Our Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ, my Friends, my Dear Parishioners and warmly welcomed visitors,
I simply cannot find enough words to express my deep gratitude for all those who came forward this past week to care so beautifully for our churches. To everyone who swept, polished, dusted, wiped, arranged and tidied thank You. You make our house of God shine with a warmth that no number of candles or flowers could ever achieve on their own. There is a lovely story about Saint Francis of Assisi. Wherever he travelled, he would carry a little broom with him. After preaching in a church, he would stay behind and gently sweep it himself. One day a farmer saw him at this humble work and asked, “Brother Francis, why do you, a man so loved by all, spend your time sweeping floors?” Francis smiled and said: “This is not just stone and wood I am cleaning. Every corner of this church holds the presence of Christ. To care for His house is the greatest privilege of all.” He would often say that the invisible sweat of those who clean the house of God rises like sweet incense before the altar. Their work may go unnoticed by many, but it is always seen by the One who dwells there. And that is exactly what you do. You may not always hear applause, but every bench you wipe, every window you brighten, every corner you tend, you are preparing a place where souls will meet the Lord. You are making the welcome visible before anyone even speaks a word. Thank you for your dedication, your gentle care and your loving hearts. May the Lord bless You a hundredfold for every speck of dust you have lovingly swept away.
As we approach the end of October, it is wonderful to remember the real Christian roots of what many know as “Halloween.” The word itself is a Scottish shortening of “Allhallow-even” literally meaning “All Holy Evening” the night before All Saints’ Day. These origins go all the way back to AD 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon in Rome, once a temple to all the pagan gods and dedicated it instead to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all martyrs. Before a building used for false worship could become a house of God, the Church performed a solemn prayer of exorcism, casting out the spirits of darkness to make way for the true Light of the World. In this beautiful sense, the very first “All Hallows’ Eve” was a triumph: Christ conquering darkness, truth overcoming falsehood and light shining where shadows once dwelt. All Saints’ Day, then, is not about ghosts or fear. It is about heaven rejoicing. It is about the men and women who walked this earth and now shine like stars around the throne of God. As the old missal reminds us, this feast celebrates “Christ’s triumph over the false gods of the pagans.” Darkness does not win. Light does.
So, I am very happy to announce a special All Saints Challenge for Our Children! This weekend, as we celebrate All Saints’ Day, I would like to invite you to take part in a very special and exciting challenge! As we have seen, the true meaning of Halloween is not about darkness, fear, monsters, or frightening things. Its Christian roots remind us that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World and that we are all called to become saints. So, at the Saturday Vigil Mass and all Sunday Masses, I invite every child to come dressed as your favourite saint, with an important condition! Each child should be prepared to tell us:
- Who they are dressed as
- Why this saint inspires you
You do not need to give a long speech. Just a few sentences will do. Tell us something special about your saint: a virtue, a courageous deed, a kind heart, a great sacrifice, or a beautiful love for Jesus. At the end, we will choose the saint presentation that is the most inspiring, meaningful and heartfelt. Remember, we are not looking for the most expensive costume or the most elaborate outfit. We are looking for children who help us discover the real meaning of Halloween, beauty of holiness and the joy of following Jesus. The saints were the greatest adventurers in history. They crossed oceans, served the poor, defended the faith, cared for the sick, faced dangers bravely and trusted God completely. They show us that the most exciting adventure of all is becoming the person God created us to be. So this year, let us leave behind everything that celebrates darkness, fear, ugliness, or evil. Instead, let us choose light, goodness, courage, faith and holiness.
✨ Dress as a Saint. ✨ Tell us your Saint’s story. ✨ Inspire the Parish.
Who knows? Perhaps one day you will be a saint too!
I am delighted to share that 17 people have already expressed their interest in joining our pilgrimage to Poland next year in September, thank you! Full details will follow very shortly, but here is a first glimpse of this beautiful journey: We will travel together as foot passengers by ferry from Guernsey to Cherbourg in France. From there, a coach will take us across the border into Belgium, then onward, three days travelling through some truly remarkable, lesser-known places across Europe before arriving in Poland, where we will spend seven days visiting beautiful, famous, but also unseen places that few tourist companies ever reach. We will then make the return journey together, again visiting a fascinating places and arriving back in Cherbourg for the ferry home.
The faithful Fiat Panda that belongs to the Parish and was driven by Fr Inna many years is still waiting for a new home. If you would love to have this gentle reminder of him and continue its service in our community, please get in touch very soon. If we don’t find a new owner among us, it will sadly be passed on to a garage to be sold elsewhere. It would mean so much for it to stay right here among those, who love Fr Inna so much.
This coming Saturday 31st October at 2:00pm, we’ll gather at the Little Chapel, Les Vauxbelets, to pray the Rosary together. Then we will walk in procession singing, praying, carrying our lights to Blanchelande Cemetery, where we will begin the Month of the Holy Souls in prayer and thanksgiving. Please bring your lanterns or battery candles, let us walk together as a Procession of Light. ALL are very welcome.
On Monday 2nd November – Holy Souls Day we’ll gather at 4:30pm at Le Foulon Cemetery for a special service of prayer and blessing of the graves. It will be a beautiful moment to remember our beloved deceased, to pray beside their resting places and to entrust them once more to God’s loving care. Everyone is most warmly welcome.
You may have heard that the Church offers something very special during these first days of November, the gift of a Plenary Indulgence. But what does this truly mean? Please, think of it this way: when a loved one is journeying home after a long, difficult time away, we don’t just wait, we go out to meet them. We prepare the way. That is what the Church does for our faithful departed. A plenary indulgence is not something we “earn” it is a gift of Christ’s mercy, won for us on the Cross, which the Church applies through her prayers to souls still being purified in God’s love. From All Saints Day through 8th November, the Church grants a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, to the faithful who:
• Visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed
• Go to Confession
• Receive Holy Communion
• Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father (one Our Father and one Hail Mary)
• Are free from all attachment to sin, even venial sin.
It is one of the most beautiful things we can do for those we love, to walk with them in prayer, to help them home to God. As Saint John Paul II said: “The Church on earth, the Church in heaven, and the Church still on the way, they are not divided. They are one great family.” Let us love one another across the threshold of death. It is the love that never ends.
It has been such a blessing to walk with you these past weeks. Many of you have been away or travelling and I know life is busy, but from my heart, I want to extend to each of you a warm, open invitation on Wednesday 28th October at 6:00pm in the St Joseph’s Church. I will be formally installed and inducted by Bishop Philip Egan as your Parish Priest of Our Lady and the Saints of Guernsey and also as Catholic Dean of Guernsey, including our beautiful parish of St Anne and St Mary Magdalene in Alderney. It will be a joyful evening, with our Bishop, clergy from across our islands and representatives from our community. But most of all, it will be a moment for us, for our family of faith, to pray together, to give thanks and to begin this new chapter hand in hand. Whether you have been here a lifetime or are just finding your way home, you are welcome here. Come, bring your smile, your prayers and your heart. I would be truly, deeply delighted to see you there. Let us rejoice together as one family in Christ.
With our love, our prayers, and our gratitude – Fr Marcin & Fr Benedict
Diocese of Portsmouth
