Roman Catholic Church

ISLE OF MAN

Welcome to the official website of the
Roman Catholic Church on the Isle of Man.

 The Isle of Man is one of the 18 pastoral areas which make up the Archdiocese of Liverpool,
and on the Island there are 7 Roman Catholic churches

For details of PUBLIC WEEKDAY AND SUNDAY MASSES at a church near you, please CLICK THE ‘READ PARISH NEWSLETTERS’ BUTTON BELOW, and select the LATEST NEWSLETTER for your area, or SCROLL DOWN and look at the GREEN BOXES where you’ll find NEWS HEADLINES from our churches around the Island, for the coming week.

Our Lady Star of the Sea
and St Maughold, Ramsey
St Patrick’s, Peel
Parish Priest
Father Brian O Mahony CSSp
T: (01624) 813181
E: ourladystarofthesea@rcaol.org.uk

St Mary of the Isle, Douglas
St Anthony’s, Onchan
St Joseph’s, Willaston
Parish Priest and Area Dean:
Monsignor John Devine
T: (01624) 675509
E: saintmaryiom@rcaolp.co.uk

St Mary’s, Castletown
and
St Columba’s, Port Erin
Parish Priest
Fr Joseph Kiganda CSSp
T: (01624) 822272
E: saintmarycastletown@rcaolp.co.uk

READ PARISH NEWSLETTERS

THANK YOU FOR VISITING US!

YOU’VE REACHED THE INFORMATION HUB
FOR ALL OUR ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES

GUIDANCE NOW OUR CHURCHES HAVE RE-OPENED
It is good to be at Mass together again,
but many will still wish to take a cautious approach,
so please respect those wearing face coverings,
and see opposite for further guidance. 

MASS TIMES in the SOUTH
Sunday Masses 
will be celebrated in:
St Mary’s, Castletown at 9am
St Columba’s, Port Erin at 11am

Weekday Mass in St Mary’s, Castletown
Monday, Friday and Saturday at 10am
NO MASS on Wednesday – this week only

Weekday Mass in St Columba’s, Port Erin
Tuesday and Thursday at 10am
Wednesday 19th –  Requiem Mass at 12:15pm

MASS TIMES in the NORTH and WEST
Sunday Masses
will be celebrated in:
St Patrick’s, Peel at 9am   
Our Lady Star of the Sea, Ramsey at 11am

Weekday Mass in St Patrick’s, Peel
Tuesday at 7.30pm
Thursday & Friday at 12noon

Weekday Mass in Our Lady’s, Ramsey
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday at 10am
Wednesday at 7.30pm
Saturday at 12.30pm & 6.30pm

GUIDANCE NOW OUR CHURCHES HAVE RE-OPENED
Hand sanitising and reasonable social distancing is in place.  Please socialise outside the church building rather than within. Holy Communion will be given under one kind, in the hand only, avoiding skin contact with the minister.
The sign of peace will be exchanged without close contact. 

PUBLIC MASSES  IN ST MARY’S, DOUGLAS
Saturday at 5pm   Sunday at 11am
This week – NO MASS on Monday 17th
Tuesday to Friday – Mass at 12.10pm 
Wednesday 19th at 10am – Funeral of Tim O’Hanlon

PUBLIC MASSES  IN ST ANTHONY’S, ONCHAN
Thursday at 10am and Sunday  at 9.30am

ALL MASSES IN ST MARY’S, DOUGLAS
are live-streamed, at the following times:

SATURDAY EVENING AT 5pm

SUNDAY AT 11am

MONDAY TO FRIDAY AT 12:10pm

VIEW LIVE STREAM

WE WELCOME our ‘Live Stream’ church family
Thank you for joining us – we are pleased to receive your prayer requests, or just to have an email chat.
Email direct to our Parish Office,
using the CONTACT tab 

 


Greetings
from Monsignor John

16th May 2021
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Year B for Sundays – Cycle I for Weekdays
World Communications Day

Dear Parishioners

We celebrated the Feast of the Ascension last Thursday and now we are in the period of waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit next Sunday, the Feast of Pentecost. It is said that this special time is the first Novena; nine days of longing for the Holy Spirit to come and transform our lives. We live out this ‘novena’ as we wait in the company of Mary and the eleven disciples gathered in the Upper Room behind closed doors.
Many of those who come each day to pray in St Mary’s church are drawn to our dramatic life size Crucifix. They kneel before it and pray silently. They bring their sorrows and sufferings with them. I thought of them as I read the following words from Fr Richard Rohr:

Those who “gaze upon” the crucified Jesus (John 19:37) long enough are always healed at deep levels of pain, unforgiveness, aggression, and victimhood. It demands no theological education at all, just an “inner exchange” by receiving the image within and offering one’s soul back in safe return. The crucified Jesus is no stranger to any part of human history….The mystery of the suffering, rejection, passion, death, and raising up of Jesus is the key for what history means and where it is all going.

The crucifixion both repels us and draws us near. We don’t fully understand it, but there’s a redeeming reason we are drawn to the image again and again…The cross makes sense in ways that do not make sense. …We live within the story but are not always sure quite how. We both know it and don’t know it. . . . If all our own human crucifixions are leading to some possible resurrection, and are not dead-end tragedies, this changes everything. If God is somehow participating in human suffering, instead of just passively tolerating it and observing it, that also changes everything—at least for those who are willing to “gaze” contemplatively…I believe we are invited to gaze upon the image of the crucified Jesus to soften our hearts toward God, and to know that God’s heart has always been softened toward us, even and most especially in our own suffering. This softens us toward ourselves and all others who suffer too – in one great wave of universal mercy

Mary’s Meals 

At the entrance to the Seminary of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, there is painting by Joey A. Velasco and it portrays poor children from Manila, aged between 4 and 14, at the Last Supper with Jesus. Velasco calls it ‘Table of Hope’. Mary’s Meals was founded by a Scottish Catholic, Magnus MacFarlane Barrow, in 2002. The charity is named after Mary, the mother of Jesus, and has one very simple goal: to ensure that every child receives one daily meal in their place of education, and that all those who have more than they need share with those who lack even the most basic things. “What’s important to us”, says Magnus, “is the hungry child. When there are hungry children in front of us today, we’re going to feed them, and at the same time we’re going to work on the solution to getting them fed in the long term, creating a global movement of people who believe in this vision.” The key to Mary’s Meals is simple. It feeds hungry children who come to school and in doing so encourages children to engage in education. To date, Mary’s Meals feeds 1,838,859 children every day in some of the poorest countries of the world. You can find out more about the work of the charity here: www.marysmeals.org.uk. During the month of May, we are invited to pray for Mary’s Meals:

Our Father, give us this day our daily bread and forgive us for the times when we take more than our share of the bread that belongs to all. Let us help you fill the starving with good things, not with scraps from our table. Teach us how to share what is not ours to keep. Clothe us with your love that we may complete each good work you created us to do. Place in our hearts your compassion for each starving child; and use our little acts of love so that they starve no more. Amen

This Sunday is World Communications Day. Archbishop Malcolm has asked us to pray for all communicators and to give generously to the second collection. Please find envelopes at the back of church for your donations. The Communications Office of the Catholics Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales supports the mission of the bishops to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ. The World Communications Day Message can be found BY CLICKING HERE

Novena Prayers from Ascension to Pentecost on the Care of Creation: The God Who Speaks Team has prepared Novena Prayers from Friday 14 May to Sunday 23 May which offer readings and prayers drawn from Pope Francis’s recent teaching and the Bible. Full text of readings and prayers can be read and/or downloaded BY CLICKING HERE

Praying the Keeills Week will take place on the Island from 22 – 29 May.
This year’s theme is ‘Mann and Creation’. For the full programme of walks and events VISIT THEIR WEBSITE BY CLICKING HERE

And to read the rest of this week’s parish news,  CLICK HERE

Fr John 

Monsignor John Devine OBE MA VF
Saint Mary of the Isle   Hill Street       Douglas      Isle of Man     IM1 1EG

Although the Manx Government have permitted a substantial relaxation of Covid-related restrictions, we are still asked to be cautious and we remain in ‘mitigation’ mode.  So, for everyone’s peace of mind and safety – please note the following :-

• The obligation to go to Mass on Sunday remains suspended. Many may feel insecure at the idea of returning to Mass.
• The requirement to sanitise hands on entering and leaving church and to maintain reasonable social distancing is still in place.
• The wearing of masks is a reasonable precaution that must be respected.
• The sign of peace will be exchanged without making contact.
• Holy Communion will continue to be distributed only in the hand and under the form of bread. Please ensure that you receive in a way that minimises the possibility of skin to skin contact with the minister.
• Socialisation within the church at the end of Mass is discouraged. There’s space to meet outside.
• Please respect any reluctance to shake hands or hug from friends you haven’t seen for a while.

=====================================================

‘Hatley St George’ by Malcolm Guite
Stand here a while and drink the silence in.
Where clear glass lets in living light to touch
And bless your eyes. A beech tree’s tender green
Shimmers beyond the window’s lucid arch.
You look across an absent sanctuary;
No walls or roof, just holy, open space,
Leading your gaze out to the fresh-leaved beech
God planted here before you first drew breath.

Stand here awhile and drink the silence in.
You cannot stand as long and still as these;
This ancient beech and still more ancient church.
So let them stand, as they have stood, for you.
Let them disclose their gifts of time and place,
A secret kept for you through all these years.
Open your eyes. This empty church is full,
Thronging with life and light your eyes have missed.

Stand here awhile and drink the silence in.
Shields of forgotten chivalry, and rolls
Of honour for the young men gunned at Ypres,
And other monuments of our brief lives
Stand for the presence here of saints and souls
Who stood where you stand, to be blessed like you;
Clouds of witness to unclouded light
Shining this moment, in this place for you.

Stand here awhile and drink their silence in.
Annealed in glass, the twelve Apostles stand
And each of them is keeping faith for you.
This roof is held aloft, to give you space,
By graceful angels praying night and day
That you might hear some rumour of their flight
That you might feel the flicker of a wing
And let your heart fly free at last in prayer

=================================================

Pope Francis, in Earth Day messages, warns ‘we are at the edge’ on Climate Change

The Pope made appearances minutes apart on April 22 during two virtual events marking Earth Day: the International Leaders’ Summit on climate organized by U.S. President Joe Biden, and the Earth Day Live livestream organized by the Earth Day Network.
In both, Francis urged presidents and prime ministers to act courageously in addressing climate change, and to learn from the coronavirus pandemic the need to create “a just, equitable, environmentally safe planet.”
“Both the global catastrophes, Covid and climate change, prove that we do not have time to wait. Time urges us, and as COVID-19 demonstrated, we do have the tools to face the loss. We have the instruments. This is the moment to act. We are at the edge.”
“We need to ensure that the environment is cleaner, purer and that it is conserved. We must care for nature so that nature may care for us”

Francis was one of more than three dozen heads of state from countries that together represent more than 80% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.    Pope Francis called the virtual climate summit convened by President Biden “a happy occasion” and said it was an initiative that puts all of humanity on a path toward better stewardship of nature and accomplishing goals of the Paris Agreement at the next United Nations climate conference, COP 26, scheduled for Glasgow, in November.
“It is a challenge we face in this post-pandemic time. It has not yet ended, but we will, we must, look ahead, because it is a crisis,”
Francis told the world leaders. “We know that one does not emerge from a crisis the same: We emerge either better or worse.”

 

“PEACE” – A SONNET BY MALCOLM GUITE
Not as the world gives, not the victor’s peace,
Not to be fought for, hard-won, or achieved,
Just grace and mercy, gratefully received:
An undeserved and unforeseen release,
As the cold chains of memory and wrath
Fall from our hearts before we are aware,
Their rusty locks all picked by patient prayer,

Till closed doors open, and we see a path
Descending from a source we cannot see;
A path that must be taken, hand in hand,
Only by those, forgiving and forgiven,
Who see their saviour in their enemy.
So reach for me. We’ll cross our broken land,
And make each other bridges back to Heaven.

A POEM FOR EASTER
Jesus in the garden, newly risen from the dead,
who stood by weeping Mary, and who heard the words she said
as if you were the gardener, till at last your shepherd’s voice
called her ‘Mary’ and with one word gave her reason to rejoice,
Jesus in the garden, ever new but still the same,
help me recognise you in the speaking of my name.

Jesus on the journey, fellow traveller on the road,
who met two sad disciples, walking with them as you showed
the meaning of the scriptures that predicted you would rise,
but only when you blessed the meal could they believe their eyes.
Jesus on the journey, meet me where my hopes have fled,
help me recognise you in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus in the locked room, breaking through despair and doubt,
who comforted your friends when they had shut the whole world out,
who came again for Thomas, and revealed your hands and side
so that he could touch and know you as alive, though you had died.
Jesus in the locked room, breaking through our self-built bars,
help me recognise you in the touching of your scars.

Jesus on the shoreline, cooking breakfast for your friends,
who offered guilty Peter one more chance to make amends,
who filled a net with fish for him, and helped him to recall
the first catch that convinced him to respond to your first call.
Jesus on the shoreline, know my best, forgive my worst,
help me recognise you in the way I met you first.

Amy Scott Robinson

 

A PRAYER FOR ALL WHO ARE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA

It steals upon our loved ones,
it steals when we do not understand what is happening;
why it is happening?
The happening is that slow dying
The taking away of a precious loved one.
We see someone we loved and treasured,
someone who won our respect,
we see that person denied of dignity and slowing;
losing an awareness of life and living.
It hurts…oh, how it hurts.
Let prayer be our help;
let prayer be our strength;
let prayer rise like a fountain of love.
May we come together in prayer for our cherished one.
Dear God, we pray, may your will be done.

 

A Poem on the Death of His Mother….. by Seamus Heaney
When all the others were away at Mass
I was all hers as we peeled potatoes.
They broke the silence, let fall one by one
Like solder weeping off the soldering iron:
Cold comforts set between us, things to share
Gleaming in a bucket of clean water.
And again let fall.
Little pleasant splashes
From each other’s work would bring us to our senses.

So while the parish priest at her bedside
Went hammer and tongs at the prayers for the dying
And some were responding and some crying
I remembered her head bent towards my head,
Her breath in mine, our fluent dipping knives–
Never closer the whole rest of our lives.

 

‘A CULTURE OF CARE AS A PATH TO PEACE’
The following points are taken from Pope Francis’s message

1. Peace, justice and care of creation are three inherently connected questions, which cannot be separated in such a way as to be treated individually …

2. How many resources are spent on weaponry, especially nuclear weapons, that could be used for more significant priorities such as ensuring the safety of individuals, the promotion of peace and integral human development, the fight against poverty, and the provision of health care.

3. What a courageous decision it would be to establish a Global Fund with the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures, in order to permanently eliminate hunger and contribute to the development of the poorest countries.

4. … everything is interconnected and genuine care for our own lives and our relationship with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others.

5. … the need for relationships between nations to be inspired by fraternity, mutual respect, solidarity and the observance of International Law.

Further Peace Sunday resources can be found on the PAX CHRISTI WEBSITE

==============================================

From EPISTOLA AD DAKYNS by T.E. Brown

… The next is where God keeps for me
A little island in the sea
A body for my needs, that so
I may not all unclothed go
A vital instrument whereby
I still may commune with the sky
Even now between its simple poles
It has the soul of all my souls
But then – whatever I have been
Whatever felt, whatever seen
The loves, the hates, the hopes, the fears,
The gathered strength of all my years
All that my life in one was wrought
Of complex essence shall be brought
And wedded to those primal forms
That have their scope in calms and storms
And I shall be the living heart
And I shall live in every part.
(T.E.Brown)


HOLDING AND LETTING GO

We have a call to live, and oh
A common call to die.
I watched you and my father go
To bid a friend goodbye.
I watched you hold my father’s hand,
How could it not be so?
The gentleness of holding on
Helps in the letting go.


For when we feel our frailty
How can we not respond?
And reach to hold another’s hand
And feel the common bond?
For then we touch the heights above
And every depth below,
We touch the very quick of love;
Holding and letting go.

(Malcolm Guite from The Singing Bowl)

WHEN ATTENDING MASS, PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING :

We are really grateful to our stewards who have given so much of their time throughout the crisis. As we gradually return to normality, we must be ready to perform U-turns. With their experience of monitoring social distancing and sanitising surfaces, they are prepared should the situation change.
Some dismiss our vigilance as unnecessary. Younger and more robust members of our community may opt for a casual approach to protective measures. For the sake of our vulnerable parishioners, we unapologetically err on the side of caution. Please, continue to sanitise your hands on arrival and on leaving our churches and maintain reasonable social distancing. Thank you 

• The Sunday obligation is still suspended.
• Please adhere to social distancing guidelines in place. Any children accompanying you must do the same.
• Please sanitise your hands when you enter and leave the church. Holy water fonts are not in use .
• There will be no hymns books, Mass books or newsletters.
• You will be guided to a bench by a volunteer steward. It may not be where you usually sit.
• Toilets will remain closed at all times except for a genuine emergency.
• Only the priest will be on the sanctuary – without deacons, servers, readers etc. 
• There will be no children’s liturgy or choir and no live singing.
• There will be no Sign of Peace.
• Holy Communion will now be distributed at the normal place in the Mass.
• You may only receive the Sacred Host in your hand and not on your tongue. Communicants must avoid skin to skin contact with the minister’s hands.
• People receiving Communion are instructed to approach the altar with their arms outstretched so as to maintain a reasonable distance from the minister.
• Please do not gather at the back of church to chat.
• Baskets will be available at the entrance (and exit) for your weekly Offertory collection.

This year is the 5th anniversary of Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical ‘Laudato si’
Its message is just as prophetic today as it was in 2015.
The encyclical can provide the moral and spiritual compass for the journey
to create a more caring, fraternal, peaceful and sustainable world.
Catholics around the world are being encouraged to pause, wherever we are,
and say this prayer at noon each day:-

Loving God, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them,
you created us in your own image and made us stewards of creation.
You blessed us with the sun, water and bountiful land so that all might be nourished.
Open our minds and touch our hearts, so that we may attend to your gift of creation.
Help us to be conscious that our common home belongs not only to us,
but to all of your creatures and to all future generations,
and that it is our responsibility to preserve it.

May we help each person secure the food and resources that they need.
Be present to those in need in these trying times,
especially the poorest and those most at risk of being left behind.
Transform our fear and feelings of isolation into hope and fraternity,
so that we may experience a true conversion of the heart.

Help us to show creative solidarity
in addressing the consequences of this global pandemic.
Make us courageous to embrace the changes
that are needed in search of the common good.

Now more than ever may we feel that we are all
interconnected and interdependent.
Enable us to listen and respond to the cry of the earth
and the cry of the poor.

May the present sufferings be the birth pangs
of a more fraternal and sustainable world.
Under the loving gaze of Mary Help of Christians,
we make this prayer through Christ Our Lord.   Amen.

Prayer of Spiritual Communion used at live-streamed Masses
Lord Jesus Christ,
You promise to be with us when two or three are gathered together in your name.
You promise to be with us until the end of time.
You are with us when we hear your Word in the Sacred Scriptures.
You are with us in those who are hungry and thirsty, sick or in prison and in the face of the stranger.
You are with us in our beautiful world and in the very stuff of the entire Universe.
You are with me in the very depths of my being;
And you are with us in the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist.
Today I am unable to receive you in this Sacrament of your Body and Blood.
Lord Jesus, strengthen my belief that you are always with us until you come again.
I believe that one day I will see you face to face
when there will be no more suffering, no more tears and no more sadness.
Lord Jesus, stay with me and with those I love throughout this day and for the rest of my life.
You who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen

Pope St John Paul II – on his visit to England in 1982 – had this to say about
the place of sickness and suffering in the life of the church:

‘Today I make an urgent plea to this nation. Do not neglect your sick and elderly. Do not turn away from the handicapped and the dying. Do not push them to the margins of society. For, if you do, you will fail to understand that they represent an important truth. The sick, the elderly, the handicapped and the dying teach us that weakness is a creative part of human living, and that suffering can be embraced with no loss of dignity. Without the presence of these people in your midst you might be tempted to think of health, strength and power as the only important values to be pursued in life. But the wisdom of Christ and the power of Christ are to be seen in the weakness of those who share his sufferings.
Let us keep the sick and the handicapped at the centre of our lives.
Let us treasure them and recognise with gratitude the debt we owe them.
We begin by imagining that we are giving to them;
we end by realising that they have enriched us.’              (Southwark Cathedral, 28 May 1982)


CLICK HERE TO FIND DAVID CRYSTAL’S DAILY READINGS ON LINE


SOME WORDS FROM POPE FRANCIS

SOME OF THE POPE’S TWEETS ON THE PANDEMIC:
‘Today in the tragedy of a pandemic, in the face of the many false securities that have now crumbled,
in the face of so many hopes betrayed, in the sense of abandonment that weighs upon hearts, Jesus says to each one of us :”‘Courage, open your heart to my love”.’

‘The current pandemic has highlighted our interdependence: we are all linked to each other, for better or for worse. Therefore, to come out of this crisis better than before, we have to do so together, all of us, in solidarity’

The official website of the Roman Catholic Pastoral Area of St Maughold, Isle of Man in the Archdiocese of Liverpool

©2020 Roman Catholic Church Isle of Man | Safeguarding & Privacy Policy