{"id":2671,"date":"2020-05-03T11:04:30","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T10:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stthomasneilston.co.uk\/?p=2671"},"modified":"2020-05-03T11:04:54","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T10:04:54","slug":"bishop-keenans-good-shepherd-sunday-2020-pastoral-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/?p=2671","title":{"rendered":"Bishop Keenan\u2019s Good Shepherd Sunday 2020 Pastoral Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Read Bishop Keenan\u2019s Pastoral Letter for Good Shepherd Sunday 2020 below. <\/p>\n

Dear Brothers and Sisters,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Today <\/span><\/span>we celebra<\/span><\/span>te Good Shepherd Sunday and<\/span><\/span> the World Day of Prayer for Voca<\/span><\/span>tions to the Priesthood and <\/span><\/span>Consecrated Life. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When I am writing my <\/span><\/span>Pastoral Letters <\/span><\/span>to \"\"<\/a>you <\/span><\/span>I<\/span><\/span> usually think of <\/span><\/span>you in your<\/span><\/span> parish communities<\/span><\/span> at <\/span><\/span>Sunday Mass, reflecting on<\/span><\/span> my words <\/span><\/span>after being<\/span><\/span> nourished by<\/span><\/span> the Word of <\/span><\/span>God <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>preparing to welcome our Risen Lord in <\/span><\/span>the Eucharist. <\/span><\/span>I fondly imagine you sharing <\/span><\/span>this Sacred Gathering with your families and <\/span><\/span>friends and, of course, <\/span><\/span>with <\/span><\/span>your priests. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, <\/span><\/span>today our<\/span><\/span> Churches are closed and we <\/span><\/span>draw comfort and strength <\/span><\/span>only from <\/span><\/span>our <\/span><\/span>online Masses, from our <\/span><\/span>personal<\/span><\/span>prayer and from our invincible<\/span><\/span> faith in the Risen Lord. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pope<\/span><\/span> Francis has encouraged us to see<\/span><\/span> this<\/span><\/span> new no<\/span><\/span>rmal of \u2018lockdown\u2019<\/span><\/span> as a pro<\/span><\/span>vidential opportunity <\/span><\/span>to re-examine the values we use to<\/span><\/span> shape our everyday lives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He believes<\/span><\/span> God is<\/span><\/span> showing us amid this Pandemic<\/span><\/span> how<\/span><\/span> our lives <\/span><\/span>are <\/span><\/span>held <\/span><\/span>together <\/span><\/span>by ordinary people<\/span><\/span> like <\/span><\/span>doctors, nurses<\/span><\/span>and carers<\/span><\/span>;<\/span><\/span> supermarket <\/span><\/span>employees, cleaners and<\/span><\/span> delivery drivers<\/span><\/span>; <\/span><\/span>teachers, <\/span><\/span>police <\/span><\/span>officers<\/span><\/span>, vo<\/span><\/span>lunteers and the like<\/span><\/span>. \u00a0So often we take them for granted. \u00a0They are not the celebrities and superstars <\/span><\/span>of <\/span><\/span>ma<\/span><\/span>gazine headlines b<\/span><\/span>ut<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> in these days<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> they are writing the decisive chapter<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> of our time<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>. \u00a0<\/span><\/span>In their<\/span><\/span> selfless and<\/span><\/span> hero<\/span><\/span>ic<\/span><\/span> work<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> they are answering a call;<\/span><\/span> a call to service and<\/span><\/span> a call to self-sacrifice. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pope Francis <\/span><\/span>urges<\/span><\/span> us to see something<\/span><\/span> \u2018priestly\u2019 in<\/span><\/span> the<\/span><\/span> many <\/span><\/span>\u2018calls to service\u2019<\/span><\/span> answered in<\/span><\/span> this P<\/span><\/span>andemic<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Just a<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> Jesus the High Priest<\/span><\/span> gave His life for<\/span><\/span> others, so<\/span><\/span> our fellow citizens<\/span><\/span> are <\/span><\/span>giving the<\/span><\/span>ir lives for our sake<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On<\/span><\/span> Good Shepherd<\/span><\/span> Sunday 2020 <\/span><\/span>my<\/span><\/span> thoughts and prayers go<\/span><\/span>also<\/span><\/span> to our <\/span><\/span>priests who <\/span><\/span>are even now <\/span><\/span>minister<\/span><\/span>ing in <\/span><\/span>our parish communities<\/span><\/span> as best they can<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> \u00a0In these days most are still on call to our hospitals and care homes<\/span><\/span> for the sick and the dying<\/span><\/span>. \u00a0A<\/span><\/span>ll of them are making their <\/span><\/span>way daily <\/span><\/span>to bury our dead and console their grieving loved ones. \u00a0Each of them is reaching out in new ways, whether online or in prayer<\/span><\/span> or organising food distribution to the needy, to serve you their people and the Lord\u2019<\/span><\/span>s little and<\/span><\/span> lost sheep. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They<\/span><\/span>, too,<\/span><\/span> are \u2018ordinary people\u2019 called to <\/span><\/span>an <\/span><\/span>extraordinary service;<\/span><\/span> called t<\/span><\/span>o \u2018give of themselves\u2019 daily as they respond to the challenge to serve<\/span><\/span> both at the heart<\/span><\/span> of our communities<\/span><\/span>and on the<\/span><\/span> mar<\/span><\/span>gins.<\/span><\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/span>B<\/span><\/span>e assured that they are praying <\/span><\/span>for you <\/span><\/span>and offe<\/span><\/span>ring the Sacraments for <\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span>our families. They are \u2018Good Shepherds\u2019 still in<\/span><\/span> our <\/span><\/span>local <\/span><\/span>communities. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thank God,<\/span><\/span> even<\/span><\/span> amid the Pandemic I had the joy of ordaining Joe McGill to the diaconate ahead of hi<\/span><\/span>s priestly ordination next year, <\/span><\/span>and I look forward to ordaining de<\/span><\/span>acon Ryan Black in a few months\u2019 time <\/span><\/span>as our newest priest. \u00a0Both <\/span><\/span>of these <\/span><\/span>young <\/span><\/span>men<\/span><\/span> were <\/span><\/span>willing<\/span><\/span> to b<\/span><\/span>ring forward their ordination<\/span><\/span> dates<\/span><\/span> in order<\/span><\/span> to serve you, our people<\/span><\/span>, in <\/span><\/span>these<\/span><\/span>anxious times <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>it was a big<\/span><\/span> encouragement to me. \u00a0Please remember them<\/span><\/span> in your prayers,<\/span><\/span> a<\/span><\/span>s well as<\/span><\/span> our<\/span><\/span> other three seminarians<\/span><\/span> making their way to priestly service in our diocese<\/span><\/span> who have been displaced from their seminaries during these times<\/span><\/span> but are doing well<\/span><\/span>. \u00a0<\/span><\/span>Many of you had the joy of seeing <\/span><\/span>them <\/span><\/span>on the wonderful BBC Documentary, <\/span><\/span>Priest School<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>two<\/span><\/span> weeks ago.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I pray <\/span><\/span>that <\/span><\/span>the example of our priests and religious<\/span><\/span> inspire<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>other men and women<\/span><\/span> to ser<\/span><\/span>ve the Lord in the Priesthood, Diaconate and Consecrated Life. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Please join me in<\/span><\/span> pray<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span> for them,<\/span><\/span> and for <\/span><\/span>many <\/span><\/span>vocations<\/span><\/span>for our diocese<\/span><\/span> in <\/span><\/span>the coming years to take on their mantle. \u00a0These are<\/span><\/span> times of worry and sacrifice<\/span><\/span> for you and your families<\/span><\/span> and I <\/span><\/span>encourage you to offer<\/span><\/span> these<\/span><\/span> crosses <\/span><\/span>for good and holy vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Your offerings will be powerful before the Lord<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Today <\/span><\/span>I to entrust you to t<\/span><\/span>he Lord, the Good Shepherd; and in this lovely month of May<\/span><\/span> t<\/span><\/span>o the intercession of Our <\/span><\/span>Blessed <\/span><\/span><\/a>Lady of Paisley: She Who is H<\/span><\/span>ealth of the<\/span><\/span> Sick and the Bright S<\/span><\/span>tar that guides us through the stormy sea of life. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Please stay safe,<\/span><\/span> look afte<\/span><\/span>r each other and continue to respond <\/span><\/span>the Lord\u2019s call to service during this time. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With all my prayers and blessings,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

+ John<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read Bishop Keenan\u2019s Pastoral Letter for Good Shepherd Sunday 2020 below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","post","publish","author-ryan-black","has-more-link","post-2671","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p85OtW-H5","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Bishop-John-Keenan.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2671"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2672,"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2671\/revisions\/2672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stthomasneilston.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}