Homeless Mission: Good News

Latest news and updates from the St Swithun’s Homeless Mission

Caritas “Open Church” Night Shelter Project

Caritas “Open Church” Night Shelter Project (Please Note: St Swithun’s will be participating in this project as we always do.) Kevin Gallagher, Director of Caritas Portsmouth tells us about another exciting project coming this winter… Walk down any high street, in any city in the UK, and you are guaranteed to see …
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Story – Our Homeless Friend – Diana Clark of Our Parish Homeless Mission

Our Homeless Friend – Diana Clark Things have changed in Albert Road in the last few months. Previously, we would meet up to twelve people each evening, when handing out sandwiches and hot drinks but now there are only one or two because they have been ‘moved on’ and are …
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Appeal – Our Parish Homeless Mission – Would you Survive?

Ever wondered how you would survive if you could not work through injury or trauma, were homeless, had no money, and no benefits? Whether disabling physical injury, family breakdown or human trafficking has led you to this state – how would you live? This is the situation of some of …
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Appeal – Our Parish Homeless Mission – Updates from Lisa Butler

I have asked some of the volunteers from our Parish, who are involved in our ministry among those in need, poor, the homeless, so we can see the amount of work which has been done, and is continued all the time – because of your merciful hearts, hands, legs… Thank …
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16 hours ago

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Thank you Father Markin for putting this piece of U-Tube on your site, I am a convert , and when I discovered the Ucharist one Sunday Evening at a Church here in Jersey , some 53 Years ago now , it was a ' Life Changing ' moment for me, I was at that time a lapsed Church of England person who was looking for somthing in Faith that I could nor find, until that day I went to a Catholic Church Mass , and my life changed forever, What was it that so made me fall in love with our Church ? Well I had been used to going to Mattins , and the Minister appeared to go right up to the front of the Church and have a 'Service of Prayer ' all to himself . When I first went to our Mass , The Altar was close and in front of the People , THe Priest said ' This is my Sacrifice , and yours, I was priviliged to be offered a sharing in his Ministry. I have joined the Church some 53 Years ago , and become a Lay Reader, a Eucharistic Minister many Years later ( some 20 plus Years now ) seerving in Church and Nursing Homes, and Peoples Homes. and it has been the most wonderful adventure of my Life.

stswithuns.org.uk/school-newsletter-06122019keep up to date with what's happening in our catholic primary school. Lots of exciting events happening in our local catholic school. We continue to pray for all the pupils, teachers and staff for the coming year. - Father Marcin and all at the parish team. ... See MoreSee Less

St Swithun's Primary School Newsletter - December 6th 2019

stswithuns.org.uk

18 hours ago

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Act of ConsecrationBy St Maximillian Kolbe (1894-1941)O Immaculate, Queen of heaven and earth,Refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother,God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to You,I, an unworthy sinner, cast myself at Your feet,humbly imploring Youto take me with all that I am and have,wholly to Yourself as Your possession and property.Please make of me,of all my powers of soul and body,of my whole life, death and eternity,whatever pleases You.If it pleases You,use all that I am and have without reserve,wholly to accomplish what has been said of You:“She will crush your head”,and “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world.”Let me be a fit instrument in Your immaculateand most merciful hands for introducing and increasing Your gloryto the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent soulsand thus help extend as far as possible,the blessed Kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.For, wherever You enter,You obtain the grace of conversion and sanctification,since it is through Your hands,that all graces come to us.from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.V.Allow me to praise You, O most holy Virgin.R. Give me strength against Your enemies.Amen ... See MoreSee Less

20 hours ago

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St Swithins is very blessed to have such a lovely Holy Priest like Father Markin Drabik.

CHRISTIAN MORNING MEDITATION:Lectio Divina: Matthew 9:35 - 10:1,5-8Saturday, December 7, 20191st Week of Advent1) Opening prayerGod of mercy and compassion,in your Son, Jesus Christ,you have revealed Yourselfas a God of people.Turn our empty hearts to You,give us eyes to see the depth of our povertyand our inability to build a better worldwith our own resources,and then come and build it with usthrough your Son and our SaviorJesus Christ, our Lord.2) Gospel reading - Matthew 9:35 - 10:1,5-8Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. And when He saw the crowds He felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to His harvest.'He summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness.These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: 'Do not make your way to Gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from diseases, drive out demons. You received without charge, give without charge.3) Reflection• The Gospel today has two parts: (a) A brief summary of the apostolic activity of Jesus (Mt 9:35-38) and (b) The beginning of the “Sermon of the Mission” (Mt 10:1,5-8). The Gospel of today’s Liturgy omits the names of the Apostles which are found in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 10:2-4).• Matthew 9:35: Summary of the apostolic activity of Jesus. “Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and all kinds of illness”. Matthew describes in a few words the central points of the missionary activity of Jesus: (a) to travel through all the towns and villages. Jesus does not wait for people to come to Him, but He goes out to look for the people, travelling Himself through the towns and villages. (b) To teach in the Synagogues, that is, in the communities. Jesus goes to the place where the people are gathered together around the faith in God. And it is there that He proclaims the Good News of the Kingdom, that is, the Good News of God. Jesus does not teach doctrine as if the Good News were a new catechism, but in everything He says and does there emerges something of the great Good News which dwells within Him, that is, God, the Kingdom of God. (c) He cures all kinds of diseases and illness. What poor people experienced most was illness, all kinds of diseases, and what distinguishes the activity of Jesus is the consolation given to the people, whom He relieves from their pain.• Matthew 9:36: The compassion of Jesus before the situation of the people. “And when He saw the crowds He felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd”. Jesus accepts persons as they are before Him: sick, exhausted, tired. He behaves like the Servant of Isaiah, whose central message consists of “consoling the people” (cf. Is 40: 1). The attitude of Jesus toward the people was like the attitude of the Servant whose mission was very specific: “He does not cry out or raise his voice, his voice is not heard in the street; he does not break the crushed reed or snuff the smoldering wick”. (Is 42: 2-3). Like the Servant, Jesus feels sorry when He sees the situation of the people who were “tired, exhausted, and dejected like sheep without a shepherd”. He becomes their shepherd, identifying Himself with the servant who said: “...be my servant so as to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and so as to convert the dregs of Israel. Behold, I have offered you as a light for the Gentiles, so that you may be my salvation, even to the furthest regions of the earth.” (Is 49:6). And from the contact with the Father, Jesus receives the consolation to communicate it to the poor.• Matthew 9:37-38: Jesus involves the disciples in the mission. Because of the immensity of the missionary activity, the first thing that Jesus asks the disciples to do is to pray: “The harvest is rich but the laborers are few! So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to his harvest”. Prayer is the first form of commitment of the disciples for the mission. Because if one believes in the importance of the mission one has to carry out, everything possible is done so that it will not die with us, but rather that it will continue with others, through us and after us.• Matthew 10:1: Jesus gave the disciples the power to cure and to cast out demons. “He summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness”. The second thing that Jesus asks the disciples is that they do not begin to teach doctrine and laws, but rather, to help the people who are overcome by unclean spirits and to help them in the struggle against illness. Today, what often frightens people are certain missionaries who threaten them with the punishment of God and with the danger of demons. Jesus does the contrary. “If it is through the finger of God that I drive demons out, then the Kingdom of God has indeed caught you unaware” (Lk 11: 20). It is unfortunate, but today there are some people who believe they need demons in order to make money by driving them out. It would be worthwhile for them to read what Jesus says against the Pharisees and the doctors of the Law (Mt 23).• Matthew 10:5-6: Go first to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Jesus sends out the twelve with these recommendations: “Do not make your way to Gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town. Go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel”. At the beginning, the mission of Jesus was directed to “the lost sheep of the House of Israel”. Who where these lost sheep of the House of Israel? Were they the persons who were excluded, for example, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, and the unclean who were considered lost and condemned by the religious authority of the time? Were they those of the directing class, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the elders and the priests who considered themselves the faithful people of Israel? Or were they the crowds, tired and exhausted, as sheep without a shepherd? Probably, here in the context of the Gospel of Matthew, it is these poor and abandoned people who are accepted by Jesus (Mt 9:36-37). Jesus wanted the disciples to participate with Him in this mission with these people. But the way in which He takes care of these people, Jesus himself extends the horizon. In the contact with the Canaanite woman, a lost sheep of another race and another religion who wishes to be heard, Jesus repeats to his disciples: “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Mt 15:24). It is at the insistence of the mother who does not cease to intercede for her daughter that Jesus defends himself saying: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs” (Mt 15:26). But the reaction of the mother changes the attitude of Jesus: “Ah, yes, Lord, but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters’ table” (Mt 15:27). The answer of the woman counters the argument of Jesus. He takes care of the woman. Jesus listens to the woman: “Woman, you have great faith: Let your desire be granted. And from that moment her daughter was well again” (Mt 15: 28). Through the attention given to the lost sheep of Israel, Jesus shows that throughout the whole world there are lost sheep who want to eat the scraps or crumbs.• Matthew 10: 7-8: Summary of the activity of Jesus. “Go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from diseases, drive out demons. You received without charge, give without charge”. How can the closeness of the Kingdom be revealed? The response is simple and concrete: curing the sick, raising the dead, cleaning the lepers, driving out demons and serving gratuitously, without enriching oneself from the service given to the people. Where this takes place, the Kingdom is revealed.4) Personal questions• We all receive the same mission given by Jesus to the disciples. Are you conscious and aware of this mission? How do you live your mission?• In your life, have you had any contact with the lost sheep, with people who are tired, exhausted and searching? What lesson did you draw out of this?5) Concluding prayerThe Lord heals the broken-heartedand binds up their wounds;He counts out the number of the stars,and gives each one of them a name. (Ps 14)dailymeditations www.stswithuns.org.uk/event/dr-07122019 ... See MoreSee Less

20 hours ago

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OUR FIRST COMMUNION CHILDREN - on the 8TH December (Sunday) which is also the Solemnity of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception - are going to accept the Miraculous Medal.Please, let us pray for them and their Families this Novena before The Solemnity.Thank You for your participationDAY EIGHTMary, our teacher in everyday lifeWe must imitate her natural and supernatural refinement. She is a privileged creature in the history of salvation, for in Mary “the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.”But she is a reserved, quiet witness. She never wished to be praised, for she never sought her own glory. Mary is present at the mysteries surrounding the infancy of her Son but these are “normal” mysteries, so to speak. When the great miracles take place and the crowds acclaim them in amazement, she is nowhere to be found. In Jerusalem when Christ, riding a little donkey, is proclaimed king, we don’t catch a glimpse of Mary. But after all have fled, she reappears next to the Cross. This way of acting bespeaks personal greatness and depth, the sanctity of her soul….(Christ is Passing By, 173)To become God-like, to be divinised, we must begin by being very human, accepting from God our condition as ordinary men and women, and sanctifying its apparent worthlessness. That is how Mary lived. She who is full of grace, the object of God’s pleasure, exalted above all the angels and the saints, lived an ordinary life.Mary is as much a creature as we are, with a heart like ours, made for joy and mirth as well as suffering and tears. Before Gabriel communicates God’s plan to her, our Lady does not know she has been chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of the Messiah. She sees herself as a humble creature. That is why she can acknowledge, with full humility, that “he who is mighty has done great things” in her. (Christ is Passing By, 172)We can’t forget that Mary spent nearly every day of her life just like millions of other women who look after their family, bring up their children and take care of the house. Mary sanctifies the ordinary everyday things – what some people wrongly regard as unimportant and insignificant: everyday work, looking after those closest to you, visits to friends and relatives. What a blessed ordinariness, that can be so full of love of God!For that’s what explains Mary’s life – her love. A complete love, so complete that she forgets herself and is happy just to be there where God wants her, fulfilling with care what God wants her to do. That is why even her slightest action is never routine or vain but, rather, full of meaning. Mary, our mother, is for us both an example and a way. We have to try to be like her, in the specific circumstances in which God wants us to live. (Christ is Passing By, 148)Let us PrayWe turn to Our Lady for protection, because wecan be quite sure that each of us, in our ownstate in life – priest or lay-person, single, marriedor widowed – if we are faithful in the dailyfulfilment of our duties, will achieve victory onthis earth, the victory of being always loyal toOur Lord. And afterwards we will reach Heavenand rejoice for ever in the friendship and love ofGod, with the Blessed Virgin Mary.(Prayer before Our Lady of Guadalupe, 24 May 1970)Hail Mary full of grace!It’s fair, gentle Lady,for me to ask you for a present,a proof of your affection –contrition, compunction for my sins,sorrow of love.Hear me, O Lady, my life, my hope.Take me by the handand if there is anything in me nowthat is displeasing to my Father God,make me see it,and between the two of us,we’ll tear it out.Amen ... See MoreSee Less