COMMUNION HYMNS

GRACIOUS Spirit, Holy Ghost, Taught by thee, we covet most Of thy gifts at Pentecost, Holy, heavenly love.

Love is kind, and suffers long, Love is meek, and thinks no wrong, Love than death itself more strong ; Therefore give us love. Prophecy will fade away. Melting in the light of day ; Love will ever with us stay ; Therefore give us love.

Faith will vanish into sight ; Hope be emptied in delight ; Love in heaven will shine more bright Therefore give us love.

Faith and hope and love we see Joining hand in hand agree ; But the greatest of the three, And the best, is love.

From the overshadowing Of thy gold and silver wing Shed on us, who to thee sing, Holy, heavenly love.

Come down, O Love divine, seek Thou this soul of mine, and visit it with Thine own ardour glowing; O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, till earthly passions turn to dust and ashes in its heat consuming; and let Thy glorious light shine ever on my sight, and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be, and lowliness become mine inner clothing: true lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part, and o'er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing. And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long, shall far outpass the power of human telling; for none can guess its grace, till he become the place wherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling.

Regina Caeli

Joy to thee, O Queen of Heaven. Alleluia! He whom thou wast meet to bear. Alleluia! As he promised hath arisen. Alleluia! Pour for us to God thy prayer. Alleluia!

Rejoice and be glad of Virgin Mary. Alleluia! For the Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Let us pray.

O God, Who by the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, hast brought joy to the world: grant we beseech Thee, that through his Mother the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI on the Feast of Pentecost, 2010

Fifty days after Easter we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, in which we recall the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit, who as wind and as fire descended upon the Apostles gathered together in the Upper Room, and enabled them to preach the Gospel to all nations with courage. The mystery of Pentecost, which we rightly identify with the event of the Church's true "baptism", is not, however, exhausted by this. The Church in fact lives constantly from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, without which she would exhaust her own strength, like a sailboat without the wind.

Pentecost is renewed in a special way in certain powerful moments, whether this be at the local or the universal level, whether it be in small assemblies or in large ones. The Councils, for example, had sessions graced by special outpourings of the Holy Spirit, and among these is certainly the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. But the Church knows countless "pentecosts" that vivify the local communities. Let us think of the liturgies, particularly those experienced in special moments of the community's life, in which the power of God is perceived in an evident way, infusing joy and enthusiasm in hearts.

Dear friends, on this Feast of Pentecost, we too would like to be spiritually united with the Mother of Christ and of the Church, faithfully invoking a renewed outpouring of the Paraclete. We invoke this for the whole Church, in particular for all the ministers of the Gospel, that the message of salvation be proclaimed to all the nations.

NOTICES Sundays: Year A Weekday: Year I

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Mattins will be said Tuesday -Thursday 7.50 Friday -Sunday9.00

Please come for refreshment after Mass today. There will be a lunch to which everyone is invited.