means that they are 'in limbo', which means that they are neither in Hell nor Heaven. It is said that when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and sin entered the world, the gates of heaven were sealed and no other soul were admitted to heaven, even the souls of righteous men such as Abraham, Elijah and Moses to name a few. As such, when Jesus died and descended into Hades, he went there to free the good souls that were deserving of heaven and so in the same way Jesus' body was revived with new life, the entombed souls were now set free into the glory of heaven. It is wisee that Jesus' death had purpose, to save us and to also save the righteous souls who were suffering.

The Gloria Saturday liturgy depicts Jesus coming out of the tomb and it is the most beautiful liturgy. This liturgy is sectioned into four main parts; The Service of Light, which reminds us, the faithful, that Jesus is the Light of the World, the Liturgy of the Word, which retells the marvels which God has done for his people, the Liturgy of Baptism, since new life is granted to us, we welcome new members into the Faith and where the faithful renews their baptismal promises and finally the Liturgy of the Eucharist where we now partake of the newly risen Christ.

Tonight we all rise out of the tomb with Christ and he promises us new life, and so we must do-away with the old habits and welcome new habits which are pleasing to God. The Epistle which we will hear from Paul's letter to the Romans 6:3-11 states that in the same way which we were baptized with Christ, we are given a new life and as Christ died, was buried and rose from the dead, we also do the same so our life is with God in Christ Jesus. It would be unfair to allow ourselves to fall back into the hands of sin. God's Holy Spirit is there to help us when we may feel weak.

Let us all not hesitate to rise with Christ into new life! Happy Easter!

--B.Durham, 2015

Paschal Triduum - Day 2

Today is the second day of the Easter Triduum in which we remember and pay respect to Jesus who was sentenced to death, crucified and died on a cross. Last night, we remembered Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, eating his Last Supper with them, instituting the Eucharist and being betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Following supper, he made his way to the the Garden of Gethsemane where he stayed in prayer all night. Judas and some soldiers then came towards Jesus and made accusations against him but Peter, trying to defend Jesus, drew a sword and cut off the right ear of one of the soldiers, Malchus. Jesus then healed the ear of Malchus and surrendered himself to the soldiers.

At this point, the soldiers presented Jesus before the Chief Priests Annas and Caiaphas and then to Pilate who then questioned the services of Jesus. Pilate asked Jesus, 'Are you a King?' and Jesus' response stated that his Kingdom is not of this world. Pilate then decided to have the people of the town choose the fate of Jesus and so they presented him (Jesus) on the Pavement before the crowds along with a prisoner named Barabbas and Pilate gave them the choice of who they wished to release before Passover. The crowds unanimously chose to free the prisoner and have Jesus crucified.

Think of the many times where we turn our back on the Lord and chose sin over life. -- Lord have mercy on us.

While all this were taking place, Peter was asked three times by different bystanders if he is associated with Jesus and he denied it three times which fulfilled the words Jesus spoke, 'After the cock crows, you would have disowned me three times'.

Think of the times where we were ashamed to speak of and promote Jesus in public, among our peers -- Lord have mercy on us.  

Jesus was now ordered to carry a cross up a hill called Calvary which he fell many times, came face to face with his mother Mary, saw some women of Jerusalem weeping for him, encountered a woman named Veronica who wiped his face with a shroud which left his countenance and he was also assisted by a bystander named Simon from Cyrene. At that time, this was the most inhumane way for anyone to die but Jesus never had any regrets. He did this because of the love he has for us.

Think of the times where we voluntarily sin and we constantly pierce the nails back into the hands and feet of Jesus. -- Lord have mercy on us. 

It was on this day in which Mary and John stood at the foot of the cross and where Jesus asked John to accept Mary as his mother and Mary to accept John as her son and so, it was at this moment that Jesus gave the us (the faithful followers of him) Mary as our mother.

Think of the times where we never accepted Mary as our Spiritual Mother and have blasphemed her. -- Lord have mercy on us.  

At 3PM, Jesus breathed his last, bowed his head and died. Mary, John and Joseph of Arimathea then took the body of Jesus down from the cross, wrapped it in white cloths with herbs and spices and placed it in a tomb which had never been been used by anyone else.

Stations of the Cross is traditionally carried out on this day where the faithful walk the road which Jesus walked and at 3PM, the faithful all gather at church to celebrate the Passion and Veneration of Jesus Christ. As is was previously mentioned, no mass is celebrated on this day so the consecrated host from the Holy Thursday liturgy is used for the distribution. The faithful venerates the Cross which hung the Saviour of the World.

--B. Durham, 2015

R.C.I.A. Catechumens for St. Joseph 2015

This year, our R.C.I.A. programme will welcome seven (7) new members into full initiation of the church and it will begin on Saturday with the Vigil. Four will be baptized and one will be received into the church. On Tuesday 5th May, Mary Immaculate, Queen of the Universe R.C. Church in Bourg Mulatresse will host the Suburban Vicariate R.C.I.A. Confirmation Ceremony where Archbishop Joseph Harris will confirm over 30 candidates, two (2) of which will come from St. Joseph. We pray for God's anointing to fall on each one of them as they enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ:

• Ornella Questelles (Baptism)
• Sharon Dolabaille (Baptism)
• Aleem Mohammed (Baptism)
• Ashmon Melville (Baptism)
• Jenir Pamponette (Reception)
• Ornella Gopaul (Confirmation)
• Samantha Gibbs (Confirmation)

Paschal Triduum - Day 1

Today, our Holy Church begins its Easter Triduum, a 3-day celebration. It begins on Holy Thursday, continues with Good Friday and ends on Gloria Saturday night. On Holy Thursday, or as it is called in some areas as Maundy Thursday, we remember that on this night, several events occurred. Jesus washed the feet of his Disciples, He was betrayed by one of his twelve, He broke bread with his twelve and He instituted the Holy Eucharist.

Prior to the Sacred meal,  Jesus performed a selfless act of service - He washed the feet of his disciples. What was the significance of this kind and humble gesture? For Jesus, it was to display his humility and servant hood and for the disciples, it was a direct contrast to the attitude of their hearts at that time.

Think of the many times where our hearts were not clean and we saw the need for Jesus in our lives. -- Lord have mercy on us.

As the festival of Passover was fast approaching, the chief priests and scribes were trying to get rid of Jesus so Satan entered into the body of Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' twelve, and discussed with the chief priests on how they can get rid of him. It was at that moment where the betrayal occurred. While eating the Jewish Passover Meal, Jesus announced that one of his own, who eats with him will betray him and hearing this, Judas ran out of the room.

Think of the many times where we have turned our backs from Jesus and allowed the powers of sin to enter into and define us. -- Lord have mercy on us.

During the Passover Meal, Jesus decided that now would be an appropriate time to leave with his disciples a piece of him and announced that the Son of Man will reach his fate and stated that where he is going, no one can follow, which was a clever connotation of him announcing his death. So instead of following the normal flow of the traditional Jewish Passover meal, Jesus took mere bread and a chalice of wine and consecrated them as his body and blood which is what we partake of at our masses to this day. This is what we call, 'The Institution of the Holy Eucharist'.

Think of the many times where we have doubted God especially in the Eucharist and never gave him the respect and admiration which he rightfully deserves. -- Lord have mercy on us.

Following the Last Supper, which Jesus had with his disciples before his death, he went into the Garden of Gethsemane where he remained in prayer all night long. Jesus asked his disciples to keep awake with him but they fell into a deep sleep.

Think of the times where we had good intentions but allowed the weaknesses of the flesh to overthrow the intentions of the spirit. -- Lord have mercy on us.

Holy Mass begins on this day, as such, no final blessing is said after the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The priest consecrates enough hosts since no prayers of consecration are said at the Good Friday service. After the distribution of Holy Communion, all the host is placed in a large ciborium which is processed to the altar of repose. The faithful are asked to remain in quiet adoration for a short while.

--B. Durham, 2015

Easter Mass Schedule 2015

The Easter Triduum is now upon us where we see that Jesus will triumph over Satan's pride through his death and resurrection. Our Mass Schedule of the Sacred Triduum is as follows:

HOLY THURSDAY (Mass of the Lord's Supper)

Time: 6.30PM
At: St. Joseph R.C. Church
(Please remember to bring a loaf of bread)

GOOD FRIDAY (Passion & Death of Jesus Christ)

Stations of the Cross
Time: 6.00AM
At: Procession begins at the St. Joseph R.C. Church which will leads to Calvary Hill

Commemoration of the Death of Jesus Christ and Veneration of the Cross
Time: 3.00PM
At: St. Joseph R.C. Church

HOLY SATURDAY (Easter Vigil)

Time: 8.00PM
At: St. Joseph R.C. Church
(Please remember to walk with candles)

EASTER SUNDAY (Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ)

Time: 7.00AM
At: St. Jude's Chapel, Mt. D'or

OR

Time: 8.30AM
At: St. Joseph R.C. Church

We pray that our Lord will bless each and every one of you during this most Holy time. God be praised.