St. Teresa of the Child Jesus
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Roman Catholic Church in Morden, Surrey

The Pope Prays for Teachers and Students Adapting to On-Line Learning

25/4/2020

 
Pope Francis prayed for teachers and student who are trying to adapt and do their work online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Let us pray today for teachers who have to work so hard in order to do lessons on the internet and other media” the Pope said on April 24th at the beginning of his early morning Mass.
“Let us also pray for students who have to take their exams in a way they are not used to,” he said.
In his homily at the Mass, which was live streamed from the Chapel of his residence, Pope Francis
looked at how Jesus was always teaching his Apostles to be servants who are never afraid to be close to the people and to give them concrete assistance.
“Jesus loved being in the middle of the crowd” because, in addition to being the best way to serve them, it was “a symbol of the universality of redemption,” said the Pope.
But the crowd was
“one of the bigger things that the Apostles did not like,” he said, because they wanted to be “close to the Lord, to hear the Lord, to hear everything the Lord said.”
The Apostles’ attitude was understandable he said, because “they were chosen and they felt a bit (like) a privileged few, a privileged class an ‘aristocracy,’ let’s say, close to the Lord and the lord did things to correct them so many times.”
For example, he said, when Jesus got angry with the Disciples who were trying to turn the children away from him for fear of them being a nuisance or the time on the road to Jericho when the beggar was told to be silent, but Jesus anted him to be brought near.
Jesus was always teaching and showing his disciples to be close to the people of God, the Pope said.
“It is true the people of God tire out a pastor, he gets tired,” he added, and the better the priest is at doing good things for people, the more they will keep knocking and asking for help.
The people of God are always asking for things that are concrete, he said.
Sometimes they are wrong in what they ask for, like how after Jesus fed the multitude, as told in the day
’s Gospel reading, they wanted to make him a King, he said.
But they are always asking for something concrete, and, in the reading, Jesus tests the disciples by asking them where they could go to buy enough food for all the people who gathered around them, the Pope said.
Essentially, he was telling them it was their responsibility to get the people something to eat, which is the same thing Jesus is saying to priests today, Pope Francis said.
“You give (the people) something to eat. Are they in distress? You give them consolation. Have they gone astray? You give them a way out. Have they made a mistake? You give them something to solve their problems. You give them something” is the recurring lesson, he said.
“The power of the Shepherd is service, he has no other power and when he mistakenly assumes another power, he ruins his vocation, and becomes, I don’t know, a manager of pastoral enterprises, but not a shepherd,” Pope Francis said.
The pastoral dimension is not found in the “structures,” but rather in the heart of the priest, he said.
“Let us pray today to the Lord for the shepherds of the Church, that the Lord always speaks to them because he loves them so much.”

Requiem Masses

25/4/2020

 
The Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic is not only affecting the way we take care of the living, but also how we take care of our dead. Without aa doubt it has certainly been a challenging time for Undertakers, Funeral Homes and families alike – trying to come up with creative, yet very safe, to serve families. Since the cancellation of public Masses as a COVID-19 precaution, Undertakers and Crematoriums have been challenged with creating services that are respectful, faith-based and don’t involve a group of more than six – the limit set by health officials.
Here at St. Teresa’s, we have been offering a Requiem Mass on-line. This has been a great help to families. Extended family, friends and parishioners have been able to come together in prayer. We had three funerals this week and two last week. Being able to see the Mass on-line has been a great consolation. Family and friends have tuned in from all around the world: Bolivia, Ireland, Australia, India, Malta, Italy, Spain, Poland, Jersey and many different places in America. Here in the U.K. it has been a blessing for those not able to travel or attend because of health and age reasons.
The restrictions on crowd size – and for Catholic families, the absence of Holy Mass and the chance to receive the Body and Blood of Christ has been heart breaking. Not being able to hug and console one another at Church or at the Cemetery has not been easy for many. Celebrating a Requiem Mass on livestreaming will help. I will do my very best to make it a special Mass for all the family.
The death of a loved one is always heart breaking. Organising a funeral, learning that it might be four to six weeks, is not easy to deal with. As a parish we support in prayer the family every step of the way. We have three funerals booked for the early days of May and waiting to hear details of three others. W e will bless their souls in the prayer of our Masses.

Funerals

25/4/2020

 
The following funerals have been arranged. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES. 
Friday 1st May 9a.m. Marie Berry R.I.P.
Monday 4
th May 9.30 a.m. Mary Ann Doyle R.I.P. Monday 11th May 10 a.m. Rosalita Granil R.I.P.

THE LORD HAS CALLED TO ETERNAL LIFE

25/4/2020

 
GLENYS MARSH. Back in the early 90’s the Legion of Mary visited her, she was delighted. Glenys had been thinking of becoming a Catholic. She attended RCIA classes and was received into the Church in 1992. Her faith was strong, She did her best to get to Mass until ill health and age got the better of her. She loved the lord, she loved welcoming Him into her home when one of our Eucharistic Ministers would call each week. She had a small group of friends who reached out to her with support and love. We are her family- please keep her in prayer.
ROSALITA GRANIL was called into Eternal Life on Holy Saturday night. This daughter of the Philippines was a mother of six. Blessed with eleven Grandchildren and six Great Grandchildren – two of her Grandchildren attend out Primary School. She died in her 74th year. She joins her husband who passed away two years ago. She attended Holy Mass, would pop into Church for a few minutes at school time to honour the Lord in Adoration, and her Rosary was well thumbed. We offer her family our blessing and journey with them in prayer to meet the Risen Lord.
GERARD EZE DURUEKE - I announced Gerard’s death on Divine Mercy Sunday. We have kept this young man in his mid-thirties, from Nigeria, in our daily prayers. For the past few years he has been a keen and active member of the Legion of Mary. He was also an Apostle of the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration and prayer were part of his daily diet. We commend his Soul to the LORD of DIVINE MERCY.

Some Spiritual Thoughts....

25/4/2020

 
One of the most direct roads to God is our neighbour.
◊◊◊◊◊
It is better to be less perfect while remaining in unity with our neighbour than to be more perfect but in disunity. Because perfection does not lie in ideas or in wisdom but in love.
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We have to see one another the way God sees us, not out to criticise and condemn, but filled with mercy and ready to help one another.
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Those who assist the sick should be like Angels whose efforts go unnoticed but who are missed when they are not around. This is the trait of love.
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Registered charity number in England: 1173050
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