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
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. I hope as many of us as possible will gather for these key celebrations in the Church’s calendar.
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We see in the Gospel today how the Jewish Law was interpreted at the time of Jesus such that it prescribed the death penalty for the sin of adultery. Jesus rejects the lack of humility and lack of mercy, shown in the story, by the woman’s accusers. “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus’ just authority made her accusers, all men, walk away. Jesus forgives the woman taken in adultery and rejects the cruelty and double standards of her accusers.
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Jesus’ parables invite us to reflect on where we find ourselves in the story he is telling. So in today’s Parable of the
Prodigal Son who do we most identify with? With the Father, having a care and concern for those in need and having a good nose
for when a party is needed? Or do we identify more with the reckless, but eventually repentant, younger son? Do we see something
of ourselves in his destructive self-centredness? Or do we see more of our self in the elder son - are we more like him in being full
of resentment and making other people pay for our loveless faithfulness? Perhaps we see a little of all the characters in us. Wherever
we find our self in the story, Christ invites us to reflect on the journey we have to make to be one with him.
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In today’s Gospel Christ calls us to repentance. It is a call for us to come to our senses - to realise who we really are and to be those people - and through Baptism we are children of God. Repentance is about turning away from all that prevents us from realising our true identity and a turning towards the God who wants us to live in a loving relationship with him and with one another. Repentance is about us realising the abundant life God created us for. It’s the reason Christ came to proclaim his message of repentance - for as he said: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” and to that end he calls us to, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
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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.” “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. And 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 into the mystery of Easter and gather its fruits.
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In today’s Gospel Jesus says: “A man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.” Lent begins on Wednesday - Ash Wednesday - with the Blessing and Imposition of the Ashes. The Church’s season of Lent is an opportunity for us to go deeper into what is at the heart of our lives and what should be first in our hearts. It’s a season in which we are invited to grow in our awareness of those things that blind us to the truth about ourselves and the truth about Christ. Lent is an opportunity to notice the “plank” in our own eye that prevents us seeing clearly how to love God and how to love our neighbour as our self. And it is only by seeing clearly that we can act and speak lovingly. On Ash Wednesday, a day of penance, abstinence and fasting, we enter into the joyful season of Lent - joyful because it is a time established for the purification of our souls and the renewal of our hearts.
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In today’s Gospel Jesus calls us to love our enemies - to love like the God in whose image and likeness we were originally created. Humanity has made itself the enemy of God through its sinfulness - our turning our backs on the way of God’s love. This is seen most keenly in the way humanity treated God’s beloved Son. Yet God loves us. He loves us as we are, but he loves us too much to let us stay as we are. His love wants to transform us, more and more, into the likeness of Jesus, who is true the image of God and who loved his enemies - praying for those who crucified him: “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”
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We were made by God and created for God - to know him and love him forever. So we are happy now if we are poor - poor in the sense of knowing our poverty with regard to the riches of the life for which God has created us. We are happy because this knowledge of our poverty allows us to realise our absolute need of God which leads us to turn to him in trust - trusting in his power to save us. And God does not disappoint those who turn to him in trust.
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After the miraculous catch of fish, which we hear about in the Gospel today, Peter realised, as never before, his own sinfulness and the holiness of Jesus. He asked Jesus to depart from him but Christ showed him that his sins and weaknesses would not prevent him from sharing in his work. While our sinfulness humbles us we should not let it get us down or make us feel that we do not belong to the company of Christ. Christ came to “call sinners.” He is known as the “friend of sinners” - he comes to help us to overcome our sins. That is why, with confidence, we can come before him in the Mass to confess our sins.
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Mary the Mother of Jesus lovingly and willingly united herself to her Son’s sacrifice on the Cross, sharing
in his self-giving for our salvation and redemption. That is why several Popes have called Mary Co-Redemptrix. Mary
teaches us to have faith. If our faith is week, we should turn to Mary. Jesus dying on the Cross bequeaths his mother
to all mankind and especially to all his disciples.
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In today’s Gospel Jesus says: “A man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.” Lent begins on Wednesday - Ash Wednesday - with the Blessing and Imposition of the Ashes. The Church’s season of Lent is an opportunity for us to go deeper into what is at the heart of our lives and what should be first in our hearts. It’s a season in which we are invited to grow in our awareness of those things that blind us to the truth about ourselves and the truth about Christ. Lent is an opportunity to notice the “plank” in our own eye that prevents us seeing clearly how to love God and how to love our neighbour as our self. And it is only by seeing clearly that we can act and speak lovingly. On Ash Wednesday, a day of penance, abstinence and fasting, we enter into the joyful season of Lent - joyful because it is a time established for the purification of our souls and the renewal of our hearts.
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Can we trust the Gospel accounts of what Jesus said and did and of who he claimed to be? Luke, Gentile doctor, Christian convert and missionary companion to St Paul, seems to have no doubts. In the prologue to his Gospel he describes the received teaching as “well founded.” and his confidence is in no small part due to the fact that the accounts of Jesus’ life and mission which had been handed down, were the work of those who, from the outset, were “eyewitnesses.” So we can reliably learn what Jesus said and did, and about who he claimed to be, by attending to the Gospels.
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Love and marriage are very much in the air in our readings today. The scriptures reveal how God created us in order that we might know and love him. God delights in us or, as Isaiah in our first reading puts it: ‘As the bridegroom rejoices in his bride so will your God rejoice in you.’ Two become one in marriage and God created us so that we might be united with him in love - and our God is passionate about our being made one with him - So passionate that he gives himself totally for us in Christ who is born among us to win our love and devotion. This is the greatest love story ever told. Christ reveals the God of love to us in order that we might fall in love with him and so, like him, be prepared to leave all to be wedded to him.
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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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Today, with the holy Church of God throughout the world, we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany means “manifestation” and it was made manifest to the Magi, who were led from afar by a bright star, that Jesus came, not just for the people of Israel but for everyone. This feast draws us away from the temptation to confine the mystery of the Christmas celebration to our own private world and interests. For the Church, Epiphany is a call and a challenge to never become narrow and inward-looking but to remember that, as the baptised, our vocation is to be a light for all people.
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In today’s Gospel Luke relates the story of the Visitation and it involves the encounter of two pregnant women. Mary, who is from Galilee, journeys to Judea, the place where, one day, the son she is carrying will be cruelly rejected and condemned to die. At Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child in her womb “leapt for joy.” Joy is the first response to the coming of the Messiah. Preparing for the great celebration of the Nativity of the Lord means experiencing the joy of knowing that our God is the God who comes to us - the God who gives himself for us because he loves us.
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John the Baptist, who we hear about in today’s Gospel, marks the end of the time of waiting and the beginning of the new age in Jesus. John is the last of the great prophets; for a long time, the people had been without a messenger from God but in John the Baptist the people discovered an end to God’s silence. Through John, they could hear the word of God. We are told that many went out from the towns and cities to see John - which is testimony to his charismatic power to attract people - such is the powerful attraction of the word of God alive and active in a person.
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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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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 09.07.2016 | Church Consecration | This is a very special year in the life of our parish, as our church will be consecrated on 9th July by Archbishop Bernard Longley. Preparations are already underway, both for the consecration service itself, and for various fund-raising activities. Updates on our progress so far are published in our Easter newsletter available online (along with our weekly Sunday bulletin) on this website For more details of how you can be involved, please speak to Joe Martin or Ian Clarke, or email enquiries@brgparish.org.uk. |
| 10.07.2016 | Candle of Dedication | The dedication for this week is Francis Clements |
| 10.07.2016 | Prayer Life | The meditations and instruction on prayer in the Christian spiritual life continue on Wednesday during exposition of the Blessed Sacrament |
| 10.07.2016 | Ethiopia Appeal and Collection | There is a serious food crisis in Ethiopia. Extreme weather shifts, part of the El Nino effect, mean severe drought has left millions of people in need of emergency food aid. 400,000 children are already suffering from malnutrition and we need to act now to prevent a far more terrible crisis. Please give to the collection today for CAFOD's emergency humanitarian response. And please pray for those who are suffering. |
| 10.07.2016 | Consecration | A huge thank you to all those who worked to make the Consecration of our church such a blessed occasion yesterday. There will be a more in depth write up of the mass and celebrations soon! |
| 10.07.2016 | Consecration Pictures | Pictures of the consecration celebration are now available by clinking on the link or accessing the Parish Archive via the menu. |
| 12.07.2016 | Mass time change for this week | Please note that this week's Tuesday Mass is earlier than usual and will be at 9.30 am to allow Fr Frank to attend the monthly Deanery Meeting of clergy |
| 17.07.2016 | Candle of Dedication | The dedication for this week is Richard Brennan |
| 17.07.2016 | Car Park | Thank you to Paul Ryan for his generous donation of time and materials in repairing the gulley in the car park. If anyone would like to talk to Paul about driveways, paving or landscaping please call him on 07831 386621 |
| 24.07.2016 | Candle of Dedication | The dedication for this week is for Jo Nijst |
| 24.07.2016 | Consecration candles | We would like to thank those who donated the four consecration candles put up in the church. These are in memory of the following. Bridge and Perry family, Cotterill family, McLean family, Daniel Mark Lester and Amy Pullen |
| 24.07.2016 | Fr Frank on holiday | Father Frank is on holiday this week. There will be a Eucharistic Service at 10.00am on Tuesdays while he is away. There will be no Mass with the Anointing of the Sick in July and no First Friday Mass in August. |
| 24.07.2016 | Baptism of Eve Elizabeth Ryder | We pray for Eve and for her family, godparents and friends as they gather, after Mass today, for her Baptism.CAFOD Collection |
| 24.07.2016 | CAFOD Collection | Thank you so much for the generous CAFOD donations collected in the last two weeks. An exceptional total of £382 was raised and that is without the Gift Aid extra reimbursement which will make the final total well in excess of £400. Thank you especially to all who took the time to fill in their details |
| 31.07.2016 | Fr Martin Newell CP | We look forward to welcoming Fr Martin who will celebrate Mass here next Sunday. |
| 31.07.2016 | Candle of Dedication | The dedication for this week is for Jo Nijst |
| 31.07.2016 | Fr Frank on holiday Please Note | Whilst Fr. Frank is away the only celebration through the week will be a Eucharistic Service at 10.00am on Tuesday. Normal service will be resumed on Wednesday 10th August with Mass, followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and meditations until 8.00pm. There will be no First Friday Mass in August |
| 03.08.2016 | Get-together | This Wednesday 3 August. We are off to Harvington Hall on a coach trip. Leaving BRG at 10 o'clock sharp! |
| 07.08.2016 | Father Ed | A warm welcome to Father Ed O'Connell, a Columban Father, who will be presiding at the Mass today. Father Ed will also talk to us about the work he is doing with the poor in Lima, Peru. Our Parish have been helping Fr. Ed for 16 years with our Breakfasts and money from our Bottle. |
| 07.08.2016 | Candle of Dedication | The dedication for this week is for Jo Nijst |
24.06.2025
The Kenilworth Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes is on 24th-28th June 2025. For further details and booking contact Peter Rand on 01926 852163 or peter.rand@btinternet.com. Bookings and deposits required by 9 March to guarantee flights.
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24.05.2025
Every year, hundreds of pilgrims from across the Archdiocese of Birmingham join together for the Lourdes Pilgrimage. 2025 is the Year of Jubilee and Archbishop Bernard invites you to come with us on this very special occasion in the life of the archdiocese: “It’s a great experience to be together with upwards of 700 fellow pilgrims.” The pilgrimage dates have been announced: Saturday 24 – Friday 30 May 2025, and you can now express your interest in a place or get more information by visiting www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/lourdes.
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10.05.2025
The Diocese Day Pilgrimage to Walsingham is on 10th May 2025: For further information please contact the pilgrim organizer,
Fr Philip Griffin on 01384 395308 or email olas.stourbridge@rcaob.org.uk
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03.05.2025
Married couples, those celebrating a milestone anniversary and those
preparing to marry this year, are invited to the annual Mass for Marriage at St Chad's Cathedral on Saturday 3rd May
at 12 Noon, followed by light refreshments. Please visit www.vocations.org.uk/marriage-mass to confirm your
attendance by 13th April.
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01.05.2025
Our Prayer Group will not be meeting this Thursday 17th April (Holy Thursday) or the following week Thursday 24th April. The Prayer meeting will resume at the usual time 4pm to 5pm on Thursday 1st May.
Everyone is most welcome.
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22.04.2025
Weekday mass this week at Blessed Robert Grissold is at 7pm for Easter Tuesday, Solemnity
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20.04.2025
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Raffle by donating gifts and/or purchasing raffle tickets. Congratulations to the prize winners! The Prize Draw was a successful morning and £260 was raised.
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20.04.2025
Thank you for the collection today 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.
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20.04.2025
The Trustees of the Birmingham Diocesan Trust are looking to recruit a skilled, Catholic volunteer with professional experience of safeguarding to join the Board of Trustees and chair the Safeguarding Sub-Committee. We’d welcome discussion with anyone interested in this important role - Further details available here www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/Pages/FAQs/Category/safeguarding
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17.04.2025
Eucharistic Ministers will renew their commitment, and new special ministers of Holy Communion will be enrolled,
during the Liturgy of Holy Thursday
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16.04.2025
Chrism Mass on Wednesday 16th April at 11.30am in St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham city centre. All welcome to attend.
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13.04.2025
Kenelm Youth Trust's Mission Team is recruiting young people aged 18–25 to help lead outdoor activities,
empowering the next generation, or simply exploring their own faith journey. For more information visit
https://www.kenelmyouthtrust.org.uk/youthministryteam.html
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13.04.2025
Pilgrims of Hope: To find out more about how your parish, family or school can celebrate the Jubilee Year in our Archdiocese, and how you can participate in events nationally and internationally, visit our Diocesan
website: www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/jubilee-year
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09.04.2025
The next parish coffee morning will take place in the Narthex on Wednesday April 9th at 10:30am – tea, coffee scones, cake and good conversation in abundance – everyone welcome to join us
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06.04.2025
If there is anyone who would like to begin preparation for First Holy Communion, please supply contact details to Fr Frank or Chris Mitchell. Thank you.
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06.04.2025
Click on the link to see when Masses will be celebrated at Blessed Robert Grissold this Easter
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05.04.2025
Churches Together are running Coffee Mornings on the first Saturday
of each month from 10:30am-Midday at the Jubilee Centre on Station Road. Each month a different congregation acts as host. Upcoming dates and host congregations are: 1st March (St Marys Temple Balsall), 5th April (St John the Baptist Berkswell), 3rd May (Methodist Church), 7th June (St Peters). All welcome.
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01.04.2025
There will be no weekday Masses this week. Please see the Deanery website for other weekday Masses in the area: https://banburyandwarwick-catholicdeanery.org.uk/
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29.03.2025
There will be a Spring Fayre in aid of Save the Children on Saturday 29th March at St Francis Church Hall, Kenilworth. 10 am to 2pm.
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29.03.2025
Chris and Roz invite parishioners to join them to celebrate Ottilie’s baptism on Saturday 29th March at Midday. Please pray for Ottilie, her parents, godparents, family and friends.
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Parish Calendar
