PARISH NEWS ARTICLES

Every year, the Day for Life falls on Father’s Day and we wish fathers a blessed day. Today we remember with gratitude the loving care and direction our parents gave to us, whether they are still with us or have gone to the Lord. Parenthood is a vocation of joys and hopes, of griefs and anxieties. On this year’s Day for Life, we acknowledge the particular grief of mothers and fathers who have lost a child before birth or in infancy. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be especially difficult for parents who experience the loss of an infant. Such loss often takes its bodily toll upon the mother, and it can leave fathers feeling helpless and unsure of how to support their family, or of how to express their own grief. The Church wants to be especially close to parents who have suffered the loss of an infant. We try to offer spiritual support through the pastoral care and blessing of our priests, and through the comfort of our liturgy. You only have to reach out to your priest or deacon if you would like to know more about this. Just as importantly, many parents find consolation in their faith and its assurance that every child, including those who lose their life before they are born or soon after, is created, willed and deeply loved by God from all eternity. We have the Lord’s promise from the Scriptures that: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you” (Jer 1:5).The Word of God reveals the sacred humanity of the unborn child and perhaps helps us understand why we feel such profound grief at the loss of a baby. Parents instinctively grasp how precious and unique the child is whom they have lost and whom they may already have called by name. They know how no other child can ever replace the one they have lost. Science is clear that life begins at fertilisation when a new and unique living human being comes into existence. Every technological development in recent decades has given us insight into how life in the womb unfolds for each of us. At conception, our gender, genetic makeup, and eye and hair colour are already determined. As early as five weeks, our heart begins to beat. By ten weeks, we can move and respond to touch and, beginning two weeks later, we have the capacity to feel pain. By eighteen weeks, our mother can sense our movement in the womb. By twenty-seven weeks, we can recognise the voices of our parents. For some decades, parents have been able to observe some of these stages through ultrasound scans during pregnancy. The more we learn about the science, the more we understand the teaching of the Church on the unique value of the unborn baby. This understanding, however, is not complete without the recognition that, from the beginning, every human being is not just a body but also an immortal soul, with a unique and eternal connection with God, our Creator. It is because of what both science and faith reveal to us that the Church and many people of good will have always held that the unborn child merits the full protection of the law, and why we have always rejected elective abortion. This Day for Life 2026, we reflect on the wonder of human life from the moment of fertilisation. We remember how the Lord Jesus Christ Himself sanctified and experienced the beginning of life in the world as an unborn child, hidden in the womb of Mary. Mary knew that she was carrying the Son of God – God and man – as soon as He was conceived. John the Baptist leapt in his mother Elizabeth’s womb when Mary greeted her. Our Lady treasured Our Lord in her heart and womb until His birth. We, in our turn, commit ourselves to work and pray for our society to cherish the value of every little one, especially those at the earliest stage of human life, and to help our parish communities support all those in our midst who have suffered the loss of a child. Archbishop John Sherrington, Archbishop of Liverpool, England and Wales; Bishop Kevin Doran, Bishop of Elphin, Ireland; Bishop John Keenan, Bishop of Paisley, Scotland. Day for Life – Collection this weekend The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, the Day for Life is celebrated on the third Sunday of June each year. This year it falls on this weekend. A retiring collection will take place to support the Bishops of England and Wales’ Day for Life Fund. More details here: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/day-for-life-fund/ . You are also able to donate using a debit or credit card at the Electronic Donation Station at the back of St. Teilo’s or at this address –  https://donate.mydona.com/st-teilo-our-lady-of-lourdes

🗞️ Archbishop Mark's June 2026 Newsletter is now available! This month's newsletter includes a variety of topics of interest to people across the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia, including: ✝️ Welcome & Appointments - including new canonical appointments and the installation of three new Canons at St David's Metropolitan Cathedral 🙏 Vocations - updates on those in formation for the priesthood and permanent diaconate, including an upcoming ordination in July ⛪ CCO Mission - a three-week diocesan mission running from 19th June to 5th July 🎒 Emmaus Youth & Vocations Events - including a teenage pilgrimage on 18th July and Summer Camp 5th-9th August 📖 Heart Speaks to Heart - Archbishop Mark's six-week study programme, available for parishes, schools and groups 🕯️ Prayers - remembering Canon Jason Jones and those who are ill 🌊 Sea Sunday - 12th July, supporting Stella Maris ✈️ Welsh National Pilgrimage to Lourdes - 20th-24th July 2026 🛕 Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo and Assisi - 28th September - 2nd October 2026 ❤️ Caritas Day - 'The Burning Heart of the Church's Mission' - St Mary's, Bridgend, 10th October 🔗 Read the newsletter here: https://rcadc.org/archbishop-marks-june-newsletter/

Clothes donations for the SVP – This Weekend 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 very welcome. Donations may be left outside the confessionals at the rear of St. Teilo’s this weekend. The clothes will be removed early on Monday morning, so please ensure that donations are brought to the Church by the end of the evening Mass this weekend or kept at home until the Second Sunday of July when we will have another collection Thank you from the parish SVP.

The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, the Day for Life is celebrated on the third Sunday of June each year. This year it falls on June 21 st , next Sunday. This year’s theme is: The Wonder of the Child in the Womb. A retiring collection will take place to support the Bishops of England and Wales’ Day for Life Fund at all Masses next weekend. More details here: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/day-for-life-fund/

Many of you will know that Canon John acts as chaplain for the HCPT group 547 which goes on pilgrimage from Cardiff to Lourdes each September. This year they will be travelling from September 25th to October 2nd. If anyone is interested in travelling with Canon and the other members of the group, please email Canon John on whitchurch@rcadc.org as soon as possible.

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated on Saturday, the day following the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Mass will be at 10am. The feast reminds us of the joys and sorrows, virtues and hidden perfections of Our Lady and above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus and her compassionate love for all persons. Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is based on the imitation of Mary’s ‘yes’ to God as the Mother of Jesus. In this devotion, love is the result, rather than the “object” of the devotion; the object being rather to love God and Jesus by uniting one’s self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues, to help one achieve this. As we sing in the great Marian hymn, “Immaculate Mary! Our hearts are on fire; your title so wondrous fills all our desire.”

Friday is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mass on the Solemnity will be at 10am. As St. John says in his Gospel (19:33), when Jesus was dying on the cross "one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water." The celebration of the Sacred Heart is associated with the physical wound and the associated sacrifice, the "mystery" of both blood and water pouring from Christ's chest and the devotion God asks from humankind. Pope Pius XII wrote about the Sacred Heart in his 1956 encyclical, Haurietis Aquas (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart). Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is devotion to Jesus Christ Himself, but in the particular ways of meditating on His interior life and on His threefold love: His divine love, His burning love that fed His human will and His sensible love that affects His interior life. We come to the Sacred Heart as those who love Jesus and wish to align our hearts to His. At Mass on Friday, we have the opportunity to renew our dedication to Jesus’s Sacred Heart. The Mass readings and prayers for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are on page 87 of the Parish Mass Book.

The Annual Torchlight Procession in Honour of Our Lady takes place at Belmont Abbey at 9pm on Wednesday 6th May . The preacher will be Fr. John George OSB. There will be recitation of the Holy Rosary and hymns around the Abbey Gardens. Hot and Cold Refreshments will be available to purchase in the Chapterhouse from 6.00pm

Congratulations to Canon John on his appointment as Provost of the Chapter of Canons Archbishop Mark, having consulted with the Cathedral Chapter, has invited Canon John to become the new Provost of the Chapter of Canons, replacing Canon John Kelly who has reached the age of 75. Please pray for Canon John as he takes on this new responsibility in addition to his existing roles in the Parish and Archdiocese.  Canon will be ‘sworn in’ as Provost at an event in June (date to be confirmed), when three priests of the Archdiocese will be installed as Canons to replace the three Canons who have recently reached 75. The Canons-Elect are Fr. Michael Doyle, Fr. Tim McGrath and Fr. Cyril Thadathil. Please also keep these priests in your prayers.

In 2025, the Parish of St Teilo's with Our Lady of Lourdes, raised £2,545.60 through our Red Boxes and donations to Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries. Thank you ! Our missionary community here at St Teilo's and Our Lady of Lourdes is part of a worldwide network of people supporting missionaries overseas through prayer and financial assistance. Communities around the world who are being supported by missionaries like the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who feature on this year's Red Box Thank You Poster, and who rely on your support so they can continue to flourish. Visit https://missio.org.uk/ to find out more. Please, look out for the Spring edition of the Missio magazine, which will be at the back of the Church. If your Red Box needs emptying, please contact your promoter, whose details are on the box, or contact Peter Jones on 07594693054. Thank you again.  Peter Jones, Parish Secretary for Missio-Mill Hill.

Following his recent visit to St. Teilo’s, Fr. Matthew Roche-Saunders, Vocations Director for the Archdiocese, has asked Canon John if he would host, in the parish, a gentleman discerning a vocation to the priesthood. The discerner’s name is Craig Aitken and after a period from the New Year until now in Our Lady’s Parish, Cwmbran he is arriving in our Parish this weekend. This time is to support him in discerning God’s call for him. Please pray for Craig and all those others currently discerning their vocations in the Archdiocese.

Sunday, April 19th – 4:30pm to 5.30pm This Sunday afternoon at 4:30 pm, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales are holding a Holy Hour to pray for the promotion of a culture of life in our lands.  The Archbishops and Bishops have invited all Catholic parishes and communities of the two nations to unite and hold a Holy Hour at the same time as the Bishops. We at St. Teilo’s with Our Lady of Lourdes will join with the bishops in an hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in St. Teilo’s Church from 4.30pm to 5.30pm this Sunday afternoon.

This year the Welsh National Pilgrimage to Lourdes is taking place in July from Monday, July 20th to Friday, July 24th . There will be a full religious programme. Flights and transfers in France, full board in a Four Star Hotel, as well as insurance and Lourdes Levies are included in the pilgrimage package. Apply and Book Now! Bookings can be made at www.tangney-tours.com/tours-andpilgrimages/diocese-welsh/ . If you have any queries about the pilgrimage, please email: welshnationalpilgrimage@gmail.com

A Parish celebration for Canon John's 70th birthday was held in the Hall on Sunday, 29th March, after the 10.00am Mass. Here are some of the photos from the event, thanks to everyone who attended.

A Parish celebration for Canon John's 70th birthday will be held in the Hall this Sunday, 29th March , after the 10.00am Mass. All Parishioners are welcome including those who usually attend the other weekend Masses.

March 2026 Newsletter Is Out Now Our March newsletter arrives in the final days of Lent, carrying encouraging news of growth and renewal from across the Archdiocese as we prepare to celebrate Easter. What’s Happening Across the Archdiocese 150 people prepare to enter the Church at Easter following the Rite of Election Over 100 young people experience monastery life at Belmont Abbey Archbishop Mark launches a six-week study programme based on Heart Speaks to Heart One parish’s journey from boiler crisis to solar power – could yours be next? Christ the King Primary School wins the 2026 Turnbull Trophy Plus the hidden symbol running through 2,000 years of Catholic life in Bridgend, a guide to the Senedd Election, and jubilee celebrations for two sisters in Swansea

We would like to give the children we support through the Reaching Out project an Easter egg again this year. We are asking for small/medium sized eggs. If you are able to donate, please leave the Easter eggs at the back of the Church by this Sunday at the latest. Many thanks to those who have already donated Eggs.

Please note that the Collection Envelopes for 2026-27 are now available at the back of both Churches. Anyone who wishes to join the Gift Aid scheme, please pick up an application form. The Parish Tresurer, Peter Curran, will speak at all Masses this weekend and members of the Parish Finance Committee will be at the back of the church to answer any queries.

Mel Hopkins, a parishioner at St. Teilo’s, well known to many in his roles as Reader, Eucharistic Minister, Welcomer and Baptism Catechist, is raising funds for Velindre Cancer Care by walking to the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Granada region of Spain in June. Mel has a just giving page which is https://www.justgiving.com/page/mel-hopkins-1 . He will be grateful for any support, however large or small.