| Letter from Fr Mark McManus 15th August |
| Dear Parishioners of St Joseph's & St Charles, |
Change of Mass Time, Thursday, 28 August
N.B. The Mass on Thursday, 28 August, will now be at 7.15am and NOT 9.00am. I apologise for any inconvenience caused.
A Thank You for the Recent Jubilee of Youth in Rome 
At the end of last Saturday evening's vigil Mass, Lenny, one of the three young pilgrims from our parish who took part in the trip to Rome, addressed the congregation and said: "I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who supported me and donated money. Because of you, I was able to go to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth 2025, and it was an incredible experience. The Jubilee of Youth is a special event in the Catholic Church where young people from around the world come together to celebrate their faith through prayer and community. I was in Rome for a week and during this time I have had the privilege to attend two masses with Pope Leo. One of my favourite parts of this trip was visiting Assisi and hearing the story of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Hearing about how he used his privilege and knowledge of the internet to serve God was really inspiring to me and shows just how young people can lead a faithful life. I think the main message I got from this trip which has helped me get closer to God is seeing how millions of people are connected through Jesus. It helped me see how faith isn't just an individual thing but something we all share and that even though the people at the jubilee of youth were from different countries of the world they were all connected through their love for Christ. I would also like to encourage all the young people in our church to try new things. Before I went this year I didn't know what to expect but now that I've done it I know it is a great experience. I have learned a lot about my faith and my faith has become stronger. The next pilgrimage is in 2027 in Seoul. Once again, thank you all for your support." Here is this week's intercessions Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us. St Joseph, pray for us. St Charles Borromeo, pray for us. With my prayers, Rev. Mark McManus Parish Priest |