Latest Update: New Bulletin added 27th June 2009

Please see below our advert for the Youth Ministry Co-ordinator, click on the advert for more information.

I"I am the good shepherd; I know my own, and my own know me” (Jn 10:14). Rejoice that the Lord has made you members of his flock and knows each of you by name! Follow him with joy and let him guide you in all your ways. Jesus knows what challenges you face, what trials you endure, and the good that you do in his name. Trust in him, in his enduring love for all the members of his flock, and persevere in your witness to the triumph of his love. May Saint John the Baptist, the patron of Jordan, and Mary, Virgin and Mother, sustain you by their example and prayers, and lead you to the fullness of joy in the eternal pastures where we will experience for ever the presence of the Good Shepherd and know for ever the depths of his love. Amen.”
(Pope Benedict XVI, Pilgrimage to the Holy Land)

Bishop takes Mass

On Sunday 8th February Bishop Arthur visited St. Robert’s on official visitation

Click here to read about the Bishops visit and to see some pictures

Young People in York

On Saturday 13th December, the youth group of St. Robert's made a pilgrimage to York.

To see more pictures and to read about our trip click here.

Festive Lunch 2008

Once again, Helen McNamara pulled the stops out with a superb lunch for the senior parishioners of St.Robert's.

Click here to read about it and see more photos from the Festive Lunch

Welcoming our New Parish Priest

On 14th December the Dean of Harrogate, Fr. Paul Moxon, came to celebrate the 11:30am Mass. His task was to celebrate the official induction of Fr. Donal as our parish priest.

Click here to read about it and see more photos from Fr. Donals Induction

Asking for Wisdom

At the beginning of Advent we had the opportunity to spend time with God and with each other, taking the chance to prepare spiritually for Christmas. We travelled to Myddelton Grange Retreat Centre, the Youth Residential Centre for the Diocese, and were immediately stunned by the snow covered valley and the view of Ilkley Moor.

Fr. Simon Lodge, the director of Myddelton Grange, led two challenging but upligting spiritual conferences. He spoke about the message of God conveyed through the Bible and the Catechism; Scripture and Tradition being the two sources of the Word of God. He emphasised the importance of approaching the Bible and the Catechism with an attitude of openness and prayer. Wisdom should be our goal, he said, not just more knowledge. Such an enterprise demands patience, humility and faith: all virtues we cultivate especially during Advent.

The day concluded with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and an opportunity simply to spend time in silence, stillness and simplicity before our loving God.

The picture of St. Robert, above, is taken from a mosaic
on the wall of the chapel at Myddelton Grange.

"Always be Ready to Move On"

Taking up the challenging readings of the day, Canon Lawrie came back to St. Robert's with the message that we must always be ready to move on, always ready for the next challenge, the next gift and, ultimately, for eternity.

After a couple of months in his new post in Pontefract, he came back for a final celebration. It was an opportunity for him to say "Thank you" to the parishioners and also for the parishioners to express their gratitude and love for him. Barbara Macaulay, the outgoing chair of the parish council, said a few excellently chosen words at the end of Mass as her final act as chair. She expressed how fondly the parish remembered Canon Lawrie's kindness, his generous availability, his thought-provoking and entertaining homilies and his down-to-earth friendliness. Everyone will remember, she went on, his bobble hats and his Catholic trivia questions at the end of Mass.

On behalf of the parish, Barbara presented him with an offering and a book in which parishioners had written messages of thanks and best wishes.

Pilgrimage to our Patrons

Despite the gloomy Summer we've been having, the sun shone last Sunday for our parish pilgrimage to St. Robert's Cave and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Crag. After walking along the south side of the River Nidd first, we crossed the river and soon came across St. Robert's Cave: a hidden treasure that has been a place of pilgrimage since the twelfth century. The Cave had been decorated with candles and, with the sound of Benedictine monks singing in the background, it had a beautiful and prayerful atmosphere.

After spending some time in prayer, we went on further to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Crag. Built by John the Mason in thanksgiving to Our Lady who, through her prayers, had protected his son from near death by a falling rock. The shrine dates back to the fifteenth century and is currently maintained by St. Mary's Catholic Church in Knaresborough.

We prayed a decade of the rosary and then went on to have a picnic. The pilgrimage was a thoroughly pleasant and joy-filled afternoon, not just because of the shrines and prayers. There was a great mixture of people, both young and old. Everyone left both with good friends and new friends.

Click here to find out who St. Robert is and where his cave is.

World Youth Day 2008

Two young people from St. Robert's and Fr. Chris joined a large group from the Diocese to go on pilgrimage to Australia to join Pope Benedict and hundreds of thousands of young Catholics in a celebration of faith. Held every three years, World Youth Day is the largest youth event in the world. This year's theme was taken from Jesus's words at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses". Gabriel Hopkins shares his experience of the event:

On 7th July 2008, the pilgrimage from the Diocese of Leeds set-out on what was to become, what I can only describe as one of the most amazing experiences of their lives, to attend World Youth Day 2008 in Australia. Some knew everybody; some knew hardly anybody (including myself), yet 130 young pilgrims signed-up for an immense journey that was to span nearly two years – two years of fund-raising and preparation, that would end with Mass with the Holy Father on 20th July 2008, World Youth Day itself.

Although the end-goal was Sydney, our pilgrimage started its journey in the ‘Days in the Dioceses’ in a town called Geelong, around 45 minutes south of Melbourne. We stayed nearly a week, with host families in this town, with a population similar to that of Harrogate. The size of the population is what amazed me most. I’m not sure if it was just that my host (Geoff) knew everyone, but Geelong felt like a community. Of course, this was evident at parish events, but it was also visible on a wider scale. It seemed as though Geoff knew everybody, from the star players of the mighty ‘Cats’ (Australian Rules Football team), to the manager of the local supermarket. It was a strange experience, especially when Geoff’s wife insisted the opposite. However, the strangest experience was when we celebrated Mass with the locals one Sunday. I’m sure many of us have prayed for sunshine throughout our dark winters, yet the Australians were praying for rain, in the middle of winter! The most notable aspect of our stay in Geelong, however, was the most wonderful hospitality we were afforded. No matter how many times Geoff reminded me how this would be a wonderful Summer day in England (even though it was 5˚C on some days!), or how awful the English Cricket Team is, I will be forever indebted to the warmth of his and his wife’s welcome. I hope that our group, along with the Diocese of Lancaster, and a group from Poland were able to reignite the faith of the other young people of Geelong, as per the aim of ‘Days in the Dioceses.’

Yet, onto Sydney we went, and to warmer weather too! Although we had had a wonderful time in Geelong, it was evident that excitement was brewing about our final destination, which was to be Randwick Racecourse, and seeing Pope Benedict. Throughout the mornings of our stay in Sydney, we attended Catecheses, given by Bishops from around the world, under the theme "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses." All three of the Catecheses we heard were extremely stimulating, both intellectually and spiritually.

For me, however, World Youth Day was about something more. Coming from a society in which secularism, politics, war, and misery dominate, it was a great joy to feel at peace with thousands of other young Catholics, and escape daily life. Therefore, I felt the major events – such as the Commissioning Mass in the Telstra Dome, Melbourne, where for example 600 priests took part in the Mexican Wave; or simply just walking through Sydney with Catholics from all over the world, shouting “Benedetto!” and “Viva Il Papa!” – they made World Youth Day for me. It is difficult to describe these moments: you felt invincible, untouchable, as if nothing could worry or harm you. The Lord was truly with us.

The Pope principally gave two homilies: one at the Vigil Service on the Saturday evening and one at the Mass for World Youth Day on Sunday morning. To read the homilies click here: Saturday Vigil homily, Sunday Mass homily.

St. Robert's Redecoration

For a good nine weeks from the beginning of August, our church was closed to everyone but painters and decorators. Now it's all over and we've returned to our usual routine, the whole enterprise has proved to be a major success! We believe our church truly lives up to its function: to lift our hearts and minds to God.

Click on the photographs below to see a bigger version.

Ss. Peter and Paul, Apostles
Acts 12:1-11
Psalm 33
2 Timothy 4:6-8.17-18
Matthew 16:13-19

Click here for a reflection on Sunday's readings.

NEXT WEEK
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 2:2-5
Psalm 122
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Mark 6:1-6