Notices

2) The Youth and  Vocations Commission will be holding its annual Youth Mass at St Peter and St Paul Parish, Dennery, on Sunday, June 7th from 10:00 a.m. Archbishop Malzaire will be the main celebrant.  All young people are encouraged to attend.  Please contact your youth leader for further details.

3) The Pastoral Centre will be hosting a Lecture Series on the theme "Faith, Creation, and Science".  There will be six lectures in the Series commencing April 22nd and ending in October.  All Prishioners are invited to attend the second lecture at the Pastoral Centre at a date to be announced in June.  The topic will be Prophetic Imagination and Sustainable Development: Implementation of the CKFAPC Green Plan as a Demonstration Site by Reverend David Popo, Director, Cardinal Kelvin Felix Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre.

4) Memo from the Archbishop, Most Reverence Gabriel Malzaire:

Brothers and Sisters, "it has come to my attention that a product being marketed as "Holy Water" is presently being sold in one of our local stores.  In light of this development, I wish to caution the faithful and strongly discourage Catholics from purchasing such items.

The Church has always held sacramentals, including holy water, in great reverence.  Holy water is not an ordinary commodity, but a sacred sacramental of the Church intended to dispose the faithful to receive grace and to recall our baptismal commitment.

There are several reasons for concern regarding the commercial sale of such items:  

1) We do not know the true origin of the supposedly blessed water, naturally one must ask, who blessed the water? Was it blessed by a Catholic Priest according to the rights of the Church? Or is it the claim merely a marketing strategy?

2) The commercialisation of Holy Water risks reducing a sacred sacramental a mere product for profit. Sacred realities should never be exploited for commercial gain or treated as magical objects.

3) As a rule in the Catholic Church, no sacramental that is already blessed should be sold, for example, rosaries, holy water, etcetera.

4) The faithful should remember that Holy Water is readily available through the Ministry of the Church.  Parish Priests are ordinarily willing to bless the water brought by the faithful for devotional use in their homes and families.

5) Catholics are encouraged to obtain sacramentals directly through the church to preserve their sacred character and to avoid confusion, abuse or superstition. 

I therefore encourage our clergy to take this opportunity to catechise the faithful on the proper meaning and use of sacramentals, expecially Holy Water, emphasising that sacramentals derived their value from the prayer of the Church and the faith of the believer, not from commercial packaging or private claims.

May this reminder help us to approach the sacred things of the church with deeper reverence with faith and understanding.

With every blessing and good wish, yours sincerely in Christ, Most Reverend Gabriel Malzaire, Archbishop of Castries."

5) We advise that your offerings and donations to the Parish can be made through BOSL Chequing Account #514 068 026, in the name of "Parish Priest of Gros Islet", Swift Code BOSLLCLC and also via Sure Pay.