Dear friends,

Welcome back! After the quieter pace of the summer, it is wonderful to see the new term beginning and to look forward to the return of all our usual activities and ministries. There is a real sense of life and energy returning to the parish, and I am very grateful for all those who give their time and gifts to make our community what it is.

But as everything gets busy again, it is important that we remember what lies at the very heart of our life together: the celebration of the Eucharist.

Our Parish Mass every Sunday at 10am is the beating heart of our life as a church. Here we gather as the family of God, hear his Word in the Scriptures, bring before him our prayers and needs, and, above all, are fed and strengthened by Christ himself in the Eucharist.

We do not come simply because it is our weekly habit. We come because we need God. We need to hear his Word, receive his grace, encounter Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, and be strengthened to live lives worthy of the calling we have received.

As we begin a new term, let us therefore make a renewed commitment to Sunday Mass. Let us make it the highest and most vital part of our week. Everything else we do — our fellowship, our ministry, our outreach, our meetings and our activities — flows from our worship of God.

There is something deeply healthy and beautiful about a life that is ordered around worship. When we regularly turn our hearts towards God, our lives begin to be ordered around him too: rooted in prayer, strengthened in faith, growing in holiness and directed towards the service of others.

So, as the new term begins, let us come together faithfully each Sunday. Come and be fed. Come and hear. Come and pray. Come and receive Christ. And then go out into the week ready to live for him.

I look forward to seeing you all again as we begin this new season of parish life together.

With my prayers and every blessing,

Fr Sean