MASS TIMESMASS TIMESMASS TIMES

- S T . E D W A R D ’ S C H U R C H -

Saturday Reconciliation 3:30-4:30 p.m.

(or by appointment)

Mass 5:00 p.m.

Sunday Reconciliation 8:30-9:30 a.m.

(or by appointment)

Mass 10:00 a.m.

Tuesday to Friday

Mass 9:00 a.m.

- S U N R I D G E P L A C E - 361 Bundock Avenue, Duncan361 Bundock Avenue, Duncan361 Bundock Avenue, Duncan

Friday Mass 11:00 a.m.

Good Shepherd Sunday is celebrated

around the world on the Fourth Sun-

day of Easter. Jesus knows each one

of us and we know his voice.

To follow him is to know eternal life.

Pastor: F A T H E R S T E P H E N P A I N E

Emergency: 250-746-6831

St. Edward’s Parish St. Edward’s Parish St. Edward’s Parish

Mission StatementMission StatementMission Statement

We, the people of St. Edward’s reaffirm our be-

lief that we are children of God, created in love,

diverse and unique. We believe that through

our common Bap!sm, and by the power of the

Holy Spirit, we are called to be Christ for one

another and to foster unity with all peoples.

We accept the challenges of living according to

Gospel Values, and to invite all sisters and

brothers to share this journey with us.

2085 Maple Bay Road, Duncan, B.C., V9L 5L9

Phone: 250-746-6831 / Fax 250-748-5363

E-mail: ed123a@shaw.ca

Website: www.stedwardsduncan.com

OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Secretary: 250-746-6831 Sherriden Clements Bookkeeper: Shelley Brimacombe Children’s Faith Formation Coordinator : Debby Fernandez Parish Pastoral Council Chair: Carol deBruin 250-746-4019/Email: cdebruin@shaw.ca

Queen of Angels Roman Catholic School: 250-746-5919 Kathy Korman, Principal

4th Sunday of Easter

May 11th/12th , 2019

PPPP a s t o r ’s N o t e s :

In the first reading from Acts, Paul and Barnabas address the rejec�on of the Gospel by the Jewish officials with

these words: “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge

yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gen�les.” These are ominous words for the

Jewish leaders but words worth rejoicing over for the Gen�les. In fact Luke goes on to say in Acts that “when the

Gen�les heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as any as had been des�ne for eternal

life became believers.”

So what does it mean when our society, our elites and our poli�cal leaders reject the “word of God.” And how

else can you interpret the never-before-heard label for Chris�ans that has recently been used by Barack Obama

and Hillary Clinton, both of whom are ostensibly Chris�ans, namely, “Easter worshippers.” What Chris�an has

ever called himself or herself or any other Chris�an a “Easter worshipper?” As a Chris�an, I do not worship and

follow Easter, I worship and follow Christ, therefore I am a Chris�an, one named a2er Christ the very Son of God.

The refusal to actually name the vic�ms of Islamic terror in Sri Lanka as Chris�ans is a signal to Chris�ans that we

can expect no protec�on and no defence from our “authori�es”. In the passage from Acts today, “the officials in-

cited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and s�rred up persecu�on against Paul

and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. You should know that Chris�ans are the largest persecuted

group in the world today. So, again, what does it mean when our society and its leaders stop defending Chris�ans

and stop believing in the word of God that has been given to them and shared with them? It means we must go

to those who are eager to hear the Good News, to those who are not self-sa�sfied, corrupted and interested only

in power, wealth, and pres�ge. We must find today’s “Gen�les,” and preach the Good News to them. And we

must do so in the same way Paul and Barnabas did it, namely, “filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” The Holy

Spirit will guide us if we are faithful to Him. Listen to Him closely and preach where you can.

Easter Blessings,

Blessings to you all in this Easter Season!

F r . S t e p h e n

Pray, Read, Discuss for This WeekPray, Read, Discuss for This WeekPray, Read, Discuss for This Week Acts 13:14, 3 -52; Revela t ion 7:9 , 14b-17; John 10: 27-30

“Jesus, our Good Shepherd, grasps us by the hand.”

The first “Pricing Party” of the season will be on

Wednesday, May 15th in the Church Hall.

Please bring your dona�ons between 9:30 a.m. to 11:00

a.m.

If you have any ques�ons, please contact those listed

below.

Phone numbers:

Jamie: 250-748-5023

Lucille: 250-746-7866

Ro: 250-748-5115

C a l l i n g A L L Fa m i l i e s !

7th

Annual Diocesan Family Camp

from August 22-25

at Nanoose Bay Camp.

Enrich your faith with keynote speaker, Fr. Julian

Marcelo Gonzales, Superior of Divine Mercy Con-

grega�on.

This weekend is sure to strengthen your family’s connec�on

with Christ, with one another, and with other families! ALL

FAMILIES are invited to enjoy this weekend full of fellowship,

faith and fun! For more informa�on and/or to register please

email familyccamp@rcdvictoria.org

Sun

May

12th

9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.

Rosary before Mass

Mass at St. Edward’s – Pro Populo

Mon May

13th

Tues May

14th

9:00 a.m.

7:00 p.m. Mass at St. Edward’s—Theresa Scully

K of C Mee�ng

Wed May

15th

8:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:30 a.m.

2:15 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

Mass at St. Edward’s - Teacher’s Mass Cancelled

Mass at St. Edward’s – Cassandra Barfield

Plant & Harvest Pricing Party– Church Hall

Pastoral Care Outreach (PCO) – Board Room

Children’s Faith Forma�on

Thurs May

16th

9:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Mass at St. Edward’s - Michael Dooley

Choir Prac�ce

Friday May

17th

9:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m.

Mass at St. Edward’s—Terry Teasdale

Mass at Sunridge— Lay Liturgy of the Word

Saturday May

18th

3:30 p.m. 4:15 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m.

Confession

Rosary before Mass in the Conference Room

Mass at St. Edward’s—Kate Kasunisc+

Youth Group

Sunday

May

19th

9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.

2:00 p.m.

Rosary before Mass

Family Mass at St. Edward’s – Pro Populo

K of C Pancake Breakfast a2er Mass

Widow’s Mee�ng– Church Hall

Sat May

11th

3:30 p.m. 4:15 p.m. 5:00 p.m.

Confession

Rosary before Mass in the Conference Room

Mass at St. Edward’s –Jan Loniewski +

DavidRussell

MaryRussell

Bob Crane

MichaelPaulik

FrankieCicchitano

OrenAtteg

MaureenKenward

DebbyWarren

PaulDicken

GinaSutton

JoyceHolden

PatriciaPattenden

WadeDamron

AnnettaAnderson

KirbyFlegel

CameronBulger

Terry Thorpe

FrankLaszczyk

DoloresRelova

GeraldineBurbee

MarieMettlewsky

JimKorman

MichaelSchnarr

RickZuback

JanSpencer

Dear God, Please embrace those who are sick and hurting today

and let them feel the warmth of Your love. Amen

PaulBoray

LoisCossar

AliceSu

BillCools

MaggieBell

RolandFontaine

JudyMcCaffrey

JaneHourihan

ArleenLaughren

BillBellvau

VeronicaWalsh

GlenoraSomer

IN OUR PARISH THIS WEEK

Infant Bap;sm Prepara;on Fr. Stephen Paine offers

Bap�sm Prepara�on Classes for parents/guardians by ap-

pointment please arrange to meet Fr. Stephen way before

the Bap�sm.

Anoin;ng of the Sick

Formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unc�on, the

Anoin�ng of the Sick is a ritual of healing, appropriate not

only for physical, but also for mental and spiritual sickness.

please call Fr. Stephen Paine at the Parish Office.

Pastoral Care Visits While in the Hospital Privacy legis-

la�on in BC prevents the release of informa�on regarding

hospital admissions. If you or someone you love are ad-

miRed to a hospital and would like a visit from Fr. Stephen

Paine or an Eucharis�c Minister, please call your parish

office to leave a message for Marilyn Klizs.

R C I A — If you wish to become Catholic St. Edward’s will

offer a series of mee�ngs called Rite of Chris;an Ini;a;on

for Adults. If you are interested in this program please

contact the parish office.

PARISH OFFICE CLOSEDPARISH OFFICE CLOSEDPARISH OFFICE CLOSED

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL

CPPC Companions in Prayer

for Persecuted Chris;ans (and others)

Please con!nue to pray daily the Companions’ Prayer, the

Salve Regina and one decade of the rosary for those being

persecuted and martyred in many parts of the world.

Going into the Hospital? If you are planning to enter the hospital for surgery, it is

spiritually advantageous to contact your parish office to

arrange for Fr. Stephen to celebrate the Sacraments of Rec-

oncilia�on and Anoin�ng prior to being admiRed to the

hospital. At the very least, do tell someone in our parish

office that you are going into the hospital. We have no oth-

er way of knowing this informa�on, as privacy legisla�on

restricts the informa�on that can be given to us by the fa-

cility.

Dear Parishioners:

I thank Jeannine and Michael Vande Wiel for volunteering to

take on the leadership role of St. Edward’s pictorial directory.

Thanks to all who helped on this commiRee - GREAT JOB!

The AGM mee;ng will be held on The AGM mee;ng will be held on The AGM mee;ng will be held on

Wednesday June 5th, 2019 at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday June 5th, 2019 at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday June 5th, 2019 at 7:15 p.m.

This is an opportunity for you to share your concerns and ideas.

Thank you and God Bless,

Carol DeBruin, PPC Chairperson

The Catholic Independent Schools

of the Diocese of Victoria is looking for 2-3 volunteers to become members of the IT

Steering CommiAee. This commiRee meets evenings 5-6

�mes per year with the focus on IT project management

and/or governance. Volunteers would ideally have exper-

�se in the field of informa�on technology. The next

mee�ng is scheduled for late August and we would like to

have new members in place for that mee�ng. For more

details or if you interested in siTng on this commiRee,

please contact Leah MacKenzie at 250-479-1331 ext. 231

Knights of Columbus Bursary (St. Edward the Confessor Council, Duncan)

Deadline is July 31, 2019

Available to high school grads who are members of the par-

ishes of St Anns’, St. Edwards’, St. Louis de MonUort, (Lake

Cowichan), St. Joseph's, (Chemainus), or Our Lady of Grace

Parish, (Saltspring). No other applica�ons will be accepted.

Applicants will be asked how they are, or have been, in-

volved in their parishes (to be verified by the parish priest).

Preference will be given to children and grandchildren of

K. of C. members.

You must show proof of registering for first year courses at

a post secondary ins�tu�on if you are selected.

Applica�on informa�on, contact Gerry Hof,

gmhof@shaw.ca, 250-715-8397

CATHOLIC WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF CANADA ST. EDWARD’S COUNCIL

President

Francine Tournier

250-748-9831

Membership

Betty Hoskins

250-743-4908

Don Snelling, Grand KnightDon Snelling, Grand KnightDon Snelling, Grand KnightDon Snelling, Grand Knight

St. Edward the Confessor Council 4253St. Edward the Confessor Council 4253St. Edward the Confessor Council 4253St. Edward the Confessor Council 4253

Do you need to rent a hall? The K. of C. Hall is available.

Please call Bernie Langkammer for more informa�on.

250-748-9333

Liturgy Committee

Bishop Thomas J. Lobsinger, OMI

Memorial Bursary Program The annual Bri�sh Columbia and Yukon Bur-

sary program known as the Bishop Thomas J.

Lobsinger, OMI Memorial Bursary Program is underway.

The 2019 program is now receiving applica�ons. Once

again, we are privileged to offer thirty bursaries of $500.00

each to Catholic students across the Province of Bri�sh

Columbia. These bursaries are made available on a one-

�me only basis to young prac�cing Catholic students who

are in their second or subsequent year of post secondary

educa�on at a recognized ins�tute of higher learning with-

in the Province of Bri�sh Columbia. Applica�ons are ac-

cepted from January 1, 2019 un�l June 30, 2019 with the

bursaries being awarded in the fall. The Terms of Refer-

ence can be found on our website at: hRps://kofcbc.org/files/2018/01/Terms-of-Reference-2018.pdf

Requests for applica;ons should be

addressed to:

Knights of Columbus BC & Yukon

ARn: Edgardo Panes, Bursaries Chairman

11260 3rd Ave.

Richmond BC V7E 5A1

We would like to once again congratulate the many recipi-

ents over the past years and look forward to the oppor-

tunity to assist many more young people in the advance-

ment of their educa�on.

P a s t o r a l C a r e O u t r e a c h , P C O The next mee!ng for PCO is on

Wednesday, May 15th at 2:30 p.m.

in the conference room.

Mass and Anoin'ng of the Sick at St. Edward’s Parish

in the Church Hall.

Since we were unable to hold this Mass on the actual day of

World Day of the Sick on February 11th, 2019, we have sched-

uled it to be celebrated on

Tuesday May 21st

Mass at 11:00 a.m.

Anoin;ng of the sick in the Church Hall

A light luncheon in the Church Hall will be provided a5er Mass.

All parishioners who desire anoin!ng and those wishing to support

the sick are welcome to a6end.

Please note that the next Liturgy CommiRee Mee�ng

is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4th at 11:00 a.m.

Our hear7elt thanks, gra!tude and love to our

church family that prayed for us during my recent

“bump in the road of life” event.

To my “soul sisters” …. Thank you for your love,

your ears, your encouragement and support. I am

truly blessed and treasure our friendships! To the

many who shared “healing hugs”… thank you!

Prayer is powerful; it is amazing what it can do.

Blessings and Hugs,

Paula & Carlo

Princess Cruise January 26th-February 5th, 2020

I have had a cancela�on on this 10-day

Eastern Caribbean Cruise (January 26th

– February 5th, 2020) with Princess

Cruise. Ports are Fort Lauderdale, An-

�gua, St Lucia. Barbados, St. KiRs, St.

Thomas, Grand Turk. The Cruise Line is presently featur-

ing a special deal un�l May 31st

offering free gratui�es,

and shipboard credit. A woman parishioner from As-

cension Parish in Parksville is looking to share.

Email Mary Hof at mhof126@gmail.com or call 250-

715-6297.

Also, I have a few spots le2 on a 14 day, hiking and hu-

manitarian aid trip to Eastern Cuba March 7th-21st,

2020. Mary Hof, St. Edward’s Parish , Duncan

Crossroads Crisis Pregnancy Centre is a Christ-Centered,

Non-profit ministry in Nanaimo. They are commiRed to

share the love of Christ while offering life changing sup-

port before, during and a2er crisis pregnancies. They

believe in the sanc;ty of life from concep;on and that

every child is a giE from God.

Please consider suppor�ng Opera;on BABY BOTTLE,

their Annual fundraising campaign. Baby boRles will be

available a2er Mass on Sunday May 12th at the back of

the church.

Applica�ons are now being accepted for the George Mar�n Bur-

sary of $500.00. The George Mar�n Bursary is a legacy of the late

George Mar�n of this parish. It consists of a gi2 of $15,000.00

dedicated to aiding students from this parish who are entering

their first year of post-secondary educa�on at a recognized ins�-

tu�on. It provides that the principal remain untouched and that

bursaries be funded from the interest only, so that the fund may

carry on in perpetuity.

The bursary is administered by the Parish Pastoral Council

through its George Mar�n Bursary CommiRee.

A candidate must:

- be currently enrolled in an approved post-secondary ins�tu

�on of learning;

- be a member in good standing of the parish of

St. Edward the Confessor;

- have contributed significantly of �me and talent to this or

another Catholic faith community; and have submiRed to

the CommiRee an applica�on form properly completed

within the specified �me period.

Applica�on forms are available at the parish office; further in-

struc�ons are available on the forms.

The deadline for submissions:

- Submissions by hand to the parish office are due at

12:00 noon on Friday, June 14, 2019.

- Submission by mail

(postmarked up to and including June 14, 2019)

are to be sent to:

George Mar;n Bursary CommiAee

St. Edward’s Parish

2085 Maple Bay Road

Duncan, BC V9L 5L9

Please note that late submissions

will not be considered.

Pat Carter

Chairperson

George Mar�n Bursary CommiRee

Dear Parishioner of St. Edwards,

Thank you for par�cipa�ng in the Parish Photo Directory last

Fall. If you par�cipated in the photo taking or provided your

own picture, your directory printed copy will be available a2er

Masses during the next few weekends.

Michael Vande Wiel

mike.vandewiel@gmail.com

CWL ANNOUNCEMENT……

Have your money ready next weekend since

the CWL will be selling ;ckets for their Seaside

Tea and Fashion Show.

The Tea and Fashion Show will take place on

Sunday, June 2nd, 2019. They will also have

raffle ;ckets available at the same ;me.

THE SISTERS OF SAINT ANN

(www.ssabc.ca; www.ssacong.org)

POSITION: Execu�ve Assistant

LOCATION: Victoria, BC

PART-TIME: 30 hours per week

For more informa;on please refer to the bulle;n board

in the foyer.

Interested applicants are asked to email a resume and cov-

er leRer in confidence to Execu;veDirector@ssabc.ca by

Monday, May 20, 2019. We thank all applicants for their

interest, however only those being considered for the role

will be contacted directly.

Tenta;ve start date June 2019.

N�e from the Parish Office………… Last Wednesday, Andrea O’Higgins and myself aRended

the Diocesan Secretarial Day at Sacred Heart Parish, Victo-

ria. The day started with Mass, Bishop Gary being the

main celebrant. We then gathered in the Church Hall

where Bishop Gary talked to us as administrators and sec-

retaries and affirming our posi�ons and how important we

are to each Parish being on the “front-line”.

This gathering was followed by a presenta�on on asbes-

tos. Yes, it sounds totally boring but that was not the

case. Cynthia Sauve from the provincial government made

the topic very interes�ng, informa�ve as well as enter-

taining.

This is a wonderful annual event which gives us an oppor-

tunity to meet new staff at the Diocese and other Church-

es as well as renew friendships of others from the past.

A2er a lovely lunch which was supplied by the Diocese,

Andrea went to a more extensive workshop on asbestos

and what I thought was a workshop on Responsible Minis-

try was in fact, a presenta�on by Gwen Jahelka, Diocesan

Assistant Director of Faith Forma�on and Evangeliza�on,

on “Gra;tude”. This really sunk into my heart and was

another great presenta�on.

It is very clear to me the awesome gi2 I was given when

chosen to serve my faith community of St. Edward’s Par-

ish. I thank God every day for this responsibility and hon-

our.

I have so many people to thank but especially to Jean

McCormick since she is always ready to fill in whenever I

am on holidays or par�cipate in such a day. “Thank you

Jean” also to Andrea who helps in the office on Tuesdays

and Thursdays. And each volunteer and parishioner who

make my job easier and possible.

With a heart full of gra�tude, Sherriden.

A Prayer for Mother’s Day Lord, we remember the mothers

who have gone before us.

For their love, sacrifice, struggle and joy,

we thank you.

Lord, we remember the mothers of

Scripture who are a part of our story

as we are a part of your story.

For their courage, faith, love and fierceness,

We thank you.

Lord we remember those who have not

given birth to us but are mothers to us.

For their gi5 of themselves that they

have given,

We thank you.

For the women who struggle with fer!lity,

For those women whom society labels as less

In their childlessness.

For those women who have lost children.

For their tears, for their strength,

For their wisdom, for their lives.

We thank you.

Lord, remember our mothers who gave us life.

For their care, support, kindness

and especially for their gi5 of love.

We thank you.

National week for life and the family will be celebrated across Canada from

May 12th to 19th.

The theme for 2019 is

“LISTENING TO THE GOSPEL AS A FAMILY”.

2019 Victoria Pastoral Care Training Sessions

All sessions are 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. No charge.

St. Joseph the Worker Parish

Saturday, May 25th, n

Who am I as a Pastoral Care Visitor?

Bring a bag lunch. Coffee/Tea will be available.

Contact the parish office to register: (250) 479-7413 or

sjtwoffice@shaw.ca

Requirements of Nominations to

St. Edward’s Parish Pastoral Council

BE A REGISTERED MEMBER OF ST. EDWARD’S PARISH

BE A REGULAR, ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN WEEKEND

WORSHIP WITHIN ST. EDWARD’S PARISH COMMU-

NITY

BE A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE NEEDS OF THE

PARISH

19 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER

BE DEEMED WILLING AND ABLE TO CARRY OUT THE

COUNCIL DUTIES

BE WILLING TO STAND FOR A 3 YEAR TERM STARTING

IN JUNE, 2019

BE WILLING TO MAKE THE NECESSARY TIME COMMIT-

MENT TO FULFILL THE DUTIES REQUIRED BY THE

COUNCIL POSITION, WHICH ENTAILS THE RESPON-

SIBILITY FOR DECISION MAKING REGARDING PAR-

ISH ISSUES

BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE PASTOR IN LIGHT OF THE MIS-

SION STATEMENT IN UNION WITH THE DIOCESE

------------------------------------------------------------------

NOMINATION FORM

Nominations are now being accepted for Parish Coun-

cil for 2019-2022

Your name: ____________________________

Name of person you are nominating:

__________________________________

Signature of Pastor:

__________________________________

** Please make sure that the nominee fulfills the

above requirements of # 1-8 above.

** The Parish Priest is to sign on the third line of this

form.

Please return this form in a sealed envelope to the

parish office.

This will be given to the members of the nominating

committee. YOU ARE INVITED AND ENCOURAGED

TO NOMINATE YOURSELF!

Deadline for nominations: June 4th, 2019

Selection Date: June 9th, 2019

PASTORAL COUNCIL (PPC)

NOMINATIONS

PPC members assist our pastor

with important decision-making.

No university degree is needed, only a willingness and

commitment as well as your e-mail is required. This is a 3

year term and can be renewed once. No elections are held.

If more than 2 nominations come forward, all names go in a

basket and will be drawn on Sunday, June 9th, 2019.

Once a month we start and end each meeting with a prayer

and we spend 15-30 minutes on Spiritual reflections led by

Fr. Stephen. We then spend about 1.5 hours for items on

the agenda. Meetings are held on Thursday at 3:45 p.m.

We are asking you to pray that nominees will come for-

ward, please don’t wait for someone to approach you. Fill

out the nomination form, talk to or e-mail Nominating

Committee members if you want more information, and

leave the form at the Parish office for Fr. Stephen to sign.

We have all found that being on the Parish Council has

taught us how many people it takes to run a successful par-

ish. It is great to have members from all walks of life so

that we share different prospective on issues. Please pray

and discern on this. It also allows you to understand and

support our pastor, whose ministry is a tough one and if we

can help and support him, our parish community will bene-

fit. (See nominating form on page 8 of this bulletin.)

If you are approached by the committee please be respectful

and know we are doing God’s work.

God Bless,

Ad Hoc Nominating Committee

Fr. Stephen

Mary Hof, chair 250-715-6297 or mhof126@gmail.com

Carol DeBruin 250-746-4019 or cdebruin@shaw.ca

Mike VandeWiel 250-900-5461or

mike.vandewiel@gmail.com

Brenda Hennig 250-746-1810 or bhenning@cisdv.bc.ca

Companions in Prayer for Persecuted Christians

In his book The Global War on Chris!ans, John L. Allen, Jr, journalist and Va�can specialist, quotes

the then Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal in 2011 asking, “Does anybody hear our cry?

How many atroci�es must we endure before somebody, somewhere, comes to our aid?”

The atroci�es suffered by Chris�ans are by no means limited to the Middle East, nor are they perpe-

trated exclusively by Islamists. The slaughter of 70 priests, two bishops, nuns, and seminarians in

Columbia since 1984 is tes�mony to that.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Orthodox and Catholic cathedrals have been fire-bombed several �mes this

century. On Christmas Eve in eastern Congo, writes Allen, “The rebels targeted people at their

churches, Protestant and Catholic alike, surrounding them and killing them by crushing their skulls

with axes, machetes, and wooden bats.”

But, it is important to keep events in perspec�ve. When Italian missionary Sr. Leonella Sgorba� was

shot to death in Mogadishu in 2006, the man who tried to save her by deliberately shielding her

with his own body was her driver, a father of four and a devout Muslim, Mahamud Osman. As John

Allen writes again, “Many Chris�an commentators [have] noted that Osman exemplified what Jesus

described as the ul�mate test of friendship [one might say ‘love’ here]: the willingness to lay down

one’s life for another.”

In the face of this global onslaught it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or, more dangerous, to feel noth-

ing. But, on the weekend of August 23-24, 2014, over 100 parishioners of St Edward’s, believing in

the power of prayer, and the might of Mary’s intercession, commiRed themselves to praying daily a

Marian Prayer of Intercession, plus the Salve Regina and a decade of the Rosary. They made this

commitment by joining together to inaugurate a group known as the Companions in Prayer for Per-

secuted Chris!ans. In fact, they pray for ‘our persecuted brothers and sisters, both Chris�ans and

others’.

Arrangements will be made in coming weeks for others wishing to join to do so.

Tony Parr

May is the Month to celebrate and Honour Our Blessed Mother Mary!

The Children’s Faith Forma�on programme honoured Our

Blessed Mother with a Crowning of Mary ceremony at the

GroRo on Wednesday May 8th, 2019.