Today we are asked to pray for our brothers and sisters of the churches in the east, remembering that from these ancient churches, our Catholic faith first came. Many of these church communities are now small and suffer from hardship and persecution, living under the threat of war and oppression. 
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Please pray for them today and perhaps use this prayer:

Heavenly Father, we pray today for peace in the world, especially in the Middle East. By your heavenly grace, strengthen the faith and hope of Eastern Christians. May they be blessed with peace and prosperity in their countries.  May we be inspired by their devotion and witness to the Gospel, by their love and compassion for all in their communities, and by their courage, their endurance and self-sacrifice. Through their charity, tolerance and friendship, bring peace and reconciliation to those troubled lands, where Christianity was born and first spread. This we ask of you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

For more information about prayer for and supporting the Eastern Christian Churches see www.facecharity.org  

The great gift of Jesus is that he calls us friends. He is the one who offers the invitation to friendship with him which is real and founded upon love. So often we can think we are the ones who choose friendship with God, but it's the other way around. Once we discover this truth it can be easier to respond. Today let us consider the signs of this friendship in our lives. We can ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen this friendship and help us to reveal it by the way in which we live out the Lord's commandment of friendship. "Love one another as I have loved you."

As Pope Francis invites us to take part in a prayer marathon this May by reciting the Rosary each day or part of the prayer of the Rosary for the intention of an end to the Pandemic, we have invited you to create a May Altar at home and to share your photos with us. Here are the first two photos we have received. Thank you Margo and Jeanne. Please email your photo to the parish [email protected] 

Pope Francis has asked for the month of May to be devoted to prayer for an end to the Pandemic through the intercession of Our Lady and the Prayer of the Holy Rosary. the Holy Father has invited 30 Marian shrines across the world to lead this prayer each day. Today, May 1st the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham will begin this prayer at 6pm united with Pope Francis and Catholics across the world. The particular intention this evening will be for the faithful departed. You can join in the recitation of the rosary from Walsingham this evening via the Shrine's YouTube live stream.