Coughs, sniffs and parish life

How kind the Lord is sometimes! I've had a few days this week feeling sorry for myself with a sore throat and a bit of a cold. Yes, ladies, I know - it's a man thing, but, well, we priests are men after all! Anyway, it coincided with a few days of a slightly less hectic diary, when I also had some Canon Law desk work to do. So God put in his diary to give me a cold when he knew it would cause least damage - sorted! Isn't He kind?

Yesterday I spent a very good evening with the Circle of Friends at Christ the King - Mass first, then an open meeting addressed by members of an organization called Beginning Experience. The Circle are a great group for the widowed, single, separated or divorced that really fulfils a pastoral need - you can find out about them here. If you feel that you'd like to find out more, you'll find contact details on the site, or just have a word with me.

Beginning Experience put on weekends for people who have lived through bereavement, separation or divorce. They too were impressive, and they too have a site with full details here.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to 10.30 Mass at Christ the King, as I have special permission to confirm three of the youngsters who missed out on our parish celebration of the Sacrament with Archbishop Peter back in March. The catechists and Fr James told me they were a great group this year, and I'm sure they'll all turn up tomorrow to support their friends. So I get to preach to teenagers, which I always find both a challenge and a blessing. They get a bad press sometimes, but I find that if we can only find the right button to press with them, faithwise at least, then they open up to a remarkable degree. They need the Holy Spirit more than ever nowadays...