Monday, November 18, 2024
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Week of Nov 18th

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
18/11/2024(1 event)

Transgender Awareness Week


13/11/2024 – 19/11/2024
19/11/2024(4 events)

Transgender Awareness Week


13/11/2024 – 19/11/2024

Children's Grief Awareness Week


19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024

Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.

If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.

Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.

 
This is a video which you might find helpful:

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. AMEN

 

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING

Jesus, healer and teacher,  

you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.

Help me make sense of what is happening,

because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,

some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.

Send me comfort and people to walk with me.

 

Help me through this pain,

and let treasured memories sustain me.

Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,

free from pain and worry.

 

Help others who are grieving this same loss.

 

I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN

 

International Men's Day


19/11/2024

Imagine a group of people whose members:

  • suffer 70% of murders in the world;
  • account for 85% of homeless people;
  • serve 64% longer jail sentences than others in society;
  • die 4-5 years earlier than a similar sized group;
  • are twice as likely to die from heart disease or lung cancer than others.

They're shocking statistics, aren't they?   By the way, the group in question is MEN!

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? (1 mins 53 secs)

 

This is an INTERESTING TAKE ON WHAT IT IS TO BE A MAN (2 mins 58 secs)

A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available as a 1 minute video HERE)

Loving God,

we hold before you especially today - the men in our lives;

help all of us to deepen our understanding of gender roles and expectations;

that we might live life in all its fullness,

building families, communities, societies and a world of openness and acceptance.

Help us not to be bound by stereotypes

but to enjoy the diverse nature of every human being.

 

We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN

 

World Toilet Day


19/11/2024

Did you know that:

  • 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation – more than half the global population. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
  • 673 million people still practise open defecation worldwide. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
  • Today, at least 2 billion people will have to use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces. (WHO 2019)
  • Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 432,000 diarrhoeal deaths every year and is a major factor in diseases such as intestinal worms, trachoma and schistosomiasis. (WHO 2019)
  • 297,000 children under five are estimated to die each year from diarrhoea as a result of unsafe drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene. (WHO 2019)

All of the above is not because we don't have the technology!  After all, human beings went to the Moon over 50 years ago! Do we, and the governments who serve us, need to re-align some priorities?

 

Let's spend a few moments imagining what it must feel like not to have a toilet.

What might you have to do if there was no toilet available?

Why might this have a disproportionate effect on females?

What are the possible consequences of not having a toilet?

 

A PRAYER FOR TODAY (from CAFOD)

Loving God,

we pray for a world of justice

where everyone has access to

a toilet and clean water.

May all our sisters and brothers throughout the world

be able to live in the dignity they deserve

as children created in your image.

Amen

 

 
20/11/2024(4 events)

Children's Grief Awareness Week


19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024

Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.

If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.

Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.

 
This is a video which you might find helpful:

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. AMEN

 

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING

Jesus, healer and teacher,  

you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.

Help me make sense of what is happening,

because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,

some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.

Send me comfort and people to walk with me.

 

Help me through this pain,

and let treasured memories sustain me.

Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,

free from pain and worry.

 

Help others who are grieving this same loss.

 

I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN

 

Transgender Day of Remembrance


20/11/2024

World Children’s Day


20/11/2024

Welcome to World Children's Day!   This used to be called Universal Children's Day but the day has been re-branded!

This day was set up in 1954 by the United Nations.   In 1959, the UN agreed its Declaration on the Rights of the Child.  In 1989 the Convention on the Rights of the Child became the most widely ratified international human rights treaty, setting out a number of children’s rights including:

  • the right to life,
  • to health,
  • to education
  • to play,
  • to family life,
  • to be protected from violence,
  • to not be discriminated,
  • and to have their views heard.

Here's a short but brilliant video (1 min 17 secs) from the children of Yemen!

 


Here's another video clip (2 mins 54 secs)  which gives a bit more information and which includes one particularly surprising fact about a country which does not give its children the same rights as others around the world!

 

A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available here as a 1:00 minute video)

Loving God,

Jesus said "Let the children come to me"

and so we pray for children around the world,

that they will feel loved, valued, cared for and encouraged.

 

We pray for adults that they will enable children

to enjoy a childhood they can look back on happily.

 

We pray too that all of us acknowledge each other - whatever our differences -   

as children made in your image,

who deserve to be treated with dignity and love.

 

We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN

 

 

World Children's Day
21/11/2024(1 event)

Children's Grief Awareness Week


19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024

Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.

If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.

Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.

 
This is a video which you might find helpful:

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. AMEN

 

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING

Jesus, healer and teacher,  

you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.

Help me make sense of what is happening,

because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,

some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.

Send me comfort and people to walk with me.

 

Help me through this pain,

and let treasured memories sustain me.

Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,

free from pain and worry.

 

Help others who are grieving this same loss.

 

I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN

 
22/11/2024(2 events)

Children's Grief Awareness Week


19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024

Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.

If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.

Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.

 
This is a video which you might find helpful:

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. AMEN

 

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING

Jesus, healer and teacher,  

you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.

Help me make sense of what is happening,

because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,

some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.

Send me comfort and people to walk with me.

 

Help me through this pain,

and let treasured memories sustain me.

Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,

free from pain and worry.

 

Help others who are grieving this same loss.

 

I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN

 

Feast of St. Cecilia - patron saint of music


22/11/2024

 

The patron saint of musicians!   Who's your favourite?

Here's a mini-bio of St. Cecilia (2 mins 20 secs).

 

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Loving God,

we thank you for the gift of music.

Help us find our own voice that we might express ourselves with truth, joy and passion.

We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
23/11/2024(1 event)

Children's Grief Awareness Week


19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024

Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.

If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.

Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.

 
This is a video which you might find helpful:

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. AMEN

 

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING

Jesus, healer and teacher,  

you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.

Help me make sense of what is happening,

because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,

some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.

Send me comfort and people to walk with me.

 

Help me through this pain,

and let treasured memories sustain me.

Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,

free from pain and worry.

 

Help others who are grieving this same loss.

 

I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN

 
24/11/2024(1 event)

Children's Grief Awareness Week


19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024

Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.

If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.

Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.

 
This is a video which you might find helpful:

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. AMEN

 

 

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING

Jesus, healer and teacher,  

you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.

Help me make sense of what is happening,

because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,

some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.

Send me comfort and people to walk with me.

 

Help me through this pain,

and let treasured memories sustain me.

Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,

free from pain and worry.

 

Help others who are grieving this same loss.

 

I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN