An Evening of Prayers, Song and Stillness – St. Joseph’s Church, Friday June 14th

As the UK Parliament considers a crucial and controversial piece of legislation – the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – Archbishop Mark has issued a pastoral letter urging Catholics, and all people of goodwill, to speak up. The bill seeks to legalise assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, a move the Catholic Church opposes both on moral and practical grounds. In his letter, Archbishop Mark reminds us that “every human life is sacred, coming as a gift of God and bearing God-given dignity.” This foundational belief underpins the Church’s principled objection to assisted suicide, and he warns that the bill “elevates… the autonomy of the individual above every other consideration.” But the Archbishop’s message is not just one of moral principle. He expresses deep concern about the way in which the bill has been handled in Parliament. He points out that this complex and far-reaching piece of legislation has not been subject to the usual thorough scrutiny: “It is a private member’s bill… published just days before MPs voted on it, giving them inadequate time to consult or reflect upon it.” Furthermore, the committee that examined the bill heard evidence for only three days, and not all voices were included in the discussion. Archbishop Mark also highlights the potential consequences of this legislation, questioning whether adequate safeguards exist to protect the vulnerable, and whether the National Health Service is prepared for such a shift in medical practice. He asks pointedly: “What will protect the vulnerable from coercion or from feeling a burden on their families?… Would this mean, in effect, the establishment of a national death service?” Instead of pursuing assisted suicide, the Archbishop calls for a renewed commitment to palliative care: “What is needed is first-class compassionate palliative care at the end of our lives… a good society would prioritise the care for the elderly, the vulnerable and the weak.” The letter ends with a heartfelt plea to the faithful: even if you’ve written to your MP before, now is the time to do so again. “This is a deeply flawed bill with untold unintended consequences,” he warns. “Every MP and government has a solemn duty to prevent such legislation reaching the statute book.” Drawing inspiration from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the Archbishop concludes with encouragement: “We, too, have many struggles… So we too, press on with this struggle too, so important in our times.”  Now is the time to speak out – in defence of life, in solidarity with the vulnerable, and in faithfulness to the Gospel.

The Parish Lenten Sessions finish on Tuesday this week. Please note the change of day to enable people to go to the Deanery Station Mass on Wednesday. The theme of this fifth and final session is: “Christ, Our Hope” The topic of the fifth session will be a reminder that the Resurrection of Christ is the motive for our hope. He is risen and invites us to share in His eternal glory. This hope impels us to build his Kingdom here on earth without being defeated by apparent failure.

Monday of Holy Week No Mass Tuesday of Holy Week 11:30am – The Chrism Mass – Saint Joseph's Co-Cathedral, Swansea Spy Wednesday 10am – Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes  10.30am – Stations of the Cross at Our Lady of Lourdes Maundy Thursday 7pm – Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. Teilo’s followed by Watching at the Altar of Repose until 10pm Good Friday 9.30am – Whitchurch Walk of Witness – starting at St. Teilo’s and visiting Ebeneser (at Whitchurch Community Centre), Whitchurch Methodist Church, St. Mary’s Church, Bethel Baptist Church Ebeneser (at Tabernacle Church) and Ararat Baptist Church 3pm – The Liturgy of the Passion at St. Teilo’s Easter Vigil The Easter Vigil will be celebrated at St. Teilo’s at 8.30pm on Saturday evening Easter Sunday 8.30am – Easter Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes 10am – Easter Sunday Mass at St. Teilo’s There will be no evening Mass on Easter Sunday.

Clothes donations for the SVP The Parish St. Vincent De Paul (SVP) Conference undertakes a monthly collection of clothing for the SVP Charity Shop. Clean, good quality clothing, books and toys are welcome. Donations may be left outside the confessionals at the rear of St. Teilo’s next weekend, April 13th , and on the weekend of the Second Sunday of each month. Please ensure that donations are brought to the Church only on the specified Sundays, as we do not want the Church to become cluttered during the week. Thank you from the parish SVP.

This month’s craft session takes place in the Parish Hall at St. Teilo’s next Saturday, April 12th after Mass, from 10.45am - 12.30pm. The session is suitable for absolute beginners to experts. This month the group will be creating fridge magnets and bookmarks. The session is free with a voluntary contribution to help provide supplies for future months. Hope to see you there! Any enquiries please contact simplycraft@btinternet.com or speak to Erica.

The Lenten Station Mass for our Deanery will take place on Wednesday, April 9th at 7pm at St. Helen's Church, Barry. It would be nice to have a good number of parishioners in attendance at this Mass as part of our Lenten observance, so please make every effort to attend.  The idea of a Station Mass originated in Rome during the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great (590 – 604). It was developed as a daily pilgrimage in the footsteps of the martyrs and saints. Pilgrims and penitents visited forty churches in Rome on foot during Lent and performed penitential exercises and celebrated Mass in each ‘stopping place’ or ‘station’. In doing so, they were also following the example of Jesus who went out into the desert and fasted for forty days and forty nights in preparation for His mission. In a sense the Station Mass is a pilgrimage, a part of the commitment to the forty days of Lent and the journey each of us has to make into the desert of our own hearts and lives to be ready to meet Jesus at Easter.

Refreshments will be served in the Hall after the 10.am Mass next Sunday ( 13th April ). We will be celebrating the 70th birthday of the Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council – Leigh Jenkins. All are welcome to come along.

St. Mary of the Angels’ Parish is organising a trip to the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Taper Cardigan on Wednesday, May 14th and have invited parishioners of St. Teilo’s with Our Lady of Lourdes along to join them.  A coach will depart on the day at 8.40am from St Teilo’s and depart Cardigan at approximately 5pm, arriving back in Cardiff about 7.30pm. There will be a Mass at noon and the afternoon will be free. If anybody is interested, please add your name to the list at the back of the Church. A deposit of £10 per person will be required and the overall cost is £20 per person.

Many thanks to all who attended the celebration mass on April 4th 2025 , led by Archbishop Mark O’Toole, to mark the centenary of the establishment of the Parish and the 100 years of faith, prayer, family and community with which we have been blessed. Here are some of the photos of the event.