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
We say goodbye to Jimmie (who is the only novice from the UK studying within the Rosminian community). He is leaving St Peter’s to continue his studies in Rome. We thank him for being an active part of our Parish community since May. May God bless him in his future studies and hopefully we will see him again in St Peter’s.
Saturday 1st August Bethel Convention Centre, West Bromwich with Fr Xavier Khan Vattayil, famous for healing charism and headlining music from One Hope Project. Great talks, dynamic music, powerful healing service, children and teens ministry, spiritual sharing, Confession, Mass. For bus going from Cardiff & Newport Please contact Madeleine 07791 503857
There will be a Second Reading and vote in the House of Commons for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life Bill) on 11 September. As Catholics, we oppose this legislation in principle as it attacks the innate dignity of every person. It is also very poorly written and gives no safeguards to healthcare staff, nursing homes, or hospices all of whom will be pressured to implement the bill if the legislation is passed. I encourage all Catholics to write to their MP. The Bishops' Conference has produced has a scannable QR code, available on its website at: www.cbcew.org.uk/opposing-assistedsuicide/ . On the page, there are various resources, copies of statements and guidance on writing to your MP, and please, please do so, to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Many thanks, +Mark, Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia.
The Guild of St Stephen and the Maryvale Institute run a 6-month course for adult Altar Servers, exploring the history of liturgy, the sacraments, scripture, communication, leadership and people skills and the theology of service. It is delivered online in 1-hour monthly evening sessions, with an optional one day in-person session at Oscott College at the end of the course. No pre-requisite education required. Registration deadline is 15th September 2026. For more info, visit: guildofststephen.org/certificate or email Deacon Paul Briers on certificate@guildofststephen.org .
Franciscan Family to South Wales St. Alban’s Church, Cardiff Saturday 25th - Monday 27th July Icon is welcomes into Church at 9.30am on 25th, then present at the 10am & 11.15am Sunday Masses, and will conclude after the 9.30am Mass on 27th. This visit is part of its continuous pilgrimage around the European Fraternities of the Secular Franciscan Order and Youfra. The Icon has the relics of St Francis of Assisi, St Clare of Assisi and St Elizabeth of Hungary (Patron of the Order) travelling with it.
Why did Our Lord instituted the Eucharist? The Lord, having loved those who were his own, loved them to the end. Knowing that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love. In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; "thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament." In his Eucharistic presence he remains mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave himself up for us, and he remains under signs that express and communicate this love: The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease. (Reference: CCC 1337 & 1380)
O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. 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.
Thank you for all your fundraising suggestions for the repairs to the Bell Tower. If you would like to lead your suggestion/s with the support of other Parishioners, can you please add your name and contact details to the list in the porch. Since this will be an ongoing project, we welcome more new ideas you might have to be added to the list. St Peter's Parish value your every effort, whether it is big or small, in helping with the Bell Tower fundraising . Please keep an eye out for opportunities to support.
The Archdiocese will be taking a group of young adults to Seoul for the next World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027. Young adults who would like to join are invited to attend the online information webinar on 2nd August at 7pm. Scan QR code to register or a link to register can be found on the poster at Church porch.
Next meeting is on Thursday 6th August 2.30pm - 3.30pm in St David’s Chapel (Entrance via Bedford Street) Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Consecration prayer, Divine Mercy image veneration. All are welcome