Our Parish Diary of Past Events
December 2009
Some photos of our beautiful
church
Christmas 2009
ABINGDON PARISHIONER MEETS POPE
Ian Corbett, a parishioner of Our Lady and St.
Edmund of Abingdon, had the honour of being
presented to Pope Benedict XVI during a celebration
of the International Year of Astronomy in Vatican
City on 30 and 31 October.
The United Nations International Year of Astronomy
(IYA) 2009 has seen no fewer than 148 countries
taking part in special events. The Vatican
invited a group of astronomers from all over the
world, including Ian, the present General Secretary
of the International Astronomical Union, to the
celebration of the IYA in Vatican City.
In a
private audience His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
spoke about the wonders of modern astronomy ‘which
has shown us that neither we, nor the earth we stand
on, is the centre of our universe’, remarking that
‘it is my hope that the wonder and exaltation which
are meant to be the fruits of this International
Year of Astronomy will lead beyond the contemplation
of the marvels of creation to the contemplation of
the Creator’. Some of those
attending then had the honour of being received by
Pope Benedict.
Ian said “It was a wonderful
experience to hear and meet the Holy Father face to
face, and to see the Vatican Archives and the
original papers of Galileo. You can never
forget an event like this.”
The photographs show Pope Benedict XVI entering
the Sala Clementina and then Ian with His Holiness,
with the Director of the Vatican Observatory and
Cardinal Lajolo in the background. (Picture credit:
Osservatore Romano)
October 2009
.jpg)
Our Lady and St Edmund's recently
hosted, for the first time, the annual ecumenical
service for 'The Church in Abingdon'.
.jpg)
July 2009
Only two weeks after the Bishop's
Mass with it's international theme,
St. Edmund's in Abingdon held an international
"Bring and Share"
supper following the
regular Sunday evening Mass.
This was organised
by the English Conversation Group, which Ann Corbett
has run with great success for a number of
years.
The Group meets in the Parish Centre on
most Wednesday mornings, and everyone is welcome.
The group now not only attracts people from other EU
countries, but includes nationals from other parts
of the world who are currently living here.
As a
result we had a wide range of people bringing their
national dishes for the buffet, including food from
both Russia and Japan .
June 2009
PARISH CELEBRATION AT OUR
LADY
AND ST. EDMUND'S CATHOLIC CHURCH
On Sunday 21 June over 500
parishioners of Our Lady and St. Edmunds Church in
Abingdon attended a Mass celebrated by Bishop
Crispian Hollis. The parish normally has four Masses
each Sunday, and the different congregations don't
get together very often. To allow room for the
combined congregations, Mass was celebrated outdoors
in the garden of Our Lady's Convent. Because there
are people from many nationalities in the Parish,
prayers and readings in ten different languages were
a special feature of the celebration.
The weather
remained pleasant , and after Mass many of the
congregation stayed for a "Bring and Share" picnic
lunch in the Church grounds. The numbers attending
were excellent considering that the 21st June was
not only Father's Day, but also the date of the
British F1 Grand Prix .
Some last minute preparations...
Relaxing in the sun with picnics
after Mass
April 2009
SWIMATHON SUCCESS !
THANK YOU very much to all parishioners who have
generously
sponsored our daughters . The girls trained hard and
swam with
enthusiasm last Saturday. So far we have collected
£411. 50 for Marie
Curie Cancer Care. Those who still want to sponsor
us, please leave your
donations in envelopes in the basket at the back of
the church marked
SWIMATHON. Cheques should be made out to "Swimathon
2009".
Thank you very much again!
Anna Radaelli Ghislaine Moschetta
March 2009
Last year the Polish community in Abingdon
celebrated their
traditional "Blessing of the Easter food" at St.
Edmund's, and the
occasion was a great success with many non - Polish
parishioners
joining them. This year a special invitation was
extended to fellow
parishioners of all nationalities, and the ceremony
was attended by an
even larger congregation.
A large number of the baskets were brought by
parishioners other
nationalities , all participating in what has now
become a part of
"Our" Easter celebrations. As Father Tom said "We
can all learn from
one another, and as Catholics share our faith with
one another"
January 2009
HEALING WEEKEND - Abingdon
In January there was a four-day Healing Weekend
at St Edmunds conducted by Pauline Edwards and Fr
Laurence Brassill. The presence of the Holy Spirit
was very tangible and many blessings were poured
out. We witnessed many healings.
To read an account of the event, with photos and
testimonies,
click here.
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