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
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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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 18.01.2026 | Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity | The week of prayer for Christian unity begins this Sunday 18th January with a theme of “One Body, One Spirit”. |
| 14.01.2026 | Coffee Morning | The next Parish Coffee morning will be in the Narthex at 10.30am on Wednesday 14th January with coffee and tea, cakes, scones and good conversation available to all. If you haven’t been before, give it a try - you will be made very welcome! |
| 13.01.2026 | Planned Giving Campaign | There will be a meeting for members of the Planned Giving Steering Group and co-ordinators of volunteer rotas at 7.00pm on Tuesday 13th January in the Parish Room, to discuss the next phase of our Parish Planned Giving Campaign |
| 08.01.2026 | Prayer Group | Next meeting is on Thursday 8th January at 4pm. Everyone is most welcome |
| 04.01.2026 | Christmas Mystery Prize | A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed towards the Christmas Mystery Prize Draw. The results were announced and three very satisfied winners took their bag of mystery prizes home! We raised £150 towards parish funds. |
| 04.01.2026 | Thank you | Thanks to all those who worked so hard to prepare for the Christmas celebrations. Thanks also for your cards, gifts, kindness and support. I am overwhelmed by your generosity. Also, I am grateful for your devotion to the Mass - for ensuring that there is in this place a faithful witness to the love, light and hope of Christ and his in-breaking Kingdom. That is the peculiar and incomparable gift we are called to offer to the world as the Church, but, in order for this to happen, we have to be faithful to the Mass, to worship and prayer and many have to give of their time and energy in raising funds and being responsible for day to day administration and maintenance. May the Lord bless you for all your hard work on behalf of Christ and his Kingdom. It is a privilege and a joy to share with you in this service. Fr. Frank |
| 24.12.2025 | Christmas Offerings | The collection at our Christmas masses will be the customary Christmas offering for your priest. Thank you for all your support and generosity throughout the year. |
| 21.12.2025 | Christmas Masses | The masses at our church are on Wednesday 24th December (Christmas Eve) at 6.00 pm and Thursday 25th December (Christmas Day) at 09.30 am. |
| 21.12.2025 | Carol Service | Thank you to everyone who helped to make our carol service last week such a joyful occasion – including the readers, musicians and singers, wardens, children’s liturgy, refreshments team, and all who helped to prepare the church and clear up afterwards |
| 21.12.2025 | Father Hudsons Caritas Collections | Thank you to everyone who donated gifts or cash to Fr. Hudsons this Advent. Our collection in Maureen’s memory raised £370.65, and the charity was delighted to receive the gifts at the beginning of this week, in time to be distributed at their Christmas events. Claire Keane |
| 21.12.2025 | CAFOD World Gifts | There are a few CAFOD World Gifts catalogues at the back of the church. If you would like to give a World Gift to someone who has everything, or to a child or grandchild (for example) to teach them the real meaning of Christmas, then please take one. The gifts start from £5 and there are a few different ideas for less than £10! You can also buy them from the CAFOD World Gifts website: https://worldgifts.cafod.org.uk/. Chris Lynn |
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!
|
01.02.2026
There is a second collection next Sunday (1st February) for Racial Justice.
|
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.
|
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.
|
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.
|
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
|
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.
|
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.
|
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.
|
18.01.2026
The week of prayer for Christian unity begins this Sunday 18th January with a theme of “One Body, One Spirit”.
|
14.01.2026
The next Parish Coffee morning will be in the Narthex at 10.30am on Wednesday 14th January with coffee and tea, cakes, scones and good conversation available to all. If you haven’t been before, give it a try - you will be made very welcome!
|
13.01.2026
There will be a meeting for members of the Planned Giving Steering Group and co-ordinators of volunteer rotas at 7.00pm on Tuesday 13th January in the Parish Room, to discuss the next phase of our Parish Planned Giving Campaign
|
08.01.2026
Next meeting is on Thursday 8th January at 4pm. Everyone is most welcome
|
04.01.2026
A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed towards the Christmas Mystery Prize Draw. The results were announced and three very satisfied winners took their bag of mystery prizes home! We raised £150 towards parish funds.
|
04.01.2026
Thanks to all those who worked so hard to prepare for the Christmas celebrations. Thanks also for your cards, gifts, kindness and support. I am overwhelmed by your generosity. Also, I am grateful for your devotion to the Mass - for ensuring that there is in this place a faithful witness to the love, light and hope of Christ and his in-breaking Kingdom. That is the peculiar and incomparable gift we are called to offer to the world as the Church, but, in order for this to happen, we have to be faithful to the Mass, to worship and prayer and many have to give of their time and energy in raising funds and being responsible for day to day administration and maintenance. May the Lord bless you for all your hard work on behalf of Christ and his Kingdom. It is a privilege and a joy to share with you in this service. Fr. Frank
|
24.12.2025
The collection at our Christmas masses will be the customary Christmas offering for your priest. Thank you for all your support and generosity throughout the year.
|
21.12.2025
The masses at our church are on Wednesday 24th December (Christmas Eve) at 6.00 pm and Thursday 25th December (Christmas Day) at 09.30 am.
|
21.12.2025
Thank you to everyone who helped to make our carol service last week such a joyful occasion – including the readers, musicians and singers, wardens, children’s liturgy, refreshments team, and all who helped to prepare the church and clear up afterwards
|
21.12.2025
Thank you to everyone who donated gifts or cash to Fr. Hudsons this Advent. Our collection in Maureen’s memory raised £370.65, and the charity was delighted to receive the gifts at the beginning of this week, in time to be distributed at their Christmas events. Claire Keane
|
21.12.2025
There are a few CAFOD World Gifts catalogues at the back of the church. If you would like to give a World Gift to someone who has everything, or to a child or grandchild (for example) to teach them the real meaning of Christmas, then please take one. The gifts start from £5 and there are a few different ideas for less than £10! You can also buy them from the CAFOD World Gifts website: https://worldgifts.cafod.org.uk/. Chris Lynn
|
Parish Calendar
