The Baptism of The Lord

This feast of The Baptism of the Lord falls on the Sunday following the Epiphany; in it we recall the mystery of Christ's Person and mission.

It is also an opportunity for each of us to give thanks for the many gifts and graces we have received since our own baptism.

As the late Pope John Paul II reminded us 'I exhort the faithful to renew with deep faith those baptismal commitments we assumed through our parents and godparents, particularly our loyalty to the teaching of Christ and his church and our determination to struggle against temptation.'

Today we give God thanks for all the benefits each of us has received from the Sacrament of Baptism.

Let us renew our commitment to Christ and His Church by means of regular daily prayer and the reception of the Sacraments.

Another Baptism - our numbers are growing! . . .

Another joyful day at St Ann's as we welcomed another new member into our parish community.

Here are the Meadows family proudly presenting the newest addition to their family - Alannah.

Alannah was baptised at the 10 O'clock Mass yesterday.

' And I'd like to have a picture of you too', says Liam.

And here they are with family and friends.

Just a reminder, if you have recently had a baby or are expecting a baby at the moment, that we have a Baptism Preparation Course here at St Ann's on the first two Mondays of the month at 8pm. Please contact the parish office for details.

A Bevy of Beautiful Babies for Baptism . . .

Today we had plenty to celebrate at St Ann's. It is the feast of St Joachim and Ann as I've already mentioned, but we also had three baptisms - what a lucky coincidence that these three families had chosen our parish feast day to present their babies for baptism.

In the picture you can see the Magill family whose daughter Eloise Mary was baptised by our Deacon Kevin during the 10 O'clock Mass. Eloise's parents, Daniel and Claire, also celebrate their wedding anniversary today, so yet another celebration - no wonder there were smiles all round.

Shortly afterwards at midday, I baptised Joseph Mario Cirillo and Isabella Paciolla - more smiling faces!

Please keep all these families in your prayers at this special time. We ask for the intercession of St Joachim and Ann, a perfect example of Christian parenthood,

St Joachim and Ann, pray for us.

The Last Wedding of the Year ...

Today in the parish I celebrated the last wedding of 2008. As I've said several times before, I do enjoy celebrating Weddings and Baptisms.

Weddings in particular, remind us that Marriage is at the heart of our Catholic family life. This naturally leads on to the Sacrament of Baptism; Marriage lays the foundations of a loving environment in which to bring up children. There is no better place for children to grow and develop than in the loving care of two married parents, a mother and a father.

We wish Kathryn and Martin every happiness in the years to come. May God bless them and their family.

Welcome to St Ann's, Joshua

Welcome to another new member of our parish family. Joshua Benjamin Heather was baptised at St Ann's recently and here you can see a delightful reminder of his 'big day' pictured here with his parents, Ben and Kelly