Donkeys'n'Drama covid-friendly school project
Webmaster • November 21, 2020
Dear Friends and Supporters,
THE BAD NEWS...
...Last year was our tenth year at Tabernacle on the Hayes... Fantastic - and such a tribute to all of you who have given, in so many different ways. (Especially Tab!)
However, I probably don't need to tell you that we can't be there as usual this year. ... And nor can our puppet Nativity project go ahead.
THE GOOD NEWS...
Instead, we are taking our project out to the schools....
DONKEYS'N'DRAMA is a Covid-friendly project which can happen in school halls or in the playgrounds -- much needed and very welcome.
We're taking Toby and Thomas, and their pen to primary schools for three weeks in December.
We'll also be taking a giant and very beautiful crib scene... using the puppets we have had made for the venture at Eglwys Dewi Sant.
There'll be a soundtrack with music and a simple retelling of the story.
We'll also be taking along some costumes to add to the school's own nativity hoard, so that each child can have a Christmas photo to take home.
We've been working like crazy to make sure it can happen. For a start we've made replicas of eight puppets so that we don't have to worry about them getting damaged as they get moved from school to school over three weeks. We've had music composed for the soundtrack, and a fresh re-telling of the story scripted and narrated - in both languages, of course. And we're videoing it (the puppets will perform limited movements of their heads and hands, to bring the scene to life.)
Skills have been given freely to enable all this to happen - and that's not all that's been given.
We'd love the entire project to be free to schools - as it has always been - but without a presence in the city centre to enable us to attract donations, that isn't possible. We will have to charge the schools for this (£175 for half a day) because our donkeys need proper transportation, insurance and supervision. This meant that schools serving the very poorest areas of our city would struggle - until a friend, who for many years had been a single parent, surviving on her wages as a shop assistant, heard about it and handed me £500 to help subsidise schools in deprived areas. Since then another £250 has been added to that pot by a variety of generous souls. Every pound given is a pound off the amount that these schools will have to pay. What a blessing...
Oh, and in addition, a church school has offered us the use of a large people-carrier to move our kit around!
Our video of the crib scene will be available for all churches to use this Christmas. Any church that would like to put display a crib - using existing figures or making their own - outside their own church building, can use our soundtrack to go with it.
We'll send you more details, and lots of pictures, as all this unfolds over the next couple of weeks.
And with the vaccine in sight, we can look forward to next year... This new project has re-energised us - demonstrated that there are all sorts of ways we can get this wonderful story out into our city at Christmas - even when ther are trillions of viruses rtying to stop us!
If you've got a sewing machine and you'd like to help sew costumes for the younger children in schools... get in touch. We're only doing Mary and Joseph costumes - and they'll be easy peasy - I promise.!!
God bless you all. This is a Christmas like no other... I cannot tell you how much your loyalty and support has meant over the past decade...
May God be with you all,
Love Sally
Tuesday 6th January 7pm Led by the 9.30am Sunday Mass music group. There will be refreshments after the service.
It has been a tradition in the Catholic Church to bless chalk for Epiphany, and then use the blessed chalk as part of blessing one’s home in the New Year. It will be distributed at the10am Mass on Tuesday 6th January.
The memories of a shepherd I thank You, Lord, Our God Most High, that You fulfilled Your Promise spoken through the prophets, that You finally give us a Saviour to save us from our slavery and from our enemies. How blessed I am, that You sent Your Angel to bring us the good news that the Messiah is born, that I hear with my own ears such enchanting singing from the Choir in Heaven. Although I am so lowly, but because I kept watch over the flocks at night, I was privileged to be one of the first to receive this good tidings. The vision filled me with so much joy and love, thus driven me eagerly to meet Our Promised Saviour in Bethlehem. But poor as I am, the little lamb I carried with me was the most luxurious gift I can afford. But I know God knows my heart. When I arrived at the Cave, I witnessed something truly amazing, a baby was lying in a manger, the golden light and halo coming out from Him indicated that He is not from this world; His Light shone forth like a sun. But my eyes also noticed the terrible environment He was in, He appeared to be even poorer than I am! Nevertheless, I was attracted by this Child, not merely because of His beautiful and adorable Face or His glorious light or His pitiable state, but because He filled me with His Love. He is Love Itself. O Lord, Your descent from Heaven, Your humble birth in a cave, was not being announced like a huge thunder in the sky for everyone to know and fear of and demand attention; because of Love, You came silently in the middle of the night, since You wish us to search for You and gently draw us into Your Presence. O Lord, Your Divinity was hidden in our flesh, it is Your Love too which drove you to become like one of us in human nature, so to let us physically see and understand you are so close with us. Emmanuel! Emmanuel! God is with us, God is with His people, it is all true! You are visible, You are touchable, You are real, to make us cannot deny that Emmanuel is really with us. God Love us, God has not abandon His people. You make our hope and longing in You no longer a dream. But a dream come true. I believe. I truly believe You are the Messiah! You are the Anointed One!
SVP is asking for the following donations of food to help the poor: cooking oil; beans; tinned tuna; rice; pasta; pasta sauce; coffee; tea; long-life milk; drinking chocolate; Weetabix®; biscuits; tinned soup; tinned tomatoes; rice pudding & sugar.
If you wish your child to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation & Holy Communion in 2026 and they attend a NON-CATHOLIC school in year 3 or above. Please complete the form at the back of Church and give to one of the Priests.
The third Sunday of Advent is also called ‘Gaudete Sunday’. ‘Gaudete’ means ‘Rejoice’ in Latin. We rejoice because during the Advent season, as our hearts are in the middle of this longing, waiting and penitential period; Our Saviour who we are expecting is fast approaching. As today’s Reading said: “The coming of the Lord is at hand”. Therefore, the third candle we light up this weekend, as well as the Priest’s and Deacon’s vestments change from purple to rose colour, to reflect the rejoicing spirit in our hearts.
What St Joseph might be thinking by the Crib… I was initially bewildered when I heard that Mary was pregnant with ‘The Lord’ from Elizabeth’s mouth. I love her so, and I just want to serve her as my lady, not treating her as my wife. But then I got this shocking news! I didn’t understand. She is God’s Possession. Who am I? I dared not to get close to her…and with a broken-heart I wanted to run away. But God, You has a Plan for me, Your Angel’s Message calm my fear and showed me my Vocation. I am delighted to do Your Will, yet I felt I have failed on the first mission You gave me – I can’t even prepare for You a proper place for Your Holy and Glorious Birth. But Your Wish is beyond human thinking. Not only You wished to take our fragile form of human flesh instead of the angel’s. You also desired to be born in a cave instead of a palace, accompanied by beasts instead of servants, wrapped in swaddling cloth instead of silk and gold…I marvelled that You can be with such humility, such sacrifice to Your Divinity! Ah, The Word Incarnate came with His Words and His Action, to open our eyes and mind, and made us understand and realise what Love really is, how much He Loves us, how precious we are to Him. Indeed, Your Love to us can even made the Angels jealous! Although You are my God and I fear You, like Moses hid his face in front of the Burning Bush, I also prostrated in front of Your brilliant Light in the Nativity Cave when You first born; yet as Mary invited me to come closer and the moment she placed Your little Body in my arms I just want to love You, joyful tears ran down my face. I adore You. You opened Your eyes and looked into mine, You took my soul and breath away. Oh, my Divine Child, You are the fountain of all happiness, just looking at You, just being with You, Your Real Presence made my whole being went into ecstasy, like all the unspeakable joy of the whole Heaven have come down on me. You chose me to be Your father on earth out of all men, how privilege I am! How unworthy I am! But I humbly wish to be Yours forever. From this day onwards, I will use all my strength to protect You, even if it might costs my life; I will use my very last breath to prevent any harm come to You. I love You, my dear Baby Jesus, my God and my All!
‘‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’’ (Matthew 11:3-6) O God, who see how your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord's Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Rosminian Fathers would like to invite you to join their Chr istmas Masses: