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Opportunities for Prayer in our Parish There is a Petition Book for prayer requests on a lectern at the back of the church. Parishioners are welcome to enter prayer petitions at any time. If you would like prayers for yourself or your
loved ones another option is to phone the Catholic SOS Prayer Line
on 01243 377331 from 7.30pm –
midnight every night. This line has handled over 103,000 calls since
it opened in December 1989. In Continual Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament, volunteers pray with a telephone beside them. Not counselling,
advice giving or asking questions, but totally trusting in the power
of Prayer in Jesus' Name." For more details: http://www.catholic-bible-school.org/sos-prayerline.html A popular prayer tradition
combining meditation on the main events of Christ's life with praying
the Our Father, Hail Mary, and other prayers. A group meets to pray
the Rosary together in St Joan's on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every
month at 8.00pm. A simple guide to
the Rosary can be downloaded from http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Prayer/Devotions/Rosary.html You may have heard the bell of St Joan's ringing at midday and 6pm and wondered what it signifies. There is an old tradition of saying "the Angelus" at these times, and first thing in the morning. This is a prayer in memory of the Incarnation - God becoming man as Jesus Christ - accompanied by three Hail Marys. Even if you don't know the exact prayers, why not stop and say a quick prayer of thanks to God when you hear the bell. The Angelus prayers: http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Prayer/Traditional/Mary.shtml#Angelus
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every Saturday morning after the 10am Mass until 11am. Adoration also takes place during Holy Hour (see below). Prayer Hour First Thursday of each month 8.00-9.00pm in St
Joan’s Church. Format varies but usually includes Exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament, meditative songs or “Taize”
style music , intercessory prayers, scripture reading and “Lectio
Divina” a time of quiet Scripture meditation. More information
from http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/Scripture/Lectio-Divina.pdf Lent and Advent Small Groups There is a Prayer Ministry
available in the Blessed Sacrament chapel after every mass on the
first weekend of the month, this includes Saturday 6.30pm mass.
Please come if you want to receive prayer for yourselves, friends
or relatives. Two trained members of the Parish Prayer Team are
available to pray with you. Your prayer requests are private and
confidential. There are no past or present emotional, physical or
spiritual problems the Lord cannot heal. He commanded us to lay
hands on the sick and he promised that they would be healed. We
are so blessed to have this ministry available in our church and
many people have already greatly benefited from it. “Life in the Spirit” Prayer Group meets on Thursday evenings 8.00-9.15pm in the Foyer of the Parish Centre with the exception of the first Thursday each month when we hold a Prayer Hour in the Church. The Group has no formal "membership" but is open to anyone who needs prayer support or who wishes to develop their prayer life and spirituality. There is no set format, but the meeting will usually start with a time of praise and worship - including contemporary praise songs. There may be readings of short extracts of Scripture, followed by a time of silent meditation. We usually pray for Spiritual Renewal (see below) and a fresh infilling of the gifts of the Holy Spirit; and we always set aside time to pray for the needs of those present, their families and friends, the Parish, other issues of concern, and healing ministry. The Prayer Group at St Joan's was started in the 1970's by a former Parish Priest, Fr Albon. After his untimely death, the Group continued to meet on a fairly regular basis in Parishioners' homes. In 1991, Parish Priest Fr Jim Martin encouraged the Group to meet on Church premises once again, so that prayer can be seen at the centre of Parish Life. Over the years, the group has arranged several "Life in the Spirit" Seminars for spiritual renewal as well as Alpha courses, "CaFE" courses, and Prayer Services for the Parish. These will be announced in the weekly bulletins. See item below on “Renewal in the Holy Spirit”. (For further details on prayer group email Alastair Emblem.) The Alpha course: http://alphacourse.org/default.htm Catholic Faith Evangelisation (CaFE): http://www.catholicevangel.org/Default.htm Mother's Prayer Group Young and not-so-young mothers meet on Friday morning
after 10am Mass each week. Contact
Sheila Thorp. The Catholic Church actively
encourages reading, study and prayerful meditation of the Bible. An excellent guide to daily
Bible reading, with commentary and prayer, can be found in the Catholic
publication "Bible Alive", the leading monthly devotional
magazine for Catholics in the UK with over 40,000 subscribers. For
subscription details, click on the following link: http://www.biblealive.co.uk/ Other Prayer Links Traditional Prayers: http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Prayer/Traditional/index.shtml Praying each day: http://www.prayingeachday.org/ Daily prayer online: http://sacredspace.ie/ Daily prayer for your MP3 player: http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/ Find a new sense of fulfilment, a fresh energy and joy of living: http://www.life4seekers.co.uk/ |
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