Saturday 24th May - Sunday 1st June 2025

bostallpark
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SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

SUNDAY 25TH MAY 2025

ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE by John Paul II – Part 3.

Prayer for peace and for the family

6. A number of historical circumstances also make a revival of the Rosary quite timely. First of all, the need to implore from God the gift of peace. The Rosary has many times been proposed by my predecessors and myself as a prayer for peace. At the start of a millennium which began with the terrifying attacks of 11 September 2001, a millennium which witnesses every day innumerous parts of the world fresh scenes of bloodshed and violence, to rediscover the Rosary means to immerse oneself in contemplation of the mystery of Christ who “is our peace”, since he made “the two of us one, and broke down the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2:14). Consequently, one cannot recite the Rosary without feeling caught up in a clear commitment to advancing peace, especially in the land of Jesus, still so sorely afflicted and so close to the heart of every Christian.

A similar need for commitment and prayer arises in relation to another critical contemporary issue: the family, the primary cell of society, increasingly menaced by forces of disintegration on both the ideological and practical planes, so as to make us fear for the future of this fundamental and indispensable institution and, with it, for the future of society as a whole. The revival of the Rosary in Christian families, within the context of a broader pastoral ministry to the family, will be an effective aid to countering the devastating effects of this crisis typical of our age.

“Behold, your Mother!” (Jn 19:27)

7. Many signs indicate that still today the Blessed Virgin desires to exercise through this same prayer that maternal concern to which the dying Redeemer entrusted, in the person of the beloved disciple, all the sons and daughters of the Church: “Woman, behold your son!” (Jn19:26). Well-known are the occasions in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries on which the Mother of Christ made her presence felt and her voice heard, in order to exhort the People of God to this form of contemplative prayer. I would mention in particular, on account of their great influence on the lives of Christians and the authoritative recognition they have received from the Church, the apparitions of Lourdes and of Fatima;(11) these shrines continue to be visited by great numbers of pilgrims seeking comfort and hope.

Following the witnesses

8. It would be impossible to name all the many Saints who discovered in the Rosary a genuine path to growth in holiness. We need but mention Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, the author of an excellent work on the Rosary,(12) and, closer to ourselves, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, whom I recently had the joy of canonizing. As a true apostle of the Rosary, Blessed Bartolo Longo had a special charism. His path to holiness rested on an inspiration heard in the depths of his heart: “Whoever spreads the Rosary is saved!”.(13) As a result, he felt called to build a Church dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Pompei, against the background of the ruins of the ancient city, which scarcely heard the proclamation of Christ before being buried in 79 A.D. during an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, only to emerge centuries later from its ashes as a witness to the lights and shadows of classical civilization. By his whole life's work and especially by the practice of the “Fifteen Saturdays”, Bartolo Longo promoted the Christocentric and contemplative heart of the Rosary, and received great encouragement and support from Leo XIII, the “Pope of the Rosary”.

To be continued.

JUBILEE YEAR NOTICES

Archdiocesan Jubilee Celebration Day at The Friars, Aylesford, 7th June.

Archbishop John is inviting all of us to the Southwark Archdiocesan Jubilee Celebration at The Friars, Aylesford on Saturday 7 June 2025. It promises to be a great day. Find out more from the poster in the porch or by visiting aec.rcaos.org.uk/jubileecelebration [and sign up to come on our parish coach, leaving at specify time (it is also possible to attend by car)].

Pre-booking for the 90-minute ministry sessions for children (KS1+2) and young people (KS3+4) will commence at 11 am on Wednesday 30 April at aec.rcaos.org.uk/jubileecelebration. The organisers are also asking for volunteers to help on the day. If you might like to help, register to volunteer at bit.ly/southwarkhelper.

DEANERY JUBILEE YEAR PILGRIMAGE ON 5TH JULY.

In this Jubilee Year of Hope we are all invited to make a pilgrimage walk from St. Thomas More to St John Vianney. The pilgrimage will start with morning mass at 10.30am at St Thomas More followed by the walk to St John Vianney Church, then we will attend a prayer service at 1pm.

Please bring a packed lunch and a bottle of water. Voluntary stewards needed. Please speak to Patricia Kilgallon or email the parish office for more information.

PARISH NOTICES

PARISH GROUPS NOTICES

UPCOMING EVENTS

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK