Blessed Robert Grissold Catholic Church
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Welcome to the website of Blessed Robert Grissold Catholic Church in Balsall Common. Here you can find details of the parish, our latest newsletter, services and sacraments offered by the Church and, in our parish archive, the events we have held. As a parish we value your privacy. Please follow the link here to learn more about the privacy policy that covers all catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Birmingham,
Father Frank writes
What great condescension and humility is revealed in the Gospel today. The Master comes to console his fallen servants. He shows us pity when we deserve punishment - he addresses the guilty ones with words of kindness and compassion: “Come, learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” God is humble; we are proud. He bends low in order to raise us up. We can see his gentleness and humility from what he has become. Heaven is his throne.
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Regarding discipleship and following Jesus, Christ calls us to radical commitment to him. The cost is great, it demands our all but the reward is inexpressibly greater. We cannot follow him in our own strength. He leads us, he empowers us, he gives us the strength to follow so that we might increasingly immerse ourselves in that incomparable love of his which was revealed in his Passion and Cross - a love that is stronger than death and the love we were created to know and share in forever.
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In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us: “Do not be afraid,” but there is so much fear in the world today. All sorts of harm spring from fear. The world today, its political and economic structures, reflect the fears that our in our hearts - the fears that lead to gross inequalities, injustice, hatred and conflict. Jesus came to show us another way - the way to overcoming fear with that change of heart that desires the love of God and neighbour above all else. This is the perfect love that casts out all fear and marks the coming of God’s Kingdom. This is the love we feed on in the Mass. This divine love is the source of that peace that Jesus shares with us - a peace that the world cannot know or give. We are called to be filled with his love that casts out fear so that we can bring its healing influence to a world in much need of healing and peace.
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We are all called to holiness, we are all called to follow Jesus, we are called to make Jesus known to all people. This is a matter for all of us. As Cardinal Newman wrote "He called us first in Baptism: but afterwards also; whether we obey His voice or not, He graciously calls us still...Abraham was called from his home, Peter from his nets, Matthew from his office, Elijah from his farm, Nathaniel from his retreat; we are all in the course of calling, on and on, from one thing to another.
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Everything begins, one might say, from the heart of Christ who, at the Last Supper, on the eve of his passion, thanked and praised God and by so doing, with the power of his love, transformed the meaning of death which he was on his way to encounter. The fact that the Sacrament of the Altar acquired the name "Eucharist" - "thanksgiving" - expresses this: that changing the substance of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is the fruit of the gift that Christ made of himself, the gift of a Love stronger than death, divine Love which raised him from the dead. This is why the Eucharist is the food of eternal life, the Bread of Life. (Pope Benedict XVI)
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We are not to approach God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God in three Persons as a mathematical puzzle or a philosophical problem but, rather, as the Divine community of love whom we are called to know and enjoy for ever, for the one God, who has revealed Himself as Trinity, has made us for himself - to know and enjoy him forever. That is why, in and through sacred mysteries which we celebrate in the Eucharist, he gathers us to himself so that, by grace, we might share in the life and love of the Most Holy Trinity for ever.
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Today the Church of God throughout the world celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost. It is God’s Spirit who inspires us to obey God’s commandments. All who love God experience the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. He counsels us and reminds us of what Jesus has said. The Holy Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. As we thank God today for the gift of his Holy Spirit let us pray that our Christian discipleship manifests these fruits of God’s Spirit.
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For Jesus the Cross is His glory and the way to the glory of eternity. But wherein lies the glory of the Cross? Jesus' life was glorious and drew many to Himself but his death on the Cross was even more glorious. For, as He said, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." This is because the death of Christ on the Cross shows the incomparable and infinite love of God - a love that is prepared to go to any length to win us to Himself. In His obedience to finish the work of salvation given to Him by the Father, Christ completed His mission, when God's great love for us shone in all its glory from the Cross.
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In today’s Gospel we are told of the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Lord calls the Spirit ‘another Advocate’ a term which is difficult to translate from the original Greek but which means something like ‘being with’ being the defender - one who intercedes for. We can see from this that the Spirit continues Christ’s mission for Jesus is with us, at our side as a friend representing us and defending us. The Spirit is sent to be with us forever and we know him because he lives in us. Not only is the Spirit revealed as being with us, he is also ‘the Spirit of truth.’ Jesus and the Spirit lead the Christian community into communion with the Father and into all truth.
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The Gospel today reveals how Jesus is the full expression of God the Father. The invisible God fully manifests himself in the humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the fullest extent that this can be expressed in human nature. That is why he is the “Way” to the Father - to have seen him, to have heard him, is to have seen and heard the Father. And Christ embodies and reveals the “Truth” about existence - the truth that God made us for himself, so that his creatures might know him and love him forever. That is the truth about how and why we were made and that is why, as St Augustine said: “Our souls are restless until they find rest in God.” And Christ is our “Life.” All things were made through him and for him and he shares his life with us so that the life that is in him may be in us too. That is why he can properly proclaim himself, “the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
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Today is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. We pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life and that all believers will be faithful to their baptismal vocation. To follow Christ is to love him, to trust him, to serve him and to do his will - which is also what it means to be faithful to our vocation. Christ, the Good Shepherd, tells us that his sheep follow him “because they recognise his voice.” We have to learn to distinguish the voice of the one true God from the voices of the many false gods and idols which call to us today.
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In the Gospel today we hear how the two disciples on the road to Emmaus recognised Jesus in the breaking of bread. At the time the Gospel was written the expression “the breaking of bread” had become synonymous with the celebration of the Eucharist. The risen Christ revealed himself to the two disciples through the scriptures and through the breaking of bread. This same Risen Christ is present to us in word and sacrament every time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. We are able to encounter him through hearing his voice in the proclamation of the scriptures and through feeding on him, the Bread of Life, at his table. That is why in the Mass we proclaim the scriptures as the “word of the Lord” and acknowledge with an “Amen” that the Bread we receive from the altar is the “The Body of Christ.”
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Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. Humankind not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but is also called to practice mercy towards others. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” It is to this end that we receive the transforming Spirit of God - the Holy Spirit, who through the power of God’s great loving mercy, transforms our interior life in order that it might radiate outwardly and be a transforming power in the world.
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Christ has risen. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the joy of Easter. Today, with the Holy Church of God throughout the world, we proclaim and celebrate the truth which is foundational to our Christian faith, that on the third day Christ rose from the dead. And Christ, the Risen One, does not depart from us but returns to greet us with his peace and to remain with us until the end of time. And we share his peace and rejoice in his presence in the Mass.
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Holy Week begins today with Palm Sunday when the Church recalls the entrance of Christ the Lord into Jerusalem to accomplish his Paschal Mystery. The Paschal Mystery, the passage from death to life, is the heart of our faith. The account of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus forms the oldest part of the Gospels. It is what the evangelists recorded first. For them, it was the heart and nucleus of the Lord’s witness to the loving purposes of God. That is why the Paschal Mystery is at the heart of our communal celebration as the Church and is at the heart of our lives as Christians and this is why the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter are so important. Through the Easter Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday we celebrate the greatest mysteries of our redemption keeping, through very special celebrations, the memorial of our Lord’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection.
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Next week marks the beginning of Holy Week - the most important week in the Church’s calendar. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. During Holy Week we celebrate the Easter Triduum, comprising the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday evening). These sacred liturgies shine forth as the high point of the Church’s year. The Paschal Triduum is at the heart of all that it means to be the Church and we owe it to ourselves as Christians to be present at these key moments in the life of the worshipping community, for the sacred mysteries, which we celebrate on these three days, are the axle on which the rest of the liturgical year turn
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In the early Church Lent was a time of completing the formation of candidates for the Baptisms which would take place at Easter and the readings of the Sundays in Lent reflect this time of baptismal preparation. Last week the Gospel spoke of the “living water” welling up to eternal life. This week Jesus reveals himself as the “light of the world,” and next week, the raising of Lazarus from the dead will proclaim him as the “resurrection and the life.” As Pope Emeritus Benedict says: “Water, light and life are symbols of Baptism, the sacrament that “immerses” believers in the mystery of the death and Resurrection of Christ, liberating them from the slavery of sin and giving them eternal life.”
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In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks of the mysterious water which is capable of ‘welling up to eternal life.’ This is the life given, in Baptism - a life we are called to cherish and nurture. The elements of Baptism, namely the water of the font and the holy oils, refer us to the stuff of the cosmos - reminding us that everything is caught up in God’s loving purposes of making all things new. In the early Church, Baptism took place during the Easter Vigil and Baptism spoke of the new life and the new time of which Easter is the celebration and manifestation. Baptism has always found its fulfilment in the Eucharist which is the sacrament of the Kingdom - the sacrament of the ‘eternal life’ of the world to come.
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Today in the Gospel we hear how the apostles Peter, James and John were given a glimpse of Christ’s glory on the Mount of the Transfiguration - the same glimpse of glory that we are all given when we gather for the Mass, for in and through the sacred mysteries of the Eucharist we ascend to the heavenly places where, with Angels and Archangels and all the host of heaven, we worship the Beloved Son of God who sits at the right hand of the Father. God, the Holy Spirit, gathers us into the cloud of his glory. We listen to him in the scriptures. We feed on him in the Sacrament of the altar. No wonder the disciples “kept silence” and then proclaimed “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here.”
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Holy Week and Easter are the climax of the Christian liturgical year. The time of the Passion and Resurrection is proceeded by Lent, a lengthy period of preparation for these saving and illuminating mysteries. Lent is a time of penitence. It is a time for us to examine our conscience and seek reconciliation with the Lord. Lent is also a time for spiritual growth and enlightenment. In Lent we are invited to listen, and respond, ever more faithfully to the voice of God. Lent also commemorates Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt and their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Lent relates this to our own spiritual journey, to our liberation, our pilgrimage, our feeding on divine manna and of our meeting with God. And, as we see from today’s Gospel, Lent also recalls the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert during which he contended with Satan, the tempter. Our Lent must be a period of fighting against temptation. From this one can see that Lent is a very rich, a very deep mixture of elements which serve to purify and enlighten us. During the time of Lent the Church leads us towards the radiant glory of the Paschal feast. The more serious our Lenten preparation has been, the deeper we shall enter the joyful mystery of Easter and gather its fruits.
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In the Gospel today Christ teaches us about the relationships we should nurture and enjoy as members of his Body - the Church. As the baptised we are called to live and act in a way that is caught up in God’s love and life. In this way we witness to Christ in the world. We are not to live as those who do not know Christ - those who quarrel and divide over selfish preferences, those who are motivated by self-serving desire. Rather, as members of the Church, we are to live differently, bearing witness to the alternative life Christ brings, for, as members of his Body, we are bound to him in his loving mission to the whole of creation. As co-workers with Christ, we are called to enact God’s deep love for the world - to get our minds off ourselves and our petty self-interests and to live together harmoniously.
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In the Gospel today Jesus teaches that the lives of his followers should have a distinctive quality. Like salt, we should add a peculiar flavour to life because our life in Christ is distinctive and peculiar - different from what the world has to offer. This distinctive and peculiar quality of the Christ-life in us should shine like a light in the world, because Christ is the Light of the world. But if we lose our distinctive and peculiar taste - if the light in us is dimmed or hidden through sin, or compromised with the world - then we are no longer fit for purpose and we fail in our witness to the love and light of Christ - a witness that is vital in order that all may “taste and see that the Lord is good”.
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According to Christ's teaching, even the destitute, if they have the faith, hope and love of Christ, are in far happier circumstances than the selfish rich. Jesus says, "Woe to you rich ones you have your consolation now." If through the faith, hope and love of Christ the poor can avoid the destructive bitterness which often accompanies destitution, they are far more open to the Gospel message and the Kingdom of Heaven than the rich and comfortably indifferent. The faithful poor have no treasure here below, their treasure is above, their solitary refuge and boast is in the Lord – their greatest treasure.
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This is the Sunday within the Octave of Payer for Christian Unity and, as Christians, we must be deeply committed to that unity among believers for which Jesus prayed. The two great commands of Christ, to love God with our whole strength and being and to love our neighbour as our self, show us the way to that unity, for the more we grow in love and unity with God the more we will grow in love and unity with one another. The scriptures proclaim God’s great love for the world and of his plan to draw all things together in unity in Christ. It is our great privilege to be caught up in this great love of God which we celebrate in the Eucharist where, by faith, we perceive God drawing and gathering his scattered creation into one in Christ.
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In today's Gospel the Baptist calls Jesus the 'Lamb of God.' This title expresses Jesus' sacrificial character for, in the Old Covenant, a lamb was one of the usual animals of sacrifice. This name also points to Jesus' purity, to his gentle patience and to his humble and loving resignation with which he submitted to the sacrifice of the Cross.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and we leave behind the touching scene of the crib. Jesus has moved from the helpless infant of Bethlehem to a grown man who takes upon himself a tremendous burden and responsibility. The burden is the weight of the sins of humankind. The responsibility is to make reparation for those sins.
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The Pope’s Prayer Intention for January: Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church
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If we want to understand Jesus’ life and mission there is no better place to begin than with the mystery of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The humble home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth is a fruitful school of the Gospel and a place where Christian virtues are nurtured and thrive. Here we see the outworking of the Divine plan to make the family a community of life and love - the “domestic church” - in which the members of the family are formed in the faith. In this way the Holy Family is a model for every Christian home.
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We see in the Gospels how God fulfils the promises he has made through the people of the Old Covenant, and he does this in a bewildering way. The fulfilment of the promises of old comes through a young Jewish girl who accepts the will of God and the work of his Holy Spirit in her. Her husband, Joseph, is confused about the events surrounding the conception and birth of Jesus but such perplexity is to be expected because God’s ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts and, according to God’s loving purposes, revealed in both the Old and New Testaments, something utterly ‘good’ and utterly ‘new’ is breaking into our world with the birth of Christ
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We see in today’s Gospel how God fulfils the promises he has made through the people of the Old Covenant, and he does this in a bewildering way. The fulfilment of the promises of old comes through a young Jewish girl who accepts the will of God and the work of his Holy Spirit in her. Her husband, Joseph, is confused and perplexed by how is betrothed came to be found with child but he believes God’s word, delivered by the angel of the Lord, and takes his wife to his home.
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In the first reading today we hear some of the loveliest words in Scripture. The prophet Isaiah, setting aside the fear and gloom of the contemporary political situation, looks forward to a Golden Age when God’s salvation will transform every living thing. The barren places of nature will bloom; the weak and the frail will be strong; Jerusalem will be a new centre of creation. And if we listen carefully, we will recognise words used by Handel in his setting of the Messiah - celebrating the God, who comes to us in Jesus, to make all things new.
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The invitation to welcome the God who comes to us in Christ and to cast away empty living is repeated in the liturgy of the Second Sunday of Advent. The Opening Prayer of the Mass asks that no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet Christ. And today we hear the lonely voice of John the Baptist who exhorts us to prepare a way for the Lord. May our faithfulness to the spirit of Advent create a space so that the Lord can come to us.
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As we begin Advent our thoughts are guided, through the liturgy, to the coming of Christ - his first coming to us in humility and weakness and his second coming in majesty and power. The description of the Second Coming of Christ should not fill us with fear, rather we should look forward to it and prepare for it through prayer and right living. So let us resolve to stay close to Christ through our daily prayer. Perhaps praying the rosary daily - even if it is only offering up a decade - and meditating on what Christ wants to say to us in the Gospels. In this way we will learn to discern his voice - calling us to follow him in the way we must walk.
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The feast of Christ the King, which the holy Church throughout the world celebrates today, brings to a close the Church’s liturgical year. Our image of a monarch tends to be of one who lives a privileged life and lords it over others. Christ our King is not like that. He came to serve, not to be served and he wants us to imitate him in his loving service of others. That is why, as St. John of the Cross said: “In the evening of life we shall be examined on love.” If to love and to serve our neighbour is heavenly, hell is the suffering of one who can no longer love.
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The Gospel today speaks of persecution for Christ’s true followers and Jesus makes it clear that in time of trial it is profitable for us to endure this suffering for the sake of Christ. The Lord says: ‘By patient endurance you will win life for yourselves.’ To patient endurance in every trial we suffer, in every affliction, whether this is insolent and contemptuous treatment, humiliations, bodily weakness or the attacks of Satan, or any trial whatsoever caused either by people or by evil spirits, must be added wholehearted thanksgiving, prayer and humility. For, it is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give God thanks, for he disposes all things, good or otherwise, for our benefit.
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In the Gospel today Jesus speaks of the life of the Resurrection and he makes it clear that this is eternal life - a life qualitatively different from our natural life - because ‘the children of the Resurrection’ ‘can no longer die.’ We were made children of the Resurrection through Baptism - when we were baptised in the name of God the Holy Trinity in whose eternal life we now share. It is because we are ‘children of the resurrection’ that we ‘dare’ to call God ‘Our Father’ and it is for this same reason that we are presented, at Baptism, with a candle lit from the Easter candle which represents the light and life of the Resurrected Christ, in whose light and life we share. And being children of the Resurrection, we are also children of God - the God who lives and reigns for ever and ever and we are called to shine as lights in the world to the glory of God, our Father
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We have completed the month of the Holy Rosary. St Dominic, a Catholic, did most in the development and the early spreading of the Rosary, and many Catholic saints since have highly praised the power of this great means of prayer, nevertheless the Rosary is valued and prayed by members of many different Christian traditions, including Lutherans, Methodists and Anglicans. Richard Baumann, a Lutheran, writes: “When the Rosary is said, truth sinks into the subconscious like a slow and steady downpour…It is a long and persevering gaze, a meditation, a quieting of the spirit in praise of God.” J. Neville Ward, a Methodist minister says: “The Rosary has a profound message for our times…It is a message of consolation, Scriptural in its background, and reasonable as well as devotional in its content.” According to the Reverend Ward, the Christian who has a Rosary in his or her hand is within an ancient tradition, for no other scheme of prayer has been so widely used in the Christian West. And the Anglican Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham write in their handbook: “The Rosary is a devotion of which many people are frightened. But it is quite simple and quite sensible; it is like looking at a picture book on our mother’s knee… pictures connected with the Life, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord, are shown to us by His Mother and our Mother, who prays with us and for us.” The Holy Rosary is a sure weapon and protection of true unity in the Church.
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October, the month of the Rosary continues. Through praying the Rosary, we are invited to contemplate the mysteries at the heart of our faith. This leads us to draw closer to Jesus’ life and teaching and helps them to become ever more deeply embedded in our hearts and minds. We can also relate the mysteries of the Rosary to our own lives - applying them to our own spiritual journey and needs. Also, we can name an intention as we pray the Rosary, dedicating our prayer to someone or something - giving thanks to God or exercising love for others by praying for them or asking God’s grace for our own personal needs. If anyone requires instruction on how to pray the Rosary, I will be happy to help.
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In October we find ourselves in the month of the Holy Rosary and so it is fitting, at this time, that we should reflect on the power of the Rosary as a means of prayer and of the important part it can play in our spiritual life. God’s grace comes to us through our praying the Rosary and that is why the saints prayed it faithfully and why Popes have endorsed it through the ages. Our Holy Mother has urged the praying of the Rosary wherever she has appeared in recent times. Surely this should be an encouragement to us to try and pray, at least, a decade of the Rosary daily. To this end, it can be useful to carry a Rosary with us always and to have one beside our beds. If anyone requires instruction on how to pray the Rosary, I will be happy to help
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October is the month of the Rosary - a form of prayer which has been practiced and encouraged by saints and
Popes down through the ages. More importantly it is a prayer that has been urged by Our Blessed Lady herself. Mary
appeared to St Dominic and instructed him to use the Rosary in combating heresy. In the apparitions in Lourdes in 1858,
Our Lady appeared with the Rosary in her hand and recited it together with Bernadette. And in Fatima, in 1917, she
appeared again holding the Rosary and encouraged the faithful to be diligent in praying the Rosary. It was at Fatima that
Mary identified herself as “the Lady of the Rosary” and asked for the “Fatima prayer” to be said after each decade: “O my
Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of your
mercy.”
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We hear in the Gospel today of the apostles’ desire to grow in faith, “Increase our faith,” they say. Jesus’
response is to speak of how faith can accomplish great things, even if it is small. What Jesus seems to be saying is that what
really matters is that faith is exercised, put into practice - that is how it strengthens and grows. Our faith increases when
we put it into practice, and our practice is to be that of disciples of Jesus. And when we have proved faithful servants of
Christ, all we can rightfully say is: “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”
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This week the Church celebrates the Feast of the Archangels Ss Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. In our scientific and materialistic age it is easy to lose sight of the supernatural nature of our faith. In the Creed we profess our belief not only in the 'visible' but also in the 'invisible' and this invisible realm is the home of the Holy Angels of God. The Angels of God are our brothers who protect us from evil and who guide us in our journey toward God. In the Mass we pray to Almighty God that the gifts of the altar may be borne by the hands of his holy Angel to his altar on high and we join with all the Angels in heaven in hymning God’s praise as we acclaim: 'Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.' Also, each of us has a Holy Guardian Angel, appointed by God, who protects us from the beginning of our life in our mother’s womb and accompanies us on our path to heaven. Devotion to the Holy Angels is a powerful means of turning us away from the errors of materialism toward the true faith in the invisible realm of the supernatural.
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There are notable parallels between the Parable of the Unjust Steward, which we hear in the Gospel today, and the
Parable of the Prodigal Son. Each story has a noble master who shows amazing grace to his wayward underling. Both stories
have a subject who wastes his master’s goods and in both stories the wasteful servant or son wake up to their dire situation and
then they throw themselves on the mercy of their master. In these two parables the principal concern for Jesus is not financial
propriety, rather, through these stories, he is inviting us to reflect prayerfully and deeply on the weightier matters of God, his
grace and mercy, and salvation
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An Invitation from Archbishop Bernard Longley : Today we give thanks for the gift of Catholic education. Our schools
have a mission to form Christ-centred pilgrims of hope, with kind hearts, questioning minds, a thirst for knowledge and a hunger
for justice. We urgently need more Foundation Directors and Governors to help guide our schools and keep Christ at the heart of
their mission. This is not simply an administrative role, it is a true vocation and a way to serve Christ and His Church. If you are
a practising Catholic, committed to our mission, and willing to share your time, skills, and faith, you can make a lasting difference
for thousands of children and young people. No prior experience is required as full training and support are given. The Holy
Cross teaches us that service is not always easy, but it is always fruitful when rooted in love. Please speak to your Parish Priest
or visit the Diocesan Education Service’s website for further details: https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/news/could-you-be-
a-foundation-governor-or-director-at-your-local-catholic-school and https://www.bdes.org.uk/governor-online-application-
forms.html to complete an online application form
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Regarding discipleship and following Jesus, today’s Gospel makes it clear that it is a choice which each of us has to make. Christ calls us to radical commitment to him and for that reason he asks all those who would be followers to first count the cost of discipleship. The cost is great. Its demands all total but the reward is inexpressibly greater. We cannot follow him in our own strength. He leads us, he empowers us, he gives us the strength to follow so that we might increasingly immerse ourselves in that incomparable love of his which was revealed in his Passion and Cross - a love that is stronger than death and the love we were created to know and share in forever.
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The Gospel today speaks to us of humility and humility is necessary if we wish to be pleasing to God and find entry into his kingdom. Humility is one of the marks of a saint. Because the saints were close to God and deeply aware of his great holiness they felt their faults, failures and weaknesses more profoundly. We are to be humble, like Jesus and the saints, if we are to find favour with God. Humility is about being realistic about who and what we are in the light of the holiness of God.
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In today’s Gospel Jesus says: “Try your best to enter by the narrow door”
- and Jesus is the “narrow door.” through which God’s eternal plan is realised in time and space - through Christ, God’s kingdom comes on earth and God’s plan for his creation is fulfilled. So, if we want to get on board with the true meaning and purpose of life - If we want to understand and live according to God’s eternal loving purposes - then we need to try to enter into this sacred mystery through Christ, for he is the “narrow door” in time which opens on to eternity and the truth of our existence.
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Let us pray that societies where coexistence seems more difficult, might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation for ethnic, political, religious or ideological reasons.
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We must be open and ready to receive the God who comes to us in every present moment. God’s name, revealed to Moses, is I AM. He is, therefore, the Ever-Present One. Too often, our minds are distracted by what has been or by what might be – by things past, which no longer exist and by things which may or may not come to pass. God, however, the Great I AM, meets us in real time – the only time which is real, the present moment. Prayer and the sacraments – especially the Sacrament of the Eucharist – can help to make us present to the One who is present to us in the sacrament of the present moment.
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The Gospel calls us to place all our trust in God and his providence. Through prayer and the sacraments, we are to store up treasure for ourselves in heaven. Though we are poor in spiritual things, God makes us rich through his grace, allowing us to be sharers in his life and love.
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The Pope’s Prayer Intention for July: “Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel,”
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The mystery revealed in today’s readings is of God in Christ, our friend and companion - the Divine guest who comes
to us and we are invited to welcome him, just as Abraham did at the Oak of Mamre and as Martha and Mary did at Bethany.
Both Abraham and Martha welcomed their Divine Guest amidst a flurry of activity; whilst Mary sat at his feet and listened to
him in the stillness. However we receive the God who comes to us, only one thing is needed - a heart open to love.
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As followers of Christ, we are all called to be like the Good Samaritan. We are to love our neighbour as ourselves - serving all people without distinction of race, colour or creed and having a special concern for the poor and marginalized. We are to demonstrate our love of God through being reconcilers, peacemakers and healers in a wounded world
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In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus sending out his Apostles to share in his mission of spreading the Good News of the
Kingdom of God and Jesus still sends us out today. Christ’s missionary mandate is still in force. We ascend with Christ in and
through the Mass to the heavenly places where we worship the living God with angels and Archangels and all the hosts of heaven.
After having fed on heavenly things, shared in the Holy Spirit and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
we are sent out at the end of the Mass for the life of the world. Christ’s missionary mandate to his Church still stands. The
Church on earth is missionary by nature - the Church exists for others - in order that they might be drawn into the communion of
love which exists between God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that love, revealed fully in the Cross of Christ, urges us on.
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Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Peter, the brother of Andrew, the Galilean fisherman who was called by the Lord to be the leader of the Twelve. Paul, the tent-maker from Tarsus, a Pharisee and a Roman citizen who was called to be the Apostle of the Gentiles. Jesus’ key question, addressed to Peter and the disciples in today’s Gospel, is addressed to all who are called to be Christ’s disciples. The key question is who Jesus is for us.
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Today’s feast turns our thoughts to the sacred mysteries of the Eucharist, and one of the peculiarities of the Eucharistic feast is that we, the Church, become the Body of Christ through our partaking of Christ’s Body and the consequence of our assimilation to the Body of Christ is that, like Christ, we become spiritual food for the life of the world, to be broken, given away and consumed. The Eucharist makes the Church, by making the Church Eucharist.
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We are not to approach God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God in three Persons as a mathematical puzzle or a
philosophical problem but, rather, as the Divine community of love whom we are called to know and enjoy for ever, for the one
God, who has revealed Himself as Trinity, has made us for himself - to know and enjoy him forever. That is why, in and through
sacred mysteries which we celebrate in the Eucharist, he gathers us to himself so that, by grace, we might share in the life and love
of the Most Holy Trinity for ever.
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June is the month of the Sacred Heart. Today the Church of God throughout the world celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost. It is God’s Spirit who inspires us to obey God’s commandments. All who love God experience the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. He counsels us and reminds us of what Jesus has said. The Holy Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. As we thank God today for the gift of his Holy Spirit let us pray that our Christian discipleship manifests these fruits of God’s Spirit.
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June is the month of the Sacred Heart. The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on Friday 27th June - which we will celebrate with a Mass at 9.00am at St Francis. All welcome. Great benefits are promised to those who practice this devotion. Also, during this month, we can seek to deepen our devotion to the love of God revealed in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus - a devotion encouraged by St Margaret Mary, whose relic rests in the altar at Blessed Robert Grissold church. We might even consider consecrating ourselves to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. To this end I have included, below, a Prayer of Consecration, written by St Margaret Mary, which we could pray during the month of June.
Consecration to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ I give and consecrate to the Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, my whole life, all my actions, my trials, my sufferings, devoting every portion of my being to loving, honouring, and glorifying him, to working for his love alone, renouncing with all my heart whatever may be displeasing to him. I take you, then, O Sacred Heart, for the one object of my love, the protector of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my inconstancy, the redeemer of all my faults, and my sure refuge in the hour of death. O Heart of all goodness, be my justification before God the Father, and shield me from the effects of his just anger. O Heart, overflowing with love, I place all my confidence in you, for I dread my own weakness, while I hope everything from your goodness. Destroy in me whatever displeases you or goes against your will. May pure love of you be so deeply imprinted in my heart that I may never forget you nor be separated from you. I implore you by all your love that my name be graven upon you. May it be my happiness to live and die as your slave. Through Christ our Lord. Amen
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Praying the Rosary in May, the Month of Our Blessed Lady - The Holy Rosary is a rich and powerful prayer. Firstly, the Rosary is vocal prayer in that, the fixed words can be prayed aloud, but it also lends itself to meditative prayer as we reflect on each of the mysteries. This enables personal insights that can change our lives and meditation can lead to loving contemplation when our mind is seized by the depth of the mystery we are praying. That’s why Pope St John Paul II wrote:“The Rosary belongs among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation.” The words of the Rosary also contain prayers of praise and petition and the faithful often offer up each decade of the Rosary for a special intention. Countless believers, down through the ages have born witness to the fruitful results of praying the Rosary. How could it be otherwise when, as Pope St John Paul II says: “To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ.”
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Safeguarding
The Parish follows the safeguarding standards advised by The Archdiocese of Birmingham. You can view these standards by following the link here.
A link to the Archdiocese safeguarding website can be found here.
Safespaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused by someone in the Church or as a result of their relationship with the Church of England, the Catholic Church in England and Wales or the Church in Wales. If you have been affected, however long ago, Safe Spaces can provide you with support. You do not have to have told the police or the church authorities, and you do not have to still be involved with the church. Your information will not be shared without your consent unless you or someone else is in immediate danger. To contact Safespaces, please follow the link to their website here.
The Isaiah Journey The Isaiah Journey is a working group of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which has grown out of the need for a pastoral-spiritual response to the suffering of victims and survivors of abuse in the Church. It provides A Guide for Survivors of Abuse that can be found here.
The Safeguarding Rep for our Parish is Monica Green and she can be contacted via email at sg.brg.balsallcommon@rcaob.org.uk.
The Parish follows the safeguarding standards advised by The Archdiocese of Birmingham. You can view these standards by following the link here.
A link to the Archdiocese safeguarding website can be found here.
Safespaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused by someone in the Church or as a result of their relationship with the Church of England, the Catholic Church in England and Wales or the Church in Wales. If you have been affected, however long ago, Safe Spaces can provide you with support. You do not have to have told the police or the church authorities, and you do not have to still be involved with the church. Your information will not be shared without your consent unless you or someone else is in immediate danger. To contact Safespaces, please follow the link to their website here.
The Isaiah Journey The Isaiah Journey is a working group of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which has grown out of the need for a pastoral-spiritual response to the suffering of victims and survivors of abuse in the Church. It provides A Guide for Survivors of Abuse that can be found here.
The Safeguarding Rep for our Parish is Monica Green and she can be contacted via email at sg.brg.balsallcommon@rcaob.org.uk.
Parish Events
Looking for the rest of the Parish Event List? We have archived the list from our old site but you can still view them here.
Date
| Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 08.07.2026 | Parish Coffee Morning | The next Parish Coffee Morning will be in the Narthex at 10:30 on Wednesday July 8th with coffee and tea, scones, cakes and good conversation. If you haven’t been before, give it a try – you will be made very welcome! |
| 07.07.2026 | Midweek Mass | At Blessed Robert Grissold, Balsall Common: Tuesday 10am , as it is the first Tuesday of the month, Mass will be followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at 11am. |
| 04.07.2026 | Churches together Coffee Morning | The next Churches together Coffee Morning is Saturday 4th July from 10:30am - 12pm in the Jubilee Centre. The Churches together Coffee mornings are held on the first Saturday of each month, hosted by local churches in turn - Blessed Robert Grissold’s next turn hosting will be in September. |
| 28.06.2026 | Stay and Play | St George and St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School warmly invites babies and toddlers to our Stay and Play every Friday 2:00 to 3:15. Contact the school office for further details: 01564774906 or office@stgandt.solihull.sch.uk |
| 20.06.2026 | Baptism | Please keep in your prayer Baby James Henry Meakin who will be Baptised here next Saturday 20th June. Also pray for his parents and Godparents. |
| 20.06.2026 | Relic of St Francis of Assisi | During this year of St Francis, a Relic of St Francis will be available for veneration at St Francis, Baddesley Clinton, after the Mass on Saturday 6.30pm and Sunday 11.00am. |
| 07.06.2026 | Reception into full communion with the Catholic Church | If anyone is interested in preparing to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church, please contact Fr Frank as soon as possible a new course of formation is about to begin. Also please keep in your prayers Catherine and Daniel who are to be received into full Communion with the Church today, Sunday 14th June, at Baddesley Clinton. |
| 06.06.2026 | Churches together Coffee Morning | The next Churches together Coffee Morning is Saturday 6th June from 10:30am -12pm in the Jubilee Centre. The Churches together Coffee mornings are held on the first Saturday of each month, hosted by local churches in turn - Blessed Robert Grissold’s next turn hosting will be in September. |
| 02.06.2026 | Change to Tuesday Mass Time | This week the Mass on Tuesday will begin at 6.30pm. The Mass will be followed by the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at 7.30pm all welcome |
| 31.05.2026 | Corpus Christi | Next Sunday the Church celebrates Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ |
| 14.05.2026 | Prayer Group | Our Prayer Group will not be meeting this Thursday 14th May. We are sorry for any inconvenience. We will resume as usual on Thursday 21st May at 4pm. Everyone is most welcome |
| 06.05.2026 | Parish Coffee Morning | The May Parish Coffee Morning was held on May 6th rather than May 13th - Please note that the earlier timing is a one off and things will return to normal in June. |
| 02.05.2026 | Baptism | Please pray for Louis Alexander Shopland who was Baptised here this weekend, Saturday 2nd May. And for his parents, godparents, Family and Friends |
| 01.05.2026 | Stay and Play | St George and St Tereas Catholic Primary School warmly invites babies and toddlers to our Stay and Play every Friday 2:00 to 3:15. Contact the school office for further details: 01564774906 or office@stgandt.solihull.sch.uk |
| 27.04.2026 | Potluck Supper Photos | On the 14th march, the parish held a potluck support with entertainment. Click on the link to see the photos |
| 15.04.2026 | Churches together Balsall & Berkswell | Here at Blessed Robert Grissold on Wednesday April 15th at 7:00pm, there will be an Eco talk aimed at looking to save energy in our Churches. Please let John or Louise Perry know if you are willing to attend. |
| 12.04.2026 | Easter Offering | Thank you for the collection in the Easter Masses which is the customary Easter offering to your priest. I am grateful for the generosity of spirit which is shown in so many ways in the life of the Parish. |
| 11.04.2026 | Baptism | Please pray for Elizabeth and Tom whose baby, Rosanna, will be Baptised on Saturday the 11th April |
| 08.04.2026 | Parish Coffee Morning | The next Parish Coffee Morning will be held in the Narthex at 10:30 on April 8th with coffee and tea, scones, cakes and good conversation. If you haven’t been before, give it a try – you will be made very welcome. |
| 05.04.2026 | Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion | Anyone interested in becoming an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion please contact Fr Frank. |
| 29.03.2026 | Easter Offering | The collection at Mass at Easter is the customary Easter Offering for your parish priest. If you are away this Easter, you can make this offering to your priest at any time by leaving a cheque payable to Rev Frank Smith or cash in an envelope marked ‘Easter Offering.’ Thank you for your support. |
| 29.03.2026 | Save the Children Spring Fayre | Julia Greensall would like to thank those parishioners who attended the Spring Fayre - held on 14th March at St Francis of Assisi in Kenilworth, which raised £1,490 for the Charity 'Save the Children’. |
| 29.03.2026 | Lent CAFOD collection | Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Lent CAFOD collection from Chris Lynn. I am delighted to say that we raised over £400! More than half of us also filled out the gift Aid form. So the final total should be about £460. An excellent amount! |
| 29.03.2026 | Planned Giving Update | Following on from the events we held in our parish, you have helped us to increase our planned giving and also increased the number of people volunteering to support our parish. After our financial planned giving event, 5 new standing orders have been raised and 25 existing standing orders (approx. 50% of our total existing standing orders as of the end of October 2025) have been increased. Overall, standing order planned giving has increased by over 30%. With the addition of gift aid, this represents a significant increase in planned giving for our parish and is a fantastic result. In March, we invited you to support the ongoing running of our parish. This resulted in 20 additional volunteers for the parish groups and rotas. The rota and group coordinators will be in touch with everyone who volunteered to discuss next steps and include you in the rotas. You will also be contacted by Monica Green, our parish safeguarding representative, to ensure that you are able to comply with the Diocesan Safer Recruitment guidelines. The team would like to thank you for your generosity in the way in which you have responded to these events, it is greatly appreciated. |
| 29.03.2026 | Safeguarding audit | The Parish has to complete a Safeguarding audit. To comply with Diocesan Safeguarding policy, all volunteers in the Parish need to complete Level 1 safeguarding training. This is reading a leaflet about safeguarding (posted on the notice board and there are a few copies at the back of Church) and confirming that they have done this to Monica Green or Iain Butlin-Moran so it can be documented on the Parish Audit Spreadsheet. Everybody that has a role that needs a DBS check will have to complete level 2 or 3 training which is an online module. Monica will be in touch with all the relevant people with the details of this. |
| 29.03.2026 | Easter Mass times 2026 | please click on the link to view our mass times over the Easter period |
| 22.03.2026 | Job Vacancies | The Diocese are advertising two jobs, One for a Lead Trustee for the Property sub-committee and one for a Lead Trustee for the Safeguarding sub-committee. For an informal discussion about the role, please see the Noticeboard for more information. |
| 22.03.2026 | One Pot Supper | An evening of good food and entertainment was enjoyed by one and all last Saturday. We raised £610 towards Parish funds, a wonderful result, so thanks to everyone for all their help and generosity. |
| 19.03.2026 | 40 Hours Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament | 40 Hours Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament will take place at St John the Evangelist, Banbury from Thursday 19th March at 6.30pm through to the 4pm Vigil Mass on Saturday 21st March. This is part of the deanery prayer for vocations |
| 15.03.2026 | March, the month of prayer for vocations | Our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament on the First Tuesday after Mass (at BRG) and every Thursday (at SF) during March will be dedicated to this intention |
| 15.03.2026 | RIP | Please pray for the repose of the soul of Geraldine, Mgr. Danny McHugh’s sister, who died recently. Her Funeral will take place at Ss. George and Teresa, Dorridge at 10.30am on Friday 27th March. |
| 15.03.2026 | Mothering Sunday | Today is Mothering Sunday and so we give thanks to God for our mothers and for all who are mothers in our community. May God bless you in your high calling, remembering that the greatest of the saints, Our Blessed Lady, was, like you, a mother and that through loving devotion to her maternal vocation attained to the heights of holiness |
| 15.03.2026 | Safeguarding audit | The Parish has to complete a Safeguarding audit. To comply with The Diocesan Safeguarding policy, all volunteers in the Parish need to complete Level 1 safeguarding training. This is reading a leaflet about safeguarding and confirming to Monica Green or Iain Butlin-Moran that they have done this so that this can be documented on the Parish Audit Spreadsheet. This will be posted on the notice board and there are a few copies at the back of Church, or you may have been sent an email by your rota leader. Everybody that has a role that needs a DBS check will have to complete level 2 or 3 training which is an online module. Monica will be in touch with all the relevant people for the details of this. |
| 15.03.2026 | Visit of Relic of St Carlo Acutis | Visit of Relic of St Carlo Acutis: Sunday 15th March - veneration of relic and his Eucharistic Miracles exhibition at St Joseph's Whitnash, with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in church during the day for Vocations and talk at 3.30pm |
| 14.03.2026 | One Pot Supper with entertainment | We are holding an evening of food and merriment on Saturday 14th March at 7 pm. Please bring your own drinks, and any raffle prizes you have kindly agreed to donate. There will be a selection of different dishes followed by dessert and entertainment. Any questions, please see Pam Martin. |
| 14.03.2026 | Save the Children Charity Spring Fayre | Save the Children Charity Spring Fayre on Saturday 14th March 10am to 2pm at St.Francis of Assisi parish Centre, Kenilworth. Free admission and free parking. Buy hand-made goods, cards and Easter gifts, have some delicious refreshments, or take part in the raffle. Contact Julia on 07855843914 for more details. |
| 12.03.2026 | Dementia Prayer Week | Began on Thursday 12th March – resources are available from www.rpbooks.co.uk |
| 08.03.2026 | Planned Giving Event 2 | After the talk last Sunday, our church rota and group organisers will be in the parish room again after Mass today to speak to you about volunteering your time and skills to support the running of our parish. If you have not spoken to them last Sunday, please do visit them today. We really need your help and any support you can give would be greatly appreciated. |
| 08.03.2026 | CAFOD Family Fast Day | The Family Fast Day was on 27th February; you can still donate by envelope, phone 0303 303 3030, text CAFODLENT to 70085 (£10), or online at cafod.org.uk/envelope. Online donations are doubled. |
| 07.03.2026 | Churches Together Lent Breakfasts and Talks | These will be held at the Methodist Church each Saturday until 21st March, breakfast from 8.45am, speaker at 9.00am |
| 07.03.2026 | Coffee Together | The next Churches Together “Coffee Together” is on 7th March at the Jubilee centre, hosted by the Methodist Church. |
| 06.03.2026 | World Day of Prayer | This years’ service, prepared by the people of Nigeria, will be held at the Methodist Church on Friday 6th March at 6.30pm and will be followed by light refreshments. Everyone is welcome. |
| 01.03.2026 | Prayer Tree | All are invited to use our Prayer Tree in the Narthex. Take a tag, date it, write your prayer, and hang it on the tree. Prayers stay on the tree for one month and are shared at prayer group meetings |
| 22.02.2026 | Prayer Tree | All are invited to use our Prayer Tree in the Narthex. Take a tag, date it, write your prayer, and hang it on the tree. Prayers stay on the tree for one month and are shared at prayer group meetings |
| 21.02.2026 | Lent Breakfasts | As usual the Methodist Church is the venue for the Churches Together Lenten Breakfast talks. The theme is “Good Books”. These will be each Saturday morning from 21st February until 21st March, breakfast from 8.45am (pastries, tea & coffee) donations please. The talk begins at 9.00am. Each church will act as host in turn. Blessed Robert Grissold will be hosting on 7th March. Volunteers welcome |
| 18.02.2026 | Ash Wednesday Mass and imposition of Ashes | Ash Wednesday Mass and imposition of Ashes: 6.30pm on Wednesday 18th February |
| 18.02.2026 | Lent | Let us make every effort to make a good start to the season of Lent and to use this time to renew and deepen our life in Christ. To help us prepare for the celebration of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection the following are available during Lent att Blessed Robert Grissold, Balsall Common: Tuesdays 10:00am Mass followed by Stations of the Cross |
| 18.02.2026 | Changes in Lent | In the penitential season of Lent, we do not sing the Gloria, and the Alleluia is dropped from the Gospel Acclamation |
| 17.02.2026 | Churches Together Quiet Mornings | The next Quiet Morning will be on Shrove Tuesday, 17th February, 9.30 am – 12 noon. It will be at St Mary’s Church in Temple Balsall and led by the vicar Debbie Collins. |
| 15.02.2026 | Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament | Mass on the First Tuesday of each month will be followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at 11:00am. |
| 15.02.2026 | Second Collection | There will be a second collection today for the LIFE Charity |
| 11.02.2026 | Parish Coffee Morning | The next Parish Coffee morning will be in the Narthex at 10.30am on 11th February with coffee and tea, cakes, scones and good conversation. If you haven’t been before, give it a try - you will be made very welcome! |
| 01.02.2026 | Second Collection | There is a second collection next Sunday (1st February) for Racial Justice. |
| 01.02.2026 | Planned Giving | Thank you to everyone who responded to our first Planned Giving event by taking out a new standing order (or increasing an existing standing order) and/or signing up for Gift Aid. If you haven’t yet set up a standing order or Gift Aid and would like to do so, Iain Butlin-Moran will be available in the Narthex for the next few Sundays with forms and details of how to set these up. |
| 01.02.2026 | Choir | Weekly choir practice will start today after mass, working on music for Easter. New members very welcome – no previous choir experience needed! Please speak to Ian or Ellie Clarke if you are interested in joining. |
| 01.02.2026 | Healthcare Volunteers in Lourdes | Are you a doctor, nurse or carer? Would you consider donating your time and expertise on next year’s Lourdes Pilgrimage? Every year sick pilgrims are able to make the journey to Lourdes thanks to the support of a dedicated Healthcare Team. Without their expertise many pilgrims would not be able to go. If you are a healthcare professional and would like to try something new, please consider joining us. You will make a real difference. For more information, and to access the Volunteer Pilgrimage Pack and an application form, please visit https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/lourdes-pilgrimage. |
| 01.02.2026 | Reception of Adults into full Communion with the Church | If any adults are interested in entering into full Communion with the Catholic Church, please contact Fr Frank ASAP as formation will begin shortly |
| 01.02.2026 | Sacrament of Confirmation (for young people) | If any young people in our Parish, from Year 6 upwards, are interested in preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation, please contact Teresa Green on 07583 540060 or speak to Fr. Frank. Preparation will commence at the end of January. |
| 27.01.2026 | Weekday Mass this Tuesday | There will be no weekday mass this Tuesday. Fr. Frank will be taking his post-Christmas break at this time, apologies for any inconvenience. |
| 18.01.2026 | Churches Together Service for Christian Unity | A service for Christian Unity will be held today, 18th January at 4pm at St John the Baptist Church Berkswell. The theme this year is ‘Light from Light for Light’ and it has been prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church. All welcome, light refreshments will be served. |
08.07.2026
The next Parish Coffee Morning will be in the Narthex at 10:30 on Wednesday July 8th with coffee and tea, scones, cakes and good conversation. If you haven’t been before, give it a try – you will be made very welcome!
|
07.07.2026
At Blessed Robert Grissold, Balsall Common: Tuesday 10am , as it is the first Tuesday of the month, Mass will be followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at 11am.
|
04.07.2026
The next Churches together Coffee Morning is Saturday 4th July from 10:30am - 12pm in the Jubilee Centre. The Churches together Coffee mornings are held on the first Saturday of each month, hosted by local churches in turn - Blessed Robert Grissold’s next turn hosting will be in September.
|
28.06.2026
St George and St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School warmly invites babies and toddlers to our Stay and Play every Friday 2:00 to 3:15. Contact the school office for further details: 01564774906 or office@stgandt.solihull.sch.uk
|
20.06.2026
Please keep in your prayer Baby James Henry Meakin who will be Baptised here next Saturday 20th June. Also pray for his parents and Godparents.
|
20.06.2026
During this year of St Francis, a Relic of St Francis will be available for veneration at St Francis, Baddesley Clinton, after the Mass on Saturday 6.30pm and Sunday 11.00am.
|
07.06.2026
If anyone is interested in preparing to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church, please contact Fr Frank as soon as possible a new course of formation is about to begin. Also please keep in your prayers Catherine and Daniel who are to be received into full Communion with the Church today, Sunday 14th June, at Baddesley Clinton.
|
06.06.2026
The next Churches together Coffee Morning is Saturday 6th June from 10:30am -12pm in the Jubilee Centre. The Churches together Coffee mornings are held on the first Saturday of each month, hosted by local churches in turn - Blessed Robert Grissold’s next turn hosting will be in September.
|
02.06.2026
This week the Mass on Tuesday will begin at 6.30pm. The Mass will be followed by the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at 7.30pm all welcome
|
31.05.2026
Next Sunday the Church celebrates Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
|
14.05.2026
Our Prayer Group will not be meeting this Thursday 14th May. We are sorry for any inconvenience. We will resume as usual on Thursday 21st May at 4pm. Everyone is most welcome
|
06.05.2026
The May Parish Coffee Morning was held on May 6th rather than May 13th - Please note that the earlier timing is a one off and things will return to normal in June.
|
02.05.2026
Please pray for Louis Alexander Shopland who was Baptised here this weekend, Saturday 2nd May. And for his parents, godparents, Family and Friends
|
01.05.2026
St George and St Tereas Catholic Primary School warmly invites babies and toddlers to our Stay and Play every Friday 2:00 to 3:15. Contact the school office for further details: 01564774906 or office@stgandt.solihull.sch.uk
|
27.04.2026
On the 14th march, the parish held a potluck support with entertainment. Click on the link to see the photos
|
15.04.2026
Here at Blessed Robert Grissold on Wednesday April 15th at 7:00pm, there will be an Eco talk aimed at looking to save energy in our Churches. Please let John or Louise Perry know if you are willing to attend.
|
12.04.2026
Thank you for the collection in the Easter Masses which is the customary Easter offering to your priest. I am grateful for the generosity of spirit which is shown in so many ways in the life of the Parish.
|
11.04.2026
Please pray for Elizabeth and Tom whose baby, Rosanna, will be Baptised on Saturday the 11th April
|
08.04.2026
The next Parish Coffee Morning will be held in the Narthex at 10:30 on April 8th with coffee and tea, scones, cakes and good conversation. If you haven’t been before, give it a try – you will be made very welcome.
|
05.04.2026
Anyone interested in becoming an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion please contact Fr Frank.
|
29.03.2026
The collection at Mass at Easter is the customary Easter Offering for your parish priest. If you are away this Easter, you can make this offering to your priest at any time by leaving a cheque payable to Rev Frank Smith or cash in an envelope marked ‘Easter Offering.’ Thank you for your support.
|
29.03.2026
Julia Greensall would like to thank those parishioners who attended the Spring Fayre - held on 14th March at St Francis of Assisi in Kenilworth, which raised £1,490 for the Charity 'Save the Children’.
|
29.03.2026
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Lent CAFOD collection from Chris Lynn. I am delighted to say that we raised over £400! More than half of us also filled out the gift Aid form. So the final total should be about £460. An excellent amount!
|
29.03.2026
Following on from the events we held in our parish, you have helped us to increase our planned giving and also increased the number of people volunteering to support our parish. After our financial planned giving event, 5 new standing orders have been raised and 25 existing standing orders (approx. 50% of our total existing standing orders as of the end of October 2025) have been increased. Overall, standing order planned giving has increased by over 30%. With the addition of gift aid, this represents a significant increase in planned giving for our parish and is a fantastic result. In March, we invited you to support the ongoing running of our parish. This resulted in 20 additional volunteers for the parish groups and rotas. The rota and group coordinators will be in touch with everyone who volunteered to discuss next steps and include you in the rotas. You will also be contacted by Monica Green, our parish safeguarding representative, to ensure that you are able to comply with the Diocesan Safer Recruitment guidelines. The team would like to thank you for your generosity in the way in which you have responded to these events, it is greatly appreciated.
|
29.03.2026
The Parish has to complete a Safeguarding audit. To comply with Diocesan Safeguarding policy, all volunteers in the Parish need to complete Level 1 safeguarding training. This is reading a leaflet about safeguarding (posted on the notice board and there are a few copies at the back of Church) and confirming that they have done this to Monica Green or Iain Butlin-Moran so it can be documented on the Parish Audit Spreadsheet. Everybody that has a role that needs a DBS check will have to complete level 2 or 3 training which is an online module. Monica will be in touch with all the relevant people with the details of this.
|
29.03.2026
please click on the link to view our mass times over the Easter period
|
22.03.2026
The Diocese are advertising two jobs, One for a Lead Trustee for the Property sub-committee and one for a Lead Trustee for the Safeguarding sub-committee. For an informal discussion about the role, please see the Noticeboard for more information.
|
22.03.2026
An evening of good food and entertainment was enjoyed by one and all last Saturday. We raised £610 towards Parish funds, a wonderful result, so thanks to everyone for all their help and generosity.
|
19.03.2026
40 Hours Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament will take place at St John the Evangelist, Banbury from Thursday 19th March at 6.30pm through to the 4pm Vigil Mass on Saturday 21st March. This is part of the deanery prayer for vocations
|
15.03.2026
Our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament on the First Tuesday after Mass (at BRG) and every Thursday (at SF) during March will be dedicated to this intention
|
15.03.2026
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Geraldine, Mgr. Danny McHugh’s sister, who died recently. Her Funeral will take place at Ss. George and Teresa, Dorridge at 10.30am on Friday 27th March.
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15.03.2026
Today is Mothering Sunday and so we give thanks to God for our mothers and for all who are mothers in our community. May God bless you in your high calling, remembering that the greatest of the saints, Our Blessed Lady, was, like you, a mother and that through loving devotion to her maternal vocation attained to the heights of holiness
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15.03.2026
The Parish has to complete a Safeguarding audit. To comply with The Diocesan Safeguarding policy, all volunteers in the Parish need to complete Level 1 safeguarding training. This is reading a leaflet about safeguarding and confirming to Monica Green or Iain Butlin-Moran that they have done this so that this can be documented on the Parish Audit Spreadsheet. This will be posted on the notice board and there are a few copies at the back of Church, or you may have been sent an email by your rota leader. Everybody that has a role that needs a DBS check will have to complete level 2 or 3 training which is an online module. Monica will be in touch with all the relevant people for the details of this.
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15.03.2026
Visit of Relic of St Carlo Acutis: Sunday 15th March - veneration of relic and his Eucharistic Miracles exhibition at St Joseph's Whitnash, with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in church during the day for Vocations and talk at 3.30pm
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14.03.2026
We are holding an evening of food and merriment on Saturday 14th March at 7 pm. Please bring your own drinks, and any raffle prizes you have kindly agreed to donate. There will be a selection of different dishes followed by dessert and entertainment. Any questions, please see Pam Martin.
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14.03.2026
Save the Children Charity Spring Fayre on Saturday 14th March 10am to 2pm at St.Francis of Assisi parish Centre, Kenilworth. Free admission and free parking. Buy hand-made goods, cards and Easter gifts, have some delicious refreshments, or take part in the raffle. Contact Julia on 07855843914 for more details.
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12.03.2026
Began on Thursday 12th March – resources are available from www.rpbooks.co.uk
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08.03.2026
After the talk last Sunday, our church rota and group organisers will be in the parish room again after Mass today to speak to you about volunteering your time and skills to support the running of our parish. If you have not spoken to them last Sunday, please do visit them today. We really need your help and any support you can give would be greatly appreciated.
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08.03.2026
The Family Fast Day was on 27th February; you can still donate by envelope, phone 0303 303 3030, text CAFODLENT to 70085 (£10), or online at cafod.org.uk/envelope. Online donations are doubled.
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07.03.2026
These will be held at the Methodist Church each Saturday until 21st March, breakfast from 8.45am, speaker at 9.00am
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07.03.2026
The next Churches Together “Coffee Together” is on 7th March at the Jubilee centre, hosted by the Methodist Church.
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06.03.2026
This years’ service, prepared by the people of Nigeria, will be held at the Methodist Church on Friday 6th March at 6.30pm and will be followed by light refreshments. Everyone is welcome.
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01.03.2026
All are invited to use our Prayer Tree in the Narthex. Take a tag, date it, write your prayer, and hang it on the tree. Prayers stay on the tree for one month and are shared at prayer group meetings
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22.02.2026
All are invited to use our Prayer Tree in the Narthex. Take a tag, date it, write your prayer, and hang it on the tree. Prayers stay on the tree for one month and are shared at prayer group meetings
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21.02.2026
As usual the Methodist Church is the venue for the Churches Together Lenten Breakfast talks. The theme is “Good Books”. These will be each Saturday morning from 21st February until 21st March, breakfast from 8.45am (pastries, tea & coffee) donations please. The talk begins at 9.00am. Each church will act as host in turn. Blessed Robert Grissold will be hosting on 7th March. Volunteers welcome
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18.02.2026
Ash Wednesday Mass and imposition of Ashes: 6.30pm on Wednesday 18th February
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18.02.2026
Let us make every effort to make a good start to the season of Lent and to use this time to renew and deepen our life in Christ. To help us prepare for the celebration of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection the following are available during Lent att Blessed Robert Grissold, Balsall Common: Tuesdays 10:00am Mass followed by Stations of the Cross
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18.02.2026
In the penitential season of Lent, we do not sing the Gloria, and the Alleluia is dropped from the Gospel Acclamation
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17.02.2026
The next Quiet Morning will be on Shrove Tuesday, 17th February, 9.30 am – 12 noon. It will be at St Mary’s Church in Temple Balsall and led by the vicar Debbie Collins.
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15.02.2026
Mass on the First Tuesday of each month will be followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at 11:00am.
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15.02.2026
There will be a second collection today for the LIFE Charity
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11.02.2026
The next Parish Coffee morning will be in the Narthex at 10.30am on 11th February with coffee and tea, cakes, scones and good conversation. If you haven’t been before, give it a try - you will be made very welcome!
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01.02.2026
There is a second collection next Sunday (1st February) for Racial Justice.
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01.02.2026
Thank you to everyone who responded to our first Planned Giving event by taking out a new standing order (or increasing an existing standing order) and/or signing up for Gift Aid. If you haven’t yet set up a standing order or Gift Aid and would like to do so, Iain Butlin-Moran will be available in the Narthex for the next few Sundays with forms and details of how to set these up.
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01.02.2026
Weekly choir practice will start today after mass, working on music for Easter. New members very welcome – no previous choir experience needed! Please speak to Ian or Ellie Clarke if you are interested in joining.
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01.02.2026
Are you a doctor, nurse or carer? Would you consider donating your time and expertise on next year’s Lourdes Pilgrimage? Every year sick pilgrims are able to make the journey to Lourdes thanks to the support of a dedicated Healthcare Team. Without their expertise many pilgrims would not be able to go. If you are a healthcare professional and would like to try something new, please consider joining us. You will make a real difference. For more information, and to access the Volunteer Pilgrimage Pack and an application form, please visit https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/lourdes-pilgrimage.
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01.02.2026
If any adults are interested in entering into full Communion with the Catholic Church, please contact Fr Frank ASAP as formation will begin shortly
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01.02.2026
If any young people in our Parish, from Year 6 upwards, are interested in preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation, please contact Teresa Green on 07583 540060 or speak to Fr. Frank. Preparation will commence at the end of January.
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27.01.2026
There will be no weekday mass this Tuesday. Fr. Frank will be taking his post-Christmas break at this time, apologies for any inconvenience.
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18.01.2026
A service for Christian Unity will be held today, 18th January at 4pm at St John the Baptist Church Berkswell. The theme this year is ‘Light from Light for Light’ and it has been prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church. All welcome, light refreshments will be served.
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Parish Calendar
